As many of you know, I am quite fond of books. Well…that may be an understatement. Fr. Ivan asserts that I am “obsessive” over books. One of his favorite stories to tell is about the night I returned late from a theology and literature conference in Orlando smuggling a horde of books underneath my suit jacket. The attempt was less than successful. As I walked through the rectory door, the books slipped out of my hand falling to the floor. Our beloved pastor could only laugh and shake his head. I was good that time…I only bought four new books instead of my usual ten! Needless to say, Fr. Ivan has been more than hospitable since my move to St. Mary Catholic Church & School. Not only has he welcomed me to the rectory, but he has also generously accommodated the 700 books (and counting) that constitute my personal library. Yet, my accumulation of books is much more than a simple hobby or personal fixation. It represents a truly Catholic appreciation of knowledge and a Christian responsibility to the truth. My library is not comprised of religious books only. I have works of history, biography, psychology, physics, law, poetry, languages, bioethics, fiction etc… I take St. Augustine’s words to heart: “Gold is gold wherever it is to be found.” Real Catholics are stewards of wisdom and servants of the truth; insatiable thinkers whose only satisfaction is the adventure of an unceasing quest for understanding. As St. Therese of Lisieux says so admirably, “I want all!” This is a Catholic acclamation. We want everything. All that is true, all that is good, all that is beautiful…these are the joys of Catholicism. This is why every Catholic, without exception, should have a personal library. This library must be well-rounded and substantial…owning a few Max Lucado and Joel Osteen books does not count. The library must be a bastion of culture, a place where hungering minds can go to feed and be nourished. Virgil, Homer, Aristotle, Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Twain, Tolkien…these are just a few of the names that should don our bookshelves. I am constantly being asked by our parishioners and students for book suggestions and ways to grow in knowledge of the faith. In light of this fact, I would like to spend the next several weeks providing book reviews of different literary works. Although I would like to spend time offering recommendations of books from various genres, I will restrict myself to books of an explicitly religious nature since that is the area of most interest among our people. I pray that these articles might be helpful and inspire every family in our parish and school to begin their own personal libraries.