To the Martyrs (Emmaus Road Publishing)

When we think of martyrs, our minds race back to St. Stephen the Protomartyr or the thousands of Christians persecuted under Nero, Diocletian, and other Roman emperors. We tend to ignore the persecutions, deaths, and martyrs that are occurring this very day! With his recent book To the Martyrs, Cardinal Donald Wuerl not only walks us through the centuries long examples of martyrdom, but challenges us to realize the current persecutions happening and speak out against them too!

The book begins with a Foreword by Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. In his opening words, he explains what a martyr and martyrdom actually are. In today's world, we tend to see martyrdom as murder, but the word actually means witness. Martyrs witness is the free giving up of their lives for the ultimate truth that is Jesus Christ. Cardinal Wuerl then explains in the first chapter how martyrdom is the "supreme testimony." He speaks of the value of books, sermons, etc. but say that they all pale in comparison to the ultimate testimony of blood that is shed by martyrs.

The following chapters then highlight examples of martyrdom through the ages. It begins in the Old Testament with the brothers who were executed in 2 Maccabees. Next, we learn of Stephen's martyrdom in the Acts of the Apostles and persecutions that occurred in the Early Church such as Ignatius of Antioch, Perpetua, and Felicity. We then see martyrdom that occurred in the Byzantine Empire due to the Arab Invasion and martyrdom that occurred in the West due to Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution. Reading through all these chapters proved to be a sobering history lesson, but the most eye-opening chapters were the final four. In these chapters Cardinal Wuerl tells of modern-day martyrdom which occurs in the Middle East and we see constantly on the news and YouTube. He also speaks of the prejudice Catholics face in the United States and how it has become acceptable. Lastly, he ties all Christians together and reinforces the point that it is not just Catholics being martyred today but Orthodox and Protestants as well!

This book is part history lesson, part tribute, and part wake up call. Cardinal Wuerl does a masterful job of weaving all three elements together to create the definitive book on martyrs. He not only educates us, but encourages us to speak out against the atrocities facing Christians on a global scale. May we heed his call and remain silent no longer. May we fight for our the lives of our fellow Christians, and may the blood of the new martyrs be the seeds of a global revolution that strengthens the Church and brings people to Jesus Christ!

This book was provided to me for free by Emmaus Road Publishing in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here! For a limited time (until 12/23), you can get this book for $17.25 straight from the publisher, which is cheaper than Amazon!

The Feasts (Image Books) Review and Giveaway

It's been a few months since the last blog tour I participated in, but I am participating in two this month. The first one is sponsored by Image Books and is spotlighting their latest book The Feasts by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina. Those involved in the blog tour will provide you with a review of the book and a personal reflection on the Feast or Season. My season is Advent. There will also be a giveaway at the end of this post open to all in the U.S., so read all the way through and don't just skip to the bottom. Finally, you might see #TheFeasts on Facebook or Twitter, if you click on it, it should take you to other people's reviews, thoughts, and reflections. Without further ado, here is my review!

The Feasts is the third, and most likely final, book in a series of books written by Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina, which are designed to instruct Catholics and non-Catholics on important aspects of the Catholic Church. The first two books in this series are entitled The Mass and The Church. In The Feasts, the authors begin by explaining the value and importance that man places in calendars and tracking of time. They use the example of fishermen using the lunar calendar and farmers the solar calendar to grow rich, and state that if we follow the Church Calendar, we can grow spiritually rich. They then walk us through the Jewish feasts that Jesus celebrated when he walked this earth. Following this a whole chapter is dedicated to defining terms like Memorial, Solemnity, Season, and Octave.

The book then gets to the heart of the matter with the remaining chapters. The authors first start by talking about the importance of Sunday and then there are individual chapters dedicated to Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Next, they dedicate individual chapters to important solemnities of Jesus, including Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi, and Christ the King. Unfortunately, the Annunciation and Presentation of Jesus in the Temple got lumped in with Christ the King. These are two important feast days, and considered part of the Twelve Great Feasts in Eastern Christianity. Next, we are treated to various other feasts and seasons, including Holy Trinity, Marian feasts (which could have easily taken up more than one chapter), and the Holy Angels.

I was very pleased that they devoted a chapter to Advent, as it is my favorite liturgical season. In this chapter, the authors discuss the beauty of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting and preparation, not a spend four weeks shopping season. In this season, we are preparing for the two-fold coming of Christ, both at Christmas and again at the end of the age. They also explain that the Eastern Christians view this as a season for purification and penance. I particularly enjoy Advent, because it is the start of a new Church year. It is a time to start over, begin again, and grow closer to God.

Overall, this was a good book with a lot of great information. I appreciate that the Eastern Catholics were not ignored in this book. However, there are a few things I would have changed. As I said earlier, I wish there had been more focus given to some of the particular feasts. I also think the book could have been a bit better organized. Since there was a great bit of focus on the importance of calendars and seasons, I think the book should have been arranged in the order the seasons and feasts appear on the calendar, starting with Advent and ending with Christ the King. Those complaints aside, this was still a good book that can teach both converts and cradle Catholics a lot.



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The Light is on for You (Word Among Us Press)

Over the past several years, the Archdiocese of Mobile, which I am a member of, has adopted a program during Lent called "The Light is on for You." I'm not sure if all others dioceses have adopted it as well, but I know many have. The program is designed to give people more opportunities to go to Confession during Lent. I strongly support this program, because even though you only "have" to go to Confession once a year, you should make it a practice to go more frequently. The book I am reviewing today is also called The Light is on for You by Cardinal Donald Wuerl.

The Light is on for You begins by explaining our need for Confession. Cardinal Wuerl goes so far as to trace Confession back to the Garden of Eden and the Fall. God invited Adam and Eve to confess their sin to Him, and shortly thereafter He also invited Cain to confess to murdering Abel. He then explains how sin turns us away from God, but Confession is a call to conversion or turning toward God. In the next chapter, he then dissects the ultimate story of Confession in one of my favorite parables, The Prodigal Son.

The next several chapters cover the facts of confession. The reader will learn how come priests have the authority to forgive sins, how to prepare for confession, a step-by-step guide on how to make a good Confession, and the seal of the confessional. The final chapter was the most interesting to me. It described Confession as the sacrament of the New Evangelization, "because it offers us 'a new and personal encounter with Jesus Christ, as well as a new encounter with the Church.' We can always come home to God and to the Church."

I found this to be a very good, but basic book. If you are a devout Catholic, you probably won't find much new information in this book. However, I don't believe the devout Catholic is the intended audience. This book is trying to reach the inquirer, the fallen-away Catholic, and the Catholic who just shows up to get his card punched. The appendices, which walk you through an Examination of Conscience and the Sacrament are useful, and the chapters which explain what Confession is and does are edifying. The main message, however, is that there is a Savior and a Church waiting with open arms for you to come home and be forgiven. So find out when your local Catholic Church is having Confession, and go! After all, the light is on for you.

This book was provided to me for free by Word Among Us Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click the link and hit Yes!

The Gift of Saint John Paul II (Word Among Us Press)

It's amazing to think that it's been less than ten years since Pope John Paul II died. Though I was just a recent convert at the time, he had a great impact on my life in the way that he lived his. It wouldn't be until years later that I discovered his writings. I am not bold enough to think that they made sense to me when reading them, but thankfully great men of the Church have helped spell them out. For example, Cardinal Wuerl shares his wisdom in his book The Gift of Saint John Paul II.

The Gift of Saint John Paul II is a 24 chapter tome, which covers key writings of Pope John Paul II. Among these key writings are fourteen encyclicals and ten apostolic exhortations. Unlike other books, which try to summarize and explain these types of writings, Cardinal Wuerl highlights key points and applies them to our everyday lives in the present. Before embarking on this task, Cardinal Wuerl provides an introduction which briefly talks about Pope John Paul II's papacy, explains the history of the papacy, and defines what an encyclical and apostolic exhortation are.

After this excellent introduction, Cardinal Wuerl takes us to the heart of this book with a chronological guide of John Paul II's papal writings. As expected, one of the longer chapters is on Evangelium Vitae or The Gospel of Life. This is one of the most important documents not only of his papacy, but in Church history. Despite what some people think, this encyclical did not teach anything new, but reaffirmed the Church's teachings on the human person. Such points reiterated deal with man being made in God's image, the value of all human life, and abortion as a mortal sin. Cardinal Wuerl also points out that both we as individuals and as the whole Church must speak out for life.

My favorite chapter covered was Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Most Holy Rosary). I picked this one because what Pope John Paul II did in this apostolic exhortation was monumental. The rosary had not changed in centuries, but in order to breathe new life into this prayer, he introduced a new set of mysteries called the Luminous Mysteries. These mysteries, based on the Scripture, filled in a "gap" that was missing between the Joyful Mysteries and Sorrowful Mysteries. Pope John Paul II also explained that the Rosary was a Christocentric prayer. As a convert the faith who always felt this prayer to be very Marian, this viewpoint was both enlightening and edifying.

With John Paul II's upcoming canonization, I believe The Gift of Saint John Paul II will be one of the must-read Catholic books of 2014. This great man not only had a big heart, full of love for God and His Church, but he also had a brilliant mind. Therefore, I encourage you to take your time and familiarize yourself with his works. Go to the John Paul II section of the Vatican's website. Read an encyclical or apostolic exhortation and keep your copy of this book by your side for commentary from one of our wonderful cardinals, Cardinal Wuerl.

This book was provided to me for free by Word Among Us Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, click the link and hit Yes!

The Mass (Image Books)

Back in May, I had the pleasure of reviewing Cardinal Wuerl's and Mike Aquilina's book The Church. (Click here if you're interested in reading the review.) In my reading of this work, I learned that it was actually a follow-up to the book The Mass. I desperately wanted to read this book, and I told myself that if the book became available to review again, I would jump at the chance. Luckily for me, Image Books recently re-released The Mass in a more affordable trade paperback format, so I saw my chance to review this book and seized the opportunity!

The Mass is the first in a series of books by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina which highlight key aspects of what make Catholics, well, Catholic. The book begins with a brief introduction on the Mass as being something we do. It is not merely some event we show up to observe but an active prayer we participate in fully. The book is divided into two parts. Part One highlights origins, history, and items used at Mass. Part Two walks us through the entire Mass part by part from the Procession to the Dismissal.

What I found the most fascinating in Part One was the history of the Mass. We all know that this Eucharistic celebration has its origins at the Last Supper. Historical aspects the normal Catholic doesn't know, e.g., the standardization during the Middle Ages, are BRIEFLY covered in this chapter. I wish there had been more pages devoted to the history of the Mass. However, I appreciate the authors acknowledging that it is impossible to cover the history in a few pages, let alone a few volumes, but I wish they would have suggested some further reading on this matter.

As opposed to picking a favorite chapter in Part Two, I picked a slew of them. To b e more specific, I really enjoyed the chapters that focused on the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which starts with the Offertory and ends with Holy Communion. This part of the Mass was one that I always wanted to understand and appreciate more, and this book definitely helped me grow in understanding. I got to read some of the prayers the priest says quietly over the chalice and when washing his hands. It was also interesting to note that when priest mixes the wine and water, it used to serve a purpose but now has several symbolic meanings, including the union of divine and human and the water and blood pouring forth from Christ's wounds.

This book is the perfect introduction to learning about the Mass and would make the perfect gift for people in RCIA or reverts looking to rediscover their Catholic faith. It is also a good read for faithful cradle Catholics just looking to deepen their love and understanding for the Mass. I believe it would also make a great gift for seminarians or new priests, though I'm sure veteran priests would enjoy it too. Basically, what I'm saying is that this book is a benefit to everyone. Once you get done reading this one, you should check out the sequel The Church. Hopefully, there will be a third book in this series in the near future.

This book was provided to me for free by Image Books. If you found this review helpful, please click the link and hit Yes!

Our Sunday Visitor: New Evangelization

This was a great weekend. For starters, our little boy got baptized! The smell of oil is still fresh in his hair. I was thinking originally that we should have waited a day and baptized him on Pentecost. How cool would that have been? It's okay though. I realized several hours later, thanks to Facebook, that he was baptized on Blessed John Paul II's birthday. That's pretty cool too. But since Pentecost just occurred, I decided today would be the perfect day to review New Evangelization by Cardinal Donald Wuerl.

I have recently discovered the New Evangelization. Everywhere you turn today, it's the latest buzz phrase in the Catholic world. In this short book, written by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, he explains what it is, where it began, why it's important, and what we can do to spread the Gospel. The chapters are a short read, but they come off a little bit stiff at times, like mini-essays.

I really enjoyed Chapter 6 - "Parishes - Centers of the New Evangelization." This chapter focuses a lot on the religious education of our children both by teachers at Catholic schools and Catechists at the parish level. I have been a catechist for three years, but I never considered this to be a part of the New Evangelization. It definitely eases the sting you sometimes feel when the kids are just not responding to you and don't want to be there at all.

Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a very fine explanation of what the New Evangelization is, but I was hoping for more practical examples in Chapter 8 - "Sharing the Faith." The book is still worth reading though. We are all called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, not just with strangers but with our family and friends as well. Therefore, we need to know more about the New Evangelization, so pick up this book and other works related to the subject and learn a little more about this movement within our Church.

If you found this review helpful, please click the following link and hit Yes.

Image Books: The Church

Well, we officially have less than a week of Easter left. We are entering the second half of the longest season of the Church Year - Ordinary Time. A lot of people, myself included, tend to flounder in this season. They have no fasting to re-focus their life, as in Lent or Advent, and no Great Feast to look forward to like Easter or Christmas. So instead of treating Ordinary Time as a dry season, pick up a book and learn something new. I recommend The Church by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina.

The Church begins simply by explaining what a church is and why people are willing to sacrifice so much and live in poverty to construct these lavish and ornate buildings. It then goes on to explain what THE Church is, as in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.  He also explains some of the different names for it, including Mother and Ship to name a few. You may think this is all very basic information that most people know, but the book then progresses to my favorite part. It breaks down every aspect and feature of a church and explains the historical, physical, and spiritual significance of each feature.

Some features of a church might be obvious. For example, a lot of churches are cruciform shaped to represent the Body of Christ, which is the Church. Other features of a church though hold more significance than one realizes. The Ambo for example is the place where the Word of God is proclaimed. This is, in fact, a second table. The first table is the altar, where the Bread is broken. The second table is the Ambo, where the Word of God is broken.  To put it plainly, this is where the Sacred Scripture is opened, read, and explained to us. The most enlightening passage to me was the part on the Sacristy. Being a convert, I never had the chance to be an altar server, and so I have never experienced this room. It was truly enlightening learning the spiritual dimension of a space that seems to be a mere dressing room to many.

The Church is a 5 star book that is excellent for the convert and cradle Catholic alike. This building that so many take for granted is more than just a building. It is full of both physical and spiritual beauty and reading this book will open your eyes to all that beauty. So take the time to read this book and see how your church and the churches in your area compare to the descriptions in this book and to each other. Then, when you get done with this book, pick up its companion book called The Mass. You won't be disappointed with what you find.  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.


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