Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Secrets of Ruth - Fresh Perspectives on Biblical Wisdom for Women - by Patricia Mitchell

The book of Ruth is my favorite one of the Bible. Because of a special phrase contained in it and that I noticed the first time in all its power in a movie you know I love a lot: Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. In the movie one of the protagonists, Ruth, had a violent husband and asked for help at one of her best girlfriend sending her the Bible Page of the Book of Ruth, underlining a special part that says: "Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge."

Time ago I bought a keyring with these powerful Ruth's words and I thought when this book appeared at the horizon that I had absolutely to read it.

I didn't know a lot Ruth's book or her story telling the truth although I am a reader at the Sunday Mass. It wasn't a book I knew a lot.  After I finished to read this book Secrets of Ruth by Patricia Mitchell I can tell you what I discovered is amazingly beauty and it presented me a profound peace.

The book released from Dec 1st by Barbour Publishing.

You will find in the book the entire story of course of Ruth, Naomi, the mom of her poor husband and Orpah, the other girl who married the brother of the husband of Ruth.

Anyway, after a while all these men including Naomi's husband died and what to do? Naomi maybe could have also re-married another man and maybe with new children but....Could these two youngest girls waiting for so long?

She decided to set them free. "Do what you want to do and be who you want to be." Orpah decided to follow her own destiny, Ruth decided to afford with Naomi to Bethlehem. "I won't never leave you alone" she must have thought.

"Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" she said to Naomi.

It wasn't simple at all at first, because from the status of good, married women they became poor and devastated, and they had to search for some grain for baking bread. They had to re-start everything from the beginning. But being tenacious, meant to them also a new re-start in particular for Ruth.
Naomi was the one who became the hardest part of the chain. She didn't accept this change.

This book while it explains the story of these two ladies and what it happened later it is also plenty of great reflections about our attitude to life, what we should expect,  the presence or absence of God, our period of weakness and strength and what we can do for better ourselves and what at the moment we can't change, accepting it and trying at the same time to better ourselves.

It's a very wise, calm book, a spiritual book for a spiritual trip  for all of us. But remember that the Bible Book of Ruth is not just a spiritual trip but a real trip who wants to let us reflect about what it can means abandoning a land for following someone else somewhere else. So a physical trip with all the problematic that you can meet.

The message of Ruth is very important and crucial because it's a message for every open heart.
What does this mean?

That it will be important wherever we will go to be good with everyone, accepting what we will find. And also when we see a stranger, or someone we don't know of from a different culture, as it happened to Ruth, we must welcome him/her in our city, country, village, because the acceptance creates good values, great comfort for newcomers and a good base for building a great future.

Of course we can extend the message of Ruth also at a friend or a relative, someone in sufferance, someone who needs help.

We mustn't never be indifferent at the sufferance, but always helpful.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this book and to Barbour Publishing.



Anna Maria Polidori

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