Catholic Culture

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Could somebody recommend a good book or good website which discusses Catholic Culture? Thanks!
 
Quaere_Verum said:
Could somebody recommend a good book or good website which discusses Catholic Culture? Thanks!
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Yes to both questions. The book of course is the Bible - and how ironic it is to me that so few Catholics are aware of this book but for the piecemeal fed to them week to week in the Readings and Gospel. The thought once was that since only the Magisterium can interpret Sacred Scripture, there is no point in the average Catholic bothering to even read the Bible. However, (I thank God for this man every day) Pope Benedict XVI is on a rampage to get every Catholic to understand not only the right … but the DUTY to TOTALLY IMMERSE oneself in Scripture in order to effectively “spread the Good News” to the whole world. The reason all of this is so ironic to me is that in its primitive Greek form, the New Testament was crafted by the early Catholics and true, we are not a Church of the Bible … but rather the Bible is the story of our Church, so thus the Bible is the Church’s story. So read it - it’s a great reminder of what our Catholic Culture is supposed to be, and yes, as is a quote right out of the Bible, oh, how the mighty have fallen! So not only read the Bible, but totally immerse yourself in this book.

So far as websites explaining Catholicism, there are so many, but tonight I want to direct you to three … all of them excellent in every way.

The first is an instruction from the Vatican in May, 2005 that falls upon deaf ears, especially in the West. Even in my own Diocese of St. Petersburg, I have to frequently report violations of the Order of the Mass to the Bishop - and sadly, these reports go nowhere. When I observe the priest breaking the bread during the Consecration, as opposed to during the Agnus Dei, my heart and back break, and I am well known for walking out of Mass at this point. All of these things, and others are available at the link - see how your own Parish is doing. As I tell the Bishop with each report … if this local Church is not a Church of Rome, then WHOSE Church is it? Satan’s?

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html

The next link is the brilliant Encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI - so far the only one. See:
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html

The last link is Pope Paul VI’s quite brilliant delivery of his own “State of the Union” following Vatican II. Read it here:

vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html
 
Thank you for your responses. I’ll be speaking on Catholic Culture to nonCatholics, and I appreciate your feedback.
 
It hasn’t happened yet Dale, but thanks for asking. I’m still praying & researching the topic.
 
Oh, okay. I’m not versed on Catholic culture, but noticed an essay in the October issue of First Things. It claims that Catholic culture in America died around 1970 and is only in recent years that it has begun to revive - largely because of the pro-life movement.

I am afraid that it doesn’t provide much of positive examples. It largely documents troubles in the American Church over the past 35 years and suggests that the relative lack of a rich Catholic culture binding us together is at the root of the problems.

I’m not sure if your library recieves First Things, but Barnes & Noble should have it on their magazine racks. If you were interested you could read the article there, without buying the whole magazine.
The article is called “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano” and is written by Joseph Bottum.
 
I recently found the book “The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living: A loving look at the lighter side of the Catholic faith, with recipes for feasts and fun” (written by John Zmirak and Denise Matychowiak)

It’s uber cute, and has a lot of good information that has helped give me a grasp of things (received into the church on Aug. 22)

Good luck!

Jess
 
JessicaCeleste said:
I recently found the book “The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living: A loving look at the lighter side of the Catholic faith, with recipes for feasts and fun” (written by John Zmirak and Denise Matychowiak)

It’s uber cute, and has a lot of good information that has helped give me a grasp of things (received into the church on Aug. 22)

Good luck!

Jess
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I love that book. Lots of stuff I’ve never heard before (and that’s quite a feat) and I laughed and laughed. I would enjoy hanging out with the authors.
 
Bruised_Reed said:
I love that book. Lots of stuff I’ve never heard before (and that’s quite a feat) and I laughed and laughed. I would enjoy hanging out with the authors.
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Yeah, it’s great. I love the fact that they obviously love their faith, but they can also poke a little fun at it. :whacky:
 
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