Follow Me: Walking with Jesus Through the Gospels

Alexis Dallara-Marsh reviews a book of reflections on the Gospels by William C. Mattison III, new from Emmaus Road Publishing.

For those who have heard the Gospel stories many times, it is easy to hear or read them while knowing the whole story. But of course, that is not how those in the story experienced these events. How does it impact our understanding of various characters once we recall they did not know the whole story as we do?

Follow Me: Walking with Jesus through the Gospels  is very different from other Gospel reflections I've come across in that it incorporates fictional firsthand reflections of some of the major characters of the Bible. The book is organized into four parts (Jesus Calls, Jesus Teaches and Performs Signs, Jesus Suffers and Dies, and Jesus Rises), and twenty chapters. At the end of each chapter are reflection questions on how we ourselves live out Christ's calling. 

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In the introduction, author William C. Mattison III notes how a barrier for us encountering Jesus in the Gospel is that at times, the stories we recall can seem so familiar that their power becomes easy to miss. Additionally, we can have difficulty seeing ourselves in them. Therefore, ranging from examples such as Andrew and Peter to the unnamed Rich Young Man and the Samaritan Woman, this technique reminds me of the use of Lectio Divina where one imagines oneself within the particular Bible passage.

I particularly enjoyed imagining how the Apostles' thoughts may have proceeded from a less polished basis than what he himself would have had recorded in the Bible. The language is easy to follow and often clarifies otherwise difficult concepts one might traditionally encounter reading Scripture possibly out of context.

I would love one day particularly for my children as they approach upper elementary school and middle school ages to reflect on the topics in this book and relate them to how they might navigate difficulties in today's world.  Follow Me: Walking with Jesus Through the Gospels is written by William C. Mattison III, who holds a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and previously was dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America; he currently helps prepare K-12 Catholic school teachers of religion and other Catholic school leaders. 

Ask for Follow Me: Walking with Jesus Through the Gospels at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Emmaus Road Publishing.