What Do You Seek? Encountering the Heart of the Gospel

Karen Estep left a lot of sticky notes in the new release from Dr. Edward Sri — and that means the book is good!  

What Do You Seek? Encountering the Heart of the Gospel  

By Dr. Edward Sri 
Published by Ignatius Press 

In my copy of the latest book release called What Do You Seek? written by Dr. Edward Sri I have placed many sticky notes onto different pages. When an author uses a book to share life lessons with readers and the lessons resonate with me, the page gets a sticky note. I finally got tired of getting out of my comfortable reading spot on my couch and walking to the desk for a sticky note to mark something that made me think that I finally just brought the whole pad back to the couch with me.  

This book is set up like a gold mine. From the beginning of the book when he challenges readers to consider the basics of evangelization to the end when he challenges our very own relationships with Jesus, Dr. Sri asks us to go deeper. Sometimes the things Dr. Sri points out can be a bit uncomfortable — but in the best way possible. Knowing facts about Jesus and having an actual relationship with Jesus are two very different things. It is not until we can be in a relationship with Jesus that we can fully bring others into a relationship with Him as well.   

At the beginning of the book Sri demonstrates this beautifully, explaining that if someone were to ask you about Jesus, your first response should not be to hand them the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Rather it should be to tell about the love Jesus has for you, for them, and for the world.  

What I learned from this book 

As a newer Catholic, this resonated with me deeply. I have spent the better part of the last three and a half years learning, reading, listening, going to classes, and yearning to have all of the facts about Catholicism down so that I could go and defend my faith to the end! I was even told by one of the teens in my small group at a youth conference, “Man, you know a lot!”  

At first, I wore that as a badge of honor. I was a self-proclaimed Catholic Keyboard Warrior, getting into internet fights whenever someone said something so wrong about the Catholic Church.  

In reality, I was losing the overall purpose. I was learning all these facts about Jesus but I was forgetting to really know Jesus. In Chapter 8 of What Do You Seek? Dr. Sri does a deep dive on what it means to follow Jesus. The chapter title, “Follow Me,” just happens to be what the Holy Spirit was saying to me during Adoration at the youth conference. It shouldn’t be a surprise that this chapter happens to have the most sticky notes as well.  

In that chapter, Dr. Sri does an excellent job at mentioning both sons from the parable of the Prodigal Son. He challenges readers to think about which “son” we are and the impact it can have on how we approach our relationship with Jesus. At times, I have been both “sons.” However, Jesus has always been the same, loving me the way the father loves his sons in the parable.  

This book would make a phenomenal co-ed Bible study. Dr. Sri leaves reflection questions at the end of each chapter.  

The topics in each chapter are important for us as Catholics as well. How can we share the good news without a relationship with the Good News: Jesus? We can’t, unless we go deeper, unless we follow Him. This book is a great tool to begin that journey.  

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Copyright 2024 Karen Estep
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