The Best Books Virtue of Wisdom Read in 2019
2019 has been an exciting year for the Virtue of Wisdom team. We kickstarted the blog this year and have, in our varying paths, grown in holiness and our vocations. As the year closes, we offer you our books of the year. These books were not restricted to those that were published this year, rather they were the books that had the greatest impact on our team for the duration of this year.
Spirituality/Masculinity
Darkness in the Marketplace by Thomas H. Green, SJ
The reflections on the pursuit of faith in spiritual dryness by Thomas H. Green is a humbling read with great wisdom. Written from his personal experiences and from his time as a director, Darkness in the Marketplace reveals to us what it means to be contemplative in action. An introduction to a life of deeper prayer in our busyness, this speaks to the many of us who are treading in the modern hecticness and obligations of our daily lives.
Thomas H. Green’s analysis shows us a glimpse of light in the darkness as he paints our season of busyness as one where we should enter deeper into to find true stillness and God’s will for us. Darkness in the Marketplace is a source of comfort to those holding on to the voice of hope amidst the noise of their own ‘marketplace’.
“They never realise that this dark hour is perhaps the most precious gift of their lives. It is an invitation to true poverty in spirit — to have no will of my own in all I do for love — and as such it is the real beginning of eternal life.”
- Thomas H. Green, SJ
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
Many of us men go about our lives serving many things and many people. The deadlines, people to meet, and projects that are due are among the many battles we pursue every day. However, in this book, Henri Nouwen reminds us to take a step back and learn to be loved. Taking many perspectives from the different characters in the parable of the prodigal son, he brings to light new insights drawn from the story and uses his own reflection before Rembrandt’s legendary painting and his life to guide us on this journey.
In a fast paced world full of doing, distractions and temptations, Nouwen reminds us of what truly matters in the face of setbacks and failures, that there is a God, always waiting for us with open arms.
“Had I, myself, really every dared to step into the center, kneel down, and let myself by held by a forgiving God?”
- Henri Nouwen
Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen
One of the first books I read this year, Henri Nouwen brings us into ourselves. To explore the different movements in our hearts that have been placed in there by God Himself when He created us. He speaks straight to our hearts, and I shan’t spoil what treasures he has in store in this book, but I will testify that it will truly form the foundation of spirituality to bring with us wherever we go. He gives many tips, many stories and many methods to inspire all of us in our own walks with Jesus.
“The really great saints of history don’t ask for imitation. Their way was unique and cannot be repeated. But they invite us into their lives and offer a hospitable space for our own search.”
- Henri Nouwen
The Mask of Masculinity by Lewis Howes
In this age, society adopts a “warrior culture”. It exalts the lone, alpha wolf that conquers all and fears none. Thus, we think that to be a man means to be a professional athlete, a navy SEAL, a playboy, a rebel. To be a man is to be void of emotions, to show no weakness, no vulnerability. Masculinity becomes defined by how many women we’ve slept with and the achievements we collect. In his book, Lewis Howes shows us just how fallacious these notions are. He pinpoints the 9 masks that men like to put on to feel a sense of security: Stoic, Athlete, Material, Sexual, Aggressive, Joker, Invincible, know-it-all, alpha.
When read with an open mind, Lewis’s book offers us many truths as to the what of each mask and the why we put them on. It’ll challenge us to remove the masks we’re so comfortable hiding behind in, and push us to start leading our lives as our real authentic selves.
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
This is for the many men who are seeking a deeper sense of self and purpose. A quench to the incessant thirst of pursuing their dreams and desires that has been intentionally designed into their masculine being. Wild at Heart brings us through an adventure of discovering an answer that penetrates to the question that lies in our hearts, “What does it truly mean to be a man?”.
Eldredge has positively redefined the perspective of masculinity, especially in the grey area of one’s identity today as we battle with the influences of modern media and hyper-sexuality. Above all, Wild at Heart re-establishes how at the centre of our search is our relationship with God that leads us deeper to a life lived more fully and alive.
“The only way to live in this adventure — with all its danger and unpredictability and immensely high stake — is an ongoing, intimate relationship with God.”
- John Eldredge
Youth, Vocations and Discernment
The Priest is not his Own by Fulton Sheen
A Priest is called to be an alter Christus — another Christ. For an easy-to-read book, Sheen gives a hard-hitting perspective on the priesthood that is challenging and heroic. With a rich command of scripture and a masterful use of metaphor and analogy, Sheen centers his book around the identity of the Catholic pastor as a priest-victim, where Christ and his cross come together. Like Christ, the priest can never simply offer a sacrifice without also being the victim. There can be no generation without an outpouring of oneself. Beyond the functional appearances, Sheen defines the priest according to his identity that is reaffirmed every time at the mass when the words of consecration are said: “This is my body which will be given up for you”.
Sheen offers a tremendously compelling account of the ideal priest. Tiring endlessly for the kingdom of God, charitable to all, with a heart for vocations and converts. Self-emptying, faith in providence, Eucharistic prayer and the desire for souls are themes that saturate the Venerable evangelist’s work. Even for those who are uninterested in the priesthood, the book offers an interesting take on the faith from many angles: Christology, conversion, mission, the Eucharist, holiness, the Church, etc. But, The Priest is not his Own is an especial book for aspirants to the priesthood. For parents, teachers and pastors: hand this book to a promising young man.
“Of one priest, they say, ‘He’s a good Joe’; of another, ‘He is another Christ.’”
- Fulton Sheen, The Priest is not His Own
Many Are Called by Scott Hahn
For those of us thinking about what vocation Jesus is calling for us to go in our lives, this book is a must-read. Hahn brings us on an expositional and spiritual walk through the lives of many priests and their spiritual duties and obligations, far beyond the realm of liturgical rules. He explores the special place priests have in the Church and also the reasons behind the dwindling numbers of clergy in the Universal Church. So take some time to read this book to see one of the greatest blessings God has lavished on His church.
“When men know what the priesthood really is, they are instinctively attracted to it. It is intrinsically attractive. When a young man tells me he’s never been attracted to the priestly life, I know one thing for certain: He’s never really understood the priesthood.”
- Scott Hahn
Community
When Church was a Family by Joseph H. Hellerman
In our postmodern era, plagued by individualism and spiritualism, Joseph Hellerman offers a strong challenge to those who “like Jesus but not the Church. Using scripture and historical evidence, he describes the early Church’s understanding of salvation as a “community-creating event”. Hellerman mounts a compelling image of the early Church in the time of Jesus and Paul as a family. Challenging our modern assumptions at every turn, When Church was a Family shows that Jesus’ injunction to leave one’s mother and father was not some bland spiritual statement but a radical call to his disciples to break out of old tribes and enter into the community centred around Christ himself.
When Church was a family is an fascinating book that reaffirms’ the argument that our salvation is always a corporate one and not just an individual affair. When one read through the argument, he is transported back to the time of Jesus and sees his vision as described in great detail by the book. When Church was a family is excellent material for anyone in or leading Christian communities.
Relationships
Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II’s Love and Responsibility by Edward Sri
Why does the flame dry up after a while? Is it really possible to have a flourishing life-long marriage? Why should we be chaste or pure? In an age that is at once overly rosy and cynical about relationships, John Paul II’s Love and Responsibility sheds fresh light on what a flourishing marriage looks like. Alas! The text can be dense and hard to read. Thank God for Dr. Edward Sri who has extracted the key insights of Love and Responsibility and, by infusing it with his own understandings, has made it accessible to the lay.
Dr. Sri shows how by viewing romantic relationships as, first and foremost, a friendship, one gains crucial insights as to which thrive or die out. With the lower levels of friendships, one merely stays in it for pleasure or sentiment and, accordingly, they die when those elements flee. However, with higher levels of friendship, which are built on virtue and a shared external good, both parties in the relationship are likely to remain faithful to each other. Thus, as John Paul points out, with love comes responsibility.
This book with allow you to see the world of relationships with new eyes. Whether in evaluating your own relationships or advising others on their’s, you have a new vocabulary that will allow you to discern good relationships that will continue to grow and flourish across time and those that will stumble and die. It will allow you know what love really is and encourage you to enter into this deeper and quieter love.
Note: Everyone who wants to study John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB) should check this book out first as it sets the foundation for TOB perfectly.
Apologetics
Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton
“I did try to found a little heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy.”
- G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton was a convert to Catholicism in 1922 at age 48. However, he had already highlighted his reasons for doing so as early as 14 years earlier in his apologetics masterclass Orthodoxy. In responding to charges that he had no philosophy but loved attacking others, he wrote this small but punchy text.
In Orthodoxy, Chesterton uses sanity as his starting point. “What is a sane worldview?” he thought. What most allows us to explain everything? He highlights that, despite his best efforts, every conclusion that he came to brought him back to Orthodox Christianity: “I did, like all other solemn little boys, try to be in advance of the age. Like them I tried to be some ten minutes in advance of the truth. And I found that I was eighteen hundred years behind it.”
In this simply remarkable book, Chesterton vomits the hundreds and hundreds of brilliant implications that Christian doctrine gives rise to. He makes the convincing case that Christianity is the relevant and unique answer to the riddle of natural human needs. Original sin allows us to sympathise with the homeless and distrust the ruler. Believing in angels is a more comprehensive worldview than scientism. Joy is sustained through the “rigid guard of ethical abnegations”. Even a well-read theologian will be amazed at the magnificence of Christian thought when it is described by Chesterton. Paradox, mystery, tension — simply brilliant.
Saints
Medjugorje: The Message by Wayne Weible
Medjugorje has been a subject of much controversy in the media, especially in the past two decades. Located in a small quiet area of Bosnia, it has been the place in which the Virgin Mary has been appearing to a group of seers and passing unto them her messages to the world. For some, it is a place of conversion and encounter. For others, it’s plain heresy.
In his book, Weible describes of how as a protestant, he struggled with the idea of giving reverence to the Virgin Mary and how she slowly and tenderely romanced his heart toward a profound conversion experience in Medjugorje. He thereby offered up his luxurious career as a successful businessman to spread the messages of Christ and Mary. Even if the reader is irked by the idea of Medjugorje, he can still appreciate the truths revealed in the conversion experience of Wayne Weible. That of Mary’s unending love and chase for her children. This is definitely a recommended read for anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with Christ and His Blessed Mother, and for those who are still searching for the vocation that God calls them to!
The Story Of A Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
Whenever we read of the Saints, we tend to marvel at their great feats of faith. Some of whom levitate, and others, sell all they have and live amongst the poor. These incredible feats might make many of us think of Sainthood as something unattainable, or rather, that the path to Sainthood is one of great sacrifices.
In her autobiography, St Therese reveals to us through her “little way” that it is not by great works of faith that we attain holiness, but through the small consistent ones that we edge closer toward heaven. She shows us that by the lowering of ourselves and surrendering to God, we are able to produce great fruits. The Story of a Soul is a great book for all who seek to deepen their relationship with Christ and grow in holiness through small, consistent steps.
Self-Help
How To Stop Worrying And Start Living by Dale Carnegie
We like to grasp. In our previous article we mentioned:
“ As we attempt to escape this sense of our own unworthiness, we get the world’s message quick: Get to the top. Do it faster and better than anyone else. In our quest for happiness, we learn to grasp. No one will give us what we deeply desire unless we have something to offer them in return, so go and get it for yourself.”
We live our lives dictated by checklists and become so future obsessed that we miss out the precious encounters with God and our loved ones in the everyday moments. It’s no wonder that depression and anxiety has become more of a commonplace in today’s age. We worry about not meeting deadlines, not being able to achieve our dreams when really, we worry about being inadequate.
In his book, Dale Carnegie seeks to offer us practical strategies to break out of the destructive worry habit before it breaks us. He uses his own personal story and the stories of many men and women from different walks of life who have conquered worry and lived greater lives, ranging from farmers to army generals. This book could well break the chains of worry in you and help you live life more preciously.
“Many men have rejected those words of Jesus: ‘Take no thought for the morrow.’ They have rejected those words as a counsel of perfection, as a bit of mysticism. ‘I must take thought for the morrow,’ they say. ‘I must plan and prepare to get ahead’… Modern versions of the Bible quote Jesus more accurately as saying: ‘Have no anxiety for the tomorrow.’ By all means take thought for the tomorrow, yes, careful thought and planning and preparation. But have no anxiety.”
- Dale Carnegie
Ministry
The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen
A compelling read for those finding meaning and reason for their own sufferings, and even in the lives of others in their ministry. The Wounded Healer is penned beautifully yet radically of the hopeful journey to the centre of this question. To discover precisely in one’s unique woundedness, the deeper call to enter into our true human condition that we all share.
“Who can take away suffering without entering it” gently shifts our focus away from vying for individual liberation and towards unification with our self and others. Henri J.M. Nouwen has written this to encourage us to walk on in faith and to have an authentic hospitality to an ongoing encounter with God’s mysterious and beautiful plan for each of us.
“For a deep understanding of our own pain makes it possible for us to convert our weakness into strength and to offer our own experiences as a source of healing to those who are often lost in the darkness of their own misunderstood sufferings.”
- Henri Nouwen
And there we have it! We’ve hoped you’ve had a great 2019 and may God continue to shower his grace upon us in the coming year! May God inspire you onwards with this selection of books. Pick one out and tell us how it impacted you!
