Musings, Insights & Briefings

Suggested Reading for Catholics

This is a suggested list of books to enjoy and share with friends and families:

Life is Messy by Matthew Kelly
Can someone who has been devastatingly broken become more beautiful than ever before? The answer is "Yes"!
Holy Moments by Matthew Kelly
Some ideas are so powerful that simply becoming aware of them changes our lives forever.
I Heard God Laugh by Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly powerfully demonstrates that we cannot live the life we have imagined unless we learn to tend the soul.
The Rocking Chair Prophet by Matthew Kelly (Highly recommended!)
There is a voice within us. Listening to that voice is the difference between happiness and misery, wonderful memories and heartrending regrets.
Do Something Beautiful for God by Mother Teresa
These teachings of Mother Teresa provide remarkable insight into the depths of her heart, mind, souls, and life.
A Quiet Place by John Bartunek
Develop a daily habit of prayer amidst the constant demands of your everyday life.
Ask Her by Jane Trufant Harvey
Daily, simple words to jumpstart your conversation with Mary.

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Life is not about doing and having. It's about becoming.
The Puppy That No One Wanted by Anthony Destefano
The tale of a scraggly smelly little puppy who never loses hope that one day he will find a home of his own.

Return often for more titles by additional authors.

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Musings, Insights & Briefings

St. John of God

By Terrie Legein • March 12, 2025

St. John of God People thought this saint was going mad … Turns out, it was just the Holy Spirit. Meet John Ciudad. A man who would one day be a saint. However, on this day, he wasn’t a saint yet—not even close. The day we’re meeting him, St. Sebastian’s Day, January 20th, 1537. At this time, he was a Spanish soldier turned bookseller, running a shop in Granada, and living a fairly ordinary life. But late in the afternoon on that January day, something happened. On this feast day, a famous preacher, St. John of Ávila was giving a sermon. John Ciudad listened in when suddenly, something about it struck him so deeply that he publicly broke down in tears. John ran through the streets confessing his sins loudly and began to immediately give away all his belongings. People thought he had lost his mind. Authorities took action. They sent John to the Royal Hospital of Granada and locked in a ward for the insane. It wasn’t a pleasant place. Patients were restrained, beaten, and neglected under the belief that this would drive out their madness. Rather than despairing, John was relieved at this sudden change of events. The conversion that the Holy Spirit had given him on St. Sebastian’s Day left him longing to serve God and to give to others. Looking around at the harsh conditions of this psych ward he was unwillingly placed in, John was pleased. He saw the suffering around him and realized that these were the people Christ was calling him to serve. Rather than resenting his captors, he began to comfort the other patients, helping them however he could. Eventually, St. John of Ávila visited and advised him to temper his zeal with wisdom. John took this to heart, left the hospital, and dedicated the rest of his life to serving the sick and poor. John later founded a hospital where he cared for the very same kinds of patients—including those considered mentally ill—giving them dignity, attention, and medical care long before such treatment was common. So, meet John Ciudad, although he was not a saint when we first met him a few paragraphs ago, he is now, and he more commonly is known as St. John of God. So, meet St. John of God! We’re not often like St. John of God. When we are in uncomfortable or unimpressive places, we don’t often look around with pleasure. More often than not, we sigh and ask, “God, what am I supposed to do with this?!” But you can be like St. John of God! In fact, you are called to!