Religion

I am happy to review this little book as the prayer of the Rosary is my constant life companion. The book consists of clever selections drawn from the biblical writings of Saint Paul, to illustrate a theme related to the fruit of each of the twenty mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

The preface explains how the apparent conflict between Saint Paul--a saint who never payed the Rosary--and the Rosary is just a superficial one. As both are engulfed in Scripture and the life of Our Lord, both are actually highly compatible. The author also discusses here how Saint Paul would have become acquainted with the Blessed Mother's life.

The bulk of the book is each mystery of the Rosary in order, starting with the Joyful mysteries, followed by a Pauline scripture passage related to the spiritual fruit of the mystery, and a reflection by the author. Thus, the First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, is followed by a passage from Hebrews on Faith, which is the mystery's spiritual fruit.

The beauty of this book, in my opinion, is that it is able to serve well both an audience who say daily or weekly Rosaries--in ways of enriching their prayer--and also the one who have yet to enter the delights of the daily recitation of one of the most beautiful of all prayers of the Church. For the latter, what better way to begin a new form of prayer than by careful, set-by-step refection on the spiritual fruits of each of the 20 mysteries, by way of the scriptural words of the great Apostle?

Spellbinding! From its opening pages, I was absolutely riveted to Fr. Bernard’s incredible story of faith and courage. Already familiar with that hell on earth, I was hesitant to read Priestblock 25487, A Memoir of Dachau.

I took the plunge and was richly rewarded. It was one of the most inspiring stories I have ever read. With deep humility and simple piety, Fr. Bernard’s tells his horrific story of living (if you can call it that) in Dachau from May 19, 1941 to August 5, 1942.

During World War II, priests were regularly rounded up and sent to concentration camps, in particular Dachau. The Nazi regime did not want the priests to administer the sacraments or spiritually lift up those around them, so they isolated them from the other prisoners. Fr. Bernard was a priest from Luxembourg, who never knew why he was sent there.

Throughout the story, two thoughts continually weave in and out. We witness man’s sadistic, cruelty to man and God’s transforming love though man. How is it possible for a starving man to offer up his meager ration of bread for his fellow prisoner? Out of love, he has placed the needs of the other person above his own.

The profound love that these priests have for the Eucharist leaves the reader without doubt that the Eucharist is real, life sustaining, and transforming.

I did not want to read this book, because I did not want to remind myself of man’s inhumanity to man. I would like to pretend that it did not exist, but that would be a lie. Even more importantly, even though the Third Reich no longer exists, Christian persecution continues to exist throughout the world today in many forms.

Reading this book reminds me to not take my faith for granted, to sink my roots deeper, so that I may fly higher, and that I too, in my meager, humble way, may offer my sacrifices like those heroic men and priests, who suffered incredible barbarism, to the capital of grace for the greater glory and joy of our Heavenly Father.

The cover of the book says it all. Fully attentive to the children before him, he is ready to assist them in the best way possible through his prayers, and in this case, his answers to their questions about life and faith. The person is Pope Benedict XVI and the book is Questions and Answers.

If you could ask the Holy Father any question, what would you ask him? At various meetings with Pope Benedict XVI from his election in 2005 until 2007, groups of children, young people, and priests asked him a wide range of questions from his memories of his First Communion to what can priests do to reach out to young people. Questions and Answers is a compilation of these intriguing questions and thought-provoking answers during these encounters.

One of my favorite responses is his answer to why we should go to confession often.

“. . . it is helpful to confess with a certain regularity. It is true: Our sins are always the same, but we clean our homes, our rooms, at least once a week, even if the dirt is always the same; in order to live in cleanliness, in order to start again. Otherwise, the dirt might not be seen, but it builds up. Something similar can be said about the soul, for me myself: If I never go to confession, my soul is neglected and, in the end, I am always pleased with myself and no longer understand that I must always work hard to improve, that I must make progress. And this cleansing of the soul that Jesus gives us in the Sacrament of Confession helps us to make our consciences more alert, more open, and hence, it also helps us to mature spiritually and as human persons.”

There are many questions that apply to life and faith. “What good does it do for our everyday life to go to Holy Mass and receive Communion? What is Eucharistic Adoration? Help us to talk to the mothers of all the boys and girls who attend catechism classes and are often distracted? Why should not women also have a hand in governing the Church? How is it possible to hope when reality negates every dream of happiness, every project of life?"

If you have been hesitant to read one of his other books because you were afraid he would be theologically or philosophically above your head, this books was written for you. Because these answers were addressed to a live audience, the question and answers are easy to understand.

What is quite evident throughout the book is why Pope Benedict XVI was chosen by the Holy Spirit to guide the Church. His love of Christ and his mission zeal for humanity permeates all his answers. In answer to the question by a young person who struggles with reading and understanding the Bible, Pope Benedict XVI says, “It must first of all be said that one must not read Sacred Scripture as one reads any kind of historical book, such as, for example, Homer, Ovid, or Horace; it is necessary truly to read it as the Word of God—that is, entering into a conversation with God.”

He is fully aware of the great problems of our time and the Church. Yet, his answers express his hope and love for us all. In answer to a question about proclaiming the Gospel to non-Christian immigrants, he says, “The first point is that the reason for our hope must be ever present within us. We must be people who live faith and think faith, people with an inner knowledge of it. So it is that faith becomes reason within us, it becomes reasonable.” His answer is much more detailed, so you’ll have to read the book to find out the rest.

I assumed that some of the questions would be of interest to only children, youth, or priests; rather, I was surprised to learn that many of them applied to us all. As a member of the Body of Christ, they do apply to me and how I live my life. For example, some of the questions express concern for reaching out to young people, I too, need to live my life in such a way that I can reach out to young people.

Easy to read and understand, uplifting, yet fully aware of the many problems facing the Church and the world, Questions and Answers is an inspiring as well as challenging read, challenging, because these questions and responses challenge me to live my life more fully as a Christian.

Animated and candid, Questions and Answers offers a fresh, personable, and inspiring look at Pope Benedict XVI and the hope that is our Catholic faith.

Although this series of Saint Stories from Catholic Heritage Curricula is listed on our Reading Comprehension page, they should also not be overlooked as really wonderful stories for their own sake. The stories are well-written and contain very interesting details about the lives of the saints that I haven't seen elsewhere. Highly Recommended!