Coronavirus Reading List
Matthew Bellisario O.P. 2020
“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.” Desiderius Erasmus
Since we are all spending more time at home, why not spend more time reading about your faith? These are the current books I am in the process of reading.
1. The Spiritual Life: In the School of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort by Antonin Lhoumeau
Many are not aware that Saint Louis de Montfort was a Third Order Dominican. I have been interested for some time in delving more into his theology, and this book looks to fit the bill. This extensive book clocks in at 368 pages. It is the first English translation of this French priest's work who was a scholar of Louis de Montfort's Marian spirituality. This book is not a commentary on his famous works, but an assessment of his interior spirituality. So far the book is emphasizing the importance of the unity between dogma and spirituality. He claims that Saint Louis' theology was a proper reaction to the Separatist error creeping into the Church which was isolating morality, dogma, and spirituality. This also seems to be a huge problem in our time! So far, I am about 56 pages into the book and I am enjoying it immensely.
From the back of the book, "When La vie spirituelle appeared in 1901, it was the first book that delved into the dogmatic and ascetic underpinnings of St. Louis-Marie’s two well-known works, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and The Secret of Mary; the first, that is, 200 years after they were written, and 60 years after they were discovered. In his preface, Fr. Antonin Lhoumeau says that “many have written on the devotion to the Blessed Virgin, called the Holy Slavery of Mary; but none has yet shown with consistency and to a great extent, that it is, according to the teachings of St. Louis-Marie, a system of spirituality, a special form of interior life, and not merely a set of pious practices.” Fr. Lhoumeau’s aim was to fill the gap in the understanding of the devotion to our Blessed Mother, and he succeeds very well indeed."
2. Marian Apparitions, the Bible and the Modern World by Donal Anthony Foley
This 450-page book is well written and full of information about Our Blessed Mother's intervention through her apparitions in the modern world. It is written in historical prose and ties together the historical significance of many Marian apparitions such as Guadalupe, Fatima, La Salette, Lourdes, Banneuz, Tre Fontane and many others with world history. The Protestant Revolt, the French Revolution, Marxism, The First and Second World wars and more significant events all are viewed in light of Our Lady's apparitions. Great reading for our time!
From the back of the book, "This groundbreaking book looks at the major approved Marian apparitions of the last five centuries and relates them to important historical moments: the Reformation, the French and Russian Revolutions, the rise of Nazism. These Marian apparitions, and particularly Fatima, are not historically unimportant events, but rather follow a preordained plan: they have a crucial role in helping us to see how the modern world, with all its problems, has developed. Donal Foley makes clear the fascinating and intriguing connections between Marian apparitions and the Scriptural types of Mary found in the Bible, a crucial element in the theology and exegesis of the early Church Fathers."
3. After the Warning to 2038 by Bruce Cyr
For those like me who want to examine the current crisis we are facing from a spiritual point of view, this book offers a nice compilation of the many mystics who recorded prophetic visions of the future. The author has done a nice job of bringing together a plethora of Catholic mystical writings and then attempts to fit them into Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser's seven mystical ages of the Church. The author places us in the time of the fifth age, Sardis, which spans from Pope Leo X 1520 to the final chastisements of 2038. This age is summarized as an age of degradation where the Church is first divided by the Protestant Revolt and then gradually proceeds to go through many trials, calamities, and defections. Whether or not you find the placings of these prophecies to be accurate to the author's, the collection of prophetic statements by saints and mystics is worth the price of admission. He has even sourced where he got the quotes from which is not often the case with many of these types of writings. This book is over 400 pages! Be warned that this book is not for the faint of heart in these harsh times we are facing. I hope some of his predictions are wrong because although Our Lord and Our Lady will triumph, it looks like we are in for a kick in the pants over the next 15 to 20 years!
From the back of the book. "Our civilization as we know it, is running out of time, but most fail to see the sudden destruction, soon to fall upon us. "When conditions are at their worst," a Warning will come directly from God and few people are aware of the hour. This can be calculated accurately, based upon scores of prophecies available to us through Catholic saints inspired by the Holy Spirit. In the 20th century, Satan was and is allowed the opportunity to accomplish his greatest challenge, since the beginning of mankind. The power of darkness has been increasing for the last 250 years since the rise of Freemasonry/ Illuminati. Furthermore, beginning in 1917, God allows Satan an extended reign of one hundred years to have more time and more power to try to defeat and destroy the Church and in fact all mankind. Pope John Paul II during his time, was aware of a great storm on the horizon: "Precisely at the end of the second millennium, there accumulates on the horizon of all mankind enormously threatening clouds, and darkness falls upon mankind."
4. A Year with Fr. Rutler by Father Rutler
I have not yet begun to delve into this set which I just purchased the other day from the EWTN bookstore. This is a four-volume series is separated by the four seasons, Vol 1 Advent, Christmas, and Winter, Vol 2 Lent, Easter and Spring, Vol 3 Pentecost and Summer and Vol 4 Michaelmas and Autumn. In my eyes, Father Rutler is one of those few writers today who harkens back to the classic Catholic writers of the early 20th century who writes with wit and wisdom. These books are compiled from over 400 of his homilies, columns and other writings. Most of them are only a few pages so you don't have to invest a huge amount of time in one sitting to get something out of these books. You can read an article and meditate on it and go on your way. This is sure to make for great reading all year round!
From the back of the book, "For three decades, Fr. George W. Rutler has charmed and enlightened millions with his eloquent considerations of culture, politics, theology, and everyday life. His wit is outshone only by his wisdom, making him not only one of the most beloved priests of our time, but one of its most celebrated thinkers. This coveted set features nearly four hundred of Fr. Rutler's most brilliant and cherished homilies and other writings, carefully organized to follow the liturgical year of the Catholic Church. By reading its pages, you'll come to share his layered understandings of Christmas, Epiphany, Pentecost, Michaelmas, and other major feast days, as well as his spiritual insights into national holidays such as Veteran s Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July. Like the Missal or a breviary, this collection begins at the start of the Church year, in Advent, preparing us for the birth of Jesus, and ends in the last days of autumn as we pray to God for the souls of the dead. Along the way, Fr. Rutler's clear mind, sharp wit, and often blunt truths afford a sometimes quirky but always delightful grand tour of Catholic theology, philosophy, history, and current events. Here you will come to know persons, places, and things obscure and famous from the beginning of the world to the present day."
Feel free to post your Coronavirus reading list! God bless and keep you and happy reading!
Matthew Bellisario O.P. 2020
“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.” Desiderius Erasmus
Since we are all spending more time at home, why not spend more time reading about your faith? These are the current books I am in the process of reading.
1. The Spiritual Life: In the School of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort by Antonin Lhoumeau
Many are not aware that Saint Louis de Montfort was a Third Order Dominican. I have been interested for some time in delving more into his theology, and this book looks to fit the bill. This extensive book clocks in at 368 pages. It is the first English translation of this French priest's work who was a scholar of Louis de Montfort's Marian spirituality. This book is not a commentary on his famous works, but an assessment of his interior spirituality. So far the book is emphasizing the importance of the unity between dogma and spirituality. He claims that Saint Louis' theology was a proper reaction to the Separatist error creeping into the Church which was isolating morality, dogma, and spirituality. This also seems to be a huge problem in our time! So far, I am about 56 pages into the book and I am enjoying it immensely.
From the back of the book, "When La vie spirituelle appeared in 1901, it was the first book that delved into the dogmatic and ascetic underpinnings of St. Louis-Marie’s two well-known works, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and The Secret of Mary; the first, that is, 200 years after they were written, and 60 years after they were discovered. In his preface, Fr. Antonin Lhoumeau says that “many have written on the devotion to the Blessed Virgin, called the Holy Slavery of Mary; but none has yet shown with consistency and to a great extent, that it is, according to the teachings of St. Louis-Marie, a system of spirituality, a special form of interior life, and not merely a set of pious practices.” Fr. Lhoumeau’s aim was to fill the gap in the understanding of the devotion to our Blessed Mother, and he succeeds very well indeed."
2. Marian Apparitions, the Bible and the Modern World by Donal Anthony Foley
This 450-page book is well written and full of information about Our Blessed Mother's intervention through her apparitions in the modern world. It is written in historical prose and ties together the historical significance of many Marian apparitions such as Guadalupe, Fatima, La Salette, Lourdes, Banneuz, Tre Fontane and many others with world history. The Protestant Revolt, the French Revolution, Marxism, The First and Second World wars and more significant events all are viewed in light of Our Lady's apparitions. Great reading for our time!
From the back of the book, "This groundbreaking book looks at the major approved Marian apparitions of the last five centuries and relates them to important historical moments: the Reformation, the French and Russian Revolutions, the rise of Nazism. These Marian apparitions, and particularly Fatima, are not historically unimportant events, but rather follow a preordained plan: they have a crucial role in helping us to see how the modern world, with all its problems, has developed. Donal Foley makes clear the fascinating and intriguing connections between Marian apparitions and the Scriptural types of Mary found in the Bible, a crucial element in the theology and exegesis of the early Church Fathers."
3. After the Warning to 2038 by Bruce Cyr
For those like me who want to examine the current crisis we are facing from a spiritual point of view, this book offers a nice compilation of the many mystics who recorded prophetic visions of the future. The author has done a nice job of bringing together a plethora of Catholic mystical writings and then attempts to fit them into Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser's seven mystical ages of the Church. The author places us in the time of the fifth age, Sardis, which spans from Pope Leo X 1520 to the final chastisements of 2038. This age is summarized as an age of degradation where the Church is first divided by the Protestant Revolt and then gradually proceeds to go through many trials, calamities, and defections. Whether or not you find the placings of these prophecies to be accurate to the author's, the collection of prophetic statements by saints and mystics is worth the price of admission. He has even sourced where he got the quotes from which is not often the case with many of these types of writings. This book is over 400 pages! Be warned that this book is not for the faint of heart in these harsh times we are facing. I hope some of his predictions are wrong because although Our Lord and Our Lady will triumph, it looks like we are in for a kick in the pants over the next 15 to 20 years!
From the back of the book. "Our civilization as we know it, is running out of time, but most fail to see the sudden destruction, soon to fall upon us. "When conditions are at their worst," a Warning will come directly from God and few people are aware of the hour. This can be calculated accurately, based upon scores of prophecies available to us through Catholic saints inspired by the Holy Spirit. In the 20th century, Satan was and is allowed the opportunity to accomplish his greatest challenge, since the beginning of mankind. The power of darkness has been increasing for the last 250 years since the rise of Freemasonry/ Illuminati. Furthermore, beginning in 1917, God allows Satan an extended reign of one hundred years to have more time and more power to try to defeat and destroy the Church and in fact all mankind. Pope John Paul II during his time, was aware of a great storm on the horizon: "Precisely at the end of the second millennium, there accumulates on the horizon of all mankind enormously threatening clouds, and darkness falls upon mankind."
4. A Year with Fr. Rutler by Father Rutler
I have not yet begun to delve into this set which I just purchased the other day from the EWTN bookstore. This is a four-volume series is separated by the four seasons, Vol 1 Advent, Christmas, and Winter, Vol 2 Lent, Easter and Spring, Vol 3 Pentecost and Summer and Vol 4 Michaelmas and Autumn. In my eyes, Father Rutler is one of those few writers today who harkens back to the classic Catholic writers of the early 20th century who writes with wit and wisdom. These books are compiled from over 400 of his homilies, columns and other writings. Most of them are only a few pages so you don't have to invest a huge amount of time in one sitting to get something out of these books. You can read an article and meditate on it and go on your way. This is sure to make for great reading all year round!
From the back of the book, "For three decades, Fr. George W. Rutler has charmed and enlightened millions with his eloquent considerations of culture, politics, theology, and everyday life. His wit is outshone only by his wisdom, making him not only one of the most beloved priests of our time, but one of its most celebrated thinkers. This coveted set features nearly four hundred of Fr. Rutler's most brilliant and cherished homilies and other writings, carefully organized to follow the liturgical year of the Catholic Church. By reading its pages, you'll come to share his layered understandings of Christmas, Epiphany, Pentecost, Michaelmas, and other major feast days, as well as his spiritual insights into national holidays such as Veteran s Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July. Like the Missal or a breviary, this collection begins at the start of the Church year, in Advent, preparing us for the birth of Jesus, and ends in the last days of autumn as we pray to God for the souls of the dead. Along the way, Fr. Rutler's clear mind, sharp wit, and often blunt truths afford a sometimes quirky but always delightful grand tour of Catholic theology, philosophy, history, and current events. Here you will come to know persons, places, and things obscure and famous from the beginning of the world to the present day."
Feel free to post your Coronavirus reading list! God bless and keep you and happy reading!
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