Is Jesus Coming Soon by Ralph Martin
A Catholic Perspective on the Second Coming
Ignatius Press, 1997
The judgement day and Jesus' second coming are of great interest to many. Always have been, always will be, and for good reason. Does Ralph Martin finally answer the question, "When?" with his book Is Jesus Coming Soon? No. However, that's not surprising. As those familiar with Scripture are surely aware, nobody - not even the Son - knows the day or hour (Mk. 13:32-33). So, what's the point here? Why bother speculating?
Martin notes there are numerous alarming events that seem like indications the end times are near. Many people, past and present, have used such troubling events to predict the impending end of the world. Is it true? Well, there's no doubt it will happen sometime and that there will be signs. However, "testing and discernment" are required if we're not to be misled. An "important base for this discernment," Martin says "is knowledge of what Scripture says about ... what must transpire before the Lord returns." Thus, this is the thrust of the book - a solid lesson in what the Bible really says about the Second Coming
Martin starts at the beginning, explaining the salvation narrative from Adam and Eve through to Christ’s first coming. So often the hype of those in the end-of-the-world prediction business completely overlooks this very important background information in favor of jumping right into the “Repent, or be left behind,” chorus. Martin’s is a helpful approach that gives the reader a solid foundation regarding why and how the second coming came to be in the first place.
"He will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end." With those words from the Nicene Creed, Martin quickly walks step by step through the return of the Lord, resurrection of the body, and final judgement. To the point and backed up every step of the way with scriptural references, these chapters are indispensable - they provide all anyone would ever need to fully understand this important belief.
Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Most Catholics have repeated those 10 simple words many, many times, but perhaps have not questioned more deeply their implication. Maybe it seemed too complicated. Maybe it seemed intimidating. Maybe the din of so many end-of-the-world predictions made it seem confusing. Whatever the case, all Christians owe it to themselves to know and understand the truth about the Second Coming. Martin's work here leaves them no excuse why they shouldn't.
Heaven in Stone and Glass by Robert Barron
Crossroad Publishing, 2000
The picture on the cover of Robert Barron's Heaven in Stone and Glass leads the reader to believe more such full-color treasures await inside. Unfortunately, such is not the case. While the book does include 15 illustration depicting various elements of the great cathedrals, sadly they're all in black and white. However, that shortcoming is not enough that anyone should consider bypassing this informative little book.
The book bills itself as a spiritual meditation, but in and of itself it really isn't. Rather, it is a great instruction on how the architects and designers of the great cathedrals incorporated so many elements into these places of worship that in fact are themselves great sources of spiritual meditation. Without the explanations Barron supplies in his tome, many of these elements surely go unnoticed or misunderstood: gargoyles, rose windows, building ornamentation based on geographic orientation, labyrinths, crypts, and more all have rhyme and reason that gel perfectly with the faith.
Father Barron, most recognized for his Word on Fire ministry and the epic 10-part Catholicism video documentary, obviously knows his stuff. He's a bright guy: he earned his Doctor of Sacred Theology under the pontifical system from the Institut Catholique de Paris with a thesis entitled "Creation as Discipleship: A Study of the De potentia of Thomas Aquinas in Light of the Dogmatik of Paul Tillich". Admittedly, the rhetoric gets pretty lofty sometimes and can leave the average reader lost in the clouds. Barron, however, always seems to come back to earth and summarize his point succinctly and effectively.
If you're looking for a coffee-table book with pages of breathtaking full-color photos of the world's great cathedrals and churches, this isn't it. But if you want to now what you're seeing when you look at that coffee table book -- or better yet, when you visit those holy places in person -- then Heaven in Stone and Glass is a must-have on your bookshelf.
Catholic & Christian by Alan Schreck
(20th Anniversary Edition)
Servant Books., 2004
An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs is the subtitle of Alan Schreck's enlightening 1984 book Catholic & Christian. "Misunderstood by who?" one might ask. The answer of course is by many, both non-Catholic and Catholic alike. Theology discussions involving church doctrine and dogma often leave those without a Ph.D. tangled in knots. However, with Schreck that's not an issue. In fact, it's just the opposite - Schreck successfully takes difficult theological topics and distills them down to a level easily accessible for most everyone. That doesn't mean the theology is watered down. As the word distill denotes, it's purified.
Many of the usual suspects are here. Those beliefs that are commonly misunderstood have not changed much over the centuries. Salvation, the Bible, the Church (its four marks), authority in the Church, the Sacraments, and Mary to name a few. This isn't a simple apologetics work, though, where the objection is stated and Schreck provides the comeback complete with a few notable verses of scripture to back it up. The arrangement of the material here allows for a much deeper treatment - Schreck takes more of a big picture approach. He takes great pains to explain church beliefs in their full context. Despite this in-depth treatment, though, Schreck consistently remains remarkably adept at keeping the material understandable.
The 20th Anniversary Edition came out in 2004 and features a new Preface, but that's it. Catholic beliefs have not changed in the past 20 years, or 30 years, or... well, you get the idea. Speaking of front pages, resist the temptation to skip the Introduction and Prologue - they provide valuable information about the intent of the book and the perspective by which one should approach it. Schreck also used this space to explain his motivation, which is not to one-up any other denomination or justify any holier-than-thou attitude Catholics might want to flaunt. Quite the contrary; Schreck sincerely strives for ecumenism, a greater understanding that Catholicism is definitely Christian, and a willingness of all Christians to focus on their many shared beliefs and work together at a time when secular forces are more and more frequently working to marginalize Christian influence in society. As such, the current state of affairs in this country may make this book even more timely than it was 30 years ago.
American Catholics by James Hennesey, S.J.
Oxford University Press, 1981
Historical non-fiction is often not for the faint of heart. American Catholics is no exception. While it is loaded with history of Catholics in the United States from long before it even was the United States, thrill-a-minute drama it is not. What James Hennesey, S.J., has penned, however, is an invaluable resource, one that belongs on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States.
Beginning in the early part of the 16th century, more than 250 years before the Declaration of Independence, Hennesey charts the triumphs and travails of those who shaped the church in the New World. The Spanish and French before the American Revolution played key roles, while new arrivals who flocked to the young nation from all over the world in the 19th and 20th centuries ultimately made countless contributions that built the church into a major social and cultural U.S. institution. Make no mistake: this is an incredible story, one often lost in the contemporary history books of our public schools. How could a group numbering a mere thirty-five thousand, less than one percent of the four million Americans after the Revolution, become one counting more than 50 million among its ranks (nearly a quarter of the U.S. population) in the latter half of the 1900s? It is no easy task, to be sure, and Hennesey expertly chronicles how this diverse group managed to assimilate into the developing American culture (despite discrimination based on ignorant fears and unfounded suspicions) while simultaneously maintaining its Catholic identity.
American Catholics often has an academic feel to it, reading at times like a textbook. As such, the entertainment value is mostly lacking and Hollywood likely won't be using it as the basis for its next blockbuster movie. That's actually unfortunate because there are a thousand captivating scripts in this little volume, all just waiting to be written. Hennesey has provided the history; it simply takes a little imagination to step into the lives of these brave individuals and share in their drama as they strove to become American Catholics.
Why Catholics Are Right by Michael Coren
McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2011
If you're Catholic, truly Catholic, you've been there. That moment when you're faced with defending the faith, but in doing so you know you must also be polite, and accommodating, and politically correct. Heaven forbid anyone should have their feelings hurt by your beliefs. And one mustn't dare try to evade the undeniable and universally-accepted truth of the church's outright wretchedness and underlying evil. Usually this means bending over backwards to repeatedly acknowledge all the church's mistakes (yes, in 2000-plus years there have been some) while simultaneously never missing an opportunity to give due praise to the theologically accurate doctrines and practices retained by the particular Protestant denomination of the person to whom one is speaking. It can be a tightrope act daunting enough to make many simply decide defending the faith isn't worth the headache. Those that forge ahead often wish they hadn't and come away feeling something was missing -- unsatiated, like they couldn't really say what they wanted.
Why Catholics Are Right is there to fill that hole. Author Michael Coren says what many Catholics would like to say, but never do. He tells it like it is, without apology. He's convinced the Catholic Church is right on the basics, but this book really isn't primarily about fundamental theology. While Coren does devote some space to defending often misunderstood basic tenets of the faith, much more ink is spent exploring the most common areas of attack on the church -- sex scandal, church history, crusades, inquisition, obsession with life issues.
It's refreshing that Coren is willing to call nonsense nonsense. If he stopped there, however, it would be nothing more than a big, "Shut up! You're stupid!" Thankfully, Coren realizes it's not enough just to point out common errors in the perceptions of the church. He adeptly explains in a quickly-paced, accessible style why he believes those who attack the church are wrong. And it's not merely his opinion or interpretation. Coren cites numerous references and fills the end pages with a bibliography that can be another of source of informational wealth for those willing to mine it.
While Coren is direct and unapologetic about the church, he manages to maintain a tone of sincerity. It's obvious he truly wants to share the facts and dispel the myths that surround the church, its practices, and its history. Unquestionably, and hopefully with the same sincerity Coren displays, those who are Catholic will find themselves better equipped to stand up for what they know is right about the Catholic Church. And the few brave non-Catholics who honestly journey between the covers will also be rewarded at least a time or two, and probably surprised, with the realization that the Catholic Church is indeed right.
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