Catholic Review of: To Be Like Jesus

To Be Like Jesus is a series of 31 meditations on the Gospel of Luke.  It is thoughtfully written and very thought-provoking.  As I began, I wasn’t sure I liked the author’s tone… I often felt as if I were being spoken down to, scolded almost… as if she were assuming that I am not serious about my faith, or at least not as serious as she is.  However, I kept reading and eventually was able to lay aside my initial impression because of the deeply moving content of the meditations. 

The author writes short reflections on 31 passages in Luke; each scriptural passage is printed out in full at the beginning of each chapter, which is very handy, and I loved that I was getting in a little actual Bible reading as I made my way through the book.  The series is meant to be read one at at time, weekly, for 31 weeks.  While, I did read it more quickly the first time through, I am looking forward to reading it again - slowly - as the author suggests, and delving more deeply into the wisdom found here.

The main point of each chapter, and of the book as a whole, is to come to a deeper understanding of God’s love for each one of us personally.  And how the understanding of that great love makes us more loving towards others, and more like Jesus.  She makes a strong and important point about how we need to take time away from the many distractions of life and focus on our spiritual well-being and our relationship with God.  This really hit home for me, and I gained so much wisdom and insight from this little book… it was the perfect thing for me to read during Lent, and in preparation for Easter.  I highly recommend it for someone looking for an easy and uplifting, yet convicting, spiritual book.

 

You can purchase this book here.