Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle

by Lynda Rozell with a foreword by George Weigel

Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle discusses tabernacle images with reflections on their symbolism, encouraging devotion to Jesus in the tabernacle and drawing readers to adoration at the tabernacle outside of a formal holy hour. Organized under the themes of Nourishment, Sacrifice, Jesus, Spirit, Church, and Mission, this book helps readers deepen their devotion to Jesus in His Real Presence. In addition to reflections from Scripture and tradition, the book includes photographs of tabernacles visited by the author to help guide the reader’s prayer and meditation. In so doing, they show the reader how to use visual images as a starting point for prayer, teaching readers how to enter more fully into their personal conversations with Christ by prayerfully “reading” their own tabernacle and those they encounter in their busy lives.  

Paperback (grayscale): $19.95 | Paperback (full color): $24.95 | Hardback (grayscale): $29.95 | Hardback (full color): $49.95 | Kindle: $9.99 | Puzzles: $29.95

Click on the puzzle images below to order your very own 500-piece tabernacle puzzle in a tin can (from the Tin-Can Pilgrim!) — both the book cover and the tabernacle from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Miami Beach, Florida (photo courtesy of Jim Dwight Davis). More tabernacle puzzles coming soon!


TESTIMONIALS

“John Paul II said, “The presence of Jesus in the tabernacle must be a kind of magnetic pole attracting an ever greater number of souls enamored of him, ready to wait patiently to hear his voice and, as it were, to sense the beating of his heart” (Mane Nobiscum Domine, 18). In this inspiring and well written book Lynda Rozell invites all of us to take up this invitation and to be drawn into the Holy of Holies found in each tabernacle where the Eucharist is reserved. These lessons and meditations will be helpful for anyone who would like to encounter Jesus in a deeper way in the Blessed Sacrament.” —  Most Rev. Andrew Cozzens, Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston, Chair of the National Eucharistic Congress

“An encounter with Christ in the Eucharist in adoration enables us to have Epiphany Moments where the Lord shines Truth on our lives. This book, Return to Me, can inspire our Epiphany Moments by providing beautiful images for meditation on the Eucharist and encouraging visits to tabernacles.” — Vanessa Denha Garmo, host of Ave Maria Radio’s “Epiphany” program, founder of Epiphany Communications & Coaching

“Lynda Rozell’s book, “Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle,” is an invaluable reminder of the treasure that exists in all Catholic churches – the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Eucharist. She dives into the purpose and history of tabernacles and shares why it’s important we spend time before them in adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament to pray to Jesus. She also offers thoughtful reflections on themes and symbols of tabernacle art. Her book is personal, as she traveled across the country, visiting dozens of churches. Photos of the tabernacles bring to life her reflections and prayers. Ultimately, the book is a faith-filled, informative and inspiring way to grow in deeper faith and knowledge of the Eucharist.” — The Very Rev. Edward C. Hathaway, Rector, The Basilica of Saint Mary (Alexandria VA)

“In this inspiring book, Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle, Lynda Rozell shares the heart of her wayfaring life—her visits to Jesus in the tabernacles of the many churches she passes on the road. A professional nomad, Lynda lives a life radically available to God’s call to bring the good news of his love to whomever he sends her. And along the way, she gains direction and strength from frequent visits to Our Lord in the tabernacle. A combination of photos, personal stories, meditations, prayers, and information about the Eucharist, tabernacles, and sacred art, Lynda’s poetic way with words makes Return to Me an engaging read. Whether you are a traveler or not, Lynda will have you looking for pit stops in your day and week to check in with Almighty God and gain strength, wisdom, and love for your own journey.” — Ever Johnson co-founder and director of Trinity House Community ministry

“As I read the author’s latest book detailing her Airsteam travels as a Catholic evangelist, I found myself praying with her before spectacular tabernacles in churches across the country. Her photos of these gorgeous sacrament houses–domed or box-like vessels containing consecrated communion hosts–show them as gorgeous works of Christian art, as well as a central focus for prayer, meditation, and reflection. Rozell writes beautifully, and I feel her joy through a life focused on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while spreading the Good News to others.” – Char Jones


REVIEW BY ROSE FOLSOM, OP, FOUNDER OF VIRTUE CONNECTION

Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle is your new adoration companion.

 

Perhaps you want to make visits to Jesus in the Tabernacle but aren’t sure what to do when you get there—and are feeling a little intimidated even to try. Or maybe you’ve been visiting regularly for years and wish it could all feel new and fresh again. Or you used to visit regularly, but life took over and you’re out of the habit now.

 

Whatever your experience before the Eucharistic Jesus, Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle by Lynda Rozell, is for you.

 

Rozell, also known as the Tin Can Pilgrim, has journeyed to every state in the lower 48 in her beloved Airstream as she gently witnesses to Christ along the way. Her spiritual fuel is Jesus in the Eucharist, who has drawn her to pray before more than a hundred tabernacles in her travels. The richness of her love for Christ comes through in this book. Her joy at his love for us overflows in meditations that provide potent spiritual food for the reader.

 

The meat of the book comprises nine chapters on various visual themes Rozell encountered in tabernacles during her travels, including Nourishment, Sacrifice, Jesus, Spirit, Church, and Mission. Within each theme, symbols such as the anchor, grapes and wheat, the cross, the Holy Family, and the Eucharist himself, are covered. Each one includes the author’s photos of the tabernacles she writes about. Many include a fascinating history of the visual motif, a meditation on that motif, and prayers of Rozell and saints pertaining to that motif.

 

Return to Me flows from the heart of a writer deeply in love with Jesus. That love transfers to the reader and will inspire you to go visit Jesus in the Tabernacle and will enrich your time there. It is a book to be sipped and savored, as each short chapter offers food for the mind, the imagination, and the heart.

 

The mind wants to know

Return to Me provides food for the mind by giving us a greater understanding of the Tabernacle itself and the rich symbolism we see depicted there. For example, “The original meaning of the word tabernacle in Latin means a hut or tent. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, the word tabernacle refers to the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred objects were kept.” As our mind absorbs facts about a practice thousands of years old, we feel connected intellectually to eternal truth and the rich tradition of which we are part. Abundant footnotes provide sources for further investigation.

 

The imagination wants to dream

The book provides nourishment for the imagination as the author walks us through a meditation on the art of each of dozens of tabernacles. This provides a way to meditate on what we see (a form of prayer that is called visio divina). For example, a tabernacle adorned with a pelican motif inspires this meditation: “In the pelican theme, the baby birds represent us, the nest encircling them represents the Church, and the mother pelican represents Christ as head of the Church. Just as a sharp lance pierces Jesus’ side as he hung on the cross, the sharp beak of the mother pelican pierces its breast. The Blood of Christ feeds us; the blood of the mother pelican sustains her children. The mother sacrifices her life that her babies may live; Christ sacrificed His life so that we could live.”

 

The heart wants to love

Nourishment for the mind and the imagination makes us ready for our heart to engage with love himself, Jesus present right before us in the Tabernacle. This “conversation” with Jesus is often expressed in wordless silence. If you are moved to use words but aren’t sure what to say, the author includes short prayers that have flowed from her own heart and that of others before the Tabernacle, making this book a modest school of prayer.

 

The will wants to act

And there is a fourth thing: the author reminds us that the intellectual and spiritual food we receive at the tabernacle is not only to be taken in and enjoyed, but also transformed into fuel for our apostolate. “When we see loaves and fishes on a tabernacle we can reflect how Jesus ultimately gives us Himself to eat, but calls us to give of ourselves to others. Like the disciples, we are to share all that we have in imitation of Christ. To do so we must become as children, trusting God to make the most of the little we have to offer.”

 

Many people crave pockets of silence in their life to be able to listen to God, who alone can give the peace of soul they long for—but they don’t know how to make it happen. This book provides an incentive to visit Jesus “in person” because it appeals to all the ways we connect with him. Return to Me keeps us from ever showing up to a visit with Jesus “with nothing to do.” It helps ensure we will experience the rich connection with Jesus for which we were born.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynda Rozell is a Catholic evangelist and former lawyer who lives and travels in a camper van.  Six years ago, she discerned a call to live among and work alongside full-time nomads in the United States.  She quietly engages the people she meets on the road in conversation and prayer, encouraging them to develop or deepen their relationship with God.  She travels to shrines and religious sites as she moves between campgrounds and parks from the deserts of the Southwest to the forests of Maine and the swamps of Florida.  She sometimes volunteers in exchange for campsites or works alongside other travelers in short term manual labor jobs, most recently at the Michigan sugar beet harvest.  

As an outgrowth of this apostolate, Lynda frequently speaks to audiences ranging from recreational vehicle enthusiasts to local Councils of Catholic Women, parish groups, and book clubs.  Her photographs and articles about the spiritual life, travel, and shrines and religious sites can be found at her blog www.tincanpilgrim.com.

Lynda’s latest book, Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle (En Route Books and Media 2024), endorsed by Bishop Andrew Cozzens with a foreword by George Weigel, looks at the art of tabernacles as inspiration for prayer in the Real Presence outside of a formal holy hour.  Parents and grandparents who bring children to visit Jesus in the tabernacle may also like the accompanying coloring book, Light of the World: Tabernacle Art Coloring Book (En Route Books and Media 2024). 

Lynda’s debut book, Journeys with a Tin Can Pilgrim (St. John’s Press 2021), is a spiritual travel memoir about how she returned to faith and became a roaming evangelist.  She’s also published In Plain Sight Hidden (St. Bona’s Press 2022), a collection of religious poetry about nature, camping, and relationship with God, and The Airstream Travels Coloring Book (St. Bona’s Press 2022), containing Lynda’s original drawings and photographs formatted for meditative coloring by adults.  She’s a contributing author and photographer to The Eighth Station (Via Crucis Press 2024) by Deirdre McQuade and Friends, a photo-essay collection of reflections by women about how Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem on the way of the cross.  

Lynda has appeared on several live radio shows, podcast interviews, and television programs. These include, for example, “Kresta in the Afternoon” and “Epiphany” on Ave Maria Radio, as well as Currents News (Diocese of Brooklyn), Walk in Faith (Diocese of Brooklyn), and Catholic Faith Network’s CFN Live (Diocese of Rockville Center).  

Lynda earned a B.A. (1984), M.A. (1986), and J.D. (1988) at the University of Viriginia. She worked as an attorney in private practice and for the Federal Trade Commission before becoming a project manager and in-house counsel at a non-profit, pro-life medical practice in northern Virginia. She is the mother of two grown children and remains a lector at her home parish, St. Leo the Great in Fairfax, Virginia, when she visits the area. 

Contact Lynda for more information about her availability as a speaker at lynda@tincanpilgrim.com or (703) 861-6658.  Learn more about her travels and events at https://tincanpilgrim.com.

Photograph by Renata Grzan Wieczorek — https://www.FortheLoveofBeauty.com

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