Does Reading Detract From My Vocation?

Book and candle on a wooden shelf.

I loved reading Elizabeth Goudge’s My God and My All this Advent, but I must admit that I struggled with parts of Saint Francis’s life. It made me pause to think about this great saint whose life was so completely different from my own. Saint Francis is known as the saint who most closely exemplified Christ.

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The Music of the Pearl

Woman reading to child on picnic blanket.

I finished reading John Steinbeck’s The Pearl and asked the question, why? Why couldn’t they have surrendered the pearl to the trackers when they saw them coming? They could have just tossed them the pearl, flown their white flag, and pursued a more normal life.

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Reading Has Ripple Effects

Book beside vase with pink flowers.

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.

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A New Look at St. Francis

Hand holding open book near mug.

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.

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The Old and the New: Rediscovering Literature

Person holding coffee next to a book.

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…

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Vergil’s Aeneid as an Advent Journey

Hand holding "The Aeneid" book indoors.

At the behest of Well-Read Mom, several faithful, tome-toting women are meeting to discuss Vergil’s Aeneid at their book club meetings this month. While some of us may be Latin scholars, most are out of our comfort zones.

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