Category: Book Reviews

Book Reviews · Reviews

Daily Roman Missal Book Review

Spes in Caritate2 Comments

Hello everyone,

I recently got a book which I have been wanting for some time: the Daily Roman Missal published by the Midwest Theological Forum! It is according to the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal and is the 7th edition, 3rd printing. This is a beautiful book and one which I think will be useful for years to come. The price was $56.47 on Amazon, which was the cheapest price I was able to find.

Physical Characteristics (Standard Print, Bonded Leather, Burgundy) – 5/5 stars

Judging from the pictures, I was expecting a beautiful volume; the book does not disappoint. The cover, as I stated before, is bonded leather. It is not flexible, but does feel  nice in your hands. The one aspect of this book which did surprise me was the size. It was small than I expected (about 4.75″ wide, and about 7″ tall). This feature is a positive one. It makes it more unobtrusive while you use it at Mass. It is a thick book (approximately 2″ deep), but not so heavy that it becomes unwieldy. The necessary trade-off for this, of course, is that the paper is a bit thin. It reminds me of the paper used in a high quality Bible: thin enough that you can read the text from the next page through it, but thick enough that it doesn’t tear easily. The creamy color of the paper is really beautiful.

The text is a readable size and font. This missal has really helped me to learn more about the Mass, and drew my attention to some actions of the priest which I had overlooked before. The pages of the Daily Roman Missal are gilded nicely, and the Order of the Mass is marked in red on the sides for easy access.

There are six differently colored ribbons, each a different color. The ends of the ribbons seem to be sturdy, and I think I can reasonably hope they will not fray soon. Since I did want to have a few more things marked in the missal, I have used a prayer card for that purpose. You could also use some of those tabs designed for textbooks.

Overall, the Daily Roman Missal is a well made, high quality book that I would recommend to anyone looking to follow what happens at the Mass more closely.

 

Book Reviews · Reviews

Review of “Mother Angelica: Her Grand Silence”

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Hello! Today I want to share with you my review of the sequel to Raymond Arroyo’s biography of Mother Angelica, which I have already reviewed here. This book is entitled Mother Angelica: Her Grand Silence. Her Grand Silence Photo

Physical Characteristics (Hardcover) – 5/5 stars

This book is really beautiful. I love the colors used in the cover, as well as the picture. Not only is the dust jacket well made, but the book inside looks nice as well. Not to gloat, but I am extremely happy because I got the first edition of this book :-).

Content – 5/5 stars

The first thing I want to say is that the Biblical quotes at the beginning of this book are quite moving. They provided me with something to really pause and think over, which doesn’t often happen within the first page of a book. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter were insightful as well. Though it is difficult to explain how, these quotations helped to convey the beauty and spiritual depth of Mother Angelica and her life.

While this book does briefly recap some of the material covered in Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles, most of what is discussed is new. The new stories about Mother Angelica’s childhood were fascinating. Much of this book is spent focused upon the period of time between Mother Angelica’s stroke in 2001 and her death in 2016. Readers learn not only about Mother Angelica’s life during this time, but also about the goings on in her monastery.

One of the most compelling stories was the account of Mother Angelica’s visit to Akita, Japan. The apparitions of Our Lady at Akita seem to me to be quite relevant to our times; learning about Mother Angelica’s own experiences connected with this apparition was illuminating. Chapter 3 of this book was about Mother Angelica’s mystical experiences. This section was helpful to me. Knowing that Mother Angelica also endured spiritual dryness helps me to get through periods without many consolations in prayer.

The chapter where Raymond Arroyo wrote about his own relationship with Mother Angelica was moving as well. Both hilarious and serious at times, it gave you a sense of Mother Angelica’s personality and how she interacted with people. My favorite parts of this book were those about Mother Angelica’s devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Her love for Jesus even when she was ill and infirm made me want to increase my love and devotion to the Holy Eucharist. I also like that Raymond Arroyo frequently drew attention to the value of old age, which as he says, “can be the most efficacious part of a life”.

Raymond Arroyo’s books about Mother Angelica have meant a lot to me. They have enabled me to “get to know” someone whom I was never fortunate enough to meet. They have provided me with a moving example of someone whom I hope to emulate. They have showed me the value of things which I barely understood before. Most of all, they made me want to love Jesus more every day. Thank you, Mr. Arroyo.

 

Book Reviews · Reviews

Review of “Manual for Spiritual Warfare”

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Are you all doing well? I am having a really enjoyable summer. My one struggle is that

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everyday, I find another book I want to order! There are so many magnificent books to read, and it is not possible for me to get them all! I thought that today I would post a review of a book which I have greatly enjoyed. It is another TAN Books publication! Today I will be reviewing Paul Thigpen’s Manual for Spiritual Warfare, which is available here.

 

Physical Characteristics (Leatherette Edition) – 5/5 stars

Like so many of TAN’s publications, this book is truly beautiful. The cover is simple, but elegant. The leatherette feels very nice when being held and is durable. There is a ribbon bookmark. The pages are made of very nice creamy paper, with the printing in black with red accents. The edges of the pages are silver and shiny! It is the same size as the Manual for Eucharistic Adoration; just the right size to fit in a purse. Overall, this is a high quality volume.

Content – 5/5 stars

This book carries with it a nihil obstat and imprimatur, which is especially important in a book dealing with a topic like spiritual warfare. This book is divided into two sections. The first section, titled “Preparing for Battle”, is devoted to explaining Church teaching on the reality of the devil, how the virtues protect us from evil, as well as the importance of the Sacraments and the Mass in our spiritual lives. It also explains the various things which people need to avoid to keep from opening the doors of their souls to the devil. I really appreciated the sober treatment of these subjects. I also thought that the book did an excellent job in warning those who are not trained exorcists with the approval of the Church against attempting exorcisms or directly addressing the devil. By doing either one of these things, the Catholic exhibits spiritual pride and puts oneself in great spiritual danger. This section of the book is really well done. It provides much needed information to people in an age when the devil and hell are too often dismissed as myths.

The second part of the books is titled, “Aids in Battle”. It is really the prayer book section of this volume. It contains quotations from Scripture, which provide ample fruit for meditation and prayer. It also has quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, quotations from various Church councils, and from the Saints. There are also many beautiful hymns and devotions. I particularly love the rosary meditations in this book.

The Manual of Spiritual Warfare is a wonderful resource dealing with a very important topic. It is not sensationalist, but rather provides a sober treatment of the topic of spiritual warfare.  It beautifully illustrates the truth that we can be confident that we are safe when we submit ourselves to the authority of the Church and frequent Mass and the Sacraments, and live virtuous lives. I really enjoyed the section which compiled many quotations from the saints. I had not seen a lot of these before and found them to be profound.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It is an invaluable resource for prayer and meditation!

Book Reviews · Reviews

Review of “Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles”

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Hello,

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How is your summer? Time seems to be just flying by. I cannot believe that we are already a week into July. It seems like we were just in May, but I guess that is how things go. Fall will be here before we know it! Today I thought I would give you all my review of one of my favorite books: Raymond Arroyo’s first biography of Mother Angelica. I originally read this a year or two ago, but have re-read it several times since then. For those of you who are interested, it is available from EWTN’s Religious Catalogue in paperback here.

Physical Characteristics (Paperback Edition) – 4.5/5 stars

I will not be able to really do a review of the physical characteristics of this volume because I bought my copy used. That said, I will comment that the cover is nice and the binding has held up well. My one quibble would be that the section in the middle of the book which has the photos is printed on the same paper as the rest of the book. I would have liked it if those were perhaps printed on some glossy paper, etc. This is minor though. It is a good quality paperback overall.

Content – 5/5 stars

I loved this book so much. Before I read it, I had seen a few programs on EWTN, but not very many. I did not really know much about Mother Angelica. Since then, I have watched many of the Mother Angelica Live reruns, and enjoyed them immensely.

The writing was very well done. It grips your attention. The descriptions of Mother Angelica’s childhood were fascinating; I only wish that more stories and anecdotes had been included. Learning about her family was especially interesting. It was also interesting to hear about how she became more fervent in her faith after a miraculous healing.

I found the account of Mother Angelica entering the convent to be so moving. Raymond Arroyo did an excellent job of describing the convent like it really was (i.e. full of human beings with flaws and foibles), but also of conveying the true beauty and high calling of contemplative life. This cannot have been an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. Mother Angelica’s close relationship with Jesus and her total dedication to Him were truly moving. Women considering their vocation should read this book, because it is a true portrait of the beauty which comes from total dedication to Christ.

Another wonderful part of the book which was really inspiring to me personally was seeing how often Mother Angelica placed her trust in God when other people doubted her. As a certified worrier myself, her radical trust in Jesus and His plan was a really powerful example. The book does a good job of portraying a real human being. Raymond Arroyo describes the pain and frustration which Mother Angelica experienced, but also shows her heroic response to that pain.

The account of EWTN’s founding was amazing. It was another testament to the power of trust in God. The book does an excellent job of describing Mother’s personal life in the midst of her activities. There was a nice section in the middle of the book with photos from all different periods of Mother Angelica’s life. I wish there had been more!

Finally, I think that the book fairly describes Mother Angelica’s conflicts with various bishops. It also details her response to the 1993 World Youth Day in which a female portrayed Jesus during the Stations of the Cross. I don’t know if anyone can watch the video of her response to that event and not want to cheer. I know that I certainly wanted to applaud! 🙂

Mother Angelica was one of the most inspirational figures of modern times. This book does what all the best ones do: make its readers strive for holiness.

Book Reviews · Reviews

Review of “Manual for Eucharistic Adoration”

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Hello,

How are you all doing today? I feel like I am in that part of summer where time passes slowly. There are not very many pressing responsibilities at the moment. I find it strange that when I have more free time, I feel less inclined to devote any of it to something productive. Isn’t that odd? Thus, this blog post is me valiantly struggling against the inertia of leisure :-).

Today I will be reviewing the Manual for Eucharistic Adoration published by TAN Books, and available here. It was put together by the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration from St. Joseph’s Monastery.

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Physical Characteristics (Leatherette Cover Edition) – 5/5 stars

This is one of the most beautiful prayer books that has been put on the market recently. You can feel that it is high quality. The cover is flexible and a beautiful deep red.  The leatherette has a nice feel to it, and is very durable. The design is simple and aesthetically pleasing. There is also a beautiful gold colored ribbon bookmark, which looks beautiful next to the red cover. The edges of the pages are gilded (YES!), and the paper itself is thick and creamy colored. The beginnings of the chapters have the first letter of the first sentence beautifully embellished in a style which calls to mind illuminated manuscripts. The printing is done mostly in black, with red used as a contrast color for the titles to great effect. When it comes to size, the book fits comfortably in my smallish hands. It would fit well in a purse.

Content – 5/5 stars (Extra Latin points!)

As usual when it comes to prayer books, I look for ecclesiastical approval. This book carries with it both a Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur. If you are wondering what these mean, EWTN has a nice Q and A explaining it here. The beginning of the book has a nice page for those who may be giving the book as a gift. It has spaces where the giver can write to whom the book is given, the occasion or date, and leave a note. I think this is a great idea, because this book would make a wonderful Confirmation or First Communion gift.

The book has an introduction and is then divided into two sections: “Preparing for Adoration” and “Aids in Adoration”. One lovely aspect of the book is that the very first chapter begins with a J.R.R. Tolkien quote, which is always good! It then goes on to lay out the Biblical foundations for the Church’s teaching on the Holy Eucharist, beginning with the foreshadowing in the Old Testament, and moving on to Christ giving us the Eucharist in the New Testament. Next, it describes the Biblical and historical roots of adoration in particular. The first section ends with a guide telling you how to go adoration.

The second section of the book begins by providing quotations about the Church’s teaching on adoration. Next come Scriptural quotations, which can be meditated on during adoration. There are also quotations from the saints. This section includes rosary meditations, chaplets, prayers, etc.  The chaplets I found especially helpful, as there were a few which I had not seen before. There are many traditional prayers and hymns. I also liked that some of them were sorted by your need or intention at the moment. Many of the hymns are English translations of originals written by St. Thomas Aquinas in Latin. Chapter 10 even has the Latin text of Tantum Ergo with an English translation!

This book is something which, ideally, everyone would own. It provides an excellent introduction to and companion for Eucharistic adoration. It is a wonderful compilation of traditional Catholic teaching and devotion to the Eucharist. The hymns are both beautiful and doctrinally rich, as all the best hymns are.  The amount of material here is enough to really kickstart someone’s love of Eucharistic Adoration.

Please consider getting this book, because it really is excellent. Even if you don’t, please make a Holy Hour this summer. In the midst of these lazy summer days, Jesus waits in the chapel. The King of kings and the Lord of lords is there; present your needs to him. In the midst of a world embroiled in sin, sacrilege, and blasphemy, let us make reparation to Him before Whom the angels tremble.

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas