Praying with Mother Angelica (Sophia Institute Press)

In late 2015, Sophia Institute Press joined with Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) to form a publishing house to print books, publish content electronically, and further extend their global reach. Given the recent passing of Mother Angelica, I found it only fitting that the first book I review from this joint venture to be Praying with Mother Angelica. For those unfamiliar with this potential future saint, she was a Franciscan nun; creator of a religious order; builder of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament; and most memorably, the creator of EWTN. She was also well versed in Scripture and had a deep devotion to Jesus and His Mother. This is on full display in the book Praying with Mother Angelica.

The book itself is approximately 200 pages long and focuses on two of the most popular Catholic devotions - the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross. For those unfamiliar with how to pray the Rosary, the book begins with a brief how-to guide as well as the texts for all the prayers that make up the Rosary. The book then devotes a chapter to each of the four sets of mysteries - Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious. The next section focuses on the Stations of the Cross and contains an opening prayer, meditations for all fourteen stations, and a closing prayer. The book ends with a section of brief "conversations" that Mother Angelica had with God. Such subjects include love, humility, faith, anger, and forgiveness.

This work is more than a compilation of Scriptural meditations, not that there is anything wrong with that type of book. Instead, this book is Mother Angelica on display. We see her personal relationship with Jesus and her deep love for Him and His Church. I want to emphasize the word personal again. These are her words, her reflections, and her meditations. It is written in a first person point-of-view, so you are not only reading her words, but when you read them you put yourself in those words and they become your words. This was a powerful book and one I would recommend for anyone who wants to become more familiar with the Rosary and Stations of the Cross, or perhaps one who feels in a rut with their prayer life and wants to try some new meditations.

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!