Back to the Little Prince

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:The Little Prince (or en français) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Certains livres nous apprivoisent. Ils créent des liens avec nous.Some books tame (befriend) us. They make connections with us. For me, Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince is one … Continue reading

Faithful Justice

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:On Faith: Lessons from an American Believer by Antonin Scalia On Faith: Lessons from an American Believer is a compilation of addresses, speeches, and excerpts from judicial opinions by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, interspersed … Continue reading

Untangling Vipers and Draining Venom

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:Vipers’ Tangle by François Mauriac The human heart is a mysterious thing. As Scripture says, “More tortuous than anything is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). A tangled mess of loves, the … Continue reading

An American Catholic Biography

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:Lamy of Sante Fe by Paul Horgan Many of you have probably read, or at least know of, the classics of Catholic biography. Among autobiographies, few stand out more than The Confessions of Saint Augustine, the Apologia … Continue reading

All Things Work Together for Good

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni For your summer reading pleasure I thought I would recommend one of my favorite Catholic works of fiction, which you have probably never heard of: I Promessi Sposi  (usually translated The Betrothed). … Continue reading

Sword of Dishonor

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:Sword of Honor by Evelyn Waugh In August 1939, Nazi Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a treaty of non-aggression with the U.S.S.R. They were only to violate it within two years upon invading the Soviet Union in … Continue reading

Salvation is from the Jews

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:Sister Mary Baruch, the Early Years by Jacob Restrick, O.P. I would like to recommend Sister Mary Baruch, the Early Years, by Jacob Restrick, O.P. The work is the first of a five book series that follows … Continue reading

The Soul of the Apostolate

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:The Soul of the Apostolate by Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O  I once spent two weeks in Kolkata on a discernment and mission trip where I worked alongside the Missionaries of Charity. By the end of those two weeks, … Continue reading

An Unequivocal Endorsement

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:Conchita: A Mother’s Spiritual Diary by Marie-Michel Philipon, O.P. I seldom endorse books with unequivocal praise. Still less do I endorse authors in such wise, especially if I have not read most (if not all) of his … Continue reading

Liturgical Retreat

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations:The Spirit of the Liturgy by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger It would be easier if she had four arms, but alas, she has but two! Her towheaded boys were squirming and flailing all about the pew, not to … Continue reading

2019 Summer Reading Recommendations

I recently listened to a podcast in which the show host offered a provocative description of a public building that is somewhat distinctive to the American landscape and ethos. He said that public libraries are “temples of sharing.” This initially … Continue reading