Book Review: Seven from Heaven

Seven from Heaven: How the Sacraments Can Heal, Nurture, and Protect Your Family Today

by Elizabeth Ficocelli
Crossroad Publishing Company, 2012

Elizabeth Ficocelli, an adult convert to the Catholic faith, is a woman in love with the sacraments. That love shines forth in her latest book, Seven from Heaven: How the Sacraments Can Heal, Nurture, and Protect Your Family Today. She believes that teaching about the sacraments is “the perfect catechetical tool . . . to excite young people about their faith.” 

While Seven from Heaven will help adults understand the sacraments more fully, Ficocelli’s intention is truly to help parents then educate their children about this aspect of our faith. By making the sacraments integral to one’s family life, the family will then be transformed.

As one might expect, Ficocelli focuses on each of the seven sacraments: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and The Anointing of the Sick.  She discusses the blessing of each sacrament and its important role in our lives. What makes Seven from Heaven truly valuable and unique are the ways Ficocelli suggests to make these sacraments come alive for children. Children, as much as adults, are prone to asking “What is in it for me?” When it comes to the sacraments, the answer is “everything!” It is a Catholic parent’s job to help their children understand the beauty and blessings of these gifts from God. With her practical suggestions, Ficocelli helps make that job much easier.

For example, when preparing a child for going to confession, she suggests having that child write a letter to Jesus about what he or she would like to talk to the priest about. The year a child will make First Communion is a wonderful time to have the whole family pray in a special way for that child. Praying to the Holy Spirit for the grace of His gifts is a means of making confirmation more tangible. A child can pray for his or her future spouse from a young age. A family can spiritually “adopt” a seminarian to pray for and write letters to in order to connect the family with the sacrament of Holy Orders. Helping to care for the sick and dying can underscore the importance of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

The sacraments are such wonderful gifts! Seven from Heaven will help foster or renew your enthusiasm for them. As Ficocelli states in the last chapter, “When we revitalize the family through God’s graces, we revitalize the Church and, in turn, the world!” Why would we ever want to miss that opportunity?

Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Book Review: "The Power of the Sacraments"

The Power of the Sacraments
by Sr. Briege McKenna, O.S.C.
Cincinnati, OH: Servant Books, 2010

The first thing one notices about "The Power of the Sacraments" by Sr. Briege McKenna is its size. This is a small book - a mere 64 pages. Does it actually have something new and valuable to say about the sacraments? Absolutely.

Sr. McKenna emphasizes how the sacraments bring us "supernatural life, the life of grace." She discusses each of the seven sacraments - their purpose and how they can work in our lives. All of this one can read in other books, however.

It was only after reading through several of the chapters that I began to understand the meaning of the title: "The Power of the Sacraments." "Power" is the word to be emphasized. For each sacrament, Sr. McKenna shares the story of a miracle related to it. These are truly amazing, heart-wrenching stories that illustrate just what Jesus can accomplish when His sacraments pour out their grace.

"The Power of the Sacraments" is a reminder of the great gift we have been given in the sacraments. We should all open ourselves to their power in our lives.

Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com

Book Review: "The Sacraments We Celebrate"

The Sacraments We Celebrate: A Catholic Guide to the Seven Mysteries of Faith
by Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi
Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2010

In the introduction to “The Sacraments We Celebrate: A Catholic Guide to the Seven Mysteries of Faith,” Archbishop Timothy Dolan writes that Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi “has baptized hundreds of babies, heard thousands of confessions, celebrated Mass daily, married countless couples, and anointed thousands of infirm and elderly. In other words, he’s been on the front lines of the battle for souls, armed with water, bread, wine, oil stock, purple stole, words, and gesture.” The sacraments are “the front lines of the battle for souls,” yet we Catholics often take them for granted. Msgr. Vaghi’s book is designed both to educate readers about the mysteries of the sacraments and their role in our spiritual lives, as well as to encourage Catholics to make greater use of them.

The book is the second of a four part series examining the four pillars of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.” As such, Msgr. Vaghi quotes heavily from the recently published “United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.” This is designed as a companion volume to that Catechism, but it functions equally well as a stand-alone study.

“In the sacraments, each of us encounters God.” Msgr. Vaghi explores in great detail how we encounter God in Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Each chapter includes questions for personal or group reflection as well as a prayer. There is so much to learn about the mystery and gift that is the seven sacraments. Readers of “The Sacraments We Celebrate” will come away with a much greater appreciation for the sacraments and will hopefully seek to integrate them more fully in their lives.

Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com