Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other. To participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. I'm mostly a book blogger so my posts are generally book reviews, some Catholic, some not. Make sure that post links back here. Once you publish it, come back here and leave a link below.

We also have a yahoogroup; signing up for it will get you one weekly reminder to post.  Click here to sign up.

This week our question of the week is: What is your favorite non-blog Catholic website?  My answer:  The one I use most often is Universalis, which is an on-line Liturgy of the Hours.

What did I write about this week?  I reviewed an introduction to Catholic theology.  I participated in Seven Quick Takes  and I'm giving away a lovely children's Christmas book.   If you check my sidebar you'll see I reviewed a couple of romance novels and a novel in the "women's fiction" category.

Catholic Company Book Review: The Faith Understood

The Faith Understood

About the Book:
Discover the basic principles of authentic biblical interpretation. Learn why the Magisterium is the only way to correctly interpret the Bible and the writings of the Church fathers, doctors, and saints. Find out why Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium are the only three legs of the theological tripod that preserves the whole truth about God. See why faith and reason, science and theology, the natural and the supernatural are always agreeable. Explore the Incarnation and its primary Christological heresies that threatened the early Church. Unlock one of the most misunderstood areas of Catholic theology in the person of Mary. Unravel the mystery of eschatology—the "last things"—judgment, purgatory, hell, and heaven. Great for college students, adult faith formation programs, and motivated Catholics aspiring to learn more about their faith.

My Comments:
One thing I've never quite understood was theology.  I mean I attended a little over a year of Catholic school, eleven years of CCD classes and catechist formation classes.  I read a lot.  "Theology" is one of those words I keep seeing, but I've never quite figured out what it means to know or study theology.  It's not Bible study, it's not prayer.  What is it?  Well, according to The Faith Understood, theology is "a reasoning process about God and all He has made known to us through a process called divine Revelation.".  Ok, so now I know something,right?  Well,...

Topics in the book include the relationship between faith and reason, an introduction to Sacred Scriptures which reviews the contents of the official canon, and briefly discusses the deuterocanonical and apocryphal books, as well as examining the topic of inspiration as related to Scripture.  The next topic addressed is the interpretation of Scripture.  The section on Divine Revelation  covers revelation through Scripture, through Sacred Tradition, and through the Magesterium and Pope.  Papal Infallibility is also covered. The Trinity is addressed, as is sin.  A chapter I found especially interesting was on the Incarnation and Redemption, which covered a number of heresies and their erroneous beliefs. The book concludes with a chapter on Mary and one on Eschatology--the branch of theology that focuses on the "last things" that take place beginning with our bodily death.

The book is easy to read and reads more like a textbook than a devotional.  It is a book for people looking for "meat" -- what do we believe and why, without the messiness of feelings or personal experiences of the reader or author.

I'd like to thank the Catholic Company for providing a complimentary review copy.  Grade:  B+

About the Author:
Mark Zia, S.T.D., received a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy. He is associate professor of Theology and director of Academic Enrichment Programs at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. He and his wife Julia are the parents of six children.
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 The Faith Understood. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papal Year of Faith.

Review: The Runaway Wife

The Runaway Wife

About the Book:

Remembering the letter that says, “You are a remarkable woman and you deserve all the happiness, contentment, and love in the world. I, for one, know that I have never met anyone quite like you,” Rose Pritchard turns up on the doorstep of a B&B in England’s lake district. It is her last resort, as she and her seven-year-old daughter Maddie have left everything behind. They have come to the village of Millthwaite in search of the person who once offered Rose hope.

Almost immediately Rose wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake—if she’s chasing a dream—but she knows in her heart that she cannot go back. She’s been given a second chance—at life, and love—but will she have the courage to take it?

Blending wit, insight, and emotion with a sensitive touch and a warm dose of humor, Rowan Cowan has crafted a poignant novel that will linger with you long after the final page has been turned.

My Comments:

It is so easy to see where other people are doing it wrong.  Why does she let him treat her like that?  Why does he drink so much?  Why does he chase all those loose women?  Why does she dress like a tramp?  What do people say about me?  What do I do that "everyone" sees and shakes their head over?  

Rose is a woman who has been emotionally abused for years by her husband.  But one night she  had enough and fled.  Did she head to the local women's shelter, or the police station or any such  place?  No, she follows a dream; she goes looking for a man she met once.  In the process she finds the father who abandoned her years ago.  Her new life is wonderful; she has friends, she has men interested in her, she is creating a new relationship with her father.  Can it last?  Should it last?  

This is one of those books that is much more about the characters than about the plot.  Rose could easily see what was wrong in the lives of those in her path; this book is about her learning what is wrong in her life and putting it to right.  It is the story of a woman who is learning what love is and reaching out to gain it in her life; however it is not a romance novel.

The other character who fascinated me was Rose's daughter, Maddie.  Maddie is different that other children. She is very bright and very socially inept.  She doesn't like change.  She is a picky eater.  My "mother of autistic child" radar went off right away predicting that autism would be Maddie's diagnosis.  In this case Maddie was not diagnosed; rather, she was loved and cherished for who she was and it became obvious that what happened at home had far more effect on her than her mother ever realized.  

If it is important to you, there are references to intimate activity but no actual intimate scenes.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via Edelweiss.  Grade:  B+

Book Blogger Hop

Question of the week:  When you are out of town, do you still participate in weekly memes or do you have your post scheduled to appear on your blog and perhaps check back? Or do you not participate at all?

I have the Book Blogger Hop posts scheduled in advance.  I at least try to put up the linky for Sunday Snippets if I'm going to be out of town.  Other than that, I just don't participate.  I'm a regular on several memes but I miss them sometimes even if I am in town.

Check out the host post at Coffee Addicted Writer to see what other folks have to say.