Religion

This is a beautiful and helpful little book that explains and elucidates on the Cardinal Virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance) and Theological Virtues (faith, hope and charity) in a helpful and accessible way. The idea is to examine and understand the idea of trying to live a virtuous life in a day and age in which "virtuous" is practically an insult.

Each virtue is covered in a chapter of about 15-20 pages. Each virtue is explained in practical and spiritual terms and with clear distinctions made between the natural and supernatural manifestations of each virtue. Each chapter concludes with a set of discussion/reflection questions and a prayer.

Father is a great story teller and uses this ability to great effect in helping the reader understand these ideas. The book is engaging, relevant and (a great virtue in itself!) short.

Here is a brief excerpt from the chapter on Fortitude:

Pope John Paul II was a seminarian in Poland during the days of Nazi occupation. Had he been found out, it would have meant death or transferal to a slave labor camp. Throughout his life he remained an example of courage. Courage means strength or fortitude in danger, but also in the daily round and challenges of life. It might take more courage just to get up on certain days than it would to face a great danger. Difficulties, setbacks, misunderstandings, failures, deep hurts - all of these requrie coraggio.

This moral virtue is recognized and admired by all people. Every nation that has grown, developed, and made its mark on history has had its heroes and stories of courage. One of the signs of a society in decline, like our own, is the absence of admiration for people of courage. Our country was founded by men who said in effect, "Either we hang together or we will hang alone." Signers of the Declaration of Independence were ipso facto traitors to the British crown, to which they owed allegiance. Had htey been arrested, they would have been liable to death.

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Sadly, we don't admire courage much anymore in our country. There is no message of courage. The Vietnam War memorial in Washington shows three soldiers with terror written on their faces. Older war memorials show courage. It is a natural virtue that makes people willing to face extreme danger or to endure great difficulty over a long period of time in order to accomplish a decent goal they have set for themselves. It is to be distinguished from bravado, or foolhardiness, which characterizes a selfish, egotistical goal.

This is an excellent book for Catholics looking to live out their faith more fully. It's particularly designed for a small discussion group and would be suitable for older teens as well as adults.

Originally published in the 1950s, The Year and Our Children has been the gold standard by which all other liturgical year activity books are measured. And now, Sophia Institute Press has brought this beloved gem back into print. Those of us with old dog-eared and grease stained copies, and all those who coveted those well-worn editions, thrill at the news of widespread availability of this treasure. I think I was trembling on the phone when I ordered my new copy.

This new edition is larger and easier to read than the original, and the editors at Sophia Institute Press have removed some of the more outdated information and inserted quite a few helpful footnotes. Mrs. Newland proceeds through the year, beginning at the beginning of the Church’s year in Advent and ending with All Souls and Thanksgiving. For each major feast, she describes family activities, prayers, and traditions and explains the origins of the observation of these feast days. She also explains some of the more mysterious or unknown observances, such as Rogation and ember days, and shows in each case how the family can participate in the observances in the home. I especially appreciate her treatment of All Hallows Eve, reclaiming it as a Catholic holiday.

These are more than just craft ideas or ways to decorate the home for the different holidays (though that is included); these are substantial Christian exercises to make the life of the Church real in our families. So for example, when we decorate the Christmas tree, after spending much time making significant and beautiful ornaments, there is a lovely blessing for the tree: a Psalm prayed as a group alternating lines with a reading from Ezekiel.

While the Christmas and Epiphany sections are among my favorites there are wonderful ideas in every part of the book and much to meditate upon as we move through the year of the Church. One line from the section on Lent has always stuck with me. It is so simple, simple enough for children, and yet deep enough to reflect upon all of Lent: For Him to redeem us was not an easy thing. Jesus hurt.

This book would be a thoughtful and much appreciated gift for any family who wants to enhance their participation in the year of the Church and create traditions their children will love. It would be kept for years . . . and become a well loved, dog-eared, and grease stained treasure.

This short chapter book on the life of Pope John Paul II focuses on his childhood and upbringing in Poland. He had a difficult childhood, losing his mother when he was only a boy and his only brother and his father when he was only a young man. We see him draw closer to God during these troubles and eventually discover his vocation to the priesthood during the terrible days of World War II. The story also decribes some of the happier and even humorous moments of his childhood and children will see that in many ways he was an "ordinary" boy destined for unordinary things. Mrs. Mohan is not a great writer, but those weaknesses are compensated for by the greatness of "the story" itself. The text is illustrated with pen and ink drawings (again, somewhat on the mediocre side). The appendix includes a timeline of the Holy Father's life, some quotations by and about the Pope, a somewhat complex map of Poland, a glossary and an index. There is a list entitled "Further Reading". Some of these titles, while perhaps having some informational value in researching a book on the Pope, should not be considered recommended reading, especially for children. (One of the titles was written by Andrew Greeley who might readily be described as a pseudo-Catholic). Also, since the writing of this book there are more good comprehensive resources available about the Holy Father's life, such as Witness to Hope by George Wiegel.

This is a really lovely, very accessible exposition of what St. Peter's life teaches us about how we are called to follow Christ. Written by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the new Archbishop of New York City, the book is centered around the words that Dolan has taken on as his episcopal motto (To Whom Shall We Go?), which is from the Gospel of John 6:67-68.

Archbishop Dolan, who we were privileged to have lead our diocese of Milwaukee for the past six years or so, is a plain-speaking, joyful, humble man who speaks to ordinary people in a very helpful way. This book is a lovely example of his clear and helpful thinking.

Each chapter begins with a story of St. Peter's life from which Dolan pulls out very helpful life lessons. These are generously sprinkled with good humor, touching stories from his own experiences and memorable tidbits that seem so very simple and do-able. And that's an important part of passing along to the Faith to others (especially to our children) to help them see that living a good life *is* possible!

Here's an example. The first chapter is entitled "Keeping Our Eyes Focused on Christ" and it's based on the story of St. Peter asking Christ to allow him to walk on the water. Of course we know that when he takes his eyes off of Christ and begins to be afraid, he begins to sink. The Archbishop draws out some lovely and very helpful thoughts, as you can see from this tidbit:

The message - this is sledgehammer-clear - the message that Our Lord is trying to teach us in this famous episode: notice, as long as St. Peter keeps his eyes on Christ, he's doing fine. He can walk on water. The winds, the terrible storm, the ferocious waves, and the darkness don't bother him. But the moment he gets distracted, the moment he turns his gaze from the Lord, the moment Peter loses sight of his goal, what happens? He sinks!

In this chapter he encourages us to have a firm purpose in our life. He encourages us to keep our gaze on Christ by being "conscious of the life of God within my soul" and through prayer.

Here's another great example of the helpful pastoral thought he provides in this book:

Despair will never be ours if we believe in the power of the sacrament of Penance and tap into it very often. This sacrament helps us avoid both extremes - the presumption of the Pharisees and the despair of Judas - and it keeps us, with St. Peter, int he healthy center. Contrite? Yes, but confident in the Lord's mercy. Aware of the sin? You bet, but equally aware of Christ's desire to forgive. Repentant? You bet, but renewed as well. And for us, the is moment of honesty and healing takes place, concretely and personally, in the sacrament of Penance.

Here are the other chapters presented in this book:

2. "Noticing the Wind" (This continues the story about walking on water and focuses on being aware of what dominates our lives - what things distract us from God, etc.)

3. "Silently Being with Our Lord" (Based on the story of St. Peter at the Transfiguration)

4. "Embracing Our Cross" (Based on the story of Jesus trying to convince Jesus not to go to Jerusalem where he will suffer and die.)

5. "How Do We Let God Love Us?" (From the story at the Last Supper of Peter not wanting Jesus to wash his feet.)

6. "Do You Love the Lord?" (From the story after the Resurrection of Jesus asking Peter to "Feed my lambs.")

7. "Put Out Into the Deep" (The story of the miraculous catch of fish where Jesus exhorts Peter: "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.")

8. "Asking Our Lord for Forgiveness" (Peter's betrayal of Jesus)

9. "To Whom Shall We Go?" (Title story - when a number of Jesus' disciples have left Him and He asks Peter if he will leave too - Peter responds "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life...")

10. Afterword: "Neither Silver Nor Gold" (Based on the story from the Acts of the Apostles in which Peter meets a beggar and tells him, "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.")

The reality the good Archbishop presents here is very realistic, but also very hopeful. Consider his reflection on the financial troubles that have befallen the Church in the wake of the sex abuse scandals:

Maybe it's not such a bad thing that, because of all the upheaval, all the scandals, all the shortages of priests, all the lawsuits, and everything else that's gone on the last forty tumultuous years, we don't have silver and gold anymore. We can barely pay our bills. But what we've got, we're clinging to: the pearl of great price, the most priceless treasure of all, Jesus Christ. And if all this disgrace, and sadness, and shock of the last four decades - all the turmoil that we've gone through in the Church - if that has driven home the centrality, the utter centrality of Jesus, maybe it's not such a bad thing."

I think this book is very accessible for both teens and adults and would be particularly well-suited to a discussion group. I am very grateful to the Archbishop for this lovely little book.