Fr. Spitzer's Universe: Exploring Life’s Big Questions

Margaret Rash reviews the new book by Father Robert Spitzer, a Q&A to help readers understand life’s greatest mysteries. 

Fr. Spitzer's Universe: Exploring Life’s Big Questions

By Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ PhD

Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

Fr. Spitzer's Universe by Fr. Robert Spitzer provides an overview of some of the most foundational teachings of the Catholic Church by masterfully combining faith, logic, theology, reason and science in an easy-to-digest format. 

Faith and Reason 

Far too often faith and science or reason are pitted against each other in popular culture. In a world where so many try to convince us that we have to choose between our belief in God and logic, Fr. Spritzer’s writing is a breath of fresh air. 

We may already know that our faith and the sciences cannot rationally contradict each other, but it can be difficult to explain our reasoning or respond to questions. Fr. Spitzer is able to explain some of the most difficult questions with both sound reasoning and a firm foothold in theology.  

Stick with the science; stick with the peer-reviewed studies from hospitals that have excellent research, published in reputable journals. (78) 

Topics and Format  

Fr. Spitzer covers a wide range of topics from evidence for the soul and near-death experiences, to the problem of evil, to the historical accuracy of Jesus’ crucifixion, the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and much more.  

The format is question-and–answer with brief sections, breaking up the chapters. This not only makes the book easy to read and really process all of the information, but also allows the reader to jump around in the book; you can jump to the sections that are most interesting to you or that you might have questions about and go back to what you skipped another time.  

The only trouble I personally had with the book was if Fr. Spitzer was answering a question that lends itself strictly to physics. I have no background in physics and though I've read Fr. Spitzer's work before, and he explains things very well, it can sometimes make my head spin!  

However, there is a wide range of questions in the book and most of them were explained in a very straightforward way that even I could understand! 

Explore Fr. Spitzer's Universe today! 

Overall, I definitely recommend this book. Ask for Father Spitzer's Universe: Exploring Life's Big Questions at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Sophia Institute Press.

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 Margaret Rash
Images: (top) detail from book cover