Manage Account

Delete Account

Discover

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

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

<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. Illustrated&#34;Christians and non-Christians alike were deeply moved by Nagai's faith in Christ that made him like Job of the Scriptures: in the midst of the nuclear wilderness he kept his heart in tranquility and peace, neither bearing resentment against any man nor cursing God.&#34; -Shusaku Endo, from the Foreword </DIV>

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

This inspiring feature film on Saint Pope John XXIII stars Edward Asner in an acclaimed performance as the beloved pontiff, who came from common stock and was known for his simplicity, courage, and love for humanity. Shot on location in Rome and Italy and produced by the Italian film company Lux Vide, makers of Pope John Paul II and Saint Rita, this movie tells the whole life story of John XXIII from his youth through his young priesthood, episcopacy, life as cardinal, and eventually his life as pope. Elected supposedly as an &ldquo;interim Pope&rdquo; who would just keep the status quo and listen to the advisers around him, John XXIII proved to be his own man when he surprised the Church and world by calling for the Second Vatican Council. This film also underscores his wonderful sense of humor and great charity towards others, especially the poor, downtrodden, and the outcast. Shot in widescreen with excellent acting and beautiful cinematography, the film also stars Claude Rich, Sydne Rome, Massimo Ghini, and Franco Interlenghi.

John XXIII: The Pope of Peace

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

Audiobooks

Moving to book 9, Father Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro begin by examining Augustine’s views on hymns and singing before discussing St. Monica and her past weakness with alcohol. Then they begin to read the more philosophical texts in book 10 where Augustine writes about the movement of the soul from the things of this world to the divine.
 

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The Confessions – Episode 5

A daily offering of one&rsquo;s life to God is an indispensable practice for every serious Catholic. In this book, Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., a longtime spiritual guide on Relevant Radio, presents a 366-day experience of morning offerings for busy laypeople. This rich array of reflections, based on the liturgical calendar and inspired by Ignatian spirituality, will help you develop&mdash;or reinvigorate&mdash;the habit of beginning each day by sincerely offering it to Christ. For each day of the year, Fr. Kubicki offers a meditation based on the saint of the day or liturgical calendar, an offering prayer, and a &ldquo;Daily Word&rdquo; to help you recall the offering throughout the day. Each day concludes with a review question, based on the daily theme, inviting you to make an Examen. Making and living a daily offering, uniting our everyday experience with the life of Christ&mdash;in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary&mdash;can help strengthen each of us to take up his daily cross and live a Eucharistic life.

A Year of Daily Offerings: Giving Your Life to God One Day at a Time

<DIV>A completely new design and typeset edition of the popular Ignatius Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition Bible, with minor revisions to some of the archaic language used in the first edition. This revised version is a contemporary English translation without dumbing-down the text. This second edition of the RSV doesn't put the biblical text through a filter to make it acceptable to current tastes and prejudices, and it retains the beauty of the RSV language that has made it such a joy to read and reflect on the Word of God. Now the only Catholic Bible in standard English is even more beautiful in word and design!keywords: bibles, 2nd edition, second edition, Electronic Book Download</DIV>

Ignatius Bible

<DIV>The terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, the Afghan conflict, waves of migration, and the presence of twelve million Muslims in the European Union: these are just a few of the things that have helped contribute to a growing interest in Islam, its culture, and its followers. They awaken old and new questions about a religious, cultural, and political reality that 1,200,000,000 people consider themselves a part of. This book is the result of a series of extended interviews between an internationally acclaimed expert on Islam and two journalists who have dedicated themselves for many years to studying key themes of Islam and analyzing the possibility of coexistence between people of different faiths and cultures. How was Islam born? What does the Qur'an represent for Muslims? What relationships have developed between Islam and violence, between Islamic culture and the West? How can a real integration of Islam take place in European societies? What are the conditions for a constructive encounter between Christians and Muslims? Samir Khalil Samirone of the world's leading experts on Islamresponds to these questions in an in-depth interview that can help one learn and judge for oneself, without prejudice or naivete. This is a contribution in the spirit of the realism needed in order to build adequate ways of living with those who have become our new neighbors. </DIV>

111 Questions on Islam: Samir Khalil Samir S.J. on Islam and the West

Joy: we look for it, long for it, and spend our lives chasing it. Yet do we really know what it is? Is it a feeling, a state of mind, or a reward for success? Do we know where to find it? The more we seek it, the more it eludes us. Yet joy is real. &ldquo;Joy&rdquo;, writes philosopher Peter Kreeft, &ldquo;is a mystery. It is bigger than we are.&rdquo; Joy&rsquo;s secret, however, is that it cannot be reached or found but only given. True joy is God Himself, who, giving Himself, takes us outside ourselves, across valleys of loss and mountains of triumph. This lucid, witty reflection on the true nature of joy convinces us, page after page, that while sorrow is inevitable, joy is very, very near at hand. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s scandalously simple,&rdquo; Kreeft reveals. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no method; you just do it.&rdquo; To &ldquo;do&rdquo; joy, we must let go of all fake happiness, all false gods. We must return, over and over, to the one true Joy, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Drawing from the wisdom of C.&thinsp;S. Lewis and Saint Thomas Aquinas, this instant classic by self-proclaimed curmudgeon Peter Kreeft walks us through the long, beautiful task of surrendering to deep joy, the chief work of any life worth living.

The Mystery of Joy

<DIV>This small and simple spiritual gem offers a profound contemplation of the Seven Last Words of Christ, with specific application to the seven sacraments he instituted. Adrienne von Speyr leads us to the foot of the Cross, where she gazes upon the crucified Christ and listens deeply as he cries out in suffering and opens the portals of divine grace.The Cross: Word and Sacrament&#160;will challenge and encourage the reader to participate more deeply in the Paschal Mystery through a greater appreciation and understanding of the sacraments and their source in the Cross. The words Jesus utters in his agony, as recorded in the Gospels, contain not only the gifts experienced in the sacraments of the Church but also questions: Do you truly understand what is being offered to you? Will you accept these gifts? Will you suffer the mystery contained in such love?In short, this book calls the reader to conversion, which is a continual process of turning toward the Son, who leads us, in union with the Holy Spirit, into an ever-deepening relationship with the Father. Thus is the reader invited to enter the very life of the Trinity, that communion of love without end.</DIV>

The Cross - Second Edition: Word and Sacrament

<DIV>Continuing his popular series of novels about saints of the Church, de Wohl devotes his considerable talents to an interpretation of one of the most unusual women of all time, Saint Catherine of Siena. The daughter of a prosperous dyer in fourteenth-century Siena, Catherine never forgot the mystical experience of her extreme youth; at that time she devoted herself to Christ. It was, however, a shock to her family when, refusing marriage, she insisted on giving her life totally to God.Her career was extraordinary. In that confused and dangerous era of history, the Pope was living at Avignon: Catherine persuaded him to return to Rome. The City-States of Italy were at war with each other: Catherine subdued them. There was pestilence: Catherine served and saved. She performed miracles, she received the stigmata, she drew about her a crowd of devoted men and women.A saint who would not let the Lord God alone, she really did lay siege to heaven-and changed the face of her world. This novel, which is also a vivid biography, brings Catherine of Siena to life in a remarkable way. She lives on every page.</DIV>

Lay Siege to Heaven: A Novel about St. Catherine of Siena

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

<DIV>No man was ever better qualified to write such a book as The Life of a University than Cardinal Newman was. And the subject has never been more pressing than it is today. In this classic, Newman poses a number of important questions: What is the purpose of education? What does it mean to be educated? What is the role of a university? What is the relationship between learning and the life of a society? And where does Catholicism fit in? The issues Newman examined with incomparable insight continue to be relevant today, one hundred and fifty years after it was first published. This book has been recognized as probably the greatest of its kind, and no one interested in the relationship between religion, learning, culture and politics can afford to neglect it. On John Henry Newman: "The most original religious thinker and the finest preacher in the English-speaking Catholic world." On the book Idea of University: "Why these interminable conferences on the meaning of education? This is the definitive book on education, and on Catholic education." </DIV>

Idea of a University

Teaching Programs

<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

<DIV>Building the Benedict Option is a combination spiritual memoir and practical handbook for Christians who want to build communities of prayer, socialization, and evangelization in the places where they live and work.Beginning when the author was a new convert, she desired more communal prayer and fellowship than weekly Mass could provide. She surveyed her friends--busy, young, urban professionals like herself--and created unique enriching or supportive experiences that matched their desires and schedules. The result was a less lonely and more boisterous spiritual and social life.No Catholic Martha Stewart, Libresco is frank about how she plans events that allow her to feed thirty people on a Friday night without feeling exhausted. She is honest about the obstacles to prayer and the challenge to make it inviting and unobtrusive. Above all, she communicates the joy she has experienced since discovering ways to open her home (even when it was only a small studio apartment).The reader will close this book with four or five ideas for events to try over the next few weeks, along with the tools to make them fruitful. From film nights to picnics in the park to resume-writing evenings, there are plenty of ideas to choose from and loads of encouragement to make more room in one's life for others.</DIV>

Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name

Documentaries

<DIV>Revised and Expanded Edition In this new revised edition of his groundbreaking work, Professor J. Budziszewski questions the modern assumption that moral truths are unknowable. With clear and logical arguments he rehabilitates the natural law tradition and restores confidence in a moral code based upon human nature. What We Can't Not Know explains the rational foundation of what we all really know to be right and wrong and shows how that foundation has been kicked out from under western society. Having gone through stages of atheism and nihilism in his own search for truth, Budziszewski understands the philosophical and personal roots of moral relativism. With wisdom born of both experience and rigorous intellectual inquiry, he offers a firm foothold to those who are attempting either to understand or to defend the reasonableness of traditional morality. While natural law bridges the chasms that can be caused by religious and philosophical differences, Budziszewski believes that natural law theory has entered a new phase, in which theology will again have pride of place. While religious belief might appear to hamper the search for common ground, Budziszewski demonstrates that it is not an obstacle, but a pathway to apprehending universal norms of behavior. </DIV>

What We Can't Not Know: A Guide

<DIV>This book is perhaps one of the most misunderstood works of Catholic theology of our time. Critics contend that von Balthasar espouses universalism, the idea that all men will certainly be saved. Yet, as von Balthasar insists, damnation is a real possibility for anyone. Indeed, he explores the nature of damnation with sobering clarity. At the same time, he contends that a deep understanding of God&#x2019;s merciful love and human freedom, and a careful reading of the Catholic tradition, point to the possibility&#151;not the certainty&#151;that, in the end, all men will accept the salvation Christ won for all. For this all-embracing salvation, von Balthasar says, we may dare hope, we must pray and with God&#x2019;s help we must work.The Catholic Church&#x2019;s teaching on hell has been generally neglected by theologians, with the notable exception of von Balthasar. He grounds his reflections clearly in Sacred Scripture and Catholic teaching. While the Church asserts that certain individuals are in heaven (the saints), she never declares a specific individual to be in hell. In fact, the Church hopes that in their final moments of life, even the greatest sinners would have repented of their terrible sins, and be saved.Sacred Scripture states, &#x201C;God ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all&#x201D; (1 Tim 2:4&#150;5).</DIV>

Dare We Hope That All Men be Saved?: With a Short Discourse on Hell

The ancient Jews and ancient Greeks approached God through numbers. What can they teach us now?

9: Can Math Get You Closer to God? (Hebrew for Dummies, pt. 5)

This volume, the first of its kind, provides both an introduction to a theologian who many in the field consider to be one of the very finest of his generation, and a compendium of selections&mdash;each with an explanatory preface&mdash;from his prolific writings that ultimately touch upon every aspect of Catholic thought. Making use of a method that is deeply rooted in the prayer life and sacred Scripture of the Church, Donald Keefe pursued a decades-long reflection on the significance of the central assertion of faith: that Jesus Christ is Lord, the author of a world that is centered on personal, hence free, life; and that Jesus the Lord is Christ, the Savior in whom broken freedom is made whole and then transformed through union with his own freedom and his own life that is at once human and divine. Union with Christ, then, is not only the destiny of the world but also its beginning. And this work of life, which is the integrating work of creation, has as its vanguard the Eucharist, the sacramental life of Christ that is born of a free priesthood acting in Christ, consecrating the free self-offering of the Church. The Eucharistic dynamism of creation reveals, so Keefe argues, the innermost structure of the real, shedding light on any human question. The many and far-reaching topics that Keefe addressed are arranged in the book under a series of chapter headings that are intended to provide an overview of the content of Catholic theology&mdash;from Christology to Mariology to ecclesiology. The result will be to convey the rich and varied fruit of a gifted mind but also, it is hoped, some sense of the man himself.

Exploring the World's Foundation in Christ: An Introduction to the Writings and Thought of Donald J. Keefe, S.J.

Since the beginnings of the Church, much has been written about the Trinity in the Creator. In this accessible book for ordinary Christians, Peter Kreeft reflects on a different topic: the Trinity in the creation. Because, as G. K. Chesterton put it, in creating us, God &quot;broke His own law, and made a graven image of Himself&quot;, it comes as no surprise that we find a Trinitarian structure embedded in our lives&mdash;not to mention the universe itself. While the fact that so many things come in threes does not prove the dogma of the Trinity, it does give powerful clues to this truth about the nature of ultimate reality. Join the journey with Peter Kreeft and explore the threefold structure of everything.

Why Does Everything Come in Threes?: A Short Book about Everything

<DIV>The world is full of interesting people, and it has been George Weigel's good fortune to have known many such personalities in a variety of fields: politics, religion, the arts and sciences, journalism, the academy, entertainment, and sports. In this collection of reminiscences and elegies, the best-selling author of the definitive biography of Pope Saint John Paul II remembers these men and women from inside the convictions that formed them.Whether he is sketching the lives of Nobel Prize&ndash;winning scientists, major league baseball managers, princes of the Church, television personalities, or history-making political leaders, Weigel tries to understand, and help readers understand, the deep truths of the human condition illuminated by each of these not-forgotten lives.Written with verve, insight, and an appreciation for the consequential lives that have touched his own, Not Forgotten fills out the autobiographical portrait that George Weigel began painting in Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with Saint John Paul II, while offering a backstage view of some of the men and women who have shaped the turbulent history of our times.&#160;The 60 intriguing lives that he writes about are a wide diversity of unique characters and personalities, including Albert Einstein, William F. Buckley, Flannery O&rsquo;Connor, Franz J&auml;gerst&auml;tter, John Paul II, Jackie Robinson, Charles Krauthammer, Sophie Scholl, Henry Hyde, James Schall, S.J., Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Charles Colson, Fr Richard J. Neuhaus and many more.</DIV>

Not Forgotten: Elegies for, and Reminiscences of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable

<DIV>Introduction by Louis BouyerA beautifully bound, Bible paper volume of Newman's most profound devotional writings. His meditations on the Litany of Loreto for the month of May, and on the Stations of the Cross are already recognized as classics of Catholic spirituality. And in his meditations on Christian doctrine Newman shows that the source of true piety is sound teaching. His verses on various occasions are profoundly inspiring as are the spiritual hymns and canticles which distill the wisdom of the incomparable Newman.In addition, also included are the devotions of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, translated by Newman himself and used by him as the primary source of his own spiritual life. Louis Bouyer, the greatest living Newman scholar, says of these: "Newman quite believed that in these exercises of Andrewes he had discovered that form of prayer which springs directly from the word of God and leads to a life fully lived in Christ. Not only as a priest, but later on as a cardinal of the Roman church, he would keep the Preces privatae on his kneeler for his daily preparation and thanksgiving before and after Mass and for his most personal meditations." </DIV>

Prayers, Verses, Devotions

<DIV>In the worldwide best seller ; Values in a Time of ; Upheaval, Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) ; passionately defends the role traditional Judeo-Christian ; values should play in a pluralistic society and a ; multicultural world. He examines such crucial contemporary ; issues as the moral foundations of a free society, the role ; of spiritual values in promoting human rights, current ; challenges to Western culture, and the place of faith and ; love of God in finding true peace. Joseph Ratzinger ; proposes a balance of faith and reason that avoids the ; extremes of fundamentalist theocracies and secular, ; relativist states.Topics ; include: <ul><li>Politics and ; morality </li><li>Peace </li><li>The meaning of history ; </li><li>Truth in a pluralistic world </li><li>The ; moral basis of democratic states ; </li><li>Relativism </li><li>Human dignity </li><li>The ; Christian basis for hope ; </li><li>Bioethics </li><li>Freedom </li><li>Human ; rights and responsibilities </li><li>Marriage and ; family </li><li>Tradition and progress</li></ul></DIV>

Values in a Time of Upheaval: Meeting the Challenges of the Future

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>No issue is more fateful for civilization than moral relativism. History knows not one example of a successful society which repudiated moral absolutes. Yet most attacks on relativism have been either pragmatic (looking at its social consequences) or exhorting (preaching rather than proving), and philosophers' arguments against it have been specialized, technical, and scholarly. In his typical unique writing style, Peter Kreeft lets an attractive, honest, and funny relativist interview a "Muslim fundamentalist" absolutist so as not to stack the dice personally for absolutism. In an engaging series of personal interviews, every conceivable argument the "sassy Black feminist" reporter Libby gives against absolutism is simply and clearly refuted, and none of the many arguments for moral absolutism is refuted. </DIV>

A Refutation of Moral Relativism: Interviews with an Absolutist

<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>"At every stage of my life as a man, a Christian, a monk, an abbot, I have found Saint Peter to be a companion to walk ahead of me... Peter is the Gospel saint who is more 'us' than any other, closer to our own humanity, yet so close to Christ. Peter is the one we can always follow." — Dom Mauro-Giuseppe LeporiSimon Peter, the fisherman who was both attracted to Jesus and repelled by his own weakness, who in faith walked on the water and in fear began to sink; the ardent disciple who promised to die for His Lord and then moments later betrayed Him, who needed to reaffirm his yes to God over and over again, even unto a martyr's death: Is this not a model for many of us who desire to love and trust the Lord completely, yet who struggle daily to pick up our cross and follow Him?Abbot Lepori's meditation on the relationship between our Lord and Saint Peter invites us to consider our own relationship with Christ. As he imaginatively retells the well-known stories from the Gospels, he revivifies them and makes them present to us, deepening our understanding of the calling we have received from Jesus and strengthening our confidence that the Lord will, indeed, bring to completion the work of love He has begun in us. "You are carried into the events narrated here... and you see them with your own eyes and heart, more than if you had been there." —from the Foreword by Cardinal Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice</DIV>

Simon Called Peter: In the Company of a Man in Search of God

<DIV>It is not only the Catholics who attend Sunday Mass, but also the priests who preach at Mass who feel overwhelmed by the three scripture readings in which for the most part only the first from the Old Testament and the third from the Gospel have any interconnection, while the second from the apostolic letters stands by itself. This book seeks to present the common theses that connect all three of the readings for Sundays and feasts of the Lord in the three year cycle of readings.The reflections here are meant to be theological and spiritual suggestions that the one who is preaching can develop further and from which he can select individual perspectives. Rather than seeking immediately concrete applications, Fr. von Balthasar attempts to elucidate the content which is immediately present in the passages.Organized by each Sunday and feast day of the liturgical year for years A, B, & C, these reflections are meant to be theological and spiritual suggestions that the one who is preaching can develop further and from which he can select individual perspectives.</DIV>

Light of the Word: Brief Reflections on the Sunday Readings

<DIV>A lively debate continues in the Roman Catholic Church about the character of the teaching provided by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Did it represent a decisive rupture with previous doctrine, or the continuation of its earlier message under new conditions? Much depends on whether the Council texts are read in the light of subsequent events, which shook and sometimes smashed the life, worship and devotion of traditional Catholicism &ndash; rather than considered for themselves, in their own right as documents with a prehistory that historians can know.In this work Dominican scholar and writer Aidan Nichols maintains that the Council texts must be interpreted in the light of their genesis, not their aftermath. They must be seen in the light of the public debates in the Council chamber, not the hopes (or fears) of individuals behind the scenes. On this basis, he provides a concise commentary on the eight most significant documents produced by the Council, documents which cover pretty comprehensively all the major aspects of the Church&rsquo;s life.Nichols describes the Council as a gathering where the Conciliar minority &ndash; guarded, prudent, and concerned for explicit continuity at all points with the preceding tradition &ndash; played a beneficial role in steadying the Conciliar majority, enthused as the latter was by the movements of biblical, patristic and liturgical &lsquo;return to the sources&rsquo; and a desire to reach out to the world of the (then) present-day in generosity&#160;of heart. The texts that emerged from this often impassioned debate remain susceptible to a reading of a classically Christian kind. That is precisely what Nichols offers in this book.</DIV>

Conciliar Octet: A Concise Commentary on the Eight Key Texts of the Second Vatican Council

<DIV>Revised Edition One of Cardinal Ratzinger's most important and widely read books, this volume is a revised second edition with an improved translation and an in-depth 20 page preface by the Cardinal. As he states in the preface, since this book was first published over 30 years ago, many changes and significant events have occurred in the world, and in the Church. But even so, he says he is firmly convinced that his fundamental approach in this book is still very timely and crucial for the spiritual needs of modern man. That approach puts the question of God and the question about Christ in the very center, which leads to a "narrative Christology" and demonstrates that the place for faith is in the Church. Thus, this remarkable elucidation of the Apostle's Creed gives an excellent, modern interpretation of the foundations of Christianity. Ratzinger's profound treatment of Christianity's basic truths combines a spiritual outlook with a deep knowledge of Scripture and the history of theology. </DIV>

Introduction to Christianity

Is God all-transcendent and mysterious, or is God close and loving? Just four short Hebrew words from Psalm 63 crack the code.

7: When True Gods Collide (Hebrew for Dummies, pt. 3)

Building the Benedict Option is a combination of a spiritual memoir and a practical handbook for Christians who want to build communities of prayer, socialization, and evangelization in the places where they live and work.
 


Beginning when the author was a new convert, she desired more communal prayer and fellowship than weekly Mass could provide. She surveyed her friends--busy, young, urban professionals like herself--and created unique enriching or supportive experiences that matched their desires and schedules. The result was a less lonely and more boisterous spiritual and social life.
 


No Catholic Martha Stewart, Libresco is frank about how she plans events that allow her to feed thirty people on a Friday night without feeling exhausted. She is honest about the obstacles to prayer and the challenge to make it inviting and unobtrusive. Above all, she communicates the joy she has experienced since discovering ways to open her home (even when it was only a small studio apartment).
 


The reader will close this book with four or five ideas for events to try over the next few weeks, along with the tools to make them fruitful. From film nights to picnics in the park to resume-writing evenings, there are plenty of ideas to choose from and loads of encouragement to make more room in one's life for others.
 

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Author Interview with Leah Libresco on her book "Building the Benedict Option"

It's better to be human than to be an angel.