Breakfast with Benedict: Daily Readings

BREAKFAST WITH BENEDICT: Daily Readings, by Pope Benedict XVI, edited by Bert Ghezzi. Our Sunday Visitor. 208 pp.

Reviewed by ELIZABETH YANK, an avid reader, homeschool mother and freelance writer from South Milwaukee.
LET'S FACE IT: We're all busy. We may have good intentions of setting aside time for spiritual reading, but that doesn't always happen. But in Breakfast With Benedict: Daily Readings, popular author Bert Ghezzi has compiled a series of short meditations from Pope Benedict XVI that cover a wide variety of topics, such as "the beauty of the liturgy, comforter of the afflicted, the mission of youth" and more.
We too easily get caught up in the world and forget what life is all about. Reading Benedict XVI restores our focus on Christ, the good gifts God has given us, the purpose of our existence. Drawing on his homilies, speeches, encyclicals and many books, Ghezzi introduces us to Pope Benedict on a level to which we can all relate. Ultimately, Pope Benedict challenges us to live more deeply and authentically the words of Christ.
This book is ideal for setting the tone for the day or for refocusing our attention on the higher things during the day, or for lifting our minds to God's goodness and grace at the close of the day, so that our last thoughts may be peaceful and holy.
One motif Pope Benedict brings up over and over again is God's merciful love for us. Many of the pope's reflections touch on the theme of love or mention some aspect of love, God's love for us, our vocation to love, our need to love God and those around us. The pope challenges us to love more as God has loved us—"in God and with God, I love even the person whom I do not like or even know."
He begs us to open our hearts to God's love: "Let no heart be closed to the omnipotence of [God's] redeeming love." He pleads with us that God's love is for us all: "Jesus Christ died and rose for all; he is our hope—true hope for every human being."
He asks us to rest secure in God's love, and to "remain in his love." To those who are searching for love, he says, . . . To read the rest, go to the link below.
You can order BREAKFAST WITH BENEDICT: Daily Readings from St. Francis Bookstore.
This review first appeared in St. Anthony Messenger Press Magazine.
Breakfast with Benedict Daily Readings Review