Anselm Gruen is a Benedictine monk of the Abbey of Munsterschwarzach in Germany where he works as a spiritual counselor and advisor. He is the author of "Heaven Begins Within You." In this cogent and imaginative work, Gruen presents a Christian perspective on creating and sustaining self-esteem. He notes: "Self-respect is a religious question. Faith can show us who we actually are and where we obtain our true value." Many of the problems of contemporary men and women who feel useless, inept, and powerless are mirrored in the variety of individuals depicted in the Gospels as recipients of Jesus' healing ministry. Gruen ponders the difficulties of Zacchaeus and his low self-esteem, the feeling of inferiority in the paralyzed man, and the conformity of the man with the shriveled hand. In each case Jesus challenges them to accept their uniqueness as sons of God. Gruen emphasizes the following point: "Faith is an excellent school for learning how to acquire self-confidence and a true conviction of our dignity and worth." We can nourish the image of God within us by meditating upon biblical passages and by looking at the feasts of the church year as "images of our redemption and of the value we have for God." For example, Epiphany enables us to accept the appearance of God's glory in our bodies, and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception tells us "there is a space inside everyone of us that sin can't get at." "Building Self-Esteem" is a perfect study project for small Christian groups. It speaks boldly and broadly about the nature of faith, grace, mystery, prayer, and personal transformation.

Self-respect is not only a question of trusting yourself, the world and God, but of discovering your uniqueness. Everyone is a unique personality. Everyone is n unique image made by God: one that only that person and no one else is and has. Thomas Aquinas says that each and every one of us is a unique expression of God in this world. The world would be poorer if every single one of us were not here to express God in his or her special way. Roman Guardini tells us that in the first place God says something fundamental about each human being-pronounces a special set of words over him or her, as it were-that applies to that person and to no one else. Every human being is a word of God become flesh. And our task is to make this unique something God hue said perceptible and effective, to make sure it is heard as the extraordinary pronouncement it is.

The celebrated Benedictine retreat master provides advice for times when readers feel anxious, uncertain, lost, and afraid. He offers lasting self-help based on the biblical and sacramental experiences of the Christian tradition.