Word Among Us Press: a Hidden Treasure

Word Among Us first came to my attention because of their daily devotional which I can highly recommend. However, despite the tempting descriptions/ads about their books always published on the devotional's back cover, I didn't think of looking into their books until I was looking for a Bible study that was based around subject, namely the Holy Spirit, rather than a book of the Bible. I was so pleased with their study that I then ventured on to try Praying with Teresa of Avila. Another winner. (By the way there are quite a few of the "Praying With..." series. If you have a favorite saint, check to see if there is one of these books about him or her.)

Now, I have been fortunate enough to have several review copies of their books sent to me. As I am going through a period of trying to slow down my reading ... and am immersed in Jesus of Nazareth, I have read a couple and the others are stacked by my bed. However, I am going to mention them all as I think they are really good resources should you be looking for something specific and I think that perhaps this press is often overlooked when seeking Catholic materials.

The Resilient Church: The Glory, the Shame, and the Hope for Tomorrow by Mike Aquilina: Quick overview of the trials of the Church and how they were overcome. A good reminder that the Church has always had sinners who drag her down and also the saints provided by God in his faithfulness ... who keep her going and provide our hope for the future. I have read three chapters and reluctantly put it to one side while trying not to read six books at once.

The Rosary Handbook: A Guide For Newcomers, Oldtimers And Those In Between by Mitch Finley: I got this some time ago and read the entire thing. A fairly good guide, especially in some of the ideas for meditation and who to pray for during various mysteries ... and should be helpful to most. I had a few quibbles such as why Finley didn't include any history on the "Fatima prayer" other than providing it and saying to do it if you want and otherwise to skip it. I had a more serious problem with his attitude toward meditation and reflection in the "how to" section.

... Theoretically, the idea is to meditate or reflect upon this mystery while praying an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be. If you can do that, great. If not, don't worry about it. Personally, I suspect that the repetitive nature of the Rosary actually short-circuits conscious reflection reflection on anything -- let alone a mystery of faith -- and acts something like a mantra does in the meditation methods of Zen Buddhism. The Rosary gives the fingers and tongue something to do, so that your mind and heart can "go deep," as it were, in wordless prayer.

I don't know if this puts him behind me or ahead of me, but I find the meditative quality the most worthwhile part of the rosary, as did Pope John Paul II.

The Rosary, a contemplative prayer

12. The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning, as Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: “Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: 'In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words' (Mt 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed”.(14)

It is worth pausing to consider this profound insight of Paul VI, in order to bring out certain aspects of the Rosary which show that it is really a form of Christocentric contemplation.

Remembering Christ with Mary

13. Mary's contemplation is above all a remembering. We need to understand this word in the biblical sense of remembrance (zakar) as a making present of the works brought about by God in the history of salvation. The Bible is an account of saving events culminating in Christ himself. These events not only belong to “yesterday”; they are also part of the “today” of salvation. This making present comes about above all in the Liturgy: what God accomplished centuries ago did not only affect the direct witnesses of those events; it continues to affect people in every age with its gift of grace. To some extent this is also true of every other devout approach to those events: to “remember” them in a spirit of faith and love is to be open to the grace which Christ won for us by the mysteries of his life, death and resurrection.

This is still a good book but for the reason above I think I'd give it to people who are beyond the "beginner" stage in the rosary. There is plenty of good material for contemplation and historical information that many practiced rosary sayers may not know or have considered.

The Words Of The Risen Christ: A Bible Study On Jesus' Resurrection by Rich Cleveland: A single subject Bible study and looks like a good 'un ... about Jesus final words after his resurrection, how they affected the disciples, and how we can incorporate them into our own lives. I have looked through this but not used it yet.

Food From Heaven: The Eucharist In Scripture by Jeanne Kun: Part of a different Bible study series called "Keys to the Bible" designed help "unlock" Scripture on various subjects. I have looked through this with great interest but, again, haven't had a chance to do it yet. Tom and I have talked about doing this together.

The Sacrament of Charity (Sacramentum Caritatas) by Pope Benedict XVI: we all know this one, right? A nice bound book of that document and it has been immensely helpful in following along with our parish's bulletin insert series on it (weekly from May 6 on).

Reading The Bible As God's Own Story: A Catholic Approach To Bringing Scripture To Life by William S. Kurz, SJ: The author examines the Bible as God's way of looking at the world ... drawing heavily on the writings of two church fathers, St. Irenaeus and St. Athanasius. Another one where I read the first two chapters and definitely will be coming back for more after finishing Jesus of Nazareth.

At any rate, this is surely enough of a sample to show how solid the Word Among Us Press is in selecting authors and subjects. Check it out.