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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 282.0922
EAN num: 9780824524456
ISBN number: 0824524454
Label: The Crossroad Publishing Company
Manufacturer: The Crossroad Publishing Company
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 200
Printing Date: October 01, 2007
Publishing house: The Crossroad Publishing Company
Sale Popularity Level: 177989
Studio: The Crossroad Publishing Company
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Brief Book Summary:
Award-winning author and theologian Carole Hallundbaek unearths the intimate, real-life relationships between some of Christianity's most beloved male and female saints and distills 'a vibrant, beautiful, and utterly useful guide for our own relationships today.' Journey from medieval Italy to modern day Trump Tower and explore with new relevance the relationships between Francis and Clare of Assisi, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, Catherine of Siena and Pope Gregory XI, and Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal. Discover, as they did, essential spiritual keys to better relationships - in love and marriage, at work, with neighbors, in community, and with God. Illustrated, with the poetry of young Karol Wojtyla before he became Pope John Paul II.
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Rated by buyers 
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"Saints in Love" is among today's fast-growing library of Christian self-help books. What distinguishes it is the freshness of language and insights that link the experiences of well-known saints to our own.
Hallundbaek takes as her templates four famous pairs, linked forever by their work and by their correspondence. They include Clare and Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, Catherine of Siena and Pope Gregory XI, Francis De Sales and Jane De Chantal.
In each case, as Hallundbaek observes of Clare and Francis, "Much of their passion, perseverance and sucess would come from this central point of enclosure, of being turned to each other, forsaking all others, all earthly options, all worldly distractions, both wills rooted in the love and service of God."
From the lives of people who have established or revived great religious orders and shared insights into faith that have stood the test of centuries, Hallundbaek distills guidance that makes a virtue of diversity and finds strength in differences. It is an approach with particular relevance in our own time.
Hallundbaek presents portraits of saints who are open to change - in the accepted social structure of their day and in their conception of God, which they encourage to evolve throughout their lives.
The result is a dynamic existence where religious faith and daily life interact in exciting ways - both for saints and those who seek to learn from them.
Rated by buyers 
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The very first chapter is a bit gushy in describing the relationship between Francis of Assissi and Clare. The relationships between the remaining pairs of saints are described less breathlessly; in fact, by today's standards, they seem to reflect the typical corporate relationship between teammates, regardless of gender. Most annoying in the final chapter is the poor editing, in which quotes are attributed to Francis of Assissi instead of Francis de Sales -- despite the fact that Francis of Assissi had been dead for 500 years by this point.
Rated by buyers -
In "Saints in Love: The Forgotten Loves Between Holy Women and Men and How They Can Make Our Relationships Divine," Carole Hallundbaek explores the powerful life-changing friendships that existed between four pairs of saints: Clare and Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, Catherine of Siena and Pope Gregory XI, and Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal. "These relationships often shed light on marriage, work, family, healthy attachments, emotional healing, and more. . . Their discoveries offer valuable lessons for our relationships yesterday - at home, at work, in community, and with God." It is interesting that she chose male-female pairs. She illustrates that contrary to popular wisdom, men and women can be friends without a physical sexual relationship although sexual complementarity certainly does play a role in the relationships.
Hallundbaek begins each chapter with a short biography of each saint, which is very helpful for placing the saints in context. She is less concerned with their individual lives, though, than with the way that their lives intersect, the impact that they had on each other, and what we can learn from their relationship. Francis and Clare lived in an era of courtly love. They were the best of friends, lived separately and never consummated their relationship, yet they were truly two people in love. "They held God very first in their heart and vision; then they held each other." They "turned to each other, forsaking all others, all earthly options, all worldly distractions, both wills rooted in the love and service of God. Placing our spouse or partner beside our image of God creates the basis for a permanent longing and intimacy, because in the end, our desire for each other is our desire for God."
Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross were sixteenth-century mystics, both eventually named Doctors of the Church. Together they would work to reform the Carmelite order, to bring it back to its roots and its emphasis on poverty. Unlike Francis and Clare of Assisi, who were very similar people, John and Teresa were opposites. They appreciated the holiness in each other, but aggravated each other with their differences in management style. They were co-workers who despite their mutual appreciation sometimes struggled to get along. "Teresa and John were able to work, to love, and to be profoundly creative, through all manner of challenge, obstacle, illness, and even persecution . . .With God at the beginning and the end of all their hopes, goals, and endeavors, Teresa and John were able to take personal conflicts and limitations in stride and overcome much larger obstacles with grace."
Hallundbaek refers to Catherine of Siena and Pope Gregory XI as the "Peacemakers of Metropolis." The pair lived in the 1300s. Catherine lived in Siena, Italy where she became a Dominican at the age of 16. Gregory was "a good and honest man living in a time of great conflict and corruption." He was one of the Avignon popes during a time of great confrontation between Italy and France. Gregory decided to restore the Papacy to Rome, but it would not be an easy process, nor would he do it alone. His very first advisor was St. Brigit of Sweden. When she dies in 1373, he sought out Catherine, who had become widely known for her wisdom. "Their exchanges would range over a variety of issues, but overarching these was their common desire for peace in Italy, the reform of clergy, and the return of the papal seat to Rome." This pair lived at a time of great upheaval. Through it all, they sought to live authentically, to be true to God and to themselves. They also shared a great concern for the world at large. "Catherine and Gregory always experienced and understood the interdependence of people, of families, of neighborhoods, of courts, of city-states, of countries . . . of our world with God. As a result, their ultimate goal was a community of heaven."
Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal would found the Visitation Order in the seventeenth century. He had become a lawyer to please his family, but he would eventually give it up to follow his true calling of becoming a priest and bishop. Jane was a widow who had loved her husband deeply. After his tragic death in a hunting accident, she worked to ensure the financial solvency of her family which included four children. Once that was on sure footing, she became desolate, unsure of what to do next. The pair met when Francis delivered a sermon in Dijon in 1604. "He stressed the importance of finding God right where we are, at any place, at any time, and under any circumstances." He became Jane's spiritual director. In 1610, they would found the "Congregation of the Visitation of Holy Mary." It was an order open to those who often were not welcome in other communities: widows, those in poor health, the elderly, and the physically challenged. As a true sign of the modern spirit of this movement, Jane was allowed to ... Read More
Rated by buyers -
The greatest thing about SAINTS IN LOVE, in addition to how beautifully it's written, is how it connects the real, historic lives of the saints to our own today. Author Carole Hallundbaek takes these rugged old saints from the shelf, dusts them off, and presents to us their very human personalities and their very human relationships. We get to see how these great spiritual guides recognize and triumph over relationship issues we know so well yesterday - codependency, healthy and unhealthy attachments, family conflicts, tension with colleagues at the office, the quest for intimacy, even recovery spirituality - to fulfill their destiny, and with each other's help. SAINTS IN LOVE provides a rare and remarkable window onto the process of spiritual and emotional growth, as well as sound theology, humor, contemporary setting and culture, and the poetry of John Paul II. A joy to read, and an essential guide to relationships.
Rated by buyers -
I was so surprised (and elated) to read the poetry by John Paul II that introduces each chapter in Saints in Love. Who knew the pope wrote poetry? And who knew it was so beautiful? I realize he wrote these poems when he was much younger, long before he was pope, but his open and romantic freedom of thought is just stunning. Saints in Love is alive with humor, and truth, and history, and the saints as real people living real lives. It's wonderful to relate to their relationship issues in this totally new way, to their struggles with codependency, and colleagues, and seeking intimacy, and wanting to be liked, and watching them change to become their fullest selves with the help of someone they loved. Each chapter closes with suggestions to apply to our own relationships. The author includes reflections of her own journeys and pilgrimages that are sparkling! She makes me laugh and cry. This book is a great spiritual journey that reminds me of Eat, Pray, Love (even the cover) but it can be said that Carole Hallundbaek is an incredible writer. What a gift.
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