What to read

History’s Queen: Exploring Mary’s Pivotal Role from Age to Age
Mike Aquilina
Ave Maria Press, 192 pages

We think of the Virgin Mary’s primary role as the mother of our Savior, but her role in God’s plan of salvation extends throughout human history. Chosen by God from before all time, in Scripture she is prefigured in Genesis, and appears as the “woman clothed with the sun” in Revelation. But her influence and intercession are evident also in the writings of the Church Fathers, the victory at Lepanto, her consolations during the Black Death, in art and architecture, and her several apparitions that brought healing and conversions at key moments and places. With History’s Queen, Mike Aquilina has given us a kind of love letter on our Blessed Mother.

Sex and the Unreal City: The Demolition of the Western Mind
Anthony Esolen
Ignatius Press, 209 pages

In this spot-on parody of modern culture, Anthony Esolen reveals how society today often ignores reality and truth in favor of manufactured “unrealities.” Here he presents five related essays about a mythical Unreal City and the delusions that maintain its sad trajectory. In the first four, he examines the city’s take on education, the body, materialism, and religion; in the fifth, he proposes the remedy: the Incarnation, where we find the truth, which is Jesus Christ. The satire is humorous; its reflection on good and evil and its critique of the sad state of culture today is dead serious, although not without hope.

Overcoming Sinful Thoughts: How to Realign Your Thinking and Defeat Harmful Ideas
Father Thomas G. Morrow
Sophia Institute Press, 240 pages

“The root of all sins lies in man’s heart,” the Catechism tells us, echoing Christ’s teaching. Consequently, if we want to defeat our tendency to sin, we ought to begin by putting the kibosh on sinful thoughts. Father Thomas Morrow here describes why the mind is often Satan’s gateway to our souls, and provides strategies for taking decisive action. As one might expect, this means understanding a bit about how the devil operates, embracing frequent Confession as a source of healing and strength, understanding God’s plan for us, and that our ultimate and lasting happiness can be found only in Him. It’s solid advice for our daily spiritual battle.