Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers
by Donna-Marie Cooper
O'Boyle
Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2005
Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
As mothers, it is
often hard to find time to pray, yet prayer is so essential to
our lives. Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, a mother of five
children, understands this and wrote "Catholic Prayer Book for
Mothers" as a way to help meet that challenge.
The first thing that strikes you when you meet this book is its
size and design. It is small, meant to tuck neatly into a purse
or diaper bag, an on-the-go reminder that God comes first and is
there to help us in our daily lives. The pages are also
beautifully designed with soft background images. One can't help
but feel calmer and more centered just appreciating the pages.
The true value of this book, however, are the words on the
pages. Cooper O'Boyle has combined classic prayers (for example,
one will find the Memorare of St. Bernard and the Prayer to St.
Michael) with quotes from the Bible and spiritual giants such as
St. Thomas Aquinas and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta with her own
original prayers and reflections.
In Chapter Nine "Prayerful Days" Cooper O'Boyle writes of the
need to make our everyday life a prayer. "Jesus was known to
retreat from the crowds often to pray in solitude, usually on a
mountain or in a desert, preferably at night. As mothers, most
times we don't have the opportunity to sneak away or retreat to
solitude. We know that the care of our family is pretty much
all-consuming, and while we cannot go off to the mountain or the
desert, we can strive to find the mountain and desert moments in
our lives, even in the midst of the busyness. Capture these
moments and use them prayerfully." Cooper O'Boyle's prayers and
reflections are moving and honest. She understands the pressures
that mothers are under as well as the joys and sorrows they
face. Her words tug at the heart and raise the mind to focus on
God.
"Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers" is designed for mothers at
all stages of the journey. It would be a wonderful gift for any
Catholic mother in need of spiritual uplift.
Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of
http://www.spiritualwoman.net and the corresponding blog
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com
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