Roses Among Thorns (Sophia Institute Press)

Roses Among Thorns is the second book from St. Francis de Sales that has been recently released by Sophia Institute Press. The first was The Sign of the Cross. In this 100ish page book, the reader will find a series of 60 reflections drawn from the personal letters of St. Francis de Sales. Each reflection is 1-3 pages long, making this a quick read that you could tackle in a couple of hours. However, just because one can read a book in a few hours doesn't mean one should.

The premise of this book, as the title suggests, is that we Christians are supposed to be the roses among the thorns (the world). That phrase is repeated several times in his letter, along with other nature metaphors. It was hard to pick a favorite reflection of the 60 in this book, but the one that spoke to me at this point in my life was the sixteenth, "Facing Temptations." In this two page meditation St. Francis de Sales says, "Your temptations have returned, and although you have not said a word of consent to them, still they oppress you. You do not consent to them, and that is good, but you fear them too much. They would not be able to harm you if you did not fear them." He then uses an analogy of bees landing on his face, and instead of shooing them away, he left them alone (at the beekeeper's advice) and was not stung. For most sinners, especially ones who had habitual sins, St. Francis de Sales, encourages people to not be afraid of the temptation that will always be there, but to stand strong with God's help and resist the sin!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I have enough thick and deep books that look great on the shelf, but sometimes go over my head. It was nice to read a small book that still packed a punch. I know I will reference this again many times in the future, so it will have a special place on the bookshelf next to my bed. If you decide to buy this book, which I highly recommend, then take the time to read it slowly and let the wisdom permeate your mind. I wouldn't read more than one reflection a day. It will take you two months this way, but you'll feel richer doing so.

This book was provided to me for free by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

On a Mission: Lessons from St. Francis de Sales (Servant Books)

On a Mission: Lessons from St. Francis de Sales begins by describing some of the hardships St. Francis de Sales encountered on his missionary journey to the Chablais region of France. From having to live in a "safe house," to travelling by night in cold weather to perform his priestly duties, to sleeping in a tree with vicious dogs at the base trying to tear him to shreds, St. Francis de Sales did not have an easy job as a priest. Like St. Paul, whom Mr. Madrid mentions later in the book, St. Francis de Sales had a hard life as an apostle for Christ. However, both persevered and continued on their mission. That is one of the recurring themes in this book. No matter how tough it gets, God will give you strength to complete the mission He has given you.

We are then given other examples of apostles for the Lord, including St. John Vianney, St. Francis Assisi, St. Francis Xavier, Frank Sheed, and Pope Francis. )It seems Mr. Madrid is a big fan of the name Francis.) Some lessons for witnessing you will learn from these great men include cultivating humility, finding common ground, never make assumptions, and asking vital questions. He also makes his own personal recommendations for Catholic reading to "get up to speed your knowledge of the Faith." After all, you cannot very well teach or spread the Faith, if you do not understand it yourself. Some of these works include the Bible, the Catechism, Handbook of Catholic Apologetics, and Theology for Beginners. There are countless other books he could have mentioned, but I didn't find myself disagreeing with any on his list.

This is a solid book on what it means to be an apostle for Jesus. Not only do you get great lessons on what to do and more importantly, what not to do, you also get concrete examples from some great men of the Faith. I will admit that parts of it came off a bit "Protestant," particularly the story of Sonny in Chapter 2. But perhaps it feels Protestant to me, because witnessing for Jesus is a main tenant of Protestantism, but Catholics never talk about it and shy away from it. Just remember that God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called. And we're all called to be apostles for Jesus. We as Catholics cannot continue to try and excuse ourselves out of the role of witnesses anymore. If you're looking for a down-to-earth guide for being a witness, this is it.

This book was provided to me for free by Franciscan Media. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Sophia Institute Press: The Sign of the Cross

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." These words roll off every Catholic's tongue so frequently that we often forget the significance of what we are saying. Sometimes we make the Sign of the Cross at Mass so haphazardly that we look like a coach on the first base line at a Major League Baseball game. Worst of all, sometimes we don't even make the Sign of the Cross because we are afraid we will bring unwanted attention and judgment upon ourselves. All of these are bad, and I am ashamed to admit that I have been guilty of each transgression at various points in my life. It is time we reconnect with this most ancient of prayers and discover the power behind these fifteen words.

St. Francis de Sales' little treatise entitled The Sign of the Cross begins by explaining how to make the sign of the Cross. It may seem like a no-brainer at first, but I'd bet that very few Catholics know why we make the Sign of the Cross the way we do. To summarize St. Francis de Sales, we use our right hand, because it is "the more worthy of the two." With our right hand, we use either three fingers to represent the Trinity or five fingers to represent Jesus' five wounds. We begin the prayer by placing our right hand on our forehead to acknowledge that God the Father is the one from whom all things originate. Next, we move our hand down to our stomach as a sign that Jesus proceeded from the Father. Lastly, we cross ourselves from left shoulder to right shoulder to show that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son and that He is the bond of love between Father and Son. Let that information sink in, and reflect on it going forward each time you make the Sign of the Cross.

The rest of this book deals with the origins, history, uses, and benefits of the Sign of the Cross. For example, did you know that in early times the Sign of the Cross was made on the forehead? It eventually evolved to its present form, but early Christians put the Sign on their forehead both as a profession of faith and an invocation of God's assistance in every aspect of their lives. The most fascinating chapter to me was entitled "A Defense against Demons." In this chapter, St. Francis de Sales quotes various Church Fathers, from St. Athanasius to St. John Chrysostom, all of whom speak about the power of the Sign of the Cross over Satan and his minions. It is truly a simple but powerful weapon that so many fail to realize they possess. So, in the words of Origen, "Let us rejoice, my beloved friends, and lift holy hands to heaven in the form of the Cross; when the demons see us armed in this way they will be crushed."

If you are looking for a simple way to deepen your prayer life, then pick up a copy of The Sign of the Cross. You will gain a wealth of spiritual benefits from reading this book, but you must not stop there. You must then act upon what you have read. Slow down when crossing yourself. Think about each word as you say it. Also, start using the Sign of the Cross in every aspect of your life! You don't have to just use it at the beginning and ending of formal prayer. You can use it when starting and ending a task at work. By doing this, you will make your entire day a prayer to God. These fifteen words can transform your life, if you only let them.

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