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Book details
  • Genre:RELIGION
  • SubGenre:Christianity / Catholic
  • Language:English
  • Series title:Reading Reflections Series
  • Series Number:2
  • Pages:100
  • eBook ISBN:9798350947908
  • Paperback ISBN:9798350947892

Easter Reading Reflections

For Individuals or Small Groups

by Armand Brunelle III

View author's profile page

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Overview
Easter Reading Reflections is geared to small groups or individuals looking to prepare for the Sunday Masses during Easter. Each week's readings within all three Liturgical Years A,B,C are identified. A short reflection is also provided to stimulate conversation within the group or for the individual's own contemplation.
Description
Lenten Reading Reflections is geared to small groups or individuals looking to prepare for the Sunday Masses during Lent. Each week's readings within all three Liturgical Years A,B,C are identified. A short reflection is also provided to stimulate conversation within the group or for the individual's own contemplation. I envision that you could use this book on your own to prepare for Mass but I think it would be better if you can gather with even just a couple of friends. "wherever two or more are gathered in my name there I shall be!" – Matthew 18:20 I would suggest that Jesus is with you too even when you are alone with your Bible but always nice to share our faith with others! The groups that I facilitate, typically have an hour time limit which usually is enough time. Sometimes we go over, but I really tried to keep it within an hour to respect everyone's time. We open the meeting with prayer and then begin reading the scriptures listed for the day you are studying. You will see them just under the title of the section for that weekend. I list the first reading from the Old Testament, the Psalm, the second reading from the New Testament and the Gospel for that particular Sunday. If you are in a group, pick a person to read the scripture aloud. Ideally, you would have a different person read aloud for the other readings. What follows is my thoughts on what the readings were saying to me when I wrote them. You may agree or disagree with what I have and that is more than okay! The idea is to get YOU thinking about what they are saying to you and your group. I have included a blank page after my reflections for you to write your own ideas. You could write it in paragraph form as I did or simply put in some bullets or key points that you'd like to remember. What is nice about doing that is the next time the Liturgical year comes along in three years you can see what you thought back then and see if you still feel the same or hopefully maybe you have grown and have a new direction for the readings and your life! Either way I hope you find this book useful, and you come to know God, His son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit a little more intimately. That is what it's all about! God bless you and your small group!
About the author
I am a computer scientist and entrepreneur. I go to Mass each weekend and on holy days. I am a cradle Catholic and was raised by two devout parents and grandparents. I made the faith my own early in my 20s and began teaching catechism (Confirmation program grade 8 and 9) at 22 and continued to do so through 2021. My wife Michele and I spent 12 years doing youth ministry at our parish and then we had our own kids. We did our best to bring them up in the faith and I am happy to say they are active in practicing their Catholicism. I take no credit for that as I know many who have done the same things we did and their kids are not practicing. It is truly the grace of God. Over the years I have done a lot of spiritual reading. I have a thirst to strengthen my relationship with God and it has been hard to quench. So I continue to read spiritual books as much as I can. One author stands out as my favorite and that is the Franciscan Father Richard Rohr. Some of you conservative Catholics may have just stopped reading and shut the book which would be unfortunate. I read many of Father Rohr's books and took an online class with him on "The Alternative Franciscan Theology" I was able to join him on a retreat weekend in New Mexico. It was such a great prayerful weekend. After failing at contemplative prayer for many years, on that weekend I was given some tools and have had some success with it. Contemplative prayer is such a game changer. If you haven't spent time I would encourage you to do your best to figure it out. In fact, you can probably stop reading now as that is the biggest piece of advice I have for you. Go into the classroom of silence, listen and come to know God's love for you. It is simply awesome! I would also list the following authors as having helped shape my thinking. In no particular order: Pope St. John Paull II, Pope Francis, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Julian of Norwich, Marcus Borg & John Dominic Crossan, James Martin, SJ, Walter Ciszek, SJ, Bishop Robert Barron, Matthew Kelly, William Paul Young. Each one has moved me further on the journey and encouraged me to seek Him further still. I thank them for their witness and only hope that perhaps in some small way I might be able to do the same for you here. As each of us is called by our Baptism to evangelize the world and bring others to know God, I believe we must focus on God's abundant love and mercy that he has for us. We spend too much time in "Sin Management" as Rohr calls it and not enough time telling people that God loves them just as He created them. He wants a relationship with each one of us. I believe if more people come to know this then they will bring that love they receive from the Father into the world through love of neighbor. That will multiply upon itself and only then will we truly know peace in this world.