Good spiritual reading to help prepare you for Christmas...

    If you are looking for some good spiritual reading to help prepare you for Christmas, I highly recommend a small volume titled, The Life Of Mary As Seen By The Mystics. This small book (with an imprimatur) compiled by Raphael Brown, is an excellent meditation. 

    This book in small chapters tells the story of the life of Our Lady from Her Immaculate Conception until the Coronation.  All of the chapters of the book are based on the revelations of various Venerables, Blesseds and Saints.

    The Holy Gospels, of course, focus upon the life of Our Lord, the center of history. This book helps to fill in the pieces that are not mentioned in the gospels regarding Our Lady. It is common sense that a Mother so good and so holy would be inextricably tied to all of the events of the life of Our Lord.

    This book helps one to have a much greater devotion to Our Lady. It helps one to see how much the Holy Trinity loved Our Lady, and especially how the Second Person of the Trinity, Our Lord and Mary's Son, loved Our Lady.  One gets a great insight into the great intimacy that existed between Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, an intimacy that cannot really be fully fathomed.  If Our Lord loves Our Lady so much, shouldn't we as well?

    From Advent through the Christmas season I like to read from the story of St. Joachim and St. Ann through the Presentation in the Temple.  During Lent and Easter I like to read and reflect upon Our Lord's public life, His Passion, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Our Lady's life after the Ascension.

    One of the amazing insights that I have gained was that Our Lady's life was nothing but a torrent of sufferings, from Her childhood on, just like Her Divine Son.  The other insight by which I am always touched  is how Our Lady really was the first apostle.  Even before Our Lord was born, Our Lady did apostolate and converted many.  During Our Lord's life upon this earth and after His Ascension, Our Lady continually did apostolate with the apostles and many others.

    Some friends of mine read from this book on Christmas day, since it is so interesting even for children.  So, if you are looking for a good book on which to meditate in preparation for Christmas, I cannot more highly recommend this volume.  It is published by Tan Books.