What to read

February 1, 2021

In Life, the Journey is Everything: From the Dump to the Gym and Beyond
Tim and Pat Von Dohlen
Content Capital, 253 pages

“Do you believe in life after love?” sang Cher in her 1998 hit song. Tim and Pat Von Dohlen surely do. They met in 2005 while each was still grieving the death of their spouse, but quickly felt led by God to marry and begin a new life together. Their work includes the founding of the pro-life St. John Paul II Life Center and Vitae Clinic in Austin, Texas. The Austin Legates relate their inspirational story, they write, “to bring ‘hope’ to people’s lives after they experienced tragedy.” For many a reader, their journey of faith ought to accomplish precisely that.

A Catholic Survival Guide for Times of Emergency
Deacon Nick Donnelly
TAN Books, 195 pages

Just because the world has gone crazy doesn’t mean everyone should. As a matter of fact, for Catholics, the COVID-19 pandemic should alert them to get back to basics. Even if deprived of the Mass or sacraments due to restrictions of quarantine, Catholics can seek God’s mercy and grace in grave situations through traditional devotions and prayers endorsed by the Church. In this little book, Deacon Nick Donnelly describes what Catholics should do in extraordinary circumstances, particularly when death seems imminent, or when a priest is not available. It’s good information to keep top-ofmind for this or any crisis.

The Politics of Heaven and Hell: Christian Themes from Classical Medieval and Modern Political Philosophy
Father James Schall
S.J. Ignatius Press, 322 pages

Anything written by Father James Schall is worth reading. Here in The Politics of Heaven and Hell, the late Jesuit professor surveys the problems of confusing what we owe to Caesar with what we owe to God. We mustn’t consider a country’s wealth and power as a sign of true greatness, he cautions, for these are transient. Nations succeed and flourish to the extent they remain faithful to God; when they lose sight of “the highest things,” respecting both faith and reason, they begin the inexorable descent into chaos, tyranny, or worse. Here’s a solid one-volume overview of political philosophy that simultaneously indicts contemporary socio-cultural norms.