The John Paul II Jesuit Symposium began in 1980 and since 1990 has sponsored a biennial conference devoted to the teaching of John Paul II. The book reviewed here presents the papers read at the 1998 conference at Georgetown University and … [Read more...]
Book Reviews
If you are interested in reviewing a book, please see our Books Received page. For our submission guidelines, see the Submissions page.
John Paul II was a Counterculturist
CREED AND CULTURE: JESUIT STUDIES OF POPE JOHN PAUL II, by Joseph W. Koterski, S.J., and John C. Conley, S.J., eds., St. Joseph’s University Press, PA, 2004, xi + 256 pp., $35.00
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
No Academic Grounds Are Safe
THE CASE OF THE MUSE OF MADNESS. A Novel by Charles M. Kovich and Curtis L. Hancock, A Father Schrader Mystery, Book 2 (Liber Media and Publishing, 10401 Holmes Rd., #120, Kansas City, Mo. 64131, 2004), 166 pp. HB $21.88.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
Rockhurst University’s two murder-mystery, academic novelists, Charles Kovich and Curtis Hancock, have teamed up to produce the second volume in their Father Dietrich Shrader series. We are not wrong to suspect that something both p … [Read more...]
A big house for a small house
THE PHILOSOPHY OF TOLKIEN. By Peter J. Kreeft (Ignatius Press, 2515 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94118, 2005), 237 pp. PB. $15.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
This masterpiece of philosophy and literary criticism epitomizes liberal education at its best and illuminates C.S. Lewis’s statement that Alexander Pope’s famous line, “The proper study of mankind is man,” needs correction: “The proper stud … [Read more...]
God’s Salvific Plan
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE END TIMES? A CATHOLIC VIEW. By William Kurz, S.J. (Servant Books, 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, 2005), 199 pp. PB $11.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
How should Catholics respond to fundamentalist claims about the end of the world? How should Catholic priests preach about end times? Sermons on the subject from Catholic pulpits tend to be rare, and Catholics (perhaps from lack of much … [Read more...]
Face-to-Face or Facing East
TURNING TOWARDS THE LORD. Orientation in Liturgical Prayer. By U. M. Lang (Ignatius Press, P.O. Box 1339, Ft. Collins, Colo. 80522, 2004), 156 pp. PB $12.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
The debate about the position of the priest at Mass, whether facing the people or facing ad orientem (east) is not going to go away. The essence of the Mass is that it is a sacramental sacrifice directed to the heavenly Father through … [Read more...]
Catholic Priests in a Concentration Camp
CHRIST IN DACHAU. By John M. Lenz (Roman Catholic Books, P.O. Box 2286, Fort Collins, Colo. 80522, 1960/2005 reprint), x + 328 pp. BB $22.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
Dachau is a small city of about 25,000 people in Bavaria, not far from Munich. A notorious concentration camp for so-called “enemies of the state” was built there by the Nazi government in 1933, the year Hitler took control. In 1957 while I … [Read more...]
Christ Shines Through
SWIMMING WITH SCAPULARS: TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A YOUNG CATHOLIC. By Matthew Lickona (Loyola Press, 3441 North Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60657, 2005) viii + 278 pp. PB $19.95
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
Pastors, bishops, sociologists and others who want to get some insight into the minds of young, practicing Catholics today should read Matthew Lickona, a writer for the San Diego Reader who has produced a short but charming book, winsomely … [Read more...]
Theology of the Diaconate
FROM THE DIAKONIA OF CHRIST TO THE DIAKONIA OF THE APOSTLES. An Historico-Theological Document of the International Theological Commission (Hillenbrand Books, 1000 East Maple, Mundelein, IL 60060, 2004), 124 pp. PB $14.00.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
This is an official treatise on the diaconate, and especially on the permanent diaconate. It contains all the information one needs to have about this subject, in clear language and in a brief format. The evidence of the Scriptures, of … [Read more...]
An Outline of an Outline
INTRODUCTION TO THE SUMMA THEOLOGIAE OF THOMAS AQUINAS. By John of St. Thomas; translated and introduced by Ralph McInerny (St. Augustine’s Press, P.O. Box 2285, South Bend, Ind. 46680, 2004), x + 182 pp. HB $27.00.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
When you want to take a long trip by car to some place you have never visited before, it is essential to have a good map so you do not get lost. In a similar way, if you want to read the great Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas it is … [Read more...]
Divine Mercy and the Limits of Evil
MEMORY AND IDENTITY: CONVERSATIONS AT THE DAWN OF A MILLENNIUM. By Pope John Paul II (Rizzoli, 2005), 172 pp. HB $19.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
To “review” a book of a pope, especially of the late John Paul II, is a presumptuous enterprise, to say the least. But not to notice this remarkable book and reflect on it is an act of intellectual sloth. It is an amazingly profound book. In … [Read more...]
An Invaluable Resource for Marian Studies
MARY IN THE MIDDLE AGES: The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Thought of Medieval Latin Theologians. By Luigi Gambero, S.M. Translated by Thomas Buffer. (Ignatius Press, 2515 McAllister St. San Francisco, CA. 94118, 2005), 339 pp. PB $17.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
Fr. Luigi Gambero, S.M., Mariologist at both the Marianum in Rome and the International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio, has once again offered to the faithful an excellent survey of the Mariological writings available in the … [Read more...]
A Thirst for Jesus
I THIRST: SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX AND MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA by Jacques Gauthier. Staten Island, New York: Society of St. Paul, 21878 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314-6603, Paperback, 103 Pgs, $14.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
St. Therese of Lisieux and Mother Teresa of Calcutta have been described as “two mirrors who mutually reflect each other, one revealing what at first glance is not obvious to the other.” The author, Jacques Gauthier, stresses those areas of … [Read more...]
Help for the Journey
THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES: Biblical Reflections on the Life of Christ. By Tim Gray (Emmaus Road publishing, 827 N. Fourth Street, Steubenville, Ohio 43952, 2005), 34pp. PB $11.95.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
Pope John Paul II gave us the Luminous Mysteries for the Rosary and here Tim Gray takes us through meditative prayers for these mysteries based on Scripture and the teachings of Pope John Paul II. The beautiful introduction is by Archbishop … [Read more...]
Mariology as “Theological Synthesis”
The Mystery of Mary. By Paul Haffner (England: Gracewing, 2 Southern Ave, Leominster, Herefordshire, England, HR6 0QF, 2004), 285pp. PB £14.99 (English pounds).
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
Written in commemoration of the 150 th anniversary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854-2004), Fr. Paul Haffner, Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, has authored a comprehensive work in … [Read more...]
The Best Bible Study Available
Understanding the Scriptures: A Complete Course on Bible Study. By Scott Hahn (Midwest Theological Forum, 1420 Davey Rd., Woodridge, IL. 60517, 2005), 548pp. HB, $40.00.
April 1, 2009 by Book Reviews
At long last, Scott Hahn has finally done it! After years of dazzling students, conferences attendees, and listeners of his mass media presentations, Hahn has collected the wisdom of the Catholic faith on the Sacred Scriptures into one … [Read more...]
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