昔日文章

  Over the last few weeks, I have written on various practices of the Church. Since I was not raised Catholic, I had no idea there were so many of them. It was not until I became a priest and encountered them in parish life that I discovered these, as I call them, treasures of the Church.  A few years ago, I came upon a book that I found most useful and informative. It is entitled “Catholic Source Book”, by Fr. Peter Klein, published by Our Sunday Visitor.  One seller describes the book this way:  “…. the essential teachings and basic texts of Catholic beliefs, prayers, practices and traditions. ….. this is the one Catholic reference book that every home, parish and classroom needs. … all find this book interesting, informative and essential both for reading and reference.”  Another vendor describes it this way:  ‘Fr. Peter Klein gathered this comprehensive collection of information to help people of faith learn, renew, teach, and live the risen life of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. The book is divided into ten chapters, "Prayers," "An Overview of the Tradition," "Scripture," "Church," "Liturgy," "The Liturgical Year," "Devotions in Catholic Tradition," "Veneration of Saints and Heroes," "Catholic Symbols," and "Word and Phrase Origins."’  Two books by Peter Kreeft I recommend: “Because God Is Real”, published by Ignatius Press and “Jesus Shock” by St. Augustines Press.  Dr. Kreeft is a convert to the Catholic Church. He has a Ph.D. in Philosophy and teaches in a Catholic University. He writes many books on why the Catholic Church is the only authentic Christian church. They are very thorough but not always easy to read by regular readers. However, these two books are wonderfully written with young people in mind.  “Because God is Real”  A seller describes it this way:  ‘Atheistic and agnostic wr i t e r s a r e a g g r e s s i v e l y attacking traditional religious beliefs. Philosopher and prolific writer Peter Kreeft is up to the challenge in this work of popular apologetics aimed at both teens and adults. … Kreeft tackles sixteen crucial issues about the deeper meaning of life … range from, "Is faith reasonable?”, "Can you prove there is a God?", and "Why is Jesus different?," to "Why is sex so confusing?," "Why is there evil?", and "Why must we die?" Kreeft provides thoughtful, lucid, and persuasive answers for believers, unbelievers, and seekers to consider. …. This book is ideal for those exploring faith for the first time, as well as for confirmation and religious education classes. It's an intellectual and spiritual feast!’  The second book is “Jesus Shock”  A seller describes it this way:  “The life of Jesus Christ is indelibly engraved upon history….. Some people thought he was crazy; others considered him a misfit, a troublemaker, a rebel. He was condemned as a criminal, yet his life and teachings reverberate throughout history. He saw things differently, and he had no respect for the status quo. You can praise him, disagree with him, quote him, disbelieve him, glorify him, or vilify him. About the only thing you cannot do is ignore him, and that is a lesson that every age learns in its own way. You can’t ignore Jesus, because he changed things. He is the single greatest agent of change in human history. He made the lame walk, taught the simple, set captives free, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, healed the sick, comforted the afflicted, afflicted the comfortable, and in all of these, captured the imagination of every generation. But who is Jesus today? Who is Jesus to you? Get ready to discover Jesus like you have never known him.”  Next week I will recommend more from my list of favorite Catholic books.