Bookshelf

My Life with the Saints

In his book, "My Life with the Saints," James Martin SJ shares his personal connection and stories related to particular saints or Saints. It is a very engaging and easy to read book. It is my favorites book written by him so far. I have recommended this book to others and given it as a gift. 

He gives you just enough information to want to learn more, way more, about each of these amazing people, and what’s more, you want to have the same type of relationships with the saints as he does.

I also found myself needing to stop and write down the names and authors of books that he was recommending about this saint or that saint. I might go so far as to say, “My Life with the Saint’s" helped me appreciate the wonderful communion of saints available to us on our daily journey.

Mary and Me

In her book, "Mary and Me," Ginny Kubitz Moyer asks the question, “How does Mary, the Mother of God, speak to the modern woman?” The book offers a compelling look at the breadth of Mary’s influence on women today.

Here is an excerpt:

“Several women I talked to tried to imagine what Mary must have felt at the Annunciation both during and after this surprise encounter.

Donna, a fifty-six year old elementary teacher said: 'I wonder if Mary had a few moments of wonder after Gabriel's visit. How am I going to explain this to Joseph and my parents?'

As an unmarried pregnant women, she was opening herself to harsh gossip and ridicule, even death under the Mosaic Law. Agreeing to say yes so quickly makes it all the more radical.

Andrea, a thirty-three year old marriage and family therapy intern said: 'What she did is hard to fathom at my age, let alone being a teenager! It shows us how we, today, can act on faith, even if we cannot understand what is being asked of us.'

It’s clear from my interviews that even though the Annunciation took place two thousand years ago, today’s woman can imagine it as vividly as if it happened yesterday. Whether they feel admiration for Mary’s courage or awe at her swift 'yes,' many modern women can’t help but become personally engaged in her experience.

In a way, that’s not surprising, for the Annunciation is far more than just one girl’s story: it’s an encounter that has the power to speak to all women everywhere. Through Mary’s response, we’re reminded that some truly amazing things can happen when we let faith overcome our fear.”

Stories of the Saints: Bold and Inspiring Tales of Adventure, Grace, and Courage

Stories of the Saints: Bold and Inspiring Tales of Adventure, Grace, and Courage by Carey Wallace and illustrated by Nick Thornburrow is a unique saint book that brings to life many Catholic saints that young readers will be familiar with, as well as others that will be introduced to them for the first time, through dramatized yet realistic retellings of their life stories. 

Proceeding chronologically from Polycarp to Mother Teresa, each saint’s humanity and faith become tangible in a very real way in the space of just a few pages.  Coupled with the dramatic and mythological illustrations of Thornburrow, this book is different from most every other book on the lives of saints. Boys and girls alike will find new heroes or a new understanding of favorite saints, as well as find themselves captivated by the beautiful illustrations. 

While some parents may be uncomfortable with the honesty that Wallace treats the hardships the saints have endured, from early Christians’ martyrdom to the plague, I found it to be refreshing and a great conversation starter with my children on the trials and tribulations of the Christian life, especially those prior to modern times.

This is an excellent book to breathe life into the saints for children so they are able to vividly imagine the heroic faith of those good Catholics whom the Church has canonized.