When the great writer Reynolds Price died a few days ago, most obituaries omitted mention of his deep faith.  Yet much of his writing in later life focused on his Christian belief and practice.  For me, his most affecting treatment of that topic is in Letter to a Godchild in which Price writes to a young godchild on the occasion of his baptism.  (If I recall the book correctly, he states in the intro that it is an actual letter, not a made-up conceit.)  It’s a wise and honest work that pulls no punches about the challenges of faith, but also makes no excuses for celebrating it.  Here is Price on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, in 2006, speaking about the book.  Listen to the interview and then by all means buy the book–for a godchild or for yourself.

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author, editor at large at America and founder of Outreach.