Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millenium

Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI always did have a talent for explaining things clearly and concisely--he must have been an awesome teacher.  The interview in this book is no exception.  In it, he talks about his upbringing, his thoughts on salvation, on various ideas and ways of thinking widespread in the modern world, on the declining influence of the Church in Europe, with a special section on Germany, and on what it needs to do to continue carrying out its mission.  While maintaining a conversational tone, a lot of ideas are crammed in there and it covers plenty of ground for its size.  A re-read is definitely in the cards for this one.

God Is Love: Deus Caritas Est, by Pope Benedict XVI

I read this a few weeks after C.S. Lewis's <i>The Four Loves</i> and it is an excellent companion to it, with a different emphasis.  While Lewis concentrates on defining four different kinds of love: affection, friendship, eros, and charity, Benedict XVI's focus is to differentiate two kinds of love as identified by the Greeks (eros and agape).  Each offers a reflection of God's love in the lives of individuals as well as in the life of the Church.  Very worthwhile read.