I'm Catholic. Now What?
Shaun McAfee
Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN 9781681923437
ISBN 9781681925653
eISBN 9781681925660
ASIN B081G765BJ
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely loved Reform Yourself! by Shaun. And have very much enjoyed the other books he has written or contributed to. But this one just did not really do it for me. I am not a convert, but I am a revert. I also went to a Catholic Primary and Secondary schools, and have a university degree in Religious Studies with a focus on Roman Catholic Thought. And to be honest the books is ok, but it took effort and discipline to finish it. Parts of it are very repetitive. And from my background there was nothing new, or drastically inspiring. I found it intriguing that at the time of writing this review on Amazon there are 10 reviews each 5 star and on Good reads only 2 reviews both 3 star.
I agree with some of the other reviewers, everything in this volume should have been covered in a Catholic education, or in even just an OK RCIA (Right Christian Initiation of Adults) program. To be honest if you come out of RCIA and need to read this book, you should go back to your parish and demand better. The information in the books is not bad, and Shaun does have a great deal of passion and zeal. It is evident in the writing.
The sections in the volume are:
Read This First
GETTING STARTED
1. License to learn
2. Get a Bible and read it
3. Know your way around the Catechism
4. Know (and practice) the precepts of the Church
5. Don’t be afraid to genuflect
6. Heaven is the goal
7. Knowledge isn’t holiness
8. Remember that the Church is perfect, but her members aren’t — yet
THE SACRAMENTS
9. Live the sacraments
10. Know how to make a good confession
11. Go to confession regularly
12. Get to Mass on time and stay till the end
13. Where should you sit for Mass?
14. Receive holy Communion worthily
15. Reserve Sundays for their true purpose
16. Try the Latin Mass
17. Go to Eucharistic adoration
18. Celebrate the day of your baptism
19. Get your marriage normalized
20. Pursue the graces of your marriage
21. Live out your confirmation
22. Don’t forget the anointing of the sick
23. Attend an ordination
MARY, THE CHURCH, AND THE SAINTS
24. Cultivate a devotion to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts
25. Know the approved Marian apparitions
26. Pray to the saints
27. Get to know some saints
28. Go on a pilgrimage
29. Consider joining a Third Order
30. Adorn your home with religious articles
31. Start a holy card collection
PRAYER
32. Make the Sign of the Cross
33. Pray daily
34. Pray with your family
35. Prepare a prayer corner
36. Learn to pray the Rosary
37. Practice mortification
38. Learn more about discernment and your vocation
39. Holy water — keep it close and use it often
40. Have your house blessed
41. Grow in appreciation for sacred art
42. Get a spiritual director
43. Go on a retreat
44. Stay at a monastery or rectory
45. Seek the grace to pray
46. Indulge yourself, categorically speaking
47. Attend funerals and pray for the deceased
CATHOLIC LIFE
48. Realize you’re going to sin again and again
49. Invite your priest over for dinner
50. Become a part-time vegetarian
51. Have a beer
52. Don’t be superstitious
53. Discover other ways to live your faith
54. Read the documents of the Second Vatican Council
55. Find your people
CUSTOMS, RULES, AND BASIC ETIQUETTE
56. Bishops, priests, and deacons
57. The role of the bishop
58. Papal elections and how they work
59. Get comfortable with nuns and monks
60. When to genuflect and when to bow
61. Names of objects used in Mass
62. Use your missal (not missile)
63. What’s the priest wearing?
64. Learn some Latin
BEING A MODERN CATHOLIC
65. Catholic in the modern world
66. Never forget: Evil is real
67. Combat relativism
68. Don’t believe everything you hear
69. Read Humanae Vitae
70. The truth about contraception
71. Save sex for marriage
72. What the Church teaches about homosexuality
73. Break free from masturbation and pornography
74. Teach your kids about healthy sexuality
75. Know how to respond to abuse scandals
76. Speak out against abortion
77. What the Church teaches about euthanasia
78. The Church’s stance on immigration
79. Stop gossiping
80. Give, and give out of love
81. Reject consumerism
KNOWING AND DEFENDING YOUR FAITH
82. Become an apologist
83. Read the Church Fathers
84. Can we prove that God exists?
85. What the Church teaches about evolution
86. Defend against sola scriptura with confidence
87. Know your heresies
88. Veneration vs. worship: An important distinction
89. What is the Immaculate Conception?
90. Why can’t women be priests?
91. Papal infallibility and other common misconceptions
92. Discover Church history
EVANGELIZATION: IT’S FOR EVERYONE
93. Share the Good News with other Catholics
94. What is the New Evangelization?
95. Watch or read a good conversion story
96. Evangelize using these simple actions
97. Become a philosopher
98. Seek reform, not revolution
99. Let your silence speak
100. Evangelize your kids
Conclusion
Where to Go from Here
Appendix: Helpful Resources
Notes
The book begins with Shaun stating:
“Before diving in, I want to give you a huge welcome to the Catholic Church. Or maybe you’re coming back to the Church — welcome! No matter your background, upbringing, or demographic, I am personally invested in making sure you get off the ground right, and that you always know that this is your family. And if you’re a lifelong Catholic reader, thank you for your fidelity to the Faith.”
I feel that this might be a good read for Catholic high school students. Especially those at Catholic high school with less devout parents. Or it might be good reading during RCIA. But as a follow up I feel it misses the mark. I wish I could rave about this book the way I do, Reform Yourself!, but I just can’t. Another thing that is frustrating is that Our Sunday Visitor eBooks are almost never available in Canada. Just another layer of disappointment.
A good effort from an author I greatly respect and trust. But one I really struggled with giving a rating and finally settled on 4/5 stars.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!Shaun McAfee
Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN 9781681923437
ISBN 9781681925653
eISBN 9781681925660
ASIN B081G765BJ
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely loved Reform Yourself! by Shaun. And have very much enjoyed the other books he has written or contributed to. But this one just did not really do it for me. I am not a convert, but I am a revert. I also went to a Catholic Primary and Secondary schools, and have a university degree in Religious Studies with a focus on Roman Catholic Thought. And to be honest the books is ok, but it took effort and discipline to finish it. Parts of it are very repetitive. And from my background there was nothing new, or drastically inspiring. I found it intriguing that at the time of writing this review on Amazon there are 10 reviews each 5 star and on Good reads only 2 reviews both 3 star.
I agree with some of the other reviewers, everything in this volume should have been covered in a Catholic education, or in even just an OK RCIA (Right Christian Initiation of Adults) program. To be honest if you come out of RCIA and need to read this book, you should go back to your parish and demand better. The information in the books is not bad, and Shaun does have a great deal of passion and zeal. It is evident in the writing.
The sections in the volume are:
Read This First
GETTING STARTED
1. License to learn
2. Get a Bible and read it
3. Know your way around the Catechism
4. Know (and practice) the precepts of the Church
5. Don’t be afraid to genuflect
6. Heaven is the goal
7. Knowledge isn’t holiness
8. Remember that the Church is perfect, but her members aren’t — yet
THE SACRAMENTS
9. Live the sacraments
10. Know how to make a good confession
11. Go to confession regularly
12. Get to Mass on time and stay till the end
13. Where should you sit for Mass?
14. Receive holy Communion worthily
15. Reserve Sundays for their true purpose
16. Try the Latin Mass
17. Go to Eucharistic adoration
18. Celebrate the day of your baptism
19. Get your marriage normalized
20. Pursue the graces of your marriage
21. Live out your confirmation
22. Don’t forget the anointing of the sick
23. Attend an ordination
MARY, THE CHURCH, AND THE SAINTS
24. Cultivate a devotion to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts
25. Know the approved Marian apparitions
26. Pray to the saints
27. Get to know some saints
28. Go on a pilgrimage
29. Consider joining a Third Order
30. Adorn your home with religious articles
31. Start a holy card collection
PRAYER
32. Make the Sign of the Cross
33. Pray daily
34. Pray with your family
35. Prepare a prayer corner
36. Learn to pray the Rosary
37. Practice mortification
38. Learn more about discernment and your vocation
39. Holy water — keep it close and use it often
40. Have your house blessed
41. Grow in appreciation for sacred art
42. Get a spiritual director
43. Go on a retreat
44. Stay at a monastery or rectory
45. Seek the grace to pray
46. Indulge yourself, categorically speaking
47. Attend funerals and pray for the deceased
CATHOLIC LIFE
48. Realize you’re going to sin again and again
49. Invite your priest over for dinner
50. Become a part-time vegetarian
51. Have a beer
52. Don’t be superstitious
53. Discover other ways to live your faith
54. Read the documents of the Second Vatican Council
55. Find your people
CUSTOMS, RULES, AND BASIC ETIQUETTE
56. Bishops, priests, and deacons
57. The role of the bishop
58. Papal elections and how they work
59. Get comfortable with nuns and monks
60. When to genuflect and when to bow
61. Names of objects used in Mass
62. Use your missal (not missile)
63. What’s the priest wearing?
64. Learn some Latin
BEING A MODERN CATHOLIC
65. Catholic in the modern world
66. Never forget: Evil is real
67. Combat relativism
68. Don’t believe everything you hear
69. Read Humanae Vitae
70. The truth about contraception
71. Save sex for marriage
72. What the Church teaches about homosexuality
73. Break free from masturbation and pornography
74. Teach your kids about healthy sexuality
75. Know how to respond to abuse scandals
76. Speak out against abortion
77. What the Church teaches about euthanasia
78. The Church’s stance on immigration
79. Stop gossiping
80. Give, and give out of love
81. Reject consumerism
KNOWING AND DEFENDING YOUR FAITH
82. Become an apologist
83. Read the Church Fathers
84. Can we prove that God exists?
85. What the Church teaches about evolution
86. Defend against sola scriptura with confidence
87. Know your heresies
88. Veneration vs. worship: An important distinction
89. What is the Immaculate Conception?
90. Why can’t women be priests?
91. Papal infallibility and other common misconceptions
92. Discover Church history
EVANGELIZATION: IT’S FOR EVERYONE
93. Share the Good News with other Catholics
94. What is the New Evangelization?
95. Watch or read a good conversion story
96. Evangelize using these simple actions
97. Become a philosopher
98. Seek reform, not revolution
99. Let your silence speak
100. Evangelize your kids
Conclusion
Where to Go from Here
Appendix: Helpful Resources
Notes
The book begins with Shaun stating:
“Before diving in, I want to give you a huge welcome to the Catholic Church. Or maybe you’re coming back to the Church — welcome! No matter your background, upbringing, or demographic, I am personally invested in making sure you get off the ground right, and that you always know that this is your family. And if you’re a lifelong Catholic reader, thank you for your fidelity to the Faith.”
I feel that this might be a good read for Catholic high school students. Especially those at Catholic high school with less devout parents. Or it might be good reading during RCIA. But as a follow up I feel it misses the mark. I wish I could rave about this book the way I do, Reform Yourself!, but I just can’t. Another thing that is frustrating is that Our Sunday Visitor eBooks are almost never available in Canada. Just another layer of disappointment.
A good effort from an author I greatly respect and trust. But one I really struggled with giving a rating and finally settled on 4/5 stars.
Books by Shaun McAfee:
Reform Yourself! How to Pray, Find Peace, and Grow in Faith with the Saints of the Counter-ReformationFilling Our Father's House: What Converts Can Teach Us About Evangelization
St. Robert Bellarmine
Social Media Magisterium: A No-Nonsense Guide to the Proper Use of Media
I'm Catholic. Now What?
20 Answers Conversion - Catholic Answers
Epic Saints: Wild, Wonderful, and Weird Stories of God's Heroes
...
Contributed to:
Surprised By Life: 10 Converts Explain How Catholic Teachings On Life Led Them To The Church
Inseparable: Five Perspectives on Sex, Life, and Love in Defense of Humanae Vitae
...
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