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A Beginning of Sorts {Lent Book Series}

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imageToday starts the Lent Book Series. As I’ve mentioned before, this is something of an experiment. But as e-mails from local writers have come in, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how varied and interesting are the submissions.  Plan on this being an annual feature here.

I’ve struggled with how to start off this series for Lent, what book to choose—it seemed a big burden for any one book. So how to start?

Initially, I wanted to feature a book  that I plan to use in my April column as a mid-Lent pick-me-up, I’m enjoying it so much. But when one of my guest writers here chose that as her book to feature, I thought it best to hold off (though I told her I will likely still put it in my April column).

I’m starting with the Holy Father’s theme for Lent 2014:

“He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” from 2 Cor 8:9.

(Each year, the Holy Father releases a letter in advance of Lent that features a Scripture verse and a short message about living the season.)

Consider this an invitation to the Holy Father’s message for Lent. Here’s a link and it’s well-worth reading.

Reading through this message has me pondering— what does it mean to be poor? What does it mean to be rich? How does Lent help to focus on what’s really important us during this season?

One idea that’s been really sticking with me, but I’m not ready to commit to this year, is a compelling idea from Susan Vogt’s new book Blessed by Less: Clearing Your Life of Clutter by Living Lightly. One Lent, Susan and her husband in 2012 did the Food Stamp Challenge—living on the daily amount of about $4.50 a day, for the course of Lent. She blogged about it beginning here. I wonder how that would work with a family of five—we’d have $22.50 a day. Her blog posts reference how long it took to shop and how hard it was to eat healthfully.

I wrote before about how I’m giving up my Fitbit for Lent. I know that sounds goofy, and it was funny the comments on Facebook, but I promise there is a meaning to it, and I hope to write about that in the next week or so.

Reading-wise, as I mentioned in my March column, I did pull off the shelf In Conversation with God Volume 2, and plan to read those reflections daily and encourage the teens here to do so as well.

We have also been trying to fit more silence in at home. I homeschool our two younger children, and we decided to make Friday lunches silent during Lent.

Today, Ash Wednesday was our a practice day, and it worked out pretty well. We set the timer for 20 minutes and ate silently.  We lit a candle, and agreed in advance that we wouldn’t take the time to read, either. It was interesting, all the sounds one notices!

During the time, I recalled several things we needed at the grocery store, and quickly added them to the grocery list on my iPhone. My 10-year-old wrote on a piece of paper about two-thirds of the way through, “This is hard.” We wondered later if those were not “in the spirit” of it. But we made it through.

So let me put those two simple questions out there:

What are you doing for Lent?

What are you reading for Lent?

Meet a Reader: Maddie Mangieri

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I’m delighted to feature Maddie Mangieri as a “Reader” here and in The Catholic Post this month.  I met Maddie last summer when she was an enthusiastic and terrific member of one of the Totus Tuus teams in our diocese.  Thanks, Maddie, for sharing your love of reading here.

Maddie Mangieri

How you know me:

I will graduate in May from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s in speech-language pathology. In the fall, I will begin a two-year graduate program. I was a teacher this past summer for Totus Tuus, a summer evangelization program that brings teams of four college-aged young adults to parishes to teach the youth about the Catholic faith for a week. I’m still going back and forth with the Lord on whether or not I will return this summer. My parents, Sam and Peggy, live in Galesburg, and my brother, Sam, is a seminarian for the diocese of Peoria. He’s studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Maryland.

Why I love reading:

I’ve always been a big reader. It started when I was in Catholic middle school. My English teacher, Mrs. Watkins, taught me how to “dig in”, if you will, and analyze the characters and plots. I took well to the Harry Potter series, which helped me to expand my vocabulary a great deal. Since college, however, textbooks have become my main focus, but I have been able to squeeze in some spiritual reading during my holy hours. For me, it’s the idea that I can escape from reality for a bit, or learn how to be a better version of myself based on the examples of the saints, or dive deeper into the mystery of our Catholic faith. When I settle in with a good read, I am taken to a quiet place of my own.

What I’m reading now:

I’m currently reading The Practice of the Presence of God
by Brother Lawrence. It’s about a French monk from the 1600s who developed a constant union with God that was rooted in the everyday practicalities of life. He continually spoke to God during every activity, at every moment, of every day. He felt that this was best way for his heart to draw closer to Christ. His witness has been influential in my life, and I’ve begun speaking in the quiet place of my heart more often, striving to find myself in His presence always.

My favorite book:

My favorite book is one that I haven’t actually finished yet. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is somewhat like a handbook on how to live as Jesus did. It’s not a book you want to sit down and read cover to cover in one sitting, or even in a few days for that matter. The Imitation is too rich to just zip through the pages. I’ve found that reading it in small doses allows me to meditate on the small, yet meaningful messages. Little by little, I can try to make my life an imitation of the One who created me.

I also really enjoy “The Hunger Games” series, so if you’re looking for some adventure and suspense, I highly suggest those.

Being the Beloved

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Following is my column that appears in this weekend’s edition of The Catholic Post. I invite your feedback.

Just between you and me, several years back I was apprehensive about confession with a visiting priest at our parish. The reason? The last time I went to a visiting priest for confession, my penance was — an entire Rosary.

I can laugh now, but in my shock, I asked if that’s what he really meant. An entire Rosary was unnerving to someone used to a penance of up to five Hail Marys, with perhaps a Lord’s Prayer thrown in.

But this time, the priest, in his lilting African accent, told me while giving a (non-Rosary) penance, “dear daughter of the King,” and my eyes welled up. Of course I am a daughter of the King–we are all children of the King. His grace and love are for each one of us.

But hearing that in the healing Sacrament intensely spoke to me about how beloved, how truly loved, we are as children of our Heavenly Father.

Even though it’s been years since my “entire Rosary” confession, and my “dear daughter of the King” confession, they were in my mind as I begin to reflect on “what to do” this Lent.

Then this thought occurred: what about trying to understand how much we are dear sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father?

That’s where Henri Nouwen’s Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World offers food for Lenten thought. It’s not a new book—it was first published in 1992, but reprinted in a handsome new version in 2013. And it has the feel of a spiritual classic, especially for our post-Christian time. My husband Joseph has been encouraging/pestering me to read this book for some time, and I am so glad he persisted.

In “Life of the Beloved,” Fr. Nouwen explores—for a longtime Jewish friend who asks him—what the Christian life entails. His friend wants to hear about a life of faith in a way that he and his secular friends can understand. Nouwen sums it up in this book-long exposition of the concept of knowing that we are beloved by God (cf 1John 4:10).

Here’s why I’m surprised to find this book so compelling. Normally, I tend to gravitate towards spiritual writing that is “practical”—that may not make sense, but if you’re a “do-er” you will know what I mean. I want action items, prayers to say, saints to know.

But Life of the Beloved sweeps away all of those “to-dos” that I—and surely others—are so fond of, whether in the physical or spiritual life, and invites us to rest in God’s unconditional pure love.

Because Nouwen was writing for a secular audience about the spiritual life, there aren’t a lot of quotes from the saints or even Scripture, though Scripture is implicit in every page. But this simplicity creates a deceptively easy read that is compelling and enduring.

Nouwen struggled with depression much of his adult life, so how he writes this book is very personal and very authentic, in how he relates the importance of being beloved by being, like the Eucharist, taken, blessed, broken and given.

The book has so many great quotes that speak to the whys of being “beloved.” As I read through it, I’ve been sharing them regularly with friends because they have such resonance for the Christian life:

*“I don’t know anyone who is really happy because of what he or she has. True joy, happiness and inner peace come from the giving of ourselves to others. A happy life is a life for others.”

*“The movement of God’s Spirit is very gentle, very soft—and hidden.  It does not seek attention.  But that movement is also very persistent, strong and deep.  It changes our hearts radically. The faithful discipline of prayer reveals to you that you are the blessed one and gives you the power to bless others.”

Despite all my talk here, I must admit that as a do-er, I will be giving up chocolate, and “doing things” for Lent (and reading several books—see below). But I’ll also be pondering the message of Life of the Beloved through it all, and seeking to believe that I am a dear daughter of the King.

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So what else will I be reading?

l’ll be taking off the shelf the Lent & Easter Volume of  In Conversation with God by Fr. Francis Fernandez. Many years ago, I received the entire set as a gift from my husband, and read it over that year and a few others. Recently, when a friend mentioned it again as great spiritual reading, I resolved to read these short, so-relevant daily reflections.

I will also be implementing some of the ideas in Blessed by Less: Clearing Your Life of Clutter by Living Lightly by Susan V. Vogt.

The cover design of Blessed by Less is bare bookshelves—a thing I can’t imagine for a moment at our house—but I wasn’t daunted from reading it, and I’m glad I did. While many books about reducing clutter can be helpful, Vogt offers a fresh, spiritual approach to living with less, whether in possessions, thoughts or unhealthy patterns.

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This is six out of seven posts for 7 posts in 7 days.

Also, don’t forget about the Lent Book Series.

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This Lent, I and other local-ish writers will be sharing books that are helpful during a Lent journey. Consider joining in with us and learning about new or classic books all Lent long.

Five Things … for Lent

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Lent begins a week from today,  and I wanted to share five things.

1.  I’m giving up my Fitbit for Lent.

Ack. Part of the reason I’m doing this is that I love it too much, and I’m afraid I won’t actually do it unless I announce in public that I’m giving it up.

I first joined the Fitbit world when my husband got one at a work gathering about two years ago. I said, “Let me get that set up for you” and never gave it back.  I did buy him another one after about six months of using it, but within a week I had lost mine, so I took that one.  He since decided to get a Fitbit Zip, but I think he should really upgrade to a Fitbit One since it tells the number of floors you climb.

It seems to me that you either get Fitbit or you’re not interested, and there’s no in-between.

Case in point: I have four sisters, and a sister-in-law, and we were all in Belgium and France last fall visiting one sister who lives in Europe, and doing the Paris-Versailles Grand Classique.   One sister and I were obsessed with our Fitbit numbers each day (the day of the Grand Classique I had almost 40,000 steps. 40,000!  We liked to say to each other, “It’s like it doesn’t count unless your Fitbit shows the numbers.” The other four just laughed at us for being so obsessive.

Anyway, if you are among the Fitbit faithful or have a similar device, you’ll know how hard this will be for me.  I also realized after I made  the decision that I’m signed up to do not one but two half-marathons during Lent.  Sob.

2.  Silence.

The younger kids and I were reading in our history earlier this week about monks in the Middle Ages having meals (and much of the rest of their lives) in silence.  Of course we knew this already, but hearing about it in that unusual context made it stand out.  So we’ve been batting around the idea of trying for some silence during our busy days.

We decided we would start with lunch in silence on Fridays.  We can always add on extra days, but it seemed prudent to start small.

3.   Lent Book Series.

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I’m trying a first-ever series at Reading Catholic.  I, and a fairly large group of guest authors, will be writing about books all Lent long.  I invited the bloggers listed on Local, Catholic and Online, as well as other local-ish people, to write about a book related to Lent in some ways. I hope you’ll follow along and share your favorite Lenten reads.

This year it’s a bit of an experiment, but with the positive response I am thinking of making it an annual series.

4.  Pondering . . .

“He became poor,  so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

The Holy Father’s theme for Lent 2014.  Did you know each year the Holy Father has a message for Lent, and picks a Scripture verse for meditation?

Here is a link to Pope Francis’ Message for Lent 2014.  I have skimmed it, but I will also print out and read during Lent.  I want to be rich;  how about you?

5.   Rich Mullins

I’ve loved Rich Mullins before he was cool, after he was cool,  and after he was dead.  He died in a car accident, actually pretty near where we live in Illinois, and I recall it vividly because I was very pregnant with my oldest child.    So when a friend shared on Facebook that she enjoyed this tribute special to him, I bookmarked it.   I’m sad I haven’t made time to listen to it yet.  His music and his writings (many of his columns and writings for various Christian magazines are still available on the Internet) are remarkable. In many ways, he was a modern-day St. Francis.

How is your preparation for Lent going? Are you ready for it to start?

Linking up with both Jen’s 7 Posts, 7 Days and Hallie’s Five Favorites.

Meet a Reader: Father Luke Spannagel

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Here is this month’s featured “Reader.”  Alert readers here will notice that I featured Fr. Spannagel when discussing Rogation Days a few weeks back. Thank you, Father, for being willing to be featured here.

Fr. Luke Spannagel

How you know me:

You know me from several assignments throughout the Diocese. Currently I am the parochial vicar for St. Patrick Church of Merna in Bloomington and St. Mary’s Church in Downs.  I also serve as the Episcopal Vicar for Rural Life for our Diocese and am a regular columnist for The Catholic Post feature “Chalices and Calluses.”

Why I love reading:

Reading truly does expand my mind and soul by challenging how I think, giving me new ideas, and inviting me beyond myself.  As a priest, reading keeps my preaching fresh and provides many starting points for conversations.  Most importantly, spiritual reading inspires me to keep growing closer to God and encourages me to hope more and more for heaven each day.

What I’m reading now:

I always have several books going at the same time:  something about Christian life, the Bible, the saints, sports, country living, or even an adventure. I just finished Pope Francis’ The Joy of the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium
which I found very inspiring and challenging.  I’m also reading a book about the legacy of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and a book about garden history, which is about landscape design (and includes many beautiful photos!).

My favorite book:

Although I have many “favorites,” books that have had the most profound impact on me are the Diary of St. Faustina; Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux,
; and Give Me a Living Wordby Jean Lafrance. 

But if I had to choose one all-time favorite, I would go with the novel Mr. Blue
by Myles Connolly.  While primary about the interesting life of the title character, the book also includes a wonderful idea “Mr. Blue” has for a movie–a futuristic movie that highlights perfectly the joy of the priesthood and the true power of the Mass.

Happy Reads for February’s Doldrums {February Column, The Catholic Post}

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Here is my February book column that appears in this weekend’s print edition of The Catholic Post .  I invite your feedback.

February is the longest month.

Wait, it’s not?

Well, February is the darkest month.

Wait, it’s not that either?

Surely I’m not the only person who dreads the approach of February. It feels like the darkest, coldest, longest month, even though it is technically short, and spring is on the way.

Several years ago I was reading the acclaimed new translation of “Anna Karenina.” It’s a classic and a great read, but my mistake was reading it during February. I wanted to (spoiler alert, sorry) throw the book under a train, so depressing was all the brokenness in that novel.

Since then, I’ve sworn off sad or dark reads during February’s doldrums. I encourage you to take a similar pledge.

With that in mind, here are a few lighter, encouraging reads to help lift our spirits and get us to March:


 Yes, God! What Ordinary Families can Learn About Parenting from Today’s Vocation Stories by Susie Lloyd.

When you get to know someone, learning their story is such a great way to find out about them. How did you choose your career? How did you meet your husband? How did you end up here?

Learning the vocation stories of priests and religious is a great way to get to know them, too.

Each chapter of Yes, God! Susie Lloyd profiles one of ten priests and religious from families, large, small and in-between; broken, barely intact and robustly healthy. The book shares how each family shaped in some way each person’s vocation path, and what makes it unique.

Is there any similarity between the families, a formula that guarantees kids who grow up happy and whole, much less following a vocation? No, and that’s what makes Yes, God! so fascinating. The stories of five men and five women who followed religious vocations is fingerprint-personal to each of those featured.

Tolstoy (yes, in Anna Karenina) famously wrote that “all happy families are alike, and each unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion.”  But as I wrote in a college paper way back, I think he got it backwards. There are myriad ways to be happy and therefore holy.

Look at the saints. Aren’t you grateful there isn’t just one kind of saint or path to holiness? Most of us would be doomed, and I am grateful to hold dear the saints who most speak to my life and spiritual gifts. Yes, God! offers that kind of variety.

At the end of each biographical sketch/chapter, Lloyd offers a reflection of “Saying Yes,” to different virtues that informed the person’s path. For instance, “saying yes to patience,” “saying yes to strength,” and her own thoughts on how this quality helped the person say yes to God’s invitation, and how readers might adopt that virtue. She offers some interesting and quirky reflections from her own family, and offers a peek into the mystery of a vocation.

Pope Awesome and Other Stories: How I Found God, Had Kids, and Lived to Tell the Tale by Cari Donaldson

Pope Awesome is a cleverly titled—and cleverly written—memoir about a young single woman who wants nothing to do with God—until she does. Ten years later, she finds herself married, with six kids and living an unapologetic Catholic faith and lifestyle. How did that happen? Simple enough: she wants “something more,” God takes her at her word, she gradually accepts, and then she gets it in full.

It’s no shock to readers here that I love Catholic memoirs, and Pope Awesome is one of the happiest reads I’ve seen in this category. It’s refreshing to read a memoir from a younger (and convert) author—like a Chris Haw, or Donaldson here—because of the sincerity and beauty of a younger faith. And, as my father (himself a convert) used to say, “There’s nothing like a convert.”

But Donaldson, both earnestly and humorously sharing the joys, tears and sheer craziness of a young family and a growing faith, shows the joy in being always open to God’s plans, however wild they might seem.

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Speaking of Catholic memoirs and fun books… if you haven’t read Susie Lloyd’s two memoirs on Catholic family life, consider them.


Please Don’t Drink the Holy Water! is her first, but even better is the more-recent Bless Me Father, for I Have Kids. I mean this in the best way possible—Lloyd is the much-needed Erma Bombeck of Catholic moms everywhere. They’re inexpensively available as e-books, and I highly recommend them as diverting fun for any harried mom.