Here's what I've been reading..
From Death to Life: The Christian Journey by Christoph Cardinal Schonborn
Schonborn examines Christian deification, the hope of eternal life and viewing this life with an eternal perspective, the Church as the Kingdom of God, and other fascinating Christian views that the early Christians wrote and preached on.
Catholic For a Reason: Scripture and the Mystery of the Family of God edited by Scott Hahn & Leon J. Suprenant
This is composed of essays from various former students of Dr. Hahn's as well as one from his wife, Kimberly on Baptism. These essays cover such topics as the Eucharist, Purgatory, Priest as a Spiritual Father, Justification, and many more. This was the second time I read it, and this time through, I understood much more of it due to my education, and to say the least, I was very impressed again with its breadth and depth of the topics.
Knowing the Love of Christ: An Introduction to the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas by Michael Dauphinais and Matthew Levering
Dauphinais & Levering - who are theology professors at Ave Maria College in Ann Arbor, MI - present an excellent synthesis of the theology of Aquinas. This is one of the best books I've read yet on the Christian faith; they synthesize Aquinas' thought and system superbly, and I would recommend this text to anyone who wishes to do theology:
fides quaerens intellectum - faith seeking understanding.
Life-Giving Love : Embracing God's Beautiful Design for Marriage by Kimberly Hahn
Kimberly shows God's wonderful plan for marriages and families, and how we can live the joy of family life in the grace of Christ. She shows the theology behind the marriage covenant and the theological underpinnings of family life, explaining both in connection with the Eucharist, the Trinity, and Christ's bridal relationship with the Church. She also explains the prohibition on birth control with precision and depth, which reminds me of the exposition given by the Protestants who wrote
Open Embrace: A Protestant Couple Rethinks Contraception
Splendor of the Church by Henri Cardinal de Lubac
In his amazing process of
resourcement, Lubac analyzes key ecclesiological points by stringing together quotes from throughout the Early Church Fathers. This is a
very difficult read - as is most of Lubac - because of his scholarship, but well worth the probing.
First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity by Scott Hahn
I read this in its manuscript form before Hahn had it published through Doubleday, and I read it again this semester. He uses the family to explain the Trinity, and the Trinity to explain family. This is called the "social analogy" of Trinitarian theology; he shows that salvation is a family ordeal, which helps shine light on the
ecclesia Dei as the
familia Dei.
A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God's Covenant Love in Scripture by Scott Hahn
This is one of my favorite Christian books; I've read it four times now - once before coming to Franciscan. Once for my OT class. Once for the NT class. And now a fourth time for my Theological Foundations class. Hahn shows Salvation History in light of the covenant - he's able to unravel much of the mystery of the Old Testament through a covenantal lens. It's the Bible in a book. A must read!
Loving the Church: Spiritual Exercises Preached in the Presence of Pope John Paul II by Christoph Cardinal Schonborn
A series of meditations given for the pope and his staff on a Lenten retreat, this archbishop cardinal of Vienna, Austria shows that the Church is fundamentally a mystery founded in the mystery of Christ - fully God and fully man. He explores the communion of saints, our radical filiation in Jesus Christ, and the preparation for the Church throughout the various stages of history, including creation.
The Nature and Mission of Theology: Essays to Orient Theology in Today's Debates by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Cardinal Ratzinger examines the relationship and integration of faith and reason, truth as the basis and measure of human freedom, the ecclesial character of conversion and theology, necessary and appropriate pluralism within the Church, the role of the Magisterium, and the significance of the seminary.
Many Religions, One Covenant: Israel, the Church, and the World by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Ratzinger shows how the New Covenant fulfills and doesn't abolish the Old Covenant, which brings about the necessity and appropriateness of converting the Jews while respecting and recognizing the full import of our heritage as Christians in the Old Covenant. He examines the relationship between Law & Gospel - the fulfillment of Torah in the Gospel, Jesus' interpretation of the Law, the scandal of the Cross, and God's friendship with us through covenant.
Gospel, Catechesis, Catechism: Sidelights on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Ratzinger analyzes the significance of the terms Gospel and Evangelize in the light of the Bible and the Catechism. He shows the didactic structure of the Catechism and its Christological centricity as well as its Biblical foundation and basis.
The Rise of Christianity : How to obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries by Rodney Stark
This was recommended to me personally by Mike Aquilina, author of
The Mass of the Early Christians. Rodney Stark, a sociologist at the University of Washington, shows the sociological reasons and environment for and around the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. He shows how it is entirely feasible and reasonable for this rise - as well as some of the main reasons for its spread and acceptance. What amazed me was to find that there were 1 million Catholics in 250 AD (2% of the pop), 6 million Catholics in 300 (10% of the pop) AD, and 33 million Catholics in 350 AD. (56% of the pop), and that the rate of this rise is almost identical to the rise of the LDS Church in our contemporary world at a constatnt 40% growth rate.
Meet Padre Pio: Beloved Mystic, Miracle Worker, and Spiritual Guide by Patricia Treece
Treece gives a synthesis of the life of St. Padre Pio, which is wonderful for anyone seeking to introduce themselves to the life of this 20th century mystic and saint. I thoroughly enjoyed it because I've always had an affinity towards this Franciscan Friar and sigmatist.
St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton
More poetry than prose, this work is classic of Chesterton's writing style, which is so enjoyable! Chesterton gets behind the saint, focusing on several major aspects of St. Francis' life - and attempts to translate Francis for the secular reader of our age. This is a great introduction to anyone wishing to study St. Francis for the first time.
Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II
John Paul II answers striking and broad-ranging questions by a journalist in simple, down-to-earth terms. I thought this text was a bit too simple for my taste because it is geared towards more of a seeker/secular audience. I would recommend it to a non-Catholic who is looking at the Church and/or Christianity from the outside.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
This is the text I'm on right now - I read the first 92 pages yesterday, and I couldn't put it down! In his usual addicting writing style, C.S. Lewis draws his audience in through a rational and systematic presentation/defence of what he calls
Mere Christianity, that is, Christianity at its core apart from the differences behind different confessions - though, he does implicitly reject certain novel doctrines we see today such as annihilation (SDA) and a de-spiritualized baptism & lord's supper.
I've been wanting to read more of the popular texts of Christian writing lately, so this is why I'm on Mere Christianity. Next, I hope to start
Orthodoxy and
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton before I read through
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
