Essays to Deepen and Enrich Your Faith

Katie Fitzgerald reviews The Shock of Holiness: Finding the Romance of Everyday Life, an essay collection by Michael Pakaluk. 

The Shock of Holiness: Finding the Romance of Everyday Life

By Michael Pakaluk

Published by Ignatius Press

Small Essays with Big Impact  

In The Shock of Holiness: Finding the Romance of Everyday Life, Catholic professor, writer, and father of 15 Michael Pakaluk gives readers a lot to think about. Almost all of the essays featured in this collection were originally published online at The Catholic Thing. Each one takes a short time to read, but a long time to digest. In each concise piece, Michael Pakaluk goes deeper into the truths and traditions of the Catholic faith, helping readers to see them in a new and more complex way.  

The Faith in Five Themes  

The book is divided into five sections. Part one, "The Romance of Daily Life," focuses on the practice of the faith, opening with an essay on mothers who bring children to Mass, whom Pakaluk calls heroes. Part two, "The Shock of Holiness," explores the lives of select saints and martyrs, including Saint John Vianney, Saint Thomas More, and the Martyrs of Compiègne. Part four, Mary and Joseph, reflects on the Blessed Mother’s perpetual virginity, Saint Joseph’s age and death, the Immaculate Conception, and more. The last two sections, Sex and Marriage and Life and Manners, deal more with human behavior and morality for Catholics. Organizing the book this way helps to highlight common themes in the essays, so that each section almost feels like a course on an aspect of the faith. Grouping them in this way also makes it easy to find an essay in a subject area that might particularly interest you.  

Deeper Reflection for Moms  

So often, as mothers, we feel that we don’t always have enough time to go deeper into our faith, even though we might like to. A book like this, where each essay can be read quickly between tasks, solves that problem. Each essay carries inside it so much to reflect upon. At just over 200 pages I assumed that I, a fast reader, would zip right through the whole book. Instead, after just one essay, I found I needed time to think it over. Throughout the rest of my day, while going about my daily tasks, I would contemplate what I read and bring it to the Lord in prayer. Pakaluk taught me things I had never heard before and also made me see things I already knew in a different light, and each time he accomplished that in under four pages.  

With its fresh insights and precise writing style, The Shock of Holiness is a worthy addition to your Catholic bookshelf, especially if you are looking to dive deeper into our faith and would like a knowledgeable professor to guide your way.  

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Katie Fitzgerald
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