Title: Life Out of Death: A Thought a Day for the Easter Season  Author: Harold A. Buetow, PhD, JD ISBN: 0-8189-0965-X  Paperback: xxxvi + 139 pp.  Price: $12.95 + shipping  To Order call: 1 800-343-ALBA (2522) Please have your Master, Visa or American Express card ready. To order online click here.

Jesus' Resurrection celebrates something special never known before or since. To rise from the dead is so far beyond any human concept, and so much solely God's work, that people have always had a hard time trying to comprehend it. In the Nicene Creed we affirm: "I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting." In celebrating Jesus' Resurrection, therefore, we celebrate our own as well. For Christians, the Easter Season--stretching from Easter Sunday to Pentecost-- is "party time," a time of stimulated consciousness, an invitation to penetrate more deeply into this mystery of our faith, and to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Easter is a season of "Alleluia!" For centuries joyful Christians were known as "Easter People," and Easter was the principal festival on the Church calendar. These reflections will benefit enormously those who wish to enter more profoundly into the spirit of this joyful season.

 

Harold A. Buetow, PhD, JD is the author of Pastoral Talks for Special Ocassions (Alba House, 1994), along with two very highly-acclaimed trilogies of homily reflections: one on the Readings for the Sundays and Holy Days of the Liturgical Year (Alba House, 1997) : God Still Speaks: Listen! (Cycle A), All Things Made New (Cycle B), and Ode to Joy (Cycle C); and another on the Weekdays in Ordinary Time (Alba House, 2002): Thirst for Life (Weeks 1-9), The New Out of the Old (Weeks 10-21), and Rejoicing in Hope (Weeks 22-34); and another on the Weekdays of Advent and Christmastide: Walk in the Light of the Lord, and still another on the Weekdays of Lent: Embrace Your Renewal. With this volume, he rounds out his very popular and highly-acclaimed homily reflections covering every Sunday and Holy Day, every Weekday and Special Occasion for all three Cycles (A, B, and C) of the Liturgical Year (I and II). A priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, he spent thirty years at Catholic University where he taught and was Senior Staff Editor on The New Catholic Encyclopedia. Reviews In you find it hard to get major projects done, consider Rev. Harold Buetow, M.A. 1963, Ph.D. 1964, J.D. 1980. Now age 85, has published 10 books with Alba House Press in 10 years. His recent books are composed of his own homilies. Taken together, nine of the books provide sample homilies for every day of the year, the subject of the homilies being keyed to the lectionary's Bible readings for each day:           A set of three books offers sample homilies for each Sunday and Holy Day of the year.           Another set of three books provides a homily for each daily Mass during Ordinary Time.           A final set of three books gives daily homilies for the seasons of Advent/Christmastide, Lent and Easter.           Good idea-generators for priest who need to come up with homilies, the books could also serve as daily devotionals.           A 10th volume includes homilies or talks that could be delivered for occasions such as a wedding, graduation, priest's ordination, Valentine's Day, First Communion, Mother's Day, etc.           "The books are probably unique in that they cover every possible homiletic situation in which a priest could find himself," says Rev. Edmund Lane, who edited the books. "The books have been selling well, too," Father Lane says. "Several bishops have called to say they use the books [as an aid to creating sermons] and approve them," says Father Buetow, who also wrote several scholarly books before his retirement from Catholic University of America's Department of Education where he was a professor. The purpose of homilies "is salvation -- the salvation of the homilist and of the listener," says the author. Though their purpose is serious, these printed homilies include some funny jokes and heartwarming anecdotes designed to get a congregation's attention. When he first delivered one of the homilies in a church, a particular joke "brought the house down," he remembers. "It took 30 seconds to get the congregation to stop laughing and calm down." Father Buetow recommends that priests use his homilies to come up with ideas for their own sermons, expanding upon his ideas using their own experience and knowledge, not delivering the printed sermons verbatim. --Richard Wilkinson in CUA Magazine, Fall 2005 "Pastor and preacher, Fr. Harold Buetow offers the reader a series of reflections on the weekday readings from the Lectionary during the Easter season. In his introduction, the author notes that Easter provides the essential complement to the Church's contemplation of the passion of Jesus: death leads to life. Therefore, the spirit of Easter is one of joy, peace, and hope. That spirit pervades the brief meditations he provides for each day of the weekday Easter season. These are not biblical commentaries as such but more in the nature of homiletic reflections. Preachers searching for daily homily helps may find a lot to steal here!" --Donald Senior, C.P. in The Bible Today, March/April 2005 This volume completes Fr. Buetow's popular homily reflections covering each day for all three cycles of the liturgical year. The well-known homilist offers in this book his thoughts and reflections on the readings of the Easter season. In contrast with Lenten themes of renewal, fasting and penance, the Easter season themes are joyful, dealing as they do with the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Buetow reflects on the scripture readings of the Easter season which come from Luke, Acts and the beautiful Gospel of John. The author uncovers the distinctive traits in these readings and uses them for the homilies. Joy, peace, and hope -- hallmarks of each Christian's Easter faith -- are his recurring themes. Each homily is about four or five pages in length -- easily read and reflected upon each day. Starting with the Monday of Easter week Buetow continues to reflect on the readings through the Saturday of the seventh week. These reflections, popularly written, will benefit those who wish to enter more profoundly into the spirit of Easter. How often we feel let down after all the glory of the Triduum and Easter. Buetow not only offers homily aids but also extends our joy, peace and hope beyond Easter Morning. --Arnold Rzepecki in Catholic Library World, Vol. 75 #4, June 2005 Top of Page