The Mothers of the Church.

Mike Aquilina and Christopher Bailey teamed up to bring us the Mothers of the Church: The Witness of Early Christian Women. You see, their wives--Terri and Teresa--thought of it. As Teresa told Chris, "Everyone knows about the Fathers of the Church, but what about the Mothers?"

She was right--not only that the book needed to be written, but also that I needed to read it. I tend to associate the phrase "Mother of the Church" with attempts to prove that women should be priests because "they used to have deaconesses!" This book, however, never even approaches historical reconstructions.

Instead, the authors present the true feminine genius that was set free by the revelation fo Christ's incarnation. The first chapter, "The Christian Revolution," treats concisely and in a very readable way to radical shift that the ancient world experienced in its view of the female and women. As a result of that shift, many Christian women found themselves able to dedicate their lives to the service of the Church in ways that were specifically feminine. They truly became the "mothers of the Church."

Many of the women profiled here are familiar: Felicity and Perpetua, Helena, Monica, and Macrina. But others are new to me: Blandina, Proba the Poet, and Eustochium, to name a few. The authors offer a biography of each woman (or group of friends) as well as extensive primary texts written by the women themselves or those who knew them.

This book is a treasure and a great addition to any home library or high school curriculum. Sadly, it is unavailable at the Catholic Company right now! But The Fathers of the Church is also a great read.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from TheCatholic Companycatholiccompany.com, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Fathers of the Church. They have some good resources for Lent!

The Temperament God Gave Your Kids.

I am a temperament junkie--choleric/melancholic. That's me. And (as a melancholic) having the four temperaments in mind has been a tremendous help to me in living with other people. My boss used to drive me crazy with her bubbly, outgoing craziness. Why was she always wanting to have a big party, sing loud 80's songs, and then pray all 20 decades of the Rosary with 15 kids crawling all over her? She enjoyed noise.

It turns out, she's sanguine/choleric. She has a beautiful combination of two temperaments that just rubs me the wrong way. We both like to get things done our way (choleric), but I like to do it alone (melancholic) and she likes to do it All Together in a Big Happy Family (sanguine).

But once I understood where she was coming from--her natural tendencies, her natural strengths, her natural weaknesses--we worked well together. Very, very well.

Identifying and naming can be so helpful (melancholic!).

That's why I was so excited to read The Temperament God Gave Your Kids, written by the same couple (Art and Laraine Bennett) who brought us The Temperament God Gave You.

The basic premise is that there are four natural temperaments (based on an ancient Greek tradition) that characterize human beings: the choleric, the melancholic, the sanguine, and the phlegmatic. I won't give them away: read the books.

These four temperaments each carry their own tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses (identifying people you know--and yourself--is a hilarious exercise!). Understanding our natural inclinations helps us to grow in those areas that are naturally more difficult for us.

In the same way, the Bennetts know from their own experience as parents that the temperaments can also help us understand our children and how to best help them grow in virtue and joy. Their advice is very simple (even a little redundant if you are already familiar with their first book), but it was a wonderful refresher for me at a moment when my two melancholics are being crushed to pieces by the emerging choleric temperament of their baby sister. Crushed.

Learning to coach a choleric while two sweet melancholic cry over their spilt mudpies is a challenge. This book helped me step back, not take the drama too personally, and breathe. And laugh. We are, after all, just human.

My only criticism is that the book is too short: the Bennetts did not spend much time explaining the possible blends of temperament an individual can manifest. And these blends are precisely what differentiate, say, my 100% melancholic child from her more melancholic/choleric sister.

But it's well worth the investment and the time! Read on (especially all you phlegmatics out there).

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Temperament God Gave Your Kids. They have some good resources for Lent!

The Pope and the CEO.

From the Catholic Company, we have The Pope and the CEO, the personal testimony of former Swiss Guard Andreas Widmar and his reflections on the leadership principles of Bl. Pope John Paul II. It is a fun read, providing unique access to the hidden, daily habits of one of the greatest men of the 20th century. Widmar saw the pope interact with housekeepers, dictators, presidents, nuns, and people of every faith on the globe. After his service in the Vatican, he went on to become a business leader in Europe and America. He stopped practicing the faith, but after making millions returned to the Church largely because of his memories of John Paul. His story in itself is enough to make the book worthwhile.

Widmar structured his chapters on different themes in the Christian life: self-knowledge, prayer, detachment, community, and moderation, to name a few. In terms of spiritual reflection, the book is probably best for someone just starting to explore or return to faith in Christ. Each chapter ends with three or four questions for personal reflection, making it an ideal book for a reading group, Bible study, or men's group.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Pope and the CEO. They have some good resources for Lent!

The Saints in My Life.

Fr. Benedict Groeschel has been a great friend (via his books) for many years. The Saints in My Life, however, is now among my favorites. In it, he profiles 19 saints who have played significant roles in his own life. He begins with a beautiful explanation of what saints are in the Church--and of what they are not. He writes not only for Catholics but also for those who are simply interested in what Catholics mean by "the communion of saints."

In each chapter, he writes a brief biography, a short glimpse into their theological or mystical contributions to the Church, some personal anecdotes of who they have been for him, and a selection of the saint's writings.

His selections include the predictable "superheroes of heaven"--Therese, Teresa, Catherine of Siena, Augustine--as well as the lesser-known or the "helper saints"--Catherine of Genoa, John Fischer, Catherine Laboure, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. These are only a few of the many, delightful lives.

The book is perfect for the distracted mother or father--each chapter is a whole unto itself, even though the saints all together tell the story of Groeschel's life. Small, baby-sized bites. It would also be a great present for someone you know who is entering the Church this year (or recently entered) and wants to get to know some new friends.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Saints in My Life. They are currently having an end-of-the-year sale!

Booklist 2011.

2011 was not a great year for reading, but here are the real standouts. I did a lot of re-reading, which is always a little like coming home to find a good friend waiting.

The best book I read is actually not yet in print. Wait for it! But here are the highlights--in no particular order--of what money can buy.

The Road, Cormac McCarthy -- So maybe a mom suffering from postpartum depression should not spend three days in the bleak midwinter reading Cormac McCarthy (he also wrote No Country for Old Men, of movie fame). This novel is, however, just fabulous. Set after some un-named apocalypse in the near future, it is the story not of the rape of nature or even of the worst in man, but of the very best. Written by a man often described as a nihilist, it is anything but nihilistic. He is dark, but he is not dark about nothing. I loved it.

Arise from Darkness, Benedict Groeschel -- After reading McCarthy, this was absolutely necessary.

Catherine of Siena,

Sigrid Undset -- Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy is possibly my favorite fiction of all time (Brideshead Revisited is the possible rival). I was so excited to discover that she wrote a biography of Catherine of Siena, the peculiar mystic who ordered popes around. Undset is a master class in medieval thought, customs, and imagination, and she brings all of her skill to her work. She is not afraid to offer natural explanations for some of the phenomena surrounding Catherine, but never dismisses the supernatural either.

The Rage Against God, Peter Hitchins -- Christopher Hitchins' less famous, but possibly more interesting, brother. The book is less a point-by-point argument against atheism than it is a painting. Peter Hitchins draws a sketch for us of his life behind the Iron Curtain and his own encounters with a world without God. It's ugly, and you suddenly see--with the eye of the artist--the suddenness with which the world can change. Worth a gander.

Busman's Honeymoon, Dorothy Sayers -- I re-read all of the Sayers mysteries during my battle out of depression last winter. In the dark hours, I would read and read and read her whimsical prose. Perhaps I was being obsessive, but it worked. And, aside from its therapeutic qualities, her fiction is wonderful, grown-up brain candy. Busman's Honeymoon is my favorite: It has to be one of the best treatments of sex in modern fiction. It's real and beautiful without glossing over the humor of the conjugal act. She maintains a perfect modesty without being prudish in the least. Oh, and it's a great mystery. You learn a lot of Donne while having a lot of fun. (Oh, that was bad.)

Doomsday Book, Connie Willis -- I read this on Melanie's recommendation. I haven't read science fiction since high school, but I enjoyed the novel enormously. The basic story involves time travel, exchanging deadly viruses across centuries, medieval Oxfordshire, and the bubonic plague. Anything set in England, 1348, is bound to be slightly nauseating. I am grateful for Purell and soap on a deeper level.

And that's the Best of 2011. The Booklist for 2012 is already much longer--I'm feeling ambitious as per usual during Christmas vacation. If you have any suggestions, please send them this way.

Happy reading!

Doctors of the Church.

Bl. Pope John Paul II made the Wednesday audiences famous with his series of catecheses on the Theology of the Body. These weekly addresses continue and offer endless food for thought.

Doctors of the Church collects Benedit XVI's catecheses on 32 men and women from throughout Church history, who have "been recognized for both holiness of life and profundity in learning." The result is an outstanding--and highly inviting--history of Christian thought, spirituality, poetry, song, and high adventure (for adventure, check out Catherine of Siena!).

I really can't say enough about Benedict's writing. It is clear, simple, and... best of all for the busy among us... concise. Each address gives a biography of the saint, the historical context of his or her work, and then a brief lesson on the major contributions he or she brought to the search for God. You will become fast friends with them all: Even the headier saints, it turns out, have something to say to a little housewife in the 21st century.

This book is great for anyone exploring the Faith for the first time, for RCIA classes, high school classes, and just any Catholic who wants to know her pope and her forbears more intimately. A great buy.

Sadly, it seems to be out of stock over at The Catholic Company (it's that good!). But you should still receive it by Christmas if you order now!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Doctors of the Church. They also have some beautiful Christmas gifts!

Through the Year with Padre Pio.

St. Padre Pio became one of my very dearest friends last year--he battled for me when I was too exhausted or depressed to even pray. If you buy me a coffee, I'll tell you the whole story.

So I jumped at the chance to review Through the Year with Padre Pio, a collection of his letters and sayings edited by Patricia Treece. This book is so sweet: for every day of the year, there is a brief excerpt from Padre, followed by a parallel Scripture passage. It's simple, gentle material for lectio divina and a great companion to the Divine Office.

The prevailing popular impression of the Padre is one of a cranky, crotchety old gheezer who yelled at women in the confessional. There are grounds for that impression (although, don't you think that even church ladies ought to be yelled at once in a while?). But the overwhelming written evidence is of a man filled with mirth, gentleness, wisdom, and peace. After spending several weeks with him, day by day, you will be chastised but happier.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Through the Year with Padre Pio. They also have some beautiful Advent wreaths!

Miriam and a postcard from the volcano.

Yesterday, the Scientist Dad stayed home from the university so that I could go meet with a priest for spiritual direction and Confession. It was blessed.

This afternoon, as I sliced red peppers and whisked together the curry, 3-year-old Bella queried:

"Miwiam, why dost (she really says dost) Mummy have to go to Kerfeshun?"

The Mother Superior responded, "Well, Belly, sometimes Mommy is a Bad Catholic. So, she has to go and tell the priest, who is really Jesus just for a minute, that she was a Bad Catholic. Then she is a Good Catholic again, until she does something else bad. Then, if she wants to be a Good Catholics again, she has to go back and tell Father."

Yes. That just about sums it up. It's simple. Baptism: We are all good Catholics. We get lazy, we drift, we fall asleep on the watch, we sin. Bad Catholics. The fix is simple: if we want to be good again, we just tell father.

I loved the "if," which reminds me:

I'm finishing Lucy Beckett's A Postcard from the Volcano, a fabulous crash course in 20th-century history, the Western canon, and... well, all of Western philosophy. (I have raved about her In the Light of Christ, a more formal introduction to the canon.) Not to give it away, but one of the main characters, originally a convert to Catholicism, ends up spending three years without the sacraments. He attends Mass, sitting in the back row, but never reconciles with the Church. In effect, a Bad Catholic.

Max's dearest friend, Adam, questions him: Why has he stayed away so long? His affair had ended, his 18 months of the lusts of the world had ended, tragically in an abortion. Why had he not confessed, been absolved, and returned home? Max's answer is poignant.

During his time of "real life," in the world of sex, drugs, and jazz (no rock 'n' roll in pre-War Germany), he had found himself feeling alive, feeling unhappy, but electric. His lover would tell him, "You're not really a Prussian bureaucrat who only likes Brahms. You just look like one, talk like one, work like one. Take it all off with your clothes." And he did. He even felt relief when she had the abortion--although he also immediately left her--just because he wouldn't be tied down to her forever.

He tells Adam he is uncertain now--after it all--of who he is, what he believes, even of God's interest in him. Confession seems too certain, Mass only a fragment of his self. How can he confess a sin he enjoyed, a sin that he felt relief at?

Adam listens--and this is good--but then brings Max back to the simplicity: "Now listen to me. Eros is the only sickness for which we volunteer. You are anwerable for what happened between you and Eva, in a way that she's not, or not yet--no one knows... Your reaction to the abortion shows that you know [there was hardly any connexion between you]. It also shows that you understand the self-indulgence, the distance rom God, of the whole thing. You understood this all along. The fact that Eva didn't understand helped you to hide from the fact that you did."

Adam continues, "What I would like you to do is this. Tomorrow is Sunday. The village Mass is at nine. Come with me half an hour early and make your confession to Father Stanislaw. He's a good man--not that it matters what he's like. Tell him the simple facts. Be given absolution. be given Communion. Pray for your child. Pray for Eva. And for me."

And that is what they do. Then Max takes the train back to Breslau and realizes that he can once again play Bach. "Adam had restored him to a place where the truth was steady."

That's what Confession does. The sloth of sin and the the grime of accumulated falls make the world spin. Reality is unsteady. Was it really so bad? Did I even mess up? Does God really care?

The only clarification is in absolution. When you want to be a Good Catholic again, after you fight through all that grime and grasp the rock, the light breaks through.

I can play Bach again.

Miriam has the instinct, if her vocabulary is a little reminiscent of the 1950's CCD teacher. Mommy was, for a little while, a Good Catholic again. And I found that the truth was steady.

Come to think of it, I think Miriam's ready for her own First Confession. Next month.

Image source.

Holding on to Hope.

Before reviewing this book, I have to make a full disclosure: I have not actively done the exercises in it. I have read it, but not done it. And this is definitely a book that was written to be worked through, to be actively engaged. Sr. Kathryn J. Hermes, FSP, is the author of Surviving Depression and now brings us Holding on to Hope: The Journey Beyond Darkness. She intends this book as a sort of sequel or "something more" than her first. Holding onto Hope is for those who have survived depression and now are at a place in their lives when they are ready to be healed.

First, the good news. Sr. Kathryn's use of Scripture and her obvious love for the prophets and patriarchs is beautiful. Her choice of texts and some of her more personal stories are touching and really can give comfort and hope.

But the over-riding vocabulary of the book smacks often of contemporary psycho-babble. It is "therapy speak," with lots of dream-symbolism, discerning our "true feelings," and self-limitation and self-conceiving. I don't think it ever crosses the line and stands against the faith, but the packaging of her otherwise much-needed message of hope just turns me off.

The exercises provided by co-author Sr. Helene Cote, PM, are kind of silly. I'm not a licensed "inner healer," and these guided meditations may provide some real peace to some people. But I'd rather stick to a more traditional Scriptural meditation that does not include unScriptural "guided imagining."

On a happier note, it looks like Sr. Helene had nothing to do with Surviving Depression, so I might give that a gander. I also found an interesting recourse on Christian cognitive therapy over at Eighth Day Books; it looks a little more promising. I'll stick to Scripture and the Fathers for now.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Holding on to Hope. They also have great resources on and copies of icons.

Great books, great source.

Eighth Day Books' printed catalogue is in itself a source of great insights and fodder for blog posts. The little bookstore in Kansas has as its mission to offer "an eccentric community of books based on this organizing principle: if a book—be it literary, scientific, historical, or theological—sheds light on ultimate questions in an excellent way, then it's a worthy candidate for inclusion in our catalog.

"Reality doesn't divide itself into "religious" and "literary" and "secular" spheres, so we don't either. We're convinced that all truths are related and every truth, if we pay attention rightly, directs our gaze toward God. One of our customers found us "eclectic but orthodox." We like that."

They manage to be eclectic without crossing the fine line between ecumenism and syncretism. I want to read everything they print.

For example, here is a little-known, 131-page book by Orthodox layman Jean-Claudet Larchet, The Theology of Illness. The bookstore's blurb-writer for the printed catalogue (how do I get that job?) begins:

"... Larchet makes a bold pronouncement, possibly even startling: 'There is no question that people today have far fewer resources than their ancestors did to deal with the entire problem [of physical illness].' While he accedes that modern medicine has acquired extraordinary skill in diagnosis, therapy and prevention, its treatment of the body addresses only our biology and not our spirituality. As strange as it sounds, being deprived of illness actually limits our means of dealing with death, doing little to help us assume the redemptive powers of suffering and humility."

Come to think of it, I don't know when I'll have time to read 131 pages. But a snippet like that will keep me thinking for a week. At least.

Image Source.

Strength in Darkness

The Catholic Company has brought me Strength in Darkness: Wisdom from John of the Cross. How appropriate. The editor's opening line is: "Have you ever had that abiding sense that you just can't get through something?" Why, yes! Yes, I have!

What follows are simply excerpts from the writings of John of the Cross, the great Carmelite reformer, a doctor of the Church, and friend of Teresa of Avila (note: friendship with a saint sure helps in becoming a saint yourself).

As someone who has struggled with depression recently, however, I would offer a word of caution. John may not be the man to read at the moment when that "abiding sense" of despair is strongest. Ask your confessor or a trusted friend first, because John's Dark Night can seem so challenging and so full of confidence that we less hardy souls may read him, shrug our shoulders, and abandon his way.

John encourages us that in darkness, we have received an invitation to go deeper and to go through whatever it is we are facing. The dark night is the only preparation for total union with God: "Furthermore, in this union for which the dark night is a preparation, the soul in its communion with God must be endowed and filled with a certain glorious splendor embodying innumerable delights. These delights surpass all the abundance the soul can possess naturally, for nature, so weak and impure, cannot receive these delights, as Isaiah says, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered any human heart what he has prepared (Is 64:4).' As a result the soul must first be set in emptiness and poverty of spirit and purged of every natural support, consolation, and apprehension, earthly and heavenly. Thus empty, it is truly poor in spirit and stripped of the old self, and thereby able to live that new and blessed life which is the state of union with God, attainable by means of this night."

This, as the apostles said, is a difficult teaching. Who can bear it?

For the soul struggling with depression or intense suffering, John can be either the dearest friend or that well-meaning, but obtuse, well-wisher who stops you after Mass and says, "I've heard you're having a tough time. Don't worry, God sent you this for a reason."

I would save John of the Cross for a dark night that has begun to fade into morning: Once the worst has lifted (even if only for a moment), once you have a friend to read him along with you, then John's teaching has no compare. He can convince with the language of the heart: "In the first place it should be known that if anyone is seeking God, the Beloved is seeking that person much more...."

Once your heart is ready to accept this, then John of the Cross becomes the great spiritual director. He is able to prepare you for future suffering and give you hope that the dark nights you have known were not suffered in vain.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Strength in Darkness. They also have great resources on the new translation of the Roman Missal!

Set Free to Love

I know a lot of people for whom experience trumps rational argument. "Well, in my experience, the Church's teaching on marriage is just impossible." "That's nice for you, but it's not everyone's experience."

The point of Catholic anthropology (or, the Church's view on the human person) is that experience fulfills and gives life to doctrine. That is, if reason and revelation demonstrate a truth, then that truth will give meaning to human experience. And the lived experience of the truth is the fullness of human happiness.

Never is this more true than with respect to human bodies, in particular to human sexuality. John Paul II's (he's being beatified!) Theology of the Body at first seems like a lot of heady reflection on Scripture and philosophy (which it is). But when you have lives changed by the Theology of the Body, you also have Theology of the Body proved by lives lived.

Marcel LeJeune's Set Free to Love: Lives Changed by the Theology of the Body provides a good companion to any study of John Paul II's thought. He draws together eleven testimonies--from married and single laity, religious, and clergy--of men and women who encountered the pope's thought and experienced a profound conviction that it is true. Many of the stories are dramatic, but some are simpler. The book is accessible and enjoyable and provides a real spark of hope: Conversion and a heroic fidelity to the Catholic vision of the person is possible.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Lives Changed by the Theology of the Body. The Catholic Company is a great place for Catholic Valentine's Day gifts, too!

(Dis)Orientation

In (Dis)Orientation, John Zmirak has compiled 14 essays explaining the reigning ideologies (and their devastating effects) of our time. His co-authors are among the best: Elizabeth Scalia from The Anchoress, Fr. Dwight Longnecker, Peter Kreeft, and Jimmy Akin (to name just a few). They write specifically for students (probably ages 17 through 22) as they guide them through a critical evaluation of our culture's popular assumptions and prejudices.

I really enjoyed this one: It was like philosophical candy for my mommy brain. The concepts (which I studied in the original many eons ago) are well-presented. Zmirak cross-references the essays with one another, so you can really begin to grasp the connections between, say, feminism and Marxism, or progressivism and utilitarianism, or hedonism and modernism. Because, as the collection confirms, all errors are in the end the same error.

The book is definitely written for Catholics: Almost every article critiques the culture from a Roman point of view (in fact, Akin writes his essay specifically on anti-Catholicism). This is a perfect Confirmation gift or graduation gift for the young Catholic who is hopelessly naive about the real spiritual and intellectual warfare going on out there. It's also great for parents who blithely send their offspring off to secular (and, let's face it, Catholic) universities. There ain't no room for blithe spirits in the upper echelons of the Western university, but there are ways for students--and their families--to be prepared.

I also found the essays helpful for me: I was surprised how many of these ideological attitudes (such as feminism and utilitarianism) I tend to judge myself on. In my moments of self-assurance, I tend to think I'm pretty immune to our intellectual failings, but in reading the essays I found myself nodding, "Yes, I do unconsciously absorb that attitude." It's good to have a little self-diagnosis once in a while...

Worth the price, worth the time.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Disorientation. The Catholic Company is a great place for Catholic Valentine's Day gifts, too!

The Fulfillment of All Desire

It's a little hard to review a Study Guide, when you haven't got that to which it is a guide. Here, however, is my attempt.

Ralph Martin wrote The Fulfillment of All Desire as a guide to the spiritual life. He bases his outline on "the Wisdom of the Saints," as the subtitle says, using the roadmaps to holiness of seven of the Church's doctors. St. Therese, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Augustine, and St. John of the Cross all lend their wisdom to the earnest seeker. Different forms of prayer and meditation, as well as stages in the soul's journey into God, are discussed and presented as worthy and possible goals for every Christian.

The study guide is well-constructed and would be ideal for a parish or private Bible study or discussion group. A short synopsis of each chapter is followed by key terms, questions for comprehension and personal reflection, suggestions for concrete applications of the ideas, and references to Scripture and the documents of Church councils and the Catechism.

I'm going to try to talk some of my friends into this one.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Fulfillment of All Desire, both the whole book and the study guide. The Catholic Compnay is a great place for serenity prayer items and baptismal gifts, too!

The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II

Just wow. It's hard to review a book that is not only the sequel to the magnificent Witness to Hope, but also stands alone as a thriller spy novel (it's true!), a full course in Roman Catholic theology, an entire seminar in the ecumenical movements of the late 20th century, and a history text of, oh, the whole world.

But that's what George Weigel's The End and the Beginning: John Paul II -- The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy is.

Weigel's sources make this book an irreplaceable account both of the last years of the pontificate and of the decades-long struggle between Karol Wojtyla (later John Paul II) and the communist leadership of Eastern Europe. Documents released after John Paul's death in 2005 provide new insight into the role he played in the fall of communism as well as the extent into which the Soviet Union's spy network infiltrated the daily life of the Church at that time. No other book, with the exception of Whittaker Chambers' Witness, has opened my eyes quite so much to the realities of life under (or with) communism.

But the book is less about John Paul II than it is about God's action in the Roman Catholic Church in the last half-century. In this, Weigel does with John Paul II's life precisely what John Paul II himself would have wanted: He uses the pope to point us to Christ.

So, although I know you've all finished your Christmas shopping (haha!), this is a great addition to your list. I'd especially recommend it to anyone (especially guys) who wonder why the heck they should still bother or think about bothering to be Catholic.

I'll leave you with this poem, written for John Paul II by his fellow Pole (and one of my all-time favorite poets), Czeslaw Milosz:

"Ode for the Eightieth Birthday of Pope John Paul II"

We come to you, men of weak faith,

So that you may fortify us with the example of your life

And liberate us from anxiety

About tomorrow and the next year. Your twentieth century

Was made famous by the names of powerful tyrants

And by the annihilation of their rapacious states.

You knew it must happen. You taught hope:

For only Christ is the lord and master of history.

Foreigners could not guess from whence came the hidden strength

Of a novice from Wadowice. The prayers and prophecies

Of poets, whom money and progress scorned,

Even though they were the equals of kings, waited for you

So that you, not they, could announce urbi et orbi,

That the centuries are not absurd but a vast order.

...

You are with us and will be with us henceforth.

When the forces of chaos raise their voice

And the owners of truth lock themselves in churches

And only the doubters remain faithful,

Your portrait in our homes everyday reminds us

How much one man can accomplish and how sainthood works.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The End and the Beginning. Also be sure to check out their great selection of Christmas gifts..

Women, Sex, and the Church.

Erika Bachiochi has here gathered a series of essays in Women, Sex, and the Church to address the Hot Button List of "women's issues" in Catholic teaching. The Catholic understanding (and, yes, the is a Catholic understanding!) of sex, contraception, abortion, marriage, and the feminine vocation often draws fire. Surprisingly, I've experienced the bullets at what ought to be some of the safest places for young moms: the park, Friendly's restaurant (!), playgroup, and unfortunately Mom's Bible Study. This book is a great reference for Catholic (or, I would hazard, Orthodox) moms and women who know and believe their faith but want a review of the basic arguments and even some fresh approaches. If you wonder just how to articulate what you believe about, say, being open to more children in your marriage, Bachiochi and her crew of educated gals probably have something for you. They base their insights not only on official magesterial teaching, but also on arguments from nature, papal encyclicals, the witness of saints, art, and insights based on recent advances in medicine and neuroscience.

The essays are also a real morale boost: Sometimes I start to feel isolated in the practice of my faith and wonder whether I'm crazy. These women assure me that there are good, beautiful reasons for a life of obedience to God's design for our bodies. We are not lunatics bent on circling the wagons, but rather joyful women engaged in an heroic struggle for truth, goodness, and life.

That being said, I wonder whether the essays would convince anyone who had not already decided to be convinced of a new way of looking at the world. Before handing it to your yoga instructor or local Mary Kay seller, make sure that she already has some sympathy for the Good Things of life: children, God, redemption, heaven.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Women, Sex, and the Church. Also be sure to check out their great selection of baptism gifts.

The Godless Delusion

I seem to be on a atheist kick here... In The Godless Delusion: A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism, Patrick Madrid and Kenneth Hensley present a sort of no-argument-left-unsung challenge to current atheist claims. It is a good book, but doesn't approach The Loser Letters (about which I cannot say enough) for wit and even persuasiveness (is that a word?).

The philosophical explanations are clear and well-presented--a great introduction to Kant and Darwin for anyone with little experience! The authors intersperse the heavier stuff with concrete examples, anecdotes, and analogies. They do good work describing the so-called "problem" of evil, the moral implications of atheism, and the inability of atheism to account for the human experience.

Atheists reading might be offended by the constant claim that "all atheists know in their hearts that God exists." It's a sort of "anonymous Christian" claim that may shut down a dialogue (not that Christopher Hitchens isn't completely offensive to theists). Then again, if what I believe is true, then atheists do "know" God exists if only because they have to live with reality each and every day.

The most thought-provoking bits for me were the explanations of the basic atheist philosophy: naturalism. Naturalism is the assumption that matter--atoms, molecules, cells, etc.--is all that there is and provides a sufficient explanation for all phenomena in the world. The authors are particularly concerned to drive home the consequences of a society built on naturalistic principles: When God is dead, all is permitted. They contend that the basic assumption of our current society is increasingly naturalistic, specifically in education. Most educational institutions in the West now implicitly tell students that God is irrelevant to knowledge. We can know the world and live good lives without any reference to the spiritual or supernatural. (I think naturalism is one reason why we're homeschooling. I don't want my children to spend eight hours a day in a building where God is, if not explicitly denied, at least considered unnecessary to life and learning.)

It's worth a read.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Godless Delusion.

The Loser Letters.

I have the distinct privilege of being back on the book review wagon this month. Mary Eberstadt's The Loser Letters: A Comic Tale of Life, Death, and Atheism was simply the Best Way to begin again. You must read this book. Period.

"Witty satire" doesn't even touch what Eberstadt does in this series of letters from "A.F. Christian" (as in, "A Former") to the "Brights," her term for the Hitchens, Dawkins, and other spokesmen of the so-called "New Atheism." A.F. is the self-proclaimed numero uno convert to atheism, although she has some issues with the way these spokesmen market it to the masses. Her ten letters are intended to point out atheism's weak spots in order to improve the Bright influence.

Along the way, she addresses sex (!), Christian converts from atheism, the problem of families and children, abortion, and that nagging human guilt-complex. A.F. takes shots (albeit admiring shots) at famous Dulls (aka, Christians) from George Weigel to GEM Anscombe, from Whittaker Chambers to GK Chesterton, from John Paul II to Michaelangelo, all the while actually showcasing their genius. She draws directly from current culture (although the book is already dating itself with references to Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell--oops!) and makes hilarious use of BFF, LOL, and TTFN, etc.

Even the chapter titles are hilarious: "Chapter One: The Trouble With Experience" and "Query: Do Atheists Know any Women, Children, or Families?"

But the best part is, or course, finishing for the first time. I laughed out loud for eight chapters and then cried uncontrollably (could have been the hormones, but I think not). You will have to read it to see why.

Teasers: Discover whether Jesus or Satan is a midget! Find out why I want to be Mary Eberstadt someday!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company, and the reviewer received a free copy of the text in exchange for her opinion. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Loser Letters.

Great book: And There Was Light.

Sounds like a manual for Kabbalah: And There Was Light. But it's actually one of the best books I've read on WWII, the resistance, and concentration camp survivors.

And There Was Light: The Autobiography of Jacques Lusseyran, Blind Hero of the French Resistance.

This promises to become a classic. Lusseyran, with exquisite language, tells the almost-fairy-tale of how, after being blinded in an accident at the age of eight, he grew to become one of the leaders of the Resistance. The story itself is a cliff-hanger (strangely, since of course he survives), but he also gives a profound portrait of the life of the blind. He could see in ways that we with eyes cannot--he could see colors for people, able to tell instinctively their true character and motives hidden even to the men themselves. His friends would rely on him for direction in life as well as on the streets of Paris. Finally, he survived the worst of the concentration camps--the "special" hospitals for the unfit--and he did so with joy and humor.

A must-read. I would quote it endlessly, but I already returned it to its owner.

Book plug!

Since I forgot to link the excerpt from today's consecration meditation, I must put in a plug for the book. Dietrich von Hildebrand's Transformation in Christ is a true spiritual classic. With meditations on self-knowledge, humility, patience, and all sorts of Christian virtues, the book a the perfect Lenten (or life) companion. My favorite part is actually the chapter on self-knowledge: he talks about false forms of knowing ourselves (such as self-worship) and the limitations of various psychological analyses of ourselves before really delving into what it means to know ourselves and be known in Christ.

Check it out.