It’s the book Catholic readers and fans of author Patrick Madrid have been waiting for. His newest book, Why Be Catholic: Ten Answers to a Very Important Question, is finally a hard cover reality, being released June 3rd by Image Books.
I love being an avid consumer of Catholic literature, amassing a collection of religious reading material in my home, and I covet opportunities to serve as a resource guru for many of my Catholic friends when they are looking for recommendations. Because of my work with Catholics Come Home, I am equally passionate about having an arsenal of top picks for those considering returning to the Catholic Church or converting to Catholicism. Patrick Madrid’s new title is a long-awaited one on my currently-unwritten “most highly recommended” list, and one that I plan to advocate heavily to friends, friends of friends, and the many email-inquirers I engage with on a daily basis. Here’s why…
For those unfamiliar with his numerous works, Patrick Madrid is particularly gifted when it comes to clarity and charity in sharing truth, and this book is a masterful example of it. A cradle Catholic in a writing atmosphere that often seems dominated by energetic converts to Catholicism, Madrid explores the tenets of the Catholic Faith that he has always held dear, which he now confesses with precision and passion, after years of careful scrutiny of Church teachings and decades of practice engaging in apologetics. Why Be Catholicreminds me of why Patrick Madrid is one of our family’s favorite apologists: in about 200 information-packed pages, he champions the Catholic Faith in a way that is sure to make Catholics proud to be Catholic and non-Catholics question why they’re not Catholic.
In the first few words of the book, Madrid reminds the reader that the Catholic Church, like Noah’s ark, was built for endurance. In a modern culture and media climate that love to shoot flaming darts at the Church for Her unchanging and very logical teachings, Madrid writes to answer the question that “demands an answer now, more than ever”: why be Catholic?
He explores the gems that make Catholicism utterly unique—its history, sacraments, papacy and saints, as well as its love of the Blessed Mother and its teaching about good works, all while remaining blatantly honest about “the good, the bad, and the ugly” that the Catholic Church has to offer a world in need of Jesus Christ and the Church He founded.
There is something incredibly poetic about any writing—even the most informational—that speaks of the truths of Catholicism, because, in all of our hearts, whether we realize it or not, we crave the fullness of truth and happiness that we can only find in Christ’s Catholic Church. God Himself put that longing in us, and we all owe it to ourselves to be able to clearly articulate to others why we are Catholic, and why others should be, too. This book is written to help you do that.
In short, I hope this new book finds a respected place on your bookshelf, as it will on mine.
You can pre-order here.
