Looking for some inspirational reading on love, marriage, and faith during Valentines Day? The Church in the 21st Century Center has a must-read list of titles for you.
1. Amoris Laetita (鈥淥n the Joy of Love鈥�)
In his 2016 apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis crafted a beautiful theological reflection on the joy of marriage and family life with the world. This document doesn鈥檛 read like a heavy treatise or an inaccessible theological tome. It offers a simple, refreshing look at God鈥檚 plan for marriage and family life and provides practical advice and encouragement for married couples and those who minister to them. This document should make its way into every marriage-prep program and be offered to couples for ongoing marriage enrichment. Pope Francis emerges as someone who has walked the journey of marriage with many couples, and as someone who believes that despite many challenges, marriage can be source of great joy for the whole world.
2. Love One Another: Catholic Reflections on How to Sustain Marriages Today
We鈥檙e admittedly partial to this book since we published it, but it鈥檚 nonetheless a fact that this volume continues to challenge and inspire readers to think more deeply about marriage as it is lived in different life stages and in different communities. The book has three parts: 鈥淔oundations,鈥� in which authors provide reflections on the Church鈥檚 vision for and theological of marriage; 鈥淐hallenges and Resources,鈥� in which the lived experience of married couples is chronicles, and 鈥淐ommunities,鈥� which looks at marriage in different ethnic and ecclesial communities.
3. The Journey of Our Love: The Letters of Saint Gianna Beretta and Pietro Molla
When it comes to considering the saints, we often think of men and women who lived holy lives through vocations to the priesthood or religious life. But the Church also celebrates married saints, those men and women who were sanctified through family life. In this volume, readers get a firsthand look at the real-life romance between St. Gianna Beretta Molla and her husband Pietro. Their deep and abiding love, evident in these letters, was what carried them through the greatest trial of their marriage and continues to inspire couples today.
4. The Four Loves
In this book, C.S. Lewis explores four types of human love: affection, friendship, eros, and agape. Lewis looks at the different ways that humans love God, one another, and the created world. This book can be used as a guided examination into how well you love and how well you are being loved. Lewis challenges us to aspire to love the way that God loves, in a way that seeks nothing in return.
5. Operating on Faith
We can鈥檛 top the summary on the back cover:
At age 29, Matt Weber was newly married to Nell, the girl of his dreams. They had bought their first house, adopted a dog, and looked forward to a blissful first year together. But shortly after his honeymoon, Matt鈥檚 recurring, severe stomach troubles send him to the emergency room鈥攁nd after a five-hour, life-saving surgery in which a third of his stomach is removed, Matt and Nell鈥檚 plans for their new life are dramatically altered.
Forced to undergo a lengthy and painful recovery, Matt finds that his relationships with God, himself, and his wife are forever changed. Operating on Faith is the gutsy story of a happy-go-lucky Catholic guy whose life was literally burst apart then stitched back together鈥攚ith faith in the God he鈥檇 always known, the sweet and inexhaustible love of his wife, and healthy if sometimes irreverent doses of humor.
For everyone who鈥檚 ever had plans and expectations upset by life鈥檚 events, Operating on Faith proves just how necessary love, faith, and a little grit are in facing major challenges and emerging on the other side.
Curated by ELISE ITALIANO URENECK (Associate Director of The Church in the 21st Century Center)
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