Mother Teresa and The Way of the Cross (Pauline Books and Media)

I looked at my calendar the other day, and I realized that Lent was sneaking up on me and Ash Wednesday was next week! With that in mind, I was looking for good books to read for myself and the son as well. With that in mind, I turned to Pauline Books and Media and looked at the two books Mother Teresa and The Way of the Cross.

Mother Teresa: The Story of the Saint of Calcutta begins by telling us about Mother Teresa's (then Agnes) early life. She lost her father at an early age, but was always a pious little girl. Even at an early age, she wanted to be a sister, but her mother wanted to to go to school. She asked her mother again at age 17 to be a missionary sister, and after 24 hours of prayer, her mother agreed. In the middle chapters of the book, we see her education, journeys, struggles, and her extraordinary mission work. The book ends talking about her death and funeral and with a prayer to her. It is a short read with great illustrations. It is done in a similar style to Jorge from Argentina and Karol from Poland. Makes me wonder if this should have been called Agnes from Yugoslavia?

The Way of the Cross: Discovering Mercy with Saint Longinus is a short booklet that gives us a unique perspective on praying the Stations of the Cross. On this Way of the Cross, we look at Jesus' Passion from the perspective of the centurion who pierced Jesus' heart on the Cross. Each step of the way, Longinus gives us his observation on what Jesus probably experienced, how Longinus felt watching Jesus suffer, and what he thought Jesus was saying to him whenever their gazes met. At the end of this booklet, we are given a historical perspective on Longinus as well as a prayer to this saint. It is a unique Way of the Cross that is not entirely factual, but reads as if it could be. I recommend you pray this Lent. It will give you a fresh perspective and speak to you in powerful ways.

Tinyville Town Part Two (Abrams Books)

At the end of 2016, I shared with you about a children's series that I really loved called Tinyville Town from Abrams Books. In this series, they are aiming at the very young with board books and early readers with nice hardcover books.

Time for School! is an illustrated hardcover book, measuring approximately 9.5" x 10.5". The book is written and illustrated by Brian Biggs. In this book, it is the first day of school. It shows that everyone (young and old) are doing things to get ready for school. There's the principal, teachers, a crossing guard, and even a new student. When you're young being new at a school is possibly one of the worst things in the world. However, everyone in Tinyville Town is very nice and make the new girl, Ellie Emberley, feel right at home. She makes new friends, learns from her teacher, and has fun at recess. It really is the perfect start to a school year. While, it's unrealistic to think that all schools would be like this, it is nice to imagine a place like this and also teach your children that they should be nice to new students and make friends with everyone. The story flows nicely. The art is simple and welcoming. There's even touches of humor in there, like the kid who went to school but forgot to wear shoes. I love these hardcover books and hope to see more!

Following this hardcover book, two board books were released. They are called Tinyville Town: I'm a Librarian and Tinyville Town: I'm a Police Officer. Each book is 22 pages in length (like their predecessors) and focuses on that specific profession. In the librarian book, we learn that librarians are generally asked a lot of questions throughout their day and are known for good research. It's not as informative as other books in this series, and there is a troubling illustration to me. At the beginning and end of every one of these hardcovers, we see the person rising from bed and going to sleep. You can't see the face of Kevin the librarian's partner in the bed, but it appears to be a man. Your child probably won't notice this, as I didn't on first glance, but be warned. The police office book is much better, as we see that a police officer's job is to help, protect, and serve. Kathy the police office even solves a silly case where the culprit turns out to be a monkey. What I like best about this book is that it paints cops in a positive light, something this country desperately needs to remember. Apart from the questionable partner (something that is making me struggle with keeping this book), I really like these books, because they not only teach your children what different people do, but they show that everyone has a purpose. They also give realistic career ideas, not just astronauts or professional athletes. Look for the next book in this series Tinyville Town: I'm a Mail Carrier coming out this March.

These books were provided to me for free by Abrams Books in exchange for honest reviews.

Go to Heaven (Ignatius Press)

Archbishop Fulton Sheen is a man that needs no introduction. In addition to being a great priest and bishop, he was also a TV "personality" that shared the Catholic faith with millions and a prolific author, whose message still rings true today. Ignatius Press recently reprinted one of his lesser known works entitled Go to Heaven. The title was inspired by a musing Sheen once made about hearing so often the expression "Go to Hell," but never hearing someone say "Go to Heaven." With this work, he hopes to provide a road map for the reader on how to choose Heaven in the life you are currently living, and not taking for granted the serious reality of Hell.

The book begins by examining how man has changed over the years. In the past, man looked to nature to discover God. Instead of seeing all the beauty and complexity that is in the world around them, man now discovers God in man's own distorted nature. This leads to a chapter on how God helps our disordered mind and will. We are then presented chapters on grace and faith and their roles in the Christian life. Sheen beautifully explains that "Grace is the life of God among men," and "Grace makes man more than a 'new creature', and infinitely higher than his former condition." We also learn about how difficult it is to live a Christian life, what Mary's role in the Church is, and the final choice of Heaven or Hell.

Archbishop Sheen's genius is on full display with this work. In fact, if you have ever seen or heard him on TV, you can hear his voice coming off the pages as you read his words. When you think about how long ago this book was written (over 50 years), it is remarkable how accurate and relevant it still is today. The book poignantly explains the struggle of man in his fallen nature and gives him a map on how to find ultimate and eternal happiness. Will the journey be easy? No. Will there be slips and falls and struggles along the way? Most definitely! But like the caring shepherd he was, Sheen wants to ensure as many sheep make it home as possible. Like all of his works, I cannot recommend this one enough!