Summer Reading

Granted, we're already in the middle of summer and I'm only now offering a summer reading list... But summer is a great time for a relaxed read, and nothing beats a good story. I'm talking fiction. 

Sr. Anne, the videographer, had some problems with the microphone (and some camera wobbling, too). So the video is not so great; the books are!

Mailbag

I've continued to get requests for new book reviews since the last post. Sorry it's been so long, but I had to wait until Sr. Anne came home on vacation with her camera. In the meantime, if you want a really good summer read, try Anne Rice's "Road to Cana." This is the second volume in her series on the life of Christ, and I didn't think it would be better than the first, but it is. Her description of St. Joseph in the first volume ("Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt") was the best I've ever read, and I still have that picture of St. Joseph in my mind--good thing, because he's still around at the beginning of the second volume! Enough said: go out and read!

St. Paul!

Now you would think that a Daughter of St. Paul would be able to tell you where to find a book about her spiritual father and patron saint, right? Well, up until a short while ago I would probably have responded, “good luck!” It seems I’ve been on the look out for a good biography of St. Paul since forever, but in spite of the fact that I basically live in a book store, I couldn’t seem to find anything that wasn’t academic, dry, outdated or just too over my head. Sure, you can always find shelves of books on St. Paul in the Scripture study section (after all, he did write 14 letters in the New Testament) but a decent biography? One that inspired devotion and made me want to be related to him?

Well, I’m writing this to tell you that all is not lost. I did find one! Last year we published Paul, Least of the Apostles, and I grabbed a copy as soon as we put it on display! It was easy to get into the story and I found it an extremely readable biography and one that I could confidently pass on to anyone. You’ll be happy to know that no degree in Scripture or Theology is needed to understand and enjoy this book. Alain Decoux is a French journalist and historian and writes this popular biography for the average reader (that would be most of us!). He has a smooth way of connecting past and present by giving details of the actual places Paul visited in a way that makes you feel as though you’re there and it’s real and you’re part of it. It has great pictures, too – both of the archeological sites and masterpiece artwork of Paul.

All in all, it comes highly recommended by one of his Daughters who has been looking a good long time for a book on him worth getting excited about.

Favorite Saints?

I love reading lives of the saints--they were my introduction to the Catholic Church! See if some of these books (and saints) are among your favorites, too...

Here are links to some of my favorites:
                  

Mailbag

This in from a priest:

Thanks a lot for your book suggestions. Is there a book you can suggest on Apologetics? How about a Biblical Commentary? If you have suggestions for movies, I would appreciate it if you could send a list too. All the above are materials I have been asked about recently by parishioners. Thanking you in advance for your suggestions.

For apologetics, three books come to mind (although I'm sure there are more!).

Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Roland Tacelli. The subtitle is "hundreds od answers to crucial questions" "A virtual one-volume, self-study course on essential apologetics, elegantly outlined in plain English. Highly recommended." To me, it's thorough, it's clear, and it's user friendly. Also has discussion questions if you would be using this in a group. 400 pages, 22.95. I liked this one the best.

Yes or No: Straight answers to tough questions about Christianity, by Peter Kreeft. This one I found very engaging, especially if I was reading on my own (not really for group study). It's written in the form of a conversation, so it's very readable. Might be a good one for someone who is interested in the subject but isn't inclined to "heavy" reading. However, if the person wants to do further reading, there are suggested titles in the back of the book and also questions for discussion. 190 pages, 12.95

Reasons to Believe (How to understand, explain, and defend the Catholic Church) by Scott Hahn. If you've read any of Scott Hahn's other titles, then you're familiar with his stye: very clear, very readable, very convincing. And coming from someone who is himself a convert and passionate about the faith, it's a book to have. 227 pages, 21.95

Hope that helps. I'll get back to you soon on recommendations for Biblical Commentary! That list will be a little longer.

Catechisms!

I got an e-mail asking when I was going to resume ordinary blogging. I don't know! For now it's easier to have Sr. Anne record me on video talking about the books I love. And speaking of books I love...

Back again!

Here I am with more books! Sr. Anne taped me while we were in Boston this summer recording a new album.
Speaking of new albums, our newest Christmas album is now available.
But meanwhile, here are the latest "Best Books" for you to catch up on!

Summertime!

Share our mission by adding a link to this video to your blog or e-mail! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McTLqUCwXKg

For the Month of May!

Better late than never! Sr. Anne took this footage while I was in Chicago for a meeting...

Stations of the Cross

Did you ever find the Stations of the Cross booklets to be a bit too, well, saccharine? Or maybe just spiritually unhelpful? Sister Anne (from our Chicago community) looks at some newer titles (and one really old one) that could renew your Way of the Cross. Suggestions for kids, too!
Go to http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1180001027038762145.

The Best Catholic Books for Lent

Sr. Teresa taped me while I was in Boston in January, and Sr. Anne put together the somewhat "unfinished" finished product. After you've seen my recommendations for Lent, please consider sharing our mission by adding a link to the video to your e-mail signature for the Lenten season.

Best Catholic Books for Lent! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiBj2XlTF74 Don't have much time? Here's the two-minute version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQkuWjgiDYo. Share the Pauline mission! Add these links to your e-mail.

The Best Catholic Books for New Year's

Catholic books to help you start the New Year out in faith! Just a few, but worth your while (at least I think so!).

Advent and Christmas

Believe it or not...

It's funny how you have plans to read one book and end up with another.

I had no intentions of reading it but for some reason I picked up a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (a great small size copy that's kind of like a prayerbook or missal...printed in Australia and I found it in Italy...but it's in English, in case you're wondering!) I used it once before for meditation a few years ago and decided to read through it again. This time with a hi-lighter. Just for your happy information...it's marvellous. Like classic art...you can never exhaust it and you never get tired of going back to it again and again. I get the same feeling when I'm reading the Gospels - how did I miss that? Was that always there?

Read #260 . The prayer by Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity is beyond beautiful.

The CCC is not just a textbook or a reference book....it deserves to be meditated!

What's your favorite number??

Anything good for Easter?

I was asking the same thing myself! I read Pope Benedict's On the Way to Jesus Christ, which has some wonderful chapters, but it's a collection of essays he gave at different times and not the same thing as a book he actually sat down and wrote (as he did with Spirit of the Liturgy). Chapter two is "Wounded by the Arrow of Beauty" and is worth reading even if you don't read the whole book. This part was great: "I have often said that I am convinced that the true apologetics for the Christian message, the most persuasive proof of its truth, offsetting everything that may appear negative, are the saints, on the one hand, and the beauty that the faith has generated, on the other. For faith to grow today, we must lead ourselves and the presons we meet to encounter the saints and to come in contact with the beautiful."

And if you haven't read Spirit of the Liturgy, I can't recommend it highly enough. I thought it was a book I would read and then pass on (which I did....reluctantly...to a very good friend!), but turned out to be a book that I want to keep and re-read more than once. If the Mass was celebrated the way he describes in this book, our churches wouldn't be large enough to hold the people! But anyhow, since I did loan out the book, I was caught without an "Easter" book for meditation, so I found an older title on my book shelf that I'm enjoying all over again. Fully Human, Fully Divine, is one of those titles you rarely come across. The kind that you like so much, you're willing to buy it and give it away to others. (Trust me, on my limited budget, that's saying something!). It's written by an Australian Benedictine, Michael Casey, and is an incredibly well-written and practical book on Christology. It's the only book I have ever read three consecutive times. My copy is underlined, highlighted, tons of notations....and I still find something new every time I read it.

If you're looking for something shorter, but still spiritually "meaty", I'd suggest Nearer the Heart of God. I got a copy for Christmas and I'm using it every morning. It's a book of Daily Readings with the Christian Mystics. If you don't have more than ten or fifteen minutes, you should have a copy of this book. I usually start out my morning meditation with this.

True Confessions

After telling you all about my favorite book for Lent....I changed my mind. It's still one of the top on my list, but for some reason I needed something different this year. In the end I pulled a title I had read a few years ago, but was just what I needed. (It's good for the Easter sason, too!) Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John by Jean Vanier. Big long title, but the book is not an academic challenge. I love the simplicity of Jean Vanier's writing, kind of like the simplicity of the Gospel itself. Gets right to the point and you think you've got it after a quick read....but it's deceptively simple and has a richness and depth to it that makes it great for meditation in the morning. I have to go to morning prayer, but I'll be back with the rest of my list.

my favorite Lent book

Ok. If I had to pick one, just one...which would it be?

Bread and Wine. I use it every single Lent. It's a book of short readings for the whole season, Lent and Easter (72 readings in all), but it's different from all the others because of the great authors it has in this one book. Kathleen Norris, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Romano Guardini, Christina Rosetti, Blaise Pascal, Peter Kreeft, Dag Hammarskjold, G.K.Chesterton, Edith Stein, Mother Teresa, St. Augustine, Simone Weil, C.S.Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, Walter Cisek, Dorothy Day, Leo Tolstoy.... and I'm not listing all of them! No matter how much time you're able to devote to lenten reading, these are short enough - only a page or two - as well as substantial! It's a keeper!

So....now it's your turn to share. What's your favorite?

The thing with blogging...

Because I like to talk, most of my sisters and friends are under the mistaken impression that I'm able to write, or that I like to "give" talks (as in official public speaking). I can't and I don't, so why in the world would I bother with blogging, when it kind of involves both? I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. Maybe because I love a good conversation?

Anyhow, today being Ash Wednesday, it got me thinking about the on-going conversation that blogging essentially is, a kind of spillway, a place where I can put the overflow, and if others are listening in...maybe they'll find it helpful, and maybe they'll share something helpful with me! So I'm sitting in chapel this morning and it came to me that the first blogsite I should be maintaining is the one with Jesus, where in the truest sense, I can pour the overflow of my heart into his, where the conversation is ongoing, and whether through words or silences, he is able to pour the overflow of his heart into mine.

Whether with blogging or with prayer, seems to be a discipline and a commitment to being present to the other. So my resolution this Lent is to spend more time "blogging" with Jesus and to keep in mind the beautiful words he addressed to a mystic, "Talk to me....for me there is no sweeter prayer."

Love in the Ruins

One of Walker Percy's best. And in post-Katrina New Orleans where I'm now living, one of the most appropriate, believe me! The story takes place in New Orleans, in a time facing the apocalypse. For those who haven't read it, please do. And read it together with Benedict's new Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (which can be printed from the Vatican website, or , if you prefer it in book form, you can click on the Daughters of St. Paul link. )

I went to a talk this past week, which still has me thinking and going back to these two sources for more. It was given by Christopher Baglow, and he did a fascinating job of interweaving Walker Percy's novel with Benedict's encyclical....and the post-Katrina situation in which we find oursleves. Giving a summary of it really wouldn't do it justice, so as soon as he e-mails the text to me, I'll pass it on to you. It's worth reading, and will have you picking up Love in the Ruins and God is Love. Just by the way, for those intimidated by papal encyclicals, dont be. You'll love it.

Watcha reading?

Right now? A book by Peter Kreeft, Christianity for Modern Pagans. I was putting away books in from a new shipment and was ready to shelve this one, when something caught my eye. According to Kreeft, his book is an "edited, outlined, and explained" version of Pascal's Pensees. Truth be told, I only have a very casusal acquaintance with Blaise Pascal and haven't read his Pensees completely....just some very good quotes here and there...so I thought Peter Kreeft's book was worth a second look. More than just a look- actually, I found it so engaging that I'm half way through it and really enjoying it. Since I took a very helpful suggestion and got myself a copy of Sophie's World, these two titles go hand in hand. Anyhow, an interesting point from the introduction mentions that Pascal had a huge personal library but at the end of his very short life (he died in his thirties) the only two books he possessed were the Bible and the Confessions of St. Augustine. I love when I find books inside of books! Like Blaise Pascal reading Augustine, or C.S. Lewis reading Charles Williams, or Dorothy Day reading Dostoyevsky. Know of any others?