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A band of fugitive Christians is on the run. Their only escape route takes them to an abandoned Catholic church in the mountains. Winter is coming fast. Provisions are dwindling. And the resistance leader who is supposed to guide them across the border to safety is now missing. Can they get away before government agents close in? The fugitives face hard questions. Ultimately, each must make a choice. And Death wants the last word about all of it. A suspenseful novel of persecution and suffering, Into the Catacombs takes an unflinching look at what it means to live the Christian faith in an adversarial world.

Into the Catacombs

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

This is the first major feature-length drama on the life of St. Anthony of Padua, the beloved miracle worker and one of the most popular saints in Christian history. Made in Italy with top-notch acting talent and superb cinematography, this is an outstanding film on the amazing life of St. Anthony. It presents Anthony as a dynamic and appealing person who sacrificed wealth, popularity, and family for the Kingdom of God. Born into a Portuguese noble family in 1195, Anthony defied his father&rsquo;s wishes that he become a knight and, instead, followed the call of God to become a monk, eventually joining the Franciscans as a follower of St. Francis of Assisi. Anthony became renowned for his powerful preaching and his miracles that won countless souls to Christ. The film follows his travels through Italy, his mission to Morocco, and his meeting with St. Francis. It beautifully portrays the power of his preaching, the holiness of his life, his love for the poor and oppressed, and the wonders of his miracles. Actor Daniele Liotti gives a truly memorable and inspiring performance as St. Anthony.

Saint Anthony: The Miracle Worker of Padua

Renaissance

The university is uniquely Catholic in its origin, and yet currently, higher level education on elite campuses is a “red-hot mess,” according to George Weigel. In this episode, Andrew Petiprin sits down with George Weigel to discuss academia and the intellectual life, not simply as a theoretical enterprise left for those who dwell in an ivory tower, but as driver of culture and social life. They discuss the role of the Church in academia, the scholarly legacy of Pope St. John Paul II, the importance fighting the culture war, and the troubles facing the Western civilization.
These topics are also the focus of Weigel’s most recent book “Pomp, Circumstance, and Unsolicited Advice: Commencement Addresses and University Lectures,” where he tells students that true academic learning is carrying on the great Catholic tradition.
 
Get Your Copy of “Pomp, Circumstance, and Unsolicited Advice”: <a href='https://ignatius.com/pomp-circumstance-and-unsolicited-advice-pcap/?searchid=2246581&amp;search_query=pomp+circumstance'>https://ignatius.com/pomp-circumstance-and-unsolicited-advice-pcap/?searchid=2246581&amp;search_query=pomp+circumstance</a>
 
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George Weigel: The Importance of Being an Intellectual and a Culture Warrior

This book presents brief, inspiring biographies of over 40 Irish men and women whose causes for canonization are in progress, along with others who enjoy a strong reputation for sanctity. Written in response to Pope Benedict XVI&rsquo;s call to the Irish to renew the Church in Ireland by drawing on the legacy of their ancestors, it details the heroic lives of twentieth-century saintly models, as well as a few older ones, to encourage contemporary Catholics to seek holiness. Featuring chapters by various contributors, including the postulators of some of the causes, the book offers moving insights into its subjects and the times and places in which they lived. Some lived and died in Ireland, while some were missionaries in other countries. Some were priests or consecrated religious; others were devout and dedicated laypeople. Some died as martyrs; others were distinguished by lives of humble service. What unites them all is their profound love for Christ and his Church. This is a timely, important work given the decline of Christianity in Western society, and the need for the Church to embrace a process of spiritual renewal and evangelization. While it deals with Irish models, it is a work for the universal Church since the saints have relevance for all of us, regardless of where they are from. Those whose inspiring stories are told include Monsignor Hugh O&rsquo;Flaherty, Fr. Willie Doyle, S.J., Father Edward Flanagan, Frank Duff, Sister Clare Crockett, Venerable Patrick Peyton, Venerable Matt Talbot, Venerable Edel Quinn, Blessed John Sullivan, Blessed Columba Marmion, and many more.

The Rock from Which You Were Hewn: The Lives and Legacy of Holy Irish Men and Women

Spanning nearly 500 miles across the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Trail is an epic, arduous route through some of America&rsquo;s most breathtaking natural grandeur. In the summer of 2022, Fr. John Nepil, priest-theologian and mountaineer, set out to traverse the entire trail as a &ldquo;thru-hike&rdquo; with a trio of companions, accompanied along the way by an eclectic rotating cast of priests and young people. This memoir, which is simultaneously a theological reflection on life, Christianity, and the mountains themselves, is the fruit of that pilgrimage. Drawing on great thinkers of the past century, including Luigi Giussani, Dietrich von Hildebrand, and Hans Urs von Balthasar, Fr. Nepil offers a &ldquo;first ascent&rdquo;: a new route where Catholic theology meets alpine adventure. In his telling, the Catholic worldview offers the fullest spiritual vision of the backcountry, and the backcountry, in turn, reveals itself as a privileged setting for Catholic formation. Seen from the trail, the Catholic faith comes alive as an Incarnational worldview where we rediscover humanity, creation, and God. This is a rich theological guidebook for all Catholic lovers of the great outdoors&mdash;particularly the mountains&mdash;and for all who see and seek God in the stark majesty of the natural world.

To Heights and unto Depths: Letters from the Colorado Trail

In every century of Christianity, lives of serious discipleship have been lived in response to&mdash;not in isolation from&mdash;the state of the Church and the world. The inherent link between history and Catholic spirituality, between holiness and the dark forces at work in a given era, is as real and pertinent today as ever. In this powerful work that may very well prove prophetic, renowned spiritual writer Fr. Donald Haggerty plumbs the depths of this connection, offering a profound reflection on the signs of the times, both inside and outside the Church, and unfolding their implications for believers today. Echoing Ra&iuml;ssa Maritain&rsquo;s remark that &ldquo;Jesus will be in agony till the end of the world,&rdquo; this book posits that the Church may live out, within history, a trial mirroring the Passion of her Lord&mdash;and that union with Jesus&rsquo; suffering must be central in the spiritual lives of her individual members. Against a darkening historical backdrop, the would-be saints of today must be ready to accept and embrace&mdash;in love, through prayer, and for the sake of the Church&mdash;a mysterious replication of Jesus&rsquo; last week in their own lives. With keen spiritual insight and characteristic eloquence, Fr. Haggerty explores what it means to pursue holiness seriously in the 21st century, being sanctified in and through the Church&rsquo;s present&mdash;or perhaps still impending&mdash;&ldquo;hour of testing&rdquo;.

The Hour of Testing: Spiritual Depth and Insight in a Time of Ecclesial Uncertainty

Opening credits

Introductory Message

Introduction

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 1꞉ What Difference Does Heaven Make?

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 2꞉ Fourteen Questions about Heaven

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 3꞉ What Will We Do in Heaven?

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 4꞉ Is There a Purgatory?

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 5꞉ What Is the Communion of Saints?

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 6꞉ Will We Have Bodies in Heaven?

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 7꞉ What Will Our Bodies Be Like?

I꞉ Heaven and Us - Chapter 8꞉ Is There Sex in Heaven?

II꞉ Heavenly Space and Time - Chapter 9꞉ Where Is Heaven?

II꞉ Heavenly Space and Time - Chapter 10꞉ Is There Time in Heaven?

II꞉ Heavenly Space and Time - Chapter 11꞉ What Is Eternity?

III꞉ Heaven and Earth - Chapter 12꞉ Does Heaven Begin Now?

III꞉ Heaven and Earth - Chapter 13꞉ How Do We Experience Heaven Now?

III꞉ Heaven and Earth - Chapter 14꞉ Can We Know the Joy of Heaven Now?

IV꞉ Heaven and Hell - Chapter 15꞉ Is There Really a Hell?

IV꞉ Heaven and Hell - Chapter 16꞉ Is Hell Fire or Loneliness?

IV꞉ Heaven and Hell - Chapter 17꞉ How Many Roads to Heaven?

Appendix

Closing credits

<DIV>In the style of C. S. Lewis, Kreeft provides an unexcelled look at the nature of Heaven that offers readers a refreshingly clear, theologically sound, and always fascinating glimpse of that &#34;undiscovered country.&#34; Kreeft's engaging and informative account thoughtfully answers intriguing questions about heaven that speaks to the mind and heart. </DIV>

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven: But Never Dreamed of Asking

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

In 1948, Aurora Marin arrived with her family at the convent of the Canossian Sisters of Schio, Italy, where Sister Bakhita had just died. Aurora was hoping to see her before her death. She gathered her children around the picture of Bakhita, telling them of the incredible life of the woman who raised her as her nanny.
Born in a village in Sudan, kidnapped by slavers, often beaten and abused, and later sold to Federico Marin, a Venetian merchant, Bakhita then came to Italy and became the nanny servant of Federico&rsquo;s daughter, Aurora, who had lost her mother at birth. She is treated as an outcast by the peasants and the other servants due to her black skin and African background, but Bakhita is kind and generous to others.
Bakhita gradually comes closer to God with the help of the kind village priest and embraces the Catholic faith. She requests to join the order of Canossian sisters, but Marin doesn&rsquo;t want to give her up as his servant, treating her almost as his property. This led to a moving court case that raised an uproar, impacting Bakhita&rsquo;s freedom and ultimate decision to become a nun. Pope John Paul II declared her a saint in the year 2000. Directed by Giacamo Campiotti (St. Giuseppe Moscati, Doctor Zhivago) and stars Fatou Kine Boye, Stefania Rocca, Fabio Sartor, Ettore Bassi, and Francesco Salvi.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED: This movie is not rated, but has mature themes and was created with an adult audience in mind. It contains scenes, including violence, indicative of the life and times of the saint portrayed. We would recommend Parental Guidance and that parents preview it before watching with children.

Bakhita: From Slave to Saint - Film

<DIV>On August 9, 1945, an American B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye, while fatally injuring and poisoning thousands more. Among the survivors was Takashi Nagai, a pioneer in radiology research and a convert to the Catholic Faith. Living in the rubble of the ruined city and suffering from leukemia caused by over-exposure to radiation, Nagai lived out the remainder of his remarkable life by bringing physical and spiritual healing to his war-weary people. A Song for Nagasaki tells the moving story of this extraordinary man, beginning with his boyhood and the heroic tales and stoic virtues of his family's Shinto religion. It reveals the inspiring story of Nagai's remarkable spiritual journey from Shintoism to atheism to Catholicism. Mixed with interesting details about Japanese history and culture, the biography traces Nagai's spiritual quest as he studied medicine at Nagasaki University, served as a medic with the Japanese army during its occupation of Manchuria, and returned to Nagasaki to dedicate himself to the science of radiology. The historic Catholic district of the city, where Nagai became a Catholic and began a family, was ground zero for the atomic bomb.After the bomb disaster that killed thousands, including Nagai's beloved wife, Nagai, then Dean of Radiology at Nagasaki University, threw himself into service to the countless victims of the bomb explosion, even though it meant deadly exposure to the radiation which eventually would cause his own death. While dying, he also wrote powerful books that became best-sellers in Japan. These included The Bells of Nagasaki, which resonated deeply with the Japanese people in their great suffering as it explores the Christian message of love and forgiveness. Nagai became a highly revered man and is considered a saint by many Japanese people.</DIV>

A Song for Nagasaki: The Story of Takashi Nagai a Scientist, Convert, and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb

<DIV>Italian Carmelite Antonio Maria Sicari''s vibrant biographies of saints&mdash;from Augustine to Catherine of Siena to Faustina Kowalska&mdash;have been read across Europe for decades. In How Saints Die, Sicari turns to the most difficult challenge in the life of a Christian: the hour of death.What he uncovers in this darkest moment, however, is not desolation, but inexplicable joy. "I have recounted the death of many saints," he writes, "but all of them have confirmed for me the truth of this ancient Christian intuition: in the death of a saint, it is death that dies!"With in-depth research and a flair for storytelling, Sicari brings before our eyes the gracious last hours of one hundred men and women&mdash;lovers and martyrs, thinkers and workers, ancients and moderns, old men and teens. Included are Kateri Tekakwitha, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, Thomas Aquinas, Josephine Bakhita, J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Lejeune, Clare of Assisi, and many more. In each, a new shade of the divine light shines through.Those seeking insight into the mystery of death and suffering will find in this book not only wisdom, but rich and realistic consolation. Divided into brief, readable chapters organized by theme, the collection offers at every bend another fine-grained snapshot of a Christian fully alive.</DIV>

How Saints Die: 100 Stories of Hope

The Wedding of Magdeburg is no ordinary wedding. Germany, 1630: a world turned upside down by the Reformation. In the Free Imperial City of Magdeburg, one young bride is jilted on the eve of her nuptials, but as she waits for her groom to return, an even darker cloud looms: the Holy Roman Empire stands at the gates, ready to take the Protestant city as its own political &quot;bride&quot;. Will Magdeburg accept the proposal for the sake of peace, or will she rebel&mdash;and risk losing the battle altogether? This masterpiece by Nobel Prize nominee Gertrud von le Fort, elegantly translated by Chase Faucheux, has never before appeared in English. At once love story, political thriller, and historical study of war in the seventeenth century, it follows the Sack of Magdeburg, the tragic battle now considered one of the greatest massacres of the Thirty Years&#39; War. Le Fort, acclaimed author of&#160;TheSong at the Scaffold, takes a magnifying glass to the line that runs through every human heart&mdash;whether Protestant or Catholic, winning or losing, conquered or conquering. How do we find hope in the midst of destruction? How do we find freedom in total surrender? With wisdom, riveting storytelling, and incredible psychological subtlety, The Wedding of Magdeburg tabulates the spiritual cost of war and shows how grace can dramatically imbue even the darkest moments of history.

The Wedding of Magdeburg: A  Novel

Histories of the Catholic Church in the United States abound. Most suffer from an excess of either scholarly detachment or popular triumphalism. American Pilgrimage seeks instead to draw on the best of current scholarship to tell the story of the Church as it understands itself: the Body of Christ, divinely ordained yet marred by sin, charged with the mission of spreading the Gospel and building up the community of the faithful. In scope, American Pilgrimage narrates the story of the Church from the dramatic efforts at evangelization in the colonial period, to the Catholic urban villages of the immigrant Church, to the struggles to reimagine tradition in the late-20th century. In shape, it follows this story through the Augustinian contours of the ongoing struggle between the City of God and the City of Man&mdash;a struggle that takes place between the Church and the world, within the Church itself, and within the soul of every Christian.

American Pilgrimage

It is often said that one can find God in nature, but few have explored the theology behind such a common statement. Join us as Fr. John Nepil talks with Andrew Petiprin about the theological lessons and underpinnings of mountain hiking, which he details in his new book To Heights and Unto Depths. This book and the ensuing conversation artfully weave together theological insights and real-world experience.
 
Fr. Nepil and Andrew examine the spiritual benefits of the outdoors, both the joys of reaching the summit and the lows felt during arduous hours hiking. They also discuss the modern crisis of manhood, the responsibility of leadership, and how the works of theologians such as Von Balthasar, Cardinal Ratzinger, and Luigi Giussani can reveal spiritual wisdom found on the trail. For those who love the outdoors or theology, this episode is a must watch!
 
Get your copy of To Heights and Unto Depths: <a href='https://ignatius.com/to-heights-and-unto-depths-thudp/'>https://ignatius.com/to-heights-and-unto-depths-thudp/</a>
 
SUBSCRIBE to our channel and never miss an episode of the Ignatius Press Podcast.
You can also listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter/X: <a href='https://twitter.com/IgnatiusPress'>https://twitter.com/IgnatiusPress</a>
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Fr. John Nepil: Where Catholic Theology Meets Alpine Adventure

Welcome to the Ignatius Press Podcast! Ignatius Press has been faithfully publishing Catholic books, films, art, and more for over 40 years. With our extensive history, our library contains a wide variety of authors and titles, and we can’t wait to share them with you. On this podcast, we will feature author interviews for those who are interested in deepening their faith and learning more about Jesus Christ, his Church, and the rich Catholic intellectual and artistic tradition. We pray that this podcast will inspire and nourish your faith.

Ignatius Press Podcast

<DIV>Priesthood and crisis are two words that appear to be very closely related. Or so it has seemed for the past thirty years and more. The crisis in the priestly ministry is constantly showing new sides, however-the issue of the priest's own self-understanding, for example, the interplay of the various different vocations within the Church, and the struggle, in the face of a plethora of different offices and ministries, to discern what constitutes the specific priestly dimension and identity.Again and again, in his theological writings, Hans Urs von Balthasar has addressed the fundamental issues of of?ce and ministry, of priesthood and discipleship. He has uncovered the foundations from a biblical and theological historical perspective and has offered answers to the current problems of priestly existence. This book presents the confrontation with relevant trends, and at the same time the opposing current generated by von Balthasar, since he does not follow popular positions but instead gives us the very core of the Gospel and of revelation, like rye bread.In order to illuminate the spirituality and meaning of the life of the priest of today, von Balthasar goes back to the origins, to the apostles, to their calling, and above all to that moment from which their apostolic mission and their entire Christian existence originates, the Paschal mystery of Jesus. On the eve of his death, Jesus establishes the Eucharist and the priesthood; immediately after his Resurrection he bestows on the disciples the power to forgive sins, entrusts his sheep to Peter, and sends them out into the whole world. Thus von Balthasar considers the life and mission of today's priests in continuity not only with the first apostles, but above all, with Jesus himself. The person and mission of Jesus Christ stand at the center of priestly spirituality. Hence all the reaections in this work revolve unswervingly around Jesus Christ and his mission. Jesus is the source and norm of priestly existence. Only when God, made manifest in the figure of the Savior Jesus Christ, is understood as the center from which this priestly existence springs, and only when this enduring center is proclaimed, can the bold presumption of the Lord in entrusting his mission to weak men be understood in confident trust and attract new followers, even in lean times.</DIV>

Priestly Spirituality

<DIV> Theo-Logic is the third and crowning part of the great trilogy of the masterwork of theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, following his first two parts, The Glory of the Lord and Theo-Drama.Theo-Logic is a variation of theology, it being about not so much what man says about God, but what God speaks about Himself. Balthasar does not address the truth about God until he first reflects on the beauty of God (Glory of the Lord). Then he follows with his reflections on the great drama of our salvation and the goodness and mercy of the God who saves us (Theo-Drama). Now, in this work, he is ready to reflect on the truth that God reveals about Himself, which is not something abstract or theoretical, but rather the concrete and mysterious richness of God's being as a personal and loving God. </DIV>

Theo-Logic: Theological Logical Theory

#Metoo. Sexting pressure. The hook-up culture. Teenage depression. How did the culture become so toxic for women? And how did one man foresee this all so clearly 50 years ago? From the producer of the acclaimed documentary, Convinced, this powerful film reveals the devastating effects of the sexual revolution and the counter-cultural movement today that is rising from its ashes.
Some images were used in the creation of this video to reflect the serious nature of the content discussed in the video. Though these images are muted, it is advised that parents preview this content before deciding to view it with a younger audience.

Unprotected: A Pope, the Pill, and the Perils of Sexual Chaos

<DIV>The widely read author and philosopher Peter Kreeft presents a unique book about the important beliefs that Catholics and Protestants share in common. Inspired by Christ's prayer for unity in the Gospel of John and Saint John Paul II's encyclical Ut Unum Sint, Kreeft demonstrates that Christian reunification is possible. While he acknowledges that there are still significant differences between Catholics and Protestants, he emphasizes that they agree on the single most important issue: justification.The style of this book is modeled on Pascal, Solomon, and Jesus: short answers and single points to ponder rather than long strings of argument. The writing is direct, simple, and confrontational, but vertically rather than horizontally by ""directing arrows not against each other (Protestant or Catholic) but against our own hearts and minds and wills.""The purpose of this book, writes Kreeft, is to be ""like an Australian sheepdog, herding and hectoring Christ's separated sheep back to His face. For that is the only way they can ever return back to each other.""</DIV>

Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other?

<DIV>"Don't be so judgmental!""Why are Christians so intolerant?""Why can't we just coexist?"In an age in which preference has replaced morality, many people find it difficult to speak the truth, afraid of the reactions they will receive if they say something is right or wrong. Using engaging stories and personal experience, Edward Sri helps us understand the classical view of morality and equips us to engage relativism, appealing to both the head and the heart. Learn how Catholic morality is all about love, why making a judgment is not judging a person's soul, and why, in the words of Pope Francis, "relativism wounds people." Topics include:&bull; Real Freedom, Real Love&bull; Sharing truth with compassion&bull; Why "I disagree" doesn't mean "I hate you"</DIV>

Who Am I to Judge?: Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love

The Catholic Church invented what we know as the &ldquo;university,&rdquo; including the cultural tradition of free and open debate on disputed questions. Catholic colleges and universities thus stand poised to help reform institutions of higher learning at a moment of crisis in academic life throughout the western world.
In his commencement addresses to colleges and universities large and small, George Weigel challenges graduates to understand an academic degree as a summons to become the trustee of a great tradition. In his lectures to university audiences, Weigel addresses a host of issues in the contemporary Church and its interaction with the world with depth and insight.
Written in the vivid, often bracing style characteristic of one of contemporary Catholicism&rsquo;s leading intellectuals, these addresses and lectures exemplify what Pope St. John Paul II called the Catholic &ldquo;diakonia of the truth.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pomp, Circumstance, and Unsolicited Advice: Commencement Addresses and University Lectures

<DIV>Three Approaches to Abortion will help you persuade others -including pro-choice Catholics - that abortion is an evil society cannot permit or tolerate. Abortion has been and remains a crucial issue in American politics. Unfortunately, many Americans don't see abortion for the evil it is - the unjust killing of millions of human beings each year. Even many Catholics have been confused by the 'pro-choice' (read: pro-abortion) rhetoric of those who say that they personally accept Catholic teaching about abortion, but they can't impose it on others. You've heard argument after argument about this topic. Maybe you think there is nothing more to say. Well, there is. Three Approaches to Abortion, by popular author Peter Kreeft, cuts through the nonsense of the 'pro-choice' position. He shows in an irrefutable way why abortion is evil and why it's illogical to support abortion rights while claiming to be "personally opposed to abortion." Kreeft's commonsense approach to the issue, his lucid arguments, easy-to-grasp illustrations and examples, and his thoughtful dialogue between a pro-lifer and a 'pro-choicer' make this book an invaluable tool in the pro-life cause. </DIV>

Three Approaches to Abortion: A Thoughtful and Compassionate Guide to Today's Most Controversial Issue

<DIV>One of Adrienne von Speyr's most cherished concerns was to rekindle Christians' desire for contemplation and thus to renew the Church's prayer. Light and Images is one of the most important of her works on the subject. She sets forth the deepest theological foundations of contemplative prayer according to the reciprocal relationship between "light" and "images".Like the simple images that open up infinite depths to the eye of faith, this little book contains an overwhelming wealth of insight into contemplation. One comes away from it with a vastly transformed understanding of the nature of prayer and an appreciation for its irreplaceable role in Christian life. With its disarmingly simple language, Light and Images is immediately accessible; and yet the new perspectives it offers on prayer surprise and challenge at every turn. The book is therefore both an incomparable introduction for those who wish to learn what it means to pray, and excellent spiritual reading for those seeking to draw more deeply from the Church's great treasury of prayer.</DIV>

Light and Images: Elements of Contemplation

<DIV>Foreword by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn Darwin’s theory of evolution remains controversial, even though most scientists, philosophers, and even theologians accept it, in some form, as an explanation for the variety of organisms. The controversy erupts when the theory is used to try to explain everything, including every aspect of human life, and to deny the role of a Creator or a purpose to life. The overreaching of many scientists into matters beyond the self-imposed limits of scientific method is perhaps explained in part by the loss of two important ideas in modern thinking—final causality or purpose, and formal causality. Scientists understandably bracket the idea out of their scientific thinking because they seek explanations on the level of material and efficient causes only. Yet many of them wrongly conclude from their selective study of the world that final and formal causes do not exist at all and that they have no place in the rational study of life. Likewise, many erroneously assume that philosophy cannot draw upon scientific findings, in light of final and formal causality, to better understand the world and man. The great philosopher and historian of philosophy, Étienne Gilson, sets out to show that final causality or purposiveness and formal causality are principles for those who think hard and carefully about the world, including the world of biology. Gilson insists that a completely rational understanding of organisms and biological systems requires the philosophical notion of teleology, the idea that certain kinds of things exist and have ends or purposes the fulfillment of which are linked to their natures—in other words, formal and final causes. His approach relies on philosophical reflection on the facts of science, not upon theology or an appeal to religious authorities such as the Church or the Bible. “The object of the present essay is not to make of final causality a scientific notion, which it is not, but to show that it is a philosophical inevitability and, consequently, a constant of biophilosophy, or philosophy of life. It is not, then, a question of theology. If there is teleology in nature, the theologian has the right to rely on this fact in order to draw from it the consequences which, in his eyes, proceed from it concerning the existence of God. But the existence of teleology in the universe is the object of a properly philosophical reflection, which has no other goal than to confirm or invalidate the reality of it. The present work will be concerned with nothing else: reason interpreting sensible experience—does it or does it not conclude to the existence of teleology in nature?” —Étienne Gilson</DIV>

From Aristotle to Darwin and Back Again: A Journey in Final Causality, Species and Evolution

Celebrated author Mary Eberstadt continues her ground-breaking examination of the legacy of the sexual revolution. The book&#39;s predecessor,&#160;Adam and Eve after the Pill&#160;(2012), dissected the revolution&#39;s microcosmic fallout via its empirical effects on the lives of men, women, and children. This follow-on book investigates the revolution&#39;s macrocosmic transformations in three spheres: society, politics, and Christianity. It also includes an analysis of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.With unflinching logic, Eberstadt summarizes the toll on Western society of today&#39;s fractured homes, feral children, and social isolates. Empathetic yet precise, she connects the dots between shrinking, broken families and rising sexual confusion, seen most recently in transgenderism and related phenomena. The book also traces the dissolution of the home to signature developments in Western politics, especially the increase in acrimony, polarization, street violence, and identity politics. The result is an indictment of the turn taken by much of the world following the post-1960s embrace of contraception and the stigmatization of traditional morality.The book&#39;s section on the revolution&#39;s infiltration of the churches is must-reading for anyone concerned about the fate of Western Christianity. In a moment when millions wonder whether the Catholic Church will retreat from age-old moral teachings,&#160;this book demands to be put at the center of discussion.Adam and Eve after the Pill, Revisited&#160;is both an indispensable blueprint for today&#39;s emerging revisionism, and a manifesto for a more humane order to come.

Adam and Eve after the Pill, Revisited

<DIV>Cardinal Schoenborn, who regularly gathers the people of his diocese in the beautiful medieval cathedral of Vienna, Austria, knows how to communicate the great Christian mysteries in modern ways. He has the gift to integrate contemporary everyday experience with the knowledge passed on from tradition and the great thinkers and theologians of the church.In this volume, focusing on the beauty and power of the Holy Eucharist, the renown Cardinal and prolific author also explores how these rituals often connect to the Jewish roots of the Christian story. Accessible to all those who want to know more about the essential source of Christian spirituality in order to elevate the depth of their experience in it, this work defines the origins of the Eucharist in the Passover celebration and the Last Supper, along with other key elements of the liturgy, including sacrifice, transubstantiation, the transformation of the bread and wine, and the significance of the Eucharist today.A readable, beautifully insightful book for everyone who desires to understand and experience more profoundly the central sacrament of Christian life.</DIV>

The Source of Life: Exploring the Mystery of the Eucharist

<DIV>God created man in his own image, and the profound implications of this assertion are the subject of this book. Drawing on philosophy, theology, science, Scripture and art, Cardinal Schönborn reflects on man as the greatest of God's creatures and on the Christian understanding of his incomparable dignity that flows from this truth. According to the Christian faith, all the works of God converge toward man, and find their goal in him. The world was made for man, and man was made for God. This "anthropocentrism" resounds like good news at a time when many find it hard to believe in God's special and personal providence for man. It is good news, indeed, that man has worth and his life has meaning because God bears an infinite love for him - a love which is the very origin of creation and is the reason for the work of redemption. Among the topics Cardinal Schonborn addresses are: Christ-the Loveliest of Men, The Exaltation of Man, The Basis of Man's Dignity, Faith in Art, God with a Human Face.   "Man is created by God and for God; he has an incomparable dignity because God, in creating him, has for him an infinite love, the very origin of creation and the reason for the work of redemption." - Cardinal Christoph Schonborn</DIV>

Man, The Image of God: The Creation of Man as Good News

<DIV>Why are Americans being forced to consider homosexual acts as morally acceptable? Why has the US Supreme Court discovered a constitutional right to same-sex "marriage", which until a decade ago, was unheard of in the history of Western or any other civilization? Where has the "gay rights" movement come from, and how has it so easily conquered America?The answers are in the dynamics of the rationalization of sexual misbehavior. The power of rationalization—the means by which one mentally transforms wrong into right—drives the gay rights movement, gives it its revolutionary character, and makes its advocates indefatigable. The homosexual cause moved naturally from a plea for tolerance to cultural conquest because the security of its rationalization requires universal acceptance. In other words, we all must say that the bad is good.At stake in the rationalization of homosexual behavior is reality itself, which is why it will have consequences that reach far beyond the issue at hand. Already America's major institutions have been transformed—its courts, its schools, its military, its civic institutions, and even its diplomacy. The further institutionalization of homosexuality will mean the triumph of force over reason, thus undermining the very foundations of the American Republic.</DIV>

Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם! Oh, you don't know Hebrew, you say? Well, it's what Jesus (and Mary) used to pray.