This can be read as allegory (the decline of faith in Europe or something like that) but it also can, and no doubt should, be read as a remarkably well written piece of horror fiction—easily the scariest thing I’ve read in years. Not much for danger myself, I like to read about it. Amy Welborn is a writer currently living in Birmingham, Alabama. The transcript is riveting. I haven’t had a chance to examine the huge exhibition catalogue Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth by Catherine McIlwaine (2018) but my daughter Marie highly recommends it. It is wonderful to be led by a great teacher. Our Advent Book List. I benefited greatly from Rowland’s Ratzinger’s Faith, and this book was equally edifying. Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be, Too) by Brandon Vogt (Ave Maria Press, 2018). The Monk’s Daily Bread, written by Sylvia Durham, illustrated by Christopher Tupa (Tan Books, 2018), will charm your youngest friends with its pleasing rhymes and clever drawings. New Catholic Book Releases. We don’t deserve it but nonetheless I pray that God will rid the world of the coronavirus on Christmas. ’s speech titled ‘The God Question Today’. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh. Black Wind, White Snow by Charles Glover (Yale University Press, 2016) examines the efforts in the Putin era to form a new answer to the question “Who are we?” The old answer, “We are Soviets, harbingers of world revolution” no longer being operative, some new communal identification linking masses to the regime is imperative. Sometimes it even creates a ‘sin mysticism,’ which projects into sin a kind of mysterious depth, a halo of humility, as though sin itself were a protection against pharisaism.” Now there is a term that we may need to hear more about: “sin mysticism.”. Mother Teresa addict–reading everything I can get my hands on published in the USA or elsewhere in the world. I interviewed him about it here. I’m happy to say that this edition of “Best Books I Read in 2018″—the 14th such collection, dating back to this much shorter list posted on the Insight Scoop blog for books read in 2005—does not suffer from narrowness, nor does it hew to anything “merely modern.” You’ll find ancient books about timeless truths and newer books about ancient truths, including (but not limited to) works of history, literature, theology, philosophy, biography, and commentary. The volume covers the arguments for and against such a proclamation and highlights the efforts of Cardinal Mercier of Belgium. Not included by the author among his “best,” but well worth the trouble if you can find it.). Trying to explain to someone why I like The Lord, I called it “the work of a brilliant mind reflecting on Christ from the standpoint of profound faith.” I recommend it highly as spiritual reading. (superb mystic) 4. Cardinal Müller’s interview with Father Carlos Granados is filled with many great insights and much hope for the future of the Church. draws together themes in both classical and contemporary philosophy, including Continental and Anglophone philosophy, to present a positive account of human finitude. Start Now. The screenplay wasn’t amazing but it was very good. It took me five years! We now have over 500 years of unfortunate division between the Catholic Church and Protestant churches, but Shaun McAfee, himself a convert to Catholicism, indicates why we should pay close[r] attention to the saints of the Reformation era. His words are an analgesic against the muddled view that a college education is merely a treadmill toward a high salary. It offers many welcome challenges to a Church staggering under corrupt leaders and ideas. In the end we do not choose anything. So, for instance: “The horror of pharisaism, of any pharisaic taint, tends to degenerate into indulgence toward sin. Desire seizes us and the fight against it can feel as if it’s a fight to the death. December 14, 2018 I had read the Dorothy Sayers translation of Dante’s Inferno many years ago, and profited both by Esolen’s excellent translation (at least, it seems excellent to me, but I’m far from an Italian scholar) and his thorough and deeply insightful literary, philosophical, and theological notes. The other manuscript of his was a Lenten spiritual itinerary, constructed around the Lord’s Prayer and the weeks of the penitential season. While some Thomistic background may be needed, Legge clearly presents, in all of its facets, how the Incarnation of the Son of God finds it source in the Father’s abundant life and the Spirit’s all-pervading love. You can treat your children, and yourself, to no better Christmas present. Philosophers and Philosophies by Frederick Copleston. Four faiths were treated as equal in the courts of the Khan: Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. There’s a stereotype of inspirational stories being heavy-handed, but none of these stories talk down to the reader. It provided this single man with many valuable insights. This is spy history written as a novel. I am reminded of Yeats’ poignant lines: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world; The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” J.R.R. Elizabeth Anderson is a stay-at-home mother and independent writer. The former was published this year (I interviewed Tierney about the book for CWR); the latter was originally published in 1955 and has been re-issued by Sophia Institute Press. What is Christianity without the sacraments? “The Cardinal’s Testament” is remarkable. Back in January, Jordan Teti in Los Angeles gave me a copy of Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. But how are we each called to live out that discipleship? Target Africa: Ideological Neocolonialism in the Twenty-first Century by Obianuju Ekeocha (Ignatius Press, 2018). Dr. Dreadful’s interest is more than academic, however, and Illya witnesses him opening a portal, to the realm of the Dark Tower. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (Viking Penguin, 1985), by Neil Postman. Reading in 2018 has involved more legal documents and current events than philosophy or theology. The film is a favorite. Theresa Linden’s books in the West Brothers series relate well to the culture of today’s teens but also capture the supernatural world surrounding them and all of us. Though enhanced by much critical apparatus and luminous Alan Lee illustrations, this volume unfortunately can’t supply the climactic battle that J.R.R. That is, not merely not the same character but absent altogether. Catholic readers will simply find an added layer of catharsis and enjoy giggling at the expense of Victorian anti-Catholicism. As Henry James wrote of Breck in 1888: “though the man is extravagant, the author’s touch exaggerates nothing; it is, throughout, of the most truthful, genial, ironical kind, full of penetration, but with none of the grossness of moralising satire.”. Mark Brumley is president and CEO of Ignatius Press. Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford (1949-1971) and a leading member of the Christendom movement within Anglicanism. I didn’t think a novel with the themes and craftsmanship of A Gentleman in Moscow could receive mass-market publication today. Another book I enjoyed on media from days gone by was American Pastimes: The Very Best of Red Smith. It is not a “chick book”—not that there’s anything wrong with that. It has reemerged in the career of Alexander Dugin, the shadowy polymath eminence grise of Putinist think-tank circles. The Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace: History and Theology of the Movement for a Dogmatic Definition from 1896 to 1964 (New Bedford MA: Academy of the Immaculate, 2012). In the real world, The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, and Islam by Douglas Murray (2018) is a depressing prognosis—soon to be an autopsy—on European civilization. ... August 15, 2018. Fun to read these! Six lay men installed as acolytes in Spokane, Minn. archbishop announces moves to end culture fostering clergy abuse, There was a time—long, long ago—when librarians believed that an important part of their role was to protect patrons from objectionable reading materials. The array of available Catholic books is vast and I wish I could hit pause on my life, curl up on my patio, and read for eleven years. James T. O’Connor’s The Hidden Manna, another contemporary classic, reminded me of what also remains very right about Rome. I’ve passed my copy on to a friend and now wish I hadn’t, so I’m buying it again for a January read. And secondly, there is continual praise for the growing Chinese economy and its aim towards prosperity, while still being a Communist country. One book published this year, by which I was both edified and delighted, was The Life of St. Neilos of Rossano, translated into English by Raymond L. Capra, Ines A. Murzaku, and Douglas J. Milewski. I can only say thank you for a stimulating browse through the explorations of many favorite minds. Each day there is one-two pages about a saint and their feast day. A re-read. Father Rutler possesses a vast store of knowledge on a wide array of subjects and a penetrating insight into the human condition which, together, truly do bring a sense of peace to the soul of the sane Catholic seeking to comprehend the growing insanity which surrounds us. This book contains a brilliant introductory essay by Cardinal Müller and many perceptive insights by Prof. Buttiglione. I suppose if I had to really explain myself, it would all come down to human behavior. They know no slogans, and they do not lie. Thomas M. Doran is the author of the Tolkien-inspired Toward the Gleam and its 2018 sequel The Lucifer Ego. Much of my reading time is taken up with news and articles, far too much of it online. Nonfiction How Can You Still Be Catholic? I loved its masterful use of dramatic irony and it’s a great portrayal of a young masculine perspective. Author Dennis Lambert links two different eras in an incredible journey through Church history to the present day. As a convert, I’m sorry to say I’ve always approached the last book of the Bible with some trepidation, scarred just a bit from non-Catholic writers who in my youth used the imagery of Revelations to construct imaginative, yet ultimately false, roadmaps to predict future events—complete with a legend to identify the primary actors (say, Gorbachev) and institutions (say, the Catholic Church) which would culminate in the Second Coming. John Kemp starts out as the most pompous Englishman that ever buttered a crumpet, and oftentimes when he was most afraid, I found myself in stitches. Blessed John Henry Newman credited Scott for promoting enthusiasm for the Middle Ages during the Victorian era. Here is a clear warning for liberal polities such as our own: if we make our liberal ideals the heart of our foreign policy, we of necessity are setting ourselves up for failure abroad and a weakening of our domestic liberalism as well. It’s a heartwarming romance that will leave you breathless until the very end. https://www.listchallenges.com/50-books-every-catholic-should-read It’s beautiful in its own worldly way. The first was The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. A miraculous table built over 2000 years ago by the grandfather of Jesus Christ and marked beneath with the words “Love has come” survives the darkest moment in salvation history to bring peace over 2000 years later to a modern day musician just as he loses the love of his life in a terrible accident. , by D.C. Schindler (James Clark & Co, Cambridge, 2017). The former moves at breakneck speed, while Foy’s book dives deeper into the stories of the crew and the cascade of failures leading up to El Faro’s demise. The pseudonym of composer Robert Bruce Montgomery, Crispin uses the witty, observant literature professor Gervais Fenn as his detective. Top of the list of books I’ve relished in 2018 is George Weigel’s collection of topical essays, The Fragility of Order, a deeply readable comment on a range of current issues—much recommended. A solid account of one of the most decisive battles in Christian history. It was with a sudden shock that I realized that Wyzinski’s situation might one day be that of a bishop in a Western country with a grimly hostile government. All of these books insist on knowing Islam both from the book and from its historical record. Molly’s story is a great way to show how charity goes beyond sharing toys or giving food to the homeless, after all. If that were not enough, the book also gives unsparing insight into the severe mercy lived and practiced by a great master of a spiritual discipline almost entirely lost to the popular consciousness, at least in the West. 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