From the Library of Deacon Mike:
One of my favorite selections is a book written by Father James E. Sullivan entitled: "The Relentless Hunger - The Heart's Search for Love." Father Sullivan is a priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. He has counseled a vast number of people for many years as a parish priest and as director of the Religious Consultation Center. In this book "The Relentless Hunger" Father Sullivan explains that the heart's relentless hunger, the hunger for love, is wonderful because it constantly urges us to become what we were intended to be – deeply alive human beings. It is our human nature to care and to try to relate to others with a sense of warmth. And yet love is a terrible hunger because it seems to bring pain as often as it brings joy. It can leave each of us frustrated, misunderstood, alienated and defensive as often as it builds bridges of warmth and acceptance. And so in his book Father Sullivan helps us to explore our own relationships. With numerous stories, Father Sullivan looks at how love can be present at a variety of levels of commitment and intimacy and provides practical questions to help us live in our relationships with a sense of sincerity and truth.
In the Preface Father Sullivan writes: "Love is possible for every human being. And like God's love, human love can do absolutely beautiful things. It can create. It can heal. It can add color to drab lives. It can even redeem. It can call others forth to fuller life, the way Jesus called forth Lazarus from the tomb – to a life of greater self-esteem and joy……...Love can accomplish all of this but only for those who are willing to pay the price in order to make it happen in their lives. Love can be beautiful. Love can be terrible. Neither experience is certain. The one thing that is certain about this deep hunger of mine is that it never goes away. There is no dodging it or killing it. The hunger is relentless whether I succeed at love or fail……The more I know about the nature of love and its process, the more I recognize the pitfalls to intimacy and the resources I can call upon to achieve intimacy, the greater chance I have to make my hunger a beautiful experience."
The book may be readily available at Barnes & Noble but probably will require a special order by your favorite local bookstore, but it is well worth the wait and effort. (if all else fails it is always available through the many resources on the net).
Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. Happy reading.
Mike
Select here for a brief interlude of reflection between "The Relentless Hunger" and "He Leadeth Me".Select here to return to Mike's Book Nook