Companion in Faith
ISBN 9781681927589
eISBN 9781681927596
ASIN B08LXJPD49
I stumbled upon the Our Sunday Visitor ‘Companion in Faith’ Series while doing research for the series ‘OSV Pocket Guides’, and ‘OSV Handy Little Guides’. I was able to track down the 5 volumes in this series and this was the third that I have read. I had previously read five other volume by Father Jeffrey Kirby, and really looked forward to this volume.
This is the one of the ‘Companion in Faith’’ books from Our Sunday Visitor I believe there are 5 volumes in the series; but only one every had an eBook edition released, that being this volume. This is a pity. I want to state that this is a wonderful little book or booklet. It was a n excellent little read, and reminder, it is one that could read repeatedly, and with new benefits each time. Second, I really wish this that others in the ‘Companion in Faith’ books were available as eBooks. After having read some in the series I want to read the others but almost never pick up physical books anymore, or if I do I scan them to make digital copies if I am very desperate to read them. Mainly due to my dyslexia.
The chapters and sections in this booklet are:
Introduction
I. The Peace of God
II. The Call of Mercy
III. The Strength of God
IV. The Care of Our Good Shepherd
V. Mary and the Gift of Peace
VI. No Longer Orphans
VII. Go and Teach
Conclusion
The description of this volume is:
“Life is a blessing, and it is good and beautiful. But sometimes it doesn't feel that way. Responsibilities and expectations increase, stress abounds, and we feel every bit of our limitations and shortcomings.
But there is good news! The sufferings of this life will pass. They are incomparable to the majesty of God's glory and his grace, which he offers to each of us. In response to the assaults of daily life, the Lord Jesus comes and says to us, as he did to the apostles when they were confused and scared in the Upper Room, "Peace be with you!"
In Living in Peace, you will find reflections, prayers, and Scripture passages inviting you to find peace, no matter your circumstances. These reflections were first given to believers to inspire hope during the Easter season of 2020, when most in the United States could not attend Mass because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Born in the trenches and given in a time of great need, the reflections in this book are a timeless reminder that God is greater than anything we might face.
May you receive God's peace and become an instrument of his peace to others.”
About the author we are informed:
“Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, STD, is a Papal Missionary of Mercy, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina, and a senior contributor to the Crux news site. He is the author of several books, including Kingdom of Happiness: Living the Beatitudes in Everyday Life.”
The volume has both:
Nihil Obstat
Msgr. Michael Heintz, Ph.D.
Censor Librorum
Imprimatur
Kevin C. Rhoades
Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend
August 21, 2020
I highlighted numerous sections while reading this volume, they are:
“During the quarantine, Christian believers celebrated Easter, the solemnity of the Lord’s resurrection. Unable to attend Easter services in person, many of the faithful streamed them online, praying in the midst of confusion, uncertainty, and a sense of abandonment. During the fifty-day Easter season that followed, the series of reflections contained in this book were first given to believers as a source of hope and a call to mission.”
“While they were initially meant to serve as encouragement in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, these reflections are not limited to a time of quarantine. With their focus on striving after peace so we can live our Christian call, they remain relevant for any time and any season of life, especially when we face moments of stress and anxiety.”
“The Lord Jesus comes and says to us, as he did to the apostles when they were confused and scared in the Upper Room, “Peace be with you.” With this bold, life-giving declaration, he exposes the chaos of our lives, names our burdens, and offers us a new and invigorating power that allows us to reclaim the beauty and redirect the narrative of our lives.”
“The peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, is more real and tangible than anything else in this world. The peace of God empowers us to enter the trenches of life with the sure knowledge that we are loved, and that we have the strength to carry and conquer whatever is given to us and whatever is permitted to befall us.”
“And now we are to redirect our energy and redouble our efforts to receive God’s peace and then become instruments of that peace to others.”
“Few needs in this life—whether real or perceived—can compete with the compelling need that we have in our innermost being to both receive and give mercy.”
“The Christian message of mercy is a divine gift. As such, it has always been viewed as a radical message in our fallen world. It rocked the ancient world when Christians first began to say, “I forgive you.” It shakes up our world today. Our wayward minds and hearts struggle to understand the dismissal of vengeance and the bestowal of mercy.”
“Throughout the Acts of the Apostles we see the marks of the Christian way of life. In the sacred narrative we can discern what it means to be a Christian community. This community is essential since it is the laboratory—the proving grounds and springboard—for us to live a life of mercy.”
“We were not created for a life of constant tension. We were created for glory. We are offered true peace in Jesus Christ. We are called to be recipients of mercy and to be instruments of peace to those around us.”
“The more we follow the way of the Lord, the more the Holy Spirit will be able to work through us, and the more softened and inclined our hearts will be to ask for mercy and to give it to others. This enables us to live the life of peace that Jesus won for us by his saving death and resurrection.”
“The Christian faith is not a religion for wimps. And it doesn’t make us wimpy, either. Instead, it calls us to denounce the evil spirits of indulgence, rash anger, entitlement, and self-pity, and to live in a spirit of freedom, love, and hope.”
“We are the children of the Resurrection. We are the sons and daughters of God. We have received his grace, which is his own life and power within us. Grace makes us strong. There’s no room in our hearts for wimpy or fallen spirits.”
“We will walk through this valley of the shadow of darkness, knowing that our Good Shepherd—the Risen Christ, the strong and powerful Lord—is guiding us and giving us his strength.”
“This is not a religion for wimps. There is no room for compromise, false accommodation, overindulgence, or self-pity. In the name of the Risen Christ, we send these dark spirits back to hell where they belong. They do not belong in the heart of a person consecrated to Jesus Christ.”
“As we seek to live in peace, this should be the petition of our hearts: “Lord I’m scared, I don’t know where things are going. I don’t know what’s going to happen in my life or in our world. Lord, it feels as if I’ve lost everything. The day is far spent and night is falling. Stay with me, Lord. Help me!””
“Our work begins with our loved ones, and then it expands to friends, coworkers, and neighbors. We are even called to shepherd our enemies by caring for them and seeking their conversion. This is the radical call of the Risen Christ! He has turned our fallen world upside down.”
“Will we let the Risen One shepherd us? Will we accept the call to selflessly shepherd others? Will we allow the Resurrection to triumph over self-pity and pride? Will we allow love to dispel fear? We decide.”
“Do we realize that we have been made for eternity? Do we fully understand that the things of this world are given to us in order to prepare us for eternal life? Do we let ourselves experience the wonder of being a child of our Father in heaven and a sibling to our older brother, Jesus Christ? The Holy Spirit has been sent upon us, and his grace is being poured into our hearts. We have all that we need to allow goodness to triumph over evil, and for peace to vanquish anxiety.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. I highlighted so much of the volume that I exceeded the maximum extract from my Kindle. This volume has a lot of practical suggestions and recommendations. Its is very different from the other volumes I have read in the series.
When I was in university, I was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ, there was a series of booklets by the founder Bill Bright, called Transferable Concepts, and by reading them many times you could almost memorize them and the message so that you could share it. This volume and series remind me a lot of those books.
This book and series would be excellent for High School Students, College or University Students and us older adults. It is easy to engage with. Father Kirby writes in an engaging manner and offers some personal. An excellent little volume, one any Catholic, or any Christian would benefit from reading!
Books in the OSV Companion in Faith Series:
For Those Who Grieve - Jeannie Ewing
The Beatitudes - Kathleen M Basi
The Power of Forgiveness - Patrice Fagnant-Macarthur
…
Books in the Handy Little Series from OSV:
The Handy Little Guide to Confession - Michelle Jones Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Holy Spirit - Michelle Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Lent - Michelle Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours - Barb Szyszkiewicz
Books by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby STD:
101 Surprising Facts About St. Peter's and the Vatican
A Pastoral Guide to Opening Your Parish
Be Not Troubled
Doors of Mercy: A Journey Through Salvation History
God's Search for Us
Lord Teach Us to Pray
Luke: The Gospel of Mercy
Thy Kingdom Come
…
