Monday, 26 May 2025

Macbeth Stratford Festival 2025 A Review

Macbeth
2025
Director and Designer Robert Lepage
Assistant Director André Sills
Creative Director Steve Blanchet
Assistant Director Félix Dagenais
Set and Props Designer Ariane Sauvé
Costume Designer Michael Gianfrancesco
Lighting Designer Kimberly Purtell
Composer and Sound Designer John Gzowski
Fight and Intimacy Director Anita Nittoly

Macbeth Stratford Festival 2025 A Review

Macbeth Stratford Festival 2025 A Review Set During Intermission

This was the first of six planned shows this season my son and I attended with shows ranging from late May to mid-October. This was also the first Shakespeare my youngest daughter attended, at 14 she was blown away by the performance. Over the last few years my son, who is now 17, and I have attended a number of plays in Stratford at the festival, and each year we have an ever growing list of shows we want to see. We eagerly await the announcements of the season’s shows and often buy our tickets early in the winter. The other shows we have seen or plan to see this season are As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, Annie, Anne of Green Gables, and Goblin Oedipus. My daughter loved this one so much we added a ticket the next night for her to join us for As You Like It.

My son and I read a version of this play before it before attending it. 

All three of us loved this production. It is an incredible experience from the beginning to the end. There were so many fantastic elements in this production.  

The summary of the play on the festival site states:

““IT WILL HAVE BLOOD, THEY SAY; BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD.” 

Three witches speak a prophecy of power to an ambitious warrior. When the prophecies prove true and the bodies pile up, where lies the blame: in prophecy, fate or Macbeth’s own secret desires? What alignment of stars guides the anti-hero Macbeth’s bloody hand? This bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy by visionary director Robert Lepage sets the uncanny action during the biker wars of the 1990s.”

The synopsis in the house program states:

“A mesmerizing prophecy. Unchecked political ambition. Tyranny and civil war. In Macbeth, Shakespeare dramatizes the consequence of individual evil with a stark clarity that continues to shock audiences centuries later.

Three witches speak a prophecy of power to the ambitious warrior, Macbeth. As the prophecies come true and bodies pile up, where lies the blame: in prophecy, fate or Macbeth’s secret desires? Are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth victims of fate, dangled before them in the form of three guileful witches? Or do the witches merely grant the couple permission to act out their power-starved will?

This bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy sets the uncanny action during the biker wars of the 1990s.”

After the play we have an almost an hour drive home, and usually spend the time discussing the performance. One of the things we often discuss is favourite performers. We each come up with our list, this time there is significant overlap.

My top ranking for the performers would be:
Lucy Peacock as Lady Macbeth
Tom Rooney as Macduff
Austin Eckert as Malcolm
Graham Abbey as Banquo

My son's top picks are:
David Collins as Duncan
Austin Eckert as Malcolm
Tom Mccamus as Macbeth
Lucy Peacock as Lady Macbeth
Graham Abbey as Banquo

My daughters were:
Austin Eckert as Malcolm
Lucy Peacock as Lady Macbeth
Maria Vacratsis as the Porter
Tom Mccamus as Macbeth
Tom Rooney as Macduff

The full cast is:

Macbeth, Thane Of Glamis, Later Of Cawdor, Later King - Tom Mccamus
Lady Macbeth, Later Queen - Lucy Peacock
Duncan, The King - David Collins
Malcolm, His Son - Austin Eckert
Banquo, A Thane - Graham Abbey
Fleance, His Son - Anthony  Frescura-Denomme, Daxton Scurr
Macduff, Thane Of Fife - Tom Rooney
The Witches - Aidan Desalaiz, Paul Dunn, Anthony Palermo
Ross, A Thane - André Sills
Lennox, A Thane - Emilio Vieira
Porter - Maria Vacratsis
Siward, An Earl - David Collins
Seyton - Matthew Kabwe
Messenger - Aidan Desalaiz
Paramedic - Paul Dunn
Detective - Anthony Palermo
The Murderers - Dakota Jamal Wellman and Matthew Kabwe
Bikers, Picnic Guests, Bodyguards and Others Played By Members Of The Company
3rd Apparition - Gordon Paul Miller

Understudies
Lady Macbeth, Porter - Michelle Giroux
Witch 1 - Christo Graham
Lennox, Witch 2, Paramedic, Witch 3, Detective - Josh Johnston
Ross - Matthew Kabwe
Macduff, Duncan, Siward - John Kirkpatrick
Malcolm, Seyton, Murderers - Tarique Lewis
Macbeth - André Sills
Banquo - Emilio Vieira

When my son and I found out that André Sills is the understudy for Macbeth we would love to go back and see him perform this role, in this production. This was an incredible staging and production of this play. According to my son it was 6 years ion development between Ex Machine and Stratford. The use of Light, sound, projection is masterfully done. The use of 6 motorcycles, and the staging with the mirrored surfaces to make the stage look much larger, and more populated is wonderfully done. And the rotating set of the motel with the wings that come in and out, and even rotate around to a backside, wow! And the use of windows in the motel and events partially in sight. Our only 2 complaints were Lucy Peacocks wig, all the promotional material has her grey hair and it looks magnificent, the red wig works but I think it would have been even more powerful with her natural grey, and my daughter commented on the same thing. The second is the tattoos they are too shiny, they need some powder to mute them, my daughter commented that they were at times distracting. Both teens commented on this. And as someone with several inking’s they all just look fresh and with protection cream on them. There has to be a way to mute it. Overall a masterful staging. 

This is an easier play to follow and one many have studied in high school or university. It is a story many are familiar with. The director’s note in the handbill states:

“Whatever the reason for its brevity, this great story doesn’t seem to have any of its limbs missing and reads as an impactful and concise modern screenplay. Because that’s exactly what The Tragedy of Macbeth is: a “modern” play. Whatever way you stage it or whatever historical period you set it in, its despotic tragic hero is easily recognizable in many political leaders past and present. So, the director should not try to “modernize” it but rather choose a context in which contemporary audiences can better grasp the twists and turns of the intrigue and the psychological complexities of the characters. One way to achieve this is to set a plot of epic proportion in a small and compact microcosm.

In our case, we chose the world of motorcycle gangs. Surprisingly, bikers seem to be ruled by the same medieval systems of hierarchy and rank, with codes of conduct and honour. It is a patriarchal system of governance where members show respect and loyalty to their leaders. It is often populated by good-hearted people who have chosen a different and adventurous way of life. But some are also highly skilled when it comes to murdering, drug dealing, arms trafficking as well as countless other illicit activities. And, of course, it is often a world of toxic masculinity where violent acts are normal rites of passage. In some gangs, patches are awarded to members as a badge of honour for having murdered on behalf of the club. In this kind of setting, a strong and ruthless character like Lady Macbeth would certainly want her man to prove his manliness. She actually manipulates him into murdering Duncan by challenging his masculinity: “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man.” Later, Macbeth himself provokes the murderers he hires to kill Banquo by questioning their manhood, and when Macduff learns of the murders of his wife and children, Malcolm tells him to take the news in a “manly” fashion by seeking revenge.”

And it concludes with:

“The challenge for an actor when playing these types of characters is not to condemn them but to try to understand their reality. At the start, Macbeth is a courageous soldier who is not inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires advancement. Duncan apparently has the merit to not be a corrupt boss, attracting “golden opinions” from others, and is even referred to as a saint. Once Macbeth kills Duncan, his ambition to hold on to his position becomes intertwined with paranoia. Rather than being able to enjoy the fruits of his ambition, he becomes obsessed with maintaining the power he has won. 

I believe a tragedy about a powerful leader with unchecked ambition is all too timely and definitely a “modern” play.”

This was another amazing production from the cast, crew and artistic team at the Stratford Festival. Of all the plays I have seen going back 40 years it is one of my favourite production. If you have the chance to see it, in theatre or on film if this is one they record we can easily recommend it. An amazing production we can easily recommend. 

Note: Photos by David Hou/Stratford Festival.

Macbeth Stratford Festival 2025 A Review Photos by David Hou/Stratford Festival.

Macbeth Stratford Festival 2025 A Review Photos by David Hou/Stratford Festival.

Macbeth Stratford Festival 2025 A Review Photos by David Hou/Stratford Festival.

Macbeth Stratford Festival 2025 A Review Photos by David Hou/Stratford Festival.

Reviews of Other Stratford Productions:
The Tempest - Stratford Festival 2019 
Richard III – 2022
Hamlet – 2022
The Miser – 2022
King Lear – 2023
Grand Magic – 2023
Cymbeline – 2024
Twelfth Night – 2024
The Tempest - 2026  
Something Rotten – 2026 
Othello - 2026 
Saturday, Sunday, Monday - 2026 
…

Reviews of Shakespeare Movies:
Cymbeline – 2014

Related Posts:




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Sunday, 25 May 2025

Novena App - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua

Novena App
Barbara Calamari

Novena App - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua

I have now read all the books read by Barbara and Sandra, have had this app for many months. I greatly enjoyed their books and wanted to write this review to promote this wonderful app. The description of this app states:

“The saints, having been human, lived every type of earthly existence and it is in the details of their life stories that we find their patronages. By invoking the saints, we ask for guidance in overcoming our own earthly trials, much like one would ask advice of a family member or friend. Meditating on the lives of these remarkable people inspires us to conquer our own personal obstacles.

A novena is a nine day period of prayer. Usually the novena prayer is recited nine times in a row for nine consecutive days, the repetitive nature of the prayer serves to bring on a quiet and meditative state. When ones mind quiets down, it allows the solution to a problem to appear or even help in the acceptance of an unchangeable life challenge.

To help you find a saint that can aid you with your specific dilemma, we have divided this app of thirty-six saints into four categories: Health, Occupations, Situations and States of Life. You can find your saint by personally relating to their history, by being drawn to the illustrated depictions in their holy cards, or by searching the Glossary of extensive problems and life situations.

Our beautiful vintage holy cards depict the saints with the enigmatic attributes and symbols that are commonly used to represent them. Brief explanations of these symbols are given to help decipher the visual iconography in their images. The prayers in this app are universally known and have been used for centuries as tools in obtaining clarity and peace of mind. All are free to utilize them, regardless of one's faith or religious belief.”

The categories of Novenas in the app are:

Health
Occupations
Situations
States of Life

Angels
Evangelists
Holy People
Martyrs
Mystics
All Saints
Favorites

There is also a glossary in the app.

Health
     Saint Agatha
     Saint Aloysius
     Saint Alphonsus 
     Saint Blasie
     Saint Dymphna
     Saint Gerard
     Saint John
     Saint Lucy
     Saint Peregrine

Occupations
     Saint Catherine – Philosophers
     Saint Clare – Television Work
     Saint Francis – Ecologists
     Saint Gabriel – Teachers
     Saint Michael – Policemen
     Saint Raphael – Travelers
     Saint Thomas – Students
     Saint V Ferrer – Builders
     Saint Xavier - Missionaries

Situations
     Saint Anthony –Lost Objects
     Divine Infant – Financial Distress
     Guadalupe – Motherly Comfort
     Saint Jude – Impossible Causes
     Padre Pio – Forgiveness
     Perpetual Help – Redemption
     Sacred Heart – Family Peace
     Sorrows – Grief
     Saint Therese - Love

States of Life
     Saint Joachim and Anne – Grandparents
     Saint Joseph – Fathers
     Saint Martin – Mixed Race People
     Saint Monica – Wayward Children
     Mother Cabrini – Immigrants
     Saint Philomena – Poverty
     Saint Raymond – Newborns
     Saint Rita – Marital Problems
     Saint Vincent DePaul – Abandoned Children

Angels
     Saint Gabriel – Techers
     Saint Michael – Policemen
     Saint Raphael – Travelers

Evangelists
     Saint John – Heart Ailments
     Mother Cabrini – Immigrants
     Saint Raymond – Newborns
     Saint Thomas – Students
     Saint Ferrer – Builders
     Saint Xavier - Missionaries

Holy People
     Saint Aloysius – AIDS
     Saint Alphonsus – Arthritis
     Saint Blaise – Throat Ailments
     Divine Infant – Financial Distress
     Guadalupe – Motherly Comfort
     Saint Joachim and Anne – Grandparents
     Saint Joseph – Fathers
     Saint Monica – Wayward Children
     Saint Peregrine – Cancer
     Perpetual Help – Redemption
     Saint Philomena – Poverty
     Sacred Heart – Family Peace
     Sorrows – Grief
     Saint V DePaul – Abandoned Children

Martyrs
     Saint Agatha – Breast Cancer
     Saint Catherine – Philosophers
     Saint Dyphna – Mental Illness
     Saint Jude – Impossible Causes
     Saint Lucy - Blindness

Mystics
     Saint Anthony – Lost Objects
     Saint Clare – Television Work
     Saint Francis – Ecologists
     Saint Gerard – Infertility
     Saint Martin – Mixed Raced People
     Padre Pio – Forgiveness
     Saint Rita – Marital Problems
     Saint Therese - Love

All Saints
     Saint Agatha – Breast Cancer
     Saint Aloysius – AIDS
     Saint Alphonsus – Arthritis
     Saint Anthony – Lost Objects
     Saint Blaise – Throat Ailments
     Saint Catherine – Philosophers
     Saint Clare – Television Work
     Divine Infant – Financial Distress
     Saint Dyphna – Mental Illness
     Saint Francis – Ecologists
     Saint Gabriel – Teachers
     Saint Gerard – Infertility
     Guadalupe – Motherly Comfort
     Saint Joachim and Anne – Grandparents
     Saint John – Heart Ailments
     Saint Joseph – Fathers
     Saint Jude – Impossible Causes
     Saint Lucy - Blindness
     Saint Martin – Mixed Race People
     Saint Michael – Policemen
     Saint Monica – Wayward Children
     Mother Cabrini – Immigrants
     Padre Pio – Forgiveness
     Saint Peregrine – Cancer
     Perpetual Help – Redemption
     Saint Philomena – Poverty
     Saint Raphael – Travelers
     Saint Raymond – Newborns
     Saint Rita – Marital Problems
     Sacred Heart – Family Peace
     Saint Therese - Love
     Saint Thomas – Students
     Saint V DePaul – Abandoned Children
     Saint V Ferrer – Builders
     Saint Xavier - Missionaries
     Sorrows – Grief

Favorites
     (You can favourite any of the above.)

A sample novena is:

Novena App - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Saint Philomena

“St. Philomena, 291-304
Feast date August 11

Novena to Saint Philomena
Patron of The Poor, Children, Babies, Priests, Lost Causes, Youth.

0 Faithful Virgin and glorious martyr, St. Philomena, who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowing, have pity on me. Thou knowest the multitude and diversity of my needs. Behold me at thy feet, full of misery, but full of hope. I entreat thy charity, 0 great Saint! Graciously hear me and obtain from God a favourable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before thee. (Mention your intention).

I am firmly convinced that through thy merits, through the scorn, the sufferings and the death thou didst endure, united to the merits of the Passion and death of Jesus, thy Spouse, I shall obtain what I ask of thee, and in the joy of my heart I will bless God, who is admirable in His Saints. Amen

End with:
Saint Philomena, powerful with
God, pray for us!
Saint Philomena, powerful with
God, hear our prayers!

History:
''It might well be that her name is not Philomena, but this Saint has performed many miracles and it is not the name that did them.''
Padre Pio

Never officially canonized, and listed in the local Calendar of Saints for only 130 years before being removed, Saint Philomena enjoys a unique and fervid following among common people, popes and saints. Her remains discovered seventeen centuries after her death, Saint Philomena is known as one of the great Wonder Workers of the nineteenth century and is the only person declared a saint based solely on their intercessory powers. Recognized for her miraculous influence by six popes and ten different saints who have claimed personal experiences through her intervention, she is called upon when things look most hopeless. Discovered by a priest who hailed from a poverty-stricken parish near Naples, she is said to be particularly in tune with the needs of the poor. 

In 1802, the bones of a girl between the ages of 1 3 and 15 were discovered in the Catacombs of Priscilia in Rome, Italy. Three tiles closing off her space hollowed into the rock read, ''Peace be with thee, Philomena''. Entombed with the girl was a vial thought to contain blood as well as drawings of a palm, two anchors and three arrows. Because these images were well known symbols used by early Christians to convey martyrdom, it was established that the girl was one of the many virgin martyrs in the early, underground church. In 1805 a young priest from the diocese of Nola (a district near Naples requested the Vatican to allow him to obtain a relic for the new altar in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Mugnano. Because he felt a spiritual affinity when he was near her remains, he was allowed to take the relics of the recently discovered virgin martyr back with him. Before her remains were translated to the church, they were put on display in Naples. Almost immediately, there were reports of miraculous healing. When her relics arrived in Mugnano on August 11 , 1805, a cult rapidly grew, attributing many miracles to the intercession of the little martyr.

In 1833 a Neapolitan nun, Sister Maria Luisa de Gesu, claimed to have a vision of Philomena who relayed her life story. According to her vision, Philomena was the daughter of the king of Corfu in Greece. When the Emperor Diocletian of Rome threatened her father's kingdom with war, he travelled to Rome with his family in order to obtain peace. There Philomena discovered Christianity and vowed her virginity to Christ. But the Emperor saw how beautiful she was and he asked to marry her. Because the young girl refused him, she was tortured and then drowned with an anchor tied around her neck. When two angels raised her up out of the sea, she was shot with arrows. After this failed to kill her, she was decapitated. According to the nun's vision, Philomena declared that August 11th, the day her relics were installed in Mugnano, was also the anniversary of her death.

In 1835, when Pauline Jaricot, the well-known and respected French reformer was gravely ill with heart disease, she made a pilgrimage to Mugnano and was completely cured by Philomena. News of this event spread throughout France and Spain and Philomena attracted such notable devotees as Saint Anthony Mary Claret from Spain and Saint John Vianney of France who built his own shrine to the little martyr. Several popes, while still cardinals paid visits to Philomena's shrine. Pope Pius IX credits her with curing him of epilepsy. Saints such as Francis Xavier Cabrini, Padre Pio and Father Damian are numbered among her devotees. When the Calendar of Saints was reassessed to only list saints who had historical proof of their existence, Philomena lost her place. Her cult is still very strong and pilgrims from around the world visit her shrine in Mugnano.” 

I love this app and all the books about saints this duo has written. This is a great app. It will even add a reminder of the feast day to your calendar for you. I hope that the list of saints and sample novena and history will spark your interest. It is a wonderful app, my youngest two teen kids love it. I can easily recommend this app.

Link to the Novena App on IOS.

Novena App - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Sample 1

Novena App - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Sample 2

Novena App - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Sample 3

Novena App - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Sample 4

Books by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua:
Holy Cards (2004)
…

Other items by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua:
Our Lady of Guadalupe in a Box: A Novena Prayer Kit (2002)
Holy Cards: Note Card Set in a Drawer (2005)
...

Books by Barbara Calamari:
The Bible Companion: The Complete Illustrated Handbook to the Holy Scriptures
…

Patron Saints - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua

Visions of Mary - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua

Holy Cards - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua

Saints Ancient & Modern - Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Alternate Cover

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Saturday, 24 May 2025

Divine Mercy Prayer Book - The Marian Fathers - CTS Prayers and Devotions

Divine Mercy Prayer Book
The Marian Fathers 
ISBN 9781860826375
ISBN 1860826377
CTS Booklet D725

Divine Mercy Prayer Book - The Marian Fathers - CTS Prayers and Devotions

I have read over 80 books and booklets that are part of the CTS Prayers & Devotions Series. Some of the earlier ones are just mark CTS Devotions, but more recent ones have both Prayers and Devotions listed as the series name. This series has spanned decades. It has had books come in and out of print. This volume was published in the 2010 and there is no eBook edition. It is based on a volume from the Marian Fathers that was released in 1987. Over the last several years I have fallen in love with the books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society. As of the reading of this volume I have read over 430 volumes. And still have almost 200 on my ‘wish list’. But back to the volume at hand. 

The description of this volume states:

“A collection of prayers associated with the Divine Mercy devotion and extracted from St Faustina’s diary are included here alongside traditional Catholic prayers. An explanation of the Divine Mercy devotion and its origins is also included..

The Divine Mercy message reminds us of what the Church has always taught: God is merciful and forgiving and we, too, must show mercy and forgiveness. It calls people to a deeper understanding that God's love is unlimited and available to everyone – especially the greatest sinners. 

The Divine Mercy Prayer Book invites you to meditate upon God's merciful love with this assortment of prayers associated with the Divine Mercy devotion, prayers seeking the intercession of or written by St Faustina, and traditional Catholic prayers. Also featuring an explanation of the message and devotion to the Divine Mercy, this booklet contains everything you need to increase your own devotion to the Divine Mercy."

Both the original edition and the CTS edition have received the Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur. The chapters in the book are:

Introduction 
Catholic Prayers 
     Our Father 
     Hail Mary 
     Glory be to the Father 
     The Apostles' Creed 
     An Act of Contrition 
     The Memorare 
     The Angelus 0
     The Regina Caeli 
     The Hail Holy Queen 
     The Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
     The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
     The Litany to St Joseph 
     The Litany to All Saints 

Message and Devotion to the Divine Mercy 
     The Feast of the Divine Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday) 
     The Image of the Merciful Jesus 
     The Chaplet to the Divine Mercy 
     The Hour of Mercy ("Three O'clock Prayer") 
     Spreading the Divine Mercy Devotion 

Prayers with St Faustina 
     The Holy Rosary 
     The Stations of the Cross 
     Chaplet to the Divine Mercy 
     Novena to the Divine Mercy 
     Three O'clock prayers 
     Litany to the Divine Mercy 
     Prayer to the Divine Mercy 
     Prayer to the Mother of Mercy 
     Prayer for acceptance of God's will 
     Prayer for enlightenment 
     Prayer for healing 
     Prayer for trust 
     Prayer in times of suffering 
     Prayer for a happy death 
     Prayer for the grace to be merciful towards others 
     Prayer for sinners 
     Prayer for the dying 
     Prayer for the Holy Souls 
     Prayer for priests 
     Prayer for one's native country 
     Short, exclamatory prayers 

Prayers through the Intercession of St Faustina 
     Litany to St Faustina 
     Novena to St Faustina 
     Prayer to obtain Graces 

Act of Entrustment of the World to the Divine Mercy 

I only highlighted a few of passages while working through this volume, because most of the booklet is prayers, some of them are:

“The purpose of this Prayer book is to help you to discover the depth and richness of God's Mercy. The mystery of God who is rich in Mercy was fully manifested in Jesus Christ.”

“The message of the Divine Marcy is nothing new, just a reminder of what the Church has always taught: that God is merciful and forgiving and that we, too, must show mercy and forgiveness.”

“The devotional practices proposed in the Diary of St Faustina and set forth in this Prayer Book are completely in accordance with the teaching of the Church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Saviour. Properly understood and implemented, they will help us grow as genuine followers of Christ.”

“When we look at the Image of the Merciful Saviour, or pause for prayer at three o'clock, or pray the Chaplet – are these things drawing us closer to the real sacramental life of the Church and allowing Jesus to transform our hearts?”

“Thus, to fittingly observe the Feast of Mercy, we should:
1. Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter;
2. Sincerely repent of all our sins;
3. Place our complete trust in Jesus;
4. Go to confession, preferably before that Sunday;
5. Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;
6. Venerate the Image of the Divine Mercy;
7. Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and prayers on their behalf.”

“Many different versions of this image have been painted, but our Lord made it clear that the painting itself is not what is important.”

I have had this volume on my bedside table for a few years now. But had not got around to reading it through. I have a small collection of physical prayer books there. I loved how so many of the prayers come from Saint Faustina’s diary, it also contains many traditional Catholic Prayer. I really appreciated the Rosary and Stations of the Cross with reflections from Faustina’s diary. It is an excellent volume. I can easily recommend this volume it would be a great addition to any school, home, or church. It is an excellent prayer book from the CTS.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For reviews of other books in the CTS Prayers & Devotions series click here.

Other books about Divine Mercy and Saint Faustina:

Divine Mercy Prayer Book - The Marian Fathers - CTS Prayers and Devotions

The Divine Mercy and Sister Faustina - Father Andrew Witko - CTS Prayers and Devotions Rebranded

The Divine Mercy and Sister Faustina - Father Andrew Witko - CTS Prayers and Devotions


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Friday, 23 May 2025

Union with God Living the Christ Life - Father David Vincent Meconi - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

Union with God: 
Living the Christ Life
Father David Vincent Meconi
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860823602
eISBN 9781784693107
ASIN B072XNXD54
CTS Booklet SP12

Union with God Living the Christ Life - Father David Vincent Meconi - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

I have been focusing on this series and CTS books by Pope Benedict XVI lately, I have been tracking down as many of each as I can find. This is another excellent volume in a great series. Over the last several years, I have read many books from the Catholic Truth Society, over 440 of them in fact; many read more than once; this all since the spring of 2018. Most were good reads; some were great reads; and a few are exceptional. This was the nineteenth in the Deeper Christianity Series that I have read; many of them have been read twice. This is the first I have read by Father David Vincent Meconi, and I believe the only one of his published by the CTS. This series one is very different than many of the others, and to be honest one I will need to read again soon. This booklet was originally published 2006 and the eBook was released in 2017. The description of this volume is:

“St Athanasius famously said that 'the Son of God became man so that we might become God.' This ebooklet delves into what it means for a Christian to not only have a relationship with God but become so united with Him that we take part in his divinity. The Deeper Christianity Series delves into the mysteries of Christianity, opening up the spiritual treasures of the Church.”

About the author we are informed:

“Fr David Vincent Meconi SJ is a member of the Chicago Province (USA) of the Society of Jesus, currently residing at Campion Hall, Oxford. Apart from his many pastoral duties, his academic specialty is the thought of St Augustine of Hippo as well as the place of prayer and the emergence of a Christian culture in the early Church.”

The chapters in the book are:

The Divine Plan of Salvation
The Great Exchange
New Creatures in the Spirit of Holiness
Seeking the Grace of Union
Prayer for Union with God
Futher Reading

I really enjoyed the prayer at the end of the volume, and added a few volumes that were mentioned in this work to my ‘to be read list’. I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume, some of them are:

“The hidden beauty of Jesus Christ is not only that he longs to live for you, it is not even that he lives with you or through you, but that he actually desires to live in you and, we might dare to say, as you!”

“This little book sets out to explore the Catholic Church’s teaching on divine union. Living the Christ life is the consummation of the Christian promise: that we are to become one with God.”

“As splendid as the gifts of this world and our natural lives are, they are infinitely outmatched by the divine life God desires to pour into our souls.”

“This is what this Deeper Christianity series is all about: being drawn into the life of the Lord ever deeper by allowing him to be drawn into our life more intimately.”

“Our lives have been instilled with and directed toward a particular purpose.”

“It is therefore of the utmost importance that Christians today be able to articulate why God has brought every human person into being.”

“Can you honestly say that intimacy with God is your life’s ultimate aim which guides all of your activities and provides you with an absolute target from which all your other (penultimate) goals are measured?”

“Once we are resolute on becoming saints, only then does it make sense to begin to make plans regarding all the “other things on the face of the earth”.”

“Upon joining religious life, many imagined I quit my job because I was too holy when, in fact, I left because I knew myself too weak.”

“As mentioned, God created man and woman for no other reason than his very own self.”

“Through Mary’s fiat-her ‘yes’ to God-and in Mary’s womb, Jesus Christ became the perfect human. The only begotten Son of God attached our human nature to his divine personhood, and in so doing, deified all of humanity.”

“Whenever we love with true charity or forgive as the Father has forgiven us, we partake of his divinity which is never really ‘ours’ by nature but which has been made accessible to us in Jesus Christ’s becoming one of us.”

“The deification taught by the ancient Church points us to nothing other than the divine intimacy available in Christ’s sacred humanity, to the only one in whom we are invited to place all of our desires and experiences.”

“At the Annunciation two marvellous events took place. First, when Mary spoke her total ‘yes’ to God, divinity was united with humanity.”

“Not only does Christ now unite his eternal divinity with his newly-acquired humanity in Mary, he makes his own divinity available to all of human persons.”

“Let us all arise! We have been made for neither hell nor earth, but for heaven. Let us all arise and begin to live there now. In our thoughts and in our actions, let us live as the pilgrims we are: men and women made for eternal beatitude in Christ. Let us live as Christ!”

“If we are going to become ‘other Christs’ we must possess the same Spirit as Christ. Becoming a child of God can be done only in God’s Spirit.”

“Have you ever noticed for whom Christ reserves his strongest words? He never speaks sharply to sinners, he never glares at tax collectors or prostitutes. He is never harsh to the weak and struggling. Rather, he saves his fiercest words for the hypocrites-the professional religious-who think and act as if they are not in need of a Saviour.”

“Although the genetic makeup is different-Christ being Son by nature and we children by grace-we are no less son or daughter. Furthermore, God has seen to it that we need not belong to a ‘single parent’ family. In this adoption process he has provided the best of all possible mothers, his own!”

“What happens to us in the Holy Spirit is that we are made not begotten children of God.”

“To be ‘sanctified’ comes from the Latin, ‘to be made holy’, and forms the core of our teaching on the Christ life: we are made into holy temples of God’s Spirit. Because of his love for us, God does not will that we go on struggling and stumbling in our sinfulness and confusion. So he not only releases us from evil, he continues to make us more and more like himself. He loves us enough to change us!”

“Holiness is realisable only when we enter into this Great Exchange: allowing God to possess our life fully so he can give us his life in return.”

“As we grow into God’s family we come to understand how the Holy Spirit is the permanent seal on our certificates of adoption, signed by the Father in the life-giving blood of his only Son!”

“Church is the arena where these changes are brought about, the place where we become one with Christ.”

The quotes in this volume are shorter than I normally take in this series, but still they were very impactful for me. I hope those quotes give you a feel for this booklet. I highlighted less than I though and most of them were shorter sections. This surprised me when I went back through the book. It is definitely a volume I will need to read again. There is a lot of great material in this volume, but it was more of stretch for me. 

This book is a great read and one any Catholic would benefit from reading. The CTS Deeper Christianity Series of books is written in such a way that they can easily be read in any order. Pick and choose the ones that interest you, read them in order, or jump around. I have been blessed by the entire series that I have read and can highly recommend this book and the series.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews:  2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.


Books in the Deeper Christianity Series:
7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit 
8 Deadly Sins Learning to Defend the Life of Grace 

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