St. Benedict taught that spiritual reading is a prayerful activity, and he even required his monks to read a good spiritual book during Lent. Daily prayer has always been the food of the soul, and good spiritual reading helps to elevate the soul and prepare it for deeper communion with God.
Lent is the perfect time to renew a focus on spiritual reading and prayer. One area of growing importance in Catholic spirituality is devotion to the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary. A new book, written by Catholic theologian, Dr. Kelly Bowring, discusses the relationship between the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and how they are together warning us, guiding us and leading us on to lives of increased holiness, especially in these difficult times. About our times, John Paul II, just before becoming pope, said: “We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel.”
This new book on the Two Hearts, “The Secrets, Chastisement, and Triumph,” invites us to respond to our times by depending on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, because she is our mother as well: “Since Jesus is sending his mother from Heaven to speak with us, to warn us, to call us to conversion and holiness, as her spiritual children it rightly behooves us to respond with childlike simplicity, and to say yes to our heavenly Mother,” the book states. The book explains how Mary is being sent by God as the prophetess of our times to call her spiritual children to prepare for the apocalyptic times that are quickly approaching. In his book, Dr. Bowring puts things in perspective, saying: “It makes sense that the most important issue of our times is the one that Heaven has been focusing on, and repeating with greater emphasis, over the past century [through Marian apparitions] – and it’s all about our time. This being so, one could say that this message from Heaven is in some ways the most important issue of our day.”
Dr. Bowring’s book has received the Church’s Imprimatur from Archbishop and noted Marian expert, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal. “The Secrets, Chastisement, and Triumph,” has been honored as “BOOK OF THE YEAR!” by Jerry Morin of Servants to the World. Others are praising it as the best book ever written on Marian prophecy and a book that readers will not want to put down. “A Book That You Will Read More Than Once – You have my word!” says Fr. Neil Buchlein of Ascension Church in Hurricane, West Virginia, and host of a Marian Internet blog. “I COULD NOT put it down. It kept my interest from beginning to end… Do yourself a favor and get this book. I promise you will not be disappointed.”
A most important book for our times and a book that has received its share of positive acclaims together make for a perfect book for Lent!
The Secrets, Chastisement, and Triumph of the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary (and What Heaven is Calling Us To Do), by Kelly Bowring, published by Two Hearts Press, LLC, can be ordered at www.TwoHeartsPress.com.
To watch a brief video introducing Bowring’s new book, please click this link or paste it in your web browser: http://www.youtube.com/user/
