I have just finished reading Into the Depths by a Benedictine sister, Sister Mary Margaret Funk. I was given this book by a friend to read and review-- it was written by a good friend of hers. Little did I know that this book would speak to me so much with where I am in my life now.

The book is the story of the author's soul journey-- and it is a journey that should humble the best of us. The story is divided into three parts. The first, the story of her calling to a religious vocation, is entertaining yet serious. She shares the trials of adjusting to the monastic life even as the monastic life is adjusting to a new world. Her honest words, sharing both the joys of finding her call and the pain of dealing with depression, are filled with wisdom and I think her thoughts could be helpful to anyone discerning-- whether in their vocation or simply in life. The second part, the story of a tragedy that she experienced in Bolivia and the peace she found in the midst of terror, are a great reminder to the ways in which God can work even when the whole world seems to be upside down. The crux of her story, the third part, synthesizes the first two parts and gives an honest understanding of how we can be tempted to ignore God even when he is so visible and real and how to resist that temptation.

It seems somehow cheap to say that I enjoyed reading Funk's story because I think that this is a story that will, over time, sink into the soul and call you to conversion. But at the same time her likable writing style and almost off-putting honesty make it enjoyable too. A quick read, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I think that there is a lot of wisdom to be found in Sr. Mary Margaret's little book. Now I think I need to read her other works as well.

You can find a copy of this book here: http://www.amazon.com/Into-Depths-Journey-Loss-Vocation/dp/1590562356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378326882&sr=8-1&keywords=into+the+depths