Welcome to the "Spiritual Saturday's" section of my little blog. I'm so thrilled to open up my (well used) mass journal, and help a fellow Catholic who might be on the fence about investing in one. So let's dive into my honest review (which is the very first in a series of periodic reviews throughout the year), this one is for the Catholic Mass Journal, Every Sacred Sunday [ LINK ].
What's a mass journal? Well, during Mass we have a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm reading, a New Testament reading, and lastly, a reading from one of the Gospels. It's probably why you have the old myth that Catholics don't read much Bible on their own - that's because if you go to daily mass, and the weekend, you'll make it through the entire Bible being read to you ;)
BUT like many stereotypes, there is a nugget of truth that Catholics in general, aren't so good about reading their Bible, in fact, according to a Rasmussen study, only SEVEN percent read it every day! Forty four perfect NEVER read it!
It's an issue that needs to be addressed in our church, because frankly,
BUT like many stereotypes, there is a nugget of truth that Catholics in general, aren't so good about reading their Bible, in fact, according to a Rasmussen study, only SEVEN percent read it every day! Forty four perfect NEVER read it!
It's an issue that needs to be addressed in our church, because frankly,
"Ignorance of Scripture, is ignorance of Christ" - St. Jerome
So a book that has the Sunday's printout, as well as Holy Days of Obligation ready to read along and study, and take home and highlight (because, yeah, please don't steal the hymnals with the readings from the Church haha) . . . well, I wanted to check that out! My mother bought it for me for my birthday in November, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the pretty packaging when I unboxed it about two weeks later ♥
You have two different cover options to choose from - and it comes in a beautiful box that you can easily reuse, along with three stickers (the Immaculate Heart of Mary is on my laptop :) ), and a thank you card.
Once you open it, you see it has several great prayers printed within the covers (both front and back), a "how to use" page, tips for praying with scripture (check out Lectio Divinia for more on that), an overview of important dates, and a start of the liturgical year reflection page (as well as pre- and post-season reflections throughout the year) - here's a small collage of some of that:
But guess what? It doesn't just have the readings, the whole Sunday spread has plenty of room to doodle, and Bible journal and take notes in the margins, and the following page has this great layout:
There's a "Scripture Speaks" part at the top to reflect on your favorite part. Then prayer requests, and thanksgiving sections, and finally, a large portion dedicated to the homily with a "go forth" space at the bottom to keep in mind during the week. How great is that?
I have read so many great reviews that talked about how they'll take the journal with them to mass to follow along, and connect deeper to the mass. Or some, like myself, who like to read it a day or two before to study and reflect on beforehand. In fact, here's a picture of me taking it to Adoration - because what's better than reading the Word of God, in front of the Blessed Sacrament?
I have read so many great reviews that talked about how they'll take the journal with them to mass to follow along, and connect deeper to the mass. Or some, like myself, who like to read it a day or two before to study and reflect on beforehand. In fact, here's a picture of me taking it to Adoration - because what's better than reading the Word of God, in front of the Blessed Sacrament?
So what exactly do you get in the Every Sacred Sunday Journal?
- a book that covers the entire liturgical year from December (the first Sunday of Advent) to November (read here to understand why our Catholic year is set up this way) - since we are more than halfway through, I thought it'd be a good time to review it to share how it's going so far :)
- inside the covers are extra prayers (like, "Act of Spiritual Communion", "Nicene Creed", "Liturgy of Humility" and plenty more!)
- extra pages dedicated to Holy Days of Obligation, and color coded to stand out
- beautiful art work throughout
- reflections sections before each change of liturgy season, and after
Here's a two more pictures of me using it throughout the year
♥
♥
Final Rating: All in all, I'll give it five out of five stars!
I personally would love if it was a littler cheaper than the 45$ (including taxes and S&H) it costs, but that's because I'm a penny pincher. In fact, considering the prices of most missals, and Bible journals, I find it on par with the current market expectations - plus, the materials used (gold foil lettering on the cover, the hard backing, the thick paper on the inside), I'm sure the cost is more than warranted.
If you'd like to check it out yourself - no ad, or affiliations, just me recommending - here's their website, and social media pages :)
If you'd like to check it out yourself - no ad, or affiliations, just me recommending - here's their website, and social media pages :)
Every Sacred Sunday
Much love ♥
Post a Comment