Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (Volume 1)

The best commentary on any subject I have ever read. Four vols./2800 pp. of commentary on less than 50 pp of text. Amazing, never drags. Imagine someone who had a Cuban father and a Greek mother--what a dancer that person would be! That's what you have in the unbelievable prose of this author!

This book is one of the most marvelous elucidations on Scripture I have ever had the fortune to read. It is more a series of meditations on phrases in the Gospel of Matthew, most at most 2 or 3 pages long. Yet there is a sustained thread of continuity through all the meditations. The author is gifted in multifarious ways. First, he has an intense love for the person of Jesus which is apparent throughout. Second, he has a very contemplative and mystical bent. Third, he is fluent in Greek (his mother was Greek) and so his facility with the language--the subtleties of the worda, idiomatic expressions, grammar, syntax, or underlying meanings--is unmatched. Fourth, he has a facility with the Church's liturgy--both Latin and Greek--and so he nestles the Gospel of Matthew within the Church's liturgical bosom. Fifth, the author is an impeccably orthodox theologian, and though this work is exegetical, spiritual, and poetic in tone, it is strongly founded upon the skeleton of Catholic doctrine. You never see the dogma, but it is there like a rock foundation, and it supports his exegetical musings which are like the cathedral where one is constantly in communion with Jesus of the Scriptures. What is apparent is that a deep love for Scripture, a lectio divina, is not at all inconsistent with Catholic dogma. In fact, they are two different ways of assuring the same thing: that one knows the authentic Jesus. Sixth, the author's grasp of a variety of languages (it appears that he is fluent or at least has ample facility with Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Spanish, French, and German) is an added boon, because some concepts are not adequately conveyed in English. Seventh, the author--who was a literature/theology professor--adds a level of cultural depth that a simple exegesis would not have. Eighth, the scholarly rigor of this text is second-to-none. Ninth, the book is wonderfully and artistically and reverently put together. Put these things all together, and, in my opinion, you have in this book a GREAT spiritual classic.

An absolute masterpiece commentary on St Matthew. Has dramatically impacted my life in so many ways.If you want an intellectual journey, read this. If you want a devotional, read this. If you want a commentary, read this. It is a life changing book.

Great for meditation. It is inspirational.

I have been a long time student of sacred scripture, having written scriptural commentaries on much of the Holy Bible and almost all of the New Testament. When I read Fr. Simeon's work, Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word, I was completely humbled. Here was a reflection on the word that went deeper and wider than anything I had ever seen and I can hardly wait for 2021 and the release of the fourth volume, completing the commentary on Matthew. I recommend this series to everyone from the novice casual reader to scholars. It is, in a word a fabulous, spirit-filled encounter with Jesus Christ seen through the eyes of St. Matthew and those who walked this path through the millennia.

This is a wonderful book for examining the Gospel of St. Matthew in depth. The author leads your through the passages and elucidates the meaning of the Greek in this New Testament book. This is a good introduction to 'lectio divina.' By following the author's thoughts, it subtly instructs the reader to a fuller understanding of the phrases and passages which then brings one to a more indepth understanding of the scripture. The author has opened up for me a richer understanding of this Gospel. By examining and translating the Greek, I have found more meaning in the words, rather than the more shallow reading that I had done in the past. This Volume 1 has helped me and I recommend it to fellow readers. The one fault, I see, is that there are a large number of typos which make for some uneven reading.

I found no startling revelations here, but a deepening of my understanding of God and his redemption, as communicated in Matthew, with every page. This book really is a journey.It is not 5 stars because it feels at times like a grammar lesson. Many quotations are in Greek, written in the Greek alphabet, and while they are translated they distract more than reward. Final criticism: I have never, in 60 odd years of reading, seen such a poorly proof read piece of writing in any form.

No book but the Bible itself has increased my love of God more than this. It starts with a summary of "Lectio Divina", the method of prayerful reading, and proceeds to provide the best phrase-by-phrase aid to deepening one's devotion I have ever seen. He mines every precious jewel of meaning possible out of every word, sometimes by explicating the Greek meaning, but every comment seems both unheard of and inevitable. I wonder how I didn't see it before at the same time I'm marveling at how he perceived that detail. I close the book every time understanding our Lord more deeply and loving him more dearly than before. They are thick and detailed volumes, but each one makes the steep and narrow way a little easier. This book was instrumental in my retiurn to the Catholic Church. Highly recommended

Fantastic writing red-hot with the Spirit - Kindle version spoiled by many typos!!!

A book which feeds the mind and soul. The writer has a wonderful way with words and is grounded in Hebrew, Greek, early church and church traditions.

Brother Simon gives a very interesting take It challenges one to think in a wider sense than other texts I have read

Amazing!