In the first Over the Page for 2022, Sr Joanna Coleiro fsp offers a selection of reading material on Lent, Holy Week and Easter for parishioners big and small.

Books are available online from Pauline Books & Media or why not visit the book shop at 7 Denmark Hill Road, East Hawthorn.  Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and Saturday 9.00 am to 12 noon.

The Art of Holy Week and Easter: Meditations on the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus

Sr Wendy Beckett

Brimming with Sister Wendy Beckett’s irrepressible wisdom and enthusiasm, this little book explores the spiritual riches of some of the world’s greatest paintings of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Illustrated in full colour with thirty famous and lesser-known Western masterpieces, it is presented in a small, easily portable format. 

Both the artworks selected and Sister Wendy’s reflections on them will make this book a treasure to keep by the armchair during Lent and Easter.  Dip into it each day or through the week, as a thoughtful preparation for Lent. Sister Wendy gently leads the reader into a deeper appreciation of all that these paintings convey to the discerning eye.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

What Are We Hoping For? Reflections on Lent and Easter

Fr Richard Leonard, SJ

Well-known Jesuit author and speaker, Fr. Richard Leonard offers both insight and a contemporary perspective in this series of refreshing stories and reflections. His challenging reflections invite the reader into a deeper understanding of the seasons of Lent and Easter, making them an ideal for personal prayer. Based on the gospel stories of the liturgical seasons, Fr Richard’s reflections will also help readers reflect on and enter into the gospel stories themselves.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

40 Days and 40 Ways: Daily Meditations for Lent Year C

Dom Henry Wansbrough 

During Lent the Church puts before us special readings for each day, helping us to prepare for the great events of Holy Week, which culminates with the resurrection of Our Lord.

Using insights from a lifetime as a scripture scholar and editor of the Jerusalem Bible translation, Dom Henry Wansbrough OSB, provides insightful and inspiring meditations on the daily readings for the forty days of Lent and each of the Sundays (Year C) of the season. Each meditation also ends with a suggested action to help the reader apply the message of scripture to daily life. These acts will revive a desire for God’s spirit to empower us to follow Christ more closely.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

The Folly of God: The Journey of the Cross, A Path to Light

Sr Rina Risitano

Through her poetry and meditations Sr Rina pairs each of Sieger Koder’s powerful artworks on the Stations of the Cross and the events of the resurrection, with reflections that enable the reader to enter deeply into their rich symbolism.  Each prayerful meditation is accompanied by suggested scripture texts and related themes.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

The Beauty of the Cross: Reflections for Lent from Isaiah 52 and 53

Tim Chester 

Delight in the beauty of Christ afresh this Lent. Some of the richest prophecies about the cross of Christ can be found in the book of Isaiah, chapters 52 and 53 (the last of the ‘Servant Songs’). Tim Chester’s thought-provoking meditations will take you through these familiar yet extraordinary chapters, along with hymns and prayers from the riches of church history. Live the powerful weeks of Lent and Holy Week with 47 days of short, stirring reflections that invite you to gaze once more on Christ in all his beauty.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

The Way of Julian of Norwich

Sheila Upjohn

In this book about Julian of Norwich, Sheila Upjohn explores the ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ alongside passages from Scripture. As part of the ‘Prayer Journey Through Lent’ series, ‘The Way of Julian of Norwich’ reveals how Julian’s fresh perspectives on sin and judgement, anger and forgiveness, the Incarnation and the crucifixion can challenge and enlighten us even now, six hundred years later, in a world so badly in need of the assurance of God’s unconditional love. Upjohn transports the reader back to the Middle Ages in this book about ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ and Julian of Norwich to give a deeper understanding of Julian who was so often perceived as an outsider.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

Make Room, A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter

Laura Alary

Make Room is an invitation for children to wonder about the Lenten story. It teaches children to experience Lent with all their senses, and to see it as a special time for creating a welcoming space for God. Simple activities like cleaning a room, making bread and soup, and inviting a neighbour for supper become acts of justice and kindness, part of a life of following Christ, and a way to make room for God in our lives and in the world around us.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

Welcome Risen Jesus: Lent and Easter Reflections for Families

Sarah Reinhard

Welcome Risen Jesus offers daily reflections and thoughts that encourage families to THINK, PRAY, ACT based on words from scripture. These exercises are designed to engage your household during the Lenten season by tying scripture and reflection to your daily life. With each passing Sunday, your family’s faith will by enriched, and the true meaning of this season will be discovered.  Available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media.

By Sr Joanna Coleiro fsp

Sr Joanna Coleiro, fsp, is a Daughter of St Paul with a long-time interest in the spiritual growth, faith development and religious experience of both adults and children.  We are grateful to Sr Joanna for her monthly contributions to our newsletter.

Pauline Books & Media is run by The Daughters of St Paul, which is an international congregation of religious women founded to spread the Gospel through the channels of the modern media.