If you have ever wanted to peek inside the heart of the Prodigal Son and see where his journey ultimately led him, you might want to pick up of a copy of From Prodigal to Priest by Fr. Goyo Hidalgo. In this very accessible book, Fr. Hidalgo shares his story of conversion from being a devout Catholic son to living a prodigal lifestyle (think the son wayward son in Luke 15) to being a faithful Catholic priest.
This book was a very enjoyable read because while Fr. Hidalgo made clear that he was living the lifestyle of a “prodigal son” he did not find it necessary to go into all the gory details of his sinful life. It was enough to be clear that he had strayed far from his youthful desire to become a priest. I also found it very beautiful to see his relationship with his earthly mother which has a very clear connection with each Catholic’s relationship with Mother Mary. As you will see, whenever Fr. Hidalgo did not know where to turn in the midst of his sinful and wayward lifestyle, he always knew that he could turn to his mother who would lead him back to Jesus and His Church.
I think one of the strongest values of this book is that it can be read by anyone. It is a book that is very accessible to those who are going through a “prodigal moment” or those who have always lived the Catholic life because of Fr. Hidalgo’s very humble attitude about his own life and the way he would make stops and starts toward conversion. Who among us cannot relate to that?
Additionally, the second part of each chapter speaks directly to the reader with some advice for how to improve your own spiritual life. This advice comes from a loving, fatherly heart and it is clear that this advice has come from a hard-fought battle with learning these lessons that hard way. The chapters fittingly conclude with a heart-felt and original “Prayer of a Prodigal.”
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to deepen their prayer life and/or relationship with God and His Church. It is beautiful that the advice comes from one who almost lost it all and fought hard to win back the ultimate prize.
Many thanks to Ave Maria Press and NetGalley for giving me the chance to look at the galley copy of this title.
~ This post contains affiliate links. As always, all recommendations are genuinely my own opinion based upon the materials I have reviewed, and I have not been paid to review the materials.
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