I remember the Beatitudes were one of the first over-arching themes of my faith formation growing up — we learned about them in PSR and at youth group. I think even being forced to memorize them at one point or another. They are a beautiful gift from our Lord Jesus, showing us that the supposed least of us were in fact the best of us. What an incredible thought to ponder.

In Melanie Rigney’s new book, Blessed Are You; Finding Inspiration From Our Sisters in Faith (on Amazon.com), she outlines the Beatitudes and saints who embody each wonderful trait. In Chapter 2, Rigney so elegantly tells the stories of four saints who suffered great mourning, yet found deep comfort and solace in God.

Drinking with the Saints is a book any Catholic should have on his or her shelf. Not only does Michael Foley give us many spirited beverages to enjoy each day of the year, but we learn as we experiment with classic and new beverages alike. It is abundantly clear that Foley holds a doctorate in Catholic systematic theology and is an associate professor of Patristics in the Great Texts Program at Baylor University. This book is packed full of goodness, both spiritually and creatively.

Five Years in Heaven. A beautiful book full of wisdom, laughter and heartwarming moments between a young man and a nun. John Schlimm, author of this lovely story about his friendship with artist-nun Sister Augustine. If you want to read a book cover to cover, this is just the one for you.

Alongside the release of his highly-anticipated book, John is encouraging the social media world to participate in Thank a Nun Day. Thank a Nun Day is an organized social media effort that invites participants of all ages from around the world to unite under the hashtag #ThankANun to share messages of gratitude to the Catholic nuns — past and present — who have made a difference in their lives. For more information check out the Thank a Nun Day website.

Enter to win Five Years in Heaven here:

I am honored today to serve as the Day 2 stop on a book tour for the new book Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood.

Written by Pat Gohn, one of my role models and also a dear friend, Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious illustrates to women of all ages the beauty in God’s gift of womanhood. You must read this book. And lucky for you, I’m giving one away!

To celebrate the launch of her new book, A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism, Sarah Reinhard invites all of us to spend her blog book tour praying the rosary together. Today, she shares this reflection on the Ascension: