Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links; thanks for your support!
Happy All Saints Day! Okay, so I’m a little early, but I had an opportunity to review a copy of A Year With the Saints: Daily Meditations with the Holy Ones of God from St Benedict Press and thought the timing was perfect.
A Year With the Saints is a 365 day journey in Catholicism through the eyes of the Saints. Too busy to read St. John Chrysostom? Or St. Thomas Aquinas? Or are you like me and your eyes would glaze over anyway?
Like A Year With the Angels, I received the gorgeous leather-like edition with the gold edged pages & ribbon bookmark. If you are a bibliophile, this is your book. It is also available in for Kindle, but unless you only read digital books get the fancy one. It’s one of those books that is so beautiful and pleasing to all the senses that you WANT to read it.
Each day’s reading is from a famous saint. It begins with a short summary of the reading in plain english and then the saints thoughts on the topic for the day. Following the reading is a reflection to prayerfully consider as well as a closing prayer and I’m not going to lie. This isn’t an “easy” book which is why it’s taken me so long to review it. I’ve easily had it for a year. The saints are hardcore. I cannot read this with kids climbing all over me. I’ve had to read several days, several times. But it’s good to be stretched. I want to read the saints. I want to grow in holiness. I want to make the effort.
If you are short on time or feel like the saints are over your head, A Year With the Saints is a great place to start. The entries are meaty, but not overly complex. They are short, but provide food for thought for the whole day or longer. And because its not a dated entry each day, you never feel behind and can start any time you want. Or at least *I* don’t :).
So on All Saints Day, go get your plenary indulgence and start your year of reading with the saints. You can get it on Amazon and get it in plenty of time. Two days if you have Prime and instantly if your prefer Kindle. How’s that for putting off procrastination :).
Do you have a favorite book for reading about the saints?