Part of the amazing faith that is Catholicism is that there is always so much to learn! There is never a point in time in which an individual has said, “I know everything about God and the faith now, that’s all there is! I’m done!” In fact, most people who study theology at great lengths have said that it would take several lifetimes to study all the amazing miracles of God’s grace and the theology behind the faith. I am constantly checking out new books from the library and constantly reading about a new saint, a new theological principle, or something new about God. Here are some of my favorites!
I always like to read on my Kindle. The reason that it makes it so much better for reading is that there’s no notifications to distract me and the screen doesn’t hurt my eyes at all. It literally feels like I am reading a paper book. When I try to read on my iPad or phone, I was constantly getting distracted by the notifications that would pop up and I had to check them. Then after a while, my eyes would start getting strained and burning. It doesn’t keep me up either like a phone screen would, so I can fall asleep reading in bed without a problem! If you want to check out a Kindle, you can click here!
Another great reading resource that is new to me is Libby! Libby is basically like having your public library on your phone! You can search for books and rent them when they are available for 21 days. After 21 days, the book goes back to the library. So not only does it not take up space on your device, but you don’t have to remember to return it! You can check your library’s website to see if they have a code for Libby. If a book you want to read isn’t available, you can also be added to a waitlist for it and be notified when it’s available. They have a ton of stuff listed and ready to read!
Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith by Bishop Barron
I really have loved this book so far. It dives into several different aspects of the Catholic faith from the Eucharist to the Mass to the story of Genesis and the stories of Saints and the Apostles! Bishop Barron is a very intelligent and very well read priest. I really enjoy listening to his sermons and he has a very easy to understand way of explaining some of these most difficult concepts.
Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples
This book has been my all time favorite, probably because it taught me so much about a very difficult concept. I had a hard time understanding Marian theology and dogma when I converted to the Catholic faith. This book absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. I thought it would be too intellectual and hard to read and boring, but it was exactly the opposite! The author did not shy away from addressing any single Protestant objection to Marian theology, even ones that I had repeated myself before! A lot of things that I had questions about were explained so clearly through this book. It is a good read for Catholics and non-Catholics who want to know what the faith teaches and why!
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
As I mentioned in a previous post about this beautiful Saint in a post that you can read here, I really loved her autobiography. Some people claimed it came off pretty childish and ordinary, but I have to say that that very concept is what I loved about it! People have a hard time relating with some saints because they seem too perfect and virtuous. St. Therese of Lisieux was very humble and I enjoyed reading about her journeys through her childhood. I remembered my own and how hard I struggled going through my teenage years with no one by my side, that I could unite all of that with Christ like she did! Her story definitely gives me hope that my life does not rest in being a celebrity or super well known or liked, but rather in doing that which pleases God. It absolutely encouraged me to not worry about trying to do the biggest and boldest thing, but to think of the small ways in everyday life in which I can serve God.
Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity by Carrie Gress
I suppose I say this a lot, but this book was amazing! It was very modern, easy to read, easy to follow, and had so many real life examples and connections and true stories about our culture. I think that this book really made me feel a lot of emotions as I went through it. It made me sad for women who fell into this trap of feminism and sad that they were hurting so bad, but also made me feel so hopeful for the future and joyful when I think about the example that the Holy Mother gives us. I absolutely loved reading it. The authors tone was very friendly yet very confident. This book definitely gave me a lot of feelings of encouragement and validation that I am not alone in how I feel about the toxic culture of femininity.
That is four of my favorite reads to far to further explore Catholicism and the character of God! I am very happy to be able to share these with you and to hopefully walk with you in your journey through the faith! If you have read any of these and have opinions, please feel free to share them!
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