A Good Life: 15 Essential Habits for Living with Hope and Joy

Pope Francis (A Gift of Joy and Hope) distills lucid lessons for a life of faith and fulfillment. In brief chapters, he urges readers to offer sincere gratitude to God, “believe in the existence of lofty and beautiful truths,” and “learn how to dream big” by “seek[ing] out the ideals of justice and social love that are born of hope” without recreating an “unjust, and already ill” past. The core of his message is to love others “as they are and not as we would want them to be,” particularly when they’re socially disenfranchised, as Jesus was in life. (That love should above all be tangible, the pope adds, reminding readers that Jesus advised his followers to give food to the hungry and visit the sick, because “faith dies without action.”) While Pope Francis doesn’t shy away from critiques of modern life, imploring readers to seek happiness in God rather than in material possessions and cataloguing the dangers of “digital relationships” that “lack all the complexities involved in building a friendship,” his concerns mostly come across as measured rather than out of touch, and the persistent encouragement to “let yourself be loved by God for He loves you just as you are” rings true. Catholics will find hope and assurance in this uplifting guide. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, LBA. (Feb.)