My Other Self: Conversations with Christ on Living Your Faith

My Other Self: Conversations with Christ on Living Your Faithby Clarence J. Enzler has become my traveling companion. It is a classic book written in 1958 and has found its way back into print thanks to Ave Maria Press as a part of their Christian Classics line of books. Ave Maria Press has done Catholics a great service by bringing this classic back to print.

The most compelling part of the book is the writing style. Mr. Enzler wrote the book as if Christ himself were directly speaking to the reader. Frequently throughout the book the reader is referred to as “My dear friend”. This gives you the sense of Christ himself sitting beside and holding a candid conversation with you as work your way through the book. In the introduction to the book Mr. Enzler states “I have, to a great extent, adapted the mode of presentation followed by the author of the Imitation of Christ. Thus, the reader will find Christ speaking to him in intimate conversations, seeking to make him fully aware of what it means to be Christian, “another Christ,” Christ’s “other self”.”

The book itself is divided into three parts: The Call, The Means, and The End. Within the sections are reflection such as; Accept Your Position in Life, The Dignity of A Christian, Self Mastery : Conquering Self, Progress in Humility, How To Pray and Lessons From The Passion. The reflections themselves are chock full of memorable quotes. I list the following as examples:

“Abandonment to my divine will and the practice of spiritual childhood are immense sources of grace, of divine life.”

“You have but one real present duty: to serve me as I desire to be served, in the situation wherein I have allowed you to be placed.”

“Do not be overly curious about your progress in the spiritual life. As long as you are faithful to my grace, I will fit your growth to your capacity.”

“Give according to your means, whatever your station in life may be. The less of wealth you have to give, the more I would have you offer other gifts that you do possess.”

“You know, my other self, that you cannot often do magnificent things but you can always do little everyday things magnificently.”

The most compelling part of the book is the writing style. Mr. Enzler wrote the book as if Christ himself were directly speaking to the reader. Frequently throughout the book the reader is referred to as “My dear friend” or “My other self.” This gives you the sense of Christ himself sitting beside you and holding a candid conversation with you as work your way through the book. In the introduction to the book Mr. Enzler states “I have, to a great extent, adapted the mode of presentation followed by the author of the Imitation of Christ. Thus, the reader will find Christ speaking to him in intimate conversations, seeking to make him fully aware of what it means to be Christian, “another Christ,” Christ’s “other self”.”

This book is chock full of opportunity for reflection and faith building. This would be the ideal book for personal reflection during eucharistic adoration or simple daily meditation. The subject matter is powerful and the writing style takes this book to a whole new level.

I was given a copy of the book for this review by Ave Maria Press.