CBB Review – Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers That Even I Can Offer

Last updated on: June 10, 2015 at 5:30 pm by Pete Socks

CBB Review – Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers That Even I Can Offer 2015-06-08T21:01:54-05:00 Pete Socks

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Everyone’s faith journey is different. Some are raised Catholic and some, like myself, convert. Those stories of conversion are a testament to the richness of the Catholic faith. Leah Libresco’s is not your ordinary conversion story. Leah came to the faith after spending years as an atheist. Not just any atheist, mind you. Leah is a fellow Patheos blogger who just so happened to start her blogging career when she was an atheist. On her blog Unequally Yoked, Leah was a well-followed, educated voice for atheism. On June 18, 2012 she announced that she was bringing her intellectual approach to the Catholic fold and I for one couldn’t have been happier. You can read about her conversion in her new book Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers That Even I Can Offer.

After giving someone background as to her conversion Leah embarks on a mission to reveal the seven Catholic practices, or prayers, that have influenced her the most. She is humble in her presentation as well as intellectual leaving this reader almost in awe as I worked my way through the book. To give you an idea of what I am talking about here are the seven practices.

Petitionary Prayer – “A knot is a wound in the world. Sometimes, when I don’t know what to do or can’t muster the strength to make things better, the best I can do is simply acknowledge that something is wrong, and that I want someone to heal me and it. So far, this is the prayer I can most reliably offer, even in my most prideful or stubborn moods, and I believe that the act of reaching out to God (even to hand the problem off) makes it easier for me to respond when he reaches back to me.”

Confession – “Soon after my conversion, once confession became something I did not just something I theorized about, I was surprised to find that it was my favorite sacrament. Confession reminds me of the cloistered, contemplative nuns. Unlike their active sisters, they’re seldom seen outside the cloister, and they can slip from our minds, but their lives of constant prayer support and inspire the religious brothers and sisters who come out to meet us in the world. Confession’s quiet, secluded grace strengthens me to seek out all other graces.”

Examen – Leah provides a one chapter guide to what the examen is and what it has meant to her. “First, I consider my blessings. Next, I ask God for light. With the light I’m given, I review my faults that day. Once my faults are clear in my mind, I ask God to forgive them. Finally, I anticipate how I will start over.”

Rosary – This chapter starts off with an eye opening statement. “I was saying Hail Mary’s before I believed in God.” From there Leah takes the reader on a mystery by mystery breakdown of the rosary with explanations on how each affected her in her conversion.

Divine Office – It was interesting to hear how Leah works time into her schedule to be able to pray the Divine Office also known as the Liturgy of the Hours. You can clearly see how this prayer has benefitted her and how it can benefit the reader. “When I make space in my life for these prayers, they draw me onward and upward toward God and, at the same time, link me to the people walking beside me on their own winding paths to transformation through God’s love.”

Lectio Divina – “I may not be fluent in its lessons, but even a fumbling familiarity with scripture can be enough to help me notice when I am confused and prompt me to turn to prayer and reflection to address my confusion. Just as using American Sign Language and memory exercises forced me to notice the inconsistencies between my anticipations and Christ’s actual words, embracing biblical parallels shines a spotlight on the inconsistencies between my thoughts and acts and the inspired word of the Bible. And then, as always, I can thank God for even partial knowledge, face my error, and back at least one deliberate step away from this mistake. Then I begin again.”

Mass – “The grace poured out in the Mass – and in all the prayers the Catholic Church has offered me – helps me to grow in this new life, altered and yet still myself. Everyday, God’s love tutors me.”

What really struck me time and time again was how genuine Leah’s message was. As I read each chapter you could almost feel the joy and wonder bleed through the pages as Leah described her love of each of the Catholic practices she covers. Her sense of wonder is contagious. I found myself giving pause numerous times throughout the book to consider what she was relaying. Three years after her conversion from atheist to Catholic Leah has a clear message for us all. That message is that our faith is rich and exciting. Take up her book and let her rekindle your own joy in the Catholic faith.

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