Little Magnificat, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!! It almost feel like I'm cheating or something to get to review the Magnificat magazine for the Catholic Company. I love this little book, and I can't even think of enough good things to say about it.
At daily Mass, I used to see the "regulars" following along with the readings in a little missal-like book, and I always wondered what it was, and whether they were in some club that I didn't know about. Well, now I know (I'm still working on becoming a "regular" myself!). As it turns out, they are probably Magnificat subscribers.
I have been reading the Magnificat regularly for almost a year now, and this beautiful little book makes it so easy to follow a structured daily prayer regimen. For each day, it has prayers for the morning, Mass, and evening, including hymns, psalms, Scripture, and reflections from wise writers both ancient and current. Short saint biographies appear around the saints' feast days, and there are also longer insightful articles for each month at the beginning of each book and in-depth explanations of one or more pieces of liturgical art. There is truly something for everyone, as you can read just a little of it, or all, according to your time and interest.
Magnificat also has greatly added to my understanding and appreciation for the Church's beautiful liturgical year. The liturgical calendar for each month is included inside the front cover, and after consulting the Magnificat's morning reading, I can always announce to the kids at breakfast something like: "Today is St. Benedict's feast day, you guys. Did you know that he started Western monasticism?" And they think I just know all this stuff. Of course, from reading the Magnificat, now I do. :)
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Magnificat is great -- I need to get back into reading it. Nice review!
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