Book Marks: New releases on feast days, Mary, and leisure

Looking for some great last-minute Christmas gifts? Check out these new releases:

December 2014

The Feasts: How the Church Year Forms Us as Catholics

By Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina

Combining research and pastoral sensitivity, Wuerl and Aquilina take a look at the church’s liturgical year. The Feasts (Image, 2014) focuses on the history and traditions of some of Catholicism’s most beloved and most forgotten feasts and holidays. The authors explore how Christ is connected to these feasts and how Christians can learn about him through these joyous festivities.
 

Mary: A Life in Verse

By Patricia Monaghan

This collection of poems gives a raw and real look at Mary. Monaghan’s Mary: A Life in Verse (Dos Madres, 2014) gives a voice to the Mother of God and beautifully captures her ordinary and extraordinary life. Completing the book on her deathbed in 2012, this glimpse into the depths of Mary’s grace-filled life is Monaghan’s final gift to the world. Written as free verse, the collection expands on three themes: joy, sorrow, and glory.
 

Practical Theology:  Spiritual Direction From St. Thomas Aquinas

By Peter Kreeft

As a brilliant philosopher and theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas has long been revered as one of the church’s wisest. With all of this wisdom, Kreeft made it his mission to simplify Aquinas’ words for an everyday audience. Practical Theology (Ignatius, 2014) contains more than 350 useful insights from Aquinas’ book Summa Theologiae so that all can share in the thoughts of this esteemed spiritual guide.
 

The Second Vatican Council: Message and Meaning

By Gerald O’Collins

There is no doubt that the Second Vatican Council was an influential event in church history. However, many of its developments are missed because they are hard to interpret. In an accessible and scholarly style, O’Collin’s The Second Vatican Council (Liturgical Press, 2014) hopes to help readers understand the Council’s significance and doctrine about divine revelation, religious freedom, divine grace, and more.
 

Leisure and Spirituality: Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Perspectives

By Paul Heintzman

There is an important link between leisure and spirituality, says Heintzman, in his book Leisure and Spirituality (Baker Publishing Group, 2014). As an experienced recreation practitioner, he explains the importance of leisure for spiritual growth and development. Using a Christian perspective, Heintzman gives a comprehensive understanding of leisure in a biblical and historical sense and how it relates to contemporary society.

Illustration by Angela Cox