Monday, January 30, 2012

Catholic Company Book Review: The Sacraments in Scripture


About the Book:
The Bible testifies to the crucial role that the Sacraments play in God's relationship with humankind. Yet sometimes we take them for granted and miss the true power and significance each Sacrament represents.

Lectio divina, the ancient practice of Scripture immersion, is at the heart of this process. It explores complex topics with sequential steps of study, meditation, and internalization. Specifically, every chapter leads you forward through a sequence of:

Listening - Reading Scripture with expectancy, trusting that God will speak His Word to us through it. 
Understanding - Seeking to comprehend the meaning of the text, encountering God there, and being changed by that encounter. 
Reflecting - Linking the truth of the Scriptures to the experience of faith in the world in which we live. 
Praying - A dialogue with God: we listen to God, then we respond in prayer.
Acting - After prayerfully listening to a passage of Scripture, we should be inspired to make a difference in the way we live.

The Lectio Divina Bible Study series is suitable for parish, small group, or individual use.

My Comments:
This book goes through all seven sacraments.  Through chapters such as "Baptism in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit", "God Will Provide the Lamb for Sacrifice", "Entrusted with the Ministry of Reconciliation" and "The Two Become One Flesh", this book not only describes the practice of Lectio Divina, but gives the reader plenty of opportunity to practice it.  Each chapter beings with a few lines to focus  you as you read  scripture passages related to the topic.  Following the scripture passage is some information of the type usually found in Bible study guides.  Reflection questions followed by a prayer and a request for action close out the chapters.

If found the scripture commentary to be very interesting and the reflection questions gave me fodder for prayer.  I enjoyed the book and recommend it for people who want to know more about the scriptural underpinnings of the sacraments as well as for those looking for a guide to prayer.  Grade:  B.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Lectio Divina Bible Study: Sacraments. They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible.

1 comment:

  1. I'll have a look at this book's previews at Amazon, thanks.

    ReplyDelete


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