The Gift of Faith, Third Edition

The Gift of Faith (known also as Inquiring Faith) looks at faith in an unconventional way, yet is rooted in a sound theology of the spiritual life. In this book, “the genius of a theologian of faith as well as the charisma of a spiritual director are clearly visible” (cf. The Lexicon of Fundamental Theology, prepared by the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin Kraków 2002, p.299-300). It is the fruit of many years of teaching and over thirty years of experience as a spiritual director with a great number of people. This book is a response to the desire of many seeking deep interior spirituality. With simplicity and clarity, the author engages the reader’s attention and awakens their yearning to experience God and to follow a specific path of sanctification. Father Wilfrid Stinissen O.C.D. wrote about Fr. Dajczer’s The Gift of Faith: “I strongly recommend this book. If one learns a lesson from what he reads here, he will be guided inevitably on the way of sanctity.” The Gift of Faith has become a bestseller in the field of Christian spirituality throughout the world. It promotes the essentials of the new evangelization to build God’s Kingdom through an ardent faith as proclaimed by Pope Paul VI and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI continues to support a reawakening of the faith, and in 2010 established the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. In his Apostolic Letter, Ubicumque et Semper, issued “moto proprio,” Pope Benedict affirms, “at the root of all evangelization lies not a human plan of expansion, but rather the desire to share the inestimable gift that God has wished to give us, making us sharers in his own life.” The Gift of Faith can enkindle a yearning for this desire. The editing of The Gift of Faith Third Edition was done with Fr. Dajczer’s permission and encouragement before his death. It was not the editors’ intentions to add to or change the author’s voice in this book. With God’s grace the editing team reviewed every sentence in the book and, if needed, edited for sentence meaning, structure, and grammar. With these changes the emphasis of many sentences may be understood better and for some readers, the deeper spiritual meaning may become more evident. We received editing assistance from two Polish priests and numerous times asked them to retranslate sections that lacked clarity, most likely related to incorrect word choices in the original Polish to English translation. These priests offered word selections for clarification of the author’s concepts. We think this will help the reader to clearly understand the author’s intention. All footnotes for which the original source could be found were checked for accuracy at the Archdiocese of Denver Theological Library and edited as needed. The editors recommend The Gift of Faith Third Edition as the best choice for American readers and think it is worthwhile to purchase this edition.