A Year with the Saints : Daily Meditations with the Holy Ones of God

There are many daily meditation books on the market today each having it’s own particular area of focus. A Year With the Saints: Daily Meditations with the Holy Ones of God by Paul Thigpen is no different. The wide range of saints included (68 in total) are what makes this book special.

As far as layout it contains your standard daily entry for each day of the calendar year. These entries are not restricted to date however as the days are titled as Day 1, Day 2, Day 3…. This means you can pick this book up at anytime during the year and dive right in on Day One. 

The content of the book, as I stated before, is wide ranging. Here a few of the gems you will find in this book:

Redemption is even greater than creation – St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Mary’s assumption into heaven was fitting – Blessed John Henry Newman

Not even the sun will last forever – St. Basil

The blessed effects of receiving the Eucharist – St. Catherine of Siena

When the Mass is over – St. John Vianney

Our enemies may be our friends in heaven – St. Thomas More

Join prayer with fasting and almsgiving – St. Peter Chrysologus

I could go on and on with the list but these are just a few to give you an idea. Each meditation leads off with a brief lead-in by author Paul Thigpen then follows the writing by the chosen saint. Next are a few questions for contemplation titled “In God’s Presence Consider”. Lastly the meditation closes with a brief prayer. The back of the book contains brief biographical sketches of each of the saints included.

What really sets this volume apart is the quality. The cover is made of UltraSoft (that’s from the publisher, I have no idea what that is but it looks and feels like leather). The pages are of a heavy paper and are gold trimmed. Lastly there is a gold ribbon sewn into the spine for marking your place. For a book that is intended to be used daily, it is certainly rugged enough to hold up for a long time. This book looks so good it would make an ideal gift.

Overall this daily meditation resource has it all. A great mix of writings by a multitude of saints and a wide ranging selection of topics will surely prove to be an enlightening tool to any reader. Add in the quality of this book and it is sure to please.

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I received a copy of the book for this review from the publisher St. Benedict Press.