When I was newly returned to the Catholic church, I bought a book on the seven last words of Christ during Lent. I’m not sure what book it was, the title now long forgotten, but I read it and struggled with it, finally bringing to to my priest, who was also my spiritual director. The look on his face when it handed to him was quite clear, something was wrong. As it happened, it was a reprint of a much older book, and the essence of the volume in my hands was harsh. Let’s face it, the Crucifixion is harsh, but the book offered a theology that was focused on nothing but suffering. The priest then gave me a much better book on the topic and my reading continued.
Needless to say, I cautiously approached all other books with the words “last words of Jesus” on the cover, rarely finding one that fully fed me. When I saw that Dan Horan OFM, had written a book about Jesus’ last words, I was instantly curious. The Last Words of Jesus, A Meditation on Love and Suffering from Franciscan Media, is an updated look offering us a fresh way of seeing the Cross.
In conversation with someone recently, I said precisely that, that this book is “updated” and “offers us a chance to see the Cross in a fresh way.” Those comments were met with a rebuttal about how there is no Continue reading →
Congratulations to Ellen Rowe, whose name was drawn from the many names of those who submitted a comment to my review of Jesus, A Pilgrimage, by James Martin, SJ. Thank you for reading the post and entering, one and all. Many of you came to the blog through the posts and tweets by James Martin and America magazine, please keep coming back! All are welcome here, and I do run frequent book reviews and giveaways. That is to the joy of some and the dismay of others! (I am not renumerated for these reviews, in the majority of cases, I initiate the process.)
A book review of Dan Horan OFM’s latest book, The Last Words of Jesus, A Meditation on Love and Suffering (Franciscan Media) will run on Tuesday, April 8, and a copy of that book will also be given away. Please read and comment on that post to win a copy! I like to say that I knew Dan Horan before he was Dan Horan, because we met before his blog Dating God became a hit, and before he was a widely published author. He had not yet become ordained as a priest at that time either. He’s a great guy and a wise scholar and author at a young age. If you don’t know him, you will want to, so please stay tuned.
You can learn a little more about Dan and his book in this video:
A new book from Franciscan Media has entered the Lenten resource genre this year, written by liturgical composer and musician Rory Cooney. Named after one of his songs for Lent, Change Our Hearts, Daily Meditations for Lent is a fine addition to the list. Once again, we find a book small enough for a pocket or purse, yet big enough to help us journey towards the Cross with wisdom, courage, and strength. An autographed copy awaits the one who wins this, so see details about entry at the end of the post, but please read on first!
Many resources are meant to be used in a particular liturgical year, but this book begins each daily reflection with the lectionary readings for each year for Sundays, which I really like. The daily readings remain the same, but Sundays are different. If your parish RCIA program uses the Scrutinies, then it does not matter what cycle it is, the readings from Year A are always used. (It just so happens that we are in Year A, so there will be no difference this year.)
There is a reflection for every day of Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday and concluding on Easter Sunday. If you are familiar with Cooney’s work through his songs, this book will introduce you to the depth that is that is within every composition. Even if you think you are not familiar with his work, you most likely would be if you heard some of his songs at church. (See the end of this post, or should I say, hear the end of this post!)
This book is a bit more expensive, at $3.99 a copy, but as I said, it has a longer shelf life; I can see mine getting marked up with thoughts and folded back from use over the years. It would make an excellent companion to anyone on their annual Lenten trek, and to those in RCIA in particular. This book promises to be a well-loved resource for many Lenten season’s to come.
This book, is available at Franciscan Media. A slightly less expensive version, along with a Kindle edition are available at Amazon.
Names will be randomly drawn and you will be informed by email if you are a winner. You will need to provide me with your full name and address in order to receive your book. On double book posting days such as this, I can not guarantee which book you will win. Thank you for reading and entering. Please feel free to share this post via social media!
And now, Change Our Hearts, written by Rory Cooney along with Gary Daigle and Theresa Donahoo, sung by Theresa Donahoo.
This week I will post some reviews and a general round up of Lenten resources. Lent is only a couple of weeks away, and I am behind in posting this! You should still have time to order what you need, and you may even end up winning a copy of one of the books!
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Books that will be reviewed include, although not necessarily in this order:
Plus, I may have some other surprises for you! If you are not already a subscriber or follower of this blog, this may be a good time to do so. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, “like” the blog Facebook page, or follow me on on Twitter, to get your updates in those places. Thank you!
When I was newly returned to the Catholic church, I bought a book on the seven last words of Christ during Lent. I’m not sure what book it was, the title now long forgotten, but I read it and struggled with it, finally bringing to to my priest, who was also my spiritual director. The look on his face when it handed to him was quite clear, something was wrong. As it happened, it was a reprint of a much older book, and the essence of the volume in my hands was harsh. Let’s face it, the Crucifixion is harsh, but the book offered a theology that was focused on nothing but suffering. The priest then gave me a much better book on the topic and my reading continued.
There Will Be Bread 
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