Night of the Confessor

November 14, 2011
At the end of the first chapter, Halík (Patience with God) invites the reader not to continue unless he or she is able to explore the Christian faith in terms of paradox. A Catholic priest who has heard a lifetime’s worth of confessions, he has gleaned certain elemental attributes that bespeak deep truths about God, faith, and obedience. Halík speaks out of the experience of living under religious oppression in Communist Czechoslovakia, which may account for the book’s mournful tone. Christianity, he says, means following the “one who did not evade the darkness.” He rebukes the preening and prancing faith healers whose ministries before crowds betray narcissism and megalomania. Faith, as delineated here, is not easy; not fancy; not about formulas, platitudes, or rewards. His theme is mystery, a timely antidote to otherwise predictable notions about authentic belief. Read slowly, it makes sense, if the reader is willing to suspend systems, pietisms, and preconceived categories within the Christian faith, a challenge that does not disappoint.

Starred review from February 1, 2013

Halik, a Catholic priest who was active in the Czech Republic's underground church and was general secretary to President Vaclav Havel, is a notably unsentimental observer of the contemporary scene. Additionally, he is a tart, experienced commentator here on the central issues of Christian theology, touching on politics, sociology, films (especially noteworthy are his remarks on Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ), and immortality. VERDICT A welcome voice, at once grounded in Catholicism and free of cant and over-reliance on tradition; highly recommended for the inquiring reader.

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