Why I Am Roman Catholic

"""Reading Matthew Levering's testament to his Catholic faith shows me that 'we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses' (Hebrews 12:1), urging us to repentance and perseverance in Christ. Inspiring!"" -- Andrew Hofer, O.P., Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC ""The remarkably fruitful and faithful Matthew Levering has offered us a new gift with this small jewel on Why I Am Roman Catholic. Personal, penetrating, humbly forthright, and with a sweeping spiritual vision of the divine life, Levering follows his own ecumenical advice: share joyfully with others what the Lord has given you. The volume marks a testimony, not an apology, for his Christian ecclesial commitments, though it is not without a store of gentle persuasions. Richly adorned with the gleaming traces of one the most profound gifts of his tradition—the communion of saints—Levering's limpid discussion takes us through his own sense of blessing, challenge, and hope in his Christian vocation as a Catholic. Non-Catholics in particular will find this an encouraging witness, and all Christians should receive it with thanks, as do I."" -- Ephraim Radner, professor emeritus of historical theology at Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto and author of A Profound Ignorance: Modern Pneumatology and Its Anti-Modern Redemption ""This is above all an honest book: Levering is honest about himself, honest about the problems of belief, honest about the difficulty of being a Catholic. It is also a generous book: Levering's reading and sympathies are wide-ranging; he looks for, and finds, what is inspiring and encouraging. Finally, while feeling deeply why one might be discouraged, even despair, he is alert to grounds for hope that come from the future—the future that is in the hands of God who loves us into being and will never desert us, his creatures."" -- Andrew Louth, professor emeritus of patristic and Byzantine studies at Durham University, United Kingdom ""In this frank yet gracious reflection, Levering shares his deepest fears, longings, and hopes, and the secret he is learning—as a Catholic Christian alongside the saints—of finding peace, whatever the circumstances. This book will help Christians draw closer to each other across ecumenical boundaries by showing how a wise, committed, leading theologian of today understands his faith. But at its very core it is more than a work of ecumenism. It is an inspirational work of Christian devotion that conveys the sheer joy of drawing close to Christ."" -- Han-luen Kantzer Komline, DeWitt Professor of Theology and Church History at Western Theological Seminary ""One of the most important things about this wonderful book is the relationship between Levering's honest and direct description of his own inner faith and the extensive footnotes that reference writers from throughout the Christian tradition and across the Christian world. Levering shows how much his famous work as a theologian is most certainly a gift to the church but also reflects the rich inner life of one who searches for and looks toward his Lord."" -- Lewis Ayres, professor of Catholic and historical theology at Durham University"