Beyond Sunday Becoming a 24/7 Catholic - Teresa Tomeo

Beyond Sunday: Becoming a 24/7 Catholic
Teresa Tomeo
Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN 9781681922294
eISBN 9781681922300
ASIN B07CGGG1PY
 

I have been encountering the name of Teresa Tomeo for a few years now, but had yet to read one of her books. This book is a great little read. And would be excellent to read as an individual or in a group. There are questions at the end of each chapter that can be used for study, or the companion study guide. The chapters in this book are:

Living a Truly Abundant Life
Outside the Box: Taking Faith Beyond Our Comfort Zone
The Church as Field Hospital
"Late Have I Loved You": We're Not the Only Ones Taking the Long Way Home
Conscience and the American Catholic
Up Close and Personal: The Church and God in Our Everyday Lives
The Three M's of Faith: Meeting, Mercy, and Mission
Five Cures for the Common Catholic Cold
"God Gives Us What We Need Wrapped in What We Want"
Appendix:
So Now What? "Beyond Sunday" Resources

The forward to this volume begins with these words:

"Success in one of America's largest television markets had been suffocating Teresa Tomeo's once lively Catholic faith. She had grown inconsistent in Mass attendance, indifferent to virtue, and thoroughly uninterested in entering more deeply into the mysteries of the Faith. Ironically, under the hot camera lights, her faith had grown lukewarm, even cold. Sure, she still thought of herself as part of the Catholic tribe. Once a Catholic always a Catholic. It's like race or ethnicity, right? You may not go to Oktoberfest, but you are still German. Similarly, she still identified as a Catholic. But no jury would have convicted her of being one. Her Catholicism had become cultural, not personal."

In these words Al Kresta shows us where Teresa's  journey began. So many today are going through the paces, work, hone, church. And silently yearning for more. This book shows us the path Teresa followed to change herself, her marriage and her life. And we can use her experiences to help us make changes in our own lives.  At the end of chapter is a Going Beyond Sunday Section there are tasks for each day of the week.
 

(Sample from chapter 3)

This book is part auto biography, it is part teaching and it is lessons in growing in living out our faith. This book is about listening to our passions, but also seeking God's will and guidance. It will provide practical steps for spiritual growth and encountering God throughout the week, and encountering God in what we do and who we encounter. And she provides an amazing list of resources in the appendix to go further. It also includes a wonderful collection of prayers for daily use and a section on key points of the faith.

This is a great read. Any Catholic can read an engage in the exercises and practices in this book. And if you choose to work through it in a group with the study guide I am certain you will be blessed. This book is for all Catholics but be warned reading this book will likely change your life!

Books by Teresa Tomeo:
Beyond Sunday: Becoming a 24/7 Catholic
Beyond Sunday: Becoming a 24/7 Catholic Study Guide
Beyond Me, My Selfie & I: Finding Real Happiness in a Self-Absorbed World
Girlfriends & Other Saints: Companions On My Journey of Faith
Intimate Graces: How Practicing the Works of Mercy Brings Out the Best in Marriage
Walk Softly and Carry a Great Bag: On-the-Go Devotions
God's Bucket List: Heaven's Surefire Way to Happiness in This Life and Beyond
Noise:  How Our Media-Saturated Culture Dominates Lives & Dismantles Families
Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed By Christ, Not Conformed To The Culture