Publisher: Ave Maria Press

Prepare Your Heart {Review}

Posted December 4, 2023 in Reading / 0 Comments

Prepare Your Heart {Review}Prepare Your Heart by Father Agustino Torres CFR
Publisher: Ave Maria Press (2023)
ARC, eARC (144 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:

Synopsis

Join Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR—founder of Corazón Puro—on a multimedia Advent journey led by the saints and the Holy Family to prepare yourself to enter into the story of Christ’s birth through prayer, charity, and joyful acts of service to the needy.

Prepare Your Heart features stunning original art by Valerie Delgado of Pax.Valerie, along with daily meditations on a passage from scripture, reflection questions, prayer, and space for journaling and notetaking.

During each week of Advent, you will embark on a new path informed by Franciscan spirituality to guide you to becoming closer to God:

Week One, the way of Nazareth: a spirituality that attunes you to the needs of others and the hidden presence of God.

Week Two, the way of the saints: featuring Sts. Lucy, Nicholas, Juan Diego, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast days fall during Advent; they will teach you to live with intentionality, humility, and devotion.

Week Three, the way of St. Joseph: revealing the creative courage of Jesus’s foster father, teaching you how he makes a home for each of us in the heart of God.

Week Four, the way of Mary: a tutorial in learning how to say yes to God’s call for your life and trusting in his loving providence.

Prepare Your Heart is perfect for both individual and group use. Free companion videos; ideas for celebrating Sundays in Advent with family, friends, and small groups; and a downloadable leader’s guide are available at avemariapress.com.

The book, videos, leader’s guide, and family guide are available in Spanish as well.

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon

Read More

Tagged as

Mary, Queen of History – History’s Queen {Review}

Posted April 21, 2021 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Mary, Queen of History – History’s Queen {Review}History's Queen by Mike Aquilina
Publisher: Ave Maria Press (2020)
eARC (192 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Also by this author: Seven Revolutions
Reading Challenges: Read 2021

Synopsis

The Virgin Mary’s part in history doesn’t begin and end with her yes to God. Popular Catholic author Mike Aquilina points out that Mary is at the center of history from creation to the end of time and everywhere in between. In History’s Queen, you’ll learn about the many ways the mother of humanity has left her mark on the great events of time, not only as we see them in the Bible, but also in pivotal events such as Fatima, the battle of Lepanto, and the plague.

In this journey through two thousand years of Mary’s active participation in world events, each chapter of History’s Queen highlights a Marian intervention that is emblematic of a particular era, and opens our eyes to the ways in which Mary provides a vital key for understanding both our past and our future.

Mike Aquilina—author of The History of the Church in 100 Objects and editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History series—provides a fresh, fascinating, and classical view of history to today’s readers, exploring:

  • Mary’s centrality in the Church Fathers’ view of history;
  • Mary’s role in preserving Byzantium during the explosive rise of Islam;
  • Marian devotion in medieval Ireland that inspired generations of great missionaries;
  • Mary’s role in military victories at Lepanto and Vienna; and
  • the message of peace received by three shepherd children in Fatima that sustained the world through a century of unprecedented violence and apostasy.

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon

Read More

Tagged as ,

Spectacular History – The Church and the Middle Ages {Review}

Posted November 24, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Spectacular History – The Church and the Middle Ages {Review}The Church and the Middle Ages by Steve Weidenkopf
Series: Reclaiming Catholic History
Publisher: Ave Maria Press (2020 (December 25))
eARC (192 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: Read 2020

Synopsis

Few periods of history are more maligned and misunderstood than the Middle Ages—three-hundred years of division, shifting centers of power, and tensions both within the Church and also between the Church and the secular rulers of the time.

In an engaging and easy-to-understand style, historian and author Steve Weidenkopf highlights some of our greatest saints—Francis, Dominic, Anselm, Aquinas, and Catherine of Siena—and dispels nine commonly accepted misconceptions about the era, which was an exciting period of enduring faith, reform, cultural achievement, as well as defeat and division.

With vibrant accounts of pivotal events and inspiring stories of the people who shaped the Church during the eleventh through fourteenth centuries, Steve Weidenkopf provides a clearer picture of an era where critics used events such as the Crusades and the relocation of the papacy to France to undermine the Church. The period also provided the hallmarks of Christian civilization—universities, cathedrals, castles, and various religious orders.

Weidenkopf also chronicles the development of Christian civilization in Europe and explores the contributions of St. Bruno, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Bridget of Sweden.

In The Church and the Middle Ages, you will learn that:

  • Most Crusaders were motivated by piety and service, not greed.
  • Heresy was both a church and civil issue and medieval inquisitors were focused on the eternal salvation of the accused.
  • The Church preached against the mistreatment of Jews.
  • Priestly celibacy was practiced long before the twelfth century.
  • Serfs were never kept as slaves.

Books in the Reclaiming Catholic History series, edited by Mike Aquilina and written by leading authors and historians, bring Church history to life, debunking the myths one era at a time.

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon

Read More

Tagged as ,

We All Suffer – Living Memento Mori {Review}

Posted August 25, 2020 in Faith, Reading, Review / 0 Comments

We All Suffer – Living Memento Mori {Review}Living Memento Mori by Emily DeArdo
Publisher: Ave Maria Press (2020)
eARC, Paperback (128 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: Read 2020

Synopsis

Emily DeArdo knows what it’s like to live with a keen awareness of her own mortality. She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age eleven.

DeArdo draws on the medieval Christian practice of memento mori (remember you must die) and shares her personal story with unique and compelling insight into the meaning of Christian life and death. Using the Stations of the Cross to frame her explorations, DeArdo leads us to trust in God’s providence as we confront suffering and death, develop enduring spiritual strength, and courage along the way.

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon

Read More

Tagged as ,

A Biblical Journey Through the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection – Walk in Her Sandals {Review}

Posted January 29, 2017 in Faith, Reading, Review / 0 Comments

A Biblical Journey Through the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection – Walk in Her Sandals {Review}Walk in Her Sandals by Kelly Wahlquist
Publisher: Ave Maria Press (2016)
eARC (160 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: Read 2016

Synopsis

Pray in a new and creative way this Lent by joining the women of WINE: Women In the New Evangelization on a journey through Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. What if you could have been a witness to the events of the last days of Jesus life walking with him as he entered Jerusalem, observing his crucifixion, and embracing him on Easter?
Walk in Her Sandals, edited by popular Catholic author and speaker Kelly M. Wahlquist, takes you deeper into your relationship with Jesus by helping you relate to him in a profoundly intimate way. Looking at six universal gifts of women through the eyes of women in the gospels, the book guides you on a prayerful and creative journey through the days of Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.
As you imagine the experience of the women who met Jesus, you will discover how each of them expressed one of six, distinctive, feminine gifts identified in the writings of St. John Paul II. Through the eyes of an imagined woman who watched Jesus entry into Jerusalem, you will understand how she conveyed the gift of receptivity. Through the hands of Veronica, who reached out to wipe the face of Jesus, you will discover how sensitivity is present and can grow in your own life. These gifts, along with generosity, prayer, maternity, and the Holy Spirit, come to life through the vivid portrayal of women who walked with Jesus. Their imagined stories are complemented by the real accounts of contemporary women who share their own stories of receiving and cultivating these gifts.
Walk in Her Sandalsis a collaborative effort, edited by Wahlquist with contributions from twelve leading Catholic women writers, all of whom are associated with the organization she founded WINE: Women In the New Evangelization. The contributors will help you break open the scripture, reflect upon it and apply it to your own life, and share those insights in a small-group setting through the use of questions and challenges. Each chapter unfolds in eight movements:
A Moment to Ponder Wahlquist sets the stage for the theme of that chapter.
Entering the Scripture Sarah Christmyer, codeveloper of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study, reveals the riches of the scripture that corresponds with the day, both in the biblical narrative and in the liturgical year.
Walk in Her Sandals Stephanie Landsem, author of the biblical fiction series The Living Water, draws you into the story and allows you to experience what it may have been like for women who lived and walked with Jesus.
Unwrapping the Gift Catholic author, speaker, and faith-formation leader Pat Gohn shows how each woman demonstrates a particular feminine gift and invites you to nurture that gift in yourself and understand anew the beauty of your dignity and vocation.
Reflect on the Meaning Writers including CatholicMom.com founder Lisa M. Hendey and popular media personality Teresa Tomeo offer insight, encouragement, and inspiration for your own journey through their personal stories.
Lectio and Meditatio A prayerful reading of the scripture and a guided meditation to draw you more deeply into an intimate relationship with Jesus.
Questions for Group Discussion Carol Younger, senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, offers a helpful tool to share your experience with other women.
Walking in the New Evangelization Wahlquist offers two ways to contribute to the New Evangelization first by growing in your contemplative spiritual life and then by giving you practical suggestions to enhance your active spiritual life.
Walk in Her Sandals will allow you to enter more fully into life in Christ by praying over his passion, death, and resurrection. It will help you experience a conversion of heart and recognize your own giftedness.

Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository

Read More

Tagged as ,