actually did not want to read A Father’s Tale, not because of its length but because I am not a father and I have no sons. I thought it would be unrelatable. Yet, I find that despite these very significant differences between myself and Alexandre, we have everything in common that we need to: we are both children of the same Father.
During The Year of the Father, we have encountered remarkable fathers whose love appears to know no limits. On the surface, their stories clearly illustrate sacrificial love—a love that, in one way or another, leads to both death and redemption. However, I find myself wanting to probe deeper—to better understand the connection between the characters—and to begin to truly comprehend what it means to engage in sacrificial love.
People don’t read classic literature as much as they used to. These books are full of wisdom and insight. The best solution is a slow one: read. Reading, especially reading with others, may cause surprising and good ripple effects in our communities.
Elizabeth Goudge’s work, My God and My All: The Life of St. Francis of Assisi, has been a blessing! Her deep academic study of St. Francis’s life, told as a narrative, has given me a new lens through which to perceive the man.
The Well-Read Mom edition of Pinocchio With Reflections on a Father’s Love is a rare gem because we are presenting Carlo Collodi’s original tale alongside extensive reflections made available in English for the first time by Franco Nembrini. Nembrini’s reflections are essential to what Well-Read Mom desires to highlight about fatherhood, freedom, identity, and love in Pinocchio. Having these reflections to draw upon will add to our understanding of the text, deepen our discussion, and provide a true education for our hearts.
As I look back on several years participating in Well-Read Mom, (since the Year of the Friend!) I am so happy that in every book list there has been at least one book that stretches my mind.
As we reflect this year on the vocation of fatherhood, we see that authentic fatherhood – and by extension, motherhood – consists in the willingness to offer oneself, most especially to those souls placed within one’s authority and care. And perhaps, in light of our reflection on the life of Saint Francis, we can even further be gladdened by the vital link between parenthood and sacrificial, sanctifying love.
He is one of the most readily recognizable saints of all time: his likeness graces many a garden, he is beloved for his appreciation of the natural beauties and the majesty of God’s animal kingdom, and his spirit of gentleness is universally lauded by both secular and religious camps. Yet, for all his cultural notoriety and esteem, how many of us truly know the person of Saint Francis of Assisi?
Come as You Are Written by Susan Severson The dinner plates had barely been shoved into the precariously full dishwasher before I finally faced the question: should I go to Well-Read Mom tonight? It certainly wouldn’t be convenient. We were in the midst of moving from our home of nine years to one that would…
The Old and the New: Rediscovering Literature Through Well-Read Mom Written by Nicki Johnston I started a new Well-Read Mom group for women in my parish this year. Inevitably, I received inquiries about the need to pay for a booklist, allowing me to articulate the many ways Well-Read Mom has enriched my life during the…