One of the things I give up for Lent is reading for pleasure. That means, I stop reading novels and magazines and focus more on spiritual reading.
Right now, I have a box full of Catholic newspapers and magazines that my mom sent me a while back. I have not found time to read them. She send me Our Sunday Visitor, Crisis, Lay Witness, etc. Starting on Wednesday, I will make a conscious effort to read them all and then share them with others.
As for books, I am currently perusing our bookshelves to see what is appropriate for Lent and my initial choices are as follows:
1. Heart of Joy: The Transforming Power of Self-Giving by Mother Teresa.
Heart of Joy portrays the beauty and power of self-giving by introducing us to
the poor, not only in Calcutta but in our own homes and neighborhoods, and by
telling how God has given them to us as a means of knowing and loving him.
2. Interior Castles by St. Teresa de Avila
Interior Castle is one of the most celebrated books on mystical theology in
existence. It is the most sublime and mature of Teresa of Avila's works and
expresses the full flowering of her deep experience in guiding souls toward
spiritual perfection. In addition to its profound mystical content, it is also a
treasury of unforgettable maxims on such ascetic subjects as self-knowledge,
humility, detachment and suffering. But above all, this account of a soul's
progress in virtue and grace is the record of a life--the interior life of
Teresa of Avila, whose courageous soul, luminous mind, and endearingly human
temperament hold so deep an attraction for the modern mind.
3. Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri J. M. Nouwen, Donald P. McNeill and Douglas A. Morrison
In this provocative essay on that least understood virtue, compassion, the
authors challenge themselves and us with these questions: Where do we place
compassion in our lives? Is it enough to live a life in which we hurt one
another as little as possible? Is our guiding ideal a life of maximum pleasure
and minimum pain? Compassion answers no....
There is one book that I plan on buying tomorrow and that is 101 Inspirational Stories of Reconciliation by Sr. Patricia Proctor.
3 comments:
You are inspiring me. I was just going to give up martinis before dinner. :-(
Now I feel serious about doing something more spiritual. Your plan is very motivational.
I have decided to read the Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Blessed Emmerich this year for Lent.
Thank you Micki. I also give up listening to secular music and focus more on spiritual music. I was reading a book that suggested just turning off the radio in the car altogether in order to have a quiet moment with God.
MB: I read that book a couple of Lent seasons ago. It is very good.
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