asymptotes

Tells the history of mankind from an anthrocentric and Christocentric point of view- it explains why man is not just another kind of animal and why Christianity is not just another kind of religion. Chesterton is a master of wit, juggling ideas and words with extreme mastery. The book is a bit difficult to read at first, but read it the second and third time and you'll begin to appreciate (and love!) the author's fine humor and witty arguments. Read an online copy of the book View articles and quotations on The Everlasting Man See my   list of suggested books .

More than Many Sparrows / Wisdom Shall Enter / Many are One Answers to Critical Questions About Faith, Loving and Living by Leo J. Trese  I especially liked Wisdom Shall Enter , the second portion of this trilogy. As a cradle Catholic, I was struck at how the author provided reasons (and excellent ones at that!) for the many beliefs that I held but was not diligent enough to find the reasons for believing them. Another excellent thing about this book is that it explains the Catholic faith and its teachings from ground up- it doesn't assume you're Catholic, Christian or even Theist (one who believes in God). It provides explanations on why we have to believe in God, what is man's purpose on earth, why Jesus Christ is not just an extraordinary man, why Jesus Christ really and historically resurrected, why the Catholic church contains the fullness of faith, etc. An excellent book for non-Catholics interested in knowing more about the Catholic faith or for Catholics who...

A collection of homilies covering the different (and I would say essential) aspects of the Christian life. In this volume, St.Josemaria shares his insights on how man can strive to achieve his ultimate goal of sanctity in the chapter "Towards Holiness". He outlines how one can develop a life of intense prayer filled with filial love for God in the chapter "Life of Prayer". Among the other topics are human virtues, the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, love for freedom, etc. From Bishop Alvaro del Portillo's Introduction to the Book "These eighteen homilies present a broad picture of the basic human and Christian virtues for all who wish to follow closely in the footsteps of our Lord…With Msgr. Escrivá de Balaguer words turn into a colloquy with God - prayer - but without ceasing to be a heartfelt conversation completely in tune with the concerns and hopes of his listeners. The homilies contain living doctrine and combine a theologian...

A book for prayer which focuses on the human virtues and its necessity in the Christian life. From Escrivaworks.org : What appears in these pages is Christian life itself, in which-at Christ's pace-the divine and the human are interwoven, not confused, and yet kept in perfect union. Like The Way, Furrow is the fruit of St. Josemaria's interior life and experience with souls. It presents an attractive Christian vision of the human virtues. "Furrow is directed to the whole Christian person-body and soul, nature and grace," wrote Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in the foreword to the book. See my   list of suggested books .

The Way is a product of St.Josemaria's pastoral work of helping many young students and professionals find God in the middle of the world.  Below is a video testimony of how this little book could touch your own life. The Way is an excellent book to get started in the life of prayer. From Escrivaworks.org The strength, the attraction of The Way is largely due to the fact that it is based on real, living experience, being the fruit of the author's work as a priest which began in 1925. The book appeared first in 1934 under the title Consideraciones espirituales and later (in 1939) received its definitive title, after being greatly expanded. Over the years, more than four and a half million copies have been sold, in 43 different languages. This is one of the main attractions of the book-its direct, conversational style, its personal and deeply human character. As a reviewer in Osservatore Romano (March 24, 1950) put it: "Msgr. Escriva de Balaguer has written...

The authoritative document on the teachings of the Catholic Church. An excellent reference. The book is more than 800 pages. You may find some portions of it a bit deep in its philosophical and/or theological content, but I suggest that you still courageously plunge into its pages in order to get a deeper understanding of the faith. Just ask a priest or a learned Christian friend to help you sort out the more complex ideas in the book. You can view the html document   here . See my  list of suggested books .

An excellent reference on the teachings of the Catholic Church. Gives a concise version of the central points of the Catechism of the Catholic Church without losing the essential aspects. It is more accessible to more people because of it's "three principal characteristics... : the close reliance on the Catechism of the Catholic Church; the dialogical format; the use of artistic images in the catechesis." (Benedict XVI, Introduction to the Compendium) A great and handy reference. Each Catholic household should own one. You can view the actual document   here   or download the pdf file   here . See my  list of suggested books .

Leo Trese is a chaplain of a university in the U.S. The Faith Explained is a good beginner's book on learning about the faith. It provides explanations of the central aspects of the Christian belief in a way that is easy to understand, thanks to the excellent illustrations and examples the author provides. See my   list of suggested books .

This was previously published as Man the Saint . This one is a personal favorite. Originally published in Spanish under the title "El valor divino de lo humano" (Literal translation: The divine value of what is human), this powerful book highlights the importance of human virtues in living our supernatural vocation as Christians. Fr.Urteaga writes with fire and passion. This book is not for the lukewarm, mediocre or faint-hearted. See my list of suggested books .

The book tries to explain the development of the spiritual convictions of C.S. Lewis, the author of the well-loved fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. It presents his journey from Puritanism, to atheism, to theism, to Christianity (Anglicanism), finally to   High-Anglicanism   and explores the question of why he never converted to Catholicism (to the frustration of many peoples’ hopes and expectations). I have first encountered C.S. Lewis through the Chronicles of Narnia series. Later on, I read his other works like The Space Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength), Till We Have Faces and portions of The Four Loves and Screwtape Letters. His writings strike me very much as Christian, and at times, as very Catholic. Even before I discovered J.R.R.Tolkien, I was already a fan of C.S. Lewis. One thing I discovered from some friends is that C.S. Lewis never converted to Catholicism, but what I never found out, until I read this book, was wh...