I Have Learned from the Least: My Life, My Hopes is based on “a dozen or so meetings and long interviews” by Gerolamo and Lorenzo Fazzini with Cardinal Tagle. The manuscript they produced was then “reviewed, re-read, corrected, and completed” (xi) by the cardinal. This is an autobiography much like the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola was an autobiography through the pen of Luis Gonzales de Camara. A man of God busy about the work of God does not have time to write the story of his own spiritual journey, and yet the story itself provides inspiration and reveals the spirituality of its subject.

Cardinal Tagle has been described as having “the charisma of St. John Paul II and the theological stature of Benedict XVI” (viii) as well as the simplicity and pastoral sensibilities of Pope Francis. This work describes the story that shaped such a man, from memories of parents and grandparents who taught him simplicity to the parish priest who modeled for him concern for the poor in their community. It is the story of a young seminarian formed during the rule of a dictator. It tells of a priest who learned from the people to whom he ministered and from those who mentored him, like his bishop, Monsignor Felix Perez, who taught him the difference between an ideology and “pastoral spirituality that includes the defense of human rights” (40).

The small volume reveals a man whose quick ascent in the hierarchy of the church is the result of a person of faith who saw God's hand at work in the people and circumstance of his life. It gives the reader a glimpse into the sensibilities of one for whom a life of faith and trust in God, of the desire for simplicity, and concern for the poor is “normal.” The cardinal uses the word “normal” frequently to describe formative moments that he, nevertheless, sees as commonplace rather than unique to his experience. A careful reader will notice the deep faith, sense of gratitude, and awe of the man who saw God's hands at work in everyday life.

His humility is evident as he describes receiving assignments for which he felt ill prepared yet succeeded. Pivotal moments in his life are marked by both resistance and surrender. The paradox that emerges in his story is that the obedience to accept positions of authority and power is an expression of his desire to be faithful to his “original vocation to a simple life” (59) even as his life has become anything but simple with each new appointment in the church hierarchy.

Whether it is the choice to take a bus back and forth from his teaching duties between Imus and Quezon City or to minister to those who are poor and on the margins during his years of study at the Catholic University of America, his profound understanding of his vocation as pastor grounded him. His deep sense of service and solidarity with those most vulnerable is woven through his story and has shaped him as theologian and prelate. As the cardinal notes: “Indeed, theologians ought to smell of sheep a bit more. And we hope that the flock might smell a bit more of Christ thanks to good theology!”

This volume offers important insight into what has shaped such an inspiring leader in the Catholic Church today.