9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spiritual Companions, November 29, 2006
This review is from: Saints to Lean on: Spiritual Companions for Illness And Disability (Paperback)
Author Janice McGrane, who has suffered with rheumatoid arthritis since she was 25, was prompted by her own experience to write about 11 Christian saints and mystics who offer us inspiration and spiritual companionship in times of disability and illness. In the introduction, McGrane clarifies the Catholic position on praying "to" saints. What we really mean, she notes, is asking the saints to pray "with us" to God. She adds an explanation of the Catholic belief in "the communion of saints," the relationship between the living and the deceased whose prayers, stories, and companionship are available to us. She also addresses the old practice of "offering it up," stressing the importance of acknowledging the pain of life and "consciously and continually" giving it over to God in whatever way seems best.
At the heart of this book are men and women from different times and places who experienced different physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. One, Catherine of Genoa, is presented as a model for caregivers. What all of the subjects have in common, McGrane explains, is that "their writings and their powerful witness to others demonstrated great spiritual lessons on how to live with a debilitating illness or disability."
In each chapter the author provides biographical information, particularly the individual's spiritual journey, and effect on others during life and after death. Most chapters also include information on the cultural and medical responses to the disability or illness at the time the subject lived and today. McGrane wraps up the stories with ways we might enter into spiritual companionship with the individual.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Communing with Spiritual Role Models, November 14, 2006
This review is from: Saints to Lean on: Spiritual Companions for Illness And Disability (Paperback)
Saints to Lean On by Janice McGrane, S.S.J. provides a compelling look at eleven different "spiritual companions". Each biographical vignette looks at a member of the "communion of saints" who have gone before us on their own paths, which included pain and suffering. In her introductory comments, McGrane rightly discusses the line between praying "to" saints and praying "with" them. Not all of the eleven have been formally canonized, but each provides a role model of strength and courage in facing adversity. While the book is addressed towards those suffering illness and disability, I found it an uplifting resource for taking on any adversity in life. I was particularly moved by the chapters on St. Therese of Lisieux and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and Well Written, September 25, 2006
This review is from: Saints to Lean on: Spiritual Companions for Illness And Disability (Paperback)
Sister Janice shows her passion for persons with disabilities and sketches some interesting Saint's lives who had various disabilities.
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