Back in the day, most people had to wait several weeks for the text of papal speeches. Enthusiasts would subscribe to the weekly English edition of L'Osservatore Romano and be ahead of the game. Now, if you are keen, you can go to the Vatican News service at about 11am and keep hitting the refresh button. Keen bloggers and readers might think that a book of extracts is not necessary for them because they saw it all when it first came out, we might assume that such a collection is really only for people who do not have access to the internet.
I'm not so sure. Many of us try to take in impossibly vast amounts of information and end up reading a lot but in a superficial way. Some of what we read would reward closer and more careful attention. "Behold the Lamb of God" is a book that one could use for daily spiritual reading or as the text to inform a period of mental prayer or meditation. The Holy Father's homilies and addresses bear quiet and reflective reading, and can be a springboard for affective prayer and positive resolutions to live the Christian life more fully.
For my own morning meditation, I'm currently reading slowly through Abbot Columba Marmion's "Christ the Life of the Soul" (more about that book soon) but when I have finished it, I intend to take up "Behold the Lamb of God."
The book is available from Family Publications priced £8.95. (111 pages)
5 comments:
My copy of Christ the Life of the Soul was published by Sands in 1962.It is in two parts, each cost 6/6, a total of 13s.Or 65p in new parlance! The Sands edition has over 320pp total; can the Family edition be complete at 111pp? Beautiful doctrine that the Catholic ethos today cries out for.
Fr Finigan,
I am very interested in this as I am working on my Tesina which will look a great deal at Ratzinger's/Benedict's theology of the Eucharist. I just wonder how much of this book's content is already found in "God is Near Us" which is already a collection of his writings, before becoming Pontiff, on the Eucharist.
Thanks & God Bless!
Fr Philip-Michael Tangorra
Casa Santa Maria
Completely off topic; a hugely underappreciated Catholic comic genius - if you enjoy this episode, for example, of her latest serialised online novelette, please do give her a plug!
colmcille2,
An understandable mistake, but £8.95 is the price of "Behold the Lamb of God" by His Holiness (Family Publications).
The UK edition now in print of the other book mentioned by Father Tim, Blessed Columba Marmion's "Christ, the Life of the Soul" (I have a copy in front of me) was published by Gracewing in 2005. It has about 550 pages, and its price is £17.99. (End of statistics!)
Another book by Blessed Columba Marmion, "Christ in His Mysteries" (Gracewing) is being advertised at the present time, and I understand it will be out any day now.
Any day now, for "Christ in His Mysteries", I said. Well, the Gracewing website says "February".
Both the Gracewing books are new translations, by the way.
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