Contemplating the Face of Christ

Lent is still in its infancy and already I am feeling the struggle with some of my resolutions. With it happening this early, I know it's going to be a tough effort, but it just means I need to apply myself even more and lean on Jesus and Mary. The best way to do that is through prayer and one of the quintessential prayers of Lent is The Way of the Cross. Today, I would like to tell you about a book that focuses on The Way of the Cross called Contemplating the Face of Christ.

Contemplating the Face of Christ is a 100+ page Way of the Cross prayer book with meditations by Fr. Marko Rupnik and mosaic images from outside the Church of Santa Maria in Tomlin, Slovenia. The Stations begin in the traditional format of "We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world." There is then an excerpt from the New Testament that relates to the current Station. Fr. Rupnik's meditation is next, and it uses the mosaic image to guide his meditation. This is followed by an excerpt from a Church Father, and an Old Testament reading that shows how this Station fulfilled the Old Testament reading. Finally, it ends traditionally with something like this from the First Station, "At the cross her station keeping stood the mournful mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last."

Fr. Rupnik offers simple but beautiful insights that cause you to pause with each Station reflection and look at things as you had never done so before. For example, in the First Station there is a mosaic of Pilate, Caiaphas, and Jesus. Both Pilate and Caiaphas are in Jesus' face, essentially hiding it. He says the following, "Pilate looks into the face of Christ, but he does not see the Truth. The high priest Caiaphas directs his gaze elsewhere. He follows his own religious schemes, which prevent him from recognizing the Lord in that face so close to him." He points out that the reason they can't know truth is because they don't have love. They don't have love because sin destroyed love. This is an interesting viewpoint on just the first station. Each station draws us closer to the Cross and closer to Christ. I highly recommend this book for your Lenten journey. I know I will be visiting it frequently!

This book was provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media in exchange for an honest review.

A Devotional Journey Into the Mass (Sophia Institute Press)

With Lent here, it is not only a good time to give things up, but also a time to take things up. Maybe you could pray the Rosary more, or go to Mass more, or read the Bible/spiritual works more. All of these are good options, and perhaps you could combine some of the three or find some other spiritual pursuit that helps you grow closer to God. Recently, I received a book in the mail that while it is not specifically for Lent is definitely worth reading during Lent. It is called A Devotional Journey Into the Mass. The book is divided into nine chapters with the first eight giving you concrete ways to actively participate in Mass and the ninth a summation chapter. The eight active participation chapters are as follows:

1. How to Enter the Church Building
2. How to Make the Sign of the Cross
3. How to Pray the Opening Prayer
4. How to Listen to the Readings
5. How to Prepare the Heart at the Offertory
6. How to Participate in the Eucharistic Prayer
7. How to Receive Communion to the Fullest
8. How to Respond to the Dismissal

Each chapter begins with a verse to set the frame of reference. The material is presented in a straightforward tone, calling upon Scripture, Catechism, and personal reflections of the author. The advice giving in each section is concrete and simple to execute, if only a little effort is exerted on the part of the reader. For example, when entering the Church building, enter from the main entrance and not the side. Make the Sign of the Cross thoughtfully, recalling our Creation. For the Sunday Reading, use lectio divina and meditate throughout the week on the upcoming readings for Sunday. When we leave Mass, remember that we are not just leaving until next Sunday, but instead are given a mission to sanctify the world. A perfect way to remember this is with St. Francis of Assisi's "Peace Prayer," which starts off "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace."

Reading through this book was quick and insightful and something you could probably do in an afternoon or an evening. However, even if you can read it this quickly, I encourage you to slow down and read it more thoughtfully, because within it you will find simple but profound wisdom. I encourage you to pick up this book and read through it during Lent, so that you may grow closer to God and actively participate in the Mass more fully, not only during Lent but always.

A review copy of this book was provided by Sophia Institute Press.

Richard the Lionheart (CMON)

In the 12th century, England was ruled by King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart. This was a time of crusaders, and Richard believed it was his duty to lead troops to the Holy Land against the Sultan Saladin. Wars are never that neatly compartmentalized, and while Richard was away his younger brother John Lackland (Prince John), not only sat on the throne in Richard's place, but also tried to seize it from him. Recently, CMON published a game called Richard the Lionheart, which transports players back to the 12 century and asks them to ally with Richard or John, rally support for their chosen leader, and see who is on the throne when the dust settles. Richard the Lionheart is a game for 2 to 6 players, ages 14+. It takes about one hour to play and retails for $70.

Game Play
Richard the Lionheart is a game of alliances, but ultimately it will only have one winner. If you play with an even number of people, you will divide up into forces for Richard (Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marion) or forces against him (Prince John, Sheriff of Nottingham, Bishop of Ely, and Isabella). When there are an odd number of players, a neutral party is introduced (Leopold of Austria at three players or Marie of France at five players). (Note: With 4+ players, there will also be some additional NPC merchants and mercenaries to help you.)

The game is played on a map of England, where you and the other players will be traveling through different locations. Each of these locations is color-coded to match support for Richard or John. Therefore, locations that match your affiliation can only be activated by you and will only provide you advantages. While you are traversing England, there will be events to deal with, which give special scoring opportunities or actions that occur. There are also edicts that give you bonus points. Most importantly are the influence cards. This is the meat of the game, because it is these cards that will determine each round how the Crusade is faring. Is Richard winning the battle or is Saladin? Is the King close to returning or still far away? And lastly, is Richard's treasury full or are the coffers almost bare? You may want Richard to win the battle and come back early since you feel you are in the lead, but another Richard supporter might want to slow his return down so that they can be his favored servant and seize the victory! The game will end with either Richard's army winning, Saladin's army winning, Richard returning, Richard's treasury being exhausted or playing ten rounds.

Positives
1. Theme - It's nice to see Robin Hood and the Sheriff in a game, where they are not the sole focus of it, merely pawns in the grand stage of things. A lot of people might not like the fact that the Crusades are used as a backdrop, and feel that it sanitizes them by not addressing the atrocities of them, but I think this game mixed history with legends to create a compelling setting.

2. Art and Miniatures - The art in this game is very reminiscent of the Middle Ages and some of the boards feel like you are looking at a tapestry of sorts. There are also highly detailed miniatures in this game, which is what you come to expect from CMON.

3. Player Boards and Player Count - Each character in the game provides you a different starting amount of coins and a special ability that other characters don't have. I love asymmetrical player powers, because it makes you alter your strategy each time you play. As for the player count, the game can accommodate between two and six people, and as mentioned above, each count gives you a different setup. This too adds replay value and gives you a unique experience each time you play.

Neutrals
1. Components - With the inclusion of miniatures in this game, it makes the game feel deluxe. Unfortunately, the coins and prestige tokens are both made of cardboard and it makes you wish that they had been wood or plastic at least. (We'd all love metal, but metal is expensive.)
2. Semi-cooperative nature - I am the type of person who either likes a full cooperative experience or a semi-cooperative experience with a hidden traitor. In this game, you're playing with a team to win, but if you don't have the most points on your team, you won't win.

Negative
1. Price - The most unfortunate part of this game is the price point. At $70 MSRP, this game prices itself out of a lot of people's budgets, especially families.

Final Thoughts
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable game with a theme that I could really sink my teeth into. The game does a nice job of abstracting the Crusades into a manageable format and the game play is fun at all player counts. As stated above, I don't like the semi-cooperative nature of this game, because I'd rather win/lose as a team or have a traitor on my team. It's not very fun with newer games explaining to them that their team won, but they didn't and leaves some people scratching their heads. Therefore, I would say if you are a fan of this period in time, consider picking up the game. If you are not, the game might still be for you, just at a lower price point than MSRP, so wait for a sale.