Lent can be a fruitful time not only for carefully discerned subtraction, but also one of equally prayerful addition. It is a delight to tag-team with our Amazing Catechists editor, Alexandra Resch, and share our Lenten literary picks. We hope these might give you some spiritual food for thought in this blessed season of penance, prayer and preparation.
Alexandra’s Picks
1. Carry the Cross with Padre Pio: Daily Reflections for Lent
There are so many devotionals to choose from for Lent. It’s overwhelming! I have had my eye on Susan De Bartoli’s Advent devotional, so when I saw that she came out with a Lent devotional I was very excited. This book has a short passage to read every day of Lent followed by a reflection and prayer. Each day consists of about 3 pages which I think is totally doable for me as a busy homeschooling mama. The book is broken up into different sections with different themes – one for Ash Wednesday through the first Saturday of Lent, and then followed by one for each week of Lent. It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday.
Note: I received this book from Ave Maria Press for review, but I would have chosen it as my Lenten Devotional regardless!
by David Geisser with essays by Scott Hahn
I love this special Lenten cookbook. I used it last year, and my family has some favorite recipes that I am excited to make again. The whopping 51 pages of essays by Scott Hahn are amazing and I plan to re-read and re-visit them this year throughout Lent while the yummy, meatless recipes are simmering and baking. The essays include the origins of Lent and detailed information about fasting – including the interesting Black Fast that is “…the most rigorous form of fasting in the church.” – The Lenten Cookbook, pg. 51
The book has the recipes separated into Breakfast, Soup, Salad, Collations, and Main Dishes. The breakfasts are probably the most simple and fastest to prepare with common ingredients. From the soups, we love potato and cream of corn and will definitely be making those. The Bread Salad is honestly genius, and my kids asked for it multiple times last year. Collations were always a question mark to me, so this section is very helpful for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The main dishes are probably the most adventurous with more rare ingredients. My family loved the Vegetable Pie for Holy Saturday last year. I doubled it for my family visiting as well and easily substituted the pie dough recipe with good ol’ Pillsbury freezer pie dough. Maybe this year I will try the fancy Vatican chef version!
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Kimberly’s Picks
This Lent I am taking a multifaceted approach to make time for the spiritual reading that is so edifying for me personally, while allowing for the demands of my current season of life. As the old motto of the great state of New York goes, Excelsior!
For home reading: Fr. Mark Foley’s critical study edition of St. Therese’s A Story of a Soul (ICS Publications) has been on my to-read list since I heard him speak with Br. John-Mary of Jesus Crucified in Episode 66 of CarmelCast. The topic was “Difficulties in Prayer with St. Therese”— a must listen!
(While my curiosity piqued about the critical study edition over the summer, I wasn’t ready to venture into such an in-depth re-read of St. Therese’s autobiography, especially given the expansiveness of this version. Fellow parents of young children and those in other particularly busy seasons can relate: we have to be prudent about what books on our dream “to-read” list are prioritized. For discernment, I dipped my toes in the water with Fr. Foley’s more recent work, The Context of Holiness, which I also highly recommend as a Lenten read. He nimbly weaves together a holy integration of his insights as a clinical psychologist with the pastoral guidance of a Carmelite priest well-versed in St. Therese. Each chapter culminates in a spiritual reflection meant to guide the reader in evaluating their own life and relationships, allowing them to take on a sanctifying effect as St. Therese did with her own seasons and experiences.)
For “on-the-go” reading: Keeping with the theme of how to realistically prioritize Lenten reading, I selected a few little books that can easily fit in my purse for those long lines at the coffee shop, lengthy waits at the doctor’s office, or precious moments of meditation before or after Mass. Dominican Father Paul O’Sullivan’s writings are a treasure, and many are available in small booklet form through Tan. After reading (and re-reading) his An Easy Way to Become a Saint last summer, I picked up a few others: The Holy Ghost Our Greatest Friend, The Wonders of the Mass, The Secret of Confession, and The Wonders of the Holy Name. As an added bonus: the covers are brightly colored, meaning they are easy enough to locate in the abyss of a woman’s handbag!
What are you reading this Lent? We would love to hear about it in the comments!
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