Study your faith There is only one way to salvation, says St. Irenaeus, but there are many roads to perdition. Writing a little instruction book for his friend Marcianus, Irenaeus tells him that knowing more about his faith will keep him safely on the right path. Knowing, dear Marcianus, your desire to walk in godliness, which alone leads man to life eternal, I rejoice with you and make my prayer that you may preserve your faith entire and so be... Read more
Learn faith from Mary Magdalene Before dawn after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene came and found Jesus’ tomb empty; then she ran to Peter and John and told them someone had taken the Lord’s body. St. Cyril of Alexandria holds her up as a model of faith, she who did not abandon Jesus even when he had been killed in a shameful public execution. This excellent and pious woman (Mary Magdalene) would never have allowed herself to stay at home and... Read more
This week publisher Our Sunday Visitor sponsors the CBB giveaway. One lucky winner will receive one copy of Prayer Works! Getting a Grip on Catholic Spirituality by Matt Loenard (you can read my review here). I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. The contest starts at midnight tonight EST and will end 12AM EST Friday 10/17 with a winner being announced later that day. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway Read more
Believe what Christ tells you In a dialogue with St. Gregory the Great, Peter the deacon seems to prefer to think there is no hell. But we can’t do that, says St. Gregory the Great, without making a liar out of Christ. Peter: Let me ask you: will those who are condemned to hell burn forever, and never have any end of their torments? Gregory: It is certain, without doubt, and very true that, as the good will have no... Read more
Prayer Works! is the title of Matt Leonard’s latest book and should be the theme chant for our own lives. If your prayer life needs some work and you don’t know where to begin this is the book for you. Even if you think you have a solid prayer life you could use some pointers and Matt provides those here. There are many reasons for having a strong prayer life. First and foremost is establishing a personal relationship with your... Read more
Build your faith on the Stone A mighty building, says Aphrahat, depends on its foundation stones. If we build the structure of our faith on Christ the true Stone, that structure cannot be shaken. Faith is made up of many things, and by many kinds is it brought to perfection. It is like a building that is built up of many pieces of workmanship, and so its structure rises to the top. And know, dear friends, that stones are laid... Read more
Feel the power of faith Running at a gallop through salvation history, Aphrahat tells us that all the great things we read about in the Bible were accomplished by faith. Let us draw near then, dear friends, to faith, since its powers are so many. For faith raised Enoch up to the heavens and conquered the Flood. It caused the barren to bring forth. It delivered from the sword. It raised up from the pit. It enriched the poor. It... Read more
Welcome back to “The Clergy Speaks”, a recurring feature here at The Catholic Book Blogger. “The Clergy Speaks” is a column focusing on one question I have asked various members of the clergy. 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 not be used as they are a given. This week we... Read more
This week I am featuring this great title by Dr. Mark Miravalle, Meet Your Mother: An Introduction to Mary. Click the cover image above to purchase this talk or any other Lighthouse Catholic Media talks as either a CD or MP3 download. This was a great talk on our Blessed Mother. As a convert I found myself learning more than a few things on Catholic teaching on her role as Mother of Our Lord. This is one I recommend for... Read more
Don’t doubt—just pray How can I pray to God when I’m such a miserable sinner? Don’t think like that, the visionary Hermas is told. If you get rid of your doubt and just pray, the Lord will answer your prayer. Get rid of all your doubt, and don’t hesitate to ask of the Lord. Don’t say to yourself, “How can I ask of the Lord and receive from him, when I’ve sinned so much against him?” Don’t think that way.... Read more
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