Can anyone help our retired priest? Looking for a book

[brikar]

Our priest is 88 and God bless him, said daily mass for us everyday. Unfortunately, he fell and is now in a care facility. He has asked for help to find a book. He said it was written by either a French or Dutch author (he wasn’t sure and said both) whose name is either Grouseau or Grossett, etc. Written most likely in the 80’s about Saint Paul on Grace. I am having a hard time finding it and thought I would try my luck here. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[MNathaniel]

Grouseau

I don’t suppose it could be A Treatise on Growth in Grace, with Reference to St. Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians, originally published in 1795?

It looks like this book is a collection of writings from multiple authors, one of whom was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was from Geneva (French-speaking part of Switzerland), and who converted to Roman Catholicism when young though he became and remained a Calvinist later in life?

I’ve never read the book, by the way. This is just my guess based on the sound of the contributing author’s name you mentioned (and the fact that Geneva seems a probable location for someone speculated to be “either French or Dutch”), and the coincidence of this book title being to do with Paul and Grace. The book is still getting reprinted now, in 2018; maybe your priest was familiar with a version printed in the 80’s?

https://www.amazon.com/treatise-growth-reference-prayer-Philippians/dp/1171085370

(I know it says “by Thomas Scott” at this link, but I imagine that just means a man made Thomas Scott compiled the works together, or wrote the forward or something. The description seems to suggest that multiple authors, including Rousseau, wrote the actual content that this book compiles together. Perhaps whatever edition of the book your priest had, from the 1980s, listed the contributing authors on the title page, and that’s why the name ‘Rousseau’ sticks out for him? Or maybe he just particularly remembers Rousseau’s chapter and Rousseau’s name next to it?)

 

[brikar]

Thank you ! I will see if this is what he was looking for.

 

[MNathaniel]

You’re welcome! I hope this is it, or that if it’s something else, you manage to find it!

Keep in mind that there are different book covers, and the link I provided might be to a book cover that looks unfamiliar to him. It might also be worthwhile to look around for the specific essay(s) JJ Rousseau wrote on St. Paul and grace, in case your priest read them in a different collection.

It just seems like too much of a coincidence to me, remembering ‘Grousseau either French or Dutch’, and JJ Rousseau being from French Switzerland, and having written on this very topic… G and J are often interchangeable in the English brain and it seems like an easy memory switch for the brain to make, misremembering J Rousseau as Grousseau.

May God bless your priest, and I hope he finds what he’s looking for!

 

[Annie]

I am wondering if it might not be one of Fr Benedict Groeschel’s books (link,) many of which were published by St Paul’s Press/the Paulist Press.

I don’t know what the books are about; I was just going by his name.

 

[brikar]

Thank you Annie for your suggestion. I will ask him this too!

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Written most likely in the 80’s about Saint Paul on Grace.

You might ask him if it could be “Grace and law : St. Paul, Kant, and the Hebrew prophets” by Heinz W. Cassirer. That is what comes to my mind. Can you ask him for any more details. I was teaching in this period of time.

 

[Eila]

Father WHY do U not try and write a Book, something for the Wee small children.
How’s about when Santa visited the Stable in Bethlehem and Jesus was in the Manger, WHAT DID SANTA bring for Jesus and so U think He liked it Children?!
Did he hear the reindeer’s bells outside as they waited impatiently to go visit all the other Wwe children across the worldly skies.
One thing for sure Father, Is Santa did not sing
When Santa got stuck up the chimney,
He began to shoit
U girls and boys won’t get any toys unless u pull me out,
There’s soot in myvsack my beard is black and my nose is tickling too,
Ohhh when Santa got stuck up the chimney achoo achoo achoo.
Y!!! Because there would not be a chimney in the stable of course!!!
Do Santa went through the stable door, And he knelt down and kissed babby Jesus on his forehead, And, left him a secret pressie.
AND kids remember this, It is Jesus Birthday, And no one ever brings Him a Birthday pressie anymore, Do u want to light him a birthday candle and make him and his mum and dad a card or a secret message prayer. He would love them all.
He grew up and died for us all. He loves ya all so much, And he was just a baby on Christmas day, all, them years ago.
We remember now don’t we.
He was our friend, And our Hope.
Happy Birthday Jrsus
Congratulations Mary mum, And Joseph Dad, And
Hope this is a good book for U too write up properly Father, And it is good positive feedback.
Happy Christmas To All Our hardworking Fathers and Holy Elect.