I wanted to quick post these, because they would make great gifts. Both available from your favorite local Catholic Book & Gift Store:
Everyday Catholic Prayer by Angela Tilby (Paraclete Press 2006, originally published 1998.) This was our DRE’s gift to the catechists this Advent. Lovely little book. Opening chapters are very encouraging for those of us who struggle with our faith — the author lays bare her own struggles with belief, and invites us to grow closer to God even when we don’t feel good enough. Even when we don’t really understand how it can work.
Middle section is a ‘little office’ – a small set of prayers you can make into a 5-minute variation on the divine office. Psalms, canticles, gospel meditations, close with an Our Father. Nothing weird. 100% solid prayer power. This would make a great daily prayer regime if you are looking for one; designed for people whose vocations do not leave long expanses of time for liturgical prayer.
Final section is a compendium of other stalwart prayers — all the big ones — so you can build up your daily prayer routine, or you can grab a needed prayer when the occasion merits. No groovy namby-pamby. Think: Te Deum, Anima Christi, and the like.
This is a small book — made for carrying around and using when you can. Would be handy for catechists, by the way, because you can easily access all kinds of good stuff for use in class. (Go figure: Gift from the DRE. She knows we’re busy, knows we need to pray, and knows we need ideas for class. Have I mentioned how much I love my DRE?)
And although it is called Everyday Catholic Prayer, it would be comfortable for protestants. There are exactly two Marian prayers, both quite mild, plus a mention of the Rosary. Otherwise all the rest is protestant-friendly, per the mission of Paraclete Press. So handy for ecumenical purposes, where you want something more formal-liturgy-like, but that sits firmly on common ground. Everyone can feel all ancient and happy praying St.Patrick’s Breastplate or Psalm 67 or whatever suits, and no guests need squirm.
Great little book. Sized for a stocking. Would be a decent confirmation or older-godchild gift.
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2nd Book, and I’m out of blogging time but wanted to toss it out there, is my latest Catholic Company review book: Why Enough is Never Enough: Overcoming Worries about Money – A Catholic Perspective by Gregory S. Jeffery (Our Sunday Visitor, 2010).
Awesome book.
It is not about managing your money. It is about managing your soul. The focus is money-topics — greed, generosity, trusting God, fighting envy, rooting out sin, etc. etc. If you struggle with money issues, this will not teach you how to budget or pay off your credit cards. It will teach you to deal with some of the underlying causes that may be feeding your financial problems.
–> If you actually find the money thing not so difficult, this book is a great spiritual guide for seeing your way through other besetting sins. You’ll understand what he’s saying re: money (because you understand money), and realize that hey, there are other areas of my life that I do struggle with, that stem from the same types of problems — generosity, trust, envy, selfishness.
Good stuff. Official review coming after I work through the backlog elsewhere. But I give it a ‘buy’ recommend. Maybe not as a gift to someone else, because what kind of message does that send. But to yourself. Yes. Very Advent-y.