Religion High School

Jesus of Nazareth

From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration
Author(s): 
Pope Benedict XVI
Translator(s): 
Adrian J. Walker
Number of pages: 
374 pages
Copyright: 
2007
Publisher: 
Doubleday
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Bible Study Helps
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 
It's rather lovely, I think that the Pope uses in his own book a phrase (which he applies to the parables of Jesus) which aptly describes this fascinating book: "...it not only or even primarily adds to what we know, but it changes our lives." In Jesus of Nazareth, Our Holy Father presents a vision of primary events of the Gospels (this volume covers significant stories chronologically from the Baptism of Our Lord through the Transfiguration - a second volume is expected in the future). He delves into these Gospel stories (many of which are commonly taken for granted - both because we've heard these stories since we were young and because we're missing some of the background details that add depth and additional significance to these stories) to help bring Our Lord to life for modern readers. Here are the basic Gospel stories that are covered in the text: The Baptism of Jesus The Temptations of Jesus The Kingdom of God The Sermon on the Mount The Lord's Prayer The Disciples The Parables (with an emphasis on The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Sun and the Rich Man and Lazarus) Images from St. John's Gospel (Water, Vine and Wine, Bread, and the Shepherd) Peter's Confession The Transfiguration Jesus Declares His Identity (The Son of Man, The Son, "I Am") Here's a sampling of the style and content of the book, taken from the chapter on the Our Father in which the Pope discusses what we mean by "Hallowed be Thy Name".
God establishes a relationship between himself and us. He puts himself within reach of our invocation. He enters into relationship with us and enables us to be in relationship with him. Yet this means that in some sense he hands himself over to our human world. He has made himself accessible and, therefore, vulnerable as well. He assumes the risk of relationship, of communion, with us. The process that was brought to completion in the Incarnation had begun with the giving of the divine name.... God has now truly made himself accessible in his incarnate Son. He has become a part of our world: he has, as it were, put himself into our hands. This enables us to understand what the petition for the sanctification of the divine name means. The name of God can now be misused and so God himself can be sullied. The name of God can be co-opted for our purposes and so the image of God can also be distorted. The more he gives himself into our hands, the more we can obscure his light; the closer he is, the more our misuse can disfigure him. Martin Buber once said that when we consider all the ways in which God's name has been so shamefully misused, we almost despair of uttering it ourselves. But to keep it silent would be an outright refusal of the love with which God comes to us. Buber says that our only recourse is to try as reverently as possible to pick up and purify the polluted fragments of the divine name. But there is no way we can do that alone. All we can do is plead with him not to allow the light of his name to be destroyed in the world.
He elucidates the various Gospel stories from many angles, though certain patterns emerge. In many places, he discusses and refutes modern theories about the Life of Christ (many of which have the common thread of doubting the historical validity of the Gospels). These are usually the most difficult portions of the book to follow. I found it helpful to underline principal portions in order to keep a particular thread fresh in my memory. Brief notes on the various threads might also be helpful. He also references Eastern imagery from traditional icons and what we have learned from Tradition (from the teachings of the Church Fathers) about the various Gospel passages. This is a life-changing book. There are many stories, like the Transfiguration, that I had little understanding of to begin with and will never hear or think about in the same way again. I studied this over the course of a school year with a group of high school students. We studied approximately 10 to 15 pages at a time and discussed everything in depth. I don't think it's a book that most high schoolers could read on their own. Reading it in chunks together allowed us to delve into it more deeply (I'm certain that I got more out of it than I would have if I had read it on my own.) The discussions provided an opportunity to clarify confusing parts of the text (many times I was able to provide some helpful background info such as an explanation of a philosophical idea). The students really enjoyed the book and got a lot out of it. Besides the obvious benefits of the content of the book itself, they're now less intimidated by an "intellectual" book and understand that it's okay to just make a beginning in reading such a book and that it's perfectly normal to get more out of such a book every time they read it. For those who might be interested, I wrote a number of blog posts on this book while I was studying it. You can read them here.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Recently released in softcover by Ignatius Press (that edition includes an index!). They are also expected to release a study guide for this book in October 2008.

An audio version is also available through your local bookstore or from Audible.com

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
10-8-2008

Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week

from the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection
Author(s): 
Pope Benedict XVI
Number of pages: 
362 pages
Copyright: 
2011
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Subject(s): 
The Life of Christ
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Review: 
Pope Benedict XVI has given us a gift of a second volume illuminating the events of the life of Christ. The first volume,Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration was reviewed here. Like the first volume, it is a book written for adults, but may be appropriate for group study among teenagers, provided that expectations regarding understanding are kept reasonable. On the whole I found it to be easier to understand than the first volume because more time is spent on each event and a certain amount of healthy repetition aids in clarity of understanding. I led a study group for homeschooled teens on the first book and hope to do so with this one as well. I'd like to make it very clear that the teens in my group and I as their leader all got a lot out of the book, but didn't pretend, or even really attempt, to understand everything in the book. We studied one chapter per week and tended to focus on the additional significance and meaning that Pope Benedict brought out of each of the Gospel stories. There were some tough vocabulary words here and there, but the process of understanding became easier as we encountered the words multiple times (like eschatology). We also found that having the book available on audio and the inclusion of a glossary in the back of the book were quite helpful in making the book more accessible and understandable for our family. Both of these features are offered in this second volume as well! This is a beautiful and moving elucidation by the Holy Father of the events of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday (including the entrance into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple) and concluding with the Resurrection (with an epilogue on the Ascension and the Second Coming). There is a special emphasis on how each event of Christ's life fulfills prophecies and traditions from the Old Testament. The detailed deliberateness of this fulfillment on the part of Christ's actions are made particularly clear in his careful quoting of scripture at each event. There's a thread in this that gave me a new appreciation and reverence for the psalms. I'm always amazed at how reading Pope Benedict's writings (both before and after he became pope) challenge me - not only in forcing me to put in the effort to understanding, but also, in a more philosophical way, to expand the way I look at my faith and at the world through the lens of my faith. Here's a great example from the epilogue in regards to an appropriate attitude towards the Second Coming:
Faith in Christ's return is the second pillar of the Christian confession. He who took flesh and now retains his humanity forever, he who has eternally opened up within God a space for humanity, now calls the whole world into this open space in God, so that in the end God may be all in all and the Son may hand over to the Father the whole world that is gathered together in him. Herein is contained the certainty of hope that God will wipe away every tear, that nothing meaningless will remain, that every injustice will be remedied and justice restored. The triumph of love will be the last word of world history. Vigilance is demanded of Christians as the basic attitude for the 'interim time'. This vigilance means, on the one hand, that man does not lock himself into the here and now and concern himself only with tangible things, but that he raises his eyes above the present moment and its immediate urgency. Keeping one's gaze freely fixed upon God in order to receive from him the criterion of right action and the capacity for it - that is what matters. Vigilance means first of all openness to the good, to the truth, to God, in the midst of an often meaningless world and in the midst of the power of evil. It means that man tries with all his strength and with great sobriety to do what is right; it means that he lives, not according to his own wishes, but according to the signpost of faith.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
4-12-2011

Joan of Arc

Book cover: 'Joan of Arc'
Author(s): 
Mark Twain
Number of pages: 
452 pages
Copyright: 
1896
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Subject(s): 
Biographies
Saints
Setting: 
High Middle Ages
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Review: 
Saint Joan of Arc is one of the most astonishing saints of all time. Prayerful, as all saints must be, humble, generous, and patient, Joan served God by leading the armies of France to boot the English from their soil in 1431. Not a usual task for a girl in her late teens, saint or not. And afterwards, to make it perfectly clear that the English were engaged in an act of godless aggression, Joan was burned as a witch after a trial that was unjust, illegal and cruel in every detail.

So who is qualified to tell this story? Another saint? A theologian? A soldier? What about just a good American story-teller -- indeed the best -- but a man with hardly any faith at all?

Mark Twain is most famous for his Mississippi River stories, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It is not well enough known that his own favorite of all his works was the life of St. Joan of Arc, told from the fictional perspective (but this is the only fiction in the book) of a childhood companion who accompanied her on her wars, and then smuggled himself into her trials as a court reporter and was the last to touch her hand before she died.

Mark Twain really loved Joan and he dedicated the entire fiber of his wonderful talent to telling her story. I see him in the year 1910, knocking at the Pearly Gates, and I see Peter's hesitation, for Twain was after all, something of an unbelieving old cynic. But over Peter's shoulder, I see a slight and mischievous lass tugging his sleeve and saying with a grin, "Let him in, now, let him in!" while a Voice thunders from the Throne, "Any friend of Joan's is a friend of Mine."

Read it yourself, silently or aloud to the family, and see if you don't agree.

Reviewed by: 
Mary Daly
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Murder in the Cathedral

Book cover: 'Murder in the Cathedral'
Author(s): 
T.S. Eliot
Copyright: 
1935
Binding: 
Other
Subject(s): 
Historical Fiction
Saints
Setting: 
High Middle Ages
England
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Review: 
This classic play, written in the fashion of a Greek tragedy (but with Catholic content) is suitable for high school students and adults. Handling the topic of St. Thomas Becket' martyrdom, it focuses on the spiritual and emotional struggles and temptations the Archbishop is faced with immediately before his martyrdom. Full of many truths and fodder for great discussion, this is a highly recommended piece for literature, religion and history.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Various editions available

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
7-7-2000

Not God's Type

An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms
Author(s): 
Holly Ordway
Number of pages: 
215 pages
Copyright: 
2014
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Conversion Stories
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Review: 
This is the fascinating and very engaging story of an atheist who converted to Catholicism thanks to her affinity for literature and competitive saber sword-fighting. No really! I love the way she skillfully and accessibly takes us through the series of ideas and arguments she needed to work through in the process of conversion. I am also completely intrigued by the fact that she is a Catholic who now holds the chair of apologetics at Houston Baptist University. An excellent and fairly quick read for high schoolers and adults that will be especially enjoyed by book-lovers.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
9-19-2016

Our Sunday Visitor's 2008 Catholic Almanac

Author(s): 
Matthew Bunson, general editor
Number of pages: 
640 pages
Copyright: 
2008
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
High School
Review: 
This is a fantastic reference book for a wide variety of reasons - especially for those who don't have Internet access or who don't want their children to do searches on the Internet. Our Sunday Visitor has been publishing an annual Catholic Almanac for over one hundred years. Teachers, educators, parents and many others will find a great deal of useful and well-organized information at their finger-tips. The text is divided into four main sections with numerous sub categories beneath each one. Here's a quick overview:
Part One: News and Events: The Year in Review and News in Depth(includes segments on Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Documents and Announcements, Special Reports on International News, Special Reports on National News, Life Issues and Meetings of U.S. Bishops) Part Two: The Teachings of the Catholic Church Doctrine of the Catholic Church, Glossary, The Church Calendar, Liturgical Life of the Church, The Sacraments of the Church and The Communion of Saints. Part Three: The Church Universal Dates and Events in Catholic History, The Papacy and the Holy See, The Roman Curia, Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, The Universal Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, The Catholic Church in the U.S., United States Hierarchy, Biographies of American Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Minority Catholics in the U.S., Statistics of the Church in the U.S., The Catholic Church in Canada, The Catholic Church in Mexico. Part Four: The Life of the Church in the World Consecrated Life, Apostolates and Ministries, Catholic Social Services, Education, Catholic Communications, Ecumenism and Interreligous Dialogue, Separated Eastern Churches, Reformation Churches, Interreligious Dialogue.
Although this is a complete list of main categories and general topics, it doesn't give a sense of the detail and usefulness of the overall content. I'll try to give a few examples that might be particular useful to Catholic homeschool families, to give a sense of the content: In the section on "The Papacy and the Holy See" from Part Three, you'll find (among other things) a complete lists of popes as well as a more detailed overview of the Popes of the 20th Century. Here's a one of the segments (entitled "Peace Efforts") of the mini-biography of Pope Pius XII, who was Pope during World War II. I think this gives a good sense of the important facts which have been carefully chose and supported in the text:
Before the start of World War II, he tried unsuccessfully to get the contending nations - Germany and Poland, France and Italy- to settle their differences peaceably. During the war, he offered his services to mediate the widened conflict, spoke out against the horrors of war and the suffering it caused, mobilized relief work for its victims, proposed a five-point program for peace in Christmas messages from 1939 to 1942, and secured a generally open status for the city of Rome. He has been criticized in some quarters for not doing enough to oppose the Holocaust. This is a matter of historical debate, but it is a fact that through his direct intercession many thousands of Jews in Rome and Italy were saved from certain death, and he resisted wherever possible the threat of Nazism to human rights. Such were his contributions to assisting Jews that the rabbi of Rome, Dr. Abraham Zolli, was converted to Catholicism, and upon his death, Pius was praised by Golda Meir for his efforts. After the war, he endorsed the principles and intent of the U.N. and continued efforts for peace.
Also, in the same overall section is a 36 page country-by-country overview of Catholic statistics (number of religious, Catholic population, percent of the total population that is Catholic and things like that) and a paragraph briefly explaining the history of the faith in each country. It's a wonderful supplement to geographical studies and a place to find interesting information on current missionary efforts of the Church. I could readily imagine homeschool families choosing countries with small minorities of Catholics (such as Turkmenistan, which has only two priests to serve a population of approximately 1000 Catholics). Here is a list of some of the other resources contained in this Almanac that may be of interest (there are many, many more besides these):
  • Books of the Bible (including information on books that are rejected by Protestant denominations and overviews of each book)
  • A mini Old Testament Bible timeline
  • A list of Apostolic Fathers, Fathers of the Church and Doctors of the Church with a brief biography of each
  • A 32 page Catholic Glossary
  • A detailed liturgical calendar
  • An overview of major Holy Days and other Observances
  • Extensive listing of saints, including a list of traditional Patrons and Intercessors and recent Canonizations
  • A ten page timeline of Catholic History
  • A listing of all Papal Encyclicals from 1740 to the present day (The most recent encyclical included here is Deus Caritas Est)
  • A Chronology of U.S. Catholic History
  • A list of missionaries (with very brief biographies) to the Americas
  • Lists of Cathedrals, Basilicas and Shrines in the United States
  • An extensive listing of Catholic Colleges and Universities, including website and phone number, and current enrollment.
Because of the nature of this resource, I have not done a thorough read-through, but everything I've seen (and I've spent a number of hours poring through this) has been very solid. The book does contain some material that may not be suitable for young children, including a mention on the front cover of "An Update on the Sexual Abuse Scandal".
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
4-19-2008

Persuasive Pro Life

How to Talk about Our Culture's Toughest Issue
Book cover: Persuasive Pro-Life
Author(s): 
Trent Horn
Copyright: 
2014
Publisher: 
Catholic Answers
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Religion
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 

In Persuasive Pro-Life, Trent Horn draws from his extensive experience as both a pro-life advocate and trainer of other advocates to teach us how to be effective advocates for life wherever God has placed us. He covers what to say and how to say it, dos and don'ts, and specific strategies that can effectively persuade. He also shares mistakes he's made and what he's learned from them, which both allows us to benefit from his errors as well as points to the right attitude toward our own inevitable mistakes.

The publisher describes Horn's book this way:

"Are you scared to talk about abortion? Don't worry—almost everyone is. Either we think the subject is too impolite, or we don't want to be branded an [sic] intolerant fanatic, or we're afraid we won't represent the pro-life side well enough. Whatever the reason for this fear, it causes many of us pass up opportunities to speak out on behalf of the unborn. You can overcome this fear, says Trent Horn in his new book Persuasive Pro-Life. With a little knowledge and a few proven techniques, you can become a bold and effective apologist for life."

His favorite approach is to use questions to spark a dialogue or invite deeper thought, much as Jesus or Socrates did. He especially recommends asking what he calls "dumb" questions, such as:

  • What is abortion?
  • What is a child?
  • What is a human?
  • Why is abortion a sad or difficult choice?

Horn also covers - rather encyclopedically - arguments for abortion, why they fail, and how to respond. One of the best features is the many realistic conversations he includes, based on his past experiences. These dialogues show how his approach plays out in real life and help the reader to apply the principles in various circumstances.

He doesn't shy away from the most difficult objections, which may be emotional rather than logical. I particularly loved the part where he discusses the inconsistency of the "tolerant" position held by people who say they are pro-life themselves but at the same time say that others should still have the right to choose abortion.

I recommend this excellent book and give all my students a copy of it at the end of my high school seminar class on philosophy, ethics, and life issues. 

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Suchi Myjak
First reviewed: 
08/01/2023

Pope Fiction

Answers to 30 Myths and Miconceptions about the Papacy
Book cover: Pope Fiction
Author(s): 
Patrick Madrid
Number of pages: 
338 pages
Copyright: 
1999
ISBN: 
978-0964261006
Publisher: 
Basilica Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Sample Pages
Subject(s): 
Church History
The Holy Father and the Papacy
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Review: 

This is a wonderful, very readable, book on history and apologetics that takes readers (chronologically) through 30 myths about the papacy and provides very clear answers. The myths cover topics such as: that Peter wasn't really a pope (because he refered to himself as a "fellow presbyter", that the Rock referred to in Matthew 16:10 was not really Peter, that Peter wasn't the ultimate authority in the Church because he was rebuked by St. Paul, that the papacy is merely a medieval Roman invention, that the existence of bad popes disqualifies the papacy as being part of Christ's plan for His Church, that Pope Pius XII was the last validly elected pope (the sedevacantist argument) and that Pope Pius XII was silent in the face of Nazi atrocities against the Jews during World War II.

In the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, Patrick Madrid argues against some fairly compelling beliefs of "the other side" in order to help readers more fully understand Catholic doctrine and tradition, as well as be prepared to answer difficult questions posed by non-Catholics and confused Catholics.

Anecdotes and well-chosen quotes really help to illustrate the fallacies of the arguments and make the counter-arguments quite memorable. These responses include quite a bit of pertinent historical details, references to the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church and lots of apologetics "ammunition" for conversations with those who stand against the Pope and the Catholic Church.

Suitable for high school and adult reading.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
4-17-01

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