The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer - Softcover

Fr. John Bartunek

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0991603869 ISBN 13: 9780991603862

Publisher: Ministry23, 2011

Synopsis

This book should be declared a national treasure! We lead tremendously busy lives, with 1,001 things to do. Even so, every saint and renowned spiritual director through the ages has said the same thing: If we desire to become saints, we must spend time daily in meditation. With this book (which is in its fourth printing!), Father Bartunek has created an extensive, Christ-centered resource to serve as a daily meditation companion. Part I is an incredibly practical explanation of Christian meditation (along with a cheat-sheet!). Part II contains material to use during your meditations. The resource is a Bible study on the four Gospels, a survey of saints' writings, a guide to prayer, and a fresh introduction to Jesus rolled into one. The Better Part enables us to read, meditate, absorb, and apply the Gospels to our lives. It serves as a catalyst to personalize times of prayer, enabling us to follow the Holy Spirit's lead along the path of holiness. The portable resource has a ribbon to mark your place and contains detailed indices to help you meditate either on the liturgical seasons or the virtues you feel most in need of developing. All four Gospels are included inside the resource, divided into 303 sections, with each section divided into six parts: 1. the Gospel text, 2. Christ the Lord, 3. Christ the Teacher, 4. Christ the Friend, 5. Christ in My Life, and 6. questions for small group discussion. There are quotes from saints and popes at the beginning of each section and references to the Catechism following the discussion questions. Each section is about 4 pages long, totaling 1024 pages.

About this title

About the Author

Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D., received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010. He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller, Inside the Passion, the only authorized, behind-the-scene explanation of the film. Fr. John has contributed news commentary regarding religious issues on NBC, CNN, Fox, and the BBC. He also served as the English-language press liaison for the Vatican's 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. His most widely known book is called The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer. His most recent books are Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength, and Answers: Catholic Advice for Your Spiritual Questions. Fr. John currently splits his time between Rhode Island and Rome, where he teaches theology at Mater Ecclesiae College and Regina Apostolorum. In his Order's General Directorate in Rome, he continues his writing apostolate. Fr. John answers questions about the spiritual life at SpiritualDirection.com.

Review

Father Bartunek brings to bear immense intellectual and spiritual gifts in offering a gem of insight in every Gospel meditation throughout the thousand-page volume. Father Bartunek festoons his narrative promptings with quotations from hundreds of saints, alongside relevant passages from papal documents and the Catechism. The deftness with which he has integrated the Tradition of the Church is breathtaking. --Stephen Mirarchi Writer, National Catholic Register

Edition details

• Publisher: Ministry23
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0991603869
• ISBN 13: 9780991603862
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 1019