This is an excellent commentary and translation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Prepared under the auspices of the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland, it contains all the canons of the 1983 Code in a fresh English translation (approved by eight Bishops' Conferences worldwide) and a canon-by-canon commentary with footnotes and cross-references. The translation is accurate and clear, and the commentary is good, easy to understand and practical.

This volume is not overly verbose, unlike some commentaries, yet it packs in a lot of material to help even the lay-reader understand and apply the canon in his/her life/situation. It is a highly practical and pastoral commentary, that seeks to help the reader understand the canons in the light of the tradition of the Catholic Church enunciated through the teachings of Vatican II. Strong theology and ecclesiology permeates through the entire commentary, and in my opinion, it does a far better job than other American commentaries I have read. A fresh approach of this commentary is its views of canon laws as guides on the path to salvation, rather than as the ecclesiastical counterpart to civil laws aimed at restricting freedom.

Pope John Paul II described the 1983 Code as "the final document of Vatican II." This commentary can be described as permeating with the authentic teachings and thoughts of Vatican II. You need not agree with all the commentaries of the canons, but it has done an overall excellent job with providing a scholarly and faithful interpretation of this venerable tradition of the Catholic Church called Canon Law.

This commentary of the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland reminds me of the Homeletic and Pastoral Review -- a magazine which strives to be simultaneously orthodox, pastoral and accessible to the average reader. In my opinion, this commentary is a success for these reasons.

As a canonist who does freelance writing on the side for a variety of popular Catholic publications, and who often finds himself teaching canon law to non-canonists, this is the commentary I most often cite when doing so. Again, because it is orthodox, pastoral and written at a level most Catholics can understand. Its larger print layout only facilitates the ease with which one reads it. For those seeking a commentary for reference purposes, this is the way to go. It is very much like the family Bible one keeps on one's bookshelf.

This is a Commentary on the revised Code of Canon Law, which was promulgated by the Roman Catholic Church in 1983. This particular Commentary is a joint endeavor by the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Canadian Canon Law Society. The writers are some of the finest canonists in the English speaking world. Their approach is both pastoral and scholarly. That is, every commentator makes an educated and obvious effort to provide practical answers to contemporary problems of the Christian Faithful today. This is not the first Commentary on the revised Code, but that has its advantage. It includes the benefit of twelve years of public reaction to the Code, once it was enacted to succeed the previous Code of 1917. The word "Catholic" means universal. To provide an organized and comprehensive Commentary on such a Code is a work of staggering proportion. These professional and learned Societies have completed this work and made a tremendous contribution to Catholic Church intellect.

I love this book and, in fact, I'm buying copies to give to friends. The story of the ongoing conversion of the author is an example of the journey of any seeker of God: great awakenings, stumbles, doubts, reassurances, understanding.
The first portion of the book is compelling and hard to put aside. The other chapters, however, are so rich with material from additional sources that I found them best to meditate on, think of as you live your life, and then dip into once again. This is perfect as a devotional for the liturgical seasons of advent and lent.

When I pick up a book on spirituality, that is nearly 600 pages long, I find myself flipping back and forth, counting the number of pages I still have to read (yawn). Having admitted that, I will add that "religion" is probably my first choice when searching for new books. Conversely with this book, I found myself counting the pages to see how many pages were left, because I didn't want it to end. Straub takes us along on his spiritual pilgrimage. In his "Thoughts Scribbled While walking," we can almost chart his spiritual growth (like an ascending line on graph paper). This book will inspire you to follow his lead by pursuing a deeper relationship with God. I was skeptical upon reading his background as a TV/soap writer, but I found it (along with his honesty and humility),to lend credibility to his personal transformation . I have never read a book that inspired me to write the author to tell him how much his writing touched me. This is one author I would like to thank.

This is a book to be savored. As a resident of Southern California, I found his personal observations on the cultural values of Americans right on target. It's too bad this book may never make the N.Y. Times Best Sellers' List, it could change the world.

As St. Francis is a man for all Ages, This book can be read on so many levels. As a straightforward biography of Sts. Francis and Clare it offers a modern no nonsense rendering of the lives of Assisi's greatest progeny. The chapters on Francis and Clare have a spiritual depth that would enhance the formation and understanding of any inquirer into the lives and spiituality of these two great saints.

Straub's honesty and openness in describing his own personal journey from being an atheist to a believer with a special evangelical vocation, the insightful musings of his Pilgrim's Diary, the history of the churches of Assisi all add up to a tour de force. I believe this book will have a great appeal to the general reader in addition to those with a special love for Franciscan and spiritual themes.

Certain parts of the book radiate incandescently. The rule of synergy states that the "whole is greater than the sum of it's parts." And yet, there are so many "parts" in this book that seem to stand alone in excellence at least equal to the power and depth of the whole. The treatment of Francis' timeless elegy to his God's creations, The Canticle of the Creatures, is truly inspired. The poem's majesty is wonderfully underscored by Staub's personal reflections and those the of other writers quoted in praise and awe of St. Francis' spiritually poetic genius. In closing his reflection on the canticle with Fr. Eloi Leclerc's The Language of the Soul's Night, Straub poignantly illustrates how St. Francis was as relevant in elevating souls in the rawest and most dire moments of the twentieth century as he was in the past and, most assuredly, will be in the future.

A specific charism of the Franciscan is to be able to shed the layers of meaningless diversions, vanities and preoccupations that restricts us from either confronting or exposing the truths and essential realities of our lives. Straub is able, in the most literary and articulate fashion, to expose his spiritual (human) doubts and shortcomings as he grapples with the profound search for meaning in his life. His "inner life" is shared with the reader in the most intimate terms without apology or embarrassment. I felt priveleged to become a part of Straub's journey and reveled in the awareness of how much we humans have in common with each other.

I originally purchesed this book to help with a historical writing project I was involved in. It proved to be somewhat useful in that endeavor, limited only because it didn't address American military slang during WW II. It's also just plain fun to read, offering, along with definitions, almost anthropological insight into (mainly) the WW II era British Army and Navy. A wonderful reference for anyone trying to get down the military slang from the 40's.