Book Review: A Franciscan Christmas

Now that we're in the season of Advent, reading Kathleen M. Carroll's A Franciscan Christmas would be a lovely idea if you're looking to dig into some spiritually thought provoking material.  I was impressed with this little book.  I picked it up thinking it would be a mildly interesting book only to find myself surprised at how deep the book was.

In this book each element of the nativity scene is examined on it's own.  The ten chapter book looks at Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the Magi, angels, villagers, musicians, the star and the animals.  From each of theses elements of the nativity scene there is a wealth of wisdom to be gleaned.  I was surprised at how deep the simple message of this book goes.  I particularly like how this book leads you to reflect on each aspect of the nativity and what you can learn from it in order to grow spiritually.

I think this is a lovely book to read during Advent to help orient your heart to where it belongs.  Because the message in each chapter is so profound, one could easily read a chapter, take a day or two to reflect on it and then move on to the next portion of the nativity.

I was provided with a complimentary review copy of this book by the publisher, St. Anthony Messenger Press, in exchange for my honest review.