5 Must-read Classic Catholic books

When I read about saints, I sometimes see them as superheroes or fictional characters... sometimes I ask myself, did they really exist and walk here on earth? Sometimes they seem so unreachable for me.

I learned about The Saints' Favorite Books by Brandon Vogt on Twitter. This is a free Catholic e-book so I definitely grabbed the opportunity to download it.

This book somehow got my head on straight. Saints are real. They are human just like you and me. They walked this earth. They read books and they even have personal faves!

It is a 46-page e-book and discussed the lives of a number of saints and their favorite books. He also included quotes from the favorite books.

The saints and popes he featured are as follows:

1. St. Augustine of Hippo

2. St. Benedict of Nursia

3. St. Bernard of Clairvaux

4. St. Thomas Aquinas

5. St. Ignatius of Loyola

6. St. Teresa of Avila

7. St. John of the Cross

8. St. Francis de Sales

9. St. John Eudes

10. St. Therese of Lisieux

11. Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati

12. St. Teresa Benedicta

13. Servant of God Dorothy Day

14. Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

15. Pope Leo XIII

16. Pope St. Pius X

17. Pope Pius XI

18. Pope St. John Paul II

19. Pope Benedict XVI

20. Pope Francis

I absolutely recommend this book because it gave me a newfound interest to read more about literary pieces that inspired the saints to become who they are. 

If you want to be a saint, why not feed your mind with the thoughts that the saints have fed theirs! Awesome right?!

After reading through the whole book, I picked out 5 pieces which interest me most. Some of which I have purchased already while others, I still have to secure. (If you happen to have any, we can trade copies. That would be fun!)

Here is my classics reading list:

1. Confessions

Favorited by: Pope Benedict the XVI.

"Late have I loved thee, O beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved thee." 

- St. Augustine of Hippo

2. The Life of St. Anthony

Favorited by: St. Augustine of Hippo.

"Where were you God?" Antony asked, "Why did you not ease my temptations and pains?" And a voice came to him: "Antony, I was here, but I wanted to see you fight." 

- St. Athanasius

3. The Imitation of Christ

Favorited by: St. Therese of Lisieux.

"Jesus has now many lovers of His kingdom but few bearers of His cross." 

- Thomas Kempis

4. The Story of A Soul

Favorited by: Servant of God Dorothy Day.

"My God, I choose all! I do not want to be a saint by halves." - St. Therese of Lisieux

5. The Spiritual Combat 

Favorited by: St. Francis de Sales.

"God never ceases to help His soldiers, Although He sometimes suffers them to be wounded. Only fight, for all depends on this." 

-  Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

What I loved about this book is that it also showed how we are interconnected in inspiring other Catholics in their journey with the faith. For example, St. Augustine was inspired by St. Athanasius, while Pope Benedict XVI was a inspired by St. Augustine! 

It affirms us that at this very moment, we could also inspire other Christians in their journey by what we do, how we live our lives, and even simply by what we write (or even post on social media). 

I hope you get a copy of this book and be inspired to create your own classics reading list. Do you have favorite Catholic classic books to recommend? If you have any, please message me in the comments section. Also, If you're having a hard time getting a copy of the book, leave your e-mail and I'll help you out.

Follow Brandon Vogt on twitter at @BrandonVogt today to know more about the books he has written.

Let's continue helping each other live out the faith as best as we could! God bless you!

Love,

The Catholic Chic