I was so proud, that you said that Quo vadis is your favorite! Wow! Henryk Sienkiewicz was a Polish author who didn't write as a catholic writer, He was just a writer who was catholic (as most Polish people a hundred years ago). And he got a Nobel for his novels. Quo vadis was translated to multiple languages. I think that only The Little Diary of st. Faustina has more translations as a Polish book. And I'm from Poland, that's why I write this comment. Sorry for my ortography! God bless you!
Yes!!! Catholic Book Club should be a thing! I'm an avid reader. But ever since I started studying the Bible and Cathechism more, I found that a lot of what I used to read aren't in line with Catholic teaching. I've lost my taste for the stuff I used to read before. I've been meaning to take my reading in a new direction, but I don't know where to start. Thanks for this Father! ❤️
If you don´t know where to start maybe my channel could help, I make summaries and reviews of Catholic books. I alos have a playlist with must-reads :)
@@thisgirl5933 i summarize and review religious books on my channel. Maybe my videos will help you to chose the books that you will be able to finish as someone has reviwed them for u :)
No one mentions Mark Twains Joan of Arc book! HE spent 20 years researching for it, and thought of it as his best work. Incredible! And Lay Seige to Heaven is my well worn tome!!
You're killing me with the omission of Graham Greene!! The End of the Affair, The Heart of the Matter and The Power and the Glory are all fantastic Catholic novels.
Thanks for the recommendation! Btw I make summaries and reviews of Christian books on my channel that might be interesting for you as you like reading books :)
C.S. Lewis is great! Especially Mere Christianity! As you seem to like religious books: I make summaries and reviews of Christian books on my channel :)
I personally love all the Narnia books. I know C.S Lewis was not Catholic but I happened to read the Narnia books while on a silent retreat and they are just beautifully packed with Christian values and spirituality that lifts up the soul. Thanks Fr. Mark-Mary for the wonderful suggestions. 😊
Especially The Screwtape Letters and the Space Trilogy. Perelandra, the middle book of The Space Trilogy is a must read. And for non fiction, anything by Scott Hahn, theology in language that can be understood by anyone.
Thank you for mentioning "Quo vadis" book by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz who was awarded Nobel prize in literature. Quo vadis? (where are you going?) refers to, as legend says, the question Quo vadis Domine? asked by St. Peter to Jesus Christ. It takes place in Rome when Roman empire was run by Nero Julius Caesar.
Just finished reading Kristin Lavransdatter. Loved it. Beautifully written and something one can re-read and glean something new from each reading. Thank you.
Hi Fr. Mark-Mary. The book that I'd highly recommend is the "Diary of St. Faustina". It has totally changed my perspective of the saints and other holy people of God. Up until 2-and-a-half years ago, I'd never even heard about the Divine Mercy or the chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Never read the books by Tolkien, CS Lewis etc. Will definitely check out Louis de Wohl & Henryk Sienkiewicz. Thank you for the recommendations and God bless. +
The Picture of Dorian Gray is top tier literature. Absolute must read! Oscar Wilde isnt usually mentioned in Catholic circles but this book is so important, though it might not be apparent until the end
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., set in a Catholic monastery. Great story of keeping the flame of the Catholic faith alive through major trials and tribulations.
One of my absolute favorite books is "With God in Russia" by Walter Ciszek. Whenever I feel down, knowing what he went through and how he kept his faith always uplifts me.
He wrote another book called 'He leadeth me', also about his experience in Russia, because he felt that "With God in Russia" hadn't really got to the bottom of how the experience had transformed him spiritually. It is an extraordinary book. I can open it at any page, and it goes straight to my heart.
I am loving reading all these wonderful book recommendations. I am currently reading CS Lewis’s The Space Trilogy. It’s science fiction jampacked with theology! I’m enjoying it very much!
I confirm:from my first step to Jesus, from my first confession- it is a battle for my heart between image of the world and power of love of Holy Spirit,that Spirit, which Jesus left to the Church.
I could't agree more, and bonus, the more you do this, the more you WANT to do it. Start with daily discipline to replace old habits and soon your desires will evolve away from what limits to what expands.
Love this! My favorite is Les Mis. I think the classics in general teach us so much about human nature, sin & goodness, temptation & the fruits of virtue. My recs: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Emma, Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen, & others by these others, especially for women. God bless!
What a change fifty years makes! When I was in high school, Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame were on the Index. Of course, when we were told that in religion class, my friends and I hurried home to filch my father's copies off his shelf and read them, along with Chaucer's The Miller's Tale. The Canterbury Tales was in the school library, but The Miller's Tale contains some mildly crude language, so the Sisters had pasted the pages together. If you want kids to read something, tell them they cant!
Apparently Pope Francis read it, however, it appears that he joined the wrong team, having renounced his papal titles. Absp. Vigano suggests in his llast communication says that Bergoglio has applied for the position to preside over the New World Order ecumenical religion that’s been referred to as Chrislam”. It certainly won’t be Christ Centered !!!
I’m currently reading Jordan Peterson, God and Christianity By Christopher Kaczor and Matthew R. Petrusek Published by the Word on Fire Institute . It’s really interesting to look at the Bible through a psychological lens, and how that aligns through the catholic interpretation of the Bible.
Thank you Fr.Mark. I started watching Fr.Mike and I have to say out of everyone on this channel you are my favorite. You're content is short, sweet and powerful...many thanks..I look forward to your next video.
I’ve now read Louis de Wohl’s Citadel of God about St. Benedictus!! Wow! Have started The Restless Flame about St. Augustine. Really am enjoying the historical fiction.
Dairy of St. Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul. This is such a crucial book to read. You won’t be able to put it down. It’s a biography about St.Faustina how Jesus appears to her and her spiritual journey as a nun to proclaim Jesus Mercy to the whole world by the will of God. How she was asked by Jesus to get a painting done of how he appeared to her, with the inscription “Jesus I Trust in You”. The Mercy hour( witch is every day at 3 o’clock) how he wants us to come to his mercy and trust in him. The prayers Jesus wants us to say and the chaplet. How he wants to save us and how much he loves us. This will to open up your eyes and Trust in his Mercy. Trust in him. And the blessed Holy Mother of God. Mother of Mercy. I highly highly recommend this to all the souls. My God Bless you all, may he pour out his Mercy on all.
I love a small book by one of your founders "When Did We See You Lord" by Bishop Baker and Fr Groechel. It shows you ways to see Jesus and find time when we think we can't to help others.
Thank you Fr. Mark. I am sooooo completely grateful for you. During the height of the pandemic I came across you. I've been watching every since. Thank you for all the friars I have met on your segments. You guys have really helped this old lady through some tough spiritual battles. No, it's not just the young folks.The devil hits us seniors really hard. People can call it imaginary all they want but, yes hes very real and wants to take us out. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the book reccomendations.
"The Robe" by Lloyd C. Douglas "The Big Fisherman" by Lloyd C. Douglas "The Silver Chalice" by Thomas B. Costain "Ben Hur" by Lew Wallace "Magnificent Obsession" by Lloyd C. Douglas "Great Lion of God" by Taylor Caldwell "The Greatest Story Ever Told" by Fulton Oursler "The Greatest Book Ever Written" by Fulton Oursler "The Greatest Faith Ever Known" by Fulton Oursler "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle I'm not sure how many are actually Catholic, but they're all great Christian reads.
I want to one day write / direct a movie about Saint Thecla. Not enough people know about her amazing story, if they do they know the acts of Paul + Thecla
I remember from my childhood, during the easter season, watching with my parents the Quo Vadis movie, so i think it is time to read the source .... Thanks for the recommendation. Poco a Poco vamos a llegar, or like Father Zazano says: Hasta el Cielo No Paramos :)
Other ideas : - the Jesus series by Anne Rice, she wrote them when she had reverted back to Catholicism - Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - Persian Letters by Montesquieu - The Little Prince by Saint-Exupéry - The Viper's Tangle by Mauriac - Don Quixotes by Cervantes - Diary of a Country Priest by Bernanos - The Exorcist by Blatty - The Brothers Karamasov by Dostoevsky (though he was Orthodox) - East of Eden by Steinbeck (he was Anglican, but mixed in some Catholicism in his novels)
If you're suffering, in trial, or need healing... 1. Be Healed, Bob Schuchts (2014) 2. When You Suffer, Jeff Cavins (2015) 3. You Are Never Alone, Max Lucado (2020)
C.S. Lewis is great! Always! Especially Mere Christianity! As you seem to like religious books: I make summaries and reviews of Christian books on my channel :)
I love reading books! The Lord of the Rings is my favourite story of all time. And I have struggled with what to read before, so thank you for these recommendations! Joan of Arc is my patron saint, so I really want to read that one now. Also, I recently started a series "The Wheel of Time". I believe Robert Jordan who wrote it was Catholic, but I'm not 100% sure. I've only read the first book, so I can't speak for them all, but it is very heavily influenced by the Lord of the Rings. I heard there's a sexual assault scene in one of the later books, but I'm not sure which one. I believe it's not very explicit and mostly deals (very well) with the trauma on the chatacter, but I'll need to look more into it before reading.
Robert Jordan was a devout Episcopalian, and the Episcopal Church is very Anglican-oriented. Considering Jordan's religious beliefs and literary influences, the Wheel of Time reads very much like many works of Catholic fiction.
I’m on the fourth wheel of time, they’re great! I will say I watched the first episode of the TV adaptation from Amazon Prime and was very disappointed - they added in sex scenes that were never in the book (the first season being based off the first book) and also changed the magic system to fit feminist ideology. For those who haven’t read, men and women have separate magic in the books and the TV show changed it so women can wield both the female magic and male. Very dumb and clearly pandering to liberal audiences and production companies. Just something to be aware of before watching the show.
Thanks Fr. Mark- Mary! Yes, l have read Mark Twain's book recently. He was anti - Catholic or rather, he had eccentric views about lots of things but he was fascinated by the life of Joan of Arc, going so far as to travel to France to research the book, saying it was the best book he had ever written. I love the theme music to Brideshead. Evelyn { pronounced Eve Lyn} Waugh was married to a woman called Evelyn but she cheated on him. He later became Catholic, managed to get an annulment and remarried. He was very precise in his use of language . He was afflicted and tormented in different ways, sometimes by voices in his head. A saintly man!
Bud MacFarlane, Jr wrote a trilogy of fiction Catholic books beginning with Pierced by Sword and ending with House of Gold. Not even sure how many times I have read them.
The Father Brown series is a problem because they make it as secular as they can. The reason the books are wonderful is that Fr. Brown's Catholicism informs everything he does Stick with the books.
@@elisabethpatterson8821 Or, watch the series and enjoy it and read the series and also enjoy that. If your goal, however, is to not allow anything into your brain which is not pure-grade 100% of [insert whatever that is] then make sure to avoid anything that is not pure-grade 100% of [whatever that is]
@@elisabethpatterson8821 oh you're just saying that because I'm disagreeing with you. :) Besides, my comment was not rude. It did, however, make a point with which you disagree. If we agreed, you might not have said anything at all and chuckled! G.K. (the author of Father Brown after all) used humor and wit to try and make points with people who wouldn't listen otherwise. I think only his opponents found him rude. What would he say about avoiding a tv show because it didn't perfectly suit a viewer's preference for the books? Anyway, if you ever find yourself being called rude when you were trying to make a point using cleverness, remember our brief time together here on RU-vid! Sometimes people find offense where none was even offered. I bet even you do that sometimes. :)
Greetings Father Mark, Catholic Literature Works based on St Anthony of Padua, St.Ignatius Loyola, St.Joan of Arc and Special mention about St.Mother Teresa moves towards Soulful, Positive Manner. Also Cathechism simply gives Significant insights into the Life. Be Safe and Stay Safe, Kind Respect with Prayers, - RanjithJoseph (R.J)
So great you've mentioned "Quo vadis". If you could get anywhere anything from another Polish author - Jan Dobraczyński, I would strongly recommend it. At least "The Shadow of the Father" was translated to english and is available.
That Flannery O’Conner book will mess you up if you read it too young. I read it before I was 25 when it was recommended by Laura Bush in 2003. Same with Tolstoy’s War and Peace or Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov. I don’t know why, but Russian Literature tends to be so much more raw and real with people about the struggles people go through in life.
I haven't read anything by him yet so thanks for the recommendation! As you seem to like religious books: I make summaries and reviews of Christian books on my channel :)
The shadow of the Father, by Jan Dobraczynski. Historical fiction of the nativity of Jesus with focus in Saint Joseph. Increased mu devotion to Saint Joseph by 100x. As a father of two young kids, I completely relate to Saint Joseph fears but was completely inspired by his faith, courage and love to God and Virgin Mary.