FROM THE PUBLISHER

Over the past ten years, Matthew Kelly has seen more of the world than most presidents and more of the Church than most bishops. Now, in this unique and timely book, he proposes that Catholicism is not a lifeless set of rules and regulations, but a way of life designed by God to help each person reach his or her full potential. With remarkable insight, Kelly dispels dozens of the myths that surround the practice and rejection of Catholicism today, and provides a profound and practical vision of what will lead the Catholic Church to thrive again in the future. "Holiness is to become the-best-version-of-yourself. Francis of Assisi spent his whole life trying to become the best-version-of-himself. Mother Teresa spent her whole life trying to become the-best-version-of-herself. God calls us all to holiness, because God wants each of us to be all we can be." "The goal of the Christian life is holiness," Kelly explains, "but somewhere along the way this term disappeared from most Catholic's vocabulary. Either because we thought it was an unattainable ideal or because we felt it lacked relevance in the modern context. Maybe we thought the idea of holiness made people feel guilty. Perhaps we just wanted to make it easier for people. Whatever the reason, the disappearance of this goal hasn't made it easier for modern Catholics; it's made it harder for them."