Going back to the foundations

The Four First Things: Foundations for a Deeper Life with God
Joseph S. Reel
Scepter
2026
159 pages
ISBN: 978 1594175862

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This little book is addressed primarily to young adults exploring their faith, lapsed believers and the already devoted who need fresh inspiration. It aims to awaken a burning desire to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength — and to love others not just as ourselves but as God loves us.

Readers will be familiar with what are called the four last things, traditionally part of the focus of retreats, viz. death, judgement, heaven and hell. To a world that has largely lost its sense of the supernatural, Reel turns things round and cleverly encourages starting from his “first things,” which are the titles of the four parts of the book. These are:

1.Confidence in God

2.Self-Surrender

3.Continual Prayer

4.Supernatural Love

In the first chapter, he tackles the question of the existence of God head on. If there is no God, and if we are all just products of chemistry, there is no justice. He uses the comparisons between the evil deeds of the Nazi regime and what we would call the good deeds of those who courageously fought against the tyranny. If we all are just the random products of evolution then who is to say and by what moral code can we say that the former were right and the latter wrong.

He goes on to tackle the problem of suffering and evil in the world including in the Church, making use of the parable of the weeds mixed with the good seeds. One can never say to anyone, “read this section of a book and you’ll cast aside all doubts” — life isn’t like that, but it does go a long way towards providing answers to those challenges.

Part II is entitled “Self-Surrender,” our willful response to our confidence in God. Reel contrasts this with a passive or cowardly weakness in the face of evil. He challenges us to go above the daily irritants we encounter, surrendering our daily lives to God and also overcoming our natural desires including the ever present dangers of giving in to lust, greed and pride. There follows a section dealing with more painful trials such as persecution, false accusations and deprivation. He cites the examples of St Gerard Majella who was falsely accused of sexual misdemeanour and St John Vianney who had extreme difficulties with the studies necessary for ordination and was sent to a remote village called Ars where he became a legendary confessor to whom countless thousands of penitents came from all over to seek healing for their souls.

Part III deals with continual prayer, taking the standard division into adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and petition. Reel uses several examples from the Gospels and also lived experience of saints and ordinary people not yet raised to the altars.

In the final section entitled “Supernatural Love”, the author again goes to the Gospel — he starts with the great commandments to love God and our neighbour and then goes on to quote the challenge from the Sermon on the Mount to love even our enemies. Not new of course, but elaborated on in a thoughtful, inspiring way. The last subsection is entitled “The Perfection of Our Love,” our final destination, heaven.

This is a book to enliven one’s faith at whatever depth.