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Good Catholic Reads


Jubilate Deo

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What books would you recommend?

Here are some of my suggestions:

 

1. A good Catholic Bible. I personally like the Douay-Rheims and the RSV-CE.

2. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.

3. The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux.

4. The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort.

5. A Right to Be Merry by Mother Mary Francis P.C.C.. I'm currently reading it and really enjoying it! It's about life in a Poor Clare monastery. There's a lot of humor and light-heartedness in the writing and you really get a feel for the sacred in their community. It's also great for anyone discerning a vocation to the religious life, especially a contemplative vocation.

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Introduction to the Devout LIfe, by St Francis de Sales : easy read, and full of good, down-to-earth, advice 

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger 

Laudato Si by Pope Francis 

Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI 

Pope Benedict interview with Peter Sewald (specially "LIght of the WOrld")

Mercy : the essence of christian life and key to the gospel by Cardinal Walter Kasper 

Diary of a country priest by George Bernanos (work of fiction, but full of teachings) 


 

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality by Raymond Arroyo

 

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2 hours ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

Introduction to the Devout LIfe, by St Francis de Sales : easy read, and full of good, down-to-earth, advice

:flowers:

"Abandonment to Divine Providence" (Jean Pierre de Caussade SJ).......available online at CCEL

Story of a Soul (Autobiography of St Therese of Lisieux)

"St Therese of Lisieux -Spirituality of Imperfection" (Parts I and II) http://carmelitesofeldridge.org/vilma5.html

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4 hours ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

Introduction to the Devout LIfe, by St Francis de Sales : easy read, and full of good, down-to-earth, advice 

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger 

Laudato Si by Pope Francis 

Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI 

Pope Benedict interview with Peter Sewald (specially "LIght of the WOrld")

Mercy : the essence of christian life and key to the gospel by Cardinal Walter Kasper 

Diary of a country priest by George Bernanos (work of fiction, but full of teachings) 
 

That is a quite diverse group of authors...

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After the Bible, I'd recommend The Imitation of Christ. That is probably the spiritual text that I have turned to most often over the years, and along with my Bible, it's one of the few books I always carry with me when I stay abroad for any length of time. A contemporary book I love is The Ladder of the Beatitudes, by an Eastern Orthodox writer (Jim Forest). I can think of many other great ones, but these are my consistent big three.

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It depends on who you are and what your objective in reading is. Spiritual directors often say that recommendations of spiritual books are not to be taken lightly but must be related to the spiritual condition of the one who would be reading it. When in doubt, Scripture, The Imitation of Christ, de Sales' Introduction to the Devout Life, and Scupoli's The Spiritual Combat are always good standbys.

If one is looking to study and to learn, no better recommendation can be made than the Church Fathers. Often I've found that a reading in Matins will make me want to research somewhat more. In a more contemporary vein, anything by Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI is golden.

If one is looking for literature imbued with a Catholic imagination, the recent possibilities are many: Evelyn Waugh, Flannery O'Connor, Shusaku Endo, Sigrid Undset, Georges Bernanos, Graham Greene, Muriel Spark, Walker Percy, T.S. Eliot (an Anglican fellow-traveller) and the list goes on.

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CountrySteve21

True devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort

The complete works of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. 

The Confessions by St. Augustine 

Earthen Vessels by Gabriel Bunge

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2 hours ago, Socrates said:

Maybe not quite as spiritually deep as some of the previously mentioned works, but I'd highly recommend The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism, by John Zmirak.

He demolishes a number of very common lies and misconceptions about Catholic teaching (including a lot of stuff frequently debated on Phatmass).

Love John Zmirak. Me and Lil Red ate a meal with him once.

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DominicanHeart

Right now I'm reading Chicken Soup for the Soul Living the Catholic Faith. I love the Chicken Soup books. They're so inspiring 

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