Celebrating the Seasons: Daily Spiritual Readings for the Christian Year

by Robert Atwell

Celebrating the Seasons offers daily non-Scriptural readings from the Christian tradition for every day of the Christian Year. A companion volume to Celebrating the Saints, it offers extracts from classical spiritual writings across the breadth of Christian history, with a particular emphasis on the work of early church Fathers. Writers featured include Augustine, Basil the Great, Columbanus, Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, Richard Hooker, George Herbert, John Wesley, Evelyn Underhill, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and many more. The collection is designed for devotional use all year long and may be used to accompany prayer and reflection at any time of day, in Morning or Evening Prayer, or with the Eucharistic lectionary.

Genres: Devotional, Theology, Nonfiction

578 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Benedict · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my current daily devotional readings. The book is divided into daily readings, from diverse periods in Christian history, and I'm finding it thoughtful material.

I'm marking it as "read," though I haven't read each devotional. Still, I've been using it long enough to feel like I can write a brief review. The selections are from throughout Christian history, though very little is contemporary or even recent. That's just fine for me; sometimes taking a few minutes during the day with the thoughts or prayers of someone who lived in a very different world than mine, trusting in God from a different set of assumptions about the world, and then finding things in common with his/her words, is a perfect opportunity to stop and reflect. It slows me down, makes me think, offers me some "bread for the journey."

Every once in a while a reading just falls flat for me. Something's too-rational, or too-mystical, or too-metaphorical (okay, those who know me will know the last may not have ever really happened). I've had a handful of "duds" on the days I've done a reading. I've also hit a long stride of not picking the book up, though I think that's partially due to binging on CS Lewis's devotions in "The Business of Heaven" last month while prepping for a Lewis class, and then feeling the need for a break from any daily reading. Still, this is something I'll return to, and I've marked a number of passages for particular reflection.

Worth your time if the heart and mind of the church throughout history is compelling to you.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous collection of daily readings from the giants of the church. The readings are from all times in the church. The readings are for a time replacing the biblical readings in the Daily Office. Thee is a reading for each day. Sundays have several readings and a poem.

[Philip Tadros · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spiritual treasure trove that I keep returning to... it's like a gateway to friendship with women and men who have followed Christ through the centuries... and we get to hear their voices afresh and read Scripture with them.. how fabulous!