My Bookshelf

Various – When I returned to the Catholic Church, I wanted to know and understand what the Church really teaches about… well, just about everything. The Catechism delivers an authoritative explanation of the Church’s doctrines in a beautifully written and logically structured text. I read it from cover to cover, but you can also refer to the comprehensive index to get information about any individual question you might be considering.

by Fr. Timothy Gallahger – This book is one of the most basic and practical books on Christian Spirituality that I’ve ever read. Fr. Gallagher takes the 14 rules of spiritual discernment developed by St. Ignatius Loyola and translates it into modern life. It has beautiful examples of all the rules, and while he’s teaching from a Catholic perspective, he describes the experience of pretty much everyone.

St. Bonaventure – I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s hard for someone who’s isn’t a saint to write about a saint’s life. St. Francis lived an extraordinary life, and penetrating into his inner life is a challenge. St. Bonaventure knew St. Francis and was healed by him as a child. He became a Franciscan and is now recognized as a doctor of the Church. So here you have a book about a great saint written by a great saint. You can’t lose.

Various – Philokalia means “love of beauty”. If you’re looking for a serious discussion of the spiritual life that will give you months of food for meditation, look no further. This book comes from the Eastern Orthodox monastic tradition from about the 2nd century through the middle ages. Imagine a monk spends 50 years in prayer, then writes 100 sentences on prayer. This book is packed with good stuff.

Brother Lawrence – Brother Lawrence lived as a monk in France in the 1600. A simple man, he worked in the kitchen most of his life. This guy had it figured out. His approach to growing in holiness is simple. Beautiful. Acknowledge that God is present right now, in the middle of daily life. And worship him right in that moment. This book and the wisdom that it holds is one of my favorites.

A Pilgrim – “Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.” This prayer echoes throughout this book. Fiction or non-fiction. Autobiographical? Who knows. But it is a spiritual classic that describes a soul transformed by this continual cry for mercy.