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
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
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The Original List of Scepter Booklets:
001 Loyalty to the Church
002 Sowing Abundant Doctrine
003 Time is a Treasure
004 "Increase and Multiply"
006 Human Virtues
007 Bright and Cheerful Homes
008 Freedom From What? For What ?
009 Christ's Presence in Christians
010 Mother of God, Our Mother
011 Supernatural Aim of the Church
012 That All may be Saved
014 The Angels 016 A Priest Forever
017 Marriage, Christian Vocation
018 With All Your Mind
019 Dispositions for Faith
020/021 A New Beginning
022 Sanctifying Ordinary Work
024 Is Purity Possible
025 Life of Prayer
026 Ascension of Our Lord
027 The Religion of the Pharisee
028 To Jesus Through Mary
029 The New Barbarism
030 Passionately Loving the World
032 Montserrat Grases
033 The Great Unknown
034 Love of God and Love of Neighbor
035 Popular Devotions and Theology
036 Towards Holiness
037 "Things New and Old"
038 Christ Triumphs Through Humility
039 Judge Among Men
040 Frequent Confession
041 Divine Ways on Earth:
042 interior Struggle
044 The Eucharist: Mystery of Faith and Love
048 Living in God's Presence
049 Marriage in Crisis
050 The Priest and His Image
051 Freedom and the Church
052 Freedom A Gift of God
053 Censorship
054 Christ the King
055 Humanae Vitae
056 With the Strength of Love
057 Devotion to St. Joseph
058 The Christian Vocation
060 Woman Today
063 The Way of the Cross
064 Surrender to God
066 Conscience and Truth
069 Will You Also Go Away?
070 Twenty Questions to Msgr. Escriva
071 Have You Received the Spirit?
072 The Christian's Hope
073 Marxism and Christianity
074 The Apostle Who Couldn't Believe
075 God's Work
076 Heaven
080 Conversion of the Children of God
081 Full of Grace
082 St. Thomas More: A Profile
083 Justice Alone is Not Enough
085 "Your Sins Are Forgiven You"
087 Here and Now
088 In the Footsteps of Christ
089 Before and After Holy Mass
090 The Greatness of Ordinary Life
091 The Communion of Saints 092 The Blessed Trinity
093/094 Ideals in Youth
095 How to Understand the Bible
096 How the Bible Has Come to Us
098 What is the Church For?
099 Msgr. Escriva De Belaguer: His Love for the Church
100 Parents Children and the Rules of Life
101 Before God and Men
103 On the Feast of Corpus Christi
104 Fatima and Its Pilgrims
105 Authority Faith, and The Individual
106 Letter to Priests
107 Growing in Parenthood
109 Detachment
111 Population and Development
112 Reaching and Teaching Your Children
113 Strangers and Exiles
114 Woman Today: Her Role in the Family
115 Christ's Death Is The Christian's Life
116 The Need for Penance
117 Our lady's Place in Your Life
118 Commentaries on the Holy Mass
119/120 Letter on the Holy Eucharist
121 Why Suffer
123 Man Essential Part 1
124 Man Essential Part 2
125 Sir Thomas More: The Making Of A Saint
126 The Ventures of Faith
127 The Mystical Number Three
128 The Ark and the Dove
129 Come Holy Spirit
131/132 Family, Become What You Are
133 Friendship Of Christ
134 Freedom to Love
136 Conscience and Authority
137 Seeking God in the World
138 Priesthood of Today and Tomorrow
139 A Year of Jubilee
140 Evolution
141 The Black Madonna
142 Christ in his Church
143 Meeting the Press
144 Will Being Good Make Me Happy?
145/146 Letters to a College Student
147 A Game Plan For The Christian
148 Catholic Understanding of Marital Intimacy
150 Process Theology and Secularization
151 Opus Dei & Its Critics
152 Reading: Learning to Choose
153 Liberation Theology
154 Joys & Sorrows St. Joseph
155 Alive to God
156 Keeping God in the Closet
157 Freedom and Obedience
158 With Respect to Sex
159 The Individuality of the Soul
160 Work and the Spiritual Life
161 Women at Work
162 20 Questions to Mgr. Alvaro del Portillo
163 Go For It!
164 Speaking from the Heart
166 Talking About God
167 The Intelligence in the Service of Christ the King
168 Penance
169 Law and Morality
170 Sex & Education
171 The Romance of Orthodoxy
172 Marriage And The Priesthood
173 In Her Will I Dwell
178 The Gospel Truth
179 To Make a Good Retreat
180 Contraception
181/182 Sucessful Fathers
183 The Laity's Role in today's Church
184 Spiritual Direction
187 Reasonableness of Christianity
190 The Christian in the World
191 Seven Words From The Cross
192 The Beatification of Msgr. Escriva
194 Mass: The Hidden Treasure
197 Evangelization in the U.S.
199/200 Order
201 The Galileo Affair
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204 Reinventing Dad
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