Bookshelf

John Paul the Great: His 5 Great Loves

John Paul the Great: His Five Great Loves, by Jason Everet

If you like St. John Paul II this book is amazing. It is also a great book if you want to learn more about him. John Paul is my favorite saint and learning more about his life through his five loves is inspiring. In particular, the sections on his love of prayer and of Mary left me wanting to pray more. His connection to God showed throughout his pontificate. -- Fr. Aaron Laskiewicz

Renew your faith by learning what enamored the heart of Saint John Paul II.

The Only Necessary Thing

In the book The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, editor Wendy Greer collects writings from Father Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Dutch-born Catholic priest. Drawn from many decades of his life, the compilation of Henri's thoughts and feelings reveal the core of the man and his belief that prayer is the only necessary thing.

The love of Jesus will give you an ever-clearer vision of your call. The more you are called to speak for God's love, the more you will need to deepen the knowledge of that love in your own heart. The farther the outward journey takes you, the deeper the inward journey must be. Only when your roots are deep can your fruit be abundant.

Henri J.M. Nouwen, author of more than 40 books, is considered one of the great spiritual writers of modern times. He taught at the University of Notre Dame, Harvard, and Yale, but shared the last seven years of his life with people with mental handicaps as pastor of l'Arche Daybreak community in Toronto.

Finding True Happiness

Most people are still searching for true and lasting happiness. But according to Archbishop Fulton Sheen, they're looking in the wrong places.

In his book, "Finding True Happiness", Sheen states: "It's easy to be misled into believing that happiness is found in money, rank, or renown. While these things aren't inherently bad...they will, in the final analysis, not bring happiness that endures."

Here is an excerpt from Finding True Happiness:

"Look at your heart. It tells the story of why you were made. It is not perfect in shape. There seems to be a small piece missing from the side of every heart. I think the reason for this is that when God made the human heart, He found it so good and lovable that He kept a small sample of it in Heaven. He sent the rest of it into the world to enjoy His gifts, and to use them as stepping stones back to Him.

In order to love with your whole heart, in order to be really peaceful, in order to be really wholehearted, you must go back to God to recover the piece. He's been keeping it for you."

Venerable Fulton John Sheen was a Bishop and Archbishop known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. His cause for canonization as a saint was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues" – a major step towards beatification – so he is now referred to as "Venerable."