Catholicism 101 Book List

Here are ten great books that cover a broad range of learning about the Catholic faith:

·      Mass of the Early Christians by Mike Aquilina

o   A simple read about how the early Christians celebrated Mass.  This works contains a number of ancient texts from which the Mass was prayed and many of these same texts are still used verbatim in our Mass today.

·      Confessions by St. Augustine

o   One of the greatest conversion stories ever told, and in this case, told in autobiographical form by Augustine himself.  Notable lines include, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee,” and “Late have I loved you, beauty ever ancient, beauty ever new…”

·      A Concise History of the Catholic Church by Thomas Bokenkotter

o   One of the most succinct and simple reads that examines the Catholic Church from day one until our present day.

·      Born Fundamentalist Born Again Catholic by David Currie

o   Great apologetical work (an “apologetic” means a defense of something, not saying sorry) on how Catholicism is different than Fundamentalist denominations of Christianity.

·      Models of the Church by Avery Cardinal Dulles

o   A great examination of what we mean by speaking of “the Church”.  Dulles argues that the Church can be and must be viewed from many different angles, similar to capturing the beauty of a diamond.  He sets forth five different models from which to observe.

·      The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn

o   The best book I have seen about the book of Revelation.  Scott Hahn argues, successfully in my opinion, that Revelation is a sort of code that described the Mass to persecuted Christians.

·      Love is Stronger than Death by Peter Kreeft

o   A delightful read which describes why death is a necessary part of every Christian’s life.

·      You Can Understand the Bible by Peter Kreeft

o   A book-by-book summary of the Bible.  This is an easy read with a lot of good nuggets to chew on.

·      Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

o   Here C.S. Lewis reasons why Christianity is a reasonable option for people to believe.  He asks many of the basic questions like, “Does God exist?”  “What is God like?”  “How can I know God?” and the like.

·      Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West

o   A great work which summarizes John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.  In it, John Paul II explores human sexuality and marriage to discern how God works through our masculine/feminine bodies.  JPII’s work is very technical and philosophical and Christopher West summarizes this down to an average reader’s level.