A Numbered List of Numbered Lists

People use lists to remember things. They do come in handy, don't they? So handy, that even a book can be simply an elaboration of a list, as in the Stephen R Covey classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Catholic writers are no exception, and those whose domain is the world of Catholic new media have provided their share of such lists.

And why shouldn't they? They are handy enough that they get attention. They convince you before examination, that what follows is simple enough to count on one or two hands. A reader can remember the bullet points, and refer to them in detail if need be. And so, in the last several months, I began to collect these lists. What follows is by no means exhaustive, but I thought, maybe just give the reader a safe number; say, twenty, enough to count on all fingers and toes.

And so, the following is my list of numbered "Catholics lists," in (more or less) chronological order:

01) Mary: Perpetual Virgin? 6 Biblical Arguments [Dave Armstrong, Seton Magazine, undated]

02) 5 Old Testament Models for How to Live [Stephen Beale, Catholic Exchange, 05/19/2014]

03) 7 Reasons Why Christ Died on a Wooden Cross (from Saint Thomas Aquinas) [Dr Taylor Marshall, Taylor Marshall, 03/27/2013]

04) 100 Simple Ways To Improve Your Life [Sarah/Marcel, Mary's Aggies, 05/29/2014]

05) 24 Words That Have A Totally Different Meaning When You’re Catholic [Javier Moreno, BuzzFeed, 06/04/2014]

06) 5 Quotes on Pentecost from Pope St John Paul II [Tom Perna, Tom Perna™, 06/08/2014]

07) 7 Saints for Pentecost [Stephen Beale, Catholic Exchange, 06/06/2014]

08) Ten Ways to Open Up to the Holy Spirit [Fr Ed Broom OMV, Catholic Exchange, 06/10/2014]

09) 10 Ways to Give the Internet a Soul [Danielle Bean, Momnipotent, 06/10/2014]

10) Pope Francis Announces He May Renounce the Papacy One Day: 6 Things to Know and Share [Jimmy Akin, National Catholic Register, 06/13/2014]

11) Seven Proofs for the Natural Immortality of the Human Soul [Tim Staples, Strange Notions, undated]

12) 20 Fun Facts about Papal Elections in Church History [Dr Taylor Marshall, Taylor Marshall, 03/12/2013]

13) Seven Disciplines of Evangelization [Msgr Charles Pope, Archdiocese of Washington, 06/19/2014]

14) Ten Ways to Fall in Love with the Eucharist [Fr Ed Broom OMV, Catholic Exchange, 06/24/2014]

15) Six Practical Ideas for Integrating our Catholic Faith with Work [Randy Hain, The Integrated Catholic Life, 06/26/2014]

16) Five Facts of Faith from the Life of St Peter – A Homily for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul [Msgr Charles Pope, Archdiocese of Washington, 06/28/2014]

17) New Videos: The 12 Mysteries of the Mass (according to Thomas Aquinas) [Dr Taylor Marshall, Taylor Marshall, 07/01/2014]

18) 50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say [Katie O'Donnell, FOCUS, 06/18/2014]

19) Loving The Unlovable [Nicole DeMille, Invisible Woman, 07/02/2014]

20) Please Don’t Say These Six Things at My Funeral [Chad Bird, Flying Scroll, 07/11/2014]

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm hard at work on my own list: “Seven Ways to Give Your Spiritual Life a Good Swift Kick in the …”

You get the idea.