New book contemplates holiness and the romance of everyday life

There is a certain majesty and real beauty to be found in everyday life. If we have the eyes to see it, everything from rising in the morning, to going to work, to doing the dishes, to sitting silently in the company of family and friends, to wrestling with a toddler at Mass, to sharing a meal–all of these can be paths to holiness, and signs of the graces and blessings of God in our lives.

Michael Pakaluk’s new book, The Shock of Holiness: Finding the Romance of Everyday Life (Ignatius Press, 2025), dives into the sometimes hidden depths of seemingly ordinary holiness. With essays exploring the quotidian yet eternal wonder of moms at Mass, holy water, the crucifix, St. Joseph as a role model, sex, food, and dinosaurs, The Shock of Holiness invites readers to new insights on some of the simplest truths of the Catholic Faith.

Pakaluk recently spoke with Catholic World Report about his new book and the importance of practicing holiness in everyday life.

Catholic World Report: How did the book come about?

Michael Pakaluk: I love the essay as a literary form, and I have immensely admired great Christian essayists such as C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton. I have aspired to be like them. Newman’s sermons are also essays, in a sense. Ignatius Press has published all 8 volumes of Newman’s Parochial and Plain Sermons, printed on thin paper in a single volume. One year, I read through all of them for spiritual reading. (Looking back, I can’t believe that I did so. But I did.) I wanted to be like Newman and think like Newman. He formed the way I look at Scripture and at the Christian life.

I have published a lot of essays, hundreds or even thousands of them. It seemed to me that a good number of them had lasting value. They were not merely “journalism,” which means “writing for the day,” but rather they could stand the test of time. I put together a selection of about 200 such essays—I had a sense of which ones to pick from fan mail that I receive—and I sent them to some very good friends, who agreed to read and “grade” them for me: “A” meant “a keeper,” “C” meant a reject, and “B” was borderline. I took the intersection of all the As and sorted them into different groupings. Hence, the collection.

I would say that I regard a good essay as one which makes a new point, and which is a true point, and which does so with a certain sparkling character, or brilliance. So, this is what I strive for: novelty; truth; brilliance.

When I sent them to Ignatius, I was delighted that the press loved the essays and wanted to publish them. Someone told me that Fr. Fessio once remarked, “No one wants to read collections of essays, unless they are by Chesterton.” I seem to have broken through that barrier.

The title I proposed (given the genesis of the essays) was Parochial and Plain Essays. Ignatius wisely nixed this title and said to me, “Why don’t you use instead the title you gave to one of your sections, ‘Shock of Holiness’?” So that’s how the book came to be and how it received its title.

CWR: The subtitle of the book is “Finding the Romance of Everyday Life”. Why is it important to find the romance in everyday life?

Pakaluk: It’s funny, but I began by using the word “enchantment,” as Rod Dreher does. But I became disenchanted with “enchantment,” because that word had its origins in magic and spells.

To me, what I want to talk about is better described as romance. So I went through the book, changing everywhere “enchantment” to “romance.” I am convinced that Christianity is the source of everything we have called “romantic”: romantic tales of chivalry; romantic courtship; romantic novels; romantic images and gestures. Why is it important to find the romance in life? Why is it important to put salt on your food? (Have you ever forgotten to put salt in a recipe and realized how bland it tasted, almost inedible?) Why is it important to light a lamp when you wish to walk around in a dark room?

This is what Our Savior said: You are the salt; you are the light. Life without romance is bland and dark.

CWR: How much of your reflections on “the romance of everyday life” comes from your own experience? You’re certainly a veteran husband and father!

Pakaluk: To be honest, I think it takes a long time to develop the perception of it. Or perhaps you start with it easily and then easily lose it. Ordinary life for a mom or dad of a large family implies a lot of work, a lot of chaos, a lot of frustration, and changed expectations. You need to learn to distinguish your feelings from objective reality. And also our faith needs to grow, so that we can “see” the supernatural life which is there, and its effects.

Yes, most definitely, these essays represent a kind of attainment for me, the fruit of the hard work of Christian living and discipleship over many years.

CWR: Your reflections on St. Joseph were one of the most interesting parts of the book for me. Do you have a great personal devotion to St. Joseph?

Pakaluk: I wish I could say that I have. Yes, I have a similar devotion to what I think many Catholics have. But St. Joseph has been a difficult figure for me to get close to, because so little is said about him. He is an extremely humble and hidden saint, although very great. Those essays on St. Joseph were written during the “Year of St. Joseph,” when I spent a lot of time pondering his life.

It turns out, I would say, that what we are able to discern about St. Joseph is in direct proportion to the time and attention we put into contemplating him. He is not ostentatious. But he will greet you if you look for him. Many readers have appreciated those essays for helping them to do that.

CWR: Can “finding the romance of everyday life” help us appreciate the larger questions as well—God, the meaning and purpose of our lives, etc.? How so?

Pakaluk: We begin with faith in God, or maybe fear of God, leading to faith in God. At first, we “meet” God only in prayer, or reading the Bible, or attending worship services. But then, as Christians, we are presented with a task: how can we meet God every day, in the details of our lives?

Yes, I would say that this is the meaning of life: to live every moment in the presence of God, and to reveal God to others in the concrete details of our lives. God allows us a lot of creativity in doing so.

CWR: Is this a book for Catholics only, or could it be beneficial for non-Catholics as well?

Pakaluk: In reality, all Christians are Catholics; they simply do not recognize it. By baptism, they belong to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Our division of Catholic versus non-Catholic is fundamentally unreal. That being said, these essays do tend to focus on realities that Catholics recognize and appreciate better. However, I think non-Catholics might find them intriguing.

CWR: What do you hope people will take away from the book?

Pakaluk: Each essay has its point and lesson. It would be necessary to ask that question separately for each essay.

CWR: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Pakaluk: Yes, two things. First, it is a beautifully composed and printed book, with a colorful and attractive cover, and appealing paper, binding, and print. Second, it would make a great gift, especially to young people.