Morning Homilies II

Buyer Beware! I purchased this with the first volume thinking they were transcriptions of some of the actual morning homilies of Pope Francis. Not so. Instead they are summaries of Francis' homilies written by someone else. Given the very personal, intimate, and conversational style of the homily (and Francis is known for the quality of his homilies), and the fact that homilies are part of the proclamation of the Living Word of God, a summary of a homily can seem like an evisceration --- no matter how talented the author.I am sure I should have looked more closely at the description of the contents or the introductions, but even so, the cover, title, and even the introduction are misleading and the contents as a whole are disappointing. Neither do I doubt these summaries can be helpful for readers looking for brief, bite-sized introductions to Francis' thought and spirituality, or for ideas for homilies or reflections on specific lections. If you are looking for the homilies rather than something akin to a Cliff Notes version, keep looking.

Excellent. This second book of Pope Francis' "Morning Homilies" covers September 2, 2013 to January 31, 2014. As another reviewer has pointed out, these are not word for word translations of the Holy Father's words, though there are a great many actual quotes. There are so many topics that are covered. One theme I like is Francis' insistence that prayer be bold and persistent:"Do we pray piously, but calmly, from force of habit, or do we stand bravely before the Lord to ask for grace, to ask for what we're praying for? Prayer that isn't brave, isn't really prayer. ... [W]hen we pray bravely, the Lord not only gives us grace, but he also gives us himself in the grace. ... [T]he Lord never sends us a grace by mail: he brings it himself; he is the grace!" (PP. 57,58)"God grants, will grant, justice to his elect, when they cry to him day and night. ... When he wants to save his people: he's strong. He's the Lord. ... God has a strength - when he wants - that changes everything. He is able to refashion everything. ... [H]e ... has a weakness for our prayer ... The Lord listens to his people's prayer ... Pray to the Lord ... knock at the door of God's heart" (PP. 105-107)"Persever(e) ... in prayer. [P]ray ... more. It's a battle... What's at stake is the eternal salvation of us all. ... [A]lways be on the watch .. against .. the evil one. ... [T]ake these things seriously. ... [I]n our prayer today we ask .. for the grace to experience Mary's strength and sweetness. ... [S]he had the grace of gentleness, the grace of mildness." (PP. 127, 60, 61, 20)Some other quotes of the Holy Father:"[T]he evil of this civilization is that it has lost the sense of sin: feeling we can do anything ... [T]he way that leads in the opposite way of God's Way is foolishness; it leads away from life." (PP. 199, 73)"[Y]ou can't have a Christian without the Church. That's why the great Paul VI said that it was an absurd split to love Christ without the Church; listen to Christ and not the Church; be with Christ apart from the Church; It's an absurd split. ... [I]t's a fantasy. ... [S]omeone who isn't humble can't feel with the Church; they will feel what they like. ... [W]e receive the gospel message as a gift. But not as something we own. ... We mustn't become owners of the gospel we received and use it as we like. ... [S]alvation history doesn't begin with me and won't end with me. ... [P]ray .. for the Church. May the Lord help us to walk this way to deepen our belonging to the church and feeling with the Church." (PP. 195-197)

These homilies are what I need not just in the mornings but to get through every day. I read Morning Homilies II without having read the first book of homilies. I look forward to reading the earlier book. I thoroughly appreciate the messages.

This is so refreshing to hear Pope Francis connect daily scripture to living life in the 21st century.

I bought this as a gift for my mother. She said she appreciated it and read it every day for a while.

Hubby is looking forward to the third edition.

Excellent!

Very refreshing and presents a liberating view of the readings. Speaks from the heart. Authentic!