Book review: ‘Jesus, Make Me Fully Alive: 30 Holy Hour reflections’

Many Catholics can use a guide for how to best serve a Holy Hour. Before the Blessed Sacrament. Or even … at home.

Father Tim Anastos is here to help, with his book “Jesus, Make Me Fully Alive: 30 Holy Hour reflections.”

If that reference to Holy Hours at home gave you pause, it did me, too. At first, I thought this guide only referred to adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament or adoration before a Tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament. Then as I was reading the introduction, I learned that a person can do a Holy Hour in one’s own home or almost anywhere that one would like to be in the presence of God.

One can set up a shrine or altar in a room or in a corner of a room with a crucifix, Bible, icons, holy cards, statues, and other holy items. The important thing is being in the presence of God.

The ideal situation, of course, is to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Father Anastos, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is assistant chaplain at the Saint John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He writes reflections on the Sunday Mass readings called ‘Reel Homilies.’ He also writes on pop culture from a Catholic point of view.

The book’s foreword is by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minn. and the chairman of the USCCB National Eucharistic Revival, who was a sophomore when this reviewer was a senior at Benedictine College, Atchison Kan.

Father Anastos provides 30 reflections on various topics for those wanting to do a Holy Hour, seemingly with an eye toward attracting younger Catholics to adoring the Lord.

In his introduction, Father Anastos offers directions on how to do a Holy Hour, such as setting a time, preferably every day, and a place that is quiet. Then he gives an example as to how to do a Holy Hour, beginning with a Lectio Divina, or “divine reading,” which means reading from scripture (the main source) which could be the readings from that day’s Mass or from the Church Fathers, from the writings of a saint, or any material one would like to reflect on with God.  

After the reading, the adorer reflects back over it slowly, reading it sentence by sentence or word by word. One moves onto pondering, “chewing,” or meditating on it. The next “step” is praying with what comes out of the reflection which moves onto contemplation. Then the reader prays about what he or she is inspired with.  

Father Anastos discusses imaginative prayer, which involves the reader imagining a biblical scene or using your imagination to visit with the Lord. As I understand it, this is sort of what is done with Ignatian meditation. Lectio Divina is a more ancient Christian form of prayer or even connected to the Benedictines or monastic orders. Father Anastos ends with suggesting the reader do journaling about what the reader experiences or to write down something they want to remember.

Father Anastos provides 30 days-worth of material for the reader to use based on the three techniques he writes about.

The overall title for the 30 days is “Meeting Jesus where I need him most.” He groups the material into three groups of 10: “Jesus, I need you. Please help me”; “Jesus, I love you. Please strengthen me”; “Jesus, I worship you. Thanks for the abundant life.”

This book is more for young adults and teenagers. I can see that he connects with those age groups. Older adults could use the method he used for a Holy Hour, but the book might confuse them since it is geared for younger people. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and highly recommend it to young adults and also suggest anyone can make a Holy Hour with or without the Blessed Sacrament.  

Father Anastos should write more books that reach younger people, which helps with new evangelization of Catholics. 

Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., Saint Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.