Posted January 1, 2016 in Faith, Reading / 6 Comments
Happy Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God!
So I’m going to break all of the rules again, just like last week. If you aren’t Catholic, then you probably don’t realize that one week after Christmas (today) is another really important day. Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In the Catholic Church, today is a Holy Day of Obligation (like Christmas) where Catholics are obliged to go to Mass. I love this feast day so much and I wanted to share it with all of you. Last year, I wrote a little post about the Hail Mary, this year I want to share some quotes from one of my favorite books.
I sat on the bed, then dropped to my knees and prayed an apology to Jesus.
I felt I’d let Him down by letting His mother down. I felt as if I’d run
with the ball to the one-yard line, only to fumble short of the goal.
I said, “I’m sorry, Lord, for my weakness and failure.” I prayed a Hail Mary.
~page 156~
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Tagged as Catholic, Catholic Book, Jesus, Mary
Posted December 31, 2015 in Life, Reading / 10 Comments
Tagged as Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge, Birthday Month Reading Challenge, Catholic Book, Color Coded Challenge, Fairytale Retelling Challenge, Finishing the Series Challenge, Mythology Reading Challenge, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Read 2015, Rereading Challenge, What's In a Name Reading Challenge, You Read How Many Books Challenge
Posted December 30, 2015 in Faith, Life, Reading / 4 Comments
Tagged as Catholic Book, Christmas, Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Saint John Paul II
Posted December 25, 2015 in Faith, Reading / 4 Comments
Merry Christmas!
I just reviewed this book yesterday and yet I couldn’t resist using it for today’s Friday 56. Today is Christmas and so this is more relevant than it could ever be. However, I may slightly break the rules of the Friday 56 and include more than one quote from a page that is not “56.” 🙂
From Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI:
It is Mary’s obedience that opens the door to God. God’s word, his Spirit, creates the child in her. He does so through the door of her obedience. In this way, Jesus is the new Adam, the new beginning ab integro – from the Virgin, who places herself entirely at the disposal of God’s will.
~page 56~
Mary wrapped the child in swaddling cloths. Without yielding to sentimentality, we many image with what great love Mary approached her hour and prepared for the birth of her child. … The manger is the place where animals fidn their food. But now, lying in the manger, is he who called himself the true bread come down from heaven, the true nourishment that we need in order to be fully ourselves.
~page 68~
As a sign, the angel had told the shepherds that they would find a child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. This is an identifying sign – a description of what they would see. It is not a “sign” in the sense that God’s glory would be rendered visible, so that one might say unequivocally: this is the true Lord of the world. Far from it. In this sense, the sign is also a non-sign.
God’s poverty is his real sign.
~page 79~
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Tagged as Catholic, Catholic Book, Christmas, Friday 56, Pope Benedict XVI
Posted December 24, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by
Pope Benedict XVI Series: Jesus of Nazareth Publisher: Image (2012)
Hardcover (127 pages)
Rating: Reading Challenges: 2015 Alphabet Soup,
2015 What's In A Name?,
Read 2015 Synopsis
New York Times Bestseller! The momentous third and final volume in the Pope’s international bestselling Jesus of Nazareth series, detailing how the stories of Jesus’ infancy and childhood are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago.
In 2007, Joseph Ratzinger published his first book as Pope Benedict XVI in order “to make known the figure and message of Jesus.” Now, the Pope focuses exclusively on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life as a child. The root of these stories is the experience of hope found in the birth of Jesus and the affirmations of surrender and service embodied in his parents, Joseph and Mary. This is a story of longing and seeking, as demonstrated by the Magi searching for the redemption offered by the birth of a new king. It is a story of sacrifice and trusting completely in the wisdom of God as seen in the faith of Simeon, the just and devout man of Jerusalem, when he is in the presence of the Christ child. Ultimately, Jesus’ life and message is a story for today, one that speaks to the restlessness of the human heart searching for the sole truth which alone leads to profound joy.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
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Tagged as 5 star, Advent, Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge, Catholic, Catholic Book, Christmas, Jesus, Mary, Pope Benedict XVI, Read 2015, Saints, What's In a Name Reading Challenge, You Read How Many Books Challenge
