Book Review: The Audacity to be Divine
Book Review:
Title: The Audacity to be Divine
Author: Judith Halbreich
Publisher: Austin Macauley
Date of Publishing: 30 June 2020
Length: 212 pages
ISBN-10: 1645363619
ISBN-13: 978-1645363613
Author Judith Halbreich writes a biography (The Audacity to be Divine) of her mother Mary Mrozowski, who was a spiritual teacher and founding member of the Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. She worked with some of the greatest spiritual minds of her times to advocate the advantages of Centring Prayer.
To have a strong mother is the biggest gift a daughter can have. However, it is a bigger gift when a daughter witnesses her mother’s growth and success- the process of her becoming strong. From a woman in love; to a woman divorced, Mary saw it all. Disregarding the toughest times, she found the strength to pray. Then there was the darkest time of her life, when she was technically, not praying. However, her quest for the greater power never ceased. She questioned, observed, argued, imbibed, learnt and taught. Her generosity as a mother, a friend, a co-worker and a guide will never cease to amaze.
Incidentally, Mary also showed the typical human traits of vanity, remorse, anger, dominance, yet, through it all, she realized her weaknesses, accepting to learn to live with them. This in time became her biggest asset- her resilience. The Audacity to be Divine teaches us acceptance of one’s shortcomings. Even one’s misfortunes add to the sense of a strong self.
Author Judith Halbreich narrates her mother’s story in the first person. We hear Mary talk, feel, cry, smile and experience the greatest joys of becoming a grandmother and sharing her trust in God. The Audacity to be Divine talks about the courage it takes to follow a spiritual path in our world. It is about affirming the fact that not all people are spiritually inclined nor will everyone understand one’s sheer love for the divine. Yet again, faith is not blind. Only a person who can question can explore spirituality in the truest sense (the anecdote about a professor hits the bull’s eye). The biography has no prejudices- but is a picture of how Mary saw life, through the eyes of her daughter. The book begins with the eulogy of Fr Thomas Keating, and what a great introduction to the main character of the novel- Mary Mrozowski.
The author mentions how she toiled for years to make her mother’s biography a reality. And rightly so. Good things take time! From a daughter to her mother- here’s the biggest gift of all. WeLoveQualityBooks recommend The Audacity to be Divine to everyone who wants to understand the real meaning of life. You may take any path or choose any faith- but it all leads to one centring prayer- to be one with the Almighty.
Our verdict: There is only one rating that such a lovely book deserves ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -5 stars!
The Audacity to be Divine by Judith Halbreich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
