All of us need reminders of how much God loves us and how much He desires that we give Him our hearts. Our weak and distracted human nature all too often is pulled in many different directions at once and we forget that the invisible, immortal God took on flesh, suffered in all the ways we suffer except for sin, and remains by our side right now ready to sustain us, console us, and quicken us.
Michael Seagriff has written a book full of little reminders as eye-opening as they are stimulating and, in some cases, conscience pricking. We are taken on a journey of considerations surrounding our behavior and attitudes toward Eucharistic Adoration and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the effect of stirring us to spend more time with Our Lord in Adoration and being more focused and attentive at Mass.
I’m sure all of us know what it is like to desire love and attention from someone we love and to be disappointed when we don’t receive it, or when we don’t get it to the extent we desire it. Jesus truly does thirst for our love, to have us choose Him above all other things for the purpose of giving us Himself fully and filling us with joy and peace no matter what our circumstances are. He has a personal interest and care for each one of us, no matter how gravely we have sinned nor how insignificant we may be in the eyes of the world. This book shows us that truth in varied ways.
Each section contains short essays easily read and meditated on, provoking resolutions resulting in ongoing conversion of heart and greater unity with Jesus, most especially resolutions to spend more time with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. The Appendices contain the Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Acts of Reparation, and the Litany of Reparation, all moving us to a deeper reverence of the Treasure many of us all too seldom cherish. Moreover, the content made me consider not only how much our individual souls profit from making an effort to give more time to Jesus, but also families and parishes as well.
Everything in life comes down to priorities. How different would family life be if, before rushing off to shop or to attend some form of entertainment or other activity, the entire family went out of their way to stop in for a short visit in front of the Blessed Sacrament? What if the pastor on Sunday regularly encouraged parishioners to do this? How revitalized could a parish become? How much less under the thrall of the world could a family become?
I think this book needs to be promoted in every parish for the sake of evangelizing ourselves and others. It would be great to use in a parish spiritual book club discussion group, and to prepare a parish to institute or maintain a regular Eucharistic Adoration program. Even children can read and be inspired by this book, especially if it is read out loud in a family setting.
The price is reasonable and the print is suitable for even old eyes like mine. I highly recommend it for everyone, especially those who want to do a little bit more for the Lord.
