5 books every Catholic should own

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  1. The Bible
  2. Three Catechisms: Trent, Baltimore and our current one.
  3. Butler’s Lives of the Saints
 
1.) The Bible

2.) Three catechisms: Trent, our current one and the Baltimore catechism

3.) Butler’s “Lives of the Saints”

4.) The Summa

5.) A good traditional Missal for Mass - extraordinary form.
 
Tomster said:
1.) The Bible

2.) Three catechisms: Trent, our current one and the Baltimore catechism

3.) Butler’s “Lives of the Saints”

4.) The Summa

5.) A good traditional Missal for Mass - extraordinary form.
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How, pray tell, will having a TLM missal help defend the faith?
 
CWBetts said:
How, pray tell, will having a TLM missal help defend the faith?
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Very simply because from the Sign of the Cross to the conclusion of the Last Gospel there are no theological errors in it.
 
Another good book for Catholics to own – “He and I” by Gabrielle Bossis. This will give wonderful nourishment of our spiritual needs. Beautiful! Even my Pentecostal Protestant mother bought a copy!
 
I just finished reading God’s Human Face by Cardinal Schonborn. It has gret apologetic value with regards to the veneration of images.
 
Great question 🙂 and great books I have read “The Imitation of Christ” by: Thomas A’Kempis. I thought it would be a difficult read but fooled me (laughs)

I’d love to read some of the books many of you mentioned like the Diary of St. Faustina and Jesus of Nazareth

I still read my childhood books that I (still) collect by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.

amazon.com/Lawrence-G.-Lovasik/e/B001JSA0V6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1280986507&sr=1-1

and by Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM

amazon.com/Jude-Winkler/e/B001JP4UCO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1280986693&sr=1-2

May I also add

“Story of a soul the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux” by: Fr. John Clarke, OCD

" I believe in Love: a personal retreat based on the teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux" by: Fr. Jean C.J. d’Elbee

I also read Catholic Digest

catholicdigest.com/

Liguorian Magazine

liguorian.org/

Vision-Vocation Magazine

vocation-network.org/guide
 
goforgoal said:
Great question 🙂 and great books I have read “The Imitation of Christ” by: Thomas A’Kempis. I thought it would be a difficult read but fooled me (laughs)

I’d love to read some of the books many of you mentioned like the Diary of St. Faustina and Jesus of Nazareth

I still read my childhood books that I (still) collect by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.

and by Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM

May I also add

“Story of a soul the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux” by: Fr. John Clarke, OCD

" I believe in Love: a personal retreat based on the teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux" by: Fr. Jean C.J. d’Elbee

I also read Catholic Digest

Liguorian Magazine

Vision-Vocation Magazine
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Great list! I first read “The Imitation of Christ” and St. Therese’s “Story of a Soul” when I was still in the Anglican Church. The latter book lead me to the start of a wonderful friendship with St. Therese. I own both now. The “Imitation” happened to be St. Therese’s favourite book after the Gospels. Another lovely book I read back then and managed to get second-hand from a friend, is the “Flowers of St Francis”.

The name “Lovasik” sounds familiar. There was something he wrote which I remember reading and being blessed by; I think a quote. I can’t remember now…it may have been about the Eucharist, but I can’t be sure…
 
”Understanding the Mystery of the Mass”, by Fr. Matthew Buettner. (Queenship publications)
An amazing explanation of the Mass, concisely written. SUPER reading! 👍
 
Matthew_E said:
The Poem of the Man God, by Maria Valtorta.
All 5 volumes.

lifeinchrist-newsletter.com
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Matthew_E said:
The Poem of the Man God, by Maria Valtorta.
All 5 volumes.

lifeinchrist-newsletter.com
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Matthew,

I see that you are a newcomer to CAF, and If I am correct you are a recent convert? ( I seem to remember something about that in one of the posts.)

I urge you togo to the following URL to find out what the Church’s thoughts on it are.

www.ewtn.com/library/scriptur/valtorta.txt

The article was written by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, an internationally respected biblical scholar,

Also, the poem has never received a required “Imprimatur” (Permission to print) and was formally condemned by the Vatican at least 40-50 years ago as you will see if you read Fr. Pacwa’s article.

God Bless…👍

Bussi
 
SecretBeliever said:
I thought that was deemed to be heretical?
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Indeed it was. At the very least it flirts with heresy.

When volume four appeared, the Holy Office examined the “Poem” and
condemned it, recommending that it be placed on the Index of Forbidden
Books Dec. 16, 1959. ***Pope John XXIII signed the decree and ordered it
published. L’Osservatore Romano, on Jan. 6, 1960, printed the
condemnation with an accompanying front-page article, “A Badly
Fictionalized Life of Jesus,” to explain it. ***

See the following URL for confirmation. (Article by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, an internationally respected biblical scholar)

www.ewtn.com/library/scriptur/valtorta.txt

God Bless…

Bussi
 
Mathew_E said:
This might help clear things up.

mariavaltortawebring.com/Pages/004_Correspondence.htm

lifeinchrist-newsletter.com
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Hello Mathew E. Welcome to the Catholic Forums, and that really does clear everything up! Very impressive! Sorry about that, but please understand that not all of us are so rude. Its sad when members jump down your throat without even reading what you wrote, they certainly would have found that each protest in their post was answered quite well.

God Bless
 
I’ll just post one, because I think it absolutely essential reading for all catholics.
Code: 
"Introduction to the devout life by" Saint Francis de Sales.

  Francis was a bishop, and a doctor of the church. He lived in the 1500s, was influenced by Ignatius, has a religious order named after him (Salesians) and converted 60,000 French people who had become protestant after the reformation  back to catholicism. He was also a good break dancer. 

   This book is  jam packed with insight, wisdom,and great advice on how to live  the catholic life. It is incredibly rich. Whenever I struggle in life, the  the answer is usually somewhere in this book.
Francis is the patron saint of writers, and for good reason: He’s a damn good writer.

He also teaches you how to meditate, and explains the benfits of doing it. he says that if one can meditate, it is always preferable to vocal prayer, because it changes the heart more, and is a more effective prayer form. ( of course meditation, when done Francis way includes petition,) This form of meditation (discursive) is one where you use your mind actively, adapted from Ignatius of Loyala’s teachings on prayer.

He includes 10 meditations which were designed to purge a person of mortal sin. I can personally attest to the efficacy of doing these meditations on a regular basis.

I started reading this book as a lapsed catholic. It was one of a number of tools, God used to bring me back to the faith, and my faith has never been stronger. This book will be a lifelong reference for me and I highly highly recommend it to all christians.
 
Dolores_IHS said:
Great list! I first read “The Imitation of Christ” and St. Therese’s “Story of a Soul” when I was still in the Anglican Church. The latter book lead me to the start of a wonderful friendship with St. Therese. I own both now. The “Imitation” happened to be St. Therese’s favourite book after the Gospels. Another lovely book I read back then and managed to get second-hand from a friend, is the “Flowers of St Francis”.

The name “Lovasik” sounds familiar. There was something he wrote which I remember reading and being blessed by; I think a quote. I can’t remember now…it may have been about the Eucharist, but I can’t be sure…
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This is wonderful. Here are some quotes I found online by Lawrence G. Lovasik

thinkexist.com/quotation/it_is_just_as_cowardly_to_judge_an_absent_person/214153.html

Here are some more books by Fr. Lovasik

fatherlovasikpublications.com/aboutus.cfm

By the way, all the books mentioned are wonderful.

God bless,
goforgoal
 
GuitarPlayer said:
I’ll just post one, because I think it absolutely essential reading for all catholics.
Code: 
"Introduction to the devout life by" Saint Francis de Sales.

  Francis was a bishop, and a doctor of the church. He lived in the 1500s, was influenced by Ignatius, has a religious order named after him (Salesians) and converted 60,000 French people who had become protestant after the reformation  back to catholicism. He was also a good break dancer. 

   This book is  jam packed with insight, wisdom,and great advice on how to live  the catholic life. It is incredibly rich. Whenever I struggle in life, the  the answer is usually somewhere in this book.
Francis is the patron saint of writers, and for good reason: He’s a damn good writer.

He also teaches you how to meditate, and explains the benfits of doing it. he says that if one can meditate, it is always preferable to vocal prayer, because it changes the heart more, and is a more effective prayer form. ( of course meditation, when done Francis way includes petition,) This form of meditation (discursive) is one where you use your mind actively, adapted from Ignatius of Loyala’s teachings on prayer.

He includes 10 meditations which were designed to purge a person of mortal sin. I can personally attest to the efficacy of doing these meditations on a regular basis.

I started reading this book as a lapsed catholic. It was one of a number of tools, God used to bring me back to the faith, and my faith has never been stronger. This book will be a lifelong reference for me and I highly highly recommend it to all christians.
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This book has been mentioned before but you have presented it with a difference. I just checked out the contents and have ordered a copy.
:thankyou:
 
I recommend Maria Valtorta’s writings with all my heart. The Poem of the Man-God is in actuality fully Church-approved. For complete details, check out this free research document, which can be downloaded here:

Poem of the Man-God Research Document (PDF)

The trailer for it is here:

Poem of the Man-God Research Document Trailer

I am a huge Valtorta fan and wrote this e-book about Maria Valtorta and the Poem of the Man-God which www.mariavaltortawebring.com has hosted on their home page for download and Douay-Rheims Bible Online (which has 70,000 visitors a year) has also hosted on their website.

This e-book is a comprehensive and well-researched guide to everything a Catholic needs to know about Maria Valtorta’s writing: its importance, its history, its ecclesiastical status, how it compares to other revelations, the 14 proofs of its divine origin, and its critics and defenses.

This free e-book is the result of hundreds of hours of research over 6 months, utilizing a tremendous number of Internet and printed sources. To give you a taste of its level of depth and scholarship: it has 902 references/endnotes.

Some chapters in this e-book:

“The Position of the Popes, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Holy Office), and the Vatican Newspaper on the Poem of the Man-God”

“Timeline of Major Events of the Poem of the Man-God’s Ecclesiastical Approval”

Some things you may have not been aware of:

Saint Padre Pio and at least two spiritual children of his approve the Poem of the Man-God. In 1967 (a year before Padre Pio’s death), a long-time spiritual daughter of his, Mrs. Elisa Lucchi, asked him in Confession: “Father, I have heard mention of Maria Valtorta’s books. Do you advise me to read them?” Saint Padre Pio responded: “I don’t advise you to – I order you to!” There is also documented eyewitness accounts by several trustworthy sources that Saint Padre Pio approved and encouraged the reading of Maria Valtorta’s works, and that he has had mystical experiences with Maria Valtorta during the time when they were both alive. All of this is documented and described in the e-book.

Blessed Gabriel Allegra, O.F.M. was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on September 29, 2012 and Blessed Gabriel Allegra was an outspoken and avid long-time supporter of Maria Valtorta and spent the latter years of his life studying, promoting, and defending the Poem of the Man-God (Maria Valtorta’s major work). You can read his testimony online here:

Blessed Gabriel Allegra’s Critiques, Notes, and Letters on Maria Valtorta’s The Poem of the Man-God

Notable actions of the Popes regarding the Poem of the Man-God include:

A high-ranking prelate personally handed Pope Pius XII a 12-volume typewritten copy of the Poem of the Man-God in 1947. After these volumes were evaluated by the Pope for a year, he granted a special audience with the three Servites of Mary in charge of this work. At this audience, as Bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Christ, Pope Pius XII gave the Poem of the Man-God an official imprimatur and commanded them to publish it “just as it is”. Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, writing to the Maria Valtorta Research Center from the Vatican on October 31, 1987, referred to Pope Pius XII’s action as: “The kind of official imprimatur granted before witnesses by the Holy Father in 1948, an Official Imprimatur of the Supreme Authority of the Church”

Pope Paul VI showed obvious signs of favor towards the Poem by sending a letter of congratulations and blessing to world-renowned Mariologist, Fr. Gabriel Roschini, for his book The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta. Furthermore, Archbishop Pasquale Macchi, Private Secretary of Pope Paul VI, said to Fr. Corrado M. Berti, O.S.M., in an hour long interview in 1963: “When His Holiness (Paul VI) was Archbishop of Milan, he read one of the books of The Poem of the Man-God. He told me how he appreciated it, and had me send the complete work to the library of the diocesan seminary.”

Pope John Paul II approved the decree of a miracle and the beatification of a world-renowned theologian who was an outspoken and avid long-time supporter of Maria Valtorta and who spent the latter years of his life studying, promoting, and defending the Poem of the Man-God: Blessed Gabriel M. Allegra, O.F.M. Furthermore, according to Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the secretary of Pope John Paul II, the Pope was a reader of Maria Valtorta. The cardinal testifies to having often seen one of the volumes of The Gospel as Revealed to Me [a.k.a. *The Poem of the Man-God] on the Pope’s bedside table.

Only the first edition was put on the Index of Forbidden Books the same day as St. Faustina’s writings were. Fr. Marco Giraudo, O.P., Commissioner of the Holy Office, later approved the publication of the 2nd edition of the Poem of the Man-God in 1961, stating to Fr. Berti: “We have no objection to your publishing this 2nd edition. We will see how the work is welcomed.”

Believe it or not, her revelations have been proven by multiple areas of science to be 99.6% historically accurate as is shown in the e-book.

Blessed Gabriel M. Allegra, a very holy missionary, world-renowned theologian, & the only beatified biblical scholar of the 20th century, wrote:

“I assure you that the Poem of the Man-God immensely surpasses whatever descriptions — I do not say of mine, because I do not know how to write — but of any other writer… It is a work which makes one grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus and of His Holy Mother… I hold that the work demands a supernatural origin.”
 
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