Lent is a season devoted to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It’s also a time when we are most likely to commit to daily spiritual reading to guide us along the path of conversion.

But where to begin?

Pope Leo, in his message at the start of the Lenten season this year, advised Catholics to look no further than sacred Scripture, where God “shares with us what is in his heart.”

“Listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society, Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering,” the Holy Father wrote.

To supplement our reading of Scripture, the Register asked Catholic writers, thinkers and religious, “What are you reading this Lent, and what books would you recommend?”

Here’s what they told us:

Meg Hunter-Kilmer, Catholic speaker and author of the new book, Who Is Jesus? Discovering Christ in the Gospels: A 12-Week Catholic Bible Study:

As a rule, I’m always reading Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis’ Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word — not only because it’s incredible, but also because it’s 3,000 pages of dense, almost mystical scriptural commentary; and after six years, I’m still only about 2,000 pages in. But I just keep plugging along, forgetting about it for months and then picking it up and being bowled over once again by the depth of God’s love revealed to us in the Gospel of Matthew. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking to love Scripture better, there are few books I’d recommend more. Plus, I’ve finally made it to Holy Week, which makes it perfect Lenten reading this time around.

Father Jay Scott Newman, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Greenville, South Caroline, and president of the Center for Evangelical Catholicism

I am reading Chastity: Reconciliation of the Senses by Bishop Erik Varden. He is a Trappist monk and the bishop of Trondheim, Norway. He was invited this year by Pope Leo XIV to lead the Lenten retreat of the Roman Curia and is one of the finest spiritual writers in the Church today.

I am also reading A Change of Heart: A Personal and Theological Memoir by Thomas C. Oden. He was a Methodist theologian who died in 2016 and taught for many years at Drew University. He was also the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and is considered a major contributor to what is often called the paleo-orthodox theological movement among Protestants.

 

Mark Hart, producer of Bible study DVDs and the author of One Sunday at a Time: Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass for Cycles A, B, and C and Blessed Are the Bored in Spirit: 

During Lent, I actually suspend all other spiritual reading(s) and give myself permission to only read the Gospels. I’ve found — over the years — that nothing better prepares my heart for Holy Week/Triduum than to follow the Lord, again, from the desert to the cross and take in all the dialogues and moments along the way. I swear by it!

 

Katie Prejean McGrady, author, speaker, podcast and SiriusXM Catholic Channel host:

Project Hail Mary: It’s the story of the survival, and grit, of a science teacher-turned-astronaut and his attempt to literally save the world. I’m reading it in anticipation of the new movie, but also because it became highly recommended by a ton of Catholic friends and is showing me a story of resilience, survival, curiosity and accidental joy.

My non-fiction book: I’m reading St. Augustine’s Confessions — in light of Pope Leo quoting Augustine all the time, I decided to dive back into one of my favorite books and immerse myself in the story of Augustine’s conversion and discovery of the beauty and depth of Christianity, hoping to maybe restore some of that new-convert joy in my own life.

 

Heather Khym, host of the Abiding Together podcast and assistant director of evangelization at Franciscan University:

We are doing The Way of Trust and Love by Father Jacques Philippe for our Lenten Bible study on Abiding Together. We love its simplicity and depth and how it reminds us that we don’t have to grasp after God, rather take a posture of surrender and receptivity to the outpouring of his love.

 

Father John Paul Mary Zeller, EWTN News chaplain

I’m reading What Christ Suffered: A Doctor’s Journey Through the Passion, Revised and Expanded by Thomas McGovern, M.D., and Bishop James Conley. 

There are perhaps no greater questions that well up from the human experience than “Why is there suffering in the world?” “Why would a good God permit suffering?” and “What am I to do when suffering enters my own story?”  

Dr. McGovern walks the reader through his own experience of suffering. He’s very learned and brings his experience as a doctor, dealing with the suffering of patients, as well as his personal assimilation of suffering into the second revised and expanded edition of the book. I personally have always been intrigued by the question of suffering. It seems to underlie every question that we ask. Pope St. John Paul II asserts Jesus Christ provides the answer for every question that the human heart asks. In Jesus, particularly his suffering, the Christian finds the lens and the narrative to bring clarity to life’s biggest questions. I’m only at the beginning of the book, but I can tell this is going to be a slow read and a lesson learner.

 

Dominican Father Gregory Pine, author of Training the Tongue and Growing Beyond the Sins of Speech

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection: The Holy Father recently recommended this as a favorite of his. I got into it because of a series that I do with Ascension called Catholic Classics. I had read the book once in my initial formation, but I’ve had occasion to read it a few times in the past couple of months. I am struck by the simplicity of its approach to the spiritual life. There isn’t some secret key to holiness. There’s just the Lord and our little efforts to turn towards him throughout the course of the day. A must-read.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: This book is decidedly postmodern and weird. I don’t know that everybody would enjoy it, but I do. The book is, in effect, a commentary on our culture and its entertainment needs. It follows characters who oscillate between distraction and addiction, on the one hand, and efforts at genuine human connection, on the other. While the book is narratively disjointed, it evinces a genuine belief that there’s something worth loving at the heart of humanity. The prose style is just devastatingly beautiful. He’s so curious about our human experience and honest with what he finds that it almost hurts. He has a unique capacity to narrate human thought and affection even amidst bizarre circumstances. It makes life feel somehow more present.

 

Stephen Adubato, associate editor of Compact magazine, host of the “Cracks in Postmodernity” platform, and theology professor at Seton Hall University

Entering into Lent this year, the Spirit put it on my heart to ask for the grace to discern the difference between that which is fruitful and generative and that which saps me of my energy to love and give to others. Thus, when perusing my bookshelf, my eyes were immediately drawn to my copy of St. Athanasius’ Life of St. Antony of the Desert. The book recounts the journey of one of the most prominent Desert Fathers, focusing particularly on his engagement in spiritual warfare. Revisiting this classic spiritual text has helped me to recognize how the enemy allures us with hollow pleasures in order to block us from recognizing the more subtle treasures God has placed in our midst. 

I’ve also been spending time reading more recent books that cover similar themes. The release of Elena Popovic’s movie Man of God a few years ago incited me to want to revisit the biography of the Greek Orthodox St. Nektarios, who died in 1920. Both the film and the biography by Sotos Chondropoulos show how he humbly endured cruel persecution from fellow Christians, challenging me to ask if I really believe in Christ’s exhortation to bless one’s persecutors. And the collected diaries of Servant of God Carmen Hernández, the co-initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way, reveals the dark night her soul passed through. It was precisely her willingness to entrust every aspect of her day — from headaches to difficulties with others in communal life, to her crippling cigarette addiction — that propelled her ability to witness to her faith and live as a true missionary. 

Thanks to our contributors for these inspiring ideas for spiritual reading, which can certainly take us through Lent and beyond, using such time with the written word to follow the advice of Pope Leo.

“Let us create space for silence by turning off televisions, radios and cellphones for a while,” the Pope said during his Feb. 22 Angelus address. “Let us meditate on the word of God, approach the sacraments, and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit who speaks to us in our heart. Let us also listen to one another.”

May you have a fruitful Lent!