Review: Rediscovering the Heart of a Disciple

Pope Francis and the Joy of the Gospel: Rediscovering the Heart of a Disciple

About the Book:

The call of Christ to each of us is as heart-stopping as the moment captured by Caravaggio in his painting, The Call of St. Matthew. Jesus points, he invites-and Matthew the tax-collector must make a decision. "The Lord does not disappoint those who take that risk" and choose him, Pope Francis tells us in his Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel.

Dr. Edward Sri, theologian, author, and speaker, unpacks The Joy of the Gospel, making it accessible and actionable. In these brief reflections, Sri explores Pope Francis' call to be "missionary disciples"-Christians who walk ever more closely in discipleship with the Lord and who have a profound sense of mission in the world.

Pope Francis and The Joy of the Gospel help people of all walks of life-diocesan leaders, parish staff and volunteers, families and laity-live out the Holy Father's vision for the renewal of the Church and the New Evangelization.

Great for use by individuals or groups, each chapter concludes with questions for reflection or discussion, moving readers into a renewed personal relationship with Christ and a deepened commitment to the Church's mission.

My Comments:

I wish I could tell you I timed this review to coincide with the Pope's visit to the US, but the planning happened elsewhere; I'm reviewing it because I finally finished it--which makes it sound long and hard to read, but it isn't.  

Over the years I've read a lot of online forum posts or blog posts written by self-proclaimed "faithful" or "conservative" Catholics.  Though I often agreed with what was written, they often rubbed me the wrong way.  It seemed that for many, being Catholic boiled down to not using birth control, liking Latin and the Rosary and hating music by Haugen and Haas.  On the other hand, I'd read more liberal forums and it seemed the topics of the day were the ordination of woman and the normalization of sexual behaviors traditionally considered sinful, though there often seemed to be more said about the poor and marginalized on liberal sites than on conservative ones. Something else I've noted over the years is that converts to Catholicism often read or study their way into the Church.  Those who convert from Catholicism to Protestantism often do so because at some point when they needed someone in their life, a Protestant friend invited them to church and that church became a support system for them.  They don't so much choose to leave the Catholic Church (at least at first) as they choose to go where their needs are met.

So, why am I telling you about me and my experience?  Because I read Pope Francis and the Joy of the Gospel: Rediscovering the Heart of a Disciple and found myself nodding all the way through it.  First, Edward Sri talks about "The New Evangelization" and points out that the Church's number one priority is to make disciples of all nations.  He goes on to state that missionary activity has traditionally focused on those people and places where Christ is unknown.  However, the focus of The New Evangelization is the people in our midst, those who have been baptized, who call themselves Catholic but who have not surrendered their life to Jesus and who do not shape their life by the Gospel. The purpose of Pope Francis' Joy of the Gospel is to teach the faithful how to be missionary disciples.

Edward Sri reminds us that doors let people in, and out.  Often we are concerned with getting people to come to us (the Church) that we fail to go to them.  This doesn't mean preaching; more often it means listening to people, and, through your actions, showing them what Jesus means in your life. In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis urges us to reach out.  He dreams of "a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything so that the Church's customs...schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization ...rather than for self-preservation".

The main news that needs to be spread is the love and mercy of Jesus--not that abortion, or contraception or gay marriage are wrong.  To me that makes perfect sense.  If I know and love Jesus, then I want to please Him.  In that situation, teaching me why those are moral evils, despite what our culture says, could cause me to change my behavior to match my beliefs.  On the other hand, if I don't believe, then those preaching against those things come across as intolerant harpies, not as those showing love to me or to others.  The Pope said "The biggest problem is when the message we preach then seems identified with those secondary aspects, which, important as they are, do not in and of themselves convey the heart of Christ's message." The book has a chapter on mercy on talks about Pope Francis' famous quote "Who am I to judge?"

Another chapter talks about our culture and our tendency to engage with devices rather than with people and the necessity of reaching out to people as individuals--even people with whom you'd rather not associate. The "professional" church is brought to task for being too inward, too focused on serving those who are always served, rather than coming up with new ways to reach those who do not darken our doors.

I recommend this book.  Each chapter is followed by reflection questions that I think would make excellent fodder for a retreat for a parish council or parish staff, for discussion in small groups in a parish or even to afflict your own conscience.

I won a copy of this book in the Mega-Advent Giveaway hosted by the Catholic Book Blogger.  I was not obligated to read it, or write any review, much less a positive one.

Grade:  A.

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving: Spiritual Practices That Draw Us Closer to God (Keys to the Bible)

About the Book:

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are often called “spiritual disciplines.” The term highlights their similarity to physical disciplines. But like a physical fitness program, we can go through the motions of these practices without deriving much benefit from them. Jesus wants the spiritual disciplines to work for us. Only the Holy Spirit can make us holy, but we can spur the Spirit to help us. That is what almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are: ways of seeking the Holy Spirit’s help, ways of beginning to cooperate with his work in us.

In this Bible study, popular Scripture commentator Kevin Perrotta selects six readings from Scripture—one Old Testament and one New Testament text for each spiritual discipline. Each passage confront us with some of the most important aspects of these practices, showing us why we undertake them and how they can transform us so that we become more like the persons that God has created us to be.

• Perfect for Lent but can also be used at any time of year.

• “In the Spotlight” sections highlight background information on passages, words used in Scripture, and biblical history.

My Comments:

While I haven't done more than flip through this book, it looks like a quick non-technical Bible study.  It is divided into six chapters with an introduction and a guide for using with a group.  Each section begins with a Scripture passage--Session 1 is Ruth 1:1-22 (wonder why I like that one?) Following the passage is some explanatory material that ties the reading into the theme.  This is followed by some questions marked "Understand!" and the questions themselves have some explanation in them.  There is space to answer them in the book.  These questions are basically text-based.  Then there are questions marked "Grow!" which relate the story to your life.  One example is "Serving others' needs can be burdensome.  When have you found joy in helping another person?" Again there is space for the reader to answer the question.  There is no room to answer the "Reflect!" questions and they are obviously there to be fodder for prayer over a period of time.  The "Act!" section challenges you to select one action to do as a result of this study.  The sections also include sections titled "In the Spotlight" that may tell about other people or other scripture passages that go along with the theme.  

More Comments:

Everything above this came from a previous post on on the loot I got as a result of winning the Advent Megagiveaway at the Catholic Book Blogger.  Now that I've had a chance to do more than just flip through the the book, I'd like to add a line or two highly recommending this as a personal or group Lenten study.  There is a lot of information tucked into this relatively short book and yet it manages to remain approachable and readable but not dumbed-down.  It goes into ideas and themes that repeat throughout scripture--like names having meaning -- and calls them to readers' attention but does so without getting bogged down in irrelevant minutiae.  Grade:  A.  

Review: Defending Marriage -- Twelve Arguments for Sanity

Defending Marriage: Twelve Arguments for Sanity

About the Book:

Defending Marriage: Twelve Arguments for Sanity is a rousing, compelling defense of traditional, natural marriage. Here, Anthony Esolen—professor at Providence College and a prolific writer uses moral, theological, and cultural arguments to defend this holy and ancient institution, bedrock of society—and to illuminate the threats it faces from modern revolutions in law, public policy, and sexual morality. 

Inside, discover: 

- Traditional marriage’s roots in age-old religious, cultural, and natural laws 

- Why gay marriage is a metaphysical impossibility 

- How acceptance and legal sanction of gay marriage threatens the family 

- How the state becomes a religion when it attempts to elevate gay marriage, and enshrine as a civil right all consensual sex 

- How divorce and sexual license have brought marriage to the brink 

- How today’s culture has impoverished and emptied love of its true meaning 

In Defending Marriage Esolen expertly and succinctly identifies the cultural dangers of gay marriage and the Sexual Revolution which paved its way. He offers a stirring defense of true marriage, the family, culture, and love—and provides the compelling arguments that will return us to sanity, and out of our current morass. 

My Comments:

This is an interesting book that will not doubt find many critics, including, to some degree, me.The book is divided into twelve chapter, one for each argument.  They are:

• We must not give the sexual revolution the force of irrevocable law
• We must not enshrine in law the principle that sexual gratification is a personal matter only, with which society has nothing to do
• We should not drive a deeper wedge between men and women
• We must recover the virtues of modesty and purity
• We should not foreclose the opportunity for members of the same sex to forge friendships with each other than are deep, chaste and physically expressed
• We must not condone all forms of consentual sexual activity
• We must not seal ourselves in a regime of divorce
• To celebrate abnormal behavior makes it worse, not better for those inclined to engage in it
• We should not subordinate the welfare of children to the sexual predilections of adults
• We should not give godlike power to the state
• The beauty of the country of marriage

The book is a robust defense of traditional gender roles, traditional Catholic understanding of sexuality and Catholic sexual morality.  It is  Esolen's argument that by straying from these beliefs and behaviors we have made ourselves less happy and our children less secure.  Esolen is a critic of the modern academic area of gender studies.  He opposes the idea that just because two people of the same sex shared a close friendship and a bed means they were homosexual and engaed in erotic behavior.  Esolen quotes literature, not only Scripture in support of his ideas.  

If you are looking for a book to help you clarify why you oppose "same sex marriage" without having to say "The Bible says so", Esolen gives a cogent organized argument why "same sex marriage"is not only an oxymoron but also about why the attempted confection of same is bad for those of us who have no desire to engage in it.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a copy of the book via the Mega Advent Giveaway.  Grade:  B+.  

Review: The Grace of Yes

The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living

About the Book:

Catholic new-media personality and bestselling author Lisa M. Hendey is fueled by a lifelong passion for her faith. In The Grace of Yes, she guides readers through pivotal moments of her journey and the eight virtues that have helped her—and will help readers—learn how to say yes to God. 

Beloved Catholic blogger Lisa Hendey explores eight spiritual virtues that she believes are foundational to the Christian life. In opening windows to pivotal moments of her own spiritual journey, she helps readers learn about belief, generativity, creativity, integrity, humility, vulnerability, saying no, and starting over, and shows how these virtues lead to generous living and the ability to joyously say yes to God. Hendey reflects candidly on real-life struggles: the identity adjustment of leaving a blossoming career to become a stay-at-home mom; the temptation of Divahood as her online celebrity grew; the freedom and opportunities of empty-nest status versus the middle-aged body’s pull to slow down; her encounters with spiritual community during treatment for cancer; and the contrast between the profound lingering grief she confronted at a Rwandan genocide memorial and the astounding willingness of survivors there to forgive. Readers encounter Hendey’s own struggles and successes while soaking up her characteristic warmth and good advice. Hendey provides questions for personal reflection and a prayer to close the exploration of each virtue.

My Comments:

This is a great treadmill book.  Wait, that's a good thing.  I despise the treadmill, but with my schedule, it is about the only exercise I can reliably say I'll do--no place to go (except my garage), no schedule to keep (and the fact that it is paid for helps).  Nevertheless, walking to nowhere is boring, so I read while I walk.  Yes, it slows me down, but I figure that I'm better off with a slow 30-60 minute walk than a somewhat faster 5-10 minute walk.  However, I've found that treadmill books need to grab my attention and keep it.  They can't be hard to read or require large doses of concentration.  Tonight I was on the treadmill for over an hour reading The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living.

Many readers of Catholic blogs will recognize the name of the author, Lisa Hendey, as the publisher of the Catholic Mom mega-site.  If  you aren't familiar with Catholic Mom, go take a look (after you finish here--you'll be there for hours.  The book sounds like Lisa is sitting across the table chatting with her readers.  She writes in the first person and she comes across  as real.  While she tells us her usual morning prayer routine, she is human enough to admit that sometimes she doesn't pray like she should.  Her house isn't always clean and she struggles with maintaining humility while trying to promote a book or her other endeavours.  

The chapter I liked best was on the grace of vulnerability.  In it, she talks about the not so pleasant aspects of aging.  She's my age and, like me, has noticed that things don't work as well as they once did.  Like me, she wonders if she is selling out by bowing to societal pressure not to have gray hair.  In that chapter Hendey also discusses the Hippocratic oath her physician husband took and how we ought to take it "First, do no harm" to heart.  She encourages readers to make sure relatives, even those not close to them, have what they need, to care for those in their parish and neighborhood and to take care of their own bodies--to not abuse drugs, alcohol or food.  As someone struggling with way too much weight, that hit home.  

Each chapter ends with reflection questions that would be great for journaling, or, with a group you are close to, for discussion.  Finally, there is a prayer asking for God's grace.

I'd like to thank fellow book blogger Pete Socks for his Mega-Advent Giveaway in which I won this book. (check out his blog; he always has giveaways)  I was not obligated to read it or write about it and if you've read my blog for very long, you know I don't say nice things about books I don't like.  Grade:  A.  

Biblezon Tablet

Biblezon Catholic Tablet

About:  

Biblezon is a digital tablet for Catholics, which provides a platform where Catholics can learn, live & practice their faith daily without distractions.

The tablet comes preloaded with many catholic resources (bible, catechism, encyclopedia, study plans, prayers, daily readings, saint of the day, rosary, divine mercy and many more). The purpose of the tablet is to create a pathway to holiness by providing a platform where Catholics can live and practice their faith daily. No distractions from worldly things.

My Comments:

I won this tablet as part of the Mega Advent Giveaway on Pete Socks' Catholic Book Blogger Blog. While I am a Catholic who reviews books, including Catholic books, Pete reviews Catholic books and does author interviews and other cool stuff.  Anyway, in addition to a huge pile of books I won this tablet, which I have to say is exactly what the producers say it is.  It is a pre-loaded Android tablet that refuses to connect to Google Play and refuses to connect to Facebook through the Facebook app.  In short, it is a digital prayer book, Bible and Catechism.  It has the iBreviary app if you want to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.  It has the daily Mass readings front and center, and each day shows more saints than I ever knew existed.  There is a copy of the New American Bible (revised edition) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  There is even a facebook-type app where you can request prayers and other can "Amen" them.  I guess it comes in different colors because mine is hot pink.  

When I first learned that I had won this tablet, the first thought that came to my mind was a $59.00 tablet I purchased a year ago on Black Friday.  It is an Android tablet and S-L-O-W.  I bought it to give as a gift to the teen whose name I pulled from the Giving Tree.  Then I read the reviews and thought maybe I should make sure it worked.  I didn't give it away because it was so slow and finicky.  I keep it around for the Barnes & Noble app; otherwise I use the Kindle Fire I got on sale after Christmas.  I was pleasantly surprised when I played around with the Biblezon Tablet and found it to be responsive and as fast as my Kindle Fire.  If you want what is basically an electronic prayer book with a limited religious library, I think you'll be very pleased with the Biblezon.  It works well, is attractive and is lighter than my Kindle Fire.  

On the other hand, I don't particularly want a single-use device.  I have most of the Biblezon apps on my Kindle Fire, along with music that I listen to at adoration and my toys.  I'm a big girl and can leave the toys turned off when appropriate.  Given that, I started trying to figure out how to jailbreak the device.  I read a couple of articles about rooting Android devices but couldn't figure out how to do it.  However, I kept poking around on the tablet and found that while it blocked the Google Play store, I was able to download some non-prayer apps from, including the Chrome browser from the MoboMarket.  With Chrome, I was able to access my email and Facebook.  It took me about two hours to figure out how to do that; I suspect the average teenager would have just rooted the tablet and had it over with, or would have figured out how to do what I did in about half the time.

I'd like to thank Biblzon for providing the complimentary tablet.  As I said, it does exactly what it says it will do and does it well, so I'll give it an A, even though I "fixed" it to make it better meet my wants.

Joy to the Word: My Review

Joy to the World: How Christ's Coming Changed Everything (and Still Does)

About the Book:

What could be more familiar than the Christmas story -- and yet what could be more extraordinary? The cast of characters is strange and exotic: shepherds and magicians, an emperor and a despot, angels, and a baby who is Almighty God. The strangeness calls for an explanation, and this book provides it by examining the characters and the story in light of the biblical and historical context. Bestselling author Scott Hahn who has written extensively on Scripture and the early Church, brings evidence to light, dispelling some of the mystery of the story. Yet Christmas is made familiar all over again by showing it to be a family story. Christmas, as it appears in the New Testament, is the story of a father, a mother, and a child -- their relationships, their interactions, their principles, their individual lives, and their common life. To see the life of this "earthly trinity" is to gaze into heaven.

My Comments:

If you aren't familiar with Scott Hahn, he is a Scripture scholar.  Throughout this book about the very familiar Christmas story, Hahn points out how the story is similar to other stories in the Bible.  The Shepherds to whom the angels appeared Christmas night were not the only shepherds in the Bible, nor the only ones to whom angels appeared and Hahn tells us about many of them.  

One chapter is "Mary:  Cause of Our Joy" and in it Hahn discusses the scriptural and historical support for the Catholic beliefs of the virgin birth (shared by most Christians) and Mary's perpetual virginity (basically a Catholic belief).  In another chapter Hahn looks at the angels and in yet another, the town  of Bethlehem. The Magi get their chapter as well. Hahn ends the book with a look at the Trinity and how it is imaged in the Holy Family, and in our families.  Hahn's thesis is that God became like us (human) so we could be like Him.  

I enjoyed the book and found it to be an engaging read with many facts of which I was unaware.  While the endnotes are extensive, the text itself is approachable and readable.  If you are looking for a good book to end your Christmas season this year I recommend this one--or put it on your list for next year's Advent reading.  Grade B+.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Mega Advent Giveaway and was not obligated to write any review.  

Day by Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory: 365 Reflections

Day by Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory: 365 Reflections

About the Book:

"If we, by our prayers and sacrifices, freed a soul from purgatory, we would then have another intercessor for us in heaven." - Venerable Solanus Casey

Every day we have another opportunity to pray for the holy souls in purgatory - author, speaker, and purgatory expert Susan Tassone gives you a unique tool to do just that.

Day by Day for the Holy Souls includes prayers, teachings about purgatory, real-life stories, Susan's own wisdom, meditations, quotes from the saints, and more. You can use this book however you like - as a daily devotional, as a year round novena, to follow the liturgical seasons - or, just pick it up and read as the Spirit leads you.

God has given us the duty, power and privilege of praying for the release of the holy souls. Now Susan Tassone has given you a powerful way to accomplish that mission.

My Comments:

One area of belief that separates Catholics from other Christians is our belief in Purgatory--a place or state which most people enter after death to cleanse them and prepare them for heaven.  Those in Purgatory are saved, they will eventually get to heaven, but they died with sins and/or attachment to sins that make them imperfect and not ready to be in the presence of God.  Purgatory is the reason that Catholics pray for the dead.  We believe in the Communion of Saints, which means that we believe the Church--God's people--is made of three groups:  The Church Triumphant  is the Saints in heaven, both those canonized (formally named) and those who aren't (most of us).  They can pray to God for our intentions and they don't need our prayers.  The Church Militant is those of us here on earth.  We can pray for others and the prayers of others can help us.  The Church Penitent is those in Purgatory.  They can benefit from our prayers, but can't pray for others--until they get to heaven.  

Day by Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory: 365 Reflections is a prayer book rather than one that sets out to teach; yet by its format it does teach about Purgatory and what we can do to help those there.  There is a short reading and reflection for each day and those readings generally concern Purgatory or the Poor Souls.  The author quotes saints and theologians and each day's page begins with a short scripture quote.

I'd like to thank Our Sunday Visitor Press for providing a complimentary copy via the Mega Advent Giveaway.  No review was required. Grade:  B

Books from Catholic Word

The big box from Catholic Word also had grown-up books.  I really need to get off the computer and get reading!

7 Secrets of Confession

About the Book:

"I want to go to Communion, so I have to go to confession."

Sound familiar? To many Catholics, confession is just a means to an end: cleaning us up from sin so we can receive Communion. But, as Pope Francis tells us, confession is much more than "going to the dry cleaner." It's "an encounter with Jesus, who waits for us as we are."

In 7 Secrets of Confession, best-selling author Vinny Flynn explores the "hidden" truths of this encounter with Jesus, presenting what to many will be a whole new way of going to confession, and inviting you to begin an exciting personal journey to healing and holiness.

If you do no yet look forward to confession in the same way you look forward to Communion, read on. It will change your life.

My Comments:

Going to Confession isn't on the top of the list of my favorite things to do.  I flipped through this book and it looks like it is highly readable.  There are quite a few quotes from St. Faustina's Diary and since I've never read it, I look forward to learning about it.  Maybe this book will change my attitude about Confession.  

Awakening a Life-Giving Heart

About the Book:

Live with a generous spirit! A book for all Catholic women who want to grow contemplatively, in order to pray effectively for their families and for the Church. The focus of the book is not academic but a spiritual encouragement to live out the life-giving capacity of the feminine genius.

Mary Gannon Kaufmann describes the life-giving nature of womanhood and seeks to guide women to live a deeper contemplative life of faith and prayer that can awaken holiness in themselves and others, in their families and the priests and deacons that they pray for.

Even though this call to effectively intercede for others is not new, today the call to spiritually uplift the Church and her clergy stands in new brilliance. Using Venerable Concepción's work as well as the insights of other saintly women, Awakening a Life-Giving Heart helps women learn to negotiate the ups and downs of their lives as prayerful sacrifices for others.

My Comments:

It is interesting to see all the various types of books on the spiritual life.  Somewhere in this Mega-giveaway stack I may find one that zings my heart.  I wonder if this will be it.  Has anyone read it?

Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

About the Book:

For anyone who is curious to go deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ, Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength was written to help those those pursuing Christ to take the next step in spiritual maturity. You want to go deeper and grow closer, but how? By identifying four core areas of your relationship with God (heart, soul, mind, and strength), Fr. John Bartunek helps determine what areas you're stuck in. Short chapters and reflection/discussion questions make this book digestible and applicable to your life. By identifying where you need to grow, you'll experience renewed enthusiasm and discover a new depth to your prayer life. 

Seeking First the Kingdom is full of practical examples and down-to-earth wisdom which will show you how to bring Christ into each facet of your life. In these 30 meditations, you’ll learn: how to bring every dimension of your being into your relationship with God, how to handle the emotional roller coaster of everyday life, how to overcome spiritual obstacles and roadblocks, and ways to develop virtue and grow in holiness. 

Along the way, you’ll discover how to cultivate a deep and joy-filled friendship with Christ - an adventure that begins today, here on earth, and continues for all eternity.

My Comments:

I guess Someone is really trying to tell me my prayer life needs work (and it does).  This book looks like one that could be used individually or in a group setting.  Into the toppling tower of TBR it goes.  

Children's Books from Catholic Word

I got so much stuff from Catholic Word, via the Mega-Advent Giveaway that I'm spreading it out in several posts.  This post will highlight two children's books.

Barnyard Bliss

About the Book:

The animals can't wait to share the news. Something exciting and beautiful has come to be! All of creation rejoices as word of Mr. And Mrs. Hoot's owlet spread throughout the farm in this whimsical tale written by Ruth Pendergast Sissel. and Illustrated by Tina Tolliver Matney. "With unbridled joy, their voices rise. All things old become refreshed. Welcome Babe, this joyous day! We pray your life is blessed!"

My Comments:

A cute book showcasing animals that rejoice when their friends have a baby.  Featured animals include the cow, the hummingbird, the butterfly, the peacock, the chicken and the lamb.  There isn't really a plot but young children will enjoy finding their animal friends.  Grade:  B.

Victoria's Sparrows

About the Book:

Things are usually perfect at Grandma and Grandpa's cabin. But not on the day after a fierce storm comes to Fossil Lake. The cellar, stocked with all the food the family needs, is blocked by a fallen tree. The bridge is washed out, and there's no way to get to town. But it isn't her own rumbling tummy that worries Victoria as much as the sparrows' broken and empty bird feeder. Before the day is through, the young girl will come to understand what providence is all about. The layers of meaning hidden in this story, full of unanticipated twists and turns, have become a trademark of author Sherry Boas' work. The seasoned writer's experiences as a journalist, novelist and mother inspire her to write stories that fill readers with a sense of wonder at life's unexpected goodness.

My Comments:

The illustrations in this book are charming and I guess I'm getting old because the grandmother looked about my age and was dressed like women my age dress.  She wasn't a plumpish woman with curly white short hair who wore and dress covered by an apron.  Grade:  B-.  

Thanks to Catholic Word: Sacraments 12 Amazing Short Videos

Sacraments

About:

In order to effectively reach this generation with the richness and beauty of our Catholic faith, it must be done in new and relevant ways. Teens watch a staggering amount of media content each day. Why not reach out to them through this channel that resonates with them and speaks their language? The VCAT Video Catechism does this through creative short films and videos that use cultural analogies, creativity, humor, and always try to answer the question, "Why should a teenager care about this?" At the heart of each video is a point (or points) articulated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This fantastic DVD contains the following 12 short films - great for youth ministry, religious education, and Catholic school programs and classrooms:

The Seven Sacraments - This short film offers a brief overview of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church and the purpose each serves. (3 minutes)

On the Road to Emmaus - A special visitor joins Will at Mass on Sunday and suddenly the Mass will never be the same. (8 minutes)

Initiation - Watch as a story-telling grandpa with an over-active imagination tries to explain the Sacraments to his grandkids. You’ve never heard it quite like this before. (4 minutes)

Holy Water - When a “voice from above” asks a teen why he blesses himself with holy water as he enters the chapel at his parish, he responds, “Isn’t that what you are supposed to do when you enter a church?” The “voice” then takes him on a journey into his past and future to see exactly what this water means. (4 minutes)

We Adore - “What sublime humility and humble sublimeness, that the Lord of the Universe, the Divine Son of God, should stoop as to hide Himself under the appearance of bread for our salvation!” ~ St. Francis of Assisi (3 minutes)

It's NOT Graduation - The general conception that Confirmation is “graduation” is challenged in this film using some interesting comparisons. (3 minutes)

How do I go to Confession? - Whether this is a refresher or an introduction, this film creatively walks through the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a way that will stick with you. (4 minutes)

Suffering and Glorified - Meet Caroline and Jack, two kids who have battled illness and received strength through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. (6 minutes)

Get Up and Walk - In this contemporary re-enactment of Mark 2:1-12, we see the need for us to bring each other to Christ for forgiveness and healing. (8 minutes)

The Game of Life - Four friends enjoy some time together over a board game and learn something in the process. (4 minutes)

Chris Padgett Talks About Marriage - Chris Padgett shares his thoughts about the Sacrament of Marriage, and few jokes, too. (6 minutes)

Call Waiting - Meet Will. He likes God and he likes girls. He thinks he might be called to the priesthood, but doesn’t know for sure. (7 minutes)

My Comments:  These seem aimed at the teen audience and are the perfect size to use within a religous ed class--long enough to make a point, short enough not to take your whole class period.   I watched one on baptism/holy water, one on the Mass that compared it to the story of Jesus on the road to Emmaus  and the one in which a tatooed Chris Padgett talked about the self-sacrificing nature of marriage and how marriage as a vocation calls you to unselfish love. This will be donated to my school or parish religion program.  Grade:  B

I won this video as part of the Mega Advent Giveaway.

Autographed and Tied with a Bow

What?  You want it autographed and wrapped in a bow?  I've heard that said as a not-so-nice remark when someone gave someone else something that the recipient didn't really want.  Well, I want books but I had to smile today when I got one that was autographed and tied with a bow.  Thanks to the author, Maura Poston Zagrans.  As a paralegal who does criminal defense work, I'm looking forward to reading Camerado, I Give You My Hand.  

Camerado, I Give You My Hand: How a Powerful Lawyer-Turned-Priest Is Changing the Lives of Men Behind Bars

About the Book:

For many years Dr. David T. Link helped young men and women prepare to become lawyers. After his wife died, and at a time in his life when most people retire, Dr. Link felt called to serve the Church and to aid the men that his profession normally put behind bars, ministering healing and forgiveness to murderers, thieves, and what many would call the least of society. 

This is a book about the value of human life, and about the transformative power of friendship and compassion. Meeting Father Dave gives us hope that one person can make a difference and, through successive reinterpretations of his own life's purpose, he makes the case for adding our own unique gifts to help the least of these, our brothers and sisters from all walks of life.

"Song of the Open Road" by Walt Whitman

Camerado, I give you my hand! 

I give you my love more precious than money, 

I give you myself before preaching or law; 

Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me? 

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

Sophia Institute Press' Contribution to the Mega Advent Giveaway

Today's package was from Sophia Institute Press and it contained two books:

Meditations for Advent

About the Book:

Keep Christ in Christmas this year by turning to this slim volume of daily Advent meditations by Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, one of the greatest homilists in the history of the Church. 

Carefully selected to lift your soul to God in those hectic days that stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas, these forty daily meditations will keep you mindful of the real meaning of Christmas while affording you an admirable distillation of the doctrines and piety of our Holy Catholic Church. 

With the help of Bishop Bossuet — and the sense of God’s grandeur and love that permeates his every word — all through the rush toward Christmas you’ll stay mindful of the holy words of Isaiah foretelling the birth of our savior; you’ll find yourself marveling at the Annunciation and the Visitation; you’ll rejoice in anticipation of the coming birth of Jesus; and, finally, you’ll look forward to kneeling with St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin in silent adoration of the incarnate Son of God. 

This year, you won’t (as so often happens) arrive at Midnight Mass distracted, exhausted, and frazzled, having neglected your Advent devotions and your ordinary prayers, too. Instead, you’ll find yourself stepping lightly into church, ready and eager to adore the newborn King, your soul what it should be: a fit dwelling place for the Redeemer. 

Don’t waste another Advent! 

Let Meditations for Advent keep you prayerful amidst the worst distractions of the holiday season. Let it draw you daily closer to Jesus, whose birth the season celebrates, and whose birth your soul yearns to celebrate, too.

My Comments:

Since we are halfway through Advent, I'm going to put this one away until next year.

Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching

About the Book:

Many claim that Catholic Social Teaching implies the existence of a vast welfare state. In these pages, Anthony Esolen pulls back the curtain on these false philosophers, showing how they’ve undermined the authentic social teachings of the Church in order to neutralize the biggest threat to their plans for secularization — the Catholic Church. 

With the voluminous writings of Pope Leo XIII as his guide, Esolen explains that Catholic Social Teaching isn't  focused exclusively on serving the poor. Indeed, it offers us a rich treasure of insights about the nature of man, his eternal destiny, the sanctity of marriage, and the important role of the family in building a coherent and harmonious society. 

Catholic Social Teaching, explains Pope Leo, offers a unified worldview. What the Church says about the family is inextricable from what She says about the poor; and what She says about the Eucharist informs the essence of Her teachings on education, the arts — and even government. 

You will step away from these pages with a profound understanding of the root causes of the ills that afflict our society, and — thanks to Pope Leo and Anthony Esolen — well equipped to propose compelling remedies for them. 

Only an authentically Catholic culture provides for a stable and virtuous society that allows Christians to do the real work that can unite rich and poor. We must reclaim Catholic Social Teaching if we are to transform our society into the ideal mapped out by Pope Leo: a land of sinners, yes, but one enriched with love of God and neighbor and sustained by the very heart of the Church’s social teaching: the most holy Eucharist. 

My Comments:

All too often it seems that when "morality" it the topic of the day, the crowd splits between those on the right who are concerned with the unborn, with sexual sins, and with church attendance and those on the left who worry about the poor, about racism and about tolerance for those who are different than we are.  This book has caught my eye because, at least in the blurb above, it looks like Esolen acknowledges that all those points are important.  

Today's Package Was From Servant Books

A Eucharistic Christmas: Advent Meditations on the Presence of Christ

Thanks to Image Books: Mega Advent Giveaway

Image Books' package arrived today and contained three books:

The Joy of the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium

About the Book:

This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.”

Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. 

Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

My Comments:

So many books; so little time....This one really looks like a read a paragraph or two and meditate on it type book rather than a read it through for hours type.

The Feasts: How the Church Year Forms Us as Catholics

About the Book:

Every day is a holiday in the Catholic Church. In their latest collaboration, Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina examine the history and traditions behind both favorite and forgotten holidays, from Christmas to Easter, from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity to the Feast of the Holy Angels

Catholic faith is festive, and the Catholic faithful count their days by celebrating the mysteries of Jesus’ life. There is a message to be found in the passing of days, weeks, and seasons. Through the feasts, ordinary Christians learn the life of Christ, share it, and come to imitate it.

This book continues the work the authors began in their books The Mass and The Church, exploring the meaning and purpose of the most basic and beloved aspects of Catholic life. Each chapter uncovers the biblical origins and development of one of the great feasts or fasts — Advent, Epiphany, the Holy Angels, all the Marian feasts, and even this very day. The calendar can be a catechism for Catholics who know how to live it.

“The feasts form us,” write the authors, “They help to make us and remake us according to the pattern of the life of Jesus Christ. We number our days as we walk in his footsteps, from his birth to his baptism, from his passion to his resurrection, from his Ascension to his sending of the Spirit to make us saints. We do this faithfully every year, and it defines us as who we are.”

“Cardinal Wuerl and Aquilina show us the transformative spiritual power in the Church’s original and most ancient feasts. This is a book to be prayed with and meditated on. Because when we understand the meaning of the Church’s liturgical feasts, we know better the great dignity and destiny we have as children of God.” 

- Most Reverend José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles

My Comments:

My quick perusal of this one confirms that like the other books by this duo, it is easy to read and written in an instructive style.  

Joy to the World: How Christ's Coming Changed Everything (and Still Does)

About the Book:

What could be more familiar than the Christmas story -- and yet what could be more extraordinary? The cast of characters is strange and exotic: shepherds and magicians, an emperor and a despot, angels, and a baby who is Almighty God. The strangeness calls for an explanation, and this book provides it by examining the characters and the story in light of the biblical and historical context. Bestselling author Scott Hahn who has written extensively on Scripture and the early Church, brings evidence to light, dispelling some of the mystery of the story. Yet Christmas is made familiar all over again by showing it to be a family story. Christmas, as it appears in the New Testament, is the story of a father, a mother, and a child -- their relationships, their interactions, their principles, their individual lives, and their common life. To see the life of this "earthly trinity" is to gaze into heaven.

My Comments:

I think that given the season, this one is going to the top of my TBR stack.  Hopefully I'll get a review up this week.  

Ave Maria Press' Contribution to the Mega Advent Giveaway

Three packages in the mail today; one from Ave Maria Press.  Here is what they sent me:

When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages

About the Book:
Jon M. Sweeney, author of numerous popular books on St. Francis as well as the recent bestseller The Pope Who Quit, offers a surprising new look at the world’s most popular saint, showing how this beloved, but often-mythologized character created a spiritual vision for the ages and may very well have rescued the Christian faith.

In When Saint Francis Saved the Church, popular historian Jon Sweeney presents an intriguing portrait of Francis beyond the readily familiar stories and images. In the tradition of Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization, Sweeney reveals how the saint became a hinge in the history of the Christian faith and shows how in just fourteen years—from 1205 to 1219—the unconventional and stumbling wisdom of a converted troubadour changed the Church. Sweeney outlines Francis’s revolutionary approach to friendship, “the other” (people at the margins), poverty, spirituality, care (for people, creatures, and the natural world), and death.

This vibrant book presents the unsullied life and message of Francis in its essential details, offering a sweeping, informative, remarkable look at how Francis and his movement quite literally saved the Christian faith—and continues to offer a spiritual vision with contemporary relevance.

My Comments:
I flipped briefly through the book.  It appears to be short and easy to read, and has a bibliography at the end along with a list of suggested readings.

The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living

About the Book:

Catholic new-media personality and bestselling author Lisa M. Hendey is fueled by a lifelong passion for her faith. In The Grace of Yes, she guides readers through pivotal moments of her journey and the eight virtues that have helped her—and will help readers—learn how to say yes to God. 

Beloved Catholic blogger Lisa Hendey explores eight spiritual virtues that she believes are foundational to the Christian life. In opening windows to pivotal moments of her own spiritual journey, she helps readers learn about belief, generativity, creativity, integrity, humility, vulnerability, saying no, and starting over, and shows how these virtues lead to generous living and the ability to joyously say yes to God. Hendey reflects candidly on real-life struggles: the identity adjustment of leaving a blossoming career to become a stay-at-home mom; the temptation of Divahood as her online celebrity grew; the freedom and opportunities of empty-nest status versus the middle-aged body’s pull to slow down; her encounters with spiritual community during treatment for cancer; and the contrast between the profound lingering grief she confronted at a Rwandan genocide memorial and the astounding willingness of survivors there to forgive. Readers encounter Hendey’s own struggles and successes while soaking up her characteristic warmth and good advice. Hendey provides questions for personal reflection and a prayer to close the exploration of each virtue.

My Comments:

I've been seeing positive reviews of this one on a lot of blogs.  My quick flip makes me think this would be a great chapter a day or chapter a week book.  The book has a chapter for each of the eight graces described above and each chapter ends with questions to ponder and a prayer.

Loved as I Am: An Invitation to Conversion, Healing, and Freedom through Jesus

About the Book:
When Sr. Miriam James Heidland’s life as a successful college athlete proved unfulfilling, she went searching for something deeper and ended up falling in love with Jesus. By charting her own journey toward wholeness, Heidland invites young Catholics to pursue their own relationship with Jesus.

Although originally full of athletic ambition and goals for a career in sports news, Heidland was transformed in a very slow but deep way during her undergraduate years, moving from party girl to bride of Christ. In Loved as I Am: An Invitation to Conversion, Healing, and Freedom through Jesus, Heidland helps readers learn from her experience of seeking love in the wrong places and instead finding it in Christ. She shares her struggles—learning she was adopted, battling alcoholism, and healing from childhood sexual abuse—as signs of hope that anyone who desires to know Christ can find him and be loved intimately by him in return. By bringing readers into Heidland’s healing process, Loved as I Am provides a gentle and subtle template for finding peace and freedom in Jesus.

My Comments:
This looks like it is aimed at older teens/young adults.  It is right at 100 pages and is written in a very readable style.

Which are you most interested in seeing reviewed?

Mega Advent Giveaway Part One

I had books waiting for me when I got home tonight.  Ignatius Press, one of the sponsors of The Catholic Book Blogger's Mega Advent Giveaway had two packages at my door today.  Here is what they held:

Could You Not Watch with Me One Hour?: How to Cultivate a Deeper Relationship with the Lord through Eucharistic Adoration

About the Book:
Fr. Florian Racine offers us a beautiful formation guide on Eucharistic adoration that will help us to practice it in all its depth, and with a missionary perspective.

God has made himself particularly close to mankind in Jesus his Son. The redemptive Incarnation of his Son is how God reconciles mankind with himself. The memorial of the Passover of Christ is therefore at the heart of our relationship with God. In the Blessed Sacrament, the resurrected Jesus is really present and acting; he draws all mankind into his filial relationship with the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, following the plan of God, Catholics put the Eucharist at the heart of their lives, and take time to adore Jesus in the Holy Sacrament. The adorer wants to abide within the dynamic life of the Eucharist, just as he desires that the Eucharist transform his whole life. Adoration and Eucharistic life transform believers into the image of Christ.

The author invites us on an itinerary, a journey of faith, in fifty-two stages—as many as the weeks in a year. He starts by showing how the Word of God is made present in the Eucharist, and then he invites us to mature in faith and to be transformed by a greater communion with Christ.

My Comments:
No, I haven't gotten it read yet, even I'm not that fast.  However, I glanced at it, noticed that as stated above, it has 52 chapters, so I'm taking it to Adoration with me for the next year.  Maybe it will keep my mind where it is supposed to be.

Following Jesus Every Day: How Believing Transforms Living

About the Book:

How can Christians really live what we believe as followers of Christ? How can our faith in Jesus transform our daily lives? In simple but profound words and vibrant images from the renowned Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, the doctrine and the practice of the faith are fruitfully brought together to help us truly to follow Jesus every day.

Cardinal Schönborn addresses the basic questions of Christian morality, and how we live what we believe as followers of Christ. He shows how we are not left alone in the difficult task of coping with life's challenges: God's grace is a strong help for us. Thanks to this divine help, good moral conduct is possible— as we see in the shining examples of the saints.

The Cardinal leads from the basic question—What is ethical conduct, and how is it possible?—to the question of holiness: How are we to become saints? Each of his reflections on morality begins with human experience, and then leads into a discussion of the specific character of Christian morality. He explores many important questions about Christian moral living, referring to the teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as insights from the Church Fathers and the saints on such topics as sin, grace, freedom, virtue, conscience, holiness, and more.

"Many Christians today know what to believe but are less certain about how to live a life faithful to the Gospel. How do we truly follow Jesus every day? In this fantastic book, Cardinal Schönborn walks the reader step-by-step through the basics of Christian moral teaching by drawing on Scripture, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The result is an amazingly clear introduction to moral theology that should be read by everyone."

— Brant Pitre, Professor of Sacred Scripture, Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans

My Comments:

This book is under 200 pages but a quick flip through it tells me it will probably take me some time to work through, though that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The Maid of Orleans: The Life and Mysticism of Joan of Arc

About the Book:

This acclaimed work on the life and legacy of Joan of Arc is considered by many historians as one of the most well researched, convincing and best written accounts of the maid of Orleans. Stolpe vividly creates the contemporary situation in France, evaluates the latest research in her life, and arrives at a highly original and yet completely believable portrait which is also a work of literature.

Stolpe sees Joan of Arc as primarily a mystic, and her supreme achievement and lasting significance not in a mission to deliver France, though important, but in her share in the passion of Christ. By shifting the emphasis from the national to the universal, he brings the saint closer to the modern reader. His scholarship is informed by a profound understanding and sympathy for the Maid that gives this essentially sober work the absorbing interest of a novel.

As one critic stated, "Stolpe succeeds in producing a very tense interest, so that it is impossible to lay it aside until the last word is reached." It should do much to present a new evaluation of the life and significance of St. Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans.

My Comments:

I live in New Orleans; of course I'm going to read this one.  I'll bet my history major daughter will want it after I'm done (or maybe before, depending on what she takes next semester and where this lands on my now huge TBR stack). 

Thanks to Ignatius Press for participating in this giveaway.  As I finish these and other books I won, I'll post reviews so check back!