Religious Books

"Each year I read more books than I can possibly review -- here are 5 of the finest and most memorable of that bunch. They are worth your money, your time, and your attention.
A book of poems that fictionalizes the life of Trappist monk Charles de Foucauld. Beautiful verse, full of pieces like "The Pangs of Wanting: " "I deliver my body to the church, / though I cannot imagine what penance might relieve / these pangs of wanting." Later: "I take first communion...My tongue licks up the bread: a whisper / of paper on my teeth...His torn body in my stomach, / his blood in my spit, I almost vomit; I almost sing." More collections about God like this one would be very welcomed."--Nick Ripatrazone, The Millions

Born in 1858 to a family of French aristocrats, Charles was torn between his ambition to do great things and his desire for the hidden life, between public service and private prayer. Charles of the Desert uses elements of fiction and poetry to follow him to Morocco, Syria, Israel, and Algeria, as he becomes a cavalry officer, explorer, geographer, pilgrim, Trappist monk, priest, abolitionist, translator, folklorist, hermit, fort-builder, and martyr. Throughout these travels and transformations, Charles searched for a vocation that would reflect his convictions and his experience of God. In his last fifteen years, he settled in a remote part of the Sahara, and focused on self-denial, contemplation, and charity. He claimed the nomadic Tuareg as his brothers, the desert as his earthly home.

Christian Prayer from Catholic Book Publishing is the official one-volume edition of the internationally acclaimed Liturgy of the Hours. This version of Christian Prayer contains the complete texts of Morning and Evening Prayer for the entire year. Christian Prayer includes the current St. Joseph Guide for Christian Prayer (Product Code: 406/G) and Inserts for Christian Prayer (Product Code 406/I). Additional copies of the current St. Joseph Guide for Christian Prayer (Product Code: 406/G) are available for $2.50 each. Printed in two colors, this version of Christian Prayer includes handy ribbon markers and gilded page edging, and is bound in black bonded leather with a zipper close to hold your treasured prayer cards. An elegant and practical resource for praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

"Christ is alive!" proclaims the pope. Pope Francis's new Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit calls to "all Christian young people" and the People of God, including pastors and the faithful, and urges them to seek the youthful newness of life in Christ!

The pope proposes that youth engage the joy of a living God, the richness of their Catholic faith, and the strength of living in Christian community. He illuminates the Scriptures to give youth tangible hope and draw them more fully into the Church. And in a time of new technology and transformative social changes, the pope challenges youth to take the grounded path of generous sacrifice and faithful companionship with peers, family, neighbors, and elders.

Pope Francis knows committed and bold youth and young adults can change our world! He listened to youthful voices from all over the world during the synod on young people. Pope Francis now speaks full of the conviction that the youth will have great impact-and he challenges them to their best. The pope affirms the sacred time of youth as a time of dreams and decision, of maturity, courage, discernment, and valiant commitment. And he considers a plan for action that will take young people forward quickly, amid fears and hopes, into the work of a life with mission and purpose.

For the young and young at heart, this exhortation will stir all who read it to seek a newness of life in the promise of Christ's Resurrection. Christus Vivit is vital for youth and young adults, as they live out their vocation in the Church and their mission in the world. The exhortation is also an important read for pastors, parents, educators, families, youth and young adult ministries, and all Christian young people. Get your printed copy now, and pick up a copy for a friend or young adult in your life!