CLOSER WALK WITH JESUS, A Reading and Praying the Daily Gospels for Lent Kay Murdy Paper, $9.95 96 pages, 5½" × 8½" ISBN 0-89390-688-3 View Sample Pages View Excerpt Quantity:    Quantity discount pricing: 6 – 9 copies  $8.50 each 10 – 19 copies  $7.75 each 20 – 49 copies  $7.00 each 50 – 99 copies $6.50 each 100 – 499 copies $6.25 each 500 copies or more  $5.97 each

Are you searching for a meaningful way to observe Lent for yourself or for your prayer or Scripture study group? Kay Murdy guides us with meaningful commentary and insightful reflection/discussion questions. This book is designed to be used by groups who meet weekly for prayer and group discussion, and it offers the option of continuing individual Lenten reflection for the rest of the week. It can also be used daily by individuals alone without the group dynamic. Or groups can use just the Sunday reflections for their communal participation. Based on the Lectionary readings, "A Closer Walk with Jesus" is written to bring us into the spirit of the season and to enable us to grow through personal and group engagement with the word which we will encounter again at Mass.

Endorsements from reviewers

“Lent remains a key season of reflection and renewal for all Catholics. Kay Murdy has provided a very practical and beautiful companion for those who want to make their Lenten journey truly a time of deep spiritual reflection and nourishment. Offering reflections on the biblical passages for each day of the Lenten Lectionary readings, this booklet informs its readers about the key motifs of each reading and how it can lead to prayer and profound spiritual renewal.”
— Fr. Donald Senior, C.P. President, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, Illinois

“The Lenten journey will be enhanced with your use of this well-written reflection booklet. The way that it is set up with categories of: readings, key verse, understanding, reflecting, and praying is extremely helpful for any person who has a desire to make this Lenten time A Closer Walk with Jesus. I would recommend that you read the Bible texts first and then follow the process outlined. You can do this individually as well as in small groups. I believe it will enhance your efforts to become aware of the need for love and justice in our world today.”
— Dorothy Jonaitis, OP, DMin University of Dallas School of Ministry, Catholic Biblical School

“A Closer Walk with Jesus is an inspiring as well as educative Lenten resource for adult faith formation. It can be used for individual reflection and prayer or for groups wanting to share faith with one another. Using the daily Bible readings for Lent, the resource could also be used in tandem-weekly readings for personal reflection and Sunday readings as a group preparation for the readings being proclaimed at Sunday Eucharist. However the booklet is utilized, Kay Murdy has provided a well thought out and well explained process for our Lenten reflection and discipline.”
— Gretchen Hailer, RSHM Consultant, Adult Faith Formation, Author: Echoing the Faith (Paulist Press)

About the Author
Kay Murdy: Author, lecturer, teacher and member of the Coordinating Instructional Team of the Catholic Bible Institute co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Loyola Marymount University. Her education includes a Masters in Religious Studies, Mount St. Mary's College (Los Angeles) and Certificates in Bible Studies, Bible Study Leadership and Pastoral Studies from Loyola Marymount University. She is a contributing writer for Ministry & Liturgy magazine, and her published works include What Every Catholic Needs to Know about the Bible, Season of Emmanuel: Daily Reflections for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, and From Pharaoh to the Father: A Journey toward Freedom Through the Lord's Prayer (all published by Resource Publications, Inc.).

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The church marks the forty day Lenten observance as an opportunity for each son and daughter of God to make a new beginning. The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lengten, which means springtime - the time of lengthening days. Lent is a period of forty days, a preparatory time for Easter when converts are instructed in the faith and prepare for baptism, and the faithful deepen their commitment to Christ. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness to fast and pray for forty days (Lk 4:1-13).

In the first three centuries of the Christian era, most Christians prepared for Easter by fasting and praying for three days. In some places this was extended to the entire week before Easter (now known as "Holy Week"). By the fourth century (when Christianity was legalized) Lent had developed into its current length of forty days. Since most people were baptized Christians as infants, Lent lost the connection to the preparation of catechumens and the themes of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving became dominant.

Today, preparation for baptism and for renewing baptismal commitment lies at the heart of the season of Lent. Since Vatican II Council, the church has reemphasized the baptismal character of Lent, especially through the restoration of the Catechumenate and its Lenten rituals. We still can decide on a Lenten observance- prayer, fasting, almsgiving-but we do it with the purpose of recalling our baptism, and we do it in solidarity with those preparing to be baptized or received into the church.

Many Catholics want to do something positive during Lent rather than just giving up something. Besides fasting, we can practice other acts of self-denial and penance, such as temperance, devotion, charity, correcting personal habits, or assisting those who are in need.

An excellent way to deepen our understanding of the meaning of Lent is to turn to the bible. The readings for each weekday and Sunday in Lent have been chosen by the church to relate to the journey of faith each of us undertakes. Some of the selections, from the gospel of John for example (in the A cycle), have been used for centuries to recall the meaning of baptism. For those about to be baptized, these scripture passages take on a powerful meaning. Those who are already baptized need to remember that they are still on a journey. Our faith must be renewed and our baptismal promises affirmed each time we gather with the church where we hear God's word and come to the table to receive the Eucharist. We bring to that experience our sinfulness, our hunger and thirst to grow as members of the Body of Christ.

SMALL GROUP FAITH-SHARING
Individuals can be enriched by reading and praying the scriptures in private. The bible isn't about you but it is your experience. You are Adam or Eve disobeying God's directions. You are Abraham going as God directs. You are the woman at the well, thirsting for the living water of the Spirit. You are the blind man, unable to see God's action in your life. You are Lazarus imprisoned in the tomb of your own or someone else's making.

But since Christians are the Body of Christ, the best way to grow spiritually is in community. The bible offers practical advice on issues that we all face every day. The stories of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son speak to everyone. We can all identify with the experience of losing something of little or great value. The return of a straying child is as important now as it was then.

Faith sharing is different from discussion. Faith sharing is a listening activity: listening to the voice of God within you; listening to the word of God in the scriptures; and listening to the words of your companions on the journey. The Sunday liturgy is the place where the community comes together for worship, so your faith will be enriched by reading, praying and sharing the Sunday readings together. The weekday readings can be read in private as supplementary reading. Plan to meet for one and a half to two hours, including a break.

KEY VERSE - Begin by reading the key verse which summarizes the Sunday gospel. Follow this by a brief period of silence. Then ask the group to speak out loud a word or phrase that has meaning to them. No comments are necessary.

UNDERSTANDING - The commentary can be read aloud or silently as the group decides. Then invite someone to read the First Reading from the Old Testament. Anyone who wishes can share their thoughts. No one should be forced to share.

• Read or sing the Psalm as a responsorial, with the leader or a group member reading or singing the response. Everyone in the group responds by reading the verse.
• Invite someone to read the Second Reading from the New Testament. Anyone who wishes can share their thoughts.
• Invite someone to read the gospel. If the reading is long, take turns reading a paragraph until the entire passage has been read. Anyone who wishes can share their thoughts.

PRAYING - Close with the prayer starter in response to the readings and reflections, or make up your own prayer. Anyone who wishes can add their own prayers or intercede for members of the group or the larger community.