While I was visiting Holy Cross Chapel and its bookstore, I did have some time to skim through Eric Sammons's book on "the practical Spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá." As I suspected, it did not go into questions of social justice (the rectitude of the political economy and various professions, especially within FIRE and the corporate world) or discuss the order of charity. One might argue that the order of charity is obvious, and so it doesn't need treatment in a beginner's book on spirituality. Is it so obvious to mobile American Catholics who move far away from their parents and family? The American Church needs to start talking about what our priorities as lay people should be and acknowledge the difficulties we have in living in accordance with the order of charity. Only then can we start looking for solutions (for the improvement of the local parish community and the civic "community" at large).
Most lay Catholics probably would not want to read a tome on moral theology that includes a treatment of the order of charity. I have not come across any popular books that deal with the order of charity and community properly, though Dorothy Day does talk about community. Dr. Fleming's book is more philosophical than theological; there are the essays of Wendell Berry. What other books might be helpful for lay Catholics?
Related:
Review of MoEL in Modern Age.
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