Dear Friends in Christ,

As you know, the Lenten penitential season is so much more than just giving up something, like coffee, chocolate or dessert. Increasing our reading of the Sacred Scriptures and meditating on them is an awesome practice to add to our lives during Lent. Also, most of us, me included, would benefit greatly from less screen time (be it the smartphone, the iPad, your computer or the “telly”) and more time reading good books. Many Catholics are not engaged in reading good and edifying books. We must be intentional if we are going to add more quality reading to our life. Lent is a good time to change our ways and add quality reading to our lives. Accordingly, I would like to offer a few suggestions for special reading during your Lenten season.

I’ll start with the serious reads first. Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith, by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. This is the book that I have chosen to read/review over Lent. It is a comprehensive summary of Christian doctrine written in a catechism format: questions and then clear and concise answers. In Credo, Bishop Schneider lays out the riches of our Catholic faith while engaging contemporary issues. There’s a very helpful index. Want a deeper understanding of our faith? This is the book for you.

Next, The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise, by Robert Cardinal Sarah. As a society, we are completely overwhelmed with noise and distractions, visual and audible. It’s nearly impossible to hear the “still small voice of God.” I can recall that as I was discerning my call to the priesthood, I had to slow down, get off the treadmill and look for some silence to hear the voice of God. Cardinal Sarah writes about the critical need for silence in our lives. Think about it. How much real silence did you have last week?

Finally, Father Dwight Longenecker, Pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary parish in Greenville has a new book entitled, There and Back Again: A Somewhat Religious Odyssey. Many of you know Father Longenecker from his many books, conferences and articles. This book is the story of his conversion from Evangelical Protestantism to the Anglican Church and then finally home to the Roman Catholic Church. It is the story of his spiritual journey and is filled with robust wit and poignancy. Its light reading and the compelling narrative will pull you through the book quickly.

May God richly bless you as you read, pray and reflect over your life in Christ this Lent!

All the best…in Christ,

Father Wilson

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