A Call to God – A Spiritual Introduction to Christianity

This engaging book argues for the primacy of the Holy Spirit, charting the author’s journey from atheistic materialism to the religious spirituality of Catholicism – readers are accompanied by 10 basic practical exercises along the way. The author deconstructs the modern sense of ‘freedom for/to do’, arguing that Christian freedom involves a higher calling through prayer, contemplation, and love so that we come to understand the will of God. Death invites us to ask the question: who are we to be? For Ellis, Christ is a figure of love and hope. For the rest of the first part – the Christian in the modern world – the author defines his approach, discussing the Old and New Testaments, the life and passion of Christ, the sacraments, the soul, and the Christian concept of the afterlife.

The second part is about the path of a Christian, with a special emphasis on the gifts of grace, love and faith. The Christian must be open and willing, aspiring to humility and making space for silence amidst the noise of the modern world: ‘to be silent is simply to be, and in doing so allow and open oneself to God’s Will which is, in truth, the only will.’ (p. 119) Silence and humility are portals of metanoia and renewal, to poverty of spirit and charity. We are also suspended between light and darkness, good and evil, and are offered an existential choice that can nevertheless be deeply challenging and potentially enslaving. This is why Christians pray, Thy Will be done. The book is an invitation, and one to which many will respond spiritually, without necessarily committing themselves to Catholicism. I did find it strange that a painting of Mary Magdalene appears on the front cover, but in the book itself there is no mention of her or of the divine feminine – surely a missing dimension.