What are you currently reading?

[Jacob]

Picked up three books for Christmas:

Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin, both by J. R. R. Tolkien.

And

James03's book.

[Hannelore]

I received my entire wishlist of books for Christmas, and bought some more $1 ebooks from TAN. Unfortunately, my kindle's battery was defective, so I had to send it in for a replacement which hasn't arrived yet. Luckily I still have my tablet, so I'm about to start The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich.

[Michael Wilson]

The Life of General De Sonis; Msgr. Louis Baunard.  Published by St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary and available from the Angelus Press:

Christian hero has been given to the English-speaking public at the earnest request of several military men, and especially of the one to whom it is dedicated. It will be read with interest, not only by all who love their profession and are stirred by a tale of gallant deeds and hairbreadth escapes, but also by those who look upon life as an earnest thing, to be spent for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. In Monseigneur Baunard's admirable Preface to the French edition, he says :This life is more than a rare spectacle it is a great lesson. I hear on all sides that what is most wanted in these days are men of character. M. de Sonis was eminently a man of marked character; we have rarely seen one like him, even in better times than the present.

Here is the article on Gen. De Sonis from Wiki:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Gaston_de_Sonis

Louis-Gaston de Sonis (25 August 1825 – 15 August 1887) was a French Army officer who particularly distinguished himself in the Battle of Loigny during the Franco-Prussian War, where he lost a leg. Louis Gaston was born August 25, 1825 in Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), and came to France in 1832, where he studied for the military, following in his father's footsteps. At age 10, he lost his mother, and at age 19, his father. This double wound marked the beginning of his conversion. In 1848, as a young officer—the only practicing Catholic in his class—he discerned a call to become a monk of Solemes, but realized that it was in the world that he was called to serve God. At age 23, he married Anaïs, a girl of 17 years, with whom he began a family that would grow to include 12 children. He was a loving husband and father, showed great love for the Eucharist, and shone especially in the virtue of obedience. To grow closer to God, he joined the Third (Secular) Order of Discalced Carmelites.

Appointed general of the army corps at the age of 45, he led the heroic charge of Loigny under the protection of the banner of the Sacred Heart, embroidered by Visitation nuns of Paray le Monial. Seriously injured in this battle, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the General, assuring him that all was not lost; France would survive.[2] However, the General's left leg had to be amputated. He died August 15, 1887 in Paris, after 17 years of suffering.

Some of his thoughts:

"When one begins to love God, one cannot love enough."

"Mary is placed on the threshold of eternity to inspire confidence in those who must bear the cross."

"Fight bravely against the demon of sadness. Oppose it by a fresh submission to the will of God, and serve God in joy, with great simplicity of heart."

He showed that the martial spirits that are so often admired in soldiers of the warrior class do not mutually exclude a strong faith life. Indeed, General de Sonis showed that in all actuality, a proper understanding of manly courage and virility can only be properly understood when grounded in a proper understanding of God, and of one's subordination and responsibility to the Divine Creator. De Sonis shared many similar attributes with a current day exemplar of another great Catholic warrior—Colonel John Ripley.

His cause for canonization in the Roman Catholic Church has been proposed.

[Matto]

I am reading The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe now because it was talked about here. I am reading the last revision, translated by Michael Hulse, published by Penguin Classics.

[MilesChristi]

Kang Lear

[Michael Wilson]

Just read two short booklets that I purchase from "Refuge of Sinners Publishing"  (Mother of Our Savior Catalogue)
1. "Perfect Contrition, The Golden Key of Heaven" by Rev. J. Von Den Driesch (orignial in German) 1903.
Novus Ordo Watch published a short summary here: https://novusordowatch.org/2017/11/perfect-contrition-key-to-heaven/

For the great majority of Catholics in the world today, it is virtually impossible to go to confession to a validly ordained priest who professes the true Catholic Faith of the ages and does not profess communion with a public heretic or apostate like Francis or Benedict XVI. Throughout Church history, there were many people in sundry places and circumstances that made approaching a priest for confession, for one reason or another, impossible. And it goes without saying that although everyone will die one day, most people will not have a priest close-by to whom they can make their deathbed confession.

Does this mean, then, that our chances of making it to Heaven are, for that reason, very slim? By no means!

It is a deplorable fact that although all Catholics know to approach the sacrament of Penance to have their mortal sins forgiven, only few seem to know that there is a way to have one's mortal sins forgiven outside the sacrament of Penance, although not entirely apart from it: through Perfect Contrition. In order not to fall prey to any confusion, it will be important to understand exactly what is meant by it and how it "works", that is, how to obtain this great grace.
What is Perfect Contrition?

In the sixteenth century, the Council of Trent issued a decree on the Sacrament of Penance, which includes a chapter dedicated to the subject of contrition. The subsequent Catechism of the Council of Trent also explains contrition and how it relates to the sacrament of Penance. The 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia likewise contains an informative article summarizing the essentials on contrition.

In a nutshell: Perfect Contrition is a supernatural sorrow for, and hatred of, the sins one has committed, accompanied by a firm resolution never to sin again, because by committing them one has offended God, who is infinitely good and deserving of all of one's love.

It is evident that if the truth about Perfect Contrition is to bear rich fruit in souls, then this somewhat complex definition needs a detailed explanation that is easily comprehensible by the common man. To this end, the Australian Catholic Truth Society in 1959 issued a very readable booklet on this topic written by an Italian priest. You can read its full text online here:

    Contrition: The Golden Key of Paradise. Key to Heaven
On Feb. 26, 2016 our friends at True Restoration released an episode of their "Spiritual Life" series on Restoration Radio about Perfect Contrition, in which the Benedictine monk Fr. Bernard Uttley explains in an easy-to-follow manner the nature, mechanism, effects, and importance of Perfect Contrition. You can listen to this 105-minute episode in its entirety, free of charge here: (see N.O.W. Site to listen to Fr. Utley's sermon).

[Michael Wilson]

The second booklet is "In the School of Jesus" from the German of Rev. Cassian Karg. O.M. Cap. here is an extract from the preface:

I greet with a heartfelt 'Deo gratias' every contribution which proposes to stimulate anew in the souls of men the interior life. We can never do too much to fill the hearts of men with love for God. God loves each individual soul to such an inexpressible extent, that every one can attain to a high degree of sanctity, and yet only a few respond to this love. It is not malice that holds them back. They simply do not understand the secret of self-sanctification. I may well add, that the majority cannot respond because they fail to understand the language of the interior life. This booklet proposes to give an introduction to this language, which I would designate as the "breathing'' of the soul. The scholar will immediately recognize "old wine in new bottles." That well-meaning words of a priest are still welcomed by men of good will, is evident from the rapid successions of new editions. I thank God for this success. May the important lessons I have learned from such eminent masters of the spiritual life as Francis de Sales, Alfonse Liguori, and the the two Teresas, soon become known to many.

[Heinrich]

Kang Lear

Is this about a Southeast Asian king and his hateful daughters?

[Lynne]

Just read two short booklets that I purchase from "Refuge of Sinners Publishing"  (Mother of Our Savior Catalogue)
1. "Perfect Contrition, The Golden Key of Heaven" by Rev. J. Von Den Driesch (orignial in German) 1903.
Novus Ordo Watch published a short summary here: https://novusordowatch.org/2017/11/perfect-contrition-key-to-heaven/

For the great majority of Catholics in the world today, it is virtually impossible to go to confession to a validly ordained priest who professes the true Catholic Faith of the ages and does not profess communion with a public heretic or apostate like Francis or Benedict XVI. Throughout Church history, there were many people in sundry places and circumstances that made approaching a priest for confession, for one reason or another, impossible. And it goes without saying that although everyone will die one day, most people will not have a priest close-by to whom they can make their deathbed confession.

Does this mean, then, that our chances of making it to Heaven are, for that reason, very slim? By no means!

It is a deplorable fact that although all Catholics know to approach the sacrament of Penance to have their mortal sins forgiven, only few seem to know that there is a way to have one's mortal sins forgiven outside the sacrament of Penance, although not entirely apart from it: through Perfect Contrition. In order not to fall prey to any confusion, it will be important to understand exactly what is meant by it and how it "works", that is, how to obtain this great grace.
What is Perfect Contrition?

In the sixteenth century, the Council of Trent issued a decree on the Sacrament of Penance, which includes a chapter dedicated to the subject of contrition. The subsequent Catechism of the Council of Trent also explains contrition and how it relates to the sacrament of Penance. The 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia likewise contains an informative article summarizing the essentials on contrition.

In a nutshell: Perfect Contrition is a supernatural sorrow for, and hatred of, the sins one has committed, accompanied by a firm resolution never to sin again, because by committing them one has offended God, who is infinitely good and deserving of all of one's love.

It is evident that if the truth about Perfect Contrition is to bear rich fruit in souls, then this somewhat complex definition needs a detailed explanation that is easily comprehensible by the common man. To this end, the Australian Catholic Truth Society in 1959 issued a very readable booklet on this topic written by an Italian priest. You can read its full text online here:

    Contrition: The Golden Key of Paradise. Key to Heaven
On Feb. 26, 2016 our friends at True Restoration released an episode of their "Spiritual Life" series on Restoration Radio about Perfect Contrition, in which the Benedictine monk Fr. Bernard Uttley explains in an easy-to-follow manner the nature, mechanism, effects, and importance of Perfect Contrition. You can listen to this 105-minute episode in its entirety, free of charge here: (see N.O.W. Site to listen to Fr. Utley's sermon).

There's an audio version of the book on Perfect Contrition...

http://www.alleluiaaudiobooks.com/perfect-contrition/

[maryslittlegarden]

We Were Soldiers Once and Young by Harold Moore

[Prayerful]

This thread often doesn't show for me. I'd suggest considering a pt 2 for this thread.

Archbishop Richard Creagh of Armagh, 1523-86, Colm Lennon. Before he was likely poisoned at Secretary Walsingham's orders, after over twenty years of imprisonment and repeated failed attempted to convict him of treason or other capital offences, this Limerick man provided an example of white and red martyrdom. Several testified to seeing a strange light from his Dublin Castle and Tower of London cells, which doesn't count his improvised efforts to get light with bits of fat and wax to read his Office and Missal.

[Stefano]

Presently reading a compendium of Papal encyclicals called "The Popes Against Modern Errors". Despite it being me re-reading a few of these, it is a really great resource.

[MundaCorMeum]

The Phoenix and the Carpet, by E. Nesbit.  It's my read aloud with the children. 

[syllabus.errorum]

i just finished ship of fools by tucker carlson and am nearly done with the sexual state by jennifer roback morse

[MilesChristi]

Ficciones by Borges