“Reading has made many saints,” wrote Saint Josemaria Escriva (1902-75), the founder of Opus Dei. Certainly, this time of year is the ideal moment to resurrect the timeworn but profitable pastime of book reading. After all, many of us, I’m sure, are rather weary of staring at screens all day. What better way to restore your retinas than to stare at the pages of a physical book.
Picture the scene: you have just finished what turned out to be an enormous seasonal meal; you waddle to the living room, paunch-first; the Christmas tree twinkles in the background and the lights are dimmed, but not so dim that you have to grope your way to the couch. You collapse before a roaring log fire; now what?
The question is not whether you should choose this moment to delve into a work of literature, but which book you should read. Look no further than the recommendations you will find below, where lay people, priests, religious, and even Bishop Boyea put you out of your misery by suggesting what direction your reading pleasure should take in this Christmas season. Here goes:
1. Book recommendation by Bishop Earl Boyea:
“I have recently finished two books by members of our own diocese: Kevin and Louise Perrotta, Oneness: Jesus’ Vision of Marriage (Egeria Books, 2024), and Dr. Monica Miller, In the Beginning (Catholic Answers Press, 2024). The second is a profound reflection on Genesis 1-3 which also manifests some real scholarship and some very pro-life messages. The first is some very in depth presentations of the Scriptural teachings on Marriage with a lot of practical applications with this married couple offer some complementary thoughts. In addition, I recently finished the 20 paper-back volumes about Brother Cadfael mysteries written by Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) between 1977 and her death in 1995. I gave them to the Sisters, Mary Mother of the Eucharist, and I understand that some of the sisters really enjoy these 12th century murder mysteries.”
2. Book recommendation by Sister Dorcee Clary, Servants of God’s Love, Flint:
“I have read this book at least twice, underlined most of it, copied so much of it into my journal, and find myself picking it up regularly to reread sections. Responding to the Thirst of God is perfectly subtitled “Forty Days to the Heart of Love”. In 40 brief segments, Joshua leads the reader to the heart of Christian prayer which is, in fact, nuptial intimacy with God. There are 40 days between Christmas and the Feast of the Presentation (which is actually the end of the Christmas season). This is a perfect book to read if you wish to understand and enter more deeply into the incredible love of God in Christ for you. A feast for the mind but even more importantly for your heart.”
3. Book recommendation by Father Riley O’Shea, Parochial Vicar, Saint Thomas Aquinas parish and Saint John Student Center, East Lansing:
“A book that I highly recommend is 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley. This is more than just a book but is really designed as a “do-it-yourself” retreat. Even if you’ve taken the time to read it in the past and have made your Marian Consecration, now is a great time of year to pick it up again! While in December we celebrate the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8th) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12th), in January we celebrate Mary as the Mother of God (Jan. 1st). It is also not too late to begin reading in anticipation of the Presentation of the Lord (Feb. 2nd), Our Lady of Lourdes (Feb. 11th), or the Annunciation (March 25th). And of course, there is never a bad day to make or renew your consecration to our Blessed Mother, so you can start reading any time! Reading (and re-reading) this book has been a great aid in my relationship with Mary. I pray that it may be a blessing in your life as well.”
4. Book recommendation by Father John Rocus, recently retired as Pastor of Holy Spirit parish, Brighton:
“One of my favorite books is a true story called Voyage to Lourdes by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Alexis Carell. He lived in “enlightened” France back at the turn of the last century and lost his Catholic faith while in medical school. One day he was asked to volunteer on a train from Lyon to Lourdes. It was full of sick people who hoped to be healed at the famous Marian shrine. Dr. Carell immediately connected with a young woman who was gravely ill. Marie Bailley, who was fully expecting to be healed. And she was, right in front of the doctor. He was incredulous. His whole belief system had just been called into question. This small book was a manuscript that he had prepared based on his experience. It was published after his death. He eventually did convert, on his deathbed 40 years later after his Voyage to Lourdes.I like to give this book as a gift to scientific types who maybe have abandoned their faith or at least struggle with it.”
* Available through New Hope Publications: 800-764-8444. Website is www.newhope-ky.org. Or at the Holy Spirit Church book and gift shop in Brighton Michigan. 810-231-9199
5. Book recommendation by John J. Miller, Director of the Dow Journalism Program, Hillsdale College:
“Quo Vadis may be the best of the great middlebrow Bible epics, and maybe it’s more than middlebrow: Henryk Sienkiewicz, its Polish author, won the 1905 Nobel Prize in Literature in large measure for this novel set in Nero’s Rome. A bestseller in the United States, it’s part love story between a pagan soldier and a secret Christian and part action thriller with palace intrigue and street fights in a time of corruption, tyranny, and transformation. The famous title comes from an apocryphal story about St. Peter, retold here. As the apostle flees persecution, he encounters Jesus on the Appian Way and asks a question: “Where are you going?” What he hears in reply compels him to reverse course and meet his martyrdom—and help a civilization turn toward Christianity. A sweeping saga of conversion, this faith-filled book is big and bold and hard to put down.”
6. Book recommendation by Liz O’Neill, Coordinator of Women’s Ministry at the Church of the Resurrection, Lansing:
“Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers. I don’t generally re-read a work of fiction, but Dorothy Sayers’ Strong Poison is a crime novel I regularly return to just for the sheer pleasure of seeing Sayers’ detective – a somewhat eccentric English aristocrat, Lord Peter Wimsey – fall in love with Harriet Vane. Rather inconveniently, as Wimsey might say, Miss Vane is being tried for murder…
The story has all the elements that keep me reading, a thwarted romance, courtroom drama, an intelligent plot and subtle social commentary. Just to add to the appeal of the book, the accused, Miss Vane, is herself a detective novelist just like her creator. This allows Sayers to articulate her own view of the genre through her hero; it’s “the purest form of literature we have” Wimsey says when praising Vane’s chosen medium. Simply put, evil is punished and virtue rewarded. Very satisfying.”
7. Book recommendation by Jessica Schaub, popular local Catholic writer from the Diocese of Lansing:
“Recently, a new student in our Sunday class asked why Joseph was Jesus’ father if God was his Father, and “how could God have a kid anyway?” The question was stunning in its sweetness and shocking in its naivety. Despite this country being founded on Christian principles, there are many children who simply don’t know Jesus. Which made me think of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, which features the Herdmans, a band of terrifying siblings who have honed their lethal bullying skills and overtake the church’s Christmas pageant because of the free donuts after the Sunday service. They demand to know who Mary is and why she placed her son in a cow’s feed box; the entire premise of our Christian faith is challenged in the ‘love your enemy’ mantra of Christ’s gentle spirit. In five short chapters, scripture is rendered open to the seemingly unlovable and the real mission of what it means to be a Christian is challenged. Our family has read this aloud several times in past Decembers, and now I encourage you to do the same. And whomever reads the last chapter…have tissues. Tears of joy and love will be rich!”
