The Bookshelf

Into His Likeness: Be Transformed as a Disciple of Christ

The book “Into His Likeness: Be Transformed as a Disciple of Christ” by Edward Sri provided many insightful and inspirational
components for me. I was particularly provoked by the chapter entitled “Not Perfect, but Chosen”.  it correlates discipleship to the relationship between a rabbi (teacher) and a disciple of ancient Judaic practice. The disciple would choose the rabbi of whom they would wish to emulate. The disciple learns the habits of the rabbi to the point of losing themselves to the ways of the rabbi. This is what our relationship with Jesus is to be like but with key distinctions: Three of the distinctions are that Jesus chooses his disciples, He is not just a teacher...He is Lord, and Jesus is not only a role model to imitate, He abides in us, changing us from within.

Tale of the Three Trees

This best-selling children'  book was shared with all our classrooms at every grade level. It tells Jesus's story from a new and unusual point of view. It helps us understand that Jesus was born to bring love to the world and died to to demonstrate the profoundness of that love. 

The Only Necessary Thing

In the book The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, editor Wendy Greer collects writings from Father Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Dutch-born Catholic priest. Drawn from many decades of his life, the compilation of Henri's thoughts and feelings reveal the core of the man and his belief that prayer is the only necessary thing.

The love of Jesus will give you an ever-clearer vision of your call. The more you are called to speak for God's love, the more you will need to deepen the knowledge of that love in your own heart. The farther the outward journey takes you, the deeper the inward journey must be. Only when your roots are deep can your fruit be abundant.

Henri J.M. Nouwen, author of more than 40 books, is considered one of the great spiritual writers of modern times. He taught at the University of Notre Dame, Harvard, and Yale, but shared the last seven years of his life with people with mental handicaps as pastor of l'Arche Daybreak community in Toronto.