Pope Francis’ newly released biography has been making the news, but there’s another book by the pontiff that’s just been translated into English. A Good Life: 15 Essential Habits for Living with Hope and Joy is not an academic theological treatise; rather, it’s more of a “How To” for the common man. It’s popularly written, and stuffed with insights and suggestions for even the casual reader. His 15 “essential habits” are familiar cliches: Do not surrender to the night. Never for a moment think that your struggle is pointless. Above all else, dream! If you make a mistake and fall, get to your feet …

Then, Pope Francis breaks down these 15 major tips for living the good life, exploring different aspects of the habit.

Contemporary Problems, Contemporary Solutions

There’s no doubt that this book was written for the current age. The Pope considers the effects of social media — some good, some bad — and he warns against information overload. “We do not need young people to be museums,” he notes, simply absorbing facts and information; “we need them to be wise!”

It’s possible, Pope Francis acknowledges, for people to become slaves to digital media — and as evidence, he quotes a document penned by 300 young people from around the world. “Digital spaces,” the document warns, “blind us to the vulnerability of others and stop us from practicing self-reflection.” Included on a list of current-day problems fueled by social media are the problems of pornography and “digital migration,” which distances young people from families and cultural-religious values, bringing them into a lonely world of self-invention, and making them feel rootless although they remain in one place.

Another sign that this book is a contemporary reflection is his mention of COVID and the unfortunate results of the pandemic, such as social isolation.

Considering “quality of life,” Francis advises young people to embrace a visionary and contemplative lifestyle, rather than allowing themselves to be held captive by consumerism. “Living well,” he says, “has nothing to do with the ‘dolce vita’ or living on easy street.”

Every Human Faces Personal Struggles

The kernels of wisdom that Pope Francis offers on every page are helpful for any reader, but the pontiff reports that he, too, goes through hard times. He tells this story:

Once, at a dark time in my life, I asked the Lord for the grace to free me from a difficult and complex situation. … I had to preach spiritual exercises to some Sisters and, on the last day, as was customary back then, they all had to confess. A very elderly Sister came to confession; she had a clear gaze, her eyes were full of light, she was a woman of God. I felt the need to ask her to pray for me and so I said: ‘Sister, as your penance, pray for me because I need grace. Ask the Lord for it. If you ask the Lord on my behalf, surely He will grant it to me.’

He went on to report that the sister agreed to offer prayer, but she made the point that God himself would determine how to offer that grace. “What good it did,” Pope Francis reflected, “to hear that the Lord always gives us what we ask and that He does it in His own divine way. His way involves the cross: not to make us suffer, but for love, love until the very end.”

Another personal story Pope Francis shares is the case of a family in Argentina whose daughter was ill and not expected to recover. The father, refusing to accept the doctors’ grim diagnosis, prayed all night outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of Argentina. When the doors of the church were unlocked in the morning, the father walked into the church to pay his respects to Our Lady; and then he went home. There he learned that his daughter had been completely healed.

“I saw it,” Pope Francis said. “Prayers can work miracles, because prayers go directly to the tenderness of God, who loves us like a father.”

There’s more — there’s so much more, split into single-page stories and brief paragraphs, each reflecting on God’s love and care for us, which is reflected in our love and care for our neighbor. As is often the case in his personal messages, Pope Francis’ focus is on love, truth, beauty and goodness, and he shows us, again and again, how to take on that positive focus in our own lives.

A Good Life is published by Worthy Books, a division of Hachette Book Group. It’s an engaging and easy-to-read spiritual workbook.