/lit/ - Literature

>>10136854
Maybe try to find some **good** spiritual reading that you, personally, can connect with.

The books that I find inspiring might do nothing for you, but here are a few titles to consider (all of these are readily available via Amazon and other outlets):

- Divine Mercy in My Soul by Sr. Faustina*

- New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton

- Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre De Caussade (Image Classics, John Beevers translation)

- Spiritual Childhood: The Spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux by Vernon Johnson

- I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Jean C. J. d'Elbée [*really* good book, for me, anyway]
>https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Love-Personal-Retreat-Teaching/dp/1928832288

- Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Jacques Philippe
*When I look into the future, I am frightened,
But why plunge into the future?
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.

It is no longer in my power
To change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.

O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of your omnipotence.

And so, trusting in Your mercy,
I walk through life like a little child,
Offering you each day this heart
Burning with love for Your greater glory.

-St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in Soul, para. 2

==================

PERSEVERE:

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
BECAUSE OF HIS PERSISTENCE.

"And I tell you, ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE;
SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
-Luke 11:5-10

>>9817252
>nobody has given OP a straight answer

There have been a few good replies, surrounded by a lot of arguing and junk, alas.

See:
>>9815049
>>9815049
>>9815049
>>9815049

And
>>9815198
>>9815198
>>9815198
>>9815198

Those posts were an honest, and frankly prayerful attempt to reply to the several issues raised by OP.

>>9698656
Anon, listen to me, please.

Read The Seven-Story Mountain by Thomas Merton. It tells of his conversion, and eventual decision to become a monk. It's a great book. Although not an apologetic, strictly speaking, it obviously presents a sympathetic portrait of the Church, and helps the reader understand how prayer and the sacraments work. Among other things, you get to meet Dorothy Day in one chapter, when Merton assisted at one of her Catholic Worker homes. Believe me, although Dorothy Day was sui generis, there are still a lot of Catholics out there following in her footsteps with zero fanfare. I note that one recent edition of the book I came across had an introduction by some American bishop whose name I forget. What a sad piece of writing; he actually talks the book down to some extent. But the book stands on its own feet, alive and vital.

Karl Adam's The Spirit of Catholicism *is* an apologetic, and rather nice one. It was written in the 40s, and still holds up and is still in print.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, issued under Pope John Paul II, is fat tome, but surprisingly readable. Not the type of book you'd necessarily read from cover-to-cover, but it's well-organized and does an *excellent* job covering a plethora of topics in concise, lucid and rather beautiful prose (imho).

You can read a short, well-written primer on the historical and biblical bonafides of the Church here: https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

A personal favorite of mine is a book of conversion stories called Spiritual Journeys, edited by Robert Baram. I have read many such collections, and this is certainly one of the best, and perhaps the very best such book I've ever come across. It's the range of the stories - blue collar, white collar, academics, ordinary Joes, housewives, drug addicts, etc. Each of them coming to (or brought by grace to) the Church in their own unique, often fascinating way. And each story well-written, with its own voice, suggesting the editor did a masterful job in putting it all together. I think it may be out of print, but there are inexpensive used copies available at Amazon, ABE, and Barnes & Noble.

E.g., https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Journeys-Robert-Baram/dp/0819868760

If I had the money and could get the rights, I would put this book back in print!

Last, and most important - pray. Ask God to guide you in this inquiry; he knows the issues and questions that need to be addressed in your mind and heart, and he knows how to answer those questions, and often does so in surprising and unexpected and rather gentle ways (although not always so gentle; see, e.g., Paul on the road to Damascus).