When we think of important passages in the Gospels, we have Jesus’ Passion, the Bread of Life Discourse, favorite parables, and of course the Beatitudes. Depending on whether you read the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Luke, you will get a different viewpoint on the Beatitudes. For example, Matthew talks about the poor in spirit, but Luke specifically refers to the poor. Luke also follows up his Blessings with Woes to those who have many earthly pleasures and delights already. Many books have been written about the Beatitudes and I am here to introduce you to another one, which is entitled Parenting with the Beatitudes.
Appropriately, there are eight chapters in this book, one for each of the Beatitudes found in Matthew, with each chapter having a similar structure of Jeannie Ewing speaking, Ben Ewing speaking, an action plan for different age levels of children, a saint profile, and a prayer. For example, the first chapter explains how "poor in spirit" can refer to a simplicity that children have and adults have lost. Our poorness of spirit can also lead to a dependence on God. In this chapter, we see examples of spiritual poverty from two of the greatest saints ever, Mary and Joseph. This was a very well-written chapter and a great way of explaining one of the more puzzling Beatitudes and applying it to being a parent and raising children of all different ages.
As a parent of a six-year-old and a three-month-old, I would love to say that I have reached that mythical status of “expert” that those Luvs commercials pretend you gain with your second child. However, that would be a lie! I still make mistakes every day. I don’t spend as much time playing as I should. I spend more time fussing than I should. I forget that the six-year-old is still a child and needs my patience more. This book is a blessing and one that every parent, no matter what age your children are, needs to read. It won’t make you an “expert,” at parenting, but with real life stories from the Ewings and Mary and Joseph as our holy examples, we can and will be better parents having read this book.
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Copyright 2019 Stuart Dunn This article contains Amazon affiliate links; your purchases through these links benefit the author.
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