"Catholicism is indeed the religion of ‘stuff.’ Our is the church of ashes and incense, icons and statues, bread and wine, water and oil, incorrupt bodies, and bones encased in glass. None of this is incidental to the faith. We're not just about spiritual life. We're about the whole person. So matter matters, too. To an amazing degree, matter makes the faith as we live it day to day." (1)-Mike Aquilina and Grace Aquilina

This observation by Mike Aquilina and Grace Aquilina describes one of the most appealing dimensions of Catholicism: things, objects, and machines in our world can be seen and respected as vessels of God's grace. We began our 1996 book Spiritual Literacy with a look at the role of things on a spiritual journey. We were pleased to discover that Jewish mystics, Hindus, and Sufi poets all concur with a relational approach involving loving, honoring, and caring for ordinary things. Perhaps Meister Eckhart put it best: " To grasp God in all things — this is the sign of your new birth."

Mike Aquilina is a Catholic author, popular speaker, poet, and songwriter who serves as the executive vice president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Grace Aquila, his daughter, is a freelance editor. Together they have chosen to honor 100 iconic things and places which play a part in the telling of the Christian story.

With its blend of history, memory, theology, and grace, this paperback can be read through slowly and meditatively in order to take into our consciousness the broad range of ordinary objects and places covered. A few of our favorites are Loaves and Fish, A Roman Gate, The Sacred Heart of Jesus, Holy Water Bottles, and First Communion Card. The 100 Objects are arranged into seven groups:

  • The Church of the Apostles and Martyrs
  • The Church and the Empire
  • The Dark Ages
  • The Middle Ages
  • Renaissance and Reformations
  • The Age of Revolutions
  • The Global Village