“A mom cannot spend every hour of every day—24/7—filling other people’s needs without running dry, unless she takes some time along the busy road to fill up for herself.” – Tammy Bundy, Catholic Mom 24/7

This year, why not give all the mothers in your life something that lasts longer than flowers, candy or perfume—how about a gift of nourishment for her soul? Here are some book suggestions that celebrate and inspire Mom:

Moms will recognize and relate to the situations described in Catholic Mom 24/7: Daily Meditations for Busy Mothers by Tammy Bundy. A mother of four herself, Tammy relates to the daily stress and massive to-do lists of today’s mom. You’ll find humor, understanding and the peace of daily reflection and prayer in this small, purse-friendly book. 

It’s a story that is every parent’s worst nightmare, but as told in My Joy, My Sorrow: Karen Ann’s Mother Remembers, by Julia Duane Quinlan, it’s also a story of hope, love and redemption. The headline-making ordeal of Karen Ann Quinlan captured the country’s attention like nothing else in the 70s, and no one can tell the inside story better than Karen Ann’s mother.

And what a dramatic story it is, told in Julia’s quiet voice. When it was all over, the case of Karen Ann Quinlan resulted in significant changes in medical protocols, the rights of patients, the growth of hospices and living wills, and how we all look at death and dying today. But it’s also a story of mother’s love, a love that never gives up and never fails.

Mothers will appreciate the practical and spiritual advice in Make Room for God: Clearing Out the Clutter, by Susan Rowland. What mother can’t relate to this statement from the beginning of the book: “Not long ago, I was wandering around in my own little world, stressed out by all the things I believed I had to do, frustrated by the clutter that was filling my closets and my mind, and all the while longing for something better. I worked too much, prayed too little and added to my load with long lists that never got done.”

In this heartfelt book, Susan provides not only the practical steps of how to clear clutter, but also the spiritual reasons of why. Moms will find inspiration in learning how another mother decluttered her space, and in doing so, also decluttered her mind and heart and life.   

Every year, May offers Catholics a whole month to reflect on the Mother of God, to honor her with May crownings, to celebrate all mothers with Mother’s Day. This May, expand your reflection on and appreciation of Mary with books from St. Anthony Messenger Press.

Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God, by Ginny Kubitz Moyer, offers stories of Mary from women from all walks of life – from lay to religious, cradle Catholics to converts, young to mature. You’ll likely find a story that resonates with your own personal experience of Mary today. 

In The Miracle of Lourdes: A Message of Healing and Hope, Father John Lochran retells the familiar story with deep insight and new appreciation, providing an armchair pilgrimage for those who haven’t been to Lourdes and a memoir for those who have.

Images of Mary, by Alfred McBride, O. Praem., explores ten images of Mary and explains their evolution and influence, tracing her appeal through different eras and cultures.

Vincenzina Krymow's Mary’s Flowers: Gardens, Legends and Meditations, a beautiful book celebrating both Mary and May flowers, would make a wonderful gift for Mother’s Day. Learn the legends behind flowers named for Mary and their biblical origins. Thirty illustrations by A. Joseph Barrish, S.M., based on medieval woodcuts, bring each bloom to colorful life.   

All too often, a married person may find himself or herself in the following scenario: “When one person wants God at the center of life and the other is ambivalent, a self-proclaimed agnostic or atheist, a conflict exists that can make communication challenging. Unfortunately, many couples allow these tensions to tear them apart.”

Rather than losing hope and communication in your marriage and falling into divorce, try following the sage advice given in Donna Erickson Couch’s new book, Together But Alone: When God Means Something Different to Your Spouse. Couch, a veteran of such a situation, offers wise, practical help for those who do not want their own spiritual quest to become a divisive factor in their marriages. She points out that people “must renegotiate the ‘rules’ of intimate relationships when a calling for God echoes within....”

Chapters deal with such issues as: • Growth and Stagnation • Longing, Loneliness and Love • Solitude and Community • Mystery and Relationships • Children and Family • Friends and Guides • The Journey Ahead

Gentle words and advice on following one’s own spiritual path form the heart of this book. Ronald Rolheiser writes, “Together But Alone is a needed book, balm and guidance for anyone suffering from moral loneliness....I heartily recommend this book.”

Is there a spirituality inherent in our relationship with the earth? Is our planet more than a commodity, to be used and abused and discarded by human beings? How can we develop a holy relationship with the earth and its creatures? How does our view of our planet home relate to our Christian faith? What can Francis teach us about personally responding to the earth?

These are the questions addressed by Care for Creation: A Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth by Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Keith Douglass Warner, O.F.M., and Pamela Wood. Care for Creation provides a comprehensive view of creation and the environment and the Christian place within creation through the lens of Franciscan spiritual values. The authors contribute from their areas of expertise: environmental science, Franciscan spirituality and reflective action. These three perspectives on care for creation show that living interdependently and cooperatively underlies a rich unfolding of life in unity and harmony.

If you are concerned about the survival of our ecosystem, Care for Creation can guide you on the Franciscan path toward caring for the earth. Combining good science with solid theology and practical applications, this book displays the genius of the Franciscan tradition in confronting today’s environmental crisis. The authors show how a contemporary Franciscan spirituality of creation, following the footprints of Jesus with the guidance of Saint Francis of Assisi, can help renew the face of the earth in our own time. Care for Creation includes steps for individuals and churches to take to reduce their impact on the environment.

Documentary filmmaker and award-winning author Gerard Thomas Straub (When Did I See You Hungry? and The Sun and Moon Over Assisi) now writes a daily blog that not only features his writings but also includes an inspiring “Quote of the Day.” Check out Gerry’s blog at http://gerrystraub.wordpress.com. A quotes archive section has been added for those who would like to browse the inspiring, spiritually uplifting material anytime.

Susan Saint Sing, Ph. D., author of Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul, was interviewed recently by the Columbia Missourian newspaper on the topic of spirituality of sport. Recognized as a leading authority on the subject, Susan explores the joy and impetus humans experience to play, dance and compete while focusing on the energy of a benevolent God, giving many personal anecdotes in her book and those of her fellow athletes and coaches. She also wrote Francis and the San Damiano Cross: Meditations on Spiritual Transformation.

Join author and Bible scholar Timothy Schehr for a “Day of Reflection on Healing Passages in the Bible” at the Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal in Ludlow Falls, Ohio, on April 5 and again on April 12. The day will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will end around 2:00 p.m. For more information and event details, visit www.transfigurationcenter.com. 

     For more information on the Bible, check out Father Tim’s book, Finding Your Bible: A Catholic's Guide, in which he addresses many tough questions Catholics ask when dealing with the Bible, such as which Bible we should read and how are we to better understand its language, metaphors and allegories.

      He also introduces readers to the amazing literature of the Bible in The Bible Made Easy: A Book-by-Book Introduction, in which he highlights the main characters, central themes and the spiritual lessons of each book of the Bible in what can be called an “indispensable roadmap” for those setting out to discover God’s word.

"This book is highly recommended to those addicted to the Internet, those concerned about a person addicted and those who minister to them" writes Brother Benet S. Exton in his review of Breaking Free of the Web: Catholics and Internet Addiction in Catholic News Agency's online newletter. Read the review here.

Like the author of Saints Off the Pedestal: Real Saints for Real People, you might wonder what model of holy living the saints can provide besides “be good, don’t stray, keep your eyes on the life beyond.”  We assume that spending time learning about these saints will teach us nothing, in our twenty-first-century sophistication, but there’s much more than you think, as Amanda Roberts discovered while writing this book.

Roberts takes a close look at saints like Peter, who failed so utterly as to do exactly what he had earlier said was impossible–betraying Jesus. Roberts points out that it is in these moments that we fallible human beings are touched by the living God who is ready to forgive and grace us with more love than we imagined possible. Reflections and reflection questions bring the lessons from each saint’s story into present-day struggles and concerns. As an example, Peter’s story is followed by such insightful questions as: How do you deal with your own failures and disappointments? How do you experience God’s abundant grace? Roberts also casts a discerning eye at the stories of Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Aloysius Gonzaga, Martin de Porres, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Katherine Drexel, and Therese of Lisieux. In all of these stories she finds the details and specific struggles that make the saint “real” to us,  that can touch, inform and inspire us on our own path to holiness and God.

"Of course!" average cradle Catholic women would say. They’ve been hearing about Mary for their entire lives. But, do you really know Mary? Is Mary the frozen beatific figurine on your living room mantle or spotlighted in your front yard grotto? Or can she be more?

That’s the question Ginny Kubitz Moyer asked readers of her blog at BustedHalo.com. The answers, from women readers aged 30 to 40 years, intrigued her, so she cast a wider net to include women of all ages. Her new book, Mary and Me, describes what she discovered about Mary from the many responses she received. The answers are as varied as the women themselves. As she writes in the introduction to this book, “Their stories form the heart of this book. Woven together, they create a tapestry of ways that Mary speaks to women’s lives, a gathering of remembrances and reflections and insight.”

Mary is a source of help and inspiration to these women in varied and often surprising ways. Whatever you think you know about Mary, Mary and Me will expand your vision of the Mother of God.