My image of God the Father, enthroned in heaven in flowing white robes and Birkenstock sandals, was overshadowed by my certainty that he didn't want me to have any fun. God was all about rules.—from Chapter Five

Too many young Catholics experience their faith as Mark Hart did: They rarely miss Mass even if they don't understand it; they have a Bible even if they never read it; they go to confession even if they aren't particularly repentant.

Is that your experience of Catholicism? Is yours a faith of Thou Shalt Nots? If so, forget about a dreary life of mindless obedience to rules you don't understand. It's time to enter into the transforming light of your Creator who invites you to live from the still center of his undying love.

The author's humorous and hard-hitting reflections drive home the point that God isn't calling the reader to be a good person—someone who merely obeys the rules—but a new person in Jesus Christ.