Book Review: Francis Man of Prayer

Francis: Man of Prayer by Mario Escobar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


FTC disclosure:  I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Who is Pope Francis?  Prior to March, many in the world had never heard of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, or if they had, it was only in passing, and now he’s an extremely influential leader.  Even more interesting, how did a man of religious orders, especially a   Jesuit become pope?  Elected pontiff from Latin America, he’s the first in that as well as well as the first Pope Francis.  How did he decide on the name of Francis?   This book answers these questions and more.

The first part of the book is about the man himself.  Did you know he asked a girl to marry him and told her if she didn’t he would become a priest?  Her decision not to accept his proposal changed the course of his life -- and history.  A humble man, asking for prayers of the people upon being introduced as the leader of the Catholic Church, this book takes a look at his life and ministry.

The second part of this book gives a background on where the Catholic Church is in terms of change.  Is this a major transition for the Church?  How so?  One can only speculate, but author Mario Escobar gives his opinions of what may be in store as well as another theory behind Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation. 

This was an interesting book as I’m fascinated with Pope Francis from the few stories I’ve heard in the media about his humble and frugal ways.  He seems to put people first, and I wanted to read more antidotes about him, but unfortunately this book was more factual instead of the things I’ve read in the media about the man you would love to know and see as you are out grocery shopping.  While I understand giving the background of where the Catholic Church is currently is an important part of grasping the WHYs of a Latin America pope, as well as one from the Jesuits, I would have preferred a book with more about the man Pope Francis is.   I realize that this book is one that had to be put together quickly to already be on the market, yet I was still hoping for a little more than this book delivered.  It has given me a good background on this leader from Argentina, and I look forward to reading more about him. 

If you are looking for a good overview, I recommend this book.  If you want to learn more about Pope Francis and his interactions with others with fascinating stories, look elsewhere.  Still, it was a good book, and I’m glad I read it. 

You can purchase this book here:

Book Review: The Church Unlocking the Secrets to the Places Catholic Call Home by Cardinal Wuerl

FTC disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  This post contains affiliate links.

What is the church like that you attend?  Is there a cross up front?  Is it a crucifix?  A tapestry of The Last Supper?  A stained glass dove?  I’ve been in churches that had one  of these at the front, but in a Catholic Church it will be a crucifix.  Do you know why?  It is because “The cross with the image of Christ crucified is a reminder of Christ’s paschal mystery.  It draws us into our suffering when united with the passion and death of Christ leads to redemption.”  (Page 105).  I had always wondered about why Catholics display a crucifix instead of an empty cross, and now I know.

While reading Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s latest book “The Church:  Unlocking the Secrets to the Places Catholics Call Home”, I felt like I was being guided by a man I consider a mentor of my faith though we have never met.  It felt like he was showing me every bit of a Catholic Church, from the artwork to the baptismal font.  He explains in detail why things are the way they are.  Did you know that baptismal fonts are often eight sided?  That’s something you can read about in this book.

Fill These Hearts Book review

FTC disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Have you ever read a book that was so profound you couldn't put into words what you just read?  That happened to me with  Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing.  Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but considering I was to write a review, the thoughts of what to write swam in my head because how do I decide an area in which to focus, and in fact I've stalled in writing this review because I kept hoping I could write a review worthy of this book, but I doubt that is possible.  With three sections of this book, Desire, Design, and Destiny, Christopher West takes us through a journey of what it means to have desires as a Christian.  The desires aren't limited to just those of a sexual nature, but ultimately whatever we desire -- fortune, fame, love, is satisfied when we are content with God alone.

The author has made a project of making Pope John Paul II's "Theology of The Body" accessible to a wider audience as he takes the hefty theological issues and explains them to the layman.  Not only is he gifted at doing this, his writing is beautiful, giving hope as well as strengthening faith.  His illustrations are ones that the average person can understand, using pop culture as examples to sometimes make his point.  It's rare I've seen a book have references to the Peter Gabriel, Switchfoot, and Saint Therese of Lisieux.

One of my favorite parts of the book was where Christopher West  discusses grace verses license.  Just because we CAN do something, does that mean we SHOULD?  Sometimes that's a hard line to differentiate.  An example of this is a couple decades ago I attended a Christian college where we were not to go to movies.  Yet, there was a 99 cent theater down the road.  I heard every argument as to why it was okay to watch a movie -- from "We are allowed to watch them once they are on VHS" to "I'm not a member of this denomination so I don't have to follow that rule."  I admit, I saw a Disney flick at the theater, and yes, I would have been in trouble if caught.  Yet, for all of us who broke this rule, I remember eating pizza with the yearbook staff and our editor who was already ordained in another denomination saying, "Just because I can walk into a theater doesn't mean I will. I signed a statement like every other student, and while enrolled, I will not go to a movie."  That man may have been young, but he understood the difference between grace and license as well as what the honor of his word meant.  Just because we are able to do something doesn't mean it's the best thing for everyone involved.  Twenty years have passed and I still think about him and the fact that he chose what was best based on that situation.  

This book was excellent, and even while reading it the first time I knew it would be a book I would keep and reread.  I rarely read a book more than once, so that alone tells the quality of the content and writing of this book.  It's something I'd recommend all Christians read.  While it's geared towards Catholics, I am Protestant and can't say enough about how great this book is.

FTC disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  In no way did it affect my opinion of the product.

Watch the book trailer:

Read the first chapter:

   Fill These Hearts by Christopher West (Chapter 1) by Image Books

  
 

My First Ash Wednesday Service

"Is Lent Biblical?"  The question came from a college student's mouth.  My mouth.  Never mind the fact I had spent three years in Christian school, I seriously didn't know anything about Lent.  In my previous churches, it has been written of as a "Catholic thing", and as we all were taught Catholics were idolaters, because they worshiped Mary and the saints.  (I later learned this not to be true as I started studying more about their ways of worship)

My pastor looked at me when I voiced my inquiry about Lent, his mouth literally dropping open, and I think he lost some more hair.   (I had one pastor who when we asked something that floored him, I always felt he lost hair, another one I always thought I could see hair turn gray.  Pastors can take it hard when you ask a question about something they hold dear when it shows your ignorance on the subject.)

After learning that Lent was, indeed, Biblical, that's all I took away from the conversation.  After all, I grew up learning it was a "Catholic thing".  Just like the Madonna and Child stamps issued at Christmastime.  They look "too Catholic" to be mailed on Protestant greeting cards, but I just rolled my eyes.  After all,  I just saw a postage stamp as something to get my letter from point A to point B and I have even bought Eid stamps (which, contrary to urban legend is NOT the Muslim Christmas, but it a Muslim holiday totally different from Christmas.)

In fact, I have been more aware or Ramadan and Eid than I have Lent and Ash Wednesday.  After two years at a Christian college, I transferred to a large state university.  The boy who was in the dorm room next time mine was Muslim, and during Ramadan, we made a point of waiting until sundown to eat dinner so he could join us.  In appreciation to his conservative Christian friends, he brought back a spread of food from his family's Eid meal and invited all of us who ate dinner with him to try each of these exotic dishes.  So I knew more about Eid than I did Ash Wednesday.

I first was exposed to a small bit of Catholicism in college when my Christian club rented a Catholic retreat center for a weekend.  I walked around the chapel, looking at the plaques signifying the Stations of the Cross.  The chapel was sparse, but I still wondered what was so wrong with Catholics, after all, I just realized that the Stations of the Cross were Biblical, not to mention my favorite Christian artist said (and I paraphrase) "What if it's not a case of Catholics honoring Mary too much, but of Protestants honoring Mary too little?"  (paraphrased from something I heard Rich Mullins say on a video I watched years ago and can no longer remember the name.)  Mary statues come out at Protestant Churches in December and are quietly tucked away until the next year.  Yes, statues.  Can we not admit that the plastic light up nativity we erect on the front lawn during Christmas is a statue?  Because it is.

I started studying Catholicism more about 2001, and in the days following 9/11, I held a rosary (where I got it I don't know), and prayed a prayer for peace I found on a Catholic website.  If anyone from my Pentecostal Church I was attending at the time knew what I was doing, I probably would have been shunned (which I later felt I was for different reasons.) 

I had the privilege to actually walk the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem.   Some were difficult to find as some just had a small marker with a Roman Numeral in it.  As my friends and I tried to find each plaque commemorating the suffering of Jesus,  we didn't see it as a solemn occasion.  We stopped to buy a soda from a street vendor.  We couldn't find the Church or the Holy Sepulcher.  As the number of Nuns increased, we knew were were closer.  Approaching one is a baby blue habit, I said, "Excuse me, Sister," and we were pointed in the right direction.  I've knelt at Jesus's grave both in Protestant and Catholic tradition. (Protestants commemorate Jesus's burial at the Garden Tomb, while Catholics believe the site to be inside what is now a church.)  I've been to the Church of the Nativity.  I love the beauty of the Catholic Church buildings.  When I visited Russia a few years back I was in more churches than any tourist attraction.  In 2009 I visited my first service, a Byzantine one which I felt the beauty and the simplicity of worship were so inviting.

 The 5th Station of the Cross in Jerusalem.  Where Jesus let Simon of Cyrene carry His cross.  You can read a devotional for the station by clicking here.

Last week when a friend invited me to an Ash Wednesday service, I decided I could go with her and still make the ash-less service at the Pentecostal Church I've been attending off and on the last three years.  I told my friend's son I'd never been to a Roman Catholic service before and I'd need his help in what to do.  As we entered the church he whispered to me, "Don't forget the holy water."   I smiled at him, and wondered WHAT do I do?  I watched this child, and followed his actions, sort of, I only made one sign of the cross, not three.  An e-mail to my friend later cleared up what Holy Water is, and why it is used.  I like the idea.  Remembering.  Isn't that what faith is to be based on?  We remember those who have gone before us, and we remember our journey?

I was slightly confused (but not as much as the time I visited an Orthodox Jewish service all in Hebrew.)  I followed the best I could, and joined the others to receive ashes.  As the lady smudged them on my forehead, she said "Repent" -- a word I rarely hear in church unless there is a hellfire and brimstone sermon.  I watched as others received the Eucharist, and I left feeling like I had been in church.  The music was beautiful, the Scriptures were relevant to the sermon, not the sermon making Scripture "relevant", sometimes pulling Scripture out of context to prove a point.

I half considered washing the ashes off before I attended the Pentecostal service.  But my bangs fell over them, and I also wanted to see if anyone said anything to me about having been to an Ash Wednesday service.  I know people I had enountered in my past would have mentioned it and said I shouldn't have gone.  To their credit, no one mentioned it to me.  Just as it should be.

Some people have grown up in a tradition where Ash Wednesday is observed.  I have not.  I don't know I'll ever go to another Ash Wednesday service, but it was a worship service I greatly enjoyed the remembrance and the emphasis on the the time leading up to Easter being solemn.  I may not be Catholic, and may never be one, but I loved seeing how Ash Wednesday is observed as this Christian tradition was quite foreign to me.

Review and Giveaway: Table Grace Dice

I recently received a very unique item to review from Catholic Family Gifts.  This is a die (singular of dice, but I'll refer to it as dice since I like the word better!).  It is large for a dice -- about 2 1/4 inches.  It is wooden and weighs over four ounces.  On each of the six sides is a prayer you can use for saying grace before meals.

The prayers include:

Bless our food, dear God we pray, and bless us, too throughout this day. Keep us safe and close to you. Keep us just in all we do. Amen.

We thank you, Lord, for generous hearts, for sun and rainy weather. We thank you, Lord, for drink and food, and that we are together. Amen. 

For life and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy Goodness sends, Almighty God, we thank Thee. Amen. 

Thank you for the earth so sweet. Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you, God, for everything! Amen. 

God, bless this food we are about to receive. Give bread to those who hunger, and hunger for charity and justice to us who have bread. Amen. 

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty! Amen

What a neat idea to involve children in saying grace before you eat!   Those too little to read could roll it and allow an older brother or sister to read the prayer that comes face up, or allow mom or dad to read it.  Those who can read, this is a fun way to encourage prayer before meals.

My biggest concern about it is that it is wooden.  For an item like this it would likely be kept on the kitchen table, and I wonder about how it would hold up to spilled milk and juice.

It has rounded corners for safety.  Also, I do like the size.  It's too big for the youngest set to choke on.

This would be ideal if you are wanting to introduce saying grace before your family meals so that children will find it fun.  Or if you are looking for a way to have your children be more involved in praying.   I know I would have thought this was really neat when I was little! 

You can purchase this for $11.95 plus shipping here:  Table Grace Dice from Catholic Family Gifts. They also sell a number of other items such as baptism gifts, cross necklaces, nativity scenes, VeggieTales DVDs, and many other items.

Catholic Family Gifts is going to give one of these away to one of my readers.  The giveaway is open to those 18 and older who live in the United States.  It ends at  11:59 pm on July 2st.

FTC disclosure:  I received a free Table Grace Dice from Catholic Family Gifts in exchange for this blog post.  All opinions are my own.

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