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Title: Little Banquets for Ordinary People: Epiphanies of Every Day 

Authors: Edward J. Farrell 
ISBN: 0-8189-0873-4 
Paperback: xiv + 161 pp. 
Price: $9.95 + shipping 

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Jesus invites us 'ordinary people' to "Come to the banquet" each day. But what do we need to bring apart from ourselves? In responding to his invitation we must come properly attired with the virtues of honesty, humility, faith, hope and love. In this work, Father Farrell guides our questions and our meditations in such a way that each "morsel" becomes an intimate, exclusive, personal "little banquet" savored in a unique way by each reader. In the midst of so much bland, unwholesome and even tainted food that is dished out each day by the media, how refreshing it is to come to the table of the Lord to be nourished by the Bread of Life come down from heaven for the salvation of the world, the Word of Life made present in the Scriptures and in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
 
Father Edward J. Farrell, well-known writer and spiritual director from the Archdiocese of Detroit, is the author of Gathering the Fragments (Ave Maria Press, 1987; Alba House, 1999), Beams of Prayer with Lynn Salata (Alba House, 1999), Prayer Is a Hunger, (Dimension Books, 1972), Surprised by the Spirit (Dimension Books, 1973), Disciples and Other Strangers (Dimension Books, 1974), The Father Is Very Fond of Me (Dimension Books, 1975), Celtic Meditations (Dimension Books, 1976), Can You Drink This Cup? (Dimension Books, 1978), and Free to Be Nothing (Liturgical Press, 1989). 

Reviews

  "Usually a collection of sermons or homilies loses something in going from the spoken word to the printed page. Such is not the case, however, with Farrell's Little Banquets for Ordinary People. This collection of thirty-five reflections covers various aspects of the liturgical year, and the author keeps Eucharist as the anchor for each reflection. The book is divided into four sections: "You are Invited!" "Are You Ready?" "Celebrate Yourself!" "The Epiphany Banquet." A person could either read the reflections in the order in which they appear or find the corresponding Sunday in the liturgical calendar and use the meditation to prepare for the Sunday liturgy. It would have been helpful if the author had noted the particular Sunday or feast to which the reflection applies. Either approach can lead to rich reflection on one's life. Most of the reflections are filled with questions, which is the author's style. But they are questions that can get under our skin and perhaps into our heart. For example, Farrell asks: "What do you look for? What are you longing for? Do you ever take time to get in touch with what is deepest within you?" Prayerfully reflecting on these meditations can open doors into what is deepest within us. In his simple but profound way -- probably because he has experienced it himself -- Farrell leads the reader to the great love God has for each of us as it was manifested in Jesus Christ. This love continues to touch our life through our baptism and especially through the gift of Eucharist. In this "year of the Eucharist" as proclaimed by Pope John Paul II, reading this work can deepen our love for the Eucharist. Each reflection truly is a banquet that will help us recognize God's love and workings in our daily life. With this book, Father Farrell, long-time spiritual director at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, has given us yet another spiritual classic. --Liguorian, October 2000

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