The Ancient Path (Image Books)

When it comes to reading about the Church Fathers, one of the first names people think of is Mike Aquilina. Aquilina's works have introduced the Church Fathers and Mothers to a whole generation of Catholics and made them accessible and relatable. His most recent book, The Ancient Path, is a joint effort with John Michael Talbot. Talbot is most widely known for his music career, but he is also the founder of an integrated Catholic monastic community called the Brothers and Sisters of Charity. This book, The Ancient Path, is the result of conversations that Talbot and Aquilina had one November week in 2012.

The book begins with Talbot discussing his monastery, Little Portion Hermitage, and the events of what happened April, 29, 2008. There was a massive fire, which completely engulfed the chapel. In addition to the tragedy of seeing something you built by hand destroyed, the community also lost their library which consisted of thousands of volumes. I have never experienced this level of literary loss, but as someone who himself owns a large library of books, my heart ached for him and his community. Talbot, however, used this tragedy to teach us a lesson in both detachment to worldly goods and the fact that once you have read and pored over some works, they are forever etched on your heart. He then concludes the the chapter with a juxtaposition of physical fire and spiritual fire. His example for spiritual fire involves the popular story of Abba Joseph encouraging Abba Lot to become all flame.

Other topics discussed in this book include charity, community, and stewardship. Each chapter has roughly the same format. Talbot talks about his life, his community, and what the Church Fathers taught him as it applies to the specific topic. Chapter 6: The Prayer of the Heart talks about The Jesus Prayer, "Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner." Most Western Catholics aren't familiar with this prayer, but it is one of the chief prayers in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholicism. The author does a great job discussing the history and evolution of the prayer, the impact it had on him; and also breaks the prayer down phrase by phrase. I do wish he would have offered a bit of caution in both practicing this prayer and reading the Philokalia. Someone advanced in their wisdom, like him, might not find it troublesome, but it is highly discouraged for a novice to attempt reading the Philokalia, and strongly urged you consult your spiritual advisor before trying.

Overall, this was an interesting book. It reminded me a lot of Aquilina's other works and Dr. Scott Hahn's early works. By that I mean, it mixes theology with personal experiences to make the subject matter more approachable. It also reminded me a bit of My Sister the Saints in that it read like a personal memoir with the Church Fathers serving as our guide through Talbot's life. If this sounds interesting to you or you can't get enough to read about the Church Fathers, then this book is for you.

This book was provided to me for free by Image Catholic Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Sacred Liturgy (Ignatius Press)

Sacra Liturgia 2013 was an international conference to study, promote and renew appreciation for the liturgical formation and celebration took place in Rome at the Pontifical University, Santa Croce. The proceedings of that conference are recorded in the book Sacred Liturgy: The Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church. The speakers included monks, abbots, priests, bishops, and cardinals. There were approximately twenty topics discussed including the Defence of Human Life, the New Evangelization, and Sacred Liturgy as the Foundation of Religious Life, to name a few.

The book begins by saying, "The Sacred Liturgy is not a hobby for specialists. It is central to all our endeavors as disciples of Jesus Christ. This profound reality cannot be overemphasized. We must recognize the primacy of grace in our Christian life and work, and we must respect the reality that in this life the optimal encounter with Christ is in the Sacred Liturgy." This is a very true statement, but looking at the book, the amount of topics, and the depth with which they dive, it is easy for the laity to be intimidated. I won't dive into all the topics, but briefly touch on a few that spoke to me.

Chapter 3 on ars celebrandi or the art of celebrating was an interesting read. In addition to talking about celebrating the Mass, Bishop Elliott also gave suggestions for both forms of the Roman Rites and some problems in the Mass. He also discusses what we can learn from the Eastern Churches, including some ways their Divine Liturgy is better than the Mass, i.e., the flow of continuity that makes their Liturgy feel like one action and not a series of separate and unlike actions. Chapter 4 talked about the early Christian altar and it's impact on today. I'm not really sure why, but I just found this chapter fascinating. Msgr. Heid talks about the idea and reform of Norma Patrum or the standard of the Church Fathers. I love the Church Fathers, but Msgr. Heid explains how it is problematic to rely on them solely as altars were different from region to region.

This book is no easy read. Though the opening words says that the Sacred Liturgy is for everyone, this book is more aimed at the scholar than the average layperson. There were times I wondered if I could hold my breath long enough to get to their level of depth. What I really appreciated was that they included the homilies that were given over this weekend. I believe they were equally as important to this conference as were the actual lectures given. Though some of this material went over my head, I walked away from this book feeling more educated on the topic of the Liturgy. If you have an interest in the Liturgy, then this is a book you'll want to read.

This book was provided to me for free by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Our Sunday Visitor: The Fathers of the Church Bible

If you follow my blog and books I review, you should know three at least three things about me. I LOVE Bibles, the Fathers of the Church, and Mike Aquilina's books. Therefore, when I heard that there was a Bible being published called The Fathers of the Church Bible and that Mike Aquilina was involved in the project, I knew I had to own a copy! Unfortunately, my excitement quickly faded once it arrived in the mail. Before I get to what I didn't like about the Bible, let me give some basic details about the Bible.

The translation of this Bible is the New American Bible Revised Edition, also known as the NABRE. This is the version you hear proclaimed at every Mass, so you know this is a faithful translation. Like your basic NABRE Bible, you get both the NAB and NABRE introductions. You also get footnotes and cross-references. How is this Bible different then? There are 88 color inserts in the Bible with writings from the Church Fathers on topics such as the Canon, Baptism, Angels, etc. I would have liked for these inserts would be placed near the Scripture passages that they address, but instead they are just spread about evenly to make for a uniform distribution.

Let me start with the positive aspects of this Bible. The Fathers of the Church Bible itself is a paperback, but the pages have a nice weight to them. The font is easy to read, and the Scripture cross-references and notes are easily separated on the page to make for easy navigation and easier reading. The margins aren't very large if you are looking for a Bible to make notes in. I am not, so that wasn't a deal-breaker for me. The inserts are especially enlightening and full of important teachings. I am VERY pleased that St. Ephrem the Syrian merited his own insert, as he is too often overlooked and forgotten.

As for the negatives, it is mainly the combination of presentation and price that I find lacking with this Bible. If you are looking to buy your FIRST copy of the NABRE Bible, then this would be a good choice. If you already own a copy of the NABRE, then you will be a little disappointed with this Bible. In my opinion, the inserts would have been better served as a small booklet sold separately. So if you already have a NABRE Bible, then I wouldn't recommend getting this one as well, because the inserts don't justify the cost. You would be better served buying a copy of one of Mike Aquilina's many books on the Church Fathers.Overall, I would give this Bible 3.5 out of 5 stars. I expected much more from this Bible, and I believe it could have been better than it was.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Fathers of the Church Bible. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papal Year of Faith.

Catholic Courses: The First 500 Years - The Fathers, Councils, and Doctrines of the Early Church

Well, I just had the privilege of reviewing another course from Catholic Courses called The First 500 Years - The Fathers, Councils, and Doctrines of the Early Church. I never pass up an opportunity to learn more about the Early Church, especially the Early Church Fathers, so this course had my name written all over it! Fr. David Meconi, S.J. is your presenter, and if you would like to see an introduction for the course, watch the two minute video below.




Like all of Catholic Courses' main courses, there are eight lectures, each approximately 30 minutes. Lecture One is an introduction on Patristics that breaks the Fathers down into three categories - Apostolic Fathers, Apologists, and Great Theologians. Fr. Meconi then expounds on some of their writings. Lecture Two deals with the Persecution of Christians pre-Constantine and the Edict of Milan. Lecture Three discusses Constantine, and Lecture Four was my favorite as it dealt with the Cappadocian Fathers - Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus. We in the West tend to overlook these three great saints, but they are responsible for key theological contributions on our understanding of the Trinity and in fighting heresies such as Arianism and Apollinarianism.

Lecture Five discusses the early Church's view on Mary and her role as Theotokos or the Mother of God or the God-bearer. This is a term that is still prominently used in Eastern Christianity but has mostly fallen out of use in the West. This term may seem like it only deals with Mary, but it also deals with Jesus, His two natures, and the heresy of Nestorius, and its correction by St. Cyril of Alexandria at the Council of Ephesus. Lecture Six talks about St. Augustine. It would not be a study of early Catholicism without detailed mention of St. Augustine. While he is one of the great Fathers of the West, I wish that one of the great Fathers of the East, St. John Chrysostom, would have gotten equal airtime.

Lecture Seven deals with Pope Leo the Great and the Council of Chalcedon. Lecture Eight deals with two main topics - the monks or Desert Fathers, primarily St. Antony of Egypt and doctrines of the Church  that St. John of Damascus was responsible for teaching. I personally would have preferred that we omit the teachings of St. John of Damascus, and focus on other monks in the Desert. Don't get me wrong. I love St. John of Damascus, and he played a huge role in the Church, but he was not present for the first 500 years of the Church. I therefore feel that the title of the Course should be changed with his addition. That is just me splitting hairs though.

I thoroughly enjoyed this product from Catholic Courses. There are a few parts I would like to see added in this course, but I have to remember that time is limited and there is only so much Fr. Meconi can cover, and there was already a lot of knowledge crammed into these eight courses. The great thing about our Church though is that there is always plenty to learn, and if a specific saint or topic interests you, you can do more reading on the subject. I hope there is another course covering the next 500 years or so in the works. Check back next month for my review of Unveiling the Apocalypse - The End Times According to the Bible.

Catholic Thursday: Clement of Rome and the Didache

As human beings, we like to think back to the good ole days. We think that life used to be simpler and more beautiful, and that everything modern is now bad or evil. Catholics have a tendency to fall into this trap as well, especially as it relates to our Church. We are always looking for that Golden Age of Christianity, before heresy crept in and everything was under attack by worldly and demonic forces. Well, the Church has never been perfect and never will be. Just read the New Testament, and you will see it in Paul's writings. However, if you would like to read writings after the New Testament, then I recommend starting with the Early Christian Fathers Series available at The Coming Home Network.

Today, I am reviewing Book 2 in the Early Christian Fathers Series, Clement of Rome and the Didache. Clement was considered the fourth pope, and the primary work attributed to him is his "Letter to the Corinthians." When reading through this letter, one can see that he had to write to this church community in Corinth for the same reasons that St. Paul did - sedition and rebellion. The "Didache" or "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" is considered a bridge between the writings of the New Testament and the Early Church Fathers like Clement or Polycarp. It contains early teachings used to guide the Church in her infancy.

In this book one finds both a new translation of the two works mentioned above, the "Didache" and Clement's "Letter to the Corinthians," and chapters explaining their context and content. I've tried reading these works before, particularly the translation of Philip Schaff, which were available for free online. While those texts were readable, they were a bit stilted. I guess that is to be expected since they were translated back in the 1800s. Kenneth Howell does a masterful job translating these two texts and provides plenty of footnotes at the bottom of every page to help the reader understand the texts better.

The most helpful part of the book is the chapters at the beginning, which set the stage for the subsequent texts. Like the Bible, one can pick up these works and read them and interpret them how they wish. To understand these texts, or the Bible for that matter, you need to understand the audience to whom they were written and their historical context. And while these works are not considered Scripture, they were widely read in the Early Church and thus hold an important message for us today. Therefore, I appreciated Dr. Howell spelling these things out in order to help us understand the meaning of these texts.

This book gets a 5 star rating from me as it helps make the Early Church Fathers accessible and readble to today's world. The only thing I would consider changing with regards to the book is the layout. Instead of putting all the chapters of introduction and explanation first and the texts second, I would break the book into two parts. The first part would have the explanatory chapters on Clement of Rome with the text to follow, and the second part would have the explanatory chapters on the "Didache" with the text to follow. I look forward to seeing how many books this series will ultimately comprise, and realize I now need to get Book 1, Ignatius Of Antioch & Polycarp Of Smyrna, in the series to read that as well.

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Catholic Monday: Faith of Our Fathers

Welcome back to Stuart's Study. We're on Day 2 of the greatest and most beautiful time of the year, Holy Week. We talked about the Triduum at our last young adult night and it made me sad. The Triduum does not fall under the category of Holy Days of Obligation, but that was because the Church Fathers thought we would want to go and respect the days so much that we wouldn't dream of missing them. That's not the case anymore. Why do I bring up the Church Fathers, you ask? Today, I am reviewing the book Faith of Our Fathers: Why the Early Christians Still Matter and Always Will by Mike Aquilina.

To me, this book read like a series of mini-essays, not that that is a bad thing. Just some of the topics covered include who the Church Fathers are, the Domestic Church, icons, and the canon of Scripture. The Church Fathers wrote about all of these things, and much, much more. We are truly blessed to have the writings of these saintly, learned men preserved and even more blessed that so many of these works have been translated into English. It's also great that our Protestant brothers and sisters are starting to discover these writings and realize that the Church wasn't founded at the Reformation. :) There is even a chapter on one of the great converts from Protestantism, Blessed John Henry Newman. He discovered the faith of the early Church in his readings of the Fathers and came home to the Catholic Church.

It's hard to find a clear favorite section in this book for me as I simply love all things about Patristics. Early in the book, Mr. Aquilina did a nice job explaining that even though the Fathers are a source of authority for us, it doesn't mean they always agreed on everything or got along, especially good ole St. Jerome. However, if I had to pick a favorite chapter, it would be the one on Christmas. As much emphasis as our American culture puts on Christmas, it's not the most important Feast Day in the Church Calendar, and it never has been. It was fascinating reading about the history of Christmas and how in early times no one could even agree on a date.

This book is a true pleasure to read, and the great thing about it is that it does not have to be read straight through, in order. If icons interest you, you can skip to that chapter. If you want to know more about the reasons why we now say, "And with your spirit," there's chapter on that as well. Faith of Our Fathers lives up to its name, because this book really shows us not only how, but why their teachings still matter today. If you want to know more about the Fathers, you can pick up other books by Mike Aquilina. He really is the go-to author for all things Church Fathers in the Catholic Church.

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