This timely fourth title in the Bringing Lent Home series by EWTN host and popular author Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle invites families with children to let the wisdom and spiritual insight of Pope Francis be their guide through Lent. The story of the popular Holy Father’s life, brief words of inspiration from him, and a variety of prayers and activities are included for each of the 40 days of Lent. Known for his humility and concern for the poor, Pope Francis has been an inspiration to millions of Catholics and non-Catholics alike since he became the Church’s first Jesuit pope in 2013. In Bringing Lent Home with Pope Francis, popular author and EWTN host Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle , offers Pope Francis as a guide through Lent. Guided by the threefold Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the booklet offers inspiring stories, practical ideas for family prayer, easy-to-do activities, and suggestions for conversations. Building on the popularity of Bringing Lent Home with St. John Paul II, Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa and Bringing Lent Home with St. Thérèse of Lisieux, this edition provides the same practical elements: a quotation from Pope Francis, a story about his life, and practical suggestions for living the threefold call of Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Parents can enhance their own daily prayer by using the booklet’s reflections for parents. On Sundays, families focus on the themes assigned to that Sunday of Lent, and Cooper O’Boyle suggests a project for the week ahead. The booklet can be used with any of the three Catholic lectionary cycles. Previous books in the series have been praised by parents, catechists, and pastors alike as helpful, creative, and transformative resources.

Lent calls us to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Few saints have done this more intentionally than St. Francis of Assisi. He lived the teachings of Jesus, often quite literally, from the time of his conversion until his death. In doing so, he inspired people of his own time as well as millions from his day to our own, to do likewise. By pairing the words and deeds of Francis with the Scripture readings for Lent, Lent With St. Francis: Daily Reflections helps readers reflect on how they, too, can live the Gospel in the circumstances of their daily lives. It is written in a simple and engaging style that will draw readers in to the life of Francis, as they grow in their faith and spiritual practice through the inspiration of this beloved saint.

The earth is the common home of humanity. It is a gift from God. Yet man’s abuse of freedom threatens that home. In his encyclical Praise Be to You (Laudato Si’), Pope Francis challenges all people to praise God for his glorious creation and to work to safeguard her. The encyclical letter takes its name from St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures, which depicts creation as “a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us”. “This sister”, Pope Francis declares, “now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her”. He calls for an “integral ecology” based on what Pope St John Paul called an “ecological conversion”—a moral transformation linking the proper response to God for the gift of his creation to concern for justice, especially for the poor. He challenges people to understand ecology in terms of the right ordering of the fundamental relationships of the human person: with God, oneself, other people, and the rest of creation. Francis examines such ecological concerns as pollution, waste, and what he calls “the throwaway culture”. Climate, he insists, is a common good to be protected. He explores the proper use of natural resources and notions such as sustainability from a Judeo-Christian perspective. The loss of biodiversity due to human activities, decline in the quality of life for many people, global inequality of resources, as well as concerns over consumerism and excessive individualism also threaten the good order of creation, writes Pope Francis. While valuing technology and invnovation, he rejects efforts to repudiate the natural order, including the moral law inscribed in human nature or to rely simply on science to solve ecological problems. Moral and spiritual resources are crucial, including openness to God’s purpose for the world. Expounding the biblical tradition regarding creation and redemption in Christ, Francis stresses man’s subordination to God’s plan and the universal communion of all creation. “Dominion”, he maintains, means “responsible stewardship” rather than exploitation. He rejects treating creation as if it were “divine” and insists on the primacy of the human person in creation. He also explores the roots of the ecological crisis in man’s abuse of technology, his self-centeredness, and the rise of practical relativism. Without rejecting political changes, he implores people to change their hearts and their ways of life. Popes Benedict XVI, St John Paul II, and Blessed Paul VI addressed key themes regarding stewardship of God’s creation and justice in the world. But Pope Francis is the first to devote an entire encyclical to the subject.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on our lives, and the same is true for the Church. Masses were suspended for months, people could not receive the sacraments, and during that time Pope Francis celebrated Mass alone every day. Why are you afraid? Have you no faith? collects some of the words from the pope’s daily homilies when the world was in isolation during the “long Lent” in the spring of 2020, as well as Angelus messages and prayers he delivered. This book is filled with poignant photos that bring to life Pope Francis’ words of support and encouragement, especially from his extraordinary blessing “Urbi et Orbi” in an empty St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on March 27, 2020. The dozens of photos in this book illustrate the themes often evoked by the Holy Father during the pandemic, including fraternal love, solidarity, the common good, and the virtue of hope. Commemorating an historically important chapter in both the papacy of Francis and the history of the modern world, this book is another avenue by which the Holy Father shares his uplifting message of wisdom, hope, and love with those who have suffered in pain, loneliness, and fear. Despite the dire challenges we have faced during this pandemic, Pope Francis reminds us that evil does not destroy confidence in God, and it does not break the solidarity of humanity.

When Jesus asked us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and visit the imprisoned, he didn’t mean it literally, right? Kerry Weber, a modern, young, single woman in New York City sets out to see if she can practice the Corporal Works of Mercy in an authentic, personal, meaningful manner while maintaining a full, robust, regular life. Weber, a lay Catholic, explores the Works of Mercy in the real world, with a gut-level honesty and transparency that people of urban, country, and suburban locales alike can relate to. Mercy in the City is for anyone who is struggling to live in a meaningful, merciful way amid the pressures of “real life.” For those who feel they are already overscheduled and too busy, for those who assume that they are not “religious enough” to practice the Works of Mercy, for those who worry that they are alone in their efforts to live an authentic life, Mercy in the City proves that by living as people for others, we learn to connect as people of faith.

With prayer reflections drawn from the words of Pope Francis, this Lenten companion helps you prepare for the Easter season. With Scripture citations for each day of the season, selections from the pope’s writings, and ways to bring the pope’s message into your life on judgment, justice, forgiveness and mercy, The Hope for Lent will lend a moment’s meditation to discovers the extraordinary in the ordinary, to be surprised by God’s mercy when we least expect it.