MSI Press Blog

  Last year, I decided to “do something meaningful” for Lent. I gave up red meat—simple enough, I thought. A small sacrifice, a gesture of discipline, and certainly nothing dramatic. Except it was dramatic. Red meat also happens to be the most absorbable form of iron, something my 75‑year‑old body apparently relies on more than I realized. My iron levels had been excellent— very excellent—just a few weeks earlier at my annual checkup. Then Lent arrived, I dutifully avoided red meat, and by Easter I was seriously anemic. It took six months of iron pills to climb back to normal. When I told my doctor what I had done, he didn’t prescribe a new medication or order a battery of tests. He simply said, with the kind of dry understatement only a seasoned physician can deliver: “Try commonsense.” And honestly, that may be the best Lenten advice I’ve ever received. Lent isn’t supposed to break us. It isn’t a contest in self‑punishment or a test of how cleverly we can deprive oursel...

  What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  Easter at the Mission  by Sula, parish cat at  Old Mission . Description Discover Easter Through the Eyes of a Church Cat! Join Sula, the now-famous church cat, on a fascinating journey through the meaning and traditions of Easter in her fifth book! With her signature mix of history, Catholic dogma, and humor, Sula explores questions like: 🐾 What is Easter, and why is it called the Paschal Mystery? 🐾 Why do Catholics observe Lent, Ash Wednesday, ...

   What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  Easter at the Mission  by Sula, parish cat at  Old Mission . Description Discover Easter Through the Eyes of a Church Cat! Join Sula, the now-famous church cat, on a fascinating journey through the meaning and traditions of Easter in her fifth book! With her signature mix of history, Catholic dogma, and humor, Sula explores questions like: 🐾 What is Easter, and why is it called the Paschal Mystery? 🐾 Why do Catholics observe Lent, Ash Wedne...