(Part 3) Top products from r/Catholicism

I think the key difference between Catholic and Lutheran soteriology is that Luther was an Ockhamist and thus you get forensic justification, whereas for the Catholic, it is the infusion of divine life. Because of this, Catholicism recognizes the necessity but insufficiency of works for salvation, but Lutheranism rejects even the necessity because of such a different understanding of the relationship between grace and nature. When I first read Luther, I thought he sounded basically Catholic, but the problem was his metaphysics were so different from my own that we really don't believe the same things.

St. Thérèse is a Doctor of the Church and anyway her key contribution was her articulation of "the Little Way", which (put simply) is her teaching that to be a saint doesn't mean accomplishing great works but rather that all of your works be animated by God's love. In her case, she lived a humble life in the convent never accomplishing anything of particular note but simply living the Gospel to its fullness

The key to her spirituality is the Act of Oblation to Merciful Love:

>O MY GOD! Blessed Trinity, I desire to Love you and make you Loved,
To work for the glory of the Holy Church
By saving souls on earth and by liberating those suffering in purgatory.
I desire to accomplish your will perfectly
And to reach the degree of glory that you have prepared for me in Your Kingdom.
I desire, in a word, to be Holy, but I feel my powerlessness
And I beg you, O my God! to be yourself my Holiness!

>You loved me so much that you gave me your only Son
To be my Savior and my Spouse.
The infinite treasures of his merits are mine.
I offer them to you with gladness.
Look on me through the Face of Jesus and in his Heart burning with Love.

>I offer you, too, all the merits of the saints in Heaven and on earth,
Their acts of Love, and those of the Holy Angels.

>Finally, I offer You, O Blessed Trinity!
The Love and merits of the Blessed Virgin, my cherished Mother.
To her, I entrust my offering completely, imploring her to present it to you.
Her Divine Son, my Beloved Spouse, during his earthly life declared:
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give to you!”
I am certain, therefore, that you will grant my desires; I know it, O my God!
The more you want to give, the more you make us desire.
I feel in my heart immense desires and
With confidence I ask you to come and take possession of my soul.
Ah! I cannot receive Holy Communion as often as I desire,
But, Lord, are you not all-powerful?
Remain in me as in a tabernacle and never separate yourself from your little victim.

>I want to console you for the ingratitude of the wicked, and
I beg you to take my freedom to displease you away.
If through weakness I sometimes fall,
May your Divine Glance cleanse my soul immediately,
Consuming all my imperfections like fire that transforms everything into itself.

>I thank You, O my God! for all the graces that you have granted me,
Especially the grace of making me pass through the crucible of suffering.
With joy I shall contemplate you on the Last Day
Carrying the scepter of your Cross.
Since you have chosen to give me a share in this very precious Cross,
I hope in heaven to resemble you
and to see shining in my glorified body the sacred stigmata of your Passion.

>After earth’s Exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the Fatherland,
But I do not want to lay up merits for heaven.
I want to work for your Love Alone with the one purpose of pleasing you:
To console your Sacred Heart, and to save souls who will love you forever.

>In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands.
Lord, I do not ask you to count my works.
All our justice is stained in your eyes.
I wish, then, to be clothed in your own Justice
And by your Love to receive you as my eternal possession.
No other Throne, no other Crown do I want but you, my Beloved!

>Time is nothing in your eyes, and a single day is like a thousand years.
You can, then, in an instant prepare me to appear before You.

>Finally, in order to live in an act of perfect Love,
I offer myself as a victim of holocaust to your Merciful Love.
I beg you to consume me incessantly.
Allow the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within you to overflow into my soul.
In this way, make me become a Martyr of your Love, O my God!

>In the end, after it has prepared me to appear before you, may this martyrdom make me die.
May my soul take its flight without delay
Into the eternal embrace of your Merciful Love.

>I want, O my Beloved, with each beat of my heart
to renew this offering to you an infinite number of times,
until the shadows are no more, and
I am able tell you of my Love in an Eternal Face to Face!

I would highly recommend giving Story of a Soul, her autobiography, a read.

(it's later)

First, it's good that you've recognized that you're having a hard time loving yourself, and want to change that so that you can love others.

Someone mentioned therapy, and that is worth looking into. I currently see a cognitive behavioral therapist (for clinical depression) - I spent a while in an environment where I was being told by someone I loved and trusted that I wasn't good enough, couldn't do minor tasks right, wasn't trustworthy, etc. I am a positive, optimistic, relatively confident person, but after a while that stuff gets into your head because of hearing it so much. So I had to do a little relearning to think that I am lovable, that I am able to do things. Our emotions call up thoughts that reinforce those emotions; our thoughts call up emotions that go with the thoughts; it makes a loop; if you get into a bad loop, there are techniques for getting out of it and for getting into a better pattern of thinking and feeling. You could find out a little about CBT and see if that sounds like it would help.

Second, I suggest reading either Story of a Soul or Time for God (take a look on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Soul-Autobiography-Therese-Lisieux/dp/0935216588
https://www.amazon.com/Time-God-Jacques-Philippe/dp/1594170665
and go with whichever appeals to you more at the moment.)

Third, when saints love their neighbors it is as an overflow from loving God (we love God; we know God loves everyone and wants them to get to heaven; we want what God wants because when you love someone you like to please them; so we want everyone to get to heaven and we love them for God's sake). I do not think we start out by doing that... But in the long run you will want to ask God for a greater love of God, and in the short run also ask him to help you to be willing to let him love you (we love God because he loves us first. Our love is a response.)

This is a long post, so I'm putting this up front; if you read nothing else I've said, read this: Not talking about this with him is the wrong response. You absolutely must talk to him about this. Clear communication is crucial to a healthy marriage, much less a good sexual relationship.

Now, from what you say, there are probably issues for both of you here. I can't talk too much about his motivations, because we haven't heard from him, only from you--but I'll make an effort from my perspective as a husband in a moment.

First, let's take a quick look at what you've said: you find sex with your husband tedious and dirty. "Dirty" is a problem--a significant one--because marital sex is anything but dirty. To live chastely within marriage is to have marital sex. Marital sex is a reflection of Christ's love for the Church, and the love within the Godhead. It's a sacramental act of unity and life. You absolutely must abandon this notion that sex with your husband is dirty, but it won't be easy. Labeling sex as "dirty" is an easy way we repel our sexual desire when embracing it is sinful (e.g., as teenagers and when we're engaged). Forget that label. Sex isn't dirty. Extramarital sex is sinful; sex within marriage is a gift from God to express love and intimacy with our entire selves (body and soul).

The tedium of sex may be tied to several different issues. I do want to ask about the frequency of your intercourse: from what you say, it sounds like you're having sex regularly (daily a few months ago, several times per week now). Does that mean that you are not practicing NFP and periodic abstinence? Are you instead trying to have children now, or are you using artificial contraceptives?

I ask because artificial contraceptives, aside from being sinful, are known to have detrimental side effects in your sex life. Condoms reduce sensation for both parties. Hormonal contraceptives reduce your sex drive and (based on studies in other primates) may reduce your natural desirability to your mate. If this is the situation, it could contribute to his disinterest and your boredom.

Are you experiencing painful intercourse? My wife struggled with intercourse for our first year of marriage because she had conditions called vaginismus and vestibulodynia, which caused the whole experience to be excruciating rather than pleasant. We made a joint, sincere effort using multiple methods to reduce those conditions and improve her experience for months before we saw any real progress. That can be another factor.

What is your general attitude toward sex? Have you ever found it remotely pleasurable? If not, have you spoken to your husband about your experience in the bedroom? Or are you treating sex like a solemn duty you must perform so that he feels fulfilled? The entire process of human marital sex is for both husband and wife to enjoy it. In a technical sense, neither one of you "must" enjoy it in order for the other to do so, but it is more enjoyable for both of you if you both enjoy it. If you have ever felt pleasure during intercourse, talk to your husband about that--ask him to pursue that before satisfying himself. Satisfying him sexually is easy; satisfying you sexually probably takes a little work, and that should be a worthwhile pursuit.

Now, on to him for a moment. My guess is that he loves you. If he was unchaste before dating you, then he didn't marry you just to have sex with you (because he didn't have to get married to have sex); from what you have said, he remained chaste while dating you and engaged to you, too. Which means he does love you, but he may not know quite what that means (or should mean). Again, talk to him about his actions, about how you feel, about how he feels. Talk to him about your marriage, about your future together.

On the pornography: it almost definitely predates your marriage and your relationship and is absolutely never your fault. That's on him. You didn't hold a gun to his head and force him to do it, and even if you had, he still shouldn't have done it. Never blame yourself for this. I know that's difficult to accept, but it's the truth. He, and only he, is responsible for his sins. If you're the coldest wife in the world who refuses sex for twenty years straight, watching pornography and masturbating would still be his sins.

The most important thing here is for both of you to come to a real, clear understanding of what married life within the Church is. You need to read about the Theology of the Body. Here is a short, relatively easy book on the subject. Here is the longer book behind that book. Here is a tome with the religious and philosophical underpinnings of it all. Here is a short video and here is a long one. Others will hopefully post other resources (podcasts, videos, books, etc.). This is critical. It sounds like you and your husband both are lacking important information about how marriage works in the Catholic Church.

The second most important thing is for you to improve your communication with your husband. Here is a box set of short books that can help with that (these significantly improved communication between my wife and I). I've also seen these at a local library.

Your husband needs to commit to improving your marriage as much as you do. You must talk to him as soon as possible. Don't put it off. He should know that something is wrong, especially if he's choosing pornography over you.

More details will enable us to help you more, but nothing will help as much as clear communication with your husband and a dedication to building the best marriage possible.

Hi there! Thanks for giving us a look!

The central "thing" about Catholicism is that we are the continuation of the Church that Christ founded on his Apostles/Peter. By looking at the history of Christianity, I think you'll find that statement is true (like I did).

I'm a cradle Catholic, but I never really looked into or practiced my faith that much. One day, I thought I'd have myself a go and try to disprove religion. Religion is just holding us back as a society right? So let me start at the top of the ladder. I tried to disprove theism in general.

Couldn't do it.

Ok, let me disprove Christianity then.

Couldn't do it.

Dang, can I at least prove that Catholicism isn't the true form of Christianity?

LOL, nope. I ended up having a much stronger connection to my faith. Presently, I am discerning the priesthood. I thank God every day that He allowed me to have such arrogance as to think "I can disprove God!" and travel down that rabbit hole. I came out with a profound love and trust for God. It was stressful and hair-pulling, but worth it!

I, for one, am a reader. Literature is what brought me back to the Church. There area many works which I would recommend:

• a small encyclical by Pope John Paul II called Fides et Ratio, or Faith and Reason in Latin. This very short book is about how faith and human reason are not opposed to each other! Faith and reason are two wings of the same dove on which man ascends to God. It's a very simple, yet important thing to read, and sets the stage for Catholic philosophy and theology.
  
  
• The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin. Jimmy converted to Catholicism after being a Baptist. This amazing book shows historical documents from the Early Church and shows how the Church Fathers, those who studied under the Apostles themselves, prove that Catholicism is the true form of Christianity.
  
  
• The Protestant's Dilemma is a fantastic read. It points to the inconsistencies in Protestantism and how such a religion cannot work. After I finished this book, I realized that every branch of Protestantism was false, and that the only true religion could be either Catholicism or Orthodoxy.
  
  
• Jesus, Peter, and the Keys convinced me Catholicism was true and Orthodoxy was false because of its denial of the Papacy. I was hooked.
  
  
• In your situation, specifically with the attachment to Our Lady that you have, Behold Your Mother is a beautiful read. It's written by Tim Staples, another Catholic convert who converted his whole family to the Church. Tim explains why Catholics love Mary so much, and where all our fancy Mary doctrines come from. I think you would benefit greatly from this read!
  
  Finally, Catholic Answers has a YouTube channel. They have a 2 hour show every weekday in which they answer questions from Catholics and non-Catholics, and upload these questions as short videos. Any question you have should be answered here.
  
  There are many other books you could look into, but we don't want to scare you away! We have almost 2,000 years of material to read.

Another fair point. So, a clip here, so you don't even need to leave Reddit.

>...

>#Our Argument in Brief

>To orient readers, let me summarize the claims we defend in our book.

>Marriage is a human good with its own structure, like knowledge or friendship. The present debate is not a debate about whom to let marry, but about what marriage (the human good that the law has reasons to track) really is. Two answers compete for legal enshrinement.

>The first, driving the push for same-sex marriage, is that a certain emotional intimacy makes a marriage. But as our book shows, this answer can’t coherently distinguish marriage from companionship, an obviously broader category. So it gets marriage (the human good) wrong.

>The second view of marriage begins from basics. Any voluntary form of community involves common action; it unites people toward common ends in the context of commitment. And in these respects, what sets marital community apart is its comprehensiveness: in (1) how it unites people, (2) what it unites them with respect to, and (3) how extensive a commitment it demands.

>First, marriage unites people in their bodies as well as their minds. Just as your organs are one body by coordinating for the biological good of the whole (your survival), so a man and woman’s bodies unite by coordination (in sexual intercourse) for a biological good (reproduction) of the couple as a whole. No other activity makes of two people “one flesh.”

>Second, as the act that makes marital love also makes new life, so marriage itself is uniquely enriched and extended by the bearing and rearing of children, and the wide sharing of family life.

>Third, because of its comprehensiveness in both these senses, marriage alone requires comprehensive (permanent and exclusive) commitment, whatever the partners’ tastes.

>The stability of marriage, so understood, best ensures that children will know the committed love of those whose union brought them forth. This gives them the best shot at becoming healthy and happy people, which affects every other social good. That is why every society with the merest ambition to thrive has socially regulated male-female sexual bonds: to shore up the stabilizing norms of marriage, on which social order rests.

>If marriage is redefined (in law, and hence in public opinion and practice) as simple companionship for adult fulfillment, then, for reasons to be explained, it will be harder to live by its norms and urge them on others. And this will harm the social goods that hook society into regulating marriage in the first place.

>Besides defending these claims, my coauthors and I answer the most common objections to the historic view of marriage. And we show how society can uphold that view without ignoring the needs, undermining the social dignity, or curbing the fulfillment of same-sex attracted people.

>#Misreadings

>...

I end the clip at that point from this article as this is a succinct presentation of their book, What Is Marriage?

I actually deconverted from Catholicism in college. I'm a revert.

I never got into into the party culture. I'm really against drinking and doing drugs, and I've always been skeptical of sex outside of a committed relationship and those morals stuck with me even after I deconverted from Christianity. What I did encounter was a lot of intellectual arguments against religion that I couldn't answer. However, what I also eventually discovered was that most of those objections had been heard before and responded to, at least in some manner.

So, here's my semi-comprehensive list of apologetics apologetics resources that I've accumulated over the years.

IMHO, the following books cover all the essentials very well and are probably must reads. You can buy used or online copies of them relatively cheaply, under 20 dollars if you're in the US. Check out Trent Horn's Answering Atheism, How the Catholic Church Built Western Civ, Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (you can probably get Mere Christianity at your at public library), and What is Marriage? Man and Woman a Defense for defending the concept of natural marriage. You should also read How to Argue which is a free pdf. I haven't researched abortion apologetics as extensively as other areas but I know Trent Horn has some books on those.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm not going to say you should read all of my remaining recommendations but I'm putting the rest out there for you so you know they exist.

Now, no list of apologtics is going to cover every argument about Christianity so I would also recommend some online resources. www.reddit.com/r/Catholicism is an amazing forum. It has tons of Catholics who are way more knowledgable and experienced that me who can answer questions and stuff. You may or may not have heard of it ;). I also recommend William Lane Craig's site: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/question-answer. Again, Craig is a protestant so don't look to him for a defense of Catholicism. However, he's good when it comes to defending the basics of Christianity from atheism. Catholic Answers is good. Fr Barron is good. Strange Notions can be good, I link to it in my last paragraph.

The exact relationship between faith and reason was my biggest stumbling block on the road back to Catholicism, so I have some good recommendations on that topic. I recommend the papal encycle Fides et Ratio and How the Catholic Church Built Western Civ. Plantinga's book Where the Conflict Really Lies is also popular and uses evolution to make an interesting argument against materialism. Plantinga's not a Catholic so I don't know how well they would square with Catholic philosophies like Thomism, but, yeah, he exists. He also wrote this giant essay on faith and science, which was helpful. The book God and the Philosophers is pretty good too, it's an anthology of different Christian philosophers and talks about how they converted to Christianity.

Some comprehensive (but expensive) books by non-Catholics include The Blackwell Companion to natural theology by William Lane Craig (not a Catholic). I've heard good things about Richard Swinburne's apologetics trilogy The Coherence of Theism, The Existence of God, and Faith and Reason. Swinburne is Eastern Orthodox, just for the record.

I want to give a special shoutout to Edward Fesser. He's a secular atheist philosopher who converted to Catholicism. You can read his conversion story here. He also has a blog that you can google. Fesser also wrote a bunch of books that are highly recommended by people on this sub, although I haven't read them.

Also.... forgot this bit:

>Also does anyone else's parish ring the church bells and open the doors when the consecration happens? Because they seemed to be doing that and it was awesome.

This is a very old custom. Many old Churches the doors faced east. Since early altars were free standing, the priest would serve Mass Ad Orientem; that is, toward the east, as well as facing the people, or Ad Populum. In the early Christian cult it was common to open the doors, and the whole congregation would turn to the east. I do not think this particularly took place during the consecration, but at the rising of the sun, as Mass was typically held in the morning. The rising of the sun had an important symbolism in early Christianity.

Interestingly this would mean that the people would turn their backs to the priest! Today we have the discussion about whether or not the priests back should be to the people. Of course the idea is for all people, including the priest to be facing east; toward Jerusalem and our Lord's Calvary; toward the rising of the sun; and toward His coming again in glory.

Of course things have changed, and now when we think of Ad Orientem we think of facing either the direction of true east, or to Liturgical East - that is, the tabernacle, which in many churches is not even on the eastern wall. Yet the custom of opening the doors to the sunlight during Mass has been held on to as a custom in many places.

The ringing of the bells is also a very common custom. In the same way the sanctus bells are rung by the server to let the congregation know that Our Lord is making Himself truly present, the Church bells let those outside know what terrific mystery is happening at the altar inside. In many devout places people will stop and kneel outside while the bells ring in respect for the consecration. This is also where the custom of crossing oneself while passing a church to pay respect to the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle comes from that is so very common in Spanish, Latino, and Hispanic culture.

To read more of Ad Orientem you can read wiki's page here. They do the subject justice, even while it is wikipedia. Any google search will give you a wealth of information as well, and many people's opinions on why they prefer it or think it superior.

If you are interested in the development of the Mass I recommend Fr. Adrian Fortescue, The Mass: A Study of the Roman Liturgy. He goes into excellent depth into the development from what the first Christians celebrated, all the way to his own time in the early 20th century.

To learn about the development of the Mass since, I recommend Msgr. Klaus Gamber's The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background

You would have experienced the same during other prayers. Getting distracted while praying is normal for most people. However, just because you're get distracted doesn't mean you stop praying. A solder, a prayer warrior, must press on.

The prayer ‘Hail Mary’ comes directly from the bible, it’s the angelic salutation give to Mary at the annunciation (Luke 1:28). The second part of the Hail Mary is from the greeting of Elizabeth, cousin of Mary. (Luke 1:42) Ask yourself this question, if an angel can say that why should you mind repeating that? If a New Testament saint can say that why should you mind repeating that?

The ‘Holy Mary’ was added later during the Middle Ages which Europe was suffering for the black plague, as a last resort for hope.

Let’s talk about praying God directly.
What is the best way to approach a king with a petition? Do you go by yourself or would you rather have some meditator present?

I hope we can agree that having a meditator makes your position better. A meditator knows the rules and requirements of the royal court. The meditator knows what is lacking in you and your petition. The meditator helps in bridge the gap.

So it is with God, one can approach Him directly but having a mediator helps.
Now, in any court who would be the best mediator? The simple answer is the Queen. She is only second to the king in the royal court.

Does heaven have a queen? Revelation 12, describes a women. Heavenly imagery; sun, moon and stars; is used to describe her. She is crowned. I don’t about you but seems like a heavenly queen or Queen of heaven. But who could it be?

She gives birth to a male child who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. This male child most biblical scholar will agree is Jesus. That makes his mother the queen. Who is this queen, the mother of Jesus? It’s Mary, the mother of God. Now ask yourself, why pray with a handicap when you can have the queen on your side?
I would recommend you to read, The Secret of The Rosary by St Louis de Monfort or another of his treatise on Mary.

PS: The David Dynastic had a special office for the queen mother.

Ave Marie.

My husband and I have been following the Creighton method for the past year. It's been working perfectly for us so far. It does take a while to grow accustomed to your baseline as well as to remember to make observations so frequently -- but it's absolutely worth it. Charting has been a remarkable discovery process for us. It's significantly opened our communication and comfort with one another [an unexpected benefit!] and it's been an excellent indicator of my health and stress levels.

We've been extremely happy with our instructor (you'll need one). There's information about where to find them here: http://www.creightonmodel.com/teacherlocation.htm

If you are using the pill or any type of hormonal contraceptive, I'm fairly certain that it will throw off your charting. I'm not sure you will be able to obtain any useful information about what is happening with your cycle if it is being altered by artificial hormone. You will definitely want to bring that up with your instructor early on.

It is a rough road early on and it can be a bit overwhelming, but I would encourage you to stick with it and jump over those initial hurdles. Once you are comfortable with your cycle you will be so thankful that you stuck it out.

One book that we really enjoyed is Holy Sex by Gregory Popcak. There's quite a lot of information in there outside of NFP methods, but he gives a number of excellent reasons to live NFP. This might help your conversation with your husband more than presenting the different types of methods, because it provides solid reasons for WHY NFP is worth doing:
http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Sex-Toe-Curling-Mind-Blowing-Infallible/dp/0824524713/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381956887&sr=8-1&keywords=holy+sex

The answer is no (as many people have already said). However, the question is interesting.

• Reading or hearing the whole Bible is a good goal. I read it through myself some years ago, and it was satisfying.
  
• But, it's not really edifying. The Bible just can't be absorbed that way. It's a huge, sprawling collection of ancient texts. Too strange to absorb like a beach novel.
  
• By the same token, hearing 80% or 90% (whatever %) read at Mass, out of order, isn't going to be a very effective Bible Study.
  
• On the other hand, Mass isn't Bible Study. That's an idea we should guard against.
  
• I realize that many people praise the new post-conciliar Lectionary because it includes a big percentage of Bible. My response is: What makes that a good thing? Is it because now Catholics know the Bible better? ~SNORT~ Is it because now Catholics understand Christianity better? ~SNORT~
  
• In fact, the old Missale Romanum, with its Top 50 approach, probably did a much better job of teaching Catholics what they need to know. Kinda like the stained glass and the statues: The Basics. What You Need.
  
• Anyway, Bible Study is good clean fun and I recommend it to anyone. FYI, NAB and NIB are very good resources.

>Am I supposed to have one?

It's not required, but it can be helpful. I don't have a specific one, but I receive spiritual direction often in various ways.

>I'm discerning but I don't understand why I need a specific 'spiritual director' as many people on here seem to suggest. Why can't I just talk to other trusted friends, colleagues and my priest?

You can. Spiritual friendships can act as spiritual direction, and spiritual direction can come in many forms. When I go to confession, the priest often (not always -- and not always asked for) gives pertinent and penetrating advice.

>Why does it have to be one particular person?

It doesn't.

> When i'm really struggling with spiritual matters, I just go to adoration and put my questions and struggles to Christ and everything starts to make sense.

That's great! I also find that adoration is a great consolation.

>Why can't God be our spiritual director?

Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is our true spiritual director. We use human ones in order to get some objectivity on certain matters, if needed. Spiritual direction is important in growing in the spiritual life, but your spiritual director may take many forms as you grow in the spiritual life.

A great book on this is Fr Dubay's Seeking Spiritual Direction.

I've personally noticed that this sub (and elsewhere) often advises spiritual direction as a kind of shorthand for four things:

• individual may be scrupulous
  
  
• individual may be suffering from mental health issues (though this more properly addressed by a mental health professional)
  
  
• individual's issue is so complex that it needs individual attention and not advice from the internet hive mind
  
  
• individual is discerning a call to the religious life

Dr. Edward Sri's Men, Women, and the Mystery of Love is probably the best introduction to John Paul II's Theology of the Body. It's very accessible, while also giving a thorough explanation. Here it is on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Men-Women-Mystery-Love-Responsibility/dp/0867168404

Augustine's autobiography, Confessions, is the great classic on finding forgiveness and allowing God to heal wounds. He's pretty theological about talking about his own life, though, which might be difficult for someone just getting in. Luckily, Louis de Wohl's The Restless Flame adapts the story into a modern novel, and it's super awesome. Here that is on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Restless-Flame-Novel-about-Augustine/dp/0898706033/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509815450&sr=1-1

The lives of the saints is a fantastic way to get a better understanding of what a Catholic's life looks like. St. Therese's autobiography, Story of a Soul, ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/0935216588/sr=1-1-spons/qid=1509815650/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1509815650&sr=1-1-spons ) is probably the easiest modern autobiography of a saint to read. Some other great biographies include St. Athanasius' Life of St. Anthony ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/1536859249/sr=1-1/qid=1509815706/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1509815706&sr=1-1 ), and G. K. Chesterton's St. Francis of Assisi ( https://archive.org/details/francisofassisi00chesuoft ).

I definitely second the recommendation of reading the New Testament! The Catechism is also a great resource for the details of the faith.

But if, u/powrightinthe_kissa, you find the Catechism a bit overwhelming, I would also like to recommend some other books by some popular authors on the faith, to give a broader overview. Any one of these books would be great so feel free to pick out one or two of what I recommended for your consideration.

Our previous pope, Pope Benedict, was an amazing theologian! He wrote some excellent books. I would recommend Jesus of Nazareth and Introduction to Christianity.

Mere Christianity is a great explanation of general Christian theology and the Christian narrative of the world. The apologetics of Mere Christianity are a bit watered down so I wouldn't read it for its apologetics (for that I would go to other authors, like Fesser or Craig) but Mere Christianity is great for basic theology.

Fr. Barron is also a great explainer of the faith, I hear Word on Fire would provide a good introduction.

You are under no obligation to be used by her to bear children. It is just as bad for her to do that to you as it is if you were using her just for sexual gratification. So no, if she approached you for sex like that, don't have sex with her like that. That's rape. She is raping you. You are morally obligated to refuse to be used like that because to indulge her is to enable her vice.

As with therapy, she's not your parent. She is your wife. No one gets to say no to their spouse's needs. In marriage both spouse's needs have to be mutually considered as equal. You argue only how and when, never the what. So she doesn't just get to tell you to tolerate the status quo. She gets to say "Hey, I don't know about this solution. How about this one instead?" Any "no, your needs get to be ignored" is a violation of the marital vows.

You both appear to be having some serious personal issues. While I don't like the term codependency and think attachment theory is more accurate, your enabling behavior is something you need to work on. You have to develop personal boundaries or you will struggle to have healthy relationships at all. She probably has some pretty deep wounds too regarding sex. (BTW, I've been in your shoes in this regard)

So the thing is, you can use this to work together to mutually heal, or she can continue to deny you have a problem and abandon you, while you get the actual help you need. But don't exclude her from the opportunity. You don't need to divorce her just yett. That's if you need to separate assets or seek an annullment. The first step is therapy, and it'll help you even if she abandons you and continues to say no to your needs.

I personally recommend the Pastorial Solutions Institute. https://www.catholiccounselors.com/
Telecounseling is absolutely great. It's a whole lot easier to make appointments. That said, therapy can be expensive.

If you want a more affordable option, check out Faithful Counseling. This is a group of Christian Counselors who do counseling through the larger Betterhelp.com app. The fees are a lot less expensive because of the lower overhead costs. I'd recommend betterhelp, but I think some Christian background would better considering your moral struggles with sex. https://www.faithfulcounseling.com

Regardless, you want to find a marriage friendly therapist who is trained in actual marriage therapy. They should be able to name the method they were taught. It needs to be post graduate. The type of method doesn't matter. And you need to find out their view on marriage. Most therapists take a neutral view on it. Believe it or not, they don't see their job as saving marriages. They see their jobs as helping people figure out their needs, communicate better, and become happier whether the marriage survives or not. It's a bit like going to a therapist who is neutral on suicide. You're depressed and having suicidal thoughts, and they might be like "Well, maybe it's legitimate. What's holding you back?" Marriage friendly therapist will better identify the hope and encourage you, while acknowledging that some marriages can't be saved. (In which case, you can seek your annullment with greater confidence)

If you do go with the Pastorial Institute, get Dr. Popcak's book (Holy Sex)[https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Sex-Toe-Curling-Mind-Blowing-Infallible/dp/0824524713]. Call it your Catholic guide to sexual morality in marriage if you're working with a Protestant therapist.

Another book to consider (though I haven't read it. I've read a related book) is the book ("Avoidant: How to Love or Leave a Dismissive Partner")[https://www.amazon.com/Avoidant-Love-Leave-Dismissive-Partner-ebook]

The big thing is that this isn't about love languages. Some people have insecure attachment styles. Some have anxious attachment styles that cause them to chase after and pander to the demands of their partner. If their partner has an anxious avoidant attachment style, this actually causes them to flee their partner.

Most Christian marriage books don't touch on these issues at all and give you HORRIBLE advice if you have attachment problems. The advice often makes the situation WORSE.

So therapy. Go. Because it's not just about leaving. It's about healing. Even if she decides she's not going or that she's going to leave you instead if you advocate for yourself, it makes it clearer what's happening. She's been saying no to her wedding vows constantly. You need to assert your needs and see if she'll actually say yes. That MEANS you've done all the OPPOSITE things you should be doing. You've been giving more when you should be GIVING LESS. Like it or not, all those people who say "Marriage isn't 50/50, it's 100/100" don't know what the heck that 50/50 is trying to correct in people. I mean, yes, give marriage 100% effort, but 50% is not effort. 50/50 s about making sure the relationship is one of reciprocal love.

Good luck. It worked for my husband and I.

Alrightyyyyyyy. Let's get to it. By no means take my word to be truth, but I will try to answer your questions to the best of my ability. If anyone sees where I've messed up, call me out on it.
First off, I am incredibly glad to see your enthusiasm! As someone only slightly older than you, it really makes me happy to see someone even slightly interested in the Faith.

1. Church teaching on homosexuality is also something I struggle with. The CCC shows us through [ccc 2357-2359] that we are called to respect and love homosexuals just like any other person. That does not mean we should condone them living in sin or turning away from God's teachings. Here is an interesting article about homosexuals living a chaste, religious life. Ultimately, the writer concludes that he is happy with the grace God has given him and has learned to live the Church's teaching on homosexuality despite his own desires.
   
   
2. From my understanding, the Church has not made any official statement on belief in evolution. As far as I can tell, it comes down to your own personal beliefs. Now as to why God would allow so much pain to happen through creation is beyond me. You may want to check out "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis. [ccc 403] indicates that our human suffering comes from Adam's pride leading to Original Sin. By turning our back to God, we destined ourselves to a life of misery. Perhaps through this mechanism, natural selection has caused so much pain...? Grasping at straws here.
   
   
3. Though I think the view of how people go to Hell is pleasant, I do not believe it meshes with Catholic teaching. [ccc 1021] shows us that Man is judged by his acts while alive. Not his post-mortem decisions. And Hell is not what modern-culture tells us. It is not Satan's kingdom where he rules with impunity and punishes the wicked. He too is punished there. Hell's pain is caused by an absence of God's love, not punishment by demons. When those in Hell chose to turn their backs to God's teachings, they chose to alienate themselves from God's love. Dante's description of Hell is allegorical and by no means Church Cannon.
   
   I hope I have helped even slightly with your questions and hopefully other users will be able to offer a different insight into this for you. Feel free to ask any questions. Best of luck!

Moar rosary!

But really though, if you read the Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort, what he recommends is to, when you begin meditating on a mystery, take some time to mediate on what that mystery is and ask the Holy Spirit to help you focus on <insert virtue> as exhibited by Our Lord and or Our Lady in the mystery. (or, ask the Holy Spirit to help you focus on the virtue you most need). Additionally, he says make sure you have an intention when you pray the rosary. A good intention is for an increase in virtue. Grab a copy of the Secret of the Rosary, read up, and then arm yourself with this spiritual sword and prepare for battle! https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rosary-St-Louis-Monfort/dp/0895550563

Don't feel bad if you begin not finishing one every day. Do your best each day, even if it is just one decade. There is still fruit there. Prayer is like a muscle, keep exercising it and you will be able to pray more.

I also recommend, for humility specifically, reading Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary Da Bergamo. https://www.amazon.com/Humility-Heart-Cajetan-Mary-Bergamo/dp/0895557665/

It seems to me most of your argument comes from your last source. A quick look at one of the amazon reviews states this:

>All that said ... the book just isn't that good. Start with the fact that one of the arguments it presents concerns the abrogation of the old rite as a fact (response to Question 5); I got my copy just a matter of days before Benedict XVI said that it wasn't. The authors reached their conclusion by overreading the evidence. Moreover, the book throughout engages things at what I'm afraid is often a very superficial level. I guess there's a reason that some traditionalists call their opponents "positivists", because there's more than a trace of it here. Add in the facts that the writing is at best pedestrian and the arguments (when presented) wander all over the place. It's not a happy picture.

As we now know today, this is simply not true at all. As Summorum Pontificum states.

>I would like to draw attention to the fact that this Missal was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in principle, was always permitted.

With regards to your comments on lex orandi, lex credendi and the Novus Ordo. You have defined something without addressing the real concern. The Novus Ordo is so broad in it's allowances in the ruberics that if you go to every Novus Ordo Parish in your average city, you will find that it is celebrated in a completely different way. This is not "interculturation," being from a different neighborhood does not constitute a different culture.

Some parishes will have guitars, some a choir, some a piano and a soloist, and so on and so on. They of course get permission to do this from a liberal interpretation of the Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium. And the reason for having these variations in the music is not to lift the mind and heart to God, but it is based on the pleasure it gives the people.

A proper reading of Sacrosanctum Concilium would have to take into consideration prior documents such as Musicae Sacrae issued by Pius XII in 1955 which states:

>Which music finds itself in religious ritual must not be based upon the pleasure it gives the congregation but upon whether it lifts the minds and souls of the congregation to God. It is very easy for musicians who are not properly refined or educated to assume that eliciting emotions from people is the same as causing a "religious experience."

So a proper and honest music ministry would make serious attempts to implement Gregorian Chant which Sacrosanctum Concilium states should be given pride of place, and the prior documents on music should be considered before any apparent allowance implied in the document issued.

Sacrosanctum Concilium also states that Latin should be preserved as the language of worship, and although certain allowances seem to be made, you should consider the prior documents on the language in the liturgy before changing parts from Latin to the vernacular language.

In other areas, nearly every Novus Ordo parish distributes communion on the hand (never called for my Vatican II), removed altar rails, high altars, set the tabernacle to the side, (also not called for my Vatican II), and says the mass entirely in the vernacular (also not called for by Vatican II). Did you hear that? If you say the mass entirly in the venacular you are not taking into consideration previous documents on latin in the liturgy. You're not even taking into consideration Sacrosanctum Concilium itself.

I'm sorry but The Pope, the Council, and the Mass: Answers to Questions the “Traditionalists” is not an "academic" book, it's an attempt at apologetics directed to the general lay public that is obviously slanted against what it calls "traditionalists." I don't have my copy of The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background to draw upon right now but if you are serious about your academic pursuits on this issue I suggest you pick yourself up a copy.

Hi LaPieuse, and congratulations on your continued movement to the Catholic Church.

Natural Family Planning is a beautiful way to increase communication and intimacy with your spouse. It requires a bit of discipline, as you will be very closely tracking your cycle and NFP requires chastity and abstinence at times, but the reward is great.

For your research, I highly recommend:

• The Marquette Method
  
  
• Marquette's NFP Forum
  
  
• The Clearblue Fertility Monitor
  
  Regarding your husband's concern, I understand the natural fear that comes with bringing a child into this world. Remember, though, that fear is not from the Lord.
  
  A question I believe you both have to ask yourself, however, is, "Are we really not prepared to raise a child, or is it just inconvenient for us right now?"
  
  My wife and I wanted to wait at least two years after our marriage before we would attempt to have children. Fortunately, that mentality barely lasted but a few months, and we have been trying for children ever since. We are financially secure, but I would not consider us "well off" or "rich" by any stretch of the imagination. We simply know how to live below our means.
  
  If you would like further study on the Catholic Church's teaching regarding marriage, human sexuality, and children, I highly recommend studying St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body. You can also Google or YouTube "Theology of the Body" for talks from dynamic speakers that introduce you to the "good news about sex and marriage."
  
  Prayers for you and your spouse on your journey.

I am confused what 'fallen in'' means and what your grandparents have to do with your question about your step-brother (or brother?).

Regarding your question, it seems that since your brother(s) is already 16, it is too late to have your mom make them get the sacraments. The spiritual life is now something that he needs to take ownership. Obviously, the love and guidance of you and your mom may help him in this endeavor.

In any case, I would encourage you to live and love the faith. Nothing changes hearts better than example (with God's grace, of course).
It seems that your mother is not the spiritual type. Evangelizing one's own family is a very difficult thing to do. I would talk with your mother about the spiritual life. Help her see that while she may have provided things like food and shelter (which are very good things), that isn't enough. Tell her that you realize in your own life, that need more than just physical life, but spiritual life too. You can tactfully extend this to your brothers whom you love. Over the course of some time, along with your own example and prayers, maybe she will see her responsibility to nourish her children's spiritual lives. You can also lovingly talk to your brothers. Also some books might help, they helped me when I first starting thinking about the spiritual life. My Daily Bread, The Faith Explained, Story of a Soul

>Anything you advise or any prayer(s)/prayer books?

There's the Rosary, of course. I find it helps to visualize the event associated with each decade before beginning it. If you were standing there, what would you say to Mary? This Irish priest walks you through the prayers, and gives some framing to each decade. You might find other versions of the Rosary on YouTube that you like, too. You never have to pray it alone.

I'm not sure what books are available to you. This is one of the best books I've read about the Rosary. Along more classical lines, you might like this book about Mary, or this one.

>thinking and praying for the intercession of the Holy Family brings me a lot of comfort. My favorite icons are the ones with the Holy Family or of the Theotokos holding Baby Jesus.

You might like some other images, e.g., L'innocence, by Bouguereau; Adoration Of The Child by Correggio. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to surround yourself with too much good Catholic art. :-)

What sort of budget are you working with? I've been very fond of my Didache Study Bible in the RSV-2CE translation, alongside the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Your best, most traditional Catholic Bible would probably be to get the Haydock Commentary version of the Douay-Rheims, but that one is expensive/hard to come by, and maybe not the most readable for the new convert.

In short, I recommend the Didache Bible in RSV-2CE translation:

• Leather Bound version here - $56
  
• Hardback version here - $30
  
  
  The commentaries are heavy on referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church -
  
  
  
• Catechism of the Catholic Church - Hardcover - $34
  
  
• Catechism of the Catholic Church - Paperback - $12
  
  
  Good luck, and please keep asking questions. :) And welcome to the Church!

33 days to Morning Glory is an excellent book that takes a look at Marian consecration from the view of 4 great Saints. This author has also written a few other amazing books. The journaling you do with this program is life-changing. The website is pretty great too, the last I checked (a few years ago).

And then of course there is the Montefort classic True Devotion to Mary which is what many many people from laypersons to popes have used to consecrate themselves.

Give either book a read through and talk with your local priest. Also lots of prayer. Like, LOTS of prayer. Also I've been slowly feeling a call back to Catholicism and back to my Consecration, so thank you for your post.

There are several good ones. As a Protestant, I am sure you would appreciate the biblical background, so here are some I recommend:

1. Walking with Mary (Sri is an excellent theologian whose writing is very accessible).
   
2. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary (Pitre is also very good. While I haven’t read this, if it’s like any of his other books, it will be excellent.)
   
3. Hail Holy Queen (A a popular classic, also listed above).
   
4. Rethinking Mary in the New Testament (A new in-depth treatment focusing on the Biblical background).
   
   You really can’t go wrong with any of these titles. Just check out the descriptions and reviews and see which one you like best.

Perhaps read St. Louis de Monfort's book for help.

Don't give up on Our Lady or on the rosary, many important spiritual benefits await you when you have devotion to the Blessed Mother. You can even ask Her for help to understand Her role.

But yes, I understand wanting to start with things you are comfortable with. That is also how I started, since not all of the devotions were understandable to me to begin with.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I do think appealing to the natural / biological realities of our bodies as fundamental to our ethical and theological beliefs can appeal to people. It's pretty undeniable that, biologically speaking, the purpose of our sex organs is to procreate.

Anyway, I think I see the point you're making, as well. I think I will leave it at that, but if you haven't already read this book I will recommend it to you because I think it's interesting and helpful on the topic of marriage.

for #5, I'd definitely check out Scott Hahn's talk on Mary and Brant Pitre's book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary. I'd also read about some Saints and their writings on the Eucharist and try to see how they lived Sacramental lives. Here's a great website to have as a reference on the Eucharist, which also has a section at the bottom on Saints and the Eucharist + Miracles.

I'd also learn more about what the Mass is and how different parts of the Mass tie into Scripture. Even the responses and prayers that happen throughout the Mass tie back into Scripture (from the Sanctuary Lamp in Leviticus to Centurion's confession). It will really enrich your experience every week at Mass and help you learn to pray the Mass and prepare you more to receive the Eucharist every time. I'd give Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's The Spirit of the Liturgy a read one day too in the future. I always found it so beautiful how the "New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New". When you reflect on it, Christians across the centuries have always been drawn into this beautiful mystery in a very special way at every Mass and you can see their responses to God's love across the ages in the Saints. We're very fortunate to be a part of this communion and mystery. As was Christ's divinity hidden in the Cross, there he is also "hidden" in the Mass, within the Tabernacles across the world, and with us after every Holy Communion. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 has been one of my favorites to reflect along with this.

I stayed at a monastery for the Royal, Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives for quite some time discerning.

It was wonderful. I loved all the friars, priests, and sisters that I met. I love working with children, and they were connected to a school which we visited on a few occasions to teach the very young children biblical stories. I enjoyed morning and evening prayer, and on Saturdays they would sing the Salve in community. I loved that they wore their habits, and the charisms of the Order. There was so many aspects to enjoy.

Though I loved it, I never took it further since I had a few hang-ups. The monastery was too loud and busy, I am drawn to something a little more contemplative, or at least with that as a partial focus. I also feel I may have a calling for fatherhood, so that had to be weighed in. The Order also celebrated the Ordinary Form in the monastery itself. I was drawn to the Mercedarians because of their more traditional aspects and the fact that they celebrated the Extraordinary Form at their nearby parish. The daily Mass in the monastery left me feeling profoundly sad and spiritually drained. I decided these factors were enough to discontinue my stay and discernment there.

Books I have found helpful in discernment:

• Divine Intimacy
  
  
• A Year With the Church Fathers
  
  
• My Imitation of Christ
  
  
• Story of a Soul
  
  And books I could not live without:
  
  
• My Daily Missal
  
  
• Monastic Dirunal
  
  
• The Blessed Sacrament Prayer Book
  
  Books that have helped me come to a deeper understanding of the faith, and help me, not only grow as a Catholic, but orient my mind as one living in the modern world:
  
  
• The Mass
  
  
• The Holy Mass Explained
  
  
• Turning Toward the Lord

Now that's a hard question to answer, mainly because there isn't one answer to it. Some part are allegory, some are literal, and others heavily dependent on the cultural context. The best way to view the Bible is not as one book, but rather as a library. In terms of how to view specific parts, a great way to examine this is to look at how the Church Fathers viewed the passage.

A great Bible for this purpose is the New American Bible which includes many helpful footnotes that can shed a lot of light on passages.

> Where do i start? With the bible? And if so, which version of the bible does the catholic church approve of?

Any accurate translation will do, but a good translation produced under the auspices of the Church itself is the New American Bible. It is the closest to what you would hear read at Mass. Two other versions which have been approved for proclamation in the liturgy are the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition and the Knox Version. The New Revised Standard Version, generally considered by scholars to be the most accurate overall, is approved for private study.

Some very nostalgic people here will likely recommend the Douay-Rheims version. This is basically the Catholic equivalent of the King James Version—effectively the only English translation anyone read up to the 20th Century. It was originally a word-for-word translation of the standard Latin translation, but what people usually read today is an 18th Century revision by a bishop who didn't hesitate to borrow renderings from the KJV. My own opinion is that it is very obscure and its literary qualities are overrated.

Cradle Catholic here. Attended Latin Mass last Sunday and was extremely lost throughout most of the liturgy (relatively new to the Latin liturgy). So I can confirm that we Catholics share in your distress in our own ways. Take it as an initiative to learn and study more about the faith, BUT... know that you are not now, nor will ever be judged as an "outsider" among us. We Catholics absolutely LOVE that you are embracing the faith and coming home, no matter where you are on that journey! God bless you, my sister in Christ, and indeed... welcome home!

Edit: Someone alluded to some Cradle Catholics needing missals. That's me, even during English liturgy Mass. I carry my Daily Roman Missal every Sunday. It inspires me to follow along with the text of the prayers and the readings from Holy Scripture. All of us experience learning and interact in the Church community in different ways. Come to Christ in whatever manner most suits YOU as a believer.

Keep praying for a good spiritual advisor. You never know where the Holy Spirit will dig one up for you. Or who. Sometimes a good confessor can act as your spiritual advisor.

To get some more nitty gritty on this, I'd recommend Dubay's Seeking Spiritual Direction: How To Grow the Divine Life Within

Also, since you mentioned SFdS, check out Spiritual Friendship ... pdf fyi. This article goes a bit more into depth about what the saint covers in IDL.

Dr. Pitre's book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary: Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah, has been substantially helpful for myself, as a Protestant. I found it genuinely difficult to find any solid resources on the BVM, and I nearly gave up.

The issue with Mary isn't that I couldn't conceive of her as the Theotokos, or even ever-virgin (Reformed confessions of faith have affirmed both), but rather that the roles she plays in Catholic doctrine seem to diminish the glory of Jesus Christ and His role as mediator between us and God. Intercession of the Saints made some sense, but the Immaculate Conception, Queenship of Mary, Co-Redemptrix, etc. seemed unnecessary at best, and idolatry at worst. I just didn't understand why she was necessary! Couldn't Christ have born from any normal woman?

I feel like Pitre clarified a lot of those issues for me. I still struggle with a few of her titles, I still cringe inwardly with hyper-dulia, but Pitre explaining not only "why", but also the Old Testament roots of the BVM, completely blew away nearly all my Protestant misconceptions.

Most Catholic colleges now are using the RSV2CE translation of the Bible. You can buy it in the form the Ignatius Bible, the Didache Bible, or The Great Adventure Catholic Bible.

• Ignatius Bible
  
• Didache Bible
  
• The Great Adventure Catholic Bible

Guy Consolmagno, SJ, the head of the Vatican Observatory, wrote a book called Would You Baptize An Extraterrestrial?

In general though, the Incarnation is a one-time thing. God could have revealed Himself to aliens in a different way, of course, but when the Son took on flesh and became Jesus Christ a unique mingling of human and divine natures took place. I'm also not sure that the Church would find acceptable the idea that the events of the Garden of Eden actually took place on some other planet billions of years ago and all life in the universe is decsended from there.

Personally, I think that if there are intelligent extraterrestrials they're Unfallen -- and they're staying away from us so we don't they're gods or something. Then again there might be very sophisticated biological machines the Devil has overseen the construction of.

The following works are pretty nerdy, I would say. They were assigned throughout the course of my undergraduate studies in theology and think that they serve as excellent primers to the intellectual side of Catholicism.

Joseph Ratzinger, The God of Jesus Christ. Highly recommended as a beautiful exposition of the Catholic concept of God.

Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity.

Ratzinger, In the Beginning...: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall.

Ratzinger, God and the World. A fantastic survey of essential Catholic doctrines and beliefs.

Gustavo Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation. A genius work that reminds us that God is on the side of the poor, that he casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly.

Hans Urs von Balthasar, Life Out of Death. A short but beautiful meditation on what it means to die and rise with Christ.

And then, of course, there are the classics. Augustine's Confessions, Aqunas' Summa, Athanasius' On the Incarnation, Benedict's Rule, Anselm's Proslogion, Bonaventure's Mind's Road to God, etc.

Not a replacement, but I would recommend picking up Seeking Spiritual Direction: How to Grow the Divine Life Within by Fr. Thomas Dubay. He has written Fire Within and was a spiritual director during his life.

Would this be the Didache you're talking about? https://www.amazon.ca/Didache-Bible-RSV-Commentaries-Catechism-Catholic/dp/1586179721

It looks beautiful and I love what you've said so far about the commentary, etc.

The Great Adventure Bible just came out and is pretty good if you want to focus on the big picture of the Bible and understanding the overall story arch.

If you want more detailed study, I'd suggest the Didache Bible, which has cross references to the Catechism.

Congratulations! You're on a journey that I have been on for pretty much my entire life. I was born and raised Baptist and now my wife and I are coming into the Church on the Easter Vigil just a few days away (we are so excited I don't have the words.) I know what you are going through.

1. I'm a little late so I won't add anything here, everyone answered right on.
   
   
2. These are some books that helped me with the transition, if you have some extra money I would defiantly pick them up:
   http://www.amazon.com/Where-That-Bible-Patrick-Madrid/dp/0879736933/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1427358009&sr=8-4&keywords=patrick+madrid
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Answer-Me-This-Patrick-Madrid/dp/1931709580/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1427358009&sr=8-11&keywords=patrick+madrid
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Protestants-Dilemma-Reformations-Consequences-Catholicism/dp/1938983610/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427358041&sr=1-1&keywords=the+protestants+dilemma

For the extraordinary form, my first recommendation is the Father Lasance Missal. It is the best missal I have ever used. A close second would be the angelus press missal.

For the ordinary form, I've found the daily Roman missal to be really good. Daily Roman Missal https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612785093/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZW.FDb1J7GJ9K

Thankfully, holy sex and hot sex aren't mutually exclusive. EDIT: This book is a good read for this sort of topic. I mean, it's got "toe-curling" right there in the title! But seriously, I've read it and it's really good.

You're welcome. It's a good read. He refutes 10 events in Church history and gives the truth about them. You can check it out here

Listen to Catholic Answers Live, they often have specific topics for the day "Why aren't you Catholic?" "Why are you a protestant?" etc. you can go back on the calendar and find those past shows as well.

Also would recommend The Protestant's Dilemma and Rome Sweet Home

>I feel empty
>
>lack of God’s presence in my heart

Don't take this the wrong way, but feelings are irrelevant. Jesus asks you to assent to and accept the gospel and the beliefs of the Church; he doesn't ask you to feel anything. You don't need to emote anything to be saved.

Sometimes we go through spiritual deserts where we feel nothing and it seems - it seems - we pray into the void and labor in our duties under an empty sky. We still pray and do our duty.

>If the devil was responsible for my depression, then why didn’t an all-powerful God save me from it in my prayers?

This is a trial for you. The command to take up your cross is absolutely real. No one said it was going to be easy.

Regarding why God would do this to you, I would suggest reading The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis.

I would continue therapy. Continue to pray as you have. It's possible you may use medication temporarily or permanently. It's possible your life situation may change - I went through a phase like this at this age, and then later I got married and had children and it passed. But I stopped going to Mass at the time and it would have been better if I had continued.

Edited to add: I've been meaning to read this other book as well: The Catholic Guide to Depression by Aaron Kheriarty.

Read and pray some of the Psalms, such as Psalm 22: O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest etc.

Blog post with good references

Also, try Theology of the Body, written by a guy you might know - JP2.

EWTN's response to the question

I also strongly recommend the book Holy Sex!. It's a well-done book about Catholic sex and sexuality, and it makes it very understandable.

That's certainly an opinion people have, but why don't you investigate the Church's position and then decide what you believe? I challenge you to see what the Church has to offer. This way you're at least addressing fully thought-out ideas instead of what lots of people think the Church teaches. Here are some resources. :)

>So I have a friend who left the Church as a teen. One of the narratives he like to push is how the Church forced Christianity into the people of, for example, South America, and how this was just an extension of the white man conquering the New World. He also talks about how those brave South Americans developed a syncretic religion which enabled them to worship their old gods under the guise of Catholic saints.

>Are there any good historical works or authors taking on these crude oversimplifications of history?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599475367/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

>Brother Guy Consolmagno is first religious brother to receive the prestigious science award.

>If you met an alien from outer space, would you welcome him into your RCIA program and baptize him at the Easter Vigil?

>That's the question posed by Michigan-born Brother Guy Consolmagno, Jesuit astronomer and planetary scientist, in his latest book, “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?” The book, co-authored by Father Paul Meuller, S.J., looks at serious and humorous questions from the astronomers' in-box at the Vatican Observatory, and reveals how science and faith look at the same issues in different but complementary ways.

Has anyone read the book?

/u/Mysterium-fidei - in case you weren't sure what this meant, "Theology of the Body" is a series of reflections made by Pope John Paul II and they are all available to read in their entirety online right now.
Links here:
From EWTN - https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2TBIND.HTM

Same links from USCCB but with a different resource for an introduction:
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning/catholic-teaching/theology-of-the-body.cfm


You can just jump right in to reading the actual sermons (there are 129 of them) or you could go for a summarizing type book. I made my suggestion of the Sri book, although that is a precursor to TOB.

Here is a link to TOB translated into book form, instead of the individual sermons (I haven't read this one):
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Woman-He-Created-Them/dp/0819874213

You can see in the links below the "Frequently Bought Together" section has a Beginners Guide and a Commentary Book that are often bought to help those who may need more than just the original text.

True Devotion to Mary: with Preparation for Total Consecration by St. Louis De Montfort https://www.amazon.com/True-Devotion-Mary-Preparation-Consecration/dp/0895551543/ref=sr_1_2?crid=RLN5P9C9X903&keywords=louis+de+montfort&qid=1571623207&sprefix=louis+de%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-2

Or saying mass facing the people. Of all the changes, this is by far the easiest to criticize.

Turning Towards the Lord by Fr. Michael Lang and The Reform of the Roman Liturgy by Msgr. Klaus Gamber easily demonstrate that it has always been the practice even from the beggining of the Church to pray facing east, not pray facing each other in some kind of communal gathering like we do in the modern liturgy.

• Read Montfort's little book on the rosary for ideas on how to keep your rosary focused: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rosary-St-Louis-Monfort/dp/0895550563 -- and it is also free online at http://www.sanpiodapietrelcina.org/english/secret.htm
  
• Integrate the actual Bible passages corresponding to the mysteries by reading the relevant portions silently or out loud before the Our Father of each decade. I'm avoiding giving you a link for this because figuring that out for yourself is an edifying task and an end in itself.
  
• I can never overemphasize that the wisest strategy in managing distractions is to simply return to the matter at hand without punishing yourself, which ironically compounds the distractions.
  
• It's okay to be a parrot, if you understand this in a different way. The meditations are the meat of the rosary, so if you're lost in reveries about the broader significance of the Canticle of Simeon while reciting the 4th Joyful Mystery, but are merely repeating the Hail Marys mechanically while lost - then you are doing it right!

Remember: as Catholics we understand a hierarchy of authority. A Council carries great magisterial weight - if a Council declares that reform is necessary, we are obliged to assent. At the same time, lesser authorities who are undertaking that reform carry lower magisterial weights - and can err in doing so.

For example, a conference of bishops might issue an official translation of the liturgy into a vernacular language, containing many mistranslations (intended or not). Obviously, changing the meaning of the parts of the liturgy is not a legitimate development, even though the idea of a translation is. And we've seen this: bishops' conferences issue new translations, where the previous was inaccurate. The translation have been so bad in some places, that you end up with an entire structure and community of people just trying to get the accurate translation to understand what the Mass means (Fr. Z started 'What Does the Prayer Really Say' - an example, among others).

An example that some point to as illegitimate would be the creation of Eucharistic Prayer II. It was touted as the recovered Anaphora of Hippolytus, as a return to an ancient liturgical tradition. However, it is actually a prayer composed by a few priests in a cafe (read Fr. Bouyer's account in his memoirs), loosely inspired by Hippolytus. And, if you read through the actual sessions of the 2nd Vatican Council, the Council fathers were extremely hesitant to make any changes to the Eucharistic Prayer (i.e. the Roman Canon). Indeed, the final schema and the official document they produced make no mention of change here. Yet it happened, pushed by those in the Consilium (a working group on liturgical reform).

Or you could look at the push for worship 'versus populum'. It was described as a return to early liturgical practice (as well as the practice of some of the Roman basilicas), where the priest would face the people during Mass. However, a better understanding of liturgical archaeology indicates that even in those places where the priest would face the people because of the orientation of the building, everyone would turn to face east during the Eucharistic liturgy. Another instances where a reform was not asked for by the Council, but implemented by a lesser authority. This is discussed more in Klaus Gamber's Reform of the Roman Liturgy.

You definitely would enjoy some of their works. Particularly:

https://www.amazon.com/What-Marriage-Man-Woman-Defense/dp/1594036225/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X39PYP8GT616NY99W3SC

Someone I trust has recommended (for a similar request) the classic, The Spirit of Catholicism by Karl Adam, which I just found out is available online: http://www.ewtn.com/library/THEOLOGY/SPIRCATH.HTM

Another one to consider would be Introduction to Christianity by then-Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict)

I haven't read either of these though, so please weigh in, those that have.

The Secret of the Rosary
I'm currently reading it right now. It's an easy read and it will help you understand how much the rosary is necessary in our lives to bring us closer to her and her Son.

Those aren't the Theology of the Body, rather summary explanations. The first link would indeed be the most updated of a very popular yet still scholarly explanation.

This, too my knowledge, is the most recent publication of the original TOB talks in book form:

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Woman-He-Created-Them/dp/0819874213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537279865&sr=8-1&keywords=man+and+woman+he+created+them&dpID=21R3P665NSL&preST=_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Lol you sound like my family.

Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History https://www.amazon.com/dp/1599475367/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_bfhNBb5VJRK76

Eusebius: The Church History https://www.amazon.com/dp/082543307X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UfhNBb1P8XHR2

Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church (Modern Apologetics Library) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898707234/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fghNBbFWXATPK

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Shall-His-Blood-Shed/dp/1621641260/ref=nodl_

That's the best recent history on the issue. It is allowed, however, as the other person said it can be imprudent given societal conditions.

May I suggest the following, and God bless you all: https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Pain-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652969/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509885464&sr=1-1&keywords=the+problem+of+pain

Introduction to Christianity, by Joseph Ratzinger is excellent.

I'm a huge fan of this [daily missal] (https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Roman-Missal-Sunday-Visitor/dp/1612785093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536509661&sr=8-1&keywords=daily+missal)

I'm taking this from Msgr. Klaus Gamber's book, The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background (Amazon link). The French edition of this book has a preface by Cardinal Ratzinger, a portion of which is printed on the back cover of the English edition.

Gamber, an expert in Eastern and Western liturgy, is definitely of the opinion that the new Mass is in rupture with the old, and cannot be called the Roman Rite Mass in a true sense. He also goes almost, but not explicitly all the way, to saying that the pope had no authority to do this. I'd recommend the book. It contains two of his treatises, a lot of the latter one dedicated to debunking the historical authenticity of the concept of versus populum.

Three of my favorite Catholic books:

Flannery O'Connor - The Complete Stories

Walker Percy - The Message in the Bottle: How Queer Man Is, How Queer Language Is, and What One Has to Do With the Other

Joseph Ratzinger - Introduction to Christianity

edit--A fourth,

Thomas Merton - Seven Storey Mountain

This book would be a really good read for you, if you want to have a clearer understanding of the church's view of sexually.

https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Sex-Toe-Curling-Mind-Blowing-Infallible/dp/0824524713/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480231316&sr=8-1&keywords=Dr+Greg+Popcak+holy+sex

https://www.amazon.com/Bearing-False-Witness-Debunking-Anti-Catholic/dp/1599475367/ref=asc_df_1599475367/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312057361370&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2543074224380079700&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9060084&hvtargid=aud-643330155750:pla-414961603347&psc=1

Written by a Baptist, would you believe it! I highly recommend this book!

• Jimmy Akin, an ex-Baptist, wrote: The Drama of Salvation: How God Rescues You from Your Sins and Delivers You to Eternal Life
  
  
• Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic by David Currie
  
  
• Tom Howard's On Being Catholic or Evangelical is Not Enough
  
  
• Anything by Dr. Scott Hahn: Rome Sweet Home, Reasons to Believe, etc.
  
  
• The Protestant’s Dilemma: How the Reformation’s Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism by Devin Rose

See here - basically, yes, there were crimes worthy of execution, and it was mainly up to the State.

Heresy was executable but very rarely so, again, it was for the State to decide.

You'll want to read Ed Feser's new book.

I strongly recommend The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis: http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Pain-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652969/

I just finished it recently and it helped my understanding of these questions immensely. I'm not a theologian, but as far as I could tell it was pretty much in line with the teachings of the Church. I would be interested in hearing if I am wrong about that.

I always read a lot of books at the same time. Right now it's:

Priests for the Third Millennium - Cardinal Dolan
Introduction to Christianity - Cardinal Ratzinger
The Devotion to the Sacred Heart - John Croiset
An infinity of little hours - Nancy Klein Maguire

Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History is good and covers distinct areas; and has lots of sources for further reading.

> Robert Spencer

I'd personally look up early stuff by him, if that really.

I'd recommend something like this(By Thomas Madden).

Edit: added author's name

I just started reading this book you might find interesting.

Actually OP, there is a counselor who may be able to help you. Look for Gregory Popcak. He wrote this book

Oh, and this is daily missal option if you are interested

I would recommend watching masses on a Catholic TV Network such as EWTN and Catholictv so that you understand what the liturgy of The Church is , then go to a service in person.

I would also get a copy of the NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition) and a copy of The Catechism Of The Catholic Church.

You can read The Catechism online however

I recommend Dr. Thomas Madden's Book.

[Amazon Link Here] (http://www.amazon.com/Concise-History-Crusades-Critical-International/dp/0742538230)

He takes the Crusades and is able to explain the reasoning behind them, the faults that occurred and why, and makes it enjoyable to read.

• Concise History of the Crusades by Thomas F Madden - recognized as one of the top Crusade experts in the world
  
• Inquisition - by Edward Peters
  
• The Roman Inquisition and the Venetian Press -Paul F. Grendler
  
• God's Battalions - Rodney Stark
  
• The Bible - God

That was actually one of the astronomers from the Vatican who were surprised by a question during a visit by Pope Francis to the UK. The whole story, plus a lot more, is told by Fr. Paul Mueller, SJ, and Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ in "Would you Baptize an Extraterrestrial?".

The Crusades - God's Battalions by Rodney Stark

Stark, writing as a non-Christian (I believe he began to describe himself as an "independent Christian" or deist later on), gives a detailed description of the Crusades, examining the religious fervor, political causes, personalities, and campaigns. He decisively refutes several misconceptions concerning the Crusades, especially those concerning moslems as victims of Christian persecution (quite the opposite) and the Church as an agent of a land and money grab by the wealthy elite (also, quite the opposite).

does anyone have a recommendation for a book about the Inquisition?

The Protestant's Dilemma

This book is a comparison that is NOT even-handed, so you know not only some major differences but also a typical Catholic perspective on those differences, which not everyone may be so up-front about because they aren't sure how to express it without possibly offending you.

By "not believe in birth control" I assume you mean "not believe contraception is moral". Obviously we believe that there exist pills that are referred to as "birth control" pills.

Contraception (verb) is immoral according to Natural Law philosophy, as well as Catholic Teaching.

It may seem like a hard pill to swallow (pun absolutely intended), but this is the teaching of the Catholic Church, and has been (albeit less formally) for almost 2000 years. In fact, up until about a century ago, this belief was held more or less universally by all Christians.

If you're interested in why contraception is immoral, I suggest reading:

• Humanae Vitae
  
• Love and Responsibility
  
• Theology of the Body

https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Pain-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652969/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=the+problem+of+pain&qid=1562250040&s=gateway&sprefix=the+problem+of+&sr=8-1

God's Battalions

God's Battalions

God's Battalions

Brant Pitre has a book on Mary here

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary: Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525572732/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vdnpDb4JKEPR7

The Catholic Bible is the New American Bible (NAB).

info here

amazon link

Edit: capitalization

https://www.amazon.com/American-Bible-Revised-Psalms-Testament/dp/0529064847/ is $7. If that's too tight, pm me your address and I'll have one sent to you.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0895550563/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E4WMBPCF7CV9GGMKA5T9&dpPl=1&dpID=71SQFRxZzyL

St. Louis de Montfort has everything you need in this 100 page book and it’s cheap and even cheaper if you get a digital version ($.99)

People usually follow a specific course of prayers in preparation. Most follow the formula of St. Louis Marie de Montfort or a modified version, such as 33 Days to Morning Glory.

Consider Introduction to Christianity by Pope Benedict XVI (written when he was Cardinal Ratzinger).

Bible: https://www.amazon.com/Douay-Rheims-Bible-Burgundy-Premium-UltraSoft/dp/1935302027/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1S6EDTQPMCYQX&keywords=douay+rheims+catholic+bible&qid=1562475135&s=gateway&sprefix=douay+r%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-5

Or maybe: https://www.amazon.com/Didache-Commentaries-Catechism-Catholic-Church/dp/1586179721/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=ignatius+bible&qid=1562475186&s=gateway&sr=8-6

Rosary: https://www.cordbands.com/collections/battle-beads/products/kc-wwibb-silver

Smaller ones: https://www.cordbands.com/collections/pocket-rosaries

I reccomend this book on the subject, particularly chapters 1, 2 and 4.

For further reading i reccomend St Thomas Aquinas in ST II-II, Q64. Particularly [ST II-II, Q64, A2]. also the section of the Roman Catechism quoted above, and St. Bellarmine's De Laicis, particularly Chapter 13 and 21.

I would read "the Protestant Dillema". It pokes a lot of holes in Protestant theology and was very eye opening for me personally.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1938983610/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525291716&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=the+protestant+dilemma

The "secular" argument against the redefinition of marriage is based on the discussion about what marriage is. The moment you frame the discussion around "equality of marriage" you're already taking a step beyond the basis that form marriage in the first place, so it's question begging.

One must first define what marriage is and then we can begin to discuss whether people have a "right" to it. The secular argument is based on natural law (regardless if people think or don't understand it).

I have yet to have a single pro-gay-marriage person give a definition of marriage that ultimately doesn't make marriage meaningless, which would mean they're advocating something they don't believe exists in the first place, which is absurd.

BTW, this is a secular defense of traditional marriage: http://amzn.com/1594036225

Seriously read this book - alot of you said above is a misconception of what the Church Actually Teaches.

https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Sex-Toe-Curling-Mind-Blowing-Infallible/dp/0824524713

That is a great point. In light of that argument, it has always been difficult me to come to terms with the Catholic stance on capital punishment. God knows that these people commit sins but has allowed them to live. How do we justify stepping in.

​

Someone suggested reading By man Shall His Blood be Shed by Edward Feser and Joseph Bessette. I'll be doing that

​

edit: spelling

• The Holy Mass Explained by O.S.B. Dom Prosper Gueranger
  
  
• The Mass: A Study of Roman Liturgy by Adrian Fortescue
  
  
• The Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background by Klaus Gamber - with forward by Cardinal Ratzinger
  
  
• Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives by Alcuin Reid
  
  
• The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described by Adrian Fortescue, J.B. O'Connell, Alcuin Reid
  
  
• T&T Clark Companion to Liturgy Editor(s): Alcuin Reid

You need to study up on this topic a little more. The death penalty is not inherently wrong, God Himself used it. If you are actually interested in this subject check out this book

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Shall-His-Blood-Shed/dp/1621641260

If you want a book debunking the anti-Catholic myths about history of the Church. Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History is one for you. It's written by an agnostic who hates bad history. And also How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods, although he is Catholic, it's still informative. And there's The New Concise History of the Crusades (Critical Issues in World and International History) by Thomas Madden, again an agnostic who refutes the baseless claim against the Crusade.

As far as the death penalty goes, as others have commented it's not intrinsically evil. Edward Feser argues that this is infallibly taught in the book he co-authored titled By Man Shall His Blood be Shed. There has been a lot of confusion recently regarding this issue, since Pope Francis changed one of the Catechism paragraphs regarding the death penalty. If you're interested in this change and what it actually did, I recommend carefully and thoroughly reading this article from Catholic United for the Faith (CUF). It goes into some of the historical teaching of the Church on the matter, explains how we must interpret new statements in light of old teachings, and puts the change into context. It ends with some suggestions on how to practically implement the change.

From what I've read the Crusades initially began as a delayed response to several centuries of Muslim conquest over Christian states. Unfortunately there is a knowledge gap between scholars and the everyday man-on-the-streets. The typical layperson sees the Crusades as an unprovoked response over peaceful Islam. This is a very uninformed view of the Crusades. The Muslim campaigns had been sacking Christians territories for hundreds of years, destroying many churches along the way (including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem). Many of the indigenous Christians in Muslim-conquered territories were subject to harsh harassment and persecution, constantly being pressured into conversion. Jews likewise suffered similar persecution.

Here are some resources to further your understanding on the Crusades:

http://www.catholic.com/blog/steve-weidenkopf/were-the-crusades-just-wars

https://www.amazon.com/Concise-History-Crusades-Critical-International/dp/0742538230
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thomas F Madden is the leading scholar on the Crusades. He was contacted after 9/11 to address whether or not Islamic terrorism was historically connected to the Crusades. He dispels many of the "Crusade myths" that are shamelessly repeated in our society.

I don't agree with your analysis. It is not contrary to the natural moral law or to the dignity of the human person for the state to deprive an offender of his life simply because that punishment is merited by the offender's actions and ultimately serves the common good, broadly defined.

I assume you are specifically referring to CCC 2267, which reads:

> Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

The highlighted portion is a prudential judgement by John Paul II that has unfortunately made its way into the Catechism with the appearance of doctrine.

Quoting an article by Edward Feser:

> In particular, it is claimed by some that John Paul taught that it is in principle immoral to resort to capital punishment except for the purpose of protecting others against the immediate physical danger posed by an offender. However, then-Cardinal Ratzinger explicitly denied that there was any change at the level of doctrinal principle. He affirmed that “the Holy Father has not altered the doctrinal principles which pertain to this issue” and that the revisions to the catechism reflected merely “circumstantial considerations… without any modification of the relevant doctrinal principles.”

In reality, the traditional teaching of the Church permits the use of capital punishment for purposes other than immediate self-defense, such as deterrence or simply retributive justice -- the latter of which is the base requirement for all punishment according to the natural law.

Probably one of the clearest statements of this traditional teaching comes from Pius XII:

> Even when it is a question of the execution of a condemned man, the State does not dispose of the individual's right to life. In this case it is reserved to the public power to deprive the condemned person of the enjoyment of life in expiation of his crime when, by his crime, he has already disposed himself of his right to live.

Or from the Catechism of the Council of Trent:

> Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent. The just use of this power, far from involving the crime of murder, is an act of paramount obedience to this Commandment which prohibits murder. The end of the Commandment is the preservation and security of human life. Now the punishments inflicted by the civil authority, which is the legitimate avenger of crime, naturally tend to this end, since they give security to life by repressing outrage and violence.

Edward Feser and Joseph Bessette wrote a great book on this topic.