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If you’ve ever met Meg Hunter-Kilmer, followed her on social media, or seen her speak, there is one thing that is beyond a doubt: She loves Jesus. Yes, I know that as Catholics we are all called to love Jesus. But you can see it in her eyes and hear in her voice that she knows Him, spends time with Him, and wants you to know Him too.
That’s why when her new book Eyes Fixed on Jesus about Jesus as he’s found in the Gospels was published through Our Sunday Visitor, I knew I had to read it.
(Here you can find a number of articles, including saint biographies and a year with Scripture, written by Meg for Aleteia some years ago. She's also well known for her books on saints for children and adults.)
On a recent rainy day, I sat on my screened in porch with her book and a pen, ready to glean some wisdom from its pages. But before I even got through the introduction, she reminded me that I shouldn’t read this book without the Bible. Whoops.
I retrieved my Ignatius Study Bible (also something I highly recommend, and its commentary complements Hunter-Kilmer’s well) and got started.
Eyes Fixed on Jesus could be categorized as a Bible study, but it is not a study in the purely academic sense. I am learning things while reading it -- did you know that Mary had already intended to be in a celibate marriage before the Angel appeared? -- but the goal of the book is not only to teach. It's an invitation.
“There’s something that has captivated the world for millennia,” she writes, “prompting queens and mercenaries and geniuses and fools to leave all that the world has to offer in pursuit of an ancient rabbi executed as a traitor.”
The trouble, Meg writes, is that “many of us struggle to think of him as the captivating, delightful, magnetic man described in the Gospels.”
How to use this book
Eyes Fixed on Jesus, the first of three planned volumes, takes a deep dive into the Gospels. Short sections comprise chapters that are arranged chronologically, drawing on all four Gospels.
In Chapter 6, for example, you’ll find sections on the temptations of Jesus, his preaching in Galilee, and calling His first disciples.
The author relies on the Old Testament, cultural tidbits, and other sources to help the reader meet Jesus in the pages.
I have been reading a section each morning, followed by reading the relevant Scripture passage. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes and then I can reflect on what I read throughout the day.
Book clubs could also read the book together, perhaps diving into several chapters each time they meet, relying on questions provided in the back.
Hunter-Kilmer also put together an extensive index, useful both for personal study and for any clergy looking for inspiration for particular homilies.
Hunter-Kilmer summarizes what she wants to share with readers:
I want to take you through the life of Christ, to break open the familiar and shed light on the foreign so that you can see the face of Jesus in these pages and learn to love him more in his word.
The title, it comes as no surprise, is from Scripture itself, reminding us that we are all called to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we journey through life:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfector of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
