It’s summertime, and the reading is easy. Only one of these titles tops 200 pages. All of them are packed with truth and inspiration, yet they are easy to digest.
How the Bible Made Me Catholic
by John Bergsma (Our Sunday Visitor)
“Where is that in the Bible?” our Protestant friends ask us. Calvinist pastor John Bergsma eventually found that not only were key Catholic doctrines “in the Bible,” but the Catholic Church offered the only coherent way to understand Scripture and Christ’s plan of salvation. Bergsma’s engaging conversion memoir is also a tidy apologetics manual you could comfortably share with your Protestant friends.
Three Secrets to Holiness in Marriage
A 33-Day Self-Guided Retreat for Catholic Couples
by Dan and Amber DeMatte (Ave Maria Press)
This retreat is simple to do: just read the (nice and short) chapter out loud to each other, discuss the questions, and say the prayer at the end. This is best done out on the deck on long warm evenings, perhaps accompanied by a glass of wine.
A Devotional Journey into the Mass
How Mass Can Become a Time of Grace, Nourishment, and Devotion
by Christopher Carstens (Sophia Institute Press)
Admit it — even when you’re a grown-up, you sometimes need help to increase your devotion to the Mass. Make it your summer project to do just that! Read just one chapter a week — starting with how to enter the church through responding to “the Mass is ended” — and before summer is over, you will know how to find joy and nourishment each Sunday (even if the music is awful and the homily is dull).
Decluttering and the Spiritual Life
by Mary Elizabeth Sperry (Ave Maria Press)
Books, blogs, and even personal coaches for “decluttering” our homes are all the rage. But many of them take a ruthless and self-centered approach, and none of them look to the Christian faith as a way to direct the decluttering process. When self-proclaimed pack rat Mary Elizabeth Sperry reorganized her home, she let Scripture and Catholic tradition guide her decisions. The wisdom she gained while praying through the process will help you clean up your act, as well!
Scripture Passages That Changed My Life
Personal Stories From the Writers of Living Faith
(Twenty-Third Publications)
The power of Scripture to guide us to a closer relationship with God and one another can be hard to describe. But one of the best ways to learn about this divine power is through the experiences of others. In Scripture Passages That Changed My Life, 10 of Living Faith magazine’s most well-known authors explain how meditating on the Word of God has changed their lives. Allow the lessons they have learned to deepen your prayer experience and maybe even change your life.