01 April 2012

A Holy Week Reading List

There are very few things better in life than books and very few things better to do during Holy Week than spiritual reading on the Paschal Mystery of the Lord.

To this end, might I offer a few suggestions for your reading (if you don't already have something to read)?  In no particular order:
  1. The Sadness of Christ and Final Prayers and Benedictions by Saint Thomas More
  2. Love is Stronger than Death by Peter Kreeft
  3. Saint Francis & the Cross: Reflections on Suffering, Weakness, and Joy by Raniero Cantalamessa and Carlo Maria Martini
  4. Simon, Called Peter: In the Company of a Man in Search of God by Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori
  5. Calvary and the Mass by Fulton J. Sheen
  6. The Week of Salvation: History and Traditions of Holy Week by James Monti
  7. Death on a Friday Afternoon: Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross by Richard John Neuhaus
  8. On the Passion of Christ According to the Four Evangelists by Thomas a Kempis
  9. Making Sense Out of Suffering by Peter Kreeft
  10. Open Wide the Door to Christ by S. C. Biela
  11. The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints by Ralph Martin
  12. Suffering of Love: Christ's Descent into the Hell of Human Hopelessness by Regis Martin
  13. The Art of Dying Well (or, How to be a Saint, Now and Forever) by Saint Robert Bellarmine
  14. Behold the Pierced One: An Approach to a Spiritual Christology by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI
  15. Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI
  16. Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem to the Resurrection by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI
  17. Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta" by Mother Teresa, edited by Brian Kolodiejchuk
  18. Mysterium Paschale: The Mystery of Easter by Hans Urs von Balthasar
  19. Characters of the Passion: Lessons on Faith and Trust by Fulton J. Sheen
  20. The True Icon: From the Shroud of Turin to the Veil of Manopello by Paul Badde
That should keep you busy for a few days, and your local bookstore or library should have at least one of those titles.

What books have I forgotten?
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2 comments:

  1. Barb Szyszkiewicz7:23 PM

    I used to have a book about the Shroud of Turin (probably published late 70s, early 80s.) It had a long section detailing what actually happened to a person's body during a crucifixion. That was some powerful Holy Week reading, even if unintentionally so.

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  2. JennB12:02 AM

    I can vouch for 7, 8, and 17... also, What Jesus Saw from the Cross, by A.G. Sertillanges, is AWESOME!

    Have a blessed Holy Week, Father!

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