Mount Thabor Publishing: The Enlargement of the Heart

Well, another month is winding down, and that means it's time for my monthly Orthodox book review. If you had asked me a week ago, I would have told you that this was going to be my last Orthodox book review as the publishers just aren't interested in having their books reviewed, but I received a book from my favorite Orthodox company, Conciliar Press, very recently so maybe next month will be my farewell to Orthodox book reviews. Today, however, I have one final book from Mount Thabor Publishing to review.

The Enlargement of the Heart is a series of lectures, which Archimandrite Zacharias gave at a 2001 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat. Archimandrite Zacharias is a disciple of Elder Sophrony of Essex who was in turn a disciple of Saint Silouan the Athonite. That's some pretty impressive lineage for those of you unversed in Orthodoxy. Drawing upon their teachings, these lectures discuss man's ultimate existence and purpose.

Each lecture is brilliant but accessible. So many times, depending upon the speaker, theology can go over the heads of the majority of us, myself included. Archimandrite Zacharias, however, does a brilliant job keeping his lectures simple yet deep. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the Jesus Prayer. In this chapter he tells us that two factors are indispensable when praying the Jesus Prayer. "The first is the faithful effort made by man to focus his attention in his heart, and humbly predispose his spirit. The second, and incomparably more important, is the grace of the Holy Spirit, without which nothing can succeed, no word and no act is accomplished." If I understand it correctly, it is saying that we need to humbly put forth the effort, while realizing that we can't accomplish it without the Holy Spirit.

This was a great book to read. It not only made the teachings of Elder Sophrony and Saint Silouan available, but also made them accessible to the average reader. I appreciate the Scripture cross references included in the book, as well as the original questions and answers at the end of the lecture. Sometimes, no matter how clear a lecture is, there are questions that need to be answered, and a lot of the questions asked were some of the same ones I had as well. Pick up this 5 star book if you want to read from some of the great minds of recent Orthodox history.

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Ascension Press: Walking Toward Eternity Series Two

Welcome back! Normally, I take this first paragraph of my post to elaborate on a part of my life. I feel it adds a little touch to my blog, and let's my readers get to know me. I don't want people thinking I am just a review robot that inputs products and outputs reviews. However, today I would like to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day, remember those who passed away defending the freedoms of our country, and thank those currently in service, like my brother-in-law.

Today, I am reviewing the second part of the Walking Toward Eternity Series, available at Ascension Press. I reviewed the first part back in January in case anyone needs a refresher on what that one was about. Walking Toward Eternity: Engaging the Struggles of Your Heart is another masterful study put together by Jeff and Emily Cavins. Where Series One focused on positive aspects in the Christian life, such as love and forgiveness, Series Two focuses on negative aspects in our lives, such as envy and anger. The format is the same for Series Two, so if you have taken a Cavins course before, you'll feel right at home. If you have not, it is very approachable and the learning curve is not steep. The format of the study consists of four days of journaling, reading Scripture, and praying.

• Day 1 - You focus on the meaning of the particular struggle/obstacle in your spiritual life, i.e., envy.
• Day 2 - You look at how God views this obstacle and why it is important to get it in check in your life.
• Day 3 - You examine steps and Scripture on how you can overcome this struggle.
• Day 4 - You select the Scripture that spoke to you the most this week and pray using Lectio Divina.
• Meeting Day - You watch the DVD lecture, about an hour long, and as a group you go through the questions outlined for you with each week.

I really enjoy the format of this study. Some studies expect you to read seven days AND do a DVD. That can get overwhelming, especially for someone like me with a new baby. I always felt bad when I missed a day in those series, and that I was slacking with God and my group. However, four days and a meeting day seems like the perfect amount of time and material. It even provides a built-in two day cushion if you do miss a day.

Now that I have discussed the format. I want to briefly touch on the content. Discussed in this series are appetites, shame, envy, anger, fear, loneliness, and hopelessness. As Jeff Cavins points out in the DVDs, people join a program like this, learn a lot about those topics, but then fail to make the necessary changes in their life. That's why he wants you to ask God three questions each week as it relates to each struggle. Let's stick with the example of envy. 1. What are you putting your hand on in my life that needs changing in relation envy? 2. What do I specifically need to do to change? 3. When am I going to take the first step of changing?

This was an excellent program and a great followup to Walking Toward Eternity: Daring to Walk the Walk. You don't HAVE to take Series One before this one, but I would highly recommend it. I have nothing but positive things to say about this program, but I would say that Jeff Cavins presentations are the jewel of the series. His talks are brilliant but practical, and he makes sure the audience knows that he is not perfect, which makes them relatable. They also contain the right amount of seriousness and humor, which is appreciated.

Pick up this 5 star series from Ascension Press. You can use it to lead a small group, or if you're feeling ambitious, you can lead something at the parish level. There is a Leader's Guide in the Starter Pack that will help you not only get your program started, but will help you see it through to completion. Then, after you complete this study program, participate in or lead another. Ascension Press has many great titles including ones on Prayer, different books of the Bible, Church History, and one that looks really interesting to me on the Catechism.

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Gingerbread House Publishing: The Weight of a Mass

When I originally started this blog, I thought the greatest joy I would receive was from reading books of a higher theology and further educating myself on the Catholic faith. I looked at it as an alternative to the Theology Degree I can't afford. Several months into my reviews though, I started receiving children's books to review and they have brought me more joy than I ever imagined they would. Today, I have a VERY special children's book to review courtesy of Gingerbread House Publishing.

The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith is a gorgeous book written by Josephine Nobisso and illustrated by Katalin Szegedi. It reads like a fairy tale, but is based on a true story that happened in Luxembourg, which can be found in the back of the book. This tale focuses on a simple request from a poor widow to a stingy baker. In exchange for her Mass intention that night, all she wants is just one stale piece of bread. To no surprise, the baker refuses, and the rest of the book is spent with the baker trying to show the worth of one Mass compared to his baked goods. I won't spoil the ending for you, but it I will say that it doesn't disappoint.

In this book, your children will learn lessons on faith, generosity, and kindness. Most importantly though, they will learn that the Mass is something which has value that can never be equaled, let alone outweighed, by human means. Whether the author intended it or not, this tale is also a tale of vocation, and that can be used to at least put the idea in your young children's heads that being a priest or other religious is a beautiful vocation in life. In today's world, we tend to want our kids to be rich and successful when they grow up, but this reinforces the fact that true riches and success come from God. Let us never let our children lose sight of this fact.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars, because I can't give it 10 out of 5 stars. The illustrations are beautiful, but the story is gorgeous! I also appreciate that she explains the allegory of each part of the story on the inside flaps. It illuminated illustrations of the story that I didn't even consider. This is a book that every Catholic family should have in their home. In fact, I'm tempted to buy a copy for every child that I have. As a bonus, if you order directly from the website, the author will autograph the book and personalize it to your child. I love that, and it's amazing to me when authors do these little personal things. Tune in next month for my review of the companion volume, Take it to the Queen: A Tale of Hope.

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