Tuesday 29 March 2016

Rediscover Lent - Matthew Kelly

Rediscover Lent 
Matthew Kelly
St. Anthony Messenger Press
ISBN 9781616362379 
eISBN 9781616364236
Beacon Publishing
ISBN 9781929266050
eISBN 9781929266890
ASIN B06X3WMNR6


This Lenten devotional is an excellent read. It is a collection of excerpts from Matthew Kelly's book Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose. But built around the weeks of Lent the focus each week is as follows:

Confession
Daily Prayer
The Mass
The Bible
Fasting
Spiritual Reading
The Rosary

It has an appendix with the list of Sunday readings for each of year A, B, and C. So has the breakdown of reading through until 2022. Matthew writes in such a friendly easy to read engaging style that you can't help but keep reading. So far this year I have read three of his books and have a few more in my two be read pile. In this volume each day has a list of bible readings for the day, a focus verse a longer reflection, a short meditation and then a prayer to tie it all together.

On Ash Wednesday, the first day of the devotional Matthew states "I find myself needing to turn back to God many times a day, in ways small and large. It is not a matter of guilt and it is not a shameful thing. It is simply that at his side I am a better person-a better son, husband, father, brother, friend, employer, and citizen. Over time, I have also come to realize, quite painfully, that when I turn away from God I am also turning my back on my true self." And that is the note that kicks off our journey. Then journeying for almost forty days on Good Friday he declares "Are we willing to change? I hope so. Almost every person I speak to about the future of Catholicism says, "The Church really needs to change," or something to that effect. What we perhaps forget in making this statement is that we are the Church, and so the real question becomes: Are you willing to change? Am I willing to change?" And to be honest if you read through this book, in prayer and meditation you will be changed. Changed by the word of god, and changed by your own prayers. 

This was one of five devotionals I read through Lent in 2016. I know I will come back to it again and I highly recommend it.


Books by Matthew Kelly:
I Know Jesus
The Long View
Decision Point: The Workbook
Decision Point: The Leader Guide
The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic
The One Thing
Off Balance: Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction
Why Am I Here?
Perfectly Yourself: 9 Lessons for Enduring Happiness
Perfectly Yourself Discovering God's Dream For You
Building Better Families: A Practical Guide to Raising Amazing Children
The Dream Manager
The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Art of Loving and the Joy of Being Loved
The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose
Building Better Families - 5 Practical Ways to Build Family Spirituality
The Book of Courage
The Shepherd: A Modern Parable about Our Search for Happiness
Mustard Is Persecution, Matthew Kelly Foundation
A Call to Joy - Living in the Presence of God
The Rhythm of Life: An Antidote For Our Busy Age
Words from God
Resisting Happiness
The Narrow Path
Our Father
The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity
Why I Love Being Catholic
Good Night, Jesus
In a world where you can be anything ...

Beautiful ... Series:
...

Rediscover Books by Matthew Kelly:
Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose
Rediscover Advent
Rediscover Lent
Rediscover Jesus: An Invitation
Rediscover the Rosary: The Modern Power of an Ancient Prayer
Rediscover the Saints

Audio by Matthew Kelly from Lighthouse Media:
Becoming The Best Version Of Yourself
The Best Way To Live
Don't Just Try, Train
Faith At Work & The Holy Moment
The Four Signs Of A Dynamic Catholic - Excerpt
The Jesus Question
My Spiritual Journey
Our Lives Change When Our Habits Change
Raising Amazing Children
The Seven Levels Of Intimacy
The Seven Pillars Of Catholic Spirituality

(Note: this books is part of a series: A Year of Reading Intention - Catholic Reading!)








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