A few year ago I picked up a second-hand copy of "The Courageous Shall Conquer" by Henry Brenner, published by St. Meinrad Abbey Press in 1943. I set down this month to read it and just completed it.
The Courageous Shall Conquer is a compact book that, like The Imitation of Christ, offers good meditations for daily life. There are 30 chapters in total. Each chapter opens with a Scripture excerpt that pertains to the lesson's topic and there are some real life examples of courage and virtue in life. At the back of the book is a topical index. Each chapter has a particular focus ranging from courage, manfulness, determination, earnestness, resistance, magnanimity, strength, and more.
Even though this book came out shortly before modernism roared and wrecked havoc on the Church, these pages are filled with sound doctrine. This short little book is a good addition to a man's library. Spend 10 minutes a day and read a chapter; then ask yourself how you can grow in that virtue, how you can better imitate the Lord who was full of all of the virtues, and how you can better serve Him.
The Courageous Shall Conquer is a good read. It is not a book by St. Thomas Aquinas. Don't expect to walk way with new philosophical arguments or radically different theories. It is not a history book either, so don't expect to learn about some saints that you never heard of. But if you want to grow in virtues and live more virtuously and courageously, pick it up and as you read it plan to make a list of concrete ways to change your own life for the better. We can all improve and be more courageous, and this book can help you think of some practical ways to do it.
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