The Blessed Virgin and Saint Anne, adapted from a photo by Paul Flores; used with permission.

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Introduction | Primary Readings | Additional Readings: Saints | Additional Readings: General | Resources

 
Introduction

After the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, when illiteracy became the norm of the general population, the average Christian depended on icons and preaching for guidance in the faith. And for centuries thereafter, even with the Renaissance in the West, lay Catholics depended on educated clerics for religious instruction.

Now that’s all well and good, except for the fact that when the clerics get it wrong, everybody suffers. And that is precisely the case in the modern world. Most priests today feed their flocks little of any holy substance but offer them, day after day, the spiritual equivalent of potato chips and soda pop. And religious education has, more often than not, fallen into the hands of those who dissent from the true faith. Religious educators, seduced by the social world around them, like the ancient Hebrews embracing the idols and abominations of the heathen lands around them, now place their “faith” in the diversity of secular values derived from humanistic psychology. And all the while the bishops, like shepherds terrified of the wolves, stand by helplessly and turn the other way.

Do you know how people often snicker when they hear the words “military intelligence,” thinking it to be an oxymoron? Well, true Catholics feel the same way when they hear a reference to “Catholic education.” And, even more sadly, especially in the US, the same is true of the words, “holy bishop.”

So I will say it plainly, and yet with tears and sadness: If you think that being a good Christian means going to church on Sunday and enjoying yourself the rest of the time, and if you’re not willing to spend more time in prayer and reading spiritual texts than watching TV and chatting on your cell phone, you’re in serious trouble.

But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known (the) sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. . . . For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.
 

— 2 Timothy 3:14–15; 4:3–5

 

Primary Readings

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church: Revised in Accordance With the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II, 2nd edition (Liberia Editrice Vaticana, 2000).

Paperback ISBN: 0-87973-976-2

 

Christian Prayer

Christian Prayer [the one-volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours] (Totowa, NJ: Catholic Book Publishing Corp.).

ISBN: 0-89942-406-6

Use the four-volume edition if you are familiar with it.

 

The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross. “The Ascent of Mount Carmel” and “The Dark Night.” In The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, trans. K. Kavanaugh and O. Rodriguez (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1991).

Hardcover ISBN: 0-935216-15-4

 

The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila. “The Way of Perfection” and “The Interior Castle.” In The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Volume Two, trans. K. Kavanaugh and O. Rodriguez (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1980).

Paperback ISBN: 0-9600876-6-4

 

The Imitation of Christ

Thomas à Kempis. The Imitation of Christ, trans. William Creasy (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 1989).

Paperback ISBN: 0-87793-411-8

There are many versions of this timeless classic, and, in my opinion, this is the best.

 

The New American Bible

The New American Bible. I prefer the Saint Joseph edition. (Totowa, NJ: Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

Paperback ISBN: 0-89942-962-9

You can read the Bible online at The New American Bible by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A common-sense guide to
Reading the Bible

 

A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture

Bishop Frederick Justus Knecht, D.D. A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture (Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, 2003).

Paperback ISBN: 0-89555-757-6

If you need help interpreting the Bible, in simple, understandable language, this is it.

 

Additional Readings: Saints

The Autobiography of Saint Margaret Mary

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. The Autobiography of Saint Margaret Mary (Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, 1986).

Paperback ISBN: 0-89555-295-7

Intimate insights from the saint to whom Our Lord gave the Sacred Heart revelations.

 

The Spiritual Doctrine of Saint Catherine of Genoa

St. Catherine & Don Cattaneo Marabotto. The Spiritual Doctrine of Saint Catherine of Genoa (Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, 1989).

Paperback ISBN: 0-89555-355-X

This great lay mystic wrote the book about Purgatory.

 

Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. Diary (Stockbridge, MA: Association of Marian Helpers, 2003).

Paperback ISBN: 0-944203-04-3

The Apostle of The Divine Mercy records Jesus message of mercy in a diary.

 

True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin

St. Louis Marie de Montfort. True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin (Bay Shore, NY: Montfort Publications, 1980).

Hardcover ISBN: 0-910984-49-2

The true meaning of Marian devotion. Contains the Consecration To Jesus through Mary.

 

Additional Readings: General

Through the Eyes of Jesus

C. Alan Ames. Through the Eyes of Jesus. (Touch of Heaven, 1996.)

Paperback ISBN: 0-9748225-3-1

Episodes from the daily life of Jesus, seen through His eyes—as revealed to a modern visionary.

Read an excerpt from the book
(from the publisher’s website)

 

Rosary: Mysteries, Meditations, and the Telling of the Beads

Johnson, Kevin Orlin. Rosary: Mysteries, Meditations, and the Telling of the Beads (Dallas: Pangæus Press, 1996).

Paperback ISBN: 0-9653660-1-4

A comprehensive reference for the history and meaning of the Rosary.

 

Apparitions: Mystic Phenomena and What They Mean

Johnson, Kevin Orlin. Apparitions: Mystic Phenomena and What They Mean (Dallas: Pangæus Press, 1998).

Paperback ISBN: 0-9653660-0-6

The only comprehensive reference book that puts supernatural events clearly in their Biblical context.

 

TRUE DISCIPLES . . . will point out the narrow way to God in pure truth according to the holy Gospel, and not according to the maxims of the world. Their hearts will not be troubled, nor will they show favour to anyone; they will not spare or heed or fear any man, however powerful he may be. They will have the two-edged sword of the Word of God in their mouths and the blood-stained standard of the Cross on their shoulders. They will carry the crucifix in their right hand and the rosary in their left, and the holy names of Jesus and Mary on their heart. . . . By the will of God, Mary is to prepare them to extend his rule over the impious and unbelievers.

—Saint Louis Marie de Montfort
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, no. 59

 

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Additional Resources
     
The Story of a Repentant Psychologist  —in an interview with Dr. William Marra, Dr. Coulson, a contrite Catholic psychologist, discusses his role in the destruction of Catholic religious orders, and his subsequent change of mind.
 
Unsure? Take a Spiritual-Psychological “Test”

 
On “Chastity – In San Francisco?”:

The Sweet and Easy Way . . . but beware . . . the only escape from the darkness of sin is in seeking the light of the cross.
 
The Basic Concepts of Self-help —Sacrifice, Obedience, and Prayer
Spiritual Healing —how to heal emotional wounds the Christian way
Why San Francisco?
 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 
INDEX of all subjects on this website
 
CONTACT ME
 
Related pages within “A Guide to Psychology and its Practice”:
Anger: Insult, Revenge, and Forgiveness
Death—and the Seduction of Despair
Depression and Suicide
Dream Interpretation
Fear of Psychotherapy
Forgiveness
Identity: Pride and prejudice, loneliness and encounter
Sexuality and Love
Spiritual Healing
Spirituality and Psychology
The Unconscious
 
INDEX of all subjects on A Guide to Psychology and its Practice
 
SEARCH A Guide to Psychology and its Practice

 


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