---
title: "Book Notes: Sacred Reading, the 2016 Guide to Daily Prayer"
description: Why not begin the new Church year with a new prayer practice? Barb Szyszkiewicz reviews Sacred Reading, a guide to lectio divina for the 2016 Church year.
---

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# Book Notes: Sacred Reading, the 2016 Guide to Daily Prayer

Nov 5, 2015 12:00:13 PM  |  by [Barb Szyszkiewicz](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/barb-szyszkiewicz-ofs)

[![Book-Notes-720-x-340-dark-gold-outline-and-medium-blue-pen-_-Notes-light-blue-702x336](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Book-Notes-720-x-340-dark-gold-outline-and-medium-blue-pen-_-Notes-light-blue-702x336-235.png?width=702&height=336&name=Book-Notes-720-x-340-dark-gold-outline-and-medium-blue-pen-_-Notes-light-blue-702x336-235.png)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Book-Notes-720-x-340-dark-gold-outline-and-medium-blue-pen-_-Notes-light-blue-702x336-235.png)

Have you ever tried praying the Gospels by using the devotion called *lectio divina*? It's a prayer practice inspired by Ignatian spirituality. I found the idea rather intimidating; I didn't think I had the time needed to really delve into the Gospel readings in that kind of depth.

[![sacred reading](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sacred-reading-260x400.jpg?width=260&height=400&name=sacred-reading-260x400.jpg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sacred-reading.jpg)The Apostleship of Prayer takes the intimidation factor out of *lectio divina* with its new daily devotional, ***[Sacred Reading](http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1594716072/catholicmom)***. In this book, readers are guided through six simple steps:

- **Know** that God is present with you and ready to converse.
- **Read** the daily Gospel.
- **Notice** what you think and feel as you read the Gospel.
- **Pray** as you are led for yourself and others.
- **Listen** to Jesus.
- **Ask** God to show you how to live today.

***[Sacred Reading](http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1594716072/catholicmom)*** makes *lectio divina* simple and accessible. The daily Gospel is included right in the page for the day, so everything you need is in one place. The prayer format would work as a group prayer reflection as well as for individual prayer.

The introduction, by Douglas Leonard, Executive Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, provides useful insight into how to approach each of these six steps.

[***Sacred Reading***](http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1594716072/catholicmom) begins with the First Sunday of Advent (November 29). There are **[Advent/Christmas](http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1594716099/catholicmom)** and **[Lent](http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1594716110/catholicmom)** booklets available too.

**Be sure to check out [our Book Notes archive](http://catholicmom.com/category/book-notes/).  
 If you’re interested in purchasing this book, consider stopping in at your local Catholic bookstore first. It’s also available online, and if you use our Amazon link, CatholicMom.com gets a small percentage of the sales.  
**

*Copyright 2015 Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS*

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#### About the Author

![Barb Szyszkiewicz](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/BSzyszkiewicz%202022.jpg)

### [Barb Szyszkiewicz](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/barb-szyszkiewicz-ofs)

Barb Szyszkiewicz, senior editor at [CatholicMom.com](http://catholicmom.com), is a wife, mom of 3 young adults, and a Secular Franciscan. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading, and is a music minister at her parish. Find her blog at [FranciscanMom](http://franciscanmom.com) and her family’s favorite recipes with nutrition information at [Cook and Count](http://cookandcount.wordpress.com). Barb is the author of *[The Handy Little Guide to Prayer](https://amzn.to/2LQB2oL)* and * [The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours](https://amzn.to/3wbDB8k)*, available from Our Sunday Visitor.

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