Books

CatholicManNight recommends resources to help men grow in their love of Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church.  The following books/resources have been reviewed and endorsed by CatholicManNight.com and are firmly consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Scripture Study

Ignatius Catholic Bible – RSV – A completely new typeset and designed edition of the popular Ignatius Revised Standard Version Bible, with minor revisions to some of the archaic language used in the first edition. This revised version is a contemporary English translation without dumbing-down the text. This second edition of the RSV doesn’t put the biblical text through a filter to make it acceptable to current tastes and prejudices, and it retains the beauty of the RSV language that has made it such a joy to read and reflect on the Word of God. Now the only Catholic Bible in standard English is even more beautiful in word and design!

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible – New Testament – The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.

This volume presents the written Word of God in a highly readable, accurate translation, excellent for personal and group study. Extensive study notes, topical essays and word studies provide fresh and faithful insights informed by time-tested, authentically Catholic interpretations from the Fathers of the Church and other scholars. Commentaries include the best insights of ancient, medieval and modern scholarship, and follow the Church’s guidelines for biblical interpretation. Plus, each New Testament book is outlined and introduced with an essay covering questions of authorship, date of composition, intended audience and general themes. The Ignatius Study Bible also includes handy reference materials such as a doctrinal index, a concise concordance, a helpful cross-reference system, and various maps and charts.

Walking With God – In Walking with God, Dr. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins unpack the central story woven throughout Scripture and present it in an easy-to-read, concise manner. Gray and Cavins take you on a journey through the narrative books of the Bible the ones that tell the story and present a panoramic view of God s glorious plan of salvation. Their expert commentary dives deep into the mysteries of Scripture, unlocking its riches and showing how these inspired words are meant for you today.  Enter into the Scriptures with Walking with God. Witness the fascinating story of our faith unfold, and see how you, at this moment in your life, fit into God s plan for all of humanity.

 The Great Adventure Bible Study Program – The Bible Timeline Study Kit contains all the student materials needed for the 24-week, video-based Bible Timeline Course. The companion lecture set is available separately in audio and video formats. Included in each kit are Study Questions and Responses (each is 100 pages, 8.5 x 11″), 33 full-color Bible Timeline Chart, Bible Timeline Study Workbook, full-color laminated Bookmark, and a Memory Bead Wristband. A customized D-Ring binder holds all materials. Each component of the Complete Study Kit contributes to the effectiveness of this color-coded, multi-sensory study. This comprehensive approach presents the story of salvation in a compelling and effective way so that the bible study participant not only learns “the big picture” but is able to retain it.

Jesus Christ

 Jesus of Nazareth – The Infancy Narratives – In 2007, Joseph Ratzinger published his first book as Pope Benedict XVI in order “to make known the figure and message of Jesus.” Now, the Pope focuses exclusively on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life as a child. The root of these stories is the experience of hope found in the birth of Jesus and the affirmations of surrender and service embodied in his parents, Joseph and Mary. This is a story of longing and seeking, as demonstrated by the Magi searching for the redemption offered by the birth of a new king. It is a story of sacrifice and trusting completely in the wisdom of God as seen in the faith of Simeon, the just and devout man of Jerusalem, when he is in the presence of the Christ child. Ultimately, Jesus’ life and message is a story for today, one that speaks to the restlessness of the human heart searching for the sole truth which alone leads to profound joy.

Jesus of Nazareth – From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration – In this bold, momentous work, the pope—in his first book written as Benedict XVI—seeks to salvage the person of Jesus from recent “popular” depictions and to restore Jesus’ true identity as discovered in the Gospels. Through his brilliance as a theologian and his personal conviction as a believer, the pope shares a rich, compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of Jesus and incites us to encounter, face-to-face, the central figure of the Christian faith.

Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week – From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection  – For Christians, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, and who rose from the dead in triumph over sin and death. For non-Christians, he is almost anything else-myth, a political revolutionary, a prophet whose teaching was misunderstood or distorted by his followers.  Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and no myth, revolutionary, or misunderstood prophet, insists Benedict XVI. He thinks that the best of historical scholarship, while it can’t “prove” Jesus is the Son of God, certainly doesn’t disprove it. Indeed, Benedict maintains that the evidence, fairly considered, brings us face-to-face with the challenge of Jesus-a real man who taught and acted in ways that were tantamount to claims of divine authority, claims not easily dismissed as lunacy or deception.  Benedict XVI presents this challenge in his new book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, the sequel volume to Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration.

Life Of Christ – Widely proclaimed a classic work of Christian faith, Life of Christ has been hailed as the most eloquent of Fulton J. Sheen’s many books. The fruit of many years of reflection, prayer, and research, it is a dramatic and moving recounting of the birth, life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ, and a passionate portrait of the God-Man, the teacher, the healer, and, most of all, the Savior, whose promise has sustained humanity for two millenia.

The Dawn of the Messiah – Perhaps the story of Christ s birth has become almost too familiar.   We ve heard the story so many times that it fails to shock us: the appearances of the angel, a virgin giving birth, a child placed in a manger, the arrival of shepherds and magi. But what if we had never heard the story before? Edward Sri asks. What if we were first-century Jews hearing this plot for the first time? Only two Gospels give any details about the birth of the Messiah, but these chapters are packed with allusions to Old Testament stories and prophecies that any contemporary Jew would have recognized.  Today s reader, unfamiliar with the ancient Jewish world, misses the significance of many details in these accounts. This book bridges that gap, explaining the original context of every line and detail in the biblical stories. Sri not only helps us understand an earlier and pivotal time and place, he also brings us to a deeper understanding of the great mystery of God s entry into the world as one of us.

Jesus Shock – Jesus Shock is the second in a series of short works on seminal concerns of the impact that Jesus Christ made in the world. The first work, The Philosophy of Jesus (St. Augustine’s Press, 2007), explored philosophy in light of Jesus, rather than the other way around. The present work investigates the reception Jesus received both in His lifetime and continuously to the present time, not only from His enemies, but from His friends, a reception of shock, astonishment, even disgust.

The Man Christ Jesus – Our Christian faith isn’t based on an idea or a philosophy, or on some accumulation of cultural myths and traditions. It’s based on a man: Jesus, the God who was born in ancient Nazareth and lived in the flesh and died; Jesus, the Word of the Father who was and is and ever shall be, a man.  We also believe that knowing this man is essential to our very salvation. That’s why Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, archbishop emeritus of Bologna, Italy, and close friend of Pope Benedict XVI, wrote The Man Christ Jesus — to give us an intimate portrait of Jesus as we meet him in the Gospels. Only by experiencing a close, personal encounter with Jesus in his full humanity — just as his first disciples did — can we develop a true and salvific belief in the Christ of Faith.

Catholic Teaching

Catechism of the Catholic Church – The full, complete exposition of Catholic doctrine, this second edition of the international bestseller has been significantly expanded, enhancing both its content and usability.

Growth in Personal Holiness

Searching for and Maintaining Peace – Father Jacques Philippe – We live in a  day and age characterized by an extraordinary amount of agitation and lack of peace.  Taking concrete examples from our everyday life, the autor invites us to respond to a Gospel fashion to the upsetting situations we must all confront.  Since peace of heart is a pure gift of God, it is something we should seek, pursue and ask him for without ceasing.

Augustine on Prayer – Fr. Thomas A. Hand, O.S.A. Prayer is a subject that is of vital interest to Christians of all ages.  We are constantly asking questions such as:  What is prayer?  Why should we pray?  For what and for whom should we pray?  How should we pray? In this easy-to-read volume, Father Hand has provided answers to these and many other questions from the thought of a Master of prayer, St. Augustine of Hippo.  The author has collected over 500 Augustinian texts about prayer and has woven them into a little summa about how to improve one’s prayer life.

The Soul of the Apostolate – The Soul of the Apostolate was the favorite book of Pope St. Pius X. This book shows how prayer is the soul of every apostolic work and is absolutely critical for apostolic success. Explores all the proved methods of developing and maintaining the interior life amid the bustle of daily activity. This excellent book will help you to understand the economy of salvation, as well as the many dead-ends that we fallen creatures tend to follow. A critically important introduction to the spiritual life! This important book has been recommended by Pope St. Pius X and his successor, Pope Benedict XV. Pope St. Pius X said, “If you desire that God should bless your apostolate and make it fruitful, undertake everything for His glory, saturate yourself and your devoted fellow-workers with the spirit of Jesus Christ, animating yourself and them with an intense interior life. To this end, I can offer you no better guide than The Soul of the Apostolate by Dom Chautard, Cistercian Abbot. I warmly recommend this book to you, as I value it very highly, and have myself made it my bedside book.”