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This chapter-a-day volume features a daily penitential or devotional practice. But that’s just the beginning of what Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio offers the reader each day. The meat of each chapter is a reflection or meditation that helps Catholics understand how to live the faith in concrete ways. Practices such as the Rosary, Eucharistic adoration and the Sign of the Cross are explained simply but thoroughly, giving the reader new appreciation and understanding. While that’s not the express purpose of the book, the sections on “why we do what we do” were among those I found the most fascinating.
Dr. D’Ambrosio’s book offers a combination of reflections on Scripture, examples from history, stories of his own experiences and plenty of concrete ideas for keeping Lent well.
Don’t let the day-by-day format of Dr. D’Ambrosio’s book discourage you. This book can be read day by day, but it’s just as useful to people like me who tend to fail at committing to daily devotional books. The beauty of this book is that it can be picked up at any point in Lent, and opened to just about any page, because each short chapter stands on its own.
The daily reflections challenge the reader to live out the faith through acts of charity, penance and prayer. More than a challenge, though, these reflections offer encouragement and hope. Dr. D’Ambrosio shows that penance does not have to involve feeling down on yourself; the actions suggested in this book will lift the spirits and transform your soul.
Barb Szyszkiewicz is a wife, mom of 3 young adults, and a Secular Franciscan. She is editor at CatholicMom.com. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading, and is a music minister at her parish and an avid Notre Dame football and basketball fan. Find her blog at FranciscanMom and her family’s favorite recipes with nutrition information for diabetics at Cook and Count. Her booklet, The Handy Little Guide to Prayer, is available from Our Sunday Visitor.
