Book Review: Mother Love

As you have probably figured out by now, I love to read.  At any given time I'm working my way through several books.  My latest book, arrived this past week and I was so interested in it, I have to say I read through it (meaning not every single prayer but all the other goodies) in ONE DAY!  I'm not ashamed to admit, I LOVE Mother Love!  It's a vintage book written in 1926.  So we are talking pre-Vatican II here.  You can imagine how many hidden treasures on in this book!  

What do I like about it?  Well there are several things that really spoke to my as a mother as well as something on this homeschooling journey.

This book is separated into 5 different parts.

Part 1 provides chapters on Morning Prayers, Night Prayers, the Holy Rosary and, my personal favorite chapter, Points of Doctrine (which provide the quick and dirty basics every parent should teach their children such as:  the 10 commandments, the 6 precepts of the Church, the Holy Days of Obligation (a few are different now but still cool to see what they did in '26), 7 sacraments, 7 capital sins and their virtue counterparts, the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit, the Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy, and the 6 sins against the Holy Spirit. (Um, who knew there were six?  There they are in the picture by the way!)  In that section there are many more simple straightforward goodies of our faith and I just LOVE it!  Clear, concise and to the point!

Part 2 is chock-full of various kinds of traditional prayers: prayers for mothers, prayers for their children, prayers for your child's vocation, prayers for a happy delivery, prayers for the new born, prayers for the conversion of a child, prayers for sick infants/a sick husband/sick grown child/sick relative, and maybe the most important section, prayers for the dying.

My Favorite Part of this Book:  The Ten Commandments of Christian Education.
This topic being so near and dear to my heart as a homeschooling mom!

Part 3 provides prayers to various saints.  Part 4 offers a plethora of information regarding indulgences, and prayers one can say to receive plenary or partial indulgences.  Word of caution:  I am not an expert in this area therefore I would recommend looking up the current list of indulgences to cross reference and determine which are still current.  But the prayers themselves are still so beautiful and worth praying!

Part 5 discusses the information relevant to the Confraternity of Christian Mothers. I am not sure if this group is even in tact currently but still reading through the recommendations and advice gave me some new thoughts on how I can help other mothers.  The very LAST chapter in this book is called Little Book Of Instructions, and will probably be the chapter you LOVE or HATE the most.  I read it, keeping in mind these are instructions written for mothers back in 1926 and found it both historically fascinating and, if I'm being perfectly honest, the feminist reel in my head was a bit irritated by some of the comments.  Why would I read it?  How could it be relevant?  Well, for me, I found there were some tips that I could use and some that would not fit in the parenting style of my family.  My rule of thumb: take what works and leave the rest.

And so there you have it!  A quick look into my new favorite prayer book, Mother Love.  It's a must have book in my list of prayer books and one I'll be carrying around with me to adoration.  The treasure trove of prayers alone make it priceless to me. You can purchase it at the link shared.

I give it:  5+ Chaotic Stars

Book Review: The Chapel Veil!

I just finished reading this very quick booklet titled The Chapel Veil: Symbol of the Spouse of Christ, which consists of two short essays written by Elizabeth Black and Emily Sparks.  I became interested in the theology behind "the veil" when I noticed a few women veiling at Mass.  I have not been exposed to much veiling previously, so as an adult to see a re-emergence of "veiling" was quite intriguing to me.  I, for reasons I can only attribute to the Holy Spirit, was drawn to these women and their exercise of veiling in Mass, however I had no understanding of the purpose or symbolism behind this tradition.


I suspect most of us are familiar with the scriptural basis for this tradition explained by St. Paul in Corinthians however we lack a true understanding of the context in which this chapter was written.   I have found a beautiful explanation here for this bible passage that makes much sense to me.  Again, I suspect, most of us were told since veiling was no longer required under the 1983 Canon Law, it was no longer necessary or we were indoctrinated with a terrible falsehood, that veiling was an outward sign of subordination to man, which is FAR from the truth!  Whether veiling be of necessity or not, I believe Mother Church, in her wisdom, provides each woman with the choice to decide this for herself.  Yet, what I needed to understand was, what this veil tradition was all about?  Why did it begin and why did the church require this tradition for 2000+ years before leaving it up to each woman to decide for herself?

By divine grace, I somehow became acquainted with a woman who veiled and suggested I order this booklet to learn more about the theology behind veiling. Upon reading it, I have come to realize the true beauty behind this tradition.  I recommend anyone who is interested in understanding the theology behind veiling, order this booklet and learn about this tradition for themselves.

I cannot stress this enough, that the reasons for veiling has NOTHING to do with submission to man and EVERYTHING to do with honoring our Lord.  So if you feel so inclined, click on the link above and learn about the symbolic and theological reasons for veiling!

This booklet is short, sweet, to the point and affordable.  The essays are easy to read and comprehend.  Within a few minutes, you will come to understand the reasons women all over the world continue to participate in this beautiful tradition!

I give it:  4 "Chaotic" Stars

Blessings to you and yours,

Book Review: Praying for Vocations

Praying for Vocations: A Meditated Rosary for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life, written by Monsignor Peter Dunne and Vicki Herout, is a book offered for FREE (plus S&H) booklet from Maria Regina Cleri, a Catholic apostolate whose purpose is to pray for the priesthood and consecrated lives. The booklet offers a prayer for vocations and meditation for each mystery of the rosary (including the Luminous mysteries). At the beginning of each decade a scripture passage is presented followed by a prayer for those considering and in various stages of answering the call to holy orders.  This pocket size booklet is easily transportable as well.

  

I enjoyed praying this rosary and the meditative prayers often bring up thoughts about the discerment and holy orders process I never would have thought to pray for of my own volition.  In a time where vocations are in desperate need, this booklet can be a wonderful asset to all Catholics.

Click on the link above to order your copy for free also.

I give it: 4 "Chaotic" stars!

  

Homeschooling: Supplementing Religious Ed with Bible Stories

Ok I know this should be obvious but I think, at least for myself, I know there is SO MUCH to learn about our AMAZING, rich, historic religion that I sometimes focus more on those things (Catechism, 7 sacraments, 10 Commandments, the rosary and other prayers, etc.) and less on the Bible itself.  However, I really wanted my religious education to be as complete as I can possibly make it.  Therefore, I decided to add "Breakfast with the Bible" to our daily lessons.  

As Pickle is still so young I began with what I had readily available to me, Little Golden Book: Bible Favorites.  This is a combination of three books in one:  Bible Heroes, Bible Stories for Boys and Girls, and Miracles of Jesus.

A word of caution when using non-Catholic approved Bible stories:  remember to read through them first prior to educating your children.  Be sure there is nothing contrary to Mother Church's teaching. If you find something contrary, you can make the decision to either present it with the Catholic teachings or choose not to present that story/book at all.  You'll know fairly quickly if you can use that resource or not so trust your gut!

The pros using this book (Little Golden Book: Bible Favorites):  

• The stories are written in a kid friendly manner.
• The stories are a VERY simplified version of their bible counterparts and hit on the very basics children would need to know initially about these bible characters.
• These stories provide, what I think, is a nice, brief, first introduction to these bible characters.
• This book is found in large commercial stores easily available.

The cons using this book:

• It cannot possibly fit all bible characters we would want our children to know about.
• The simplified versions of these stories still are missing some very important pieces of the story.  I find myself simply adding in the extra information as I am talking about each character.

I knew I needed to find something more age-appropriate but also Catholic based for my children so I went searching online and found....

Since beginning "Breakfast with the Bible", I have discovered another FANTASTIC bible resource for children.  The New Catholic Picture Bible offered via Catholic Heritage Curriculum is an wonderful resource!  It provides 74 bible stories presented from a Catholic perspective for children sold for only (are you sitting down) $10!  AMAZING!  Each story has a beautiful illustration followed by a fairly concise synopsis of that particular bible story!

How we do "Breakfast with the Bible":

1.  Read bible story:  I spend one whole school week on each story.  So, the first day of the week, we spend time reading and discussing the bible story during breakfast.  

2.  Coloring Page(s):  The second day of the week, I print out a coloring page (or pages) from a simple search on the internet, representing the bible story.    While Pickle colors in the page(s) we discuss the story once again.  It's a nice way to recap the bible story in order to help commit it to memory. 

3.  Extension activites: (rest of the school week) 

      a.  Discuss the Lesson:  We spend time discussing one lesson (or several) we have learned from this bible story.

      b.  Lesson learning activity:  I will try to take one lesson the bible story teaches and create some very simple type of extension activity for it.  Below is an example of what I used for Cain and Able's story.  

We discussed how Cain was not being a good brother to Able and that there are many, many ways we can be good brothers/sisters to our siblings.  Then I had Pickle color this picture and complete this writing prompt.  How easy it was to target written language and handwriting in this simple activity!

I have to admit, I am liking Breakfast with the Bible and am praying we can make this a family tradition!

So this is what we are using to supplement religious education at this time.

In the future, I am planning on purchasing the below curriculum to expand upon our study of scripture:

 Simon Peter School Scripture Study: This is a VERY affordable scripture study program for 3rd-8th grade. I am hoping to use this as a supplement once Pickle gets to third grade!

Now we all know what God does when we plan but this is what I'm thinking right now.  We shall see over the years how this goes!  Do you use a scripture study program with your children?  Please share!  And remember, even if you are not homeschooling, you can always supplement your child's religious education with whatever resources you feel are appropriate!!!!  It's not an ALL or NOTHING thing! I think that's what I love the most about homeschooling.  It's all about what works for you and your family!

Blessings to you and yours,

Book Review: Flame of Love

Did you know there was someone who lived into the late 20th century who experienced inner locutions from Jesus and Mary for over 20 years?  Did you know she was an ordinary housewife, mother, and grandmother with very little education who was chosen to share an outporing of graces with the world that will "blind Satan"?

Flame of Love, by Elizabeth Kindelmann, is an abridged version of her personal diaries that she kept for over twenty years.  Elizabeth was an orphan who grew up in communist Hungry.  She was married at 16 and widowed with six children by the age of 33.  Eventhough her family faced poverty and starvation, she never gave up.  Elizabeth worked several jobs at one time for many years to support her children but she was not well-educated.  In the early 1960s she began to have inner locutions, heavenly communications, between our Lord, Jesus and our Blessed Mother, Mary.  This diary was written at Jesus' request in an attempt to spread Mary's Flame of Love to all of humanity, which according to Jesus is "an outpouring of graces so great that they have not existed since the Word became Flesh".

The diary shares the spiritual struggles, sufferings, and ecstacies Elizabeth experienced through her communication with Mary and Jesus during the last two decades of her lifetime prior to her passing in 1985.  There are also a number of ASTOUNDING promises our Lord and Lady make to Elizabeth for ANYONE who performs these actions in the effort to share her Flame of Love.

As this is an abridged translation, the diary itself does seem a bit choppy at times but the true message is maintained.  Our Lady's message is the real reason to read this book!  At the end of the diary, there is a very helpful synposis from the translator, who breaks down the specifics on how we too can receive and share the amazing graces of this Flame of Love through very simple things you and I can do beginning today!

Note: this book is supported and approved by the Catholic church, has received the imprimatur of at least 40 bishops and has spread to countries all over the world.

And here's some really great news:  this book is FREE to anyone who wishes to obtain it through Myconsecration.org, a Catholic apostolate dedicated to teaching others about the joys and riches of consecrating oneself to our Blessed Mother.

The Blessed Virgin asks us to "Take this Flame of Love of my Heart.  Light your own heart and pass it on.  With this flame, enkindle all the hearts in the whole country.  Pass it from heart to heart.  This will be the miracle.  It will become a blaze that blinds Satan."  And how can we say "no"?

I highly recommend you order this book to begin your journey with our Blessed Mother's, Flame of Love!

I give it: 5++ "Chaotic" stars!!!

GO ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!!!!

Why Catholics LOVE Mary: Part 7!

Why do we LOVE Mary?  Mary "distributes to whom she wills, as she wills and when she wills, all His gifts and graces."  That's so important, I felt I needed to say this twice!!!!

So what can we do this month of May to honor Mary?  How about consecrate (or re-consecrate) ourselves to our Blessed Mother!  Go here to find out how you can do that!

All parts of this series are quotations from St. Louis De Montfort's amazing written work, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. (You can purchase a hard copy online) Now there is NO way to do this work justice with a few simple clips and quotes but I wanted to share just a few fantastic things he wrote via divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  His work has been hailed by Mother Church and I highly recommend you purchasing your own copy to prayerfully read and re-read over and over.

Check out:

Part 1

Part 2 

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Why Catholics LOVE Mary: Part 6!

Why do we LOVE Mary?  Jesus LOVED her!  He confided in her!  And she is the route in which all graces flow!

All parts of this series are quotations from St. Louis De Montfort's amazing written work, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (you can purchase a hard copy online).  Now there is NO way to do this work justice with a few simple clips and quotes but I wanted to share just a few fantastic things he wrote via divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  His work has been hailed by Mother Church and I highly recommend you purchasing your own copy to prayerfully read and re-read over and over.

Check out:

Part 1

Part 2 

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Why Catholics LOVE Mary: Part 5!

Why do we LOVE Mary?  She is the vessel in which Our Lord, the Holy Spirit, houses ALL OF HIS GRACES!!!!

All parts of this series are quotations from St. Louis De Montfort's amazing written work, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (you can purchase a hard copy online).  Now there is NO way to do this work justice with a few simple clips and quotes but I wanted to share just a few fantastic things he wrote via divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  His work has been hailed by Mother Church and I highly recommend you purchasing your own copy to prayerfully read and re-read over and over.

Check out:

Part 1

Part 2 

Part 3

Part 4

Why Catholics LOVE Mary: Part 4!

Why love Mary?  Because the Holy Spirit chose her!!!  

Why did the Holy Spirit choose Mary?  It's a divine mystery and I couldn't solve it even if I wanted to!  Ok.  Fine with me. I trust the Holy Spirit knows more than I do with my limited understanding of the eternal life.

All parts of this series are quotations from St. Louis De Montfort's amazing written work, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (you can purchase a hard copy online).  Now there is NO way to do this work justice with a few simple clips and quotes but I wanted to share just a few fantastic things he wrote via divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  His work has been hailed by Mother Church and I highly recommend you purchasing your own copy to prayerfully read and re-read over and over.

Check out:

Part 1

Part 2 

Part 3

Why Catholics LOVE Mary: Part 3!

Why do we love our Lady?  Why not?  The Holy Spirit loved her so much He became espoused to her through the incarnation!  And the MORE He finds Mary in us, the more willing He is to grace us with Jesus Christ!  That's good enough for me! :)

All parts of this series are quotations from St. Louis De Montfort's amazing written work, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (you can purchase a hard copy online).  Now there is NO way to do this work justice with a few simple clips and quotes but I wanted to share just a few fantastic things he wrote via divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  His work has been hailed by Mother Church and I highly recommend you purchasing your own copy to prayerfully read and re-read over and over. 

Check out:

Part 1

Part 2 

Why Catholics LOVE Mary: Part 2!

Why we love Mary?  It is only through her that we have been blessed with Jesus Christ!

All parts of this series are quotations from St. Louis De Montfort's amazing written work, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (you can purchase a hard copy online).  Now there is NO way to do this work justice with a few simple clips and quotes but I wanted to share just a few fantastic things he wrote via divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  His work has been hailed by Mother Church and I highly recommend you purchasing your own copy to prayerfully read and re-read over and over.  

Check out Part 1

Why Catholics LOVE Mary: Part 1

All parts of this series are quotations from St. Louis De Montfort's amazing written work, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (you can purchase a hard copy online).  Now there is NO way to do this work justice with a few simple clips and quotes but I wanted to share just a few fantastic things he wrote via divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  His work has been hailed by Mother Church and I highly recommend you purchasing your own copy to prayerfully read and re-read over and over.  

So why do we crazy Catholics love our Blessed Mother so much?  Simple answer...Because God willed it!  He CHOSE Mary to bring the WORD made flesh into our world.  It was part of HIS plan and our Lord is constant.  He was, He is, He always will be.  Our Lord doesn't change and He chose her!  He chose to do his GREATEST work through her when she was here on earth.  Why would be think He wouldn't want to do his GREATEST work through her in heaven as well.  Isn't that reason enough?

Come back for Part 2 on 5/4/15.

Book Review: Contraception and Catholicism

This book I actually WON from an online contest from Pat Gohn's amazing blog, The Back Porch!  Contraception and Catholicism, is a very short book that shares the stance of the Catholic church on the use of contraception and why Mother Church takes this stance.  But this book does not stop there!  Written by the director of theology programs for the TINE (Techonological Institute for a New Evangelization) as St. John's Seminary in Boston, Dr. Angela Franks, gives the basic truths about effects of the use of contraception based on the most current scientific and sociological research.

The truth of the matter is there is nothing earth-shattering in this book when considering the teachings of the Catholic Church.  However, the way science and sociology is supporting the Church's beliefs, is something I had not read before.  It's a view that makes logical sense to the most practical minds and it a great book for parents of teenage children (both girls AND boys) to discuss with their children.  

Although, the science lover in myself, would have loved to have MORE information on the studies conducted and cited in this book I still must give this book...

4 "Chaotic" Stars!

Blessings to You and Yours,

Book Review: The Navarre Bible: Letters of St. Paul

I stumbled upon this set of books called The Naverre Bible when I was searching for some type of more in depth study of St. Paul's letter to the Romans.  I was so pleasantly surprised to find this WONDERFUL gem out there on amazon.com.

The Naverre Bible series is an amazing series of books that take each book of the Catholic bible apart chapter by chapter and verse by verse adding important historical, linguistic and cultural information in order for a more complete Catholic understanding of the bible.  

Each book is a long-term study in and of itself. I'm only about a fourth of the way through the Letters of St. Paul book of this series and have learned SO SO much about the letters to Romans that I feel, I am looking at this book of the bible with new eyes.  

One of the greatest things about these books is that they are written by a wonderful group of theologians who understand how to present the religious, anthropological, sociological, and linguistic information which directly affect our understanding of the bible in an easily accessible manner for anyone who reads it.  I can't believe the luck with which I found this book series.  

I am looking forward to continuing my lifelong study of scriptures using this amazing book series!

I give it:  5 "Chaotic" stars!

Book Review: Christianity and the crisis of Cultures

This book written by Joseph Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVIth, explores how the culture of moral relativism is affecting Christianity.  Although, this book was written some years ago, it is still very appropriate for today's world as well.  When struggling with all the grays in the world, knowing Mother Church has it all figured out long before we even begin to ask the questions is quite reassuring.  However, how do we face the confusion and questions that are brought up in this morally relativistic world?  This book addresses this very thing!

A review on google.com quotes this work with:  "Unable to recognize God's existence or objective truth, morality is consequently reduced to a relative concept, leading to a 'confused ideology of freedom that leads to dogmatism' and ultimately 'to the self-destruction of freedom,' says Pope Benedict".

Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures is an fairly short book and an easy read for the lay person.  There is no difficult dogmatic information to digest.  Simply understanding where our culture is being led astray via relativism is it's goal and it is achieved well in my opinion.

I give it:  4 "Chaotic" Stars!  

Book Review: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska

I first purchased this book when I joined a group devoted to studying Sr. Faustina's memoirs and praying the Divine Chaplet of Mercy.  This book is actually a culmination of 5 notebooks Sr. Faustina wrote during her time here on earth.  It details her daily life experiences, her sufferings and her joys, as well as the visions of Jesus she experienced.  

The one thing that really struck me reading and re-reading this book is the physical suffering she endured and still she looked to the cross.  Still she offered up her sufferings to be in union with Christ.  

It's a beautiful, inspiring story of how one little quiet nun's experiences resulted in a world-wide devotion to Christ.

I give it:  5 "Chaotic" Stars!  

Book Review: Cathechism of the Catholic Church

Ok truth time, I have to admit that I had never owned a copy of the Catechism until I was an adult and joined a prayer group of wonderful women.  Why?  I couldn't tell you. I grew up going to Catholic grade school and it was never required so I supposed it was just overlooked in my family.  Boy, I did not know what I was missing!

When people ask me which books to check out when they are learning about, exploring, or returning to Catholism my answer is always the same...buy yourself the Catechism and see what the Church REALLY teaches. 

The Cathechism is well organized, easy to use, and easily accessible to the lay person.  It touches on every topic from what we believe and profess in the Nicene Creed to popular hot button topics such as marriage, contraception, abortion, etc. 

Don't have time or space to buy this book?  Grab the app for $.99!  Or even better?  Read the Catechism in a Year is a website that will send you portions on the Catechism to your email inbox daily for FREE! 

I give it:  5 "Chaotic" stars!