Just One...

Maybe this will get Terry to chime in...

Just a couple of thoughts I had tonight:

If you could have a conversation with one Saint who would it be, and why?

Also, if you could own just one book (Bible, Catechism, and the Code of Canon Law excluded) what would it be?

This is hard, but my off the cuff answers are:

St. Thomas More, because I really want to know if he was as "witty" as he is made out to be. (A Man For All Seasons, Utopia, etc...) & Summa Theologica... 
or
St. Therese and Jesus of Nazareth (By Pope Benedict)
or...

This is too hard, I don't know why I even did this!!

Put your answers in the comment box please.

###

Help Support A Small Business, Yourself, and Me

I try to limit any sort of "ads" or promotions on this website unless I think they contribute something positive in a spiritual way to my readers. I also try to be up front about anything I get to review or for free. (I don't get a ton of promotional stuff, but occasionally I do and will let you know why I am talking about it.)

The one place I do frequently support though is Aquinas and More, an independent Catholic Bookstore based out of Colorado that has a very extensive collection of Catholic goods, especially books.

They are a really great business and have a great affiliate program. What that means is, every time one of my readers buys something from them, I get a little bit in return towards my future purchases there. This helps them out, it helps me out, and you get the pleasure of great Catholic items. So occasionally I will promote them in an attempt at getting you all to remember to buy your Catholic "goods" from them.

This helps me out greatly, because it keeps me stocked with books, and I can also use the rewards for purchasing gifts for my God-children on their birthdays, feast days, and Sacramental celebrations. This lightens the burden on me in two areas of my life that are really important to me: family and books. 

 I know there are places that I can make "money" from and some have tried to convince me to use "bigger" places to make a little money, but I think it is important to help our small businesses and A&M has always been really good to bloggers. Beyond that, they have a really intentional and deeply loyal business plan that is faithful to the Catholic Church like no other business I have ever seen. From their site:

Mission
Our mission is to provide the tools necessary for Catholics and non-Catholics to learn more about the Faith and for Catholics to deepen their Faith. This goal will be achieved by providing a clear, unapologetic presentation of the faith and quality Catholic products that are beautiful, fairly priced and helpful to those who want to get to Heaven.

No Chinese Products
We believe that by purchasing products from China we would be contributing to the things mentioned here. Because of this, we refuse to carry most statues and pretty much anything porcelain that's made today. We have been able to find sources for products in other countries. They may cost a little more but we rest better at night knowing that our money isn't helping to support forced abortions and the persecution of Christians in China.

They also have all sorts of really great features on their site to let you know how faithful and orthodox certain items are. Beyond that though, they don't even cary a lot of "questionable" items simply so that they can guarantee that anything you buy from theme is aligned with authentic Catholic teaching.

So the next time you want to buy a book, or need a gift for a relative, please click on the link on my side bar (or use the search box I have included) to go over to Aquinas and More, and do you shopping there.

Here are some great things you can purchase through them:

Daily Roman Missal - The New Translation

Books by Pope Benedict













Magnificat Subscription Renewal












Latin Curricula for Homeschooling












Gifts for Sacramental Celebrations













Aside from just the shopping site, A&M also has a multitude of online resources for staying up on the latest and greatest Catholic products.

• Tiber River is their book review supersite.
• Musings from a Catholic Bookstore is a blog they have to keep people up to date on new products, issues related to Catholic products, and inform Catholics about aspects of the faith that touch on products they carry. 
• Sign up for their Newsletter, full of new products, promotions, and sales.
• Facebook is also a way to stay up to date and connect with them.
• Twitter too. 

###

Books FLY FREE this week!

Just wanted to remind you all that I while I don't have a "Tip Jar" or ask you to send me to Rome (unless you want to, in fact, I am looking for someone to "Sponsor" me so that I can get a MA in Theology and my Canon Law Degree... but I digress) I do have one little way you can "support me" in my blogging efforts. Every time you buy something from Aquinas and More, when you link to there from here, I get a discount/gift certificate from there. You get cool stuff, I get cool stuff, and AnM get cool money. Everybody wins!

They are a great Catholic company and have a policy of not buying anything from China. You can find out more about their "Good FAITH Policy" and more by going to their website.

This week they have free shipping:

It's really simple.

Free, standard, US shipping through this Saturday (8/27/11). Just use coupon code "08freeshipping" on the payment page during checkout.

Not in the United States? Use coupon "08foreign" to get 5% off your order this week.

Terms:

1. Only applies to new orders


2. Only good for customers shipping within the United States using standard shipping


3. Requests to ship orders in multiple parts still incurs a multi-shipment fee

···

Hard to sleep

So I have been having trouble getting to sleep lately. I try to read to put me to sleep (a skill I acquired during law school - accidentally) but it doesn't work. I get sleepy, but then I just want to read more. So I struggle to stay up to read, but then I just end up cruising the internet. Well you know the old adage that nothing good ever happens after Midnight? Well I find that it is true more often than not. 

I am currently reading a ton of books. The main few I am focusing on are:

Purchase or More Info

Purchase or More Info

I like reading about the Liturgy, and what and why we do the things we do at Mass. Or better said, why the Mass is the way that it is. I have read a few other books concerning this, and have also studied the Missal, the GIRM, and various books concerning the Rubrics. This is pretty heavy stuff, and generally can make me tired if I read it before bed.

But I mainly try and read The Story of a Soul, on my phone in e-Book format, just before I nod off. Not because it is boring or dull, but I feel as if somehow it will connect me to the spirituality of St. Therese, and that I will be guarded in the night. That somehow my spirituality is affected...while I sleep.

Is that weird? 

It is as if I am prepping my soul for what will happen to it during the night. Not in some weird new-agey sort of way, but as if I can somehow shape my spirituality by feeding it a certain way right before I fall asleep. I don't know, even as I write this I feel odd, as if people are going to judge me more than they already do. There is just something about St. Therese, I get why she was made a Doctor of the Church with her simple little book. I think this goes to my fondness of Religious Women and their devotion to Christ and Church. I think it is a "want what I can't have" sort of thing.

The religious life... not the women. Sheesh!

†††

The Reading Site And Other Ebook Downloading Options

The Reading Site is the recommended first stop for free eBooks. At The Reading Site you just pay a one-off membership fee and have unlimited, free access to millions of eBooks. Plus comics, newspapers, games and TV as an added bonus. Its is a revolutionary new approach to eBook reading and downloading, compared to the typical pay per download websites such as Amazon and Apple.

There are, however, a few other options of how you can download eBooks to read. Let's look at these options that are available to you.

You can download classic eBooks for free from a wesbite called Kobo Books. These eBooks are in the public domain and are copyright free. This is because they were published before 1923 and as a result are now in the public domain in the United States. Anyone can download them for free and then even sell them to others if they wish.

Classic titles from Kobo books include books by authors such as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Charlotte Bronte, Bram Stoker, Agatha Christic, Lewis Carrol, Leo Tolstoy, and Jane Austen.

You can also purchase individual modern bestselling eBooks from Kobo books. Kobo books offer you the public domain eBooks for free in the hope you will be impressed with their service and then want to purchase a modern eBook from them.

The prices at Kobo books are also very low and they frequently run special discount offers so are much cheaper than sites such as Amazon.

There is also another free eBook website called Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg only include downloads for free classic fiction eBooks. It is a volunteer run company that includes scanned in classic novels that have been converted into digital format for a wide range of eReader devices. The library at project Gutenberg is huge and is growing each and every day.

If you like listening to audiobooks then you can download free audiobooks of classic fiction books from Librivox. Librivox, like Gutenberg, is run by volunteers who read classic novels out loud and upload the files to Librivox for anyone to download and enjoy for free.

And then there is The Reading Site, which charges you $50 for membership but then lets you download unlimited eBooks without paying any extra money.
So if you are planning on getting through a number of eBooks then you will save lots of money in the long run with The Reading Site. With The Reading Site you get the best of both worlds. You get free classic fiction plus modern bestsellers, comics, newspapers, games and satellite TV so is definitely worth a go.

The membership has recently been reduced so people are advised to get in there early to avoid dissapointment. The Reading Site has proved to be extremely popular amongst lovers of fiction so far, and things are set to continue that way.

For more information on The Reading Site, go to the The Reading Site

Books about: Exorcism, Angels, & Priests

There is a current fascination with Exorcism, Angels, and the priests that deal in spiritual warfare. The best and safest way to learn about such things is to read books that have been granted Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur by the Catholic Church. Our friends over at Aquinas and More have quite a selction of just those sorts of books. So if this interests you... go have a look.  

The Rite: the Making of a Modern Exorcist

(Newly revised for the Motion Picture)

In The Rite, journalist Matt Baglio uses the astonishing story of one American priest's training as an exorcist to reveal that the phenomena of possession, demons, the Devil, and exorcism are not merely a remnant of the archaic past, but remain a fearsome power in many people's lives even today.

One of our customers writes:

"Don't wait for the movie. Read the book!
I've recommended this book to a few people. They were all impressed." -Librarian, Roanoke, VA

Available in paperback, hard cover, and audiobook.

Possess it today>>

More Books About Exorcism Begone Satan!: A True Account of an Exorcism in Earling, Iowa in 1928 This famous books describes one of the most famous exorcism cases in U.S. history.  it was assisted by religious sisters - all of whom requested a transfer when the distressing experience was over. Learn more>> An Exorcist Tells His Story Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the renowned chief exorcist of Rome, shows how real and powerful the devil is as he recounts many experiences during his ministry. Learn more>> An Exorcist: More Stories Fr. Gabriel Amorth expands on the topic of exorcism in this sequel.  Concrete examples illustrate the power of the occult and demonic possession. Learn more>> The Antichrist: Has He Launched His Final Campaign Against the Savior? A classic book about the campaign being waged between the forces of good and evil; an everlasting Holy War.  Forward by Malcolm Muggeridge. Learn More>>

Only Half the Battle:  Books About Angels The Angels and Their Mission by Jean Daniélou Learn More>> Angels (and Demons): What Do We Really Know About Them? by Peter Kreeft Learn More>> My Angel Will Go Before You by Georges Huber  Learn More>> The Angels in Catholic Teaching and Tradition by Fr. Pascale Parente Learn More>>

Upcoming Feasts St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan 28) St. Francis de Sales (Jan 29 Trad) St. John Bosco (Jan 31) St. Brigid (Feb 1) Presentation of the Lord (Feb 2) St. Blaise (Feb 3) St. Agatha (Feb 5)

Prayer to My Guardian Angel Angel of God, My Guardian Dear to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side to light and guard and rule and guide. Amen. Order Guardian Angel Holy Cards

###

Book Cataloging Site?

Curious if anyone uses:

• Goodreads
• Library Thing
• Shelfari
• anobii

Any other sites? Curious to hear from anyone that may have tried more than one and why they eventually choosing the site they now use? aNobii seems to be the only site with mobile/tablet apps, any others? A barcode reading app would be great.

Amazon.com would be wise to get on this. Could you imagine scanning all your books, and then getting recommendations based on that?

Please let me know what you use to catalogue and journal your books.

###

TeachBookless

NPR ran a feature today on the future of books. Here's the part that most perked my interest (beings that many of us have been talking about this for some time now)...

Long the building blocks of academia, textbooks are seen more as albatross and less as asset these days. They are expensive — some costing more than $300. They are quickly outdated. They can be so heavy that students and teachers are forced to tote them around in wheeled luggage carts.

Students, professors and universities are rebelling against the weighty — and wasteful — tomes. Stanford University's brand new physics and engineering library is advertised as "bookless"; relying almost solely on digital material. Free and downloadable textbooks are at the heart of the growing "open educational resources" movement that seeks to make education more available and more affordable. Groups such as Connexions at Rice University and the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources in Silicon Valley are supporting free online textbook initiatives.

St. Stephen's Day Surprise!

So we had a wonderful Christmas. We went to a family's house that are some friends of mine from work and got to have a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS! For dinner we had Ham, Halibut and Caribou aka Reindeer. [I know a little twisted right?]

Today, my wife and I decided to visit a local 2nd hand store that some parishioners have told me about but we have yet to visit. We knew we needed some baby clothes as the due date is now within 3 weeks. So we went in and were pleasantly surprised. We got a good deal on some clothes and were meandering about when I came upon these beauties:

They were randomly with some other books. Now they aren't anything TOO glorious, at least in terms of rarity or value. [I looked them up and in their condition "Good-to Very Good" 3-4/5 - they run about $5-$20 a piece. Usually the set goes for around $20-25.] But, they are a gold-gem for me, especially in Alaska. I love old books & used books. Something about a book that means a great deal to you, that someone else once had and for some reason for another has let loose into the wild.

These books are actually quite nice. Since they aren't in "Excellent" condition I feel comfortable reading them and using them. They contain quite a bit of saints, and were published in 1954. So they contain a lot of the older information about some of the saints that you don't currently get in the newer books. They are also in leather hardbacks with nice gilding and each come with ribbon markers.

Another nice thing about these books is that they have a lot of nice color pictures.

I love marker ribbons. I seriously think that ALL hardcover books should have them. They are inexpensive and add an awesome element to a book. Not only do they remove the necessity for some silly bookmark, but they add an elegant touch to a book. For some reason the first volume only has one red ribbon, a little thicker and nicer than the second volume. It appears as if this was the original ribbon, but that sort of thing is difficult to tell. The second volume comes with a 5-ribbon set, making the marking of certain saints quite easy. The bindings on these books are a little loose and some pages are little loose, but not so horrible that I feel uncomfortable reading them and using them as I would any other book.

The hagiography in these volumes is quite interesting I have noticed several of the saints have different stories than I am used to reading. I know after Vatican II and in more recent years the lives have been reformed a bit, but these seem to be a little more "historically" based and less "story" based. It is difficult to tell though on some saints, because historical recordings of many of the early saints come from some type of verbal history. The written lives of the saints have always gone through an ebb and flow of written evolution.

Overall, I am quite pleased. The books were listed as $8 a piece, but I ended up getting them for $8 for the set. They have Imprimaturs and Nihil Obstats so I know that I am at least getting "approved" books. I love books. I am a bibliophile for sure. I am seriously the easiest person in the world to shop for. Books, pens, stationery, guns, and other "guy" things make me as giddy as a 12 year old boy receiving his first .22 rifle.

So if any of you are ever getting rid of any old Catholic books... please feel free to send them my way. I really want to have a nice library one day of old books and have people walk in and say, "Wow, that's really cool!" I know it is a small insignificant dream, but it is my dream. I would have a nice gun rack in there, and a writing desk with fine linen paper, a fountain pen, and a cool globe. I think that sounds way cooler than a "man cave" with a flat screen, an x-box, and surround sound :)

New Pope John Paul the Great Book: About the Rosary

I saw this article posted on the CNS Blog:

Pope John Paul II “wanted so much for the family, the young, the sick and elderly, deacons and priests and bishops to learn and adopt his new method of praying the rosary so that the rosary would be come more of a contemplative prayer and therein have its true beauty and depth discovered,” author and educator Robert Feeney wrote in a recent note to CNS.

He wanted to make us aware of a new book he has written, “The Rosary: The John Paul II Method,” released by Aquinas Press and distributed by Ignatius Press. He covers the history of the rosary; writings about Mary by Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict XVI; Our Lady of Fatima and the rosary; and the mysteries of the rosary. But the book’s centerpiece is how Pope John Paul recited the rosary, including his suggestion that after each mystery, a person used a picture or icon to “open up a scenario,” to visualize being part of that mystery.

The pope also suggested a person pray for a virtue with each mystery and pause briefly to meditate “on the word of God and the content of the mystery.”

“The pope always saw the young as the future and hope of the church and wanted to, in spirit, pass the rosary beads on to them,” said Feeney. He added that during the Year of the Rosary, declared by the late pope from October 2002 to October 2003, Feeney taught his own students how the pope prayed the rosary. “They were very impressed with the contemplative dimension and interjections of silence,” he said.

Feeney said he wrote the book because he wants to help the young to discover the rosary to help them “in their trials and tribulations,” like it did for him as a young man serving in the Vietnam War. He was seriously wounded and nearly died, he said, but he called on Mary, whom he credits for his recovery.

Feeney’s book on the pope and the rosary follows an earlier one he wrote titled “The Catholic Ideal: Exercise & Sports.” He has been told that it’s being used as a textbook in the PE department at some Catholic colleges and universities.

There is always room for books about John Paul II and his many talents and gifts. I look forward to adding this to my Amazon Wish list.

Compendium Eucharisticum - Manual for proper celebration of the Mass

**UPDATE**:
Due to the fact that I post from a time zone 4 hours behind the eastern time zone, I am a little slow to news sometimes. So Fr. Z has obviously not only posted this story but updated as well. I should probably read all of my RSS feeds before posting.
Read his updates here:
Details about the new Compendium Eucharisticum


The CNA posted this story earlier:
Manual for proper celebration of the Mass presented to the Pope

EXCITING! Something official like this is definitely encouraging! It means that people can't simply dismiss such a publication as "the thoughts and ideas of an uber-fundamentalist."

According to the daily edition of L’Osservatore Romano, the document “puts together texts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prayers, theological explanations of the Roman Missal’s Eucharistic prayers and everything that may be useful for the correct understanding, celebration and adoration of the Sacrament on the altar.”

L’Osservatore Romano also explained that the Pope’s desire is that the compendium will help both priests and laity in “believing, celebrating and increasingly living out the Eucharistic Mystery.” The Holy Father also hopes that it will stimulate “every faithful person to make of their own lives a spiritual worship,” the paper added.

Wow... you combine this with "The Spirit of the Liturgy" by Pope Benedict, writing as Cardinal Ratzinger, and you have a Mass primer set that is second to none!