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May Crowning, Mass, and Merton and Other Reasons I Love Being Catholic
“Liz Kelly’s love of her Catholic faith is an inspiration. I highly recommend her wonderful book.”
—Matthew Kelly, New York Times best-selling author of
The Rhythm of Life In May Crowning, Mass, and Merton, Liz Kelly, a thirty-something writer and jazz singer, eagerly shares her ardent love for the Catholic faith. While the beliefs of the church are important to Kelly, her passion is really ignited by the holy people and places, the beloved rituals, and the rich spiritual traditions of this living faith. She celebrates them here, with wit, affection, and candor.
Kelly has realized that “the litany of reasons to love being Catholic is extraordinary.” These include everything from the crucifix, kneelers, and Ash Wednesday to Flannery O’Connor, the Swiss Guard, and Tenebrae. Though she writes that, “Mine is not an extraordinary faith, so much as a faith growing a little messy, a little rough and subversive around the edges,” it is a rich, inspiring faith, celebrated by a fresh, young Catholic voice.
—Matthew Kelly, New York Times best-selling author of
The Rhythm of Life In May Crowning, Mass, and Merton, Liz Kelly, a thirty-something writer and jazz singer, eagerly shares her ardent love for the Catholic faith. While the beliefs of the church are important to Kelly, her passion is really ignited by the holy people and places, the beloved rituals, and the rich spiritual traditions of this living faith. She celebrates them here, with wit, affection, and candor.
Kelly has realized that “the litany of reasons to love being Catholic is extraordinary.” These include everything from the crucifix, kneelers, and Ash Wednesday to Flannery O’Connor, the Swiss Guard, and Tenebrae. Though she writes that, “Mine is not an extraordinary faith, so much as a faith growing a little messy, a little rough and subversive around the edges,” it is a rich, inspiring faith, celebrated by a fresh, young Catholic voice.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Liz Kelly
4 books2 followersThis author also publishes as Elizabeth M. Kelly and Elizabeth M. Briel.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 4, 2012
Original post at One More Page
An interesting fact about this book: I got this because of a tweet from one of the Twitter accounts I follow that tweets first lines of books from Amazon. I got this purely because it was a Catholic book and it seemed interesting. I was also trying to learn more about my Catholic faith, and so I thought this book would be a good place to start. I read this first during Holy Week of 2008, and that time I wasn't exactly at the best place of my faith. I remember loving this book because it made me appreciate being Catholic, although that didn't necessarily mean that I really got what it means to be one.
Fast forward to three years later, I got to attend my first World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. Now if there was any way for a young Catholic to celebrate and appreciate their faith, the World Youth Day is that event. Seeing people -- Catholics -- all over the world coming together in one place to celebrate and learn about their faith (and meet the Pope) is an event that every Catholic should experience, regardless of age. Suffice to say that it was that event that pretty much defined a lot of my searching in the past years since I first read this book. When Lent came around this year, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this book again.
I thought of writing a review for this book with 50 things about the book, but I realized that 50 is a bit of a big number. So instead, let me just write five:
1. I like that it is Catholic. Maybe I just kind of suck with looking for books written by Catholics, but I remember being very thrilled when I discovered this because I felt that it was written for me. I know it's not, but it just felt like that. :P
2. I like that it's very personal. Liz Kelly wrote the entries in the book with enough personal anecdotes to make it feel like she's just sharing the stories over coffee, or she's a speaker for a community event. She gives enough reference to the Bible, related books, history and to the Catechism of the Catholic Church so readers know that she isn't just pulling things from thin air, but not so much that it overshadows her personality.
3. I like that it covers the ones we Catholics are asked the most about: the rosary, Mary, the Communion of Saints, Confession, the Eucharist. In a way, it's almost like an Apologetics session because readers would understand why we do what we do but with less of the feeling that it is one.
4. I liked discovering new things about Catholicism that I never knew before. May favorite is the Rosary of the Holy Wounds, which I didn't even know existed before. I only knew of the rosary, but this one is new to me and seems like a good devotion to start. Another example is the chapter on the Hour of Divine Mercy, which has been a staple in the household since I was a kid because of the 3 o'clock prayer shown on TV everyday. I never really understood much of it until it was explained in the simplest form in Liz Kelly's book.
5. There were some entries that didn't feel like I could really and truly relate, perhaps because of our differences in culture. Liz Kelly talks about her reasons to love being Catholic as an American. I'm not one, obviously, so there were some things that she wrote that I couldn't really relate to and some that I was looking for but didn't find because they were aspects of Catholicsm that is unique to the Filipinos. However, though, I think the book isn't really meant to be a guide on what constitutes being a Catholic anyway, but a book that helps us appreciate what we have in this beautiful Universal Church. :)
I think new and old Catholics alike would enjoy May Crowning, Mass and Merton: 50 Reasons I Love Being Catholic , and maybe even some non-Catholics who are simply curious about it. It's far from preachy, and like I said, it's very personal so it's up to you if you'd research more on the subjects Liz Kelly wrote about or if you would just leave it be. Suffice to say that I really liked it still even after the second read. As proof: I ended up marking even more pages now than when I first read it:
To end this review, I thought I'd share my own ten reasons why I love being Catholic (just ten because I don't think I can get to 50 yet -- maybe when I get a little bit older :D). Some may have already appeared in the book, while others are my additions. In no particular order, and no more explanations because it would take a bit of time to write -- I'll post about them soon (promise!) in my personal blog if you are interested. :)
1. Universal Church.
2. The Mass.
3. Mary.
4. The Rosary.
5. Pope (Blessed) John Paul II.
6. The Eucharist.
7. Ash Wednesday and Holy Week.
8. Simbang Gabi (Dawn Mass/Advent novena mass)
9. Confession.
10. The saints.
I am glad I reread this book and I'm glad I reread it at this time. Still a favorite for sure. :)
An interesting fact about this book: I got this because of a tweet from one of the Twitter accounts I follow that tweets first lines of books from Amazon. I got this purely because it was a Catholic book and it seemed interesting. I was also trying to learn more about my Catholic faith, and so I thought this book would be a good place to start. I read this first during Holy Week of 2008, and that time I wasn't exactly at the best place of my faith. I remember loving this book because it made me appreciate being Catholic, although that didn't necessarily mean that I really got what it means to be one.
Fast forward to three years later, I got to attend my first World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. Now if there was any way for a young Catholic to celebrate and appreciate their faith, the World Youth Day is that event. Seeing people -- Catholics -- all over the world coming together in one place to celebrate and learn about their faith (and meet the Pope) is an event that every Catholic should experience, regardless of age. Suffice to say that it was that event that pretty much defined a lot of my searching in the past years since I first read this book. When Lent came around this year, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this book again.
I thought of writing a review for this book with 50 things about the book, but I realized that 50 is a bit of a big number. So instead, let me just write five:
1. I like that it is Catholic. Maybe I just kind of suck with looking for books written by Catholics, but I remember being very thrilled when I discovered this because I felt that it was written for me. I know it's not, but it just felt like that. :P
2. I like that it's very personal. Liz Kelly wrote the entries in the book with enough personal anecdotes to make it feel like she's just sharing the stories over coffee, or she's a speaker for a community event. She gives enough reference to the Bible, related books, history and to the Catechism of the Catholic Church so readers know that she isn't just pulling things from thin air, but not so much that it overshadows her personality.
3. I like that it covers the ones we Catholics are asked the most about: the rosary, Mary, the Communion of Saints, Confession, the Eucharist. In a way, it's almost like an Apologetics session because readers would understand why we do what we do but with less of the feeling that it is one.
4. I liked discovering new things about Catholicism that I never knew before. May favorite is the Rosary of the Holy Wounds, which I didn't even know existed before. I only knew of the rosary, but this one is new to me and seems like a good devotion to start. Another example is the chapter on the Hour of Divine Mercy, which has been a staple in the household since I was a kid because of the 3 o'clock prayer shown on TV everyday. I never really understood much of it until it was explained in the simplest form in Liz Kelly's book.
5. There were some entries that didn't feel like I could really and truly relate, perhaps because of our differences in culture. Liz Kelly talks about her reasons to love being Catholic as an American. I'm not one, obviously, so there were some things that she wrote that I couldn't really relate to and some that I was looking for but didn't find because they were aspects of Catholicsm that is unique to the Filipinos. However, though, I think the book isn't really meant to be a guide on what constitutes being a Catholic anyway, but a book that helps us appreciate what we have in this beautiful Universal Church. :)
I think new and old Catholics alike would enjoy May Crowning, Mass and Merton: 50 Reasons I Love Being Catholic , and maybe even some non-Catholics who are simply curious about it. It's far from preachy, and like I said, it's very personal so it's up to you if you'd research more on the subjects Liz Kelly wrote about or if you would just leave it be. Suffice to say that I really liked it still even after the second read. As proof: I ended up marking even more pages now than when I first read it:
To end this review, I thought I'd share my own ten reasons why I love being Catholic (just ten because I don't think I can get to 50 yet -- maybe when I get a little bit older :D). Some may have already appeared in the book, while others are my additions. In no particular order, and no more explanations because it would take a bit of time to write -- I'll post about them soon (promise!) in my personal blog if you are interested. :)
1. Universal Church.
2. The Mass.
3. Mary.
4. The Rosary.
5. Pope (Blessed) John Paul II.
6. The Eucharist.
7. Ash Wednesday and Holy Week.
8. Simbang Gabi (Dawn Mass/Advent novena mass)
9. Confession.
10. The saints.
I am glad I reread this book and I'm glad I reread it at this time. Still a favorite for sure. :)
January 5, 2023
This is a fascinating little volume, part meditation, part, biography and part theology. Liz Kelly open’s up to us her life and her faith and in doing so can help us to understanding our own faith and tradition better. She examines the things, traditions, places and people that are a source of encouragement, challenge and trial to her faith, and through these pense’s and thoughts opens our eyes to see Catholicism in anew light. As she states in her prologue “One: It’s hard. Being Catholic has taught me about balance and prudence and the deep joys of daily discipline and commitment…Two: It’s Hard. Sometimes it is painful to be Catholic, not because of rules and regulations so often associated with being Catholic are so restrictive, but because the love of heaven leads us to fearless expansiveness…”(p.XIII, XIV) Yes being Catholic can be hard but as Kelly shows us it has much in the way of consolation and rewards to make the hardships worth the efforts.
Kelly has separated her book into five roughly equal parts that examine different aspects of the Catholic tradition:
Objects with Meaning
Those who Journey With Us
Devotion in Practice
Truths That Bring Grace
Rhythms of the Faith
In each of these area’s she examines different elements and examples of peoples, places, things, beliefs and practices that are means of grace in our lives. She opens up each of these categories like a flower blooming in an ever progressive way to draw us deeper into understanding the faith she is explaining to us.
In the first section she examines such elements as the Crucifix, Holy Water, incense, the Rosary, kneelers … and through them helps us to focus our faith on what matters most. She states “I don’t think heaven needs my burning candle any more than it needs holy water or incense. Sacramentals are for us, because we are sensory beings, and symbolism and sacramentals help infuse the spiritual into other planes of our experience – physical, emotional, mental.”(p.12) In exploring these items she opens us to the grace inherent in the use of them as tools to draw us closer to God. Not as an end in themselves, but as a means to an end.
In looking at the lives of some of those who journey with us in this quest for faith and a life in God, Kelly shares some of those examples of saints and people of faith who’s stories can be a source of challenge, inspiration and encouragement in our own journey with God. In Writing about Pope John Paul II Kelly says: “This picture is famous now, Pope John Paul II and his would be assassin, sitting together in intimate conversation two years after the incident. The Holy Father leaning toward the man with gentle attention, …He was unafraid of the vulnerability created by living in forgiveness, of sitting in total love with the enemy.”(p.59) Later while reflecting on the Communion of Saints Kelly reminds us of our own call to be saints, “Most saints did not have easy lives. Many were persecuted and martyred. They were an odd lot, many of them outcasts who experiences every kind of human suffering and weakness. And many of them began as ordinary folks like you and me.”(p.81) She also reminds as that our service is to be done for God “Like many of the saints of the church, Pier Giorgio seemed to lead two lives, not contradictory lives, but one that people observed and one that was hidden.”(p.98) So too our lives should bear silent witness to the work of God in and through us.
Through these examples and the many more that Kelly presents she shows a faith that is rich, vibrant and challenging. This book’s greatest strength is the devotion in which it was written and the sentiment of finding peace in the journey of life. Peace that ultimately can only come from God, but we have a gracious God who has given us many tools to help us along out part. This book is once such tool, for it reveals to us so many other tools that God has provided.
(First Published in St. Anthnoy Messenger June 2006 Book Review Section)
Kelly has separated her book into five roughly equal parts that examine different aspects of the Catholic tradition:
Objects with Meaning
Those who Journey With Us
Devotion in Practice
Truths That Bring Grace
Rhythms of the Faith
In each of these area’s she examines different elements and examples of peoples, places, things, beliefs and practices that are means of grace in our lives. She opens up each of these categories like a flower blooming in an ever progressive way to draw us deeper into understanding the faith she is explaining to us.
In the first section she examines such elements as the Crucifix, Holy Water, incense, the Rosary, kneelers … and through them helps us to focus our faith on what matters most. She states “I don’t think heaven needs my burning candle any more than it needs holy water or incense. Sacramentals are for us, because we are sensory beings, and symbolism and sacramentals help infuse the spiritual into other planes of our experience – physical, emotional, mental.”(p.12) In exploring these items she opens us to the grace inherent in the use of them as tools to draw us closer to God. Not as an end in themselves, but as a means to an end.
In looking at the lives of some of those who journey with us in this quest for faith and a life in God, Kelly shares some of those examples of saints and people of faith who’s stories can be a source of challenge, inspiration and encouragement in our own journey with God. In Writing about Pope John Paul II Kelly says: “This picture is famous now, Pope John Paul II and his would be assassin, sitting together in intimate conversation two years after the incident. The Holy Father leaning toward the man with gentle attention, …He was unafraid of the vulnerability created by living in forgiveness, of sitting in total love with the enemy.”(p.59) Later while reflecting on the Communion of Saints Kelly reminds us of our own call to be saints, “Most saints did not have easy lives. Many were persecuted and martyred. They were an odd lot, many of them outcasts who experiences every kind of human suffering and weakness. And many of them began as ordinary folks like you and me.”(p.81) She also reminds as that our service is to be done for God “Like many of the saints of the church, Pier Giorgio seemed to lead two lives, not contradictory lives, but one that people observed and one that was hidden.”(p.98) So too our lives should bear silent witness to the work of God in and through us.
Through these examples and the many more that Kelly presents she shows a faith that is rich, vibrant and challenging. This book’s greatest strength is the devotion in which it was written and the sentiment of finding peace in the journey of life. Peace that ultimately can only come from God, but we have a gracious God who has given us many tools to help us along out part. This book is once such tool, for it reveals to us so many other tools that God has provided.
(First Published in St. Anthnoy Messenger June 2006 Book Review Section)
May 9, 2008
This collection of anecdotes makes even the most lapesed of Catholics appreciate their faith heritage. Far from presenting herself as the perfect Christian woman, Kelly readily admits her hardships with the Church, but her insights and candor act as a mild euphoric to allow the reader to reflect kindly on their own experiences.
August 16, 2018
This book helped me understand several catholic practices I didn’t really understood before. It’s a good book, I found myself finding the practices similar yet different due to cultural differences. This book is based on a white womans Catholic experiences.
December 31, 2019
I found this at a FOL sale and grabbed it. It was a sweet collection of essays about Catholicism, Catholic piety, and life. Nothing amazing, but many good insights and smiles.
November 20, 2014
This was positively the best explanation of Catholic faith practices I've ever read. The author was very personal in her storytelling and offered bits of herself throughout, and at the same time was very knowledgeable about the faith and able to relate it in a very unassuming way.
It is an apologetics book told in the form of a very personal storytelling. Such good writing!
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Catholic faith or knowing "Why Do Catholics Do That?"!
It is an apologetics book told in the form of a very personal storytelling. Such good writing!
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Catholic faith or knowing "Why Do Catholics Do That?"!
January 12, 2008
Light and at times a little self-gratifying but much of the book is kind of sweet and several times she talks about things in a manner i hadn't considered. Plus, she give props to Merton and that makes me happy.
June 11, 2008
A beautiful collection of essays about one woman's experience with the Catholic church. Truly a "why I love being Catholic" kind of book, she also discusses what is really hard about our faith too.
June 29, 2012
I loved this book so much that I implemented it into my daily devotion! What beautiful insight she has.
Want to read
July 3, 2016I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14091090
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14091090
July 14, 2016
One of my favorite books
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews