The books recommended in this episode are:Jesus of Nazareth, Volume 3: The Infancy Narratives by Benedict XVIThe Sermons of St. Francis de Sales: For Advent and Christmas by St. Francis de SalesThe True Meaning of Christmas: The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season by Michael BarberThe Nativity Scene by Eduardo de FilippoIlluminating Luke: The Infancy Narrative in Italian Renaissance Painting by Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. ParsonsFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.Take advantage of the Christmas OfferRead the interview at ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/advent-and-christmas/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.If you have enjoyed this episode, please give the podcast a top rating. You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations. Just click

The books recommended in this episode are:The Elements (alternative edition, Books I-VI with coloured diagrams) by EuclidAlmagest by PtolemyTimaeus by PlatoOn order (De ordine) (alternative edition) by St. AugustineTo Save the Phenomena: An Essay on the Idea of Physical Theory from Plato to Galileo by Pierre DuhemFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.In their search for the ideal education (paideia), the Ancient Greeks were sometimes split over whether to attribute primacy to mathematical thought or language skills. Pythagoras and Plato defended the primacy of mathematics; the Sophists and Aristotle, in different ways, the importance of language. Similarly, the Ancient Greeks began to distinguish and systematise fundamental disciplines within each of the two fields. These disciplines became known as the liberal arts because they equipped the free for their civic duties and the life of the mind. Medieval scholars, such as John of Salisbury and Hugh of St. Victor, called the language-centred disciplines (grammar, logic, rhetoric) the threefold way (trivium), and the mathematical ones (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy) the fourfold way (quadrivium).However, the classical liberal arts education was displaced by Renaissance humanism, the rise of modern science, and educational programs of a pragmatist orientation. Over the last few decades, there has been a movement to retrieve classical liberal arts education. Early proponents of this movement often took inspiration from Dorothy L. Sayers’s advocacy of the trivium in The Lost Tools of Learning. In recent years, however, others have insisted that the quadrivium is equally important for a well-rounded education in the liberal arts. In this episode, Prof. Peter Ulrickson will discuss five books that can help us learn and appreciate the quadrivium.Peter Ulrickson, a mathematician, teaches at the Catholic University of America. He is the author of A Brief Quadrivium and

The Church closes the liturgical year with the Solemnity of Christ the King. Pius XI instituted this feast in his 1925 encyclical Quas Primas. In that document, he unpacked the mystery of Christ’s kingship while acknowledging that only the liturgy, not his encyclical, could impress that mystery upon the minds and hearts of the faithful.Here is a selection of five books that can help us unpack the mystery of Christ’s kingship and live the solemnity more deeply.Quas Primas: Encyclical on the Institution of the Feast of Christ the King by Pius XIThe Church Speaks to the Modern World: The Social Encyclicals of Leo XIII edited by Étienne GilsonThe Metamorphoses of the City of God by Étienne GilsonPro Rege (vol. 1) (vol. 2) (vol. 3) by Abraham Kuyper

This episode's recommended books are: The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947-2005 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, edited by Edward E. Ericson Jr. and Daniel J. MahoneyThe Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Criticism (Abridged) (Vintage Edition) (Complete 3 Volume Edition) by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynIn the First Circle by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynApricot Jam and Other Stories by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynBetween Two Millstones, Book 1: Sketches of Exile, 1974–1978 and Between Two Millstones, Book 2: Exile in America, 1978-1994 by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.The Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) is the author of modern classics such as The Gulag Archipelago, In The First Circle, and Cancer Ward. Born and raised in wake of the Bolshevik Revoution, he served as an artillery officer in the Red Army during World War II. In 1945, he was arrested by Russian counterintelligence while on active duty in East Prussia. He had committed the crime of criticising Stalin in private letters to a childhood friend. He served eight years in various prisons, two in exile, and almost died from an undiagnosed cancer. During those ten years, he came to understand Communism’s inherently dehumanizing nature, found much of the materials around which he would build his future novels, and regained his faith as a Russian Orthodox Christian. In 1962, he was allowed to publish his first novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. However, after Khrushchev’s deposition in 1964, the Soviet authorities put a stop to the publication of his other writings and, in February 1974, expelled him after The Gulag Archipelago was published in Russian in Paris on December 28, 1973. Once in the West, he could finally receive the Nobel Prize for Literature he had been awarded four years earlier. Initially, lionised in the West, he soon fell out of favour in some quarters. It became apparent that his opposition to communism and the Soviet Regime did not make him, as many had wrongly supposed, a secular liberal and progressive. While he appreciated the valid aspects of Western political culture, such as the rule of law and local self-government, he criticised the rise of secular humanism. In 1994, he returned to Russia, where he died in 2008.In this interview, Daniel J. Mahoney will explain the significance of Solzhenitsyn by taking us through his pick of five of the author’s books.Daniel J. Mahoney is a senior fellow of the Claremont Institute, professor emeritus of Assumption University. His recent books include

This episode's recommended books are:Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (also available for Kindle) edited by Curtis Mitch and Scott HahnKingship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to God's Saving Promises by Scott HahnThe Kingdom of God as Liturgical Empire: A Theological Commentary on 1-2 Chronicles (also available for Kindle) by Scott HahnJesus of Nazareth (3 volumes) (also available for Kindle) by Benedict XVI...also recommended....Holy Bible, English Standard Version Catholic EditionFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.Read the interview at www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/principles-of-biblical-interpretation-part-two/ ⁠Dr. Jeffrey L. Morrow is Professor of Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University. A Jewish convert to Catholicism, he specializes in the history of modern biblical interpretation. Among his publications are Jesus’ Resurrection: A Jewish Convert Examines the Evidence, A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament (co-authored with Jeff Cavins and others), Murmuring Against Moses: The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal Studies (co-authored with John Bergsma), and Modern Biblical Criticism as a Tool of Statecraft (co-authored with Scott Hahn).For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.If you have enjoyed this episode, please give the podcast a top rating. You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations. Just click here.

This episode's recommended books are:Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum Second Vatican CouncilVerbum Domini:Post-Synodal Exhortation on The Word of God in the Life and Ministry of the Church by Benedict XVILetter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy (also availble for Kindle) edited by Scott HahnBible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History(also availabe for Kindle) by John BergsmaA Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament(also available for Kindle) by John Bergsma and Brant PitreFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.Sacred Scripture is the Word of God but “there are some things in them that are hard to understand” (2Peter 3:16). Consequently, the interpretation of Sacred Scripture has always involved difficulties and debates. These have become more intricate in modernity. The Protestant Reformation disputed the normativity of Tradition and the Church’s magisterium for the interpretation of Scripture. The development of historical research provided an array of new techniques and insights. Unfortunately, these have often been divorced from the rule of faith and wedded to rationalist premises. What then are the proper principles that allow us to hear what God is really saying to us in Sacred Scripture?On the one hand, the Church teaches us to give priority to the literal or historical sense of Scripture, by taking into account the hagiographer’s intention and modes of writing. “On the other hand, since Scripture must be interpreted in the same Spirit in which it was written, the [the Second Vatican Council’s] Dogmatic Constitution [on Divine Revelation] indicates three fundamental criteria for an appreciation of the divine dimension of the Bible: 1) the text must be interpreted with attention to the unity of the whole of Scripture; nowadays this is called canonical exegesis; 2) account is be taken of the living Tradition of the whole Church; and, finally, 3) respect must be shown for the analogy of faith.” (Benedict XVI, Post-synodal exhortation Verbum Dei).In this episode, Dr. Jeffrey L. Morrow will explain the Church’s principles of biblical interpretation and take us through some of the best books on them.Dr. Jeffrey L. Morrow is Professor of Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University. A Jewish convert to Catholicism, he specializes in the history of modern biblical interpretation. Among his publications are Jesus’ Resurrection: A Jewish Convert Examines the Evidence, A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament (co-authored with Jeff Cavins and others), Murmuring Against Moses: The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal...

The books recommended in this episode are:Collected Poems: 1943-2004 by Richard WilburA Journey of the Mind: Collected Poems of Helen Pinkerton, 1945-2016 by Helen PinkertonAnd after All: Poems by Rhina P. EspaillatDeaths And Transfigurations: Poems by Robert MarianiThe Gods of Winter by Dana Gioia ...and as a supplementary recommendation... All The Fun’s In How You Say A Thing: An Explanation of Meter and Versification by Timothy SteeleFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.If we read literature seriously it is because “we seek an enlargement of our being” (C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism). You have probably experienced such an enlargement of your being in reading the great poets of the past. However, poets do not figure prominently, if at all, in the media or public square. Those that do may not strike you as particularly inspiring. Perhaps you assume, therefore, that recent poetry is not worth reading. Even if you do not make that assumption, maybe you have no idea about  which poets are worth reading. In this episode, therefore, James Matthew Wilson recommends five contemporary poets every Catholic with an interest in literature should read.James Matthew Wilson is Cullen Foundation Chair in English Literature and the Founding Director of the Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing, at the University of Saint Thomas, Houston. He also serves as the Poet-in-Residence for the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Liturgy, as Poetry Editor of Modern Age magazine, and series editor of Colosseum Books, of the Franciscan University at Steubenville Press. He is an award-winning scholar of philosophical-theology and literature. As a poet and critic of contemporary poetry, his work appears regularly in such magazines and journals as First Things,  The Wall Street Journal​, The Hudson Review, Modern Age, The New Criterion, Dappled Things, Measure, The Weekly Standard, Front Porch Republic, The Raintown Review, National Review, and The American Conservative. His books include The Vision of the Soul: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in the Western Tradition (CUA, 2017); The Fortunes of Poetry in an Age of Unmaking (Wiseblood, 2015); The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Poetry (Wiseblood Books, 2014); The Strangeness of the Good (Angelico, 2020), the poetic sequence, The River of the Immaculate Conception (Wiseblood, 2019), and I Believe in One God: Praying the Nicene Creed ​(CTS, 2022).Read the interview at www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/contemporary-american-poetry/For more interviews like...

The books recommended in this episode are:Festal Icons History and Meaning by Aidan HartThe Icon, Image of the Invisible: Elements of Theology, Aesthetics and Tecnique by Egon SendlerThe Meaning of Icons by Leonid Ouspenksy and Vladimir LosskyFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.Liturgical icons have been a part of the Church’s tradition from early on and in 787 the Second Council of Nicaea defined dogmatically that the making and veneration of icons, along with the pictorial representation of what the Gospels narrate, is a holy practice. This practice is founded upon the mystery of the Incarnation. Consequently, “all the signs in the liturgical celebrations are related to Christ: as are sacred images of the holy Mother of God and of the saints as well. They truly signify Christ, who is glorified in them.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 1161. The Second Council of Nicaea encouraged the making and veneration of icons. As St. Basil taught, “the honour rendered to the image passes on to the original”. Furthermore, contemplating icons of Christ, Mary, the angels, and the saints, moves us to contemplate and honour them. In part one of this this interview, Aidan Hart discussed his top five books on icons. In this second part, he considers some further recommended readings.Aidan Hart has been a professional icon painter and carver for forty years, with works in over twenty-five countries of the world, including with the Pope and other Patriarchs. An ordained Reader of the Orthodox Church, he is a frequent speaker at conferences and churches and has been on numerous TV and radio programmes. He teaches a three-year part-time course in icon painting for The Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Art. He has published Festal Icons (2022), Beauty Spirit Matter (2014), and Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting (2011), all published by Gracewing.Read the interview at www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/icons-part-two/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.If you have enjoyed this episode, please give the podcast a top rating. You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations. Just click

In this episode, Frank Mitjans explains his pick of some of St. Thomas More’s writings and studies on him.Thomas More: A Short Biography by James McConicaThomas More: A Portrait in Courage by Gerard WegemerThomas More (Classic Thinkers) by Joanne PaulThe Life and Illustrious History of Sir Thomas More by Thomas StapletonThe Sadness of Christ by St. Thomas MoreFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.St. Thomas More (1478-1535) was a leading humanist, English statesman, and ended his earthly pilgrimage as a martyr.  The son of a judge, More received an excellent classical education before becoming a lawyer. After a period of vocational discernment, he decided to remain a layman rather than become a Carthusian. He married twice and had four children with his first wife. Elected to Parliament in 1504, he rose through a series of public offices until succeeding Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor. He was esteemed by leading humanists of the age, such as Erasmus and Juan Luis Vives. He also engaged in theological debates with Martin Luther and took action to quell the nascent spread of Protestantism in England. However, he fell out of favour when he refused to recognise the validity of Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn and the king’s claim to be the head of the Church in England. Finally, after various attempts, a trial found him guilty of treason and he was executed, refusing up to the end to renounce his Catholic faith.He was beatified in 1886 and canonised along with St. John Fisher in 1935. The memorial of the two saints is celebrated on June 22. In 2000, St. John Paul II named Thomas More patron saint of statesmen and politicians.Frank Mitjans is a Spanish architect who has worked in London since 1976 and has long been interested in St. Thomas More. Since August 2002 he has given many presentations and talks on the topography of More’s London to groups of students and other interested people in Britain, Ireland, and Sweden. He has published various papers on St. Thomas More and more recently Thomas More’s Vocation (Catholic University of America Press).Read the interview at www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/st-thomas-more/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.If you have enjoyed this episode, please give the podcast a top

The books recommended in this episode are:Consueverunt Romani Pontifices by St. Pius VSupremi Apostolatus Officio (Vatican website) by Leo XIIILatitiae sanctae (Vatican website) by Leo XIIIMarialis cultus (Vatican website) by St Paul VIRosarium Virginis Mariae (Vatican website) by St. John Paul IIFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed. The memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7 in the General Roman Calendar. Moreover, for the last 140 years, the Catholic Church has consecrated October to the Holy Queen of the Rosary. During October, therefore, we might want to do some spiritual reading on praying the Rosary. The most authoritative writings on the subject are the papal bulls and letters on the Rosary. These go back to St. Pius V. In them, the popes exhort the faithful to pray the Rosary on account of its manifold efficacy. They teach that it secures Mary’s intercession, unites us to Christ in his mysteries, strengthens Christian life, builds up the Church, and transforms society.  Here is Five Books for Catholics’ selection of the five most representative papal documents on the Rosary.Read the interview at ⁠https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/papal-teachings-on-the-rosary/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ and full access to the complete archive on the website.If you have enjoyed this episode, please give the podcast a top rating. You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations. Just click

The books discussed in this episode areDignitas personae: Instruction on Certain Bioethical Questions by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithResisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic Can Unite a Fractured People by Charles C. CamosyWhat it Means to Be Human: The Case for the Body in Public Bioethics by O. Carter SneadFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.Over the last fifty years, it has become customary to frame moral questions surrounding medicine and the treatment of all forms of life under the rubric of "bioethics". The rapid development of modern technology opens new possibilities and, with them, a whole range of moral issues. At the same time,  many in today's increasingly secularized society question or reject traditional Christian teachings on the sanctity of human life. Indeed, Catholics find themselves defending the gospel of life in an often hostile environment. Frequently accused of attempting to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of society, they must also show that the Church's moral teaching on bioethical issues is a matter of right reason and not just Revelation. In part one of this interview, Fr. Michael Baggot recommended five books on bioethics. In this second part, he covers some further recommendations. Fr. Michael Baggot, PhD is currently Assistant Professor of Bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He is also Research Scholar at the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights in Rome, Italy. He was Adjunct Professor of Theology at the Christendom College Rome program from 2018-2022. His writings have appeared in First Things, Studia Bioethica, The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, and Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. He is editor of and contributor to the book Enhancement Fit for Humanity: Perspectives on Emerging Technologies (Routledge, 2022).Read the interview at ⁠https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/bioethics-ii/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.If you have enjoyed this episode, please give the podcast a top rating. You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations. Just click here.

Christopher Carsten's recommended books on the liturgy are:The Spirit of the Liturgy by Romano GuardiniThe Spirit of the Liturgy by Card. Joseph RatzingerCatechism of the Catholic ChurchThe Wellspring of Worshi pby Fr. Jean CorbonThe Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origin and Development (2 vols. )by Fr. Joseph Jungmann SJThe Mystery of Christian Worship by Fr. Odo Casel OSBRite and Man: The Sense of the Sacred and Christian Liturgy by Fr. Louis BouyerFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.“The liturgy, "through which the work of our redemption is accomplished," most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 2). The Second Vatican Council also teaches that the liturgy is the source and summit of the Church’s activity. However, Mass attendance is in decline in many parts of the world. Many Catholics must not appreciate what occurs in the Church’s ritual worship and celebration of the sacraments. Even committed Mass-goers may grow weary of humdrum celebrations. It is crucial, therefore, to understand the liturgy and appreciate it. To this end, Christopher Carstens discussesthe five books that he recommends on the nature and significance of the sacred liturgy.Christopher Carstens is director of the Office for Sacred Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin; a visiting faculty member at the Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois; and editor of the Adoremus Bulletin. He is author of A Devotional Journey into the Mass (Sophia), as well as Principles of Sacred Liturgy: Forming a Sacramental Vision (Hillenbrand Books). He and his family live in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin.Read the interview at ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/sacred-liturgy/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.If you have enjoyed this episode, please give the podcast a top rating. You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations....

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1863) is a celebrated literary critic, novelist, essayist, and Christian apologist: the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, the Ransom Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters, and numerous essays of apologetics, such as Mere Christianity. An Anglican from Belfast, he spent most of his life in England, teaching medieval and Renaissance literature at Oxford and later Cambridge. Like many of his generation, he served on the front during the First World War, and the experience reinforced his atheism and pessimism. However, as he relates in Surprised by Joy, between 1929 and 1931, he gradually regained his faith, partly thanks to conversations with J.R.R. Tolkien. From then on, his Christian faith increasingly informs his writings.In this episopde, Fr. Michael Ward explains his pick of five books by Lewis and will take us through the author’s works.Fr. Michael Ward is a priest of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. An associate member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, he is also Professor of Apologetics at Houston Christian University. His books include Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press, 2008) and After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man (Word on Fire Academic, 2021).His five recommended books by C.S. Lewis are:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (also available for Kindle) by C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters (also available for Kindle) by C.S. LewisTill We Have Faces (also available for Kindle) by C.S. LewisThe Abolition of Man (also available for Kindle) by C.S. LewisMiracles, A Preliminary Study (also available for Kindle) by C.S. LewisRead the interview at ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/c-s-lewis/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠

The books recommended in this episode are:Gregory the Great: His Place in History and Thought by F. Holmes DuddenGregory the Great: Perfection in Imperfection by Carole StrawGregory the Great and His World by R.A. MarkusFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.St. Gregory the Great (c. 540-604) was Bishop of Rome from 590-604. The son of St. Silvia and Gordianus, a Roman patrician, he was appointed urban prefect of Rome in 573 and entered monastic life the following year. Upon his father’s death, he converted the family’s Roman villa on the Caelian Hill into the Monastery of St. Andrew, where today there is still a monastery and the Church of St. Gregory on the Caelian Hill. At that same monastery he set the precedent for the Gregorian series of Masses: the practice of having thirty Masses offered for a deceased person. In 579, Pope Pelagius II made him a deacon and sent him as papal ambassador to the imperial court in Constantinople. In 590, a few years after his return to Rome, Gregory was elected Pope. One of his most important actions as Bishop of Rome was to appoint the prior of the Monastery of St. Andrew, Augustine of Canterbury, as the head of a mission to convert the English. Through his writings, he exerted an immense influence of spirituality and ministry in the Latin Church throughout the Middle Ages and was recognised as a Doctor of the Church.In part one of this interview, Dr. Thomas Humphries explained his pick of the five best books by St. Gregory the Great. In this second part, he looks at the best biographies of the saint and discusses his own work.Dr. Thomas Humphries, a native of Arkansas, is Professor in the College of Arts and Science at Saint Leo University, Florida. a native of Arkansas and a life-long Roman Catholic. He holds a mandatum from the diocese of St. Petersburg and enjoys giving regular theological reflections outside of the classroom with student faith communities, parishes, and monasteries. He also volunteers with the local fire department as Chaplain and holds the rank of District Chief. He is a licensed Florida EMT and NREMT. He is the author of Ascetic Pneumatology from John Cassian to Gregory the Great (Oxford University Press) and Who is Chosen? (Wipf and Stock).Read the interview at www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/st-gregory-the-great-ii/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠

The books recommended in this episode are:Forty Gospel Homilies by Gregory the Great Moral Reflections on the Book of Job (6 vols.) (vol. 1) (vol. 2) (vol. 3) (vol. 4) (vol. 5) (vol. 6) by Gregory the GreatHomilies on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel by Gregory the GreatOn the Song of Songs by Gregory the GreatThe Life of St. Benedict by Gregory the Great: Translation and Commentary by Terence G. Kardong OSBFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.St. Gregory the Great (c. 540-604) was Bishop of Rome from 590-604. The son of St. Silvia and Gordianus, a Roman patrician, he was appointed urban prefect of Rome in 573 and entered monastic life the following year. Upon his father’s death, he converted the family’s Roman villa on the Caelian Hill into the Monastery of St. Andrew, where today there is still a monastery and the Church of St. Gregory on the Caelian Hill. At that same monastery he set the precedent for the Gregorian series of Masses: the practice of having thirty Masses offered for a deceased person. In 579, Pope Pelagius II made him a deacon and sent him as papal ambassador to the imperial court in Constantinople. In 590, a few years after his return to Rome, Gregory was elected Pope. One of his most important actions as Bishop of Rome was to appoint the prior of the Monastery of St. Andrew, Augustine of Canterbury, as the head of a mission to convert the English. Through his writings, he exerted an immense influence of spirituality and ministry in the Latin Church throughout the Middle Ages and was recognised as a Doctor of the Church.In this interview, Dr. Thomas Humphries will explain his pick of the five best books by St. Gregory the Great.Dr. Thomas Humphries, a native of Arkansas, is Professor in the College of Arts and Science at Saint Leo University, Florida. a native of Arkansas and a life-long Roman Catholic. He holds a mandatum from the diocese of St. Petersburg and enjoys giving regular theological reflections outside of the classroom with student faith communities, parishes, and monasteries. He also volunteers with the local fire department as Chaplain and holds the rank of District Chief. He is a licensed Florida EMT and NREMT. He is the author of Ascetic Pneumatology from John Cassian to Gregory the Great (Oxford University Press) and Who is Chosen? (Wipf and Stock).Read the interview at

The French Revolution ushered in the implementation of a new political philosophy, liberalism, that had been developing for several centuries, particularly during the Enlightenment. The Gospel and the Catholic Church were out as the foundation of the social order; reason, sealed off from Revelation and classical realism, was in. Churches and organised religion would be treated as private associations. Government would purportedly maximize and safeguard the individual’s freedom of conscience and choice. In short, liberalism and Catholicism stood in opposition and were on a collision course. On the one hand, liberal governments and movements in Europe and Latin America set about dismantling the remnants of Christendom, not only removing the Church’s privileges but often suppressing its legitimate freedoms and institutions as well. On the other hand, Catholic political thinkers disagreed about how the Church should respond to these radical social transformations, while the Popes tended to favour monarchies over republics. Studying the nineteenth-century conflict between Catholicism and liberalism is important for understanding the historical background of modern Catholic social teaching and some ongoing debates. In this interview, Dr. Darrick Taylor discusses his pick of the five best books on this area of Church history.Darrick Taylor teaches Humanities at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. He  earned his PhD in British History from the University of Kansas. He also produces a podcast, Controversies in Church History, which dives into important and sensitive issues in the history of the Catholic Church.Five Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.The Church in the Age of Liberalism edited by Hubert Jedin and John Dolan Liberalism and Tradition: Aspects of Catholic Thought in Nineteenth Century France by Bernard M. ReardonCulture Wars: Secular-Catholic Conflict in Nineteenth Century Europe edited by Christopher Clark and Wolfram KeiserThe War Against Catholicism: the Anti-Catholic Imagination in Nineteenth Century Germany by Michael GrossThe Great Crisis in Catholic American History: 1895-1900 by Thomas T. McAvoy...and two extra recommendations...The Religious History of Modern France by Adrien DansetteNineteenth-Century Europe by Michael RapportRead the interview at ⁠https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/19th-century-catholicism-and-liberalismFor more interviews like this, visit

Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the finest and best-loved novelists in the English language. Catholics can learn a lot from her finely crafted character studies of Regency era gentry. They are penetrating studies of the subtleties of commonplace virtue and vice. They are also informed by Austen’s Christian faith.In part one of this interview, Dwight Lindley picked some books to help the Catholic reader get the most out of  Jane Austen (1775-1817), one of the finest and best-loved novelists in the English language. Here is the second part.Dwight Lindley is the Barbara Longway Briggs Chair in English Literature at Hillsdale College. He has published essays and articles on Jane Austen, George Eliot, John Henry Newman, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Virginia Woolf, and others. He lives in southern Michigan with his wife Emily and their nine children.He has recommended the following books on Jane Austen.Jane Austen's Anglicanism by Laura Mooneyham WhiteA Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections by J. E. Austen-LeighJane Austen and Her Art by Mary LascellesFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.Read the interview at ⁠https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/jane-austen-ii/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations. Just click here.

Most people care about education, but those who are not committed Catholics are likely to take a very different view from the Church when it comes to defining the stages and setting of education. In this interview, R. Jared Staudt explain the books that he believes will help us understand the nature and situation of Catholic education.Dr. R. Jared Staudt specializes in systematic theology, the evangelization of culture, catechesis, Catholic education, Church history, and Thomas Aquinas. He has taught at the Augustine Institute since 2009, teaching part-time since 2014. He has also served as the director of the Catholic Studies Program at the University of Mary, director of religious education in two parishes, co-founder of two high schools, as associate superintendent for Mission and Formation at the Archdiocese of Denver. He is currently Director of Content for Exodus 90, a ninety-day spiritual exercise for men.Dr. Staudt's books include The Priority of God: The Virtue of Religion in Catholic Theology (Emmaus Academic), Restoring Humanity: Essays on the Evangelization of Culture (Divine Providence, 2020), Renewing Catholic Schools: How to Regain a Catholic Vision in a Secular Age (editor, Catholic Education Press, 2020), The Beer Option: Brewing a Catholic Culture Yesterday & Today (Angelico, 2018), and How the Eucharist Can Save Civilization (TAN Books).His recommended books on Catholic education are:A Reason Open to God: On Universities, Education, and Culture by Pope Benedict XVI The Crisis of Western Education by Christopher DawsonJohn Senior and the Restoration of Realism by Francis Bethel OSBBeauty for Truth's Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education by Stratford CaldecottRenewing the Mind: A Reader in the Philosophy of Catholic Education by Michael GrossFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.Read the interview at https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/catholic-education/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠

This episode is part two of an interview in which Dr. David Grumett explained his pick of the five best books for those interested in reading de Lubac. In this second part of the interview, he discusses some further recommended readings.The Discovery of God by Henri de LubacThe Motherhood of the Church by Henri de LubacFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifyng purchases made using the affliate links to the books listed in this post.Henri de Lubac SJ (1896-1991) was a major influence on the Second Vatican Council and on theologians such as Hans Urs von Balthasar and Joseph Ratzinger, with whom he founded the journal Communio. In 1942, he and some fellow Jesuits founded Sources chrétiennes, a series that publishes the original text of patristic and medieval Christian writings alongside a French translation. He thereby stimulated within Catholic theology a return to its sources. Putting this ressourcement into practice in his own works, he argued that the Church should retrieve the patristic understanding of the Eucharist, the Church, creation, grace, and Scripture. In 1983, Pope John Paul II created him a cardinal.In part one of this interview, Dr. David Grumett explained his pick of the five best books for those interested in reading de Lubac. In this second part of the interview, he discusses some further recommended readings and aspects of de Lubac's theology.David Grumett is senior lecturer in theology and ethics in the University of Edinburgh. He has recently published Henri de Lubac and the Shaping of Modern Theology: A Reader with Ignatius Press.Read the interview at ⁠https://www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/henri-de-lubac-ii/For more interviews like this, visit ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com⁠⁠Sign up ⁠to receive updates on the latest interview.⁠Become a premium subscriber⁠ to listen to the full interview and have access to complete archive on the website.You can also support this podcast by making a one-off tip or donations. Just click here.

One of the most celebrated passages in St. Paul’s epistles regards the regulation of the various charisms and manifestations of the Spirit that characterise the church of Corinth (1Cor 12). He insists that they exist to build up Christ’s body, the Church, and should be exercised to this end alone. The charisms he lists include faith, the utterance of wisdom, the utterance of knowledge, the gift of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, the interpretation of tongues. In the subsequent centuries, many of these manifestations of the Spirit have become less common, if not rare. However, during the twentieth century they have become a central feature of some Christian communities, first in Protestant Pentecostalism, and since the 1960s, in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement.Thanks to the Charismatic Renewal, many Catholics have converted and grown in their practice of the faith. Pope Paul VI and his successors have recognised its authenticity, while also taking measures and issuing guidelines to safeguard the Catholic identity of charismatic communities.In this episode, Dr. Alan Schreck explains the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.Dr. Alan Schreck has been a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville since 1978. He specializes in Church history and renewal, St. Francis of Assisi, Catholic doctrine and apologetics, pneumatology, ecclesiology, the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and of Pope St. John Paul II. He has authored numerous books, including several on the Holy Spirit and the Catholic charismatic renewal movement: Your Life in the Holy Spirit (Word Among Us Press); The Gift: Discovering the Holy Spirit in Catholic Tradition (Paraclete Press); A Mighty Current of Grace: The Story of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. His recommended books are:A Mighty Current of Grace: The Story of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal by Alan SchrekAs by a New Pentecost: The Dramatic Beginning of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal by Patti Gallagher MansfieldLet the Fire Fall by Michael Scanlon T.O.R. and James ManneyBaptism in the Holy Spirit by International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services: Doctrinal CommissionCome, Creator Spirit: Meditations on the Veni Creator by Raniero Cantalamessa OFM CapFive Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifyng purchases made using the affliate links to the books listed in this post.Read the interview at ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/catholic-charismatic-renewal/⁠For