{bits & pieces}

Joseph Ratzinger’s The Spirit of the ... Chatty and knitty.

{bits & pieces}

The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

We are giving away one of our favorites, a copy of The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John, to a lucky reader! Details on how to enter at the end of the post.

It’s now that season for First Holy Communions and Confirmations! Maybe you are that Godparent/Parent/Sponsor who just can’t think of what to give your little-saint-in-the-making as a gift on this important occasion.

Well, let me suggest that you give the brilliant The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John.

Gospels of Luke and John ~ Sacred Art Series

The idea is simple, and you wonder why it hasn’t been done before.

You need a Gospel for your rapidly maturing young person that isn’t Bible stories, retold you know, rather than the actual words of Scripture; but you also need one that isn’t distracting, with study notes, verse numbers, and footnotes. All those are amazing in their place, but when you are praying with Holy Scripture, you just want to read and think and meditate on the actual words of the Bible.

Gospels of Luke and John ~ Sacred Art Series

Illustrated with many beautiful works of sacred art from the past, this volume from the Sacred Art Series supplies the need. Yes, it’s good for children who can read, because the type is large and clear. And yes, pictures are helpful for kids, although I will say that it’s good for adults too. I use mine in my prayer. The artwork lets your mind rest and pray.

Gospels of Luke and John ~ Sacred Art Series

There’s a gold ribbon too, so you can keep your place.

Any child would benefit from this volume on a special occasion!*

This weeks links:

The guide to email signoffs. XOXO, vs. XX… Rosie sent that one, and it reminded me of one on Christian closings which I’ve had bookmarked all these years. The comments are also so funny (my fave: “Continuing in sin so grace might abound” haha)

Ever hear of a 16-year-old girl who rode twice as far as Paul Revere to call out the militia against the British in 1776? Perhaps Sybil Ludington should go on the $20 bill?

The Virgin Tomb in Scripture and theology.

Scientific Regress:

“The Whiggish view of scientific history is so dominant today that this possibility is spoken of only in hushed whispers, but ours is a world in which things once known can be lost and buried.”

Related: A rousing, hilarious, and fairly profane (that is: language alert! but then again, one of the most popular sites on Facebook and widely shared, is called I F***ing Love Science, which what the heck) essay on enablers of the scientific regress: Neil deGrasse Tyson: pedantry in space.

Not to open a can of worms, and maybe I will have to give this its own post, but a friend just sent me this post: A letter of Charlotte Mason to The New York Times on the subject of Maria Montessori’s methods, of which she does not approve. (You can find a pdf of the letter here by scrolling down a bit.) And although I find, along with Miss Mason it should be noted, some good qualities in her system, particularly (for me) the calming sense of order and the trust in the child’s seriousness in play, there has always been something which seems so artificial and needlessly complicated (not to say expensive) in her theory. Charlotte Mason explains exactly what this is.

From the archives:

The secret to planning menus (it’s maybe not quite what you think!)
Should my kids play sports?
Dating rules for teenagers in a crazy world.

To enter for the giveaway of The Holy Gospels of St. Luke and St. John, just leave a comment here! The giveaway will end Wednesday night.