Here's an excerpt from More Savoring God: Praying With All Our Senses by Kathleen Finley (Resource Publications).

This is from the meditation on a ruler, titled "Ruler: A Generous Measure":

“Measuring” happens in more ways than just counting inches and pounds.  We live in a society that is very competitive and, therefore, quite judgmental.  If we’re not judging others, their looks or their actions, then we’re usually doing the same to ourselves, with even more severity.  But Jesus reminds us in Luke’s gospel not to judge at all, to remember God’s wonderful and gracious generosity and then to act similarly toward others.
    "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Luke 6:37-38).
    Generous and gracious God, help me to learn to “measure” with Your scale, to not spend my energies judging myself or others.  Bless those who work with measures of all kinds every day; keep them fair and honest, especially with the poor.  Help me to keep learning about and wondering at Your “countless” gifts to me.  Amen.

If you would like to learn more about this book, or order a copy, click here: More Savoring
To visit our website, click here: mitchandkathyfinley.com

Wisdom from the world's great religious traditions...

From Prayer for People Who Think Too Much by Mitch Finley (Skylight Paths):

Before we continue, I want to lay my own cards on the table. I am an active Roman Catholic, and happily so. While this might sound odd, because I am Catholic I consider myself uniquely qualified to write a book that draws on many religious traditions for wisdom and guidance. For the term "catholic" means "universal" or "all-inclusive," and Catholicism, the religion, is open to whatever is good, true, and beautiful regardless of its source. As a Catholic, in other words, I try to be catholic, with a lower case "c." I try to approach the experience of prayer and spirituality not just with my mind but with my heart, as well. I invite you to do the same.
I suggest that we acknowledge that prayer and spirituality constitute a mystery. This simply means that when we pray, we intentionally, consciously relate ourselves to God, the Divine Mystery, the Great Cosmic Presence, the Ground of All Being. Whatever. This means we must be willing to live with Someone or Something we will never understand–which is not such a startling remark since we can say the same for any human being we have ever known, including ourselves. Are you not a mystery to yourself? I thought so.

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

If you'd like to visit our website, where you can learn more about us and about our books, click here: Finleys' Website

New Edition of a wonderful gift & resource for families!

From Our Family Book of Days by Kathleen Finley (Wipf & Stock):

In February we dare to think about spring. The dark, quiet work of winter is almost over; it is time to prepare ourselves for the profusion of colors and scents that come with spring. The word "February" means "purification" and so this month we begin to look forward to Lent and the opportunity to purify ourselves in Easter hope.

Lent usually begins during this month and is preceded in many locales by a time of feasting and carnival. Carnival comes from the Latin Carne, which literally means"farewell, meat" because in the strict medieval fasts, no meat was eaten during Lent. The day before Ash Wednesday is known as Mardi Gras in French, or Fat Tuesday, in English. This tradition stems from the old custom of using up all traces of fat, dairy products and eggs before Lent, customarily on pancakes or doughnuts eaten on this day.

This is one of the best wedding or baptism gifts you will ever find, and a resource that families of all kinds will treasure for years. To learn more about this terrific book, or to purchase a copy, click here: Family Book of Days

The perfect daily meditations book for Advent!

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

We alerted you to this book last year, but just in case you didn't get your copy in time for Advent 2010, we thought we'd do so again:

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.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

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

Delightful, challenging reflections on virtue

From The Catholic Virtues: Seven Pillars of a Good Life by Mitch Finley (Liguori Publications):

Mae West was one of the most popular movie stars of the 1930s and a flamboyant sex symbol. She was famous for her come-hither
remark to various men, “Come on up and see me sometime.” There are many amusing anecdotes about Mae West, for example:
“Goodness, Mae,” said a friend, on greeting her, “where did you get
those beautiful pearls?”
“Never mind,” said Mae, “but you can take it from me goodness had nothing to do with it.”
The character Mae West played, even in her private life, wanted nothing to do with virtue because when she talked about virtue it was always virtue in the worst sense of the word. A virtuous person was, for the melodramatic Mae, automatically a puritanical person, a party pooper and a spoil sport. On the contrary, by a virtuous person I mean one who is capable of embracing life and living it to the full. Indeed, we will insist that only the genuinely good person is capable of enjoying life because the virtuous person finds the mystery of joy and love in all created things.

To learn more about this book and/or to order a copy, click here: Virtues

To visit our website where you can browse all of our books, learn more about us, and even hear a sound clip of Mitch playing the banjo, click here: Finleys

The ideal book for Catholic seekers!

From The Seeker's Guide to Being Catholic by Mitch Finley (Wipf & Stock):

If you are uncomfortable with the popular perspective which requires you to have no faith or think of religion as a mere hobby that has nothing to do with the real world; if you are dissatisfied with fashioning a private, "mixed bag" spirituality designed to satisfy personal needs but make few demands; if you cannot agree with the sectarian Christian perspective which requires you to turn off your intellect and embrace "blind faith" in exchange for absolute certainty; if you believe that Catholicism, the oldest institution in the western world, is not perfect, but it may have something to offer all the same--this book is for you.
The purpose of this small book is to offer some tips, some guidelines, on being a Catholic seeker. Perhaps you are curious about Catholicism, or you are thinking of becoming a Catholic. Maybe you were raised in Catholicism and want to know if it fits into your future or not. Or maybe you are Catholic and simply want to know more about what that means in today's complex, sometimes confusing world. This book will not answer all your questions, but it will join you in asking those questions and thinking about some possible responses. Think of this book as a literary companion on your quest.

To learn more about this book, or to order a copy, click here: Seeker's Guide

How to build a Christian family...

From Building Christian Families by Mitch & Kathy Finley (ASJA Press):

Virtually every major theologian whose subject is the theology of the church has neglected an important insight in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. There is little evidence in their writings that according to Vatican II the family is the "domestic church." Theologians either ignore this insight or mention it only in passing and show a limited understanding of its implications for both families and the church as a whole....
Those who belong to families intuitively realize that their faith makes little sense apart from what goes on in the daily experience of family relationships. Together with those who work closely with families, they know that the family--in its various forms--is "the foundational church."

To learn more about this book, or to order a copy, click here: Building Christian Families

Celebrate Mary's Month of May with "Surprising Mary"!

From Surprising Mary by Mitch Finley (Resurrection Press/Catholic Book Publishing):

We turn to you for protection, holy Mother of God. Listen to our prayers and help us in our needs. Save us from every danger, glorious and blessed Virgin. - The Oldest Known Prayer to Mary

Notice, this ancient prayer is not a private prayer, it does not begin with "I," it begins with "We." This is a prayer prayed together by a faith community, probably in a liturgical context. The feast of Mary we observe on January 1 brings her before the whole church, the whole people of God, and we recall that she is what the early church called her, in Greek Theotokos, which literally means something like "Birth-Giver of God," or "God-bearer," or "Bringer-forth-of-God."


It you would like to learn more about this book and/or order a copy, click here: Surprising Mary

Two books now available for Kindle readers!

Recently, Mitch Finley's two most recently published books became available in Kindle editions, on amazon.com. Here are brief excerpts from The Rosary Handbook and The Patron Saints Handbook (The Word Among Us Press):

From The Rosary Handbook:

The Rosary is simple, and the Rosary is deep. It is so simple that the humblest believers love the Rosary. It is so deep that many of the greatest thinkers and mystics down through the centuries have loved the Rosary. Indeed, the simplicity and depth of the Rosary are the simplicity and depth of the gospel itself, the good news of God's love and forgiveness for all in Christ.


From The Patron Saints Handbook:

The Catholic affection for saints was what led to the tradition of adopting saints as patrons of particular causes, groups, or regions. In The Patron Saints Handbook, you’ll learn about one hundred such saints. You’ll find out, for example, who St. Genesius was and why he is the patron saint of actors. You’ll discover why St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who spent her life in a cloistered French convent, is the patron saint of missionaries. You’ll meet the patron saint of firefighters, songwriters—and even astronauts.

To learn more about The Rosary Handbook, or to purchase a Kindle or regular copy, click here: Rosary

To learn more about The Patron Saints Handbook, or to purchase a Kindle or regular copy, click here: Saints

One great book on marriage!

Here's an excerpt from Building a Christian Marriage: Eleven Essential Skills, by Kathleen Finley (Wipf & Stock):

Let’s begin with some assumptions that underlie the way
I think about marriage. I have many convictions about marriage, most of which I will share with you in the course
of this book, but these four assumptions flow through everything else I will say.
1. Marriage is much more a process than a state of being. It makes more sense to think about marrying your spouse than being married. In many ways a marriage license
is a learner’s permit to keep learning about one another. And the many elements of your married life are interconnected. Change in one area affects all the others. Sensitivity to these interconnections, as well as patience and continual attention to your marriage, yields great rewards.
2. Marriages need support. It’s not your spouse and you against the world. Married couples need support from others in order to be strong. This support can come from other couples, from your extended family, from your church and community, from mentors and counselors. You will need to look for that support; it won’t just happen.
3. Married people need skills — today more than ever. Married couples today face challenges that previous generations seldom had to cope with. These include the flux in gender roles, intense economic pressures, the need for extended periods of education, rapid social change, and expectations for marriage and relationships heavily influenced by a ubiquitous, secular mass media. We need a tool kit of skills to cope with all this, tools our parents and grandparents didn’t need as urgently.
4. A Christian approach to marriage can make all the difference. In my view, the Catholic Christian way of thinking about and living out marriage embodies powerful wisdom about married life. It also makes available the best source of strength — the grace of God.

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

An ideal book for Lent this year!

From The Corporal & Spiritual Works of Mercy by Mitch Finley (Liguori Publications):

. . .it is important to notice that the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are deeply rooted in Scripture and Sacred Tradition. As we get into our discussion of each of the works of mercy, these connections will become clear. To turn our attention to these two traditional lists of ways to be merciful is to zero in on the heart and soul of a practical Christian spirituality and way of life. This is a spirituality for regular folks who live in the real, everyday world. It's a spirituality and a practical program of faith for the home and the workplace and all the ordinary places in-between that we all inhabit on a daily basis. It's a nitty-gritty spirituality, and there is nothing ethereal about it. So, spiritually speaking, pull on your bib overalls, strap on your boots, and don your construction site helmet, because we're about to explore Catholic spirituality as it take shape in its most knockabout ways.

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

If you don't yet have a copy of Mitch's little Lenten classic, Season of New Beginnings, click here to learn more or order a copy: Season

Revitalize your prayer life in 2011!

This month’s Book of the Month excerpt is a little different; you get some fragments from a meditation on ribbons and bows–like the ones you may have received on Christmas gifts. This meditation invites you to use all your senses. Although this meditation isn’t in Kathy’s book, Savoring God: Praying With All Our Senses, the book does include about 30 other meditations based on daily objects such as a hand, a mirror, or an address book. Each meditation uses each of our senses to explore an everyday object, several Scripture passages which apply to the object, and information we take for granted about the object. Each meditation then invites you to respond to the rest of your life in light of this meditation. Here’s a short sample of this approach to prayer:

“What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” - 1 Cor 4:7

. . . . . .

In most situations, giving a gift is an attempt to say the unsayable, to express oneself through an object, the thought that went into its choosing or making, and what the one receiving the gift means to the gift giver.
For a person of faith, all of life is a gift, filled with many signs of God’s goodness and love.

. . . . . .

God of all gifts in my life, thank you for the gift of life and for the many gifts I don’t recognize, including my health. Bless those who make and sell gifts, those celebrating birthdays or other holidays today, and all those talented with many gifts from You.
Please help me to take another look at all the gifts You give me; help me to even envision them with invisible bows and tags that say, “To you with great love,God.” Your love is truly the greatest gift I could ever imagine. Amen.

To learn more about this book, or to order a copy, click here: Savoring God

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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!

"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