Characters of the Passion (Angelico Press)

This week at Stuart's Study, I'll be highlighting one of the most well known and beloved American Catholics in recent history, Fulton Sheen. That means that I will be reviewing three of his recently re-released works. During this week, I encourage you to discover other works of his, re-listen to his old programs, and pray that his cause for canonization will be re-opened. Now, let us begin with the first review - Characters of the Passion.

Characters of the Passion is a brief (72 page) book perfect for reading and reflecting through Lent or Holy Week. It is divided into seven chapters and focuses on the following people - Peter; Judas; Pilate; Herod; Claudia and Herodias; and Barabbas and the Thieves. It concludes with a brief reflection on the Scars of our Lord and how Christ can bring us hope if we but believe He is God and follow Him.

The most interesting chapter to me dealt with Herod, not the Herod who killed all the males of Israel when Jesus was a baby, but Herod's son - the one who had John the Baptist beheaded. We don't think of Herod too much when it comes to the Passion, but he was there. After Jesus is held before Pilate, he is then sent to Herod. Sheen points out that Herod was descended from Esau, makes an interesting comparison between the two, and explains why Herod acts the way he does. He then takes the time to answer one of the great questions of the Passion. Why did Jesus stand silent before Herod? I'd tell you, but you'll have to buy the book and find out.

It's amazing to read a book that is almost sixty years old and have the message still be pertinent to today. Fulton Sheen always seems to accomplish that though. His words prove timeless, because they contain truth, and truth is never timeless. There are a lot more characters that could have been discussed including Mary, Simon of Cyrene, and Joseph of Arimathea, just to name a few. Why they weren't, I do not know. But the fact that they weren't doesn't lessen the book at all. Highly recommended!

This book was provided to me for free by Angelico Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here! Also, be sure to check out their other Sheen titles - A Brief Life of Christ, The Cross and the Beatitudes, and Seven Words of Jesus and Mary.

New Beginning, New Hope (Our Sunday Visitor)

It's been a little over a year since Cardinal Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis. Since that historic election, the media (both secular and Catholic) have had this man under a microscope. Secular media has twisted his words, such as, "Who am I to judge?" in an attempt to push a liberal agenda. Catholic and secular media have turned every day actions of humility, like embracing the sick or going to Confession, into epic acts that no one has ever done before. The media sends the message anytime they praise Pope Francis that Pope Benedict was in some way lacking, which is patently false. Therefore, I would like to invite you to turn off the TV, stop listening to what others are saying about Pope Francis, and read or listen to what Pope Francis is saying! One way to do that is by reading New Beginning, New Hope.

New Beginning, New Hope is a collection of homilies and General Audiences from the first few months after Pope Francis' election in 2013. The book begins on Palm Sunday and concludes on Pentecost Sunday, so you get homilies for Holy Week to the end of Easter, with the exception of Ascension Thursday. When reading through these talks, one can see clear themes of joy, newness, and hope. Pope Francis says on Palm Sunday, "Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement!" He then encourages us to remember our joy is in Christ, and to not despair when problems occur, because that is when the Devil tries to enter our lives.

Another section that stood out to me was his Easter Vigil homily. In his message, Pope Francis ponders the myrrh-bearing women and what they must have felt when they arrived at Jesus' empty tomb. Referring to Jesus' Resurrection Pope Francis says, "Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness that God brings us, the newness that God asks of us...We are afraid of God's surprises...Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives!" These are powerful words, which we would do well to meditate on. This leads to the final message I gleaned from this book on hope. "The Risen Lord is the hope that never fails, that never disappoints (cf. Rom 5:5). Hope does not let us down - the hope of the Lord!" We must not put our hope in earthly things, but in the Lord. That is the only way we can be assured that we will never be disappointed.

If you are looking for a book to read this coming Holy Week and Easter, I recommend New Beginning, New Hope. Each chapter ranges from two to five pages in length, so you won't find yourself frantically reading pages trying to keep up with it, so you finish by Pentecost Sunday. And the best part is that it contains the actual words spoken by Pope Francis, not some sound byte taken out of context. Then, once you've completed this book, read another! I recommend Only Love Can Save Us. This is another set of homilies and talks Pope Francis gave, but these were collected from before he was pope.

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

Meditations for Holy Week and The Miracle of the Red Egg (Ancient Faith Publishing)

Another month has come and gone, and we are at the beginning of April. Where did the time go?! Not only is my son almost 1 year old, but Easter is rapidly approaching as well! Today, I have two Orthodox books to share with you. One focuses on Holy Week and is aimed for adults. The other focuses on Easter, and while intended for children, is suitable for kids and adults alike! Without further ado, here are the reviews.

Meditations for Holy Week is the third book in Fr. Vassilos Papavassiliou's "Meditations" series, with the previous two being Meditations for Great Lent and Meditations for Advent. The book is divided into two parts. Part I is "The Bridegroom Service," which covers Great and Holy Monday through Great and Holy Wednesday and Part II is "The Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection," which covers Great and Holy Thursday through Great and Holy Pascha.

The book is rich with hymns and readings from the liturgical services of Holy Week, which Fr. Papavassiliou meditates on to draw us deeper into this most sacred week of the Church year. Many will focus on Thursday through Sunday as this is where the "joyful sorrow" reaches its pinnacle with the Crucifixion and Resurrection. That is perfectly fine. There are sections in this book that all Christians, not just Orthodox, would do well to read, particularly Chapter 9 "The Suffering Servant." Many Christians and non-Christians have the wrong idea about Christ's words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Fr. Papavassiliou first explains that this was a cry of pain. Christ was both fully divine and fully human after all, so to imagine that He experienced no pain on the cross is absurd. We then receive the explanation of Christ's words. He was not despairing, but instead was praying or reciting Psalm 21/22. This psalm is a prophecy of His Crucifixion, but it is not a psalm of despair. Christ was not murdered, but freely sacrificed His life for our salvation.

Despite the depth and beauty of Thursday through Sunday, I felt myself being drawn more to the meditations for Monday through Wednesday. As a Roman Catholic, we don't focus on these days much in our liturgical year. They just kind of blend into Lent until Holy Thursday arrives. For that reason, it was interesting to read how the Orthodox celebrate during this time. I was truly fascinated by the Parable of the Ten Virgins and the theme of Christ as the Bridegroom. Since the Bridegroom theme is one that focuses on Christ's Second Coming, we don't usually make the connection of Lent and Second Coming. However, we must be reminded that "The Suffering Servant will come again as Judge, and so we are exhorted to repent that we may not be shut out of 'the bridal chamber' of Christ (the Kingdom of heaven)."

This is the perfect meditation book to get you through Holy Week and is a worthy companion piece to Meditations for Great Lent. Fr. Papavassiliou once again shows himself to be a brilliant mind. He conveys the beauty of the Church seasons in easy to understand language and does so without watering down the message. We can only hope that he continues this series and give us a Meditations for Pascha or Meditations for the Twelve Great Feasts. Five stars.

The Miracle of the Red Egg is another fabulous children's book from Elizabeth Crispina Johnson. Drawing on tradition, Ms. Johnson explains the story of Mary Magdalene and the first "Easter egg." For those unfamiliar with the story, it centers around Mary Magdalene attending a feast hosted by the unbelieving Emperor Tiberius. Unable to contain her joy of the Resurrected Jesus, she tells guests seated near her, and word quickly reaches the ears of the Emperor. In disgust and disbelief he proclaims, "Do you see this egg? I declare that Jesus can no more have risen from the dead, than this egg could turn blood red." To everyone's amazement, the egg did turn red.

The book is an absolute treasure. It makes a perfect and unique Easter gift for your children instead of peeps and chocolate bunnies. There are beautiful illustrations on every page with what I would describe as colored pencil sketches. Additionally, at the end of the book, your children will see icons for Pascha and Mary Magdalene. There is also the Kontakion of Mary Magdalene and the Blessing of the Eggs. So if you're sick of the Easter Bunny or just want your children to have a more religious meaning behind Easter eggs, you'll want a copy of this book. If you are interested in dying your own eggs red, be sure to check out Ancient Faith Publishing for a $6 kit to get your eggs a deep, rich color. Also, be sure to check out Ms. Johnson's other books, And Then Nicholas Sang and What Do You Hear, Angel.

These books were provided to me for free by Ancient Faith Publishing in exchange for an honest review. If you found the reviews helpful, please click here and here and hit Yes!