New Liturgical Movement Reviews Sacred Art Series' The Holy Gospels

Today, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski has posted an excellent review of the Sacred Art Series' The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John at the New Liturgical Movement.

Here's a sample:

As usual, it will help NLM readers far more to see lots of photos than to hear me going on and on about how beautiful a book this is. But I ought to say loud and clear: it is handsomely done, its cover, gilt edging, sewn binding, ribbon, rounded pages, and full-bleed artwork make it look like the sacred and special book it is, so that its very appearance transmits an unspoken message about reverence. The gentle updating that has been done to the Douay-Rheims text makes it at once reader-friendly (especially for younger readers) and utterly traditional in tone. The choice of St. Luke and St. John again is a winner, as you get a very full synoptic narrative from the one, including favorite parables uniquely Luke’s, complemented by the more “mystical”  and dialogue-centered narrative of John. Most strikingly, the full-color artworks on every other page are exquisitely tasteful, well placed to match exactly the text at that point, and guaranteed to fascinate many a reader with their own way of telling or commenting on the adjacent story.

There are also many fine photos that accompany the review. Here is just one. Read the rest and see the rest of the photos at the New Liturgical Movement. And thank you to Dr. Kwasniewski for the fine review!

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - December 8

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which is the day when we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the very Mother of God, who herself was conceived without the stain of original sin. What a glorious mystery! What a glorious feast! May we all draw closer to the mother of Jesus Christ, who will of course draw us closer to her son, who is the Son, the second person of the Blessed Trinity.

The following comes from a sermon by St. Anselm and is found in today's Office of Readings (hat tip: Universalis.com):

To Mary God gave his only-begotten Son, whom he loved as himself. Through Mary God made himself a Son, not different but the same, by nature Son of God and Son of Mary. The whole universe was created by God, and God was born of Mary. God created all things, and Mary gave birth to God. The God who made all things gave himself form through Mary, and thus he made his own creation. He who could create all things from nothing would not remake his ruined creation without Mary.

Here is a wonderful image of Mary by the great artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo.

Let us close with the wonderful prayer to Mary, Tota pulchra es: (hat tip: Whispers in the Loggia)

Virgin most holy and immaculate, 
to you, the honor of our people, 
and the loving protector of our city,
do we turn with loving trust.

You are all-beautiful, O Mary!
In you there is no sin.

Awaken in all of us a renewed desire for holiness:
May the splendor of truth shine forth in our words, 
the song of charity resound in our works, 
purity and chastity abide in our hearts and bodies,
and the full beauty of the Gospel be evident in our lives.

You are all-beautiful, O Mary!
In you the Word of God became flesh.

Help us always to heed the Lord’s voice:
May we never be indifferent to the cry of the poor,
or untouched by the sufferings of the sick and those in need;
may we be sensitive to the loneliness of the elderly and the vulnerability of children, 
and always love and cherish the life of every human being.

You are all-beautiful, O Mary!
In you is the fullness of joy born of life with God.

Help us never to forget the meaning of our earthly journey:
May the kindly light of faith illumine our days,
the comforting power of hope direct our steps,
the contagious warmth of love stir our hearts;
and may our gaze be fixed on God, in whom true joy is found.

You are all-beautiful, O Mary!
Hear our prayer, graciously hear our plea:
May the beauty of God’s merciful love in Jesus abide in our hearts,
and may this divine beauty save us, our city and the entire world.

Amen.

Review of Sacred Art Series at Unam Sanctam Catholicam

Thanks to Anselm at the Unam Sanctam Catholicam blog for this fine review of The Holy  Gospels of St. Luke and St. John from the Sacred Art Series.

Here's a sample:

The editor of the series makes the admittedly audacious claim that this is now the most beautiful and easiest way to read the Gospels. And I think he is right.

Those of you who have children, especially between the ages of 7 and 17 or so, have probably noticed the difficulty that used to exist in finding a Bible suitable for older children to read. On the one hand are all the "Children's Bibles" with abridged retellings of famous Bible stories usually with semi-cartoonish illustrations. On the other hand are the standard adult Bibles with small text, thin pages, and no images at all. How, then, to introduce young children to the reading of the sacred page in a way that is accessible to them without sacrificing any of the richness of the inspired Word? Well, here is the answer:

Read the rest of this fine review here.

Buy yours today at Amazon. With Amazon Prime, you'll have it in two days and you can see for yourself.

Sacred Art Series featured at The Catholic Review

I participated in an interview regarding my Sacred Art Series with Dr. Hanael Bianchi, a blogger at the Archdiocese of Washington's The Catholic Review. Check it out!

Here's a brief sample from the interview:

2) What inspired you to start the series?

A confluence of several things: First, My day job is as an assistant attorney general for the Michigan Attorney General. In this capacity, in the summer of 2013, I was assigned to the team of attorneys working to preserve the art collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts during the Detroit Bankruptcy. To my shame, I realized that I had not been to the DIA since I was a kid. Later in 2013, I rectified this and again toured the museum. I was thrilled to discover their beautiful medieval and Renaissance art, which includes pieces from Caravaggio, Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Gerard David, and even Fra Angelico.

Second, I had a conversation with my oldest niece, 8 and an avid reader, and I learned that she had already completed the Hobbit and the Narnia Chronicles and was already beginning The Lord of the Rings. This is all great; but I asked her whether she'd read the Gospels, and she had not. This got me thinking: is there a version of the Gospels that is suitable for a child? And as I began to look around, to my surprise, I realized that there was not.

Third, my wife and I received a set of old McGuffey readers from my wife's parents. We began using these with my son and I soon realized that I liked the way the books were laid out. The early books in the set--for beginning readers--used larger print and often included pictures. Gradually, as the series continued--and presumably, as the young reader's abilities developed--the books used smaller type and included more words per page. This seemed to be a winning formula.

Fourth, prayer. Not long before these discrete ideas began jostling around in my head, I attended an excellent Ignatian retreat with the religious order Miles Christi. My resolution from the retreat was a disciplined prayer life, which included regular recitation of the Rosary as I drove to and from work. One day, as I prayed, the idea formed: a book of the Gospels in a story-by-story format with large type and beautiful images of sacred art. And I was pretty sure that all that I needed was already in the public domain, and that I could self-publish using Createspace or some other print-on-demand publisher. Later, I determined to make the book truly beautiful by using a professional book printer.

Now available! The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John from the Sacred Art Series

I am thrilled to announce that The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John from the Sacred Art Series is now available!

Buy now at Amazon here.

I will make an audacious claim: This book is now the most beautiful and easiest way to read the Gospels.

It is gorgeously bound, featuring a leatherette cover with gold embossed lettering, gold gilded pages, a sewn binding, and a ribbon. The interior is just as beautiful. Nearly 100 full color images of the finest sacred art appears alongside the complete text of the Gospels of Luke and John presented in large print in a story-by-story format. Artists featured include medieval and Renaissance greats such as Fra Angelico, Duccio, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Titian, and Giotto.

This makes an exquisite gift and is just in time for Christmas.

Many Christians often wonder how we can better spread the Gospels. Here is one answer to that question: Give The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John to your children, nieces, nephews, godchildren, siblings, friends, parents, and grandparents.

Photos of the interior follow. For a free .pdf of the complete interior, see here.

For 15% off, please enter the discount BLOGCODE at Amazon at checkout. The same code will also get you 20% off a purchase of three or more.

For more details, and to learn more about the Sacred Art Series, visit www.SacredArtSeries.com.

St. Francis Xavier - Dec. 3

St. Francis Xavier is one of the earliest Jesuits and is best known for his evangelization of India and Japan. He is said to have baptized thousands and even tens of thousands.

Here is beautiful painting by Peter Paul Rubens that depicts St. Francis' many miracles.

And here is a brief biography of St. Francis Xavier from Benzinger Brothers' abbreviation of Butler's Lives of the Saints:

YOUNG Spanish gentleman, in the dangerous days of the Reformation, was making a name for himself as a Professor of Philosophy in the University of Paris, and had seemingly no higher aim, when St. Ignatius of Loyola won him to heavenly thoughts. After a brief apostolate amongst his countrymen in Rome he was sent by St. Ignatius to the Indies, where for twelve years he was to wear himself out, bearing the Gospel to Hindostan, to Malacca, and to Japan. Thwarted by the jealousy, covetousness, and carelessness of those who should have helped and encouraged him, neither their opposition nor the difficulties of every sort which he encountered could make him slacken his labors for souls. The vast kingdom of China appealed to his charity, and he was resolved to risk his life to force an entry, when God took him to Himself, and on the 2nd of December, 1552, he died, like Moses, in sight of the land of promise.

Reflection.—Some are specially called to work for souls; but there is no one who cannot help much in their salvation. Holy example, earnest intercession, the offerings of our actions in their behalf—all this needs only the spirit which animated St. Francis Xavier, the desire to make some return to God.

Sacred Art Series - The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John

Download the full text of the Sacred Art Series' The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John below. It's completely free. And I've left the entire book in the public domain, so you are welcome (and encouraged) to share it with others.

Buy the print edition (with leatherette cover, gilt pages, and a ribbon) at Amazon here. It makes a great gift!

  Sacred Art Series - The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John by Will Bloomfield