Book Description

All of us are faced with the daily onslaught of sin and temptation. We are all involved in a spiritual battle to keep our souls united with Christ so we can attain heaven. The Screwtape Letters and the Catechism brings together two wonderful and significant resources that can help us to grow in spiritual courage. Engaging the Catechism of the Catholic Church from a new perspective, against the backdrop of C. S. Lewis' classic The Screwtape Letters, this book will help you to recognize temptation and engage in the battle against sin. Following Lewis and the Catechism, you will learn how to use the teachings of Christ to outwit the evil one. In this book, each chapter of The Screwtape Letters is cross-referenced with the Catechism. By examining the dialogue between the demons Wormwood and Screwtape, we can apply Screwtape's lessons on temptation to our daily lives. The Catechism provides sound and reasonable explanations of the Catholic Faith, and these explanations debunk the methods of Screwtape. C.S. Lewis masterfully invites us into the diabolical world of Screwtape and Wormwood and the ever-present battle between good and evil. The Catechism, on the other hand, masterfully reveals the teachings of Jesus Christ as a living gift of the Church that shows us the love of God for his children. “This is a wonderfully creative, practical, and inspired book! Dr. De La Torre invites us to look anew at C. S. Lewis’s classic work on the wiles of the enemy, augments it with rich insights from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and makes it all easily applicable to our daily lives. Scripture, Lewis, the Catechism, prayer ... settle in for a feast!” — Fr. John Riccardo, Executive Director of ACTS XXIX “Dr. De La Torre’s work, The Screwtape Letters and the Catechism, is both timely and engaging. In an era in which secularism is rampant and belief in the diabolical is waning, De La Torre utilizes the work of C .S. Lewis to reawaken Christians to a dark reality that must be opposed through growth in the virtues and the spiritual life. His creative use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church not only offers support for his theological arguments but also demonstrates how a catechetical text can be used to evangelize and further the mission of proclaiming the joy of the Gospel. ‘Stay sober and alert. The devil is prowling like a roaring lion, waiting to devour you. Resist him, solid in your faith.’ This creative and inspiring work is a tool not only for discussion and meditation but also for resisting the devil and putting him to flight.” — Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus “It’s been said that the greatest trick of the devil is convincing the world he doesn’t exist. Based on the state of culture, society, not to mention increasing challenges in the Church, it’s easy to believe that the devil has achieved even more success than the Houdinis and Copperfields combined. But as Dr. Marlon so beautifully details in The Screwtape Letters and the Catechism the devil’s tricks are no competition for the Truth of Christ and Catholicism. Eventually the evil one’s empty promises leave us searching for and desiring the only thing that satisfies — a relationship with Jesus within the one, holy, and apostolic faith.” — Teresa Tomeo, syndicated Catholic talk show host, author of Beyond Sunday: Becoming a 24/7 Catholic “Reading C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters was an important formative experience for me as a young adult Catholic. I only wish I could have had this book to read alongside it. That’s because as a Catholic who was just starting to understand my need for constant conversion, I could recognize in Screwtape’s letters the areas of my life where my ‘Wormwood’ was succeeding, but I didn’t have any clue what weapons I had from the Church to fight back. Dr. Marlon De La Torre has done a great service to Catholics — and all Christians — by providing this companion field guide for spiritual warfare against those who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of our souls.” — Anna Mitchell, Co-host and Producer of the Son Rise Morning Show on EWTN Radio