Rev. Eugene Boylan
Scepter Press
ISBN 9781594172953
I have read this booklet three times now, first in 2007, then in 2010 and now in 2017 the new eBook version. This booklet has been completely redone and is an excellent little read. Originally there was just over 200 booklets in the series from Scepter, I believe, that were available in English and it is great that they are being made available again. I also believe that this is the only booklet by Eugene Boylan in the series. And this booklet is an excerpt from This Tremendous Lover. And at just under 40 pages it packs a lot of punch. The chapters in this booklet are:
Gripping The Imagination
The Barrier Of Boredom
Essential For Progress
Love, Not Sentiment
The Educated Catholic
A Disease Of The Mind
Religious And Laity
Reading As Food
A Daily Exercise
Unfortunate Biographies
Ask For Help
As Essential As Eating
Reading And Meditation
Indefinite Boundaries
About The Author
The introduction states: "Now if there is one thing for which modern conditions have produced a special necessity, it is the regular practice of spiritual reading. It is, of course, only a question of degree; for reading, or some other form of instruction, was always necessary" It has been a Christian practice since nearly the beginning. But today it is one that often slides by the side over taken by the urgent or that which easily distracts us. The purpose of this booklet is to remind us of the need for spiritual reading, but also to be cautious in all that we read. This booklet written well before the internet age raises some great questions about that with which we occupy our minds. And in today's technology age the distractions, which Rev Boylan speaks about are even more evident. Boylan goes on to state: "What has been said of periodicals is no less true of books taken generally; and there is another effect common to all such reading: it produces a distaste, not merely for the things that really matter, but also for the style and manner in which those things are presented in spiritual books. The result is that when one does by an effort force oneself to open a spiritual book, it requires a still greater effort to keep it open, and not to close it with a yawn. And, truth to tell, it is not always the reader who is to blame." And as an avid reader I can say that it is so true. It is easier to pick up a Clancy, Baldacci, Ludlum, or Robert B. Parker then to tackle an Aquinas, de' Liguori, Pope Benedict, or a Taylor Marshall. But this book reminds us of the importance of the effort and the greater reward from engaging in spiritual reading.
Boylan declares: "Even if a man's reading of Catholic theology were only enough to teach him to know how much he does not know about it, a lot would be gained. But there is no reason why any educated Catholic should not go further, and bring his knowledge of Catholic theology up to the standards of the other branches of his knowledge - in principle if not in detail." And it is a worthy challenge.
This is an excellent little read. And I am sure it will cause you to look at what you read, and how you read in a different light. This is one of the original Scepter booklets; in fact it was booklet 130. I was able to track down only print copies of about 60 of the original booklets, and am so excited that they are now becoming available in eBook formats.
It is now available for free in a wonderful eBook edition, along with many other booklets from the series. Scepter is in the process of updating all of the old booklets and making them available in a new format and presentation. I have read a number of the booklets and look forward to them all being available again. This book and the whole series are amazing resources to help you grow in your faith. And you really cannot beat the price! So why not give it a try.
PDF for free from Scepter.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!
For reviews of other books and booklets from Scepter click here.
Scepter Booklets:
5 Steps to a Financially Healthy Marriage - Joseph D. Salem
A New Beginning - Walter Macken
A Plan of Life - Josemaria Escriva
A Profile of St Thomas More - M. Alvarez
A Treasury of Prayers - James W Albrecht
Bright and Cheerful Homes - James Urteaga
Catholic Teachings on Sex - Daryl Glick
Celibacy, Personality and the Gift of Self - John B Torello
Censorship - Cormac Burke
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - Declaration on Certain Questions of Sexual Ethics
Devotion to St. Joseph - F Delclaux
Diary of a City Priest - George William Rutler
Dispositions for Faith - John Henry Newman
Divine Ways on Earth - Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli
Francis Luna - How to Pray
Freedom From What For What - Cormac Burke
Frequent Confession - S Feirgle
How to Pray – Rev. Francis Luna
In Gods House - Paul Nitta
Increase and Multiply - J. A. Garcia-Prieto and J. L. Pastor
Is Purity Possible - JL Soria
Legacy A Story of Generosity - James B Stenson
Life of Faith - Josemaria Escriva
Living in God’s Presence - Francis Luna
Making the Most of Confession - Francis Luna
Marriage in Crisis - Cormac Burke
Montserrat Grases - Mercedes Eguibar
Norms of Piety - JM Muntadas
Novena to St. Josemaria Escriva for Work
Novena to the Immaculate Conception - St Josemaria Escriva
On the Encyclical “The Splendor of the Truth” - Russell Shaw
Order - Joseph L Soria
Parents, Children and The Rules of Life - Cormac Burke
Popular Devotions and Theology - JJ Espinosa
Priests for the New Millennium - John C McCloskey
Reinventing Dad - Denis Helming
Sanctifying Ordinary Work - Andrew Byrne
Scepter Christmas Carols
Seeking Christ in Reading - Rev Eugene Boylan
Sir Thomas More The Making of a Saint - Thomas J. McGovern
Sowing Abundant Doctrine - Joseph A. Vidal
The Angels - Cardinal John Wright
The Apostle Who Couldn't Believe - George Chevrot
The Ark and the Dove - Joseph W. McPherson
The Christian in the World - Russell Shaw
The Donkey at the Waterwheel - Malcolm Kennedy
The Galileo Affair - George Sim Johnston
The Gospel Truth - Michael Giesler
The Laity’s Role in Today’s Church - John Paul II's Christifideles Laici
The Limits of Dissent - John Myers
The Priest and His Image - Alvaro del Portillo
The Reasonableness of Christianity - Peter Kreeft
To Make a Good Retreat - David Chandler
When God Calls - Rev. Federico Suarez
Why Suffer - Mary Ann Budnik
Winning Converts - John McCloskey
With All Your Mind - Rev. Federico Suarez
Women’s Liberation and Feminism - Jutta Burggraf
Work as Fufillment in the thought of John Paul II - John F Cloverdale
…
Older Editions:
A Profile of St Thomas More - M. Alvarez
Diary of a County Priest - George William Rutler
Evangelization in the United States - Fr. C. John McCloskey
Fatherhood - James B. Stenson
How to Pray - Francis Luna
In Gods House - Paul Nitta
Learning to Love – Joe Florez
Marriage God's School of Love - Cormac Burke
Novena to the Inmaculate Conception - St Josemaria Escriva
Preparing for Peer Pressure - James B. Stenson
Qualities of Successful Parents - James B. Stenson
Teaching Maturity - James B. Stenson
The Laity’s Role in Todays Church - Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua
The Nature and Spirit of Opus Dei - Andrew Byrne
The Vocation of a Catholic Teacher - William E. May
What happened to the Glory - Henry Hardinge Menzies
What is Opus Dei - Russell Shaw
With Respect to Sex - Daryl Glick
…
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