Meeting God in the Upper Room (Servant Books)

The Upper Room is one of the most important locations in Church history. It was in this room that the Last Supper occurred and Jesus washed His disciples' feet and gave us the Eucharist. Jesus also appeared here after His Resurrection, and this is where Pentecost occurred. Monsignor Peter J. Vaghi recently wrote a book that focuses on these events called Meeting God in the Upper Room. The book is divided into three chapters, which correspond to the three events I mentioned earlier.

The first chapter helps us prepare our Upper Room with some advice from the U.S. Catechism for Adults. It tells us to go to confession, fast, reflect on the readings before Mass, come early for Mass, and go to Eucharistic Adoration. The second chapter discusses the institution of Holy Orders and the Eucharist. Chapter Three was very interesting to me, as it talked about the different personalities present at the Last Supper. In the second part of the book we witness the institution of Penance and a portrait of Thomas. The final part of the book not only gives us a chapter on Pentecost, but one on Mary as well, which I appreciate, because many Christians tend to forget that she was there too. We tend to think that after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, she just faded away. However, she still has a prominent role in the ministry of Jesus.

This book was very well-written and shines light on a place of Christendom that we find so many of our origins. Monsignor Vaghi draws upon Scripture, the Catechism, the Second Vatican Council, and writings of some of our most recent popes to give a compelling read. This book is written with the hands of a pastor, a teacher, and thus it is beneficial for our spiritual growth. With Lent quickly approaching, I recommend picking up a copy and reading your way through it during this season.

This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.