A Catholic Reader

Members of the Dallas Chapter of the Saint Thomas More Society, with local bishops after the annual Red Mass. About a month ago, I presented an address to the local Saint Thomas More Society entitled "Literature and the Moral Imagination, or Why Civil Society Needs Great Stories." This blog was instrumental in getting me the invitation to speak to this group of Catholic lawyers, and the talk I gave drew together a number of things I've discussed here, so I thought I would give the text of the lecture a permanent home here. You can find it by clicking the "Literature and the Moral Imagination" tab at the top of this page. Or just click this link . Let me know what you think!

I've been writing and revising my novel, which accounts for the long hiatus from this blog, but also reading things that I'll eventually want to discuss here. Meanwhile, here is a very nice freebie for you that is worth reading: Connie Rossini's Five Lessons from the Carmelite Saints That Will Change Your Life . Many years ago, when I was first beginning to learn about prayer, I was drawn to contemplative spiritual writing: St Teresa of Avila , St John of the Cross , The Cloud of Unknowing (as well as Brother Lawrence -- not sure if he counts as contemplative, but I suspect he does). Although it has been quite a few years since I have read much of any of these, I must have absorbed a lot, which became the cornerstone of my spiritual life. I say this because when I read this little booklet, which summarizes insights gleaned from the great contemplative spiritual writers of the Carmelite Order, I recognized each point as the key lessons I've been learning for more ...