Hello everybody.
Today I wanted to write about something a bit more possitive. This blog often revolves around negative commentary; There is nothing wrong with that but today it will be different.
I have always been a bit of a bookworm. I like reading, whether it is from a book I can hold or a digital text. I have read multiple books through my life, so I wanted to recommend some of my favorite Catholic books. Today, after you are done with reading The Pasture of Knowledge, you will have a few extra book recommendations for the rest of the year.
I read "History of the Heresies" by St. Alphonsus back in 2020, and to date it's one of my favorite theology books.
It is an educational, enthralling reading - even the theologically complex parts are interesting to read. I like the way in which St. Alphonsus lists the errors of each group, because it's very straightforward and allows you to understand what kind of sect you are dealing with.
The book is mostly about the history of how the heresies appeared and the reaction of the Church - the refutation comes at the end. Those interested in the history of the Catholic religion or history in general will enjoy this read for sure.
I also liked how the personalities of each heresiarch were depicted. You can find cruel despots, neurotic cult leaders, stiff clerics and even devout souls. Readers who pay attention will be able to see the heretics as fellow human beings - this is important because it proves everyone can do theological errors.
If you want to read this book, however, I would like you to take a deep breath and avoid pushing yourself with the more complicated heresies (those about the Trinity and the Incarnation). I think this parts are difficult for theology beginners. Its alright if you don't understand, it's not alright if you merely think you understood.
You can find History of the heresies at the following links:
Archive.org (Volume 1) 1847
Archive org 1857
A Tour of the Summa by Paul J Glenn
I read this book last year, and while it is less captivating than History of the Heresies, It's definitely worth reading.
This book is intended to explore in an easier way some of the points of the Summa Theologica. It's a good read for those who would like to study the work of St Thomas but struggle to understand it or are not very strong with philosophy.
Furthermore, this will be a useful manual for those who have already learned their catechism and want to move further.
The initial part, dealing about the nature of God, is really difficult because it deals with very abstract ideas. As the book progresses it gets easier to understand but it still provides insightful information.
Overall it is a very educational read everyone should check out at least once.
You can find A Tour of the Summa at the following link:
The Doctrine of Modernism and It's Refutation
There are many people on the trad spheres who throw the word "modernist" around without even understanding what it means. This small manual should prove a perfect antidote for this type of ignorance.
"Modernism and It's Refutation" allows the reader to understand the reasoning behind this doctrines. It goes beyond what you will find in amateur podcasts and YouTube shows like Return to Tradition or Avoiding Babylon, whose understanding of modernism is fairly superficial. If you want to go beyond toxic comment sections and ignorant rants on Twitter, this book is for you.
The books can get quite challenging at times but it's way easier than A Tour of the Summa and History if the Heresies.
It's also easier to understand than "A Catechism on Modernism" by Fr. Lemius and the encyclical Pascendi. It is therefore a good primer for those who want to understand this works.
You can find The Doctrine of Modernism in the following links:
Archive.org 1903
Moral Theology by McHugh and Callan
During late 2019 I wanted to learn the principles of moral theology. I got into the Spanish-language book "Teología Moral para Seglares".
Even though this book is written in my native language, I found it harder to understand than it should have been. Most troublesome however, was that the writers often used examples from human reproduction to explain their points. For some of us this is extremely jarring and very uncomfortable. I grew tired and gave up.
One day I was exploring Project Gutenberg, a website full of public domain books, and found Moral Theology by McHugh and Callan.
I started reading and it was an instant hit.
It was easier to understand, and the topics were well organized, which is something important for large books.
The content of this book is extremely informative. Here you can find a bountiful of information about the rules of Catholicism, the Ten Commandments, the Virtues, and the Sacraments. It is also really nice to keep around as a reference work anytime you have a question about this topics.
My only caveat is that perhaps some anxious people could stress under the content of this book. The solution is to read the book calmly and piece-meal so that the mind can receive information, not overstimulation.
Overall this is one of my favorite theology books - and it doesn't have references to reproduction with every example.
You can find Moral Theology in the following links:
Archive.org (Part One) 1958
Archive.org (Part Two) 1958
