Luke: The Gospel of Mercy (Catholic Scripture Study)

If you had to use one word to describe Pope Francis' papacy thus far, it would be mercy. The man is a living embodiment of this word, and believes in it so much that he declared an Extraordinary Jubilee Year with the focus being on mercy. Since the beginning of his papacy, numerous books and even a Bible Study (Doors of Mercy) have been written on him and the subject. Recently, Saint Benedict Press and Catholic Scripture Study released a Bible Study program called Luke: The Gospel of Mercy, which I don't believe to be a mere coincidence. I would like to tell you a little bit about that study program today. The program begins with a guide on how to use your study guide book, an overview of what a typical group session should look like, and a personal checklist of benefits you will receive from this study.

The program is then divided into eighteen lessons - An Introduction to Luke; Annunciation and Visitation; Birth and Childhood; Baptism and Temptation; Mission of Mercy; Call of the Apostles; The Sinful Woman; Child, Arise!; The Good Samaritan; The Rich Fool; The Cure on the Sabbath; The Prodigal Son; Lazarus and the Rich Man; The Pharisee and the Tax Collector; Zacchaeus; The New Covenant; The Good Thief; and the Road to Emmaus. The lessons are a blend of self and group study, and as you can see, not everything from The Gospel of Luke is covered, just the parts that focus heavily on mercy.

Each session is masterfully laid out and flows in a way that keeps the participants engaged and not just sitting idly, watching someone talk. They begin with an introduction and a prayer to give the participants context and firm grounding. There is then a section of study notes to help understand and reflect on the Scriptural passage. These notes are copious in amount, but are divided nicely to prevent confusion. There are then video prompts and question and answer portions for the video selections. The section closes with practical tips on how to live the Gospel, a glossary of words to know, and a closing prayer.

Overall, I found this program to be a very rich and fulfilling study of Luke, specifically the parables of Jesus. The commentary level was extensive, without being overwhelming. The videos were presented in an engaging manner and invited you deeper into the Gospel. I really liked the videos, which were shot in Rome and Assisi, as those are places I have never been but hope to go some day. What I like best about the program is that it doesn't let you be a passive observer. It invites and challenges you to change your life for the better. I have done Bible Study programs before from Saint Benedict Press and Catholic Scripture Study and they have always been solid in content but needed a little help in presentation. They have stepped up their presentation level with this study (both videos and workbook), without sacrificing content, and have given us a definitive study on the Gospel of Luke.

This program was provided to me for free by Saint Benedict Press and Catholic Scripture Study in exchange for an honest review.

The Face of Mercy and Mercy: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics (Pauline Books and Media and Our Sunday Visitor)

The Year of Mercy will begin before we know it. It begins on December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, for those who didn't know. Announcing a special theme for a year is nothing remarkable, as we have had The Year of the Family, The Year of Saint Paul, and The Year of Faith to name only a few in the past decade. So what makes this year so special? In a nutshell, it's an Extraordinary Jubilee Year! The last one was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983. That was over 32 years ago, so this is truly an exciting time in the Church! If you want to prepare yourself for this Year of Mercy, then I have several book recommendations for you.

The Face of Mercy is the Bull of Indiction (formal proclamation in layman's terms), which Pope Francis issued about The Jubilee Year of Mercy. Pauline Books and Media is the only publisher I know of to print this document, and it is a brief 32-page one at that. In it, he begins by explaining that Jesus is the face of God's mercy. He then goes on to explain what mercy is and why our salvation depends on it. He also tells us that there are times we must focus on mercy more, and that is the reason for his proclaiming this upcoming year The Year of Mercy. The rest of the document explains procedure of when the year starts and opening the doors; Scriptural passages related to mercy to enlighten us on how to be merciful like Christ and God the Father; the importance of a pilgrimage during a Holy Year; and under what circumstances indulgences will be granted.

After reading The Face of Mercy, I recommend you turn your attention to the book Mercy: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics. The book is divided into the following six sections:

1. Human Mercy
2. Withholding and Granting Mercy
3. An Overview of God's Mercy
4. Mercy and Covenant Love
5. Lord, Have Mercy
6. Mercy as a Saving Act

The book's focus is on Israel's experience of mercy and closes with Jesus and His sacrifice as the ultimate example of mercy. Each chapter is full of Scripture to read, sections to make notes on specific Scripture verses, discussion questions, and practical ways to apply what you learned in the chapter. "Withholding and Granting Mercy" was the most interesting and enlightening chapter to me. In this chapter, we are presented with examples of God withholding mercy (primarily against nations who opposed the Israelites) and God granting mercy. One of the discussion questions dealt with the phrasing of God hardening a particular leader's heart and what we think it means. It is definitely a troubling phrase, but I have recently come to see it as human authors trying to explain a Divine Being, which is like trying to gather the ocean into a thimble. God is not responsible for making these leaders have hardened hearts. Instead, it is the leaders willfully rejecting God on their own and to their own demise.

Like the many Bible Studies from Our Sunday Visitor that Fr. Mitch Pacwa has penned before, he has once again delivered a solid Bible Study for the reader to use individually or in a small group setting. By working us through a historical view of mercy, he leads us to the importance of us extending God's mercy to everyone around us. I recommend picking up a copy and studying it either before or during The Year of Mercy!

These books were provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media and Our Sunday Visitor, respectively. If you found the reviews helpful, please click here and/or here and hit Yes!

Made for Love, Loved by God (Servant Books)

Made for Love, Loved by God is the latest book by Fr. Peter John Cameron. In addition to being an author and editor of Magnificat, he is also a playwright with a Master of Fine Arts degree in playwriting from Catholic University of America. In this book, Fr. Cameron uses Scripture, primarily the Gospels, to explain God's love in a way that the reader can easily understand. He also addresses common misconceptions about God's love and impediments to letting God love us.

The book begins with Fr. Cameron discussing how we all long for love...love from others and love from God. He then goes on to explain God's love for us, and that He loves us the way we are. The chapters on mercy and suffering were the most interesting to me. Fr. Cameron says, "To experience mercy is to be loved when we deserve love the least." He then presents us with St. Peter and St. Paul and how they received mercy. Finally, the chapter on suffering puts suffering in perspective. Cardinal Ratzinger tells us that we cannot have love without suffering. We also are reminded in this chapter that we are willing to embrace suffering as long as it has meaning.

Overall, I'd give this book four stars. There were parts which were very profound, like when Fr. Cameron drew from Scripture, the Church Fathers, and recent popes. There were parts that were personal, like when he referenced experiences in his own life. There were also references to movies and plays, which Fr. Cameron admits no one should bother watching. I felt the point of the book could have still been made by removing those references.

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

The Church of Mercy and Mercy in the City (Loyola Press)

I love receiving books from a publisher I've never worked with before. It's kind of a high, because there is the anticipation of not knowing what to expect. Different publishers have different audiences they tend to focus on with regards to what they publish. Some publishers are geared more towards academics, and some are a little fluffier for the laity. Some focus on Scripture, and others devote a great deal of resources to producing books for our children. Then, there are those publishers who try to reach all audiences and refuse to be put into a box. I'm not sure yet what box, if any, Loyola Press can be put in, but I'm excited to share two of their latest books with you today.

The Church of Mercy is the latest book with a compilation of talks given by Pope Francis. Each book (by many different publishers) have chosen to address a certain audience. For example, Ignatius Press recently released a book on sin and humility, and Our Sunday Visitor has released one on hope and another on love. Loyola Press has chosen to focus on the theme of mercy. Drawing on talks given in 2013, this book addresses topics such as the Gospel, the Poor, advice for Pastors, and Mary. Each talk is designed to draw people closer to Christ who is the giver of mercy.

The parts which spoke to me the most were Part Two: A Poor Church for the Poor and Part Seven: The Choice of the Last. In these chapters, we see the heart of Pope Francis' papacy so far, the marginalized of society. He says, "Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society." He also says, "The Church must step outside of herself. To go where? To the outskirts of existence, whatever that may be, but she must step out." These are just a sample of the depth of wisdom and love that Pope Francis contains.

If you're looking for an idea of what Pope Francis had to say his first year as pope, this is a very good starting place. Though you could find these talks online (if you looked hard enough), they would not be so neatly assembled and categorized all in one place. Another perk for this book is that you don't have to read it in order. Pick a topic that is interesting to you or speaks to you and read that. Then, move on to the next topic that speaks to you. Then, after you get done with this book turn to a practical layperson's guide on mercy entitled Mercy in the City.

Mercy in the City is a book that I received by mistake. In fact, it was a book I wasn't even sure I wanted. I had never heard of the author, Kerry Weber, and I generally make it a practice not to read a Catholic book unless I've read the author before, or it has a ringing endorsement from someone I trust. Well, as the old saying goes, "You can't judge a book by its cover," and I shouldn't have been so snobby toward this book.

Mercy in the City is more than just a guide on how to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy in your day-to-day life, it is one young woman's personal journey through Lent as she attempts to live them out. For those unfamiliar with the Corporal works of mercy, they are feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; shelter the homeless; visit the sick; visit the imprisoned; and bury the dead. The book is written in a casual tone with a first-person point of view and reads like a running diary. This makes it a more welcoming and inviting read, especially for younger adults.

Chapter 11 "In which I ignore a homeless man and converse with a homeless man" spoke the most to me. I, like most people, am not comfortable with homeless people and how to help them. I was raised to not make eye contact and politely decline giving them money when asked. The reason for this is the stereotype that they will just spend it on alcohol and drugs. Well, Ms. Weber not only shows us how it is possible to feed hungry, she also teaches us not to compartmentalize our lives. We cannot adopt the attitude of, "This is when I deal with homeless people, this is when I feed the hungry, and then I am done."

This book was a pleasant surprise to read. Ms. Weber put her Lenten journey out there for the world to see. She covers not only her quest to complete the Corporal Works of Mercy in her busy life, but also includes personal bits about her life including friends, dating, etc. Upon finishing this book, which won't take long because it is a quick read, you are left with a sense of hope...hope that there are more people like Ms. Weber in the world and hope that you too can perform the Corporal Works of Mercy more fully and more frequently. I'd recommend this book to the 20-30 something Catholics of the world.

These books were provided to me for free by Loyola Press. If you found the reviews helpful, click here and/or here, and hit Yes!