For most of his professional life, University of Notre Dame professor Lawrence Cunningham has kept notebooks filled with memories, ideas, and reflections on the things that captured his attention in a given day. Now, for the first time, Cunningham has selected and compiled notes from his many volumes to create this book. This window into the mind and heart of an exceptional theologian reveals insightful, spirited, and often wickedly funny commentary on the messy, comic, tragic, and ultimately beautiful realities of the diverse landscape of contemporary Catholicism. Scholarly, popular, and personal in equal amounts, Things Seen and Unseen considers the legacy of such spiritual figures as Simone Weil, the interplay between religion and pop culture where Christmas and Easter are concerned, and the always-difficult balance between family and work. Cunningham also addresses difficult issues like the quality of Church leadership, the commercialization of spirituality, and the sad contrast between the ideal of Christian charity and the pettiness that can pervade everyday church life. In all things, Cunningham inspires readers with his deep love for and steadfast devotion to the Church. "Reading Cunningham is like listening to an exceedingly wise, articulate, provocative, funny and, above all, compassionate man who passionately wants you to meet the God he knows so well. Everything he writes is worth reading--often over and over. Highly recommended!" -- Rev. James Martin, S.J. , Author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything "Airplane travel is notoriously awful, but every so often the fates smile and you end up next to a sparkling conversationalist--erudite yet unpretentious, utterly hilarious, the kind of person who even hiccups in epigrams. Lawrence Cunningham is just such a personality, and reading Things Seen and Unseen is like taking the trip of a lifetime in his company. Settle in and enjoy the ride!" -- John L. Allen Jr. , Senior Correspondent, National Catholic Reporter "Cunningham combines an intuitive sense of the holy and of beauty with care for the poor and a practiced life of prayer. His `jottings' demonstrate how delightful it can be to serve the Lord and others with full mind and heart and soul." -- Patrick Jordan , Managing Editor, Commonweal "Asked his goal as a teacher Cunningham first says `to convey a love of learning,' then shyly refers to a well-known text, `the love of learning and desire for God.' In these journal notes we meet a remarkable teacher who gracefully bears witness to that love and desire." -- David J. O'Brien> , Professor Emeritus, Holy Cross College Lawrence S. Cunningham is the John A. O'Brien Professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. A leading U.S. scholar and award-winning professor, Cunningham's interests are in the area of systematic theology and culture, Catholic spirituality, and Catholic saints. Cunningham has edited or written over twenty-five books and is the Christianity editor of the forthcoming Norton Anthology of World Religions . His most recent books are A Brief History of Saints and An Introduction to Catholicism . Cunningham has won three Catholic Press Association awards for religious writing and has been the "Booknotes" columnist for Commonweal for over ten years.