Lent is more than just about giving something up, like chocolate or social media. It’s a time to challenge us to be encounter Christ more personally, to become a better disciple of Christ and to be all we are created to be. Check out these 10 titles that Catholic Books Direct offers that will help you on your journey to Jesus this Lent.
40 Days, 40 Ways: A New Look at Lent
by Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D.
If you’re looking for a new Lenten experience, here are forty fresh ideas. Some will challenge you to deepen your prayer life; others will open your mind to new ways to serve others. Each of the forty ways includes a reflection to help you understand more about Lent and why it matters. You’ll learn how to have a more creative experience of Lent. You’ll discover positive, proactive ways to take action instead of the same old routine of giving something up. The result will be spiritual transformation and a closer walk with Christ—not only during Lent but throughout the year.
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A 40-Day Spiritual Workout for Catholics
By Bob Rice
Are you ready to get your faith in shape? A 40-Day Spiritual Workout for Catholics is designed to bring about deeper transformation and conversion in your life. Rice challenges his readers to spend forty days developing a habit that will last a lifetime.
Each of the forty days includes a Scripture quote, a quote from a saint or the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a short reflection, thought-provoking questions, and a prayer. Your spiritual workout borrows concepts from physical training, including stretch, cardio, muscle-building, hydration, fat-burning, and cool down.
Rice talks about the importance of prayer for a Christian: Prayer isn’t an option for Christians. It’s what we do. Imagine meeting someone who says he is a runner but he doesn’t like to run. Or a swimmer who doesn’t ever go into the water. You’d tell them they aren’t who they say they are. Runners run. Swimmers swim. Christians pray. Are you ready to work out? Are you ready to get to know Jesus? Think of Bob Rice as your personal trainer for the next forty days as you grow closer to Christ and strengthen your spiritual muscles.
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Saint Monica and the Power of Persistent Prayer
By Mike Aquilina and Mark Sullivan
Lent is a time of prayer. For nearly two decades, Saint Monica prayed for her wayward son. Years and years of prayers, seemingly unanswered. Countless tears shed with no relief. Yet she would not give up.
That very act of persistent prayer blessed the entire Church, for we have all benefitted from the conversion of her son, Augustine, who became one of the most revered saints of all time.
Parents of any age or at any stage can cultivate the same virtues in prayer that Saint Monica discovered during her long wait for God’s answer for her child. This devotion includes 18 contemporary reflections, meditations taken from the writings of Saint Augustine, and prayers adapted from the liturgy and other ancient sources.
Don’t give up. Persistence in prayer can change everything-for you, your children, and maybe even the world.
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Lenten Reflections From A Father Who Keeps His Promises
by Scott Hahn
From Genesis to Jesus, these Lenten reflections based on A Father Who Keeps His Promises highlight biblical characters such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David that lead us to Christ and his sacrifice for us. Delving into the rich history of God’s covenant with us, each day’s reading gives the reader much to reflect on throughout Lent, culminating with Easter and ending with Divine Mercy Sunday. In addition to the reflection, there is a daily Scripture verse, a prayer, and a relevant question, all designed to deepen the reader’s Lenten experience.
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Rediscover Lent
by Matthew Kelly
From the author of the bestselling book Rediscover Catholicism comes an inspiring new way to rediscover Lent. With this new book you can: read a passage from Scripture for each day reflect on the beauty and importance of Catholic faith and practice meditate on thought-provoking questions find a unique and inspiring prayer for each day of Lent These timely and inspirational words will help renew your enthusiasm for being Catholic, while encouraging you to delve more deeply into the spirituality of the lenten season—a perfect companion for individual reading or for group study.
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Answer Your Call: Reclaim God’s Purpose for Faith, Family, and Work
by Dick and Martha Lyles
Looking for a way to discern your God-given purpose this Lent? Answer Your Call can help you do that. This book, the Catholic response to The Purpose Driven Life, builds on the premise that every person has a unique set of natural gifts meant to be used in concert with God’s supernatural graces. Readers will find practical insights on what prevents someone from hearing and responding to God’s call, as well as how to reclaim and live their calling in the home, workplace, and community. Answer Your Call goes beyond mere theory, using key questions, short quizzes, and practical exercises to help the reader implement the material.
You’ll learn:
- What causes us to lose sight of God’s presence
- How we lose touch with our natural gifts
- The three dimensions of our divine call
- Understanding discernment in relation to purpose and call
- How you can plan to implement your call
Interspersed with Scripture and Catechism quotes, as well as wisdom from popes and saints, Answer Your Call will guide you to carry out God’s purpose in every dimension of your life.
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Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit
by Paula Huston
De-clutter your mind, heart, relationships, and soul in this book of daily Lenten practices woven from the gospels, the Desert Fathers, and the author’s own wealth of spiritual experience.
“What are you giving up for Lent this year?” It’s the expected question amongst Christian friends each spring. In Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit, Huston asks her readers a deeper, alternative sort of question: “How will you rid your life of excess this Lent?” She encourages readers to see Lent as a time to seek out silence and free themselves of “stuff” and to acknowledge the connections between what they pray about and what they do.
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Discover Christ: Developing Personal Relationship with Jesus
by Bert Ghezzi and Dave Nodar
- What is the meaning of life?
- Why do I need a savior?
- Why is the Resurrection important?
- What does it mean to believe and belong?
- Why does Jesus matter?
Many people have lost their sense of purpose in life, or perhaps never took the time to develop one in the first place. Through personal stories, Scripture, and testimonies, the authors invite readers to find their purpose in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Discover Christ proposes that we find our identity and purpose in a God who is personal to the core. The book presents a God who didn’t just send the broken world a set of rules, or a plan of social action, but who sent a person whose name is Jesus Christ.
Whether you are skeptical of religious faith or a life-long believer, Discover Christ will challenge you to take a fresh look at what Jesus said and did and what that means for you this Lent.
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Growing in Faith: A Bible Study Guide Including Reflections
by Mitch J. Pacwa, S.J.
In Growing in Faith: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics, Fr. Pacwa uses themes and reflections of Pope Francis to illuminate each of the six sessions in which readers will understand faith as it relates to our relationship with Christ, what we profess as Catholics, and the ultimate goal of evangelization. A great Bible study for Lent!
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Lift Up Your Heart: A 10-Day Personal Retreat with St. Francis de Sales
by John Burns
Lent is the perfect time for a retreat. Why not take a personal retreat with St. Frances de Sales?
In Lift Up Your Heart, Rev. John Burns interprets ten meditations from St. Frances de Sales for the modern reader and distills them into a ten-day mini-retreat that can easily be completed in the midst of a busy life.
This practical book goes right to the heart of helping you kick the habit of floating along on your spiritual journey to start actively pursuing holiness and devotion to God. During the course of the retreat, you’ll learn the basics of forming a daily prayer routine, including how to offer yourself to God, meditate on his love, and maintain peace in the face of suffering and clarity in the midst of temptation.
The meditations will help you:
- Adopt gratitude as a daily prayer practice.
- Examine and reorder your priorities and relationships to better reflect your love for God.
- Discern between good and evil in your life.
- Desire to love and serve as Jesus did.
In a very real sense, Burns helps you take St. Francis de Sales as your spiritual director for ten days. As you do so, you’ll feel God’s fatherly love and restart your faith life, equipped with the tools to connect with God and live for heaven now.
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