Old Treasures

I love reading prayer books and general Catholic books written pre-Vatican II. I find that they are very concise and straight to the point about what it means to be a Catholic. The prayers are often beautiful and God centered rather than me centered. I learn a lot from those type of books. And they help me in my prayer life.

I wanted to share a couple of these treasures.

My mother recently found this book at her house when she was doing some digging around. My father had ordered this some time in 1964. At least that's what is written in the front of the book. This book is called My Catholic Faith by the Most Reverend Louis Laravoire Morrow, S.T.D. It was printed in 1949. It contains information about what Catholics believe and even information about the hierarchy of the Church. It is written in Q & A format and has those Catholic illustrations that seem to abound in old books.

Sorry for the blurry picture. My camera doesn't take close-ups very well. This is a shot of the chapter about Sins Against Truth.

What is a LIE?

A lie is something said for the purpose of deceiving others, which we know or suspect to be untrue.

A lie expresses opposition between one's word and one's thought; it implies the intention to deceive by stating what is false.

Lying is a sin even when it may be the means of effecting much good; we must not commit evil in order to obtain good.

Further questions asked are: When does a person commit the sin of Rash Judgement? When does a person commit the sin of Detraction? When does a person commit the sin of Calumny or Slander?

I happened to google this book and came up with an on-line version. It is not the complete book but it has a lot of information. You can find it HERE.

The other old book I'd like to share is this prayer book that my mother gave me. She has an exact copy from my grandmother, which was in better condition, so she gave me her own copy. I love that it is worn. It shows that it was used a lot. I have so many fond memories of this book, even though it's in Spanish. Ever since I can remember, my mother has belonged to a Rosary prayer group. Once a month she has gotten together with other ladies and said the Rosary as a group and then shared a meal together. She has been the official leader in the recitation of the Rosary and she always used this prayer book, which had a Rosary novena prayer and a litany of the Blessed Mother.

This prayer book is called El Devocionario Para Todos (The Devotional For Everyone). It was printed in 1942. Aside from the Rosary prayers, it has meditations, Gospel readings, novenas, and many more prayers. It is just a treasure to me. Besides the spiritual aspect, it is such a wonderful reminder of my mother. It is something that gave her strength and was important in her relationship with God.

I have a few other old gems, but so far, these are my favorites!