I recently had the opportunity to watch the film Mary of Nazareth the latest release from Ignatius Press. The movie takes you on a journey that spans from Mary’s early childhood to the Resurrection of Jesus. The sources used as reference include Scripture but also delve outside the Gospels to include stories from apocryphal texts many will be familiar with . Overall I was quite impressed. The movie actually gave me pause to consider a few things. We know... Read more
Don’t even listen to slander The visionary Shepherd of Hermas was a very influential book in early Christian times. Here the writer is commanded to keep away from slander. Even listening to malicious gossip makes you part of the sin. Be simple and guileless, and you will be like children who don’t know the wickedness that ruins man’s life. First, do not speak evil of anyone, and do not listen with pleasure to anyone who speaks evil of another. If... Read more
If you are a frequent reader of my work here at The Catholic Book Blogger you may have guessed that I am a bit of a tech guy. I like gadgets that make life easy. Now in saying that there are gadgets that are epic failures and more cumbersome than good. I was recently afforded the opportunity to try a new device out and I have to say this is a winner. The Biblezon tablet for Catholics was designed... Read more
Learn to tell good jokes from bad It’s quite reasonable to joke about people when you know it will actually make them feel good, says St. Clement of Alexandria. But making fun of people is a dangerous sport, and one a Christian needs to avoid. Older people, looking on the young as children, may (though very rarely) be playful with them, joking with them to train them in good behavior. For example, if you’re with a bashful and silent young... Read more
Welcome back to “The Laity Speaks”, a recurring feature here at The Catholic Book Blogger. This feature is the companion to “The Clergy Speaks” and takes us to the other side of the pulpit to hear prominent lay people’s answer to the same question. That question is: What five books would you recommend as must-reads for Catholics today? I left the responses open to current or classic books with the only restriction being that the Bible and the Catechism could... Read more
The Open Book Podcast Episode 001 Podcast: Download (Duration 38:39 – 35 MB) Talking books with guest Katie Moore, publicist for Image Catholic Books. Books Discussed in this Episode: Titles I have reviewed The American Catholic Almanac: A Daily Reader of Patriots, Saints, Rogues, and Ordinary People Who Changed the United States by Brian Burch and Emily Stimpson Interview with author Emily Stimpson My Battle Against Hitler: Faith, Truth, and Defiance in the Shadow of the Third Reich by Dietrich... Read more
Always avoid insults Watch what you say to the people around you, says St. Clement of Alexandria. A Christian’s job is to spread goodwill, not to stir up ill feelings. We should keep away from mocking, the beginning of insults, from which fights and disagreements and grudges burst forth. A man is judged from his words, not just from his deeds. “Do not reprove your neighbor at a banquet of wine,” as the saying is. “Speak no word of reproach... Read more
PETE: Of the numerous books you have written this is your first on Christmas. What drew you to writing Joy to the World? SCOTT HAHN: Christmas! I hardly need another reason. Christmas is the holiday that even secularists can’t give up. Yet it’s so much more than they know. It’s more than the sales, more than the TV specials, more than the family togetherness. It’s the turning point in history. It’s a crisis — a drama of epic proportions involving... Read more
Lying is always a sin We often think a lie is good, or at least harmless, if it brings some good effect. But it isn’t, says St. Augustine. The truth is a sacred thing, and we should no more think of lying for a good reason than we would think of committing adultery for a good reason. We must consider every lie a sin, because we should always speak what is in our hearts: not only when we know the... Read more
Weigh your words carefully Palladius of Galatia, who spent years among the desert hermits of Egypt, tells the story of Pambo, who thought so carefully before he spoke that he preferred to let months go by rather than give an ill-considered answer. On his death-bed, at the very moment of his passing, Pambo is reported to have said this to the bystanders, Origen the priest and steward and Ammonius—famous men, both of them—and the rest of the brethren: “From the... Read more
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