One of my favorite relaxing activities is to read. I love a good book (yes, and also the Good Book!) and I am not shy about telling people when I have read a good book. I'm sure the reason why most of my relatives won't talk to me about religion is because they are afraid I'm going to hand them a book. Over the years, I have handed out many a copy of my new "favorite" book. I wonder how many of them were actually ever read??? I wonder how many of them managed to stay out of someone's trash??? Oh well, since I love to read a good book and I love to tell people about a good book that I might stumble upon, I thought I would put up a section in the sidebar of my blog that would list the book I am currently reading and therefore recommending. You should be able to glance to your left and see the title "The Pain Of Christ and the Sorrow of God" by Gerald Vann, OP. This is a book of Lenten Meditations following the Passion. For example, the first chapter is entitled "The Agony in the Garden". The author talks about what the Agony was and what it can teach us. He presents the reader with the following - Omnia in manu Dei sunt = all things are in the hands of God. He then later goes on to say,
"No, all things are in the hands of God. You must do your planning for the morrow, you must make the efforts required of you, you must think out your problems and act as you think best; but then leave God to accomplish His will in you; make the moment as it comes and passes a love-gift to the unsleeping love of God. He has care of you all, your Father who is in Heaven. Small things and big things, the sorrows and joys, take them from Him and give them back into His hands with thanksgiving: Not my will but thine be done."
Wow. This message goes along quite well with the other book I have talked about "Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence". While I know that there are only two weeks left of Lent, I still thought it worthwhile to mention this book. It is packed full of wonderful insights in its 97 pages. If you can't get a hold of a copy of it now, try to get it so that you are ready for next Lent (although I imagine you will benefit from it no matter what time of the year you read it!)
God Bless!
