Thursday, December 2, 2010

What good is the Holy Spirit, why?


From The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit by Mitch Finley (Liguori Publications):

. . .we might want to give some thought to this "Holy Spirit" business.

If you have ever witnessed the birth of a child or the death of someone you love--if you have ever known the deep goodness of shared physical pleasure in a loving, lasting marriage--if you have ever been touched by the words of Scripture--or if a liturgy ever nourished you in places you had forgotten you had--if the words of a friend were ever just the words you needed most to hear--if you have ever felt deeply at peace for no apparent reason--if you have ever vented your anger directly to God and been relieved and a little surprised at how right it felt--if you have ever been able to pray when prayer seemed impossible--then you might want to learn more about the Holy Spirit.


To learn more about this book, or to order a copy, click here: Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Brand New for You: A Book on Patron Saints


From The Patron Saints Handbook by Mitch Finley (The Word Among Us Press):

The book you hold in your hands is jam-packed with the stories of patron saints. The material is organized alphabetically according to subject, so you can look up a particular patron saint easily. If you want to know the patron saint of animals, locate "Animals" and there you will find the saint's name followed by a summary story of his or her life. Some patron saints may surprise you. Did you know that there is a patron saint for divorce. "Divorce " appears in alphabetical order, too. There are far more patron saints than this book could include, of course, so at the end of the book you'll find a list of other resources you may consult to find a patron saint that didn't make the cut for this volume.
As you read or browse through this book, keep in mind that the saints you read about were flesh-and-blood people just like us. Unlike us, however, they now enjoy what we experience only partially and imperfectly, that is, loving intimacy with the God whom Dante, in his Divine Comedy, called "the Love that moves the sun and the other stars." At the same time, the very idea of patron saints takes for granted that the saints know what goes on in this world, and in our lives, and they care for us and pray for us when we ask them to do so. How delightful is that!


To learn more about this book, or to order a copy, click here: Patron Saints Handbook

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The perfect daily meditations book for Advent!


From Season of Promises by Mitch FInley (Wipf & Stock):

Advent is a lonely step-child of a season; it does not get the respect it deserves. Too often Advent gets lost in our wild dash toward Christmas. But look. Advent is the season of promises, filled with spiritual riches for those ready to accept its blessings. Advent is a season of promises.

In his song, "The Boxer," singer-song writer Paul Simon croons about "a pocket full of mumbles, such are promises." But not in this case. Advent is loaded with promises for a future we already have. It's a mystical season, full of promises already kept, promises from God to be Emmanuel, "God with us," always. Always. No pocket full of mumbles here. Only promises fulfilled, promises kept.


To learn more about this book, or to order a copy, click here: Season of Promises

Sunday, September 5, 2010

A Book on Being Catholic for Men Only


From For Men Only: Strategies for Living Catholic, by Mitch Finley:

The approach of this book is christological. Jesus of Nazareth was a man and Christian men should look to him as their model. Catholic women may–indeed, must–do the same, but how they do this is not this book's concern. Is it significant that Jesus of Nazareth was a man and not a woman? Let scholars of both sexes wrestle with this question, and good luck to them all. Jesus of Nazareth was a man, the Gospels take his maleness for granted, and this book looks to the Jesus of the Gospels for insights into a man's approach to being a Catholic and a Catholic approach to being a man.
Mind you, the maleness of Jesus is no reason for men to boast or women to be offended. It is simply an objective historical fact, and there is no reason to pretend otherwise. Jesus' maleness is not irrelevant. We acknowledge the fact of Jesus' maleness and pay close attention to see if there is something men can learn from this fact. Both men and women need to develop psychologically healthy and theologically sound ways to relate to the historical fact that Jesus was male. This book should be taken as a male contribution to that project.


To learn more about this book, or to purchase a copy, click here: For Men Only.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

God Loves Us Passionately


From Prayers for the Newly Married by Kathleen Finley (ACTA Publications):

Following a brief reflection, this prayer titled "On Waking Up Next to My Spouse":

God the source of all love,
the energy and the passion in our marriage
gives us a little glimpse of how passionately you love us.

Thank you for the joy you have given us in each other's bodies
and for the many ways we can show our love
and respect for each other.

Thank you, too, for the times just to enjoy and savor
the goodness of each other, especially first thing in the morning.

Amen.


To learn more about this book, or to purchase a copy, click here: Prayers

Sunday, May 2, 2010

An Embarrassing Wealth of Metaphors


From The Joy of Being Catholic: A Resounding Affirmation of Our Faith by Mitch Finley (Crossroad Publishing Co.):

Catholic joy comes, in part, from being able to relate to the Divine Mystery through an almost embarrassing wealth of metaphors, all of which are true, yet none of which say it all. God is Creator. God is Father or Loving Papa. God is Aroused Lover, and God is Compassionate Friend. Catholic poet Francis Thompson called God “the hound of Heaven,” who pursues us “down the nights and down the days.” And he was right.
Catholic joy comes from knowing that in the long run and the short run there is no need to be afraid or anxious because no matter what happens, good or bad, God’s love for us is absolutely reliable, more trustworthy than the best things that can happen to us, more powerful than the worst things than can happen to us. Even death.


If you would like to learn more about this book, or purchase a copy, click here: The Joy of Being Catholic

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Freedom of the Catholic Conscience


From Catholic is Wonderful! by Mitch Finley (Resurrection Press/Catholic Book Publishing):

A Catholic is one who can say, in all honesty, "I'm not perfect and neither is the church." A Catholic is one who is baptized, wants to belong to the Catholic Church, finds God in the Catholic community of faith, and finds there forgiveness, spiritual nourishment, courage, healing, and light to live by.
A Catholic is likely to find much wisdom and goodness in many,perhaps most, of the church's laws, but a good Catholic may also find some church rules that, before God, he or she simply cannot accept. To do so would be to violate his or her own conscience. St. Augustine, in the 5th century, said that even if an angel of God should order you to disobey your conscience you should not do so. This does not make you a bad Catholic, and anyone who says it does is a Pharisee in the classic mold.
I recall a wry remark of G. K Chesterton, a convert to Catholicism and probably the most quotable English-speaking Catholic of the 20th century: "Catholics know the two or three transcendental truths on which they do agree; and take rather a pleasure in disagreeing on everything else."
And how.


If you would like to learn more about this book, or purchase a copy, click here: Catholic is Wonderful!

Friday, February 5, 2010

"The most wonderful daily meditations book for Lent I've ever found!"

Each year we hear these words from people who have been re-reading this little collection of daily meditations each Lent for years, now. We hope you'll enjoy it just as much. . .


From Season of New Beginnings: Praying Through Lent with Saint Augustine of Hippo, Dorothy Day, Vincent van Gogh, Saint Teresa of Avila, John Henry Newman, Flannery O'Connor, by Mitch Finley (Resurrection Press):

Lent hits us right between the eyes with ashes on Ash Wednesday. Then day after day, for forty days, it whispers in our heart. Lent whispers: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." It whispers, "Repent and believe in the gospel." It whispers, "Do grow up, oh small of heart, small of spirit." It whispers, "God loves you with an infinite, unconditional love, a love so high you can't get over it, so wide you can't get around it, so low you can't get under it . . ."
Lent whispers and whispers, and so. . .we need some quiet times if we want to hear what it says. We need five or ten minutes in each of Lent's forty days when we do nothing but attend to what Lent may whisper in our heart. That's the purpose of [Season of New Beginnings]. Think of it as a spiritual compass, something to give you some direction for a few minutes in each of Lent's forty days. Or, if you prefer, think of this small book as a literary sparkplug, something to keep the spirit of Lent alive for you one day at a time.


If you would like to learn more about this book, or purchase a copy, click here: Season of New Beginnings

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Finley Book of the Month for January 2010


This prayer is from Welcome! Prayers for New and Pregnant Parents, which follows the process from wanting a child through pregnancy or adoption and on to the child's first birthday.

On the New Baby’s Baptism

Loving God,
thank you for the opportunity to celebrate baptism
with our child and our friends and families....

Thank you for the faith community of our parish,
that welcomes our child on behalf of the whole Church.
Help them and us to teach our child what it means to believe in you,
more by who we are than by what we say.

Give us the gifts to teach this child about faith.
Help us remember that our family is the first experience
of the community of believers that we call “church”
that our child will know.
Be present in our “domestic church”
and in our hospitality to those who come into our home.

As our child was baptized
into your death and resurrection,
help us to be willing to “die and rise” with you—
day in and day out—as we care for this child
and through our love for him
about yourself and your amazing, patient love for us.
Amen.

"[Simeon] came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." [Luke 2:27-32]


To learn more about this book, or to order a copy, click here: Welcome!