Be Healed by Bob Schuchts

This is the first of a series of books from Bob Schuchts, a retired marriage and family counselor, who founded the John Paul II Healing Center. Schuchts’ courses and retreats focus on healing the wounds that stop us from living the gospel fully. His ministry has transformed the lives of hundreds of people, and trained priests and laity alike to offer healing prayer to others which is grounded in a deeply Catholic Theology of the Body. In Be Healed, Schuchts candidly and humbly describes his own journey of healing and through gentle prompts invites readers to explore their family and personal life stories with compassion, and most importantly, faith in God’s loving desire to see each of us made whole.

Recommended for everyone who works or volunteers in a healing environment, and for anyone who is ready to embark on a journey of physical, emotional, or spiritual healing.

Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Father Jacques Philippe

Simply entitled Searching for and Maintaining Peace (Recherche la paix et poursuis-la in its original French), Father Jacques Philippe’s wonderful book on peace of heart is highly recommended. This deceptively small volume of just over 100 pages is crammed full of the kind of spiritual wisdom that we are all thirsting for, in an age of agitation and anxiety. Father Philippe explains why we must strive for peace if we wish to obtain saintliness, and how to react when our peace is threatened. His book concludes with a helpful selection of quotes from the saints best known for their skills in the art of spiritual direction.

Recommended for anyone seeking to obtain or recapture interior peace, and as a gift for those whose lives are much busier than they would like. 

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre had its own genesis in a disastrous meeting he had with the pastor of the church where he hoped to get married. Being quizzed on his Catholic faith, Pitre found himself floundering to explain his belief in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Afterwards, he began to ponder some uncomfortable questions: Is it possible the real presence isn’t scriptural? What did Jesus’ disciples understand he meant by saying “I am the Bread of Life?”

This book answers these and many other questions about the Eucharist.

With a careful and comprehensive examination of Jewish texts and traditions, Pitre explains the historical and biblical context of Jesus’ words at the Last supper, what the writers of the Gospels and St. Paul made of them, and finally what we as modern-day Catholics should believe about the supernatural (as opposed to symbolic) nature of the Eucharist.

Recommended for anyone engaged in apologetics and readers seeking to understand the miracle of the Eucharist.