This first book was recommended in an earlier blog and I said it “speaks of the many joys of heaven and tries to cover some nagging questions like what if my children don’t make it to heaven.” To help ensure they do we must take the example of the Saint called the “hound of heaven” – St. Monica, St. Augustine’s mother, and pray as hard as we can and work as hard as we can and remember “ask and you shall receive Luke 11:9-13.
“The Happiness of Heaven,” fourth edition, by Father J. Boudreau, Tan Books, 1984
ISBN-10 : 0-89555-232-9
ISBN-13 : 978-0895552327
Imprimatur: +Martinus Joannes,
Archiep. Baltimor.
Originally published in 1872 by John Murphy & Co., Baltimore, Md., in cooperation with the Catholic Publication society, New York, N.Y. (my copy was a small paperback book)
Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 83-51548
This description is all fine and good and we know because of Gods goodness every human can get there if they “live the life desires of them.” But what exactly is that, what does God desire of them? What needs to be done for them to get to heaven? Well, the following 2 books answer that question. The first if for the common man in terms almost anyone with an average intelligence can understand, in my opinion.
“Everyman’s Road to Heaven,” by Father Leo J. Trese, by Geoffrey Chapman, London, 1961 (copyright 1961 Fides Publishers Association)
ASIN : B002I9S42M (my reading indicates this amazon ID number is the same as the ISBN-10 number)
Nihil Obstat: Louis J. Putz, C.S.C.
University of Norte Dame
Imprimatur: Leo A. Pursley, DD.,
Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana
The next book is by one of the most famous catholic apologists of the 20th Century, archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. This book is a little more cerebral but with a good dictionary and encyclopedia anyone should be able to get through it, but most college graduates should have no problems. He references psychoanalytic phenomenon in his analysis of the mentality of the average human, and the tendency of many of them to deny or disregard the concept of heaven or God and consequently hell (and by inference the devil, but Bishop Sheen concentrates on what we should do).
“Go to Heaven” first edition, by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, London, Toronto, 1960 (this is the edition I have and am reading)
On Amazon I have found a New edition from August 1, 2017 by Ignatius Press which I have not checked for faithfulness to exact copy of the original version and indeed do not own a copy of this version. The information that I have for that edition is below for the ISBN but have the Library of Congress catalog card number of the original which I own.
ISBN-10 : 1621641546
ISBN-13 : 978-1621641544
Library of Congress catalog card number (for the 1960 original edition): 60-1576
Finally, a book by the daughters of St. Paul (Sister M. Raphael) for the average laity (though I would be prepared to look a lot of words up on the Internet or have a dictionary handy because I encountered quite a few words, not surprisingly when trying to describe heaven – 1Cor 2:9, new to me) called “Heaven Where Love Reigns,” third edition, revised, copyright the daughters of St. Paul, Boston, Mass. It is available on amazon and Abe books but as I remember only one copy of possibly an older edition on each.
ASIN : B002NVCQ24
Nihil Obstat: S. J. Sierakowski
Censor Librorum
Imprimatur: +J.F. O’Hara, C.S.C
Bishop of Buffalo
May 18, 1951
Imprimatur: Most Rev. Richard J. Cushing
Archbishop of Boston
October 20, 1957:
These books should do a lot to fill in the blanks about what is known or deduced from revelation on heaven, and inspire you to do what is necessary with respect to how to get there, that have not been supplied by either your parents or your parish and either the adult catechism or homilies supplied by your parish priests.
Traditional Thomistic Catholic 