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<DIV>Here are the compelling stories of eleven "reverts", Catholics who fell away from the Church and eventually came back home. Some of the people are very well-known, like Fr. John Corapi, Rick Strom and Jesse Romero, and others are known only in their smaller circles. But each person's story of why he left the Catholic Church and why he returned is a unique and moving tale of God's mercy, love and grace. There is one common denominator, though, among the writers of Welcome Home! To parapharse Archbishop Fulton Sheen, few hate the Catholic Chruch for what she teaches, but millions hate it for what they think she teaches. The defining moment of illuminating grace almost always came when our storytellers began to examine Catholic teaching for themselves. "I have no doubt that those who read Welcome Home! will take from these intriguing conversion stores a renewed spirit of confidence and devotion. In it they will also find an informative source of Catholic apologetics that will especially attract those who have shared similar life experiences in their sincere search for truth and reconciliation with the Church of their youth, which is indeed the Covenant Family of God where the One who is Truth Itself abides forever." -Fr. Bill Casey, C.P.M.</DIV>

Welcome Home!: Fallen Away Catholics Who Came Back

<DIV>With the luminous insight that we have come to expect from his writings, Robert Cardinal Sarah helps spouses rediscover the deep source of their love&mdash;God Himself&mdash;and the means for letting love between them grow.This book presents the essentials of a retreat that the cardinal preached to married couples in Lourdes, France. It is meant for all couples, including those who are struggling. There is a path to renewal for everyone, and couples in every situation can find again the preciousness of the love that binds them, no matter how hidden it may be.We are all, without exception, called to joy, and Christ alone can give it to us. He works through his Church, through the sacraments, and through his saints&mdash;especially Mary, the Mother of God, who heals couples.</DIV>

Couples, Awaken Your Love

<DIV>The monthly "catechesis" in the Cathedral of St. Stephen by the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, have become an institution among many people in Austria. In simple but beautiful words and vibrant images presented by the Cardinal, the doctrine and the practice of the faith are fruitfully brought together.This book contains a cycle of catechesis, or teachings on the Christian faith, which pose fundamental questions with respect to the confession of the faith: How can God be one and triune? How can He be all powerful and at the same time permit evil? Is our life free or pre-determined? How is Christianity different from other religions? How are we to understand the signs and miracles of Jesus? Why must we believe in the Resurrection of Jesus and hope in our own life after death?Cardinal Schoenborn explores these and many other important questions about the Christian faith, and especially about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, in his usual lucid and compelling style. He leads us to a deeper realization of who Christ is, what his saving mission was, and how we can know and love Him in a personal and profound way.An inspiring and practical work by a great churchman about the eternal importance of the Christian faith, and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and how it is crucial for our everyday life."Catechesis is something different from a theological discourse. Catechesis is actually a way, and we are invited to set out on such a catechetical way. For catechesis is very closely connected with the mission of Jesus himself. It is actually the direct translation of his mission, which he gave to the apostles at the end of his life: ಘAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.' " - Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn</DIV>

To Know Jesus as the Christ

<DIV>&#160;Fr. von Balthasar provides a profound and concise spiritual guide for all who desire to know and love the Mother of the Lord. The acclaimed theologian gathers from the Sacred Scriptures and the rich tradition of the Church to present a portrait of Mary that shows her importance and relevance for Christians today. In this inspiring work, von Balthasar exhibits the quintessential elements of a great theologian: depth of traditional devotion combined with intellectual brilliance and seasoned with common sense. He reveals to us the crucial spiritual role of Mary for all Christians: she shows us what the Church is and guides us close to Jesus. For Christians to understand their vocations as individuals and as the Church, Mary is essential as the model of the first disciple. Von Balthasar captures her singular role when he quotes her words in the Gospel at Cana: &#34;Do whatever he tells you.&#34; Perhaps nowhere is Mary's role and significance more clearly present than in this Gospel scene. This work is beautifully illustrated with lovely silhouette drawings by artist Virginia Broderick.</DIV>

Mary for Today

<DIV>A collection of essays by three giants of twentieth-cenutry theology: Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Heinz Schurmann. Balthasar's and Schurmann's essays were written for the International Theological Commission. Schurmann examines how the New Testament's teaching provides enduring moral norms for Christian conduct. Balthasar presents nine basic principles of the Christian moral life. Ratzinger, who originally wrote this essay as a series of articles for L'Osservatore Romano, addresses the relationship between faith and morality, and the place of the Church's teaching authority with regard to moral issues. Learn more about Pope Benedict! Visit the </DIV>

Principles of Christian Morality

<DIV>This volume, three separate books in one edition, is a collection of Josef Pieper's famous treatises on the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. Each of these treatises was originally published as a separate work over a period of thirty-seven years, and here they are brought together in English for the first time. The first of the three that he wrote, On Hope, was written in 1934 in response to the general feeling of despair of those times. His "philosophical treatise" on Faith was derived from a series of lectures he gave in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His most difficult work, one that he struggled with for years - and almost abandoned - was his work On Love. Pieper now feels that this is the most important book he has written. He discusses not only the theological virtue of caritas-agape, but also of eros, sexuality, and even "love" of music and wine. </DIV>

Faith, Hope, Love

<DIV>Fr. Robinson has done a great service in revitalizing Lorenzo Scupoli's classic, Spiritual Combat, so that contemporary Catholics can rediscover this rich work that has served many generations of Catholics. This book is about the life of prayer and personal reform and renewal. It fits squarely into the tradition of the &#34;great masters&#34; of the spiritual life, and to the line of great modern writers on spirituality. It is a work of particular relevance that confronts modern culture with the tough-minded, deeply authentic challenge of spiritual combat.Robinson has retained Scupoli's appeal to the Catholic reader through a conversational style, short chapters, familiar examples from everyday life, and the pastoral bent which has marked his own outstanding career. Covering the basic difficulties of daily prayer and of obstacles to living the virtues, Scupoli and Robinson test the mettle of real Catholics by calling us to live an interior life for and with God.</DIV>

Spiritual Combat Revisited

<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

<DIV>Considered by many to be Chesterton's greatest masterpiece of all his writings, this is his whole view of world history as informed by the Incarnation. Beginning with the origin of man and the various religious attitudes throughout history, Chesterton shows how the fulfillment of all of man's desires takes place in the person of Christ and in Christ's Church. Chesterton propounds the thesis that "those who say that Christ stands side by side with similar myths, and his religion side by side with similar religions, are only repeating a very stale formula contradicted by a very striking fact." And with all the brilliance and devastating irony, so characteristic of his best writing, Chesterton gleefully and tempestuously tears to shreds that "very stale formula" and triumphantly proclaims in vivid language the glory and unanswerable logic of that very striking fact. Here is the genius of Chesterton at its delightful best. </DIV>

The Everlasting Man

Opening credits

Introduction

Preface

Chapter 1: Faith and Knowledge

Chapter 2: Faith and Existence

Chapter 3: Faith and Philosophy

Chapter 4: The Future of the World through the Hope of Men

Chapter 5: What Will the Church Look Like in 2000?

Closing credits

<DIV>Increasingly, the future is becoming a theme for theological reflection. In the background we can detect a growing concern among many people for the future of faith. Does faith have any future at all, and, if so, where in all the confusion of today's trends will we discover its embryo? But the problem of the future assails not only the believer. In the ever more rapidly advancing process of historical evolution, man is confronted with enormous opportunities, but also with colossal perils. For him, the future is not only hope, but sorrow-a nightmare, indeed. He cannot avoid asking what part faith can play in building tomorrow's world. Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, approaches this problem of universal concern from a variety of angles, bringing his deep personal faith and theological brilliance to bear on these serious questions. &#34;Faith and the Future is a small book, but it deals with the largest issues, and does so in a way that has the ring of lived truth.&#34; - Mike Potemra, National Review</DIV>

Faith and the Future (Audiobook)

<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?

PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION

PREFACE TO THE 1968 EDITION

PREFACE TO THE 1969 EDITION

I. BELIEF IN THE WORLD OF TODAY

II. THE ECCLESIASTICAL FORM OF FAITH

I. PROLEGOMENA TO THE SUBJECT OF GOD

II. THE BIBLICAL BELIEF IN GOD

III. THE GOD OF FAITH AND THE GOD OF THE PHILOSOPHERS

IV. FAITH IN GOD TODAY

V. BELIEF IN THE TRIUNE GOD

I. I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, HIS ONLY SON OUR LORD

EXCURSUS꞉ CHRISTIAN STRUCTURES

II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAITH IN CHRIST IN THE CHRISTOLOGICAL ARTICLES OF THE CREED (Sections 1-3)

II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAITH IN CHRIST IN THE CHRISTOLOGICAL ARTICLES OF THE CREED (Sections 4-6)

I. THE INTRINSIC UNITY OF THE LAST STATEMENTS IN THE CREED

II. TWO MAJOR QUESTIONS POSED BY THE ARTICLES ON THE SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH

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.

Introduction to Christianity

<DIV>Father Walter Ciszek, S.J., author of the best-selling He Leadeth Me, tells here the gripping, astounding story of his twenty-three years in Russian prison camps in Siberia, how he was falsely imprisoned as an "American spy", the incredible rigors of daily life as a prisoner, and his extraordinary faith in God and commitment to his priestly vows and vocation. He said Mass under cover, in constant danger of death. He heard confession of hundreds who could have betrayed him; he aided spiritually many who could have gained by exposing him. This is a remarkable story of personal experience. It would be difficult to write fiction that could honestly portray the heroic patience, endurance, fortitude and complete trust in God lived by Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J. </DIV>

With God in Russia

<DIV>This classic collection offers rich meditation material before the Blessed Sacrament, providing prayerful souls with insights gleaned from the wealth of Church teaching and tradition. The selections are drawn from a variety of sources and times. They come from the Old and New Testaments, the Church Fathers, great saints, popes, councils, traditional prayers. These prayers and meditations offer a rich view of the Eucharist, and their unique perspectives are intended to aid us in our understanding, appreciation and worship of this Sacrament of Sacraments.Praise for Adoration: ""A treasure trove offering the finest jewels in prayer, meditation, Church teaching and the wisdom of the Fathers, all focused on Our Lord Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. This book offers so much to help us in the great revival of Eucharistic Adoration spreading through the Church."" - Msgr. Peter Elliott, Author, Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite""This beautiful book of prayers and meditations fills a real need experienced by hundreds of thousands whose spiritual lives are being prayerfully enriched by Christ present in the Eucharist."" - Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.""A treasure-chest of the Church's prayer and devotion to the Eucharistic Lord! This book will serve as a valuable resource for one's personal prayer and reflection before the Most Blessed Sacrament."" -Cardinal John O'Connor</DIV>

Adoration: Eucharistic Texts and Prayers throughout Church History

<DIV>How has the Liturgy of the Roman rite developed and changed in history before and after the Council of Trent? What principles have determined the boundaries of legitimate liturgical reform over the centuries? What was the Liturgical Movement? Did Guéranger, Beauduin, Guardini, Parsch, Casel, Bugnini, Jungmann, Bouyer and the Movement's other leaders know and respect these principles? And what is to be said of the not insignificant liturgical reforms carried out by Saint Pius X, Popes Pius IX and Pius XII and Blessed John XXIII in the course of the twentieth century?In The Organic Development of the Liturgy, Dom Alcuin Reid examines these questions systematically, incisively and in depth, identifying both the content and context of the principle of "organic development"-a fundamental principle of liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium-making a significant contribution to the understanding of the nature of the Liturgical Movement and to the ongoing re-assessment of the reforms enacted following the Council. </DIV>

The Organic Development of the Liturgy

<DIV>This book is a reprint with revisions of one of Thomas Howard's earliest and most popular books. It is somewhat autobiographical; revealing thoughts of a young man who has been seized by the love of Christ and, at first sees dogmas and institutions as obscuring the terrible truth of God's love in Christ. But even at that earlier period, Howard showed his awareness that without those institutions there would be no way of encountering Christ the tiger.Howard is able to bring out the true vitality of what this faith is and should be, the radical nature of the Christian faith. This book powerfully presents who Christ is and what faith in him means."In the fiugre of Jesus we saw Immanuel, that is, God, that is Love. It was a figure who, appearing so inauspiciously among us, broke up our secularist and our religious categories and becokines us and judges us and samned us and saves us and exhinbited to us a kind of life that participates in the indestructible. And it was a figure who announced the validity of our eternal effort to discover significance and beauty beyond inanition and horror by announcing to us the unthinkable: redemption." from Christ the Tiger</DIV>

Christ the Tiger

<DIV>Saint Thomas Aquinas has been admired throughout the ages for his philosophical brilliance and his theological sanity, but author and professor Peter Kreeft thinks the practical spiritual wisdom of Aquinas is just as amazing. In this book, Kreeft brings together 358 useful, everyday insights from Aquinas' masterpiece the Summa Theologiae. He pairs these easily digestible quotes from the Summa with his own delightfully written commentary in order to answer the kinds of questions real people ask their spiritual directors. These 358 passages from the Summa have helped Kreeft in his own struggles to grow closer to the Lord. His practical, personal, and livable advice is the fruit of his labors to apply the insights of Aquinas to his own quest for sanctity, happiness, and union with God.</DIV>

Practical Theology: Spiritual Direction from Saint Thomas Aquinas

Foreword

Psalm 1꞉ “Blessed is the man”

The Twenty-Third Psalm꞉ “The LORD is my shepherd”

Psalm 51꞉ “Have mercy upon me”

Psalm 139꞉ “O LORD , thou hast searched me, and known me”

Psalm 103꞉ “Bless the LORD , O my soul”

Psalm 19꞉ “The heavens declare the glory of God”

Psalm 27꞉ “The LORD is my light and my salvation”

Psalm 42꞉ “As the hart panteth after the water brooks”

Psalm 24꞉ “Lift up your heads, O ye gates”

Psalm 137꞉ “By the rivers of Babylon”

Psalm 96꞉ “O sing unto the LORD a new song”

Psalm 150꞉ “Praise ye the LORD ”

<DIV>The Psalms are the most popular, most universally loved and used book in the Bible, which in turn is the most popular book in the world. They are hymns, songs, poems and prayers, both formal (liturgical and communal) and informal (spontaneous, personal, and individual); and this gives them many layers of meaning rather than one, unlike theologies and creeds.They Psalms are literally inexhaustible, so a new book of reflections on them is always welcome. Especially a book by the beloved, widely read, best-selling author and philosopher, Peter Kreeft.In this work Kreeft shares his personal explorations into the riches of the Psalms, his profound expeditions into this deep ocean of the divinely inspired spiritual water. He focuses on the dozen or so Psalms that are most people's favorites, including Kreeft.Kreeft says that the Pslams are powerful prayers, and a spiritual weapon that God himself has given us for our great task of spiritual warfare, which is human life on earth.What prayers did Jesus and his disciples pray? The Psalms! As all Jews have always done ever since they had them. The Psalms are God's answer to our plea, 'Teach us to pray.' Christ prayed them not only in synagogue but throughout His life, and at his death. He prayed Psalm 22, 'My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?' even as He was dying on the Cross. - Peter Kreeft, from the Introduction</DIV>

Wisdom from the Psalms

<DIV>What are miracles? Why do miracles happen? Do miracles still happen? The subject of miraculous activity is one that has compelled believers for millennia. This book describes and recounts some of the most fascinating stories that have taken place not on the dusty pages of some centuries-old manuscript, but here and now in our own modern world. Fr. Paul Glynn, a Marist priest, takes the reader on a trip around the world to the sites of miraculous happenings, including healings, apparitions and conversions, including Lourdes, Knock, and Fatima. Through personal accounts and meticulous studies, he is able to show solid evidence and proof of Godಙs work in our lives. These inspiring stories will enhance the readerಙs faith as well as provide a bastion of comfort for those in doubt. Illustrated with many photos. </DIV>

Healing Fire of Christ: Reflections on Modern Miracles

<DIV>The papal encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) made headlines worldwide. Many talked about the encyclical when it was issued in 1968, but few actually read it. Why is it perhaps the most controversial document in modern Church history?On Human Life combines Humanae Vitae with commentary by popular and respected Catholic authors Mary Eberstadt, James Hitchcock, and Jennifer Fulwiler in order to address this question and to shed light on the document's enduring wisdom.Humanae Vitae is Pope Paul VI's explanation of why the Catholic Church rejects contraception. The pope referred to two aspects, or meanings, of human sexuality-the unitive and the procreative. He also warned of the consequences if contraception became widely practiced-consequences that have since come to pass: greater infidelity in marriage, confusion regarding the nature of human sexuality and its role in society, the objectification of women for sexual pleasure, compulsory government birth control policies, and the reduction of the human body to an instrument of human manipulation. The separation of sexuality from its dual purpose has also resulted in artificial reproduction technologies, including cloning, that threaten the dignity of the human person.Although greeted by controversy and opposition, Humanae Vitae has continued to influence Catholic moral teaching. St. John Paul II's popular "theology of the body" drew deeply on the insights of Paul VI. Pope Benedict and now Pope Francis have upheld the long-standing teaching, and a new generation of Catholics, as well as non-Catholics, is embracing the truths of the encyclical. </DIV>

On Human Life: Humanae Vitae

<DIV>Three Women and the Lord&#160;presents three key figures in Saint Luke&#39;s Gospel: Mary Magdalen, the unnamed woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, and Mary of Bethany.As Adrienne von Speyr meditates on the Gospel passages about these three women, she explores the particular, personal mission that the Lord gave each one and links it with one of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love.Through the stories of these women, von Speyr demonstrates that every person who encounters Jesus and receives his mercy is changed by him and given a unique way to reveal his identity as Savior and Lord.</DIV>

Three Women and the Lord

One day, philosopher Peter Kreeft reads an open letter published by a friend, Nat Whilk. He&#39;s Catholic, but he sees the Church as unsteady, outdated, obsessive. As a challenge to the &quot;True Believers&quot;, Nat pens a twenty-point manifesto for &quot;cafeteria Catholics&quot;, who pass up certain Church teachings and scoop up others like a diner in a buffet line.&quot;I find in [Catholicism] both much to accept and even love and also much to refuse and even despise&quot;, he asserts. &quot;If you insist on tying God to the Church, you will make me an atheist.&quot;Kreeft has an answer for Nat&mdash;one that spans over a hundred pages. The result is this book: a sharp, friendly, and funny debate between two honest thinkers trying to understand the Christian life. Nat &quot;is the&#39;cafeteria Catholic&#39;, &quot;writes Kreeft,&quot;and I am the &#39;eat all the food Mommy puts on your plate&#39; Catholic.&quot; Taking on Nat&#39;s manifesto point by point, the Boston College philosopher builds his case for a full-package Catholicism, addressing the themes of authority, love, freedom, conscience, sex, abortion, social justice, science, and more. &quot;Our hopes differ&quot;, he points out to his friend.&quot;Your hope is in man; mine is in God.&quot;If, like Nat Whilk, you find yourself wondering why the Church asks for so much commitment, Confessions of a Cafeteria Catholic could be the book for you. This debate serves as a fun and accessible introduction to some of the knottiest aspects of Catholic doctrine. Readers of Peter Kreeft&#39;s apologetic works and his Socrates Meets dialogues will enjoy the latest venture by one of the most celebrated contemporary Catholic writers.

Confessions of a Cafeteria Catholic

<DIV>Man cannot live without love.... His life is senseless if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. — John Paul II, Redemptor HominisIf you were asked what immediately comes to mind when you hear the words "Catholic Church", would you answer an intimate relationship with the God who loves me?If not, you would do well to read this engaging and thought-provoking book which explains why such a relationship is the reason for everything the Church does and teaches. Professor Edward Sri will show you how all the pieces of the Catholic faith, including the most baffling ones, fit together to make one beautiful mosaic of God's love for us and our own participation in that all-encompassing love.Using the Catechism of the Catholic Church as his itinerary, Sri will walk you through all the important aspects of the Catholic Church—what Catholics believe about God and the difference it should make in life. Along the way he addresses such often-heard questions as:<ul><li>Why do I need the Church—can't I be spiritual on my own?</li><li>Isn't one religion just as good as another?</li><li>How is the death of a man two thousand years ago relevant for my life today?</li><li>Why does the Church talk so much about morality? Can't I make up my own morals?</li><li>Is it really our responsibility to care for the poor— doesn't God help those who help themselves?</li><li>Why do Catholics and Protestants disagree? Must Catholics worship Mary and always obey the pope?</li></ul>More than an intellectual enterprise, this work is also a deep spiritual reflection and a practical guide to living out our faith in Christ. It aims to form both the head and the heart, not only helping us to understand Jesus and his plan of salvation, but inspiring us to love God and our neighbor better.</DIV>

Love Unveiled: The Catholic Faith Explained

1 Pottstown

2 Ridgewood

3 Shillington

4 Bob Jones University

5 Oxford

6 Bexhill-on-Sea

7 Jerusalem

8 Cambridge

9 Brading

10 Rome

11 Greenville

12 Our Lady of the Rosary

This is a unique tale of one man's spiritual adventure, tracing God's unusual plan of providence from 1950s America to England and back again. Dwight Longenecker's conversion story is a roller coaster ride through fundamentalism, Oxford, Cambridge, and the modern Catholic Church. Brought up in an Evangelical Protestant home, he attended the fundamentalist Bob Jones University, and continued his education by studying theology at Oxford University before being ordained as an Anglican minister, serving as a curate, a school chaplain in Cambridge, and a country parson on the Isle of Wight. Realizing that he and the Anglican Church were on divergent paths, in 1995 Longenecker and his family were received into the Catholic Church in England. For ten years they continued to live in England where he worked as a freelance writer and charity worker. Then in 2006 the door opened to return to the United States and be ordained as a Catholic priest. This story of one man's amazing journey from Protestant fundamentalism through the Church of England to the Catholic priesthood offers an inspiring tale of God's providence, and the truth that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose."

There and Back Again: A Somewhat Religious Odyssey

<DIV>Adrienne von Speyr, a renowned mystic and spiritual writer from Switzerland, was received into the Catholic Church at the age of 38 on the Feast of All Saints, 1940, by one of the theological giants of the 20th century, Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar. He became her spiritual director and confessor until her death in 1967 during which time Adrienne was favored with many gifts of authentic mystical prayer. Balthasar considered one of the central characteristics of Adrienne's prayer to be her transparency to the inspirations she received from God, along with a deep personal communion with the saints. Over a period of many years, Adrienne would see the saints (and other devout people) at prayer, and she would dictate what she saw to Fr.von Balthasar - while she was in a state of mystical prayer. Through a unique charism, she was able to put herself in the place of various individuals to see and describe their prayer, their whole attitude before God. Not all of her subjects are saints in the strict sense of the word, but all struggled, with varying degrees of success, to place their lives at the disposal of their Creator. This book presents these unique mystical insights into the prayer lives of many saints taken from Adrienne's direct visions of them in prayer. Among the long list of saints in this book are St. John the Apostle, St. Augustine, St. Francis, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. John Bosco, St. Bernadette, St. Dominic, St. Edith Stein and many, many more. In this powerful spiritual work, the reader is able to participate in the devotional and spiritual life of the Church throughout the centuries by learning how numerous saints and devout people prayed, thus reflecting on the timelessness and beauty of the prayer of the Church. </DIV>

Book of All Saints

Introductory Message

Alas, Judas Iscariot

Chapter 1꞉ The Crisis of Faith, Part 1

Chapter 1꞉ The Crisis of Faith, Part 2

Chapter 2꞉ The Crisis of the Priesthood, Part 1

Chapter 2꞉ The Crisis of the Priesthood, Part 2

Chapter 3꞉ The Crisis of the Church, Part 1

Chapter 3꞉ The Crisis of the Church, Part 2

Chapter 4꞉ Acedia and the Identity Crisis

Chapter 5꞉ Hatred of Man, Part 1

Chapter 5꞉ Hatred of Man, Part 2

Chapter 6꞉ Hatred of Life

Chapter 7꞉ Where is the World Headed?

Chapter 8꞉ Hatred, Ridicule, and Cynicism

Chapter 9꞉ Europe's Crisis

Chapter 10꞉ The Errors of the West

Chapter 11꞉ Ruthless Enemies

Chapter 12꞉ The Deceptive Seductions of Supposedly Emancipated Life

Chapter 13꞉ The Decline of Courage and the Fatal Utopias of the “Best of All Worlds”

Chapter 14꞉ The Face of Postmodern Democracies and Capitalism

Chapter 15꞉ The Funeral March of Decadence

Chapter 16꞉ Religious Liberty

Chapter 17꞉ God Opens His Hand

Chapter 18꞉ What Must We Do?, Part 1

Chapter 18꞉ What Must We Do?, Part 2

Postscript꞉ Let Nothing Trouble Me

Robert Cardinal Sarah calls&nbsp;The Day Is Now Far Spent&nbsp;his most important book. He analyzes the spiritual, moral, and political collapse of the Western world and concludes that "the decadence of our time has all the faces of mortal peril."A cultural identity crisis, he writes, is at the root of the problems facing Western societies. "The West no longer knows who it is, because it no longer knows and does not want to know who made it, who established it, as it was and as it is. Many countries today ignore their own history. This self-suffocation naturally leads to a decadence that opens the path to new, barbaric civilizations."While making clear the gravity of the present situation, the cardinal demonstrates that it is possible to avoid the hell of a world without God, a world without hope. He calls for a renewal of devotion to Christ through prayer and the practice of virtue.

The Day Is Now Far Spent

<DIV> The third volume of Theo-Drama is considered the most central book of Fr. von Balthasar's entire theological project. Structrually it is the middle volume of the middle part of his theological trilogy: Glory of the Lord, Theo-Drama, and Theo-Logic. More significantly, it contains von Balthasar's synthetic treatment of the central mysteries of the Catholic Faith: Christ, Mary, the Church, man and the Trinity. The various elements of von Balthasar's theological reflection converge here, and here as nowhere else one can find the systematic elaboration of his Christology, Mariology, ecclesiology, anthropology and trinitarian doctrine. It is both a one-volume compendium of this theology and a key to his trilogy and other writings.</DIV>

Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory

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

This epic feature film on the lives of St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi was shot on location in Italy by the Italian film company Lux Vide, the producers of Saint Rita, Pope John Paul II, and St. John Bosco. This outstanding movie is unique among films about St. Francis because of the historical accuracy of the story and its authentic spirit of joy and piety so characteristic of Francis, as well as the major role played by Clare, who is given equal stature with him. The two leads are played by very appealing performers, Mary Petruolo and Ettore Bassi, who give genuinely inspiring and beautifully moving performances of the daughter of a patrician family and the son of a rich merchant who leave everything to follow Christ.
Francis renounces his inheritance of wealth to live the Gospel and serve the poor and outcasts. Clare reads deeply into his heart and decides to follow him, leaving her home and family to give herself as a bride of Christ. Both found major religious orders, and together they inspire many to follow their radical call to live the Gospel. Their impact has reached across the centuries to change the world.

Clare and Francis

Esta reciente pel&iacute;cula nos cuenta la historia inspiradora de los comienzos de las Hermanas Siervas de Mar&iacute;a, una orden religiosa fundada en 1851 por el P. Miguel Mart&iacute;nez y la Hermana Mar&iacute;a Soledad, quien la guio desde sus inicios, a trav&eacute;s de su desarrollo y expansi&oacute;n y hasta su muerte de 1887. La orden se dedic&oacute; a cuidar a los enfermos, especialmente en sus propias casas. Su fundaci&oacute;n fue providencial, dado que sucedi&oacute; en tiempos en que Espa&ntilde;a estaba devastada por epidemias, revoluciones, masacres de religiosos y por una clase pol&iacute;tica constantemente opuesta a las doctrinas de Cristo y su Iglesia. Por lo tanto, el cuidado de los enfermos en sus casas, era m&aacute;s necesario que nunca. La Madre Soledad era como un piloto experimentado, capaz de guiar la nave de la nueva congregaci&oacute;n con calma y eficiencia, aun en medio de tormentas severas. Durante este tiempo, dio prueba de su exquisito tacto, su inmensa valent&iacute;a y su incansable caridad, as&iacute; como tambi&eacute;n su humildad y mansedumbre, con las cuales se gan&oacute; el profundo amor de sus hijas. Dios bendijo a la nueva orden con abundantes vocaciones y Santa Mar&iacute;a Soledad se dedic&oacute; a la formaci&oacute;n espiritual de las hermanas, inspir&aacute;ndolas a tener un amor incesante hacia Dios y los enfermos. Siempre unida a Dios, la Madre Soledad confi&oacute; en su Divina Providencia para la protecci&oacute;n y crecimiento de su nueva orden. Sufri&oacute; muchos malentendidos y persecuci&oacute;n, tanto en la sociedad como aun dentro de su misma orden, pero ella segu&iacute;a ofreciendo su coraz&oacute;n por completo al servicio de los enfermos. Muri&oacute; el 11 de octubre de 1970. Al d&iacute;a hoy hay 1,500 hermanas en su orden, repartidas en 110 conventos alrededor del mundo, incluyendo los Estados Unidos.

Santa Maria Soledad: Fundadora de las Hermanas Siervas de María

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

One of the hottest topics in contemporary culture is happiness—so much so that the United Nations declared an International Happiness Day in response to the immense popularity of Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy”. The explanation for this current fixation seems to lie in the contrary phenomenon—unhappiness. Despite the fact that we have tremendous access to every imaginable form of entertainment, we experience a pervading sense of insecurity, emptiness, and malaise amid sporadic peak experiences.The problem seems to lie less in the external environment than in the internal one. We seem, in the words of Viktor Frankl, to be suffering from an absence of meaning that pervades both individuals and societies, giving rise to a collective emptiness, loneliness, and alienation.Finding True Happiness attempts to provide a way out of this personal and cultural vacuum by helping people to identify and then reach for happiness. As Aristotle noted 2,400 years ago, happiness is the one thing we can choose for its own sake—everything else is chosen for the sake of happiness.After an exhaustive investigation of philosophical, psychological, and theological systems of happiness, author Fr. Spitzer developed the “Four Levels of Happiness”, which he based on the classical thinkers Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas; the contemporary philosophers Marcel, Scheler, Buber, Ricoeur, and Jaspers; and the modern psychologists Maslow, Frankl, Erikson, Seligman, Kohlberg and Gilligan.Finding True Happiness is both a philosophical itinerary and a practical guidebook for life’s most important journey—from the mundane and the meaningless to transcendent fulfillment. No other book currently available combines such breadth of practical advice and such depth of philosophical, psychological, and spiritual wisdom.

Finding True Happiness: Satisfying Our Restless Hearts

<DIV>Series SummaryThe new What Every Catholic Should Know series is intended for the average faithful Catholic who wants to know more about Catholic faith and culture. The authors in this series take a panoramic approach to the topic of each book aimed at a non-specialist but enthusiastic readership. Forthcoming titles planned for this series include: literature, salvation, mercy, history, art, music and philosophy.Book SummaryAt every Sunday Mass, Catholics confess that Jesus came down from heaven &ldquo;for us men and for our salvation.&rdquo; But what does &ldquo;salvation&rdquo; mean? In this robust and accessible book, Scripture scholar and theologian Michael Patrick Barber provides a thorough, deeply Catholic, and deeply biblical, answer. He deftly tackles this complex topic, unpacking what the New Testament teaches about salvation in Christ, detailing what exactly salvation is, and what it is not. In easy and readable prose, he explains what the Cross, the Church, and the Trinity have to do with salvation. While intellectually stimulating, Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know is deeply spiritual, and at its core is the salvific message that God is love, and his love is one of transformation and redemption.</DIV>

Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know

<DIV>Well-known author, psychologist ; and priest Fr. Benedict ; Groeschel draws on his own years of personal experiences in ; dealing with people's problems, tragedies and "darkness" as ; he offers help and guidance for any Christian troubled or ; burdened by life. If you are struggling with fear, anxiety, ; grief, loss of loved ones, hurt, anger or anything that ; makes life difficult or the road through it dark, then this ; book was written for you. Fr. Benedict offers practical ; suggestions on how to keep going and even grow with the ; help of God's grace, even when this help seems remote. ; The Christian response to the problem of evil and ; suffering began with the cross of Christ. Our answer is ; inseparable from the cross-from Jesus' own encounter with ; evil and his triumph over it. In this light, Fr. Benedict ; recalls some of our most frequently encountered sorrows and ; griefs: the failure of friends, financial and personal ; insecurity, the failure of some in the Church, our own ; inconsistent behaviors and weaknesses, and the death of ; loved ones. As we examine these painful experiences, he ; shows that we can find solutions in the Gospel and in the ; lives of saints, heroes, and very brave ordinary people. ; "Many guides have been written for people struggling with ; the mystery of evil. But each generation, each age has its ; own dark background in front of which the struggle to keep ; going must be worked out. In every age, men ask 'how am I ; going to go on to arise from darkness?' It is that which my ; book will address." Fr. Benedict Groeschel, ; CFR</DIV>

Arise from Darkness: What to Do When Life Doesn't Make Sense

Saint Augustine is not only one of the intellectual giants of the Christian West, but also one of its great spiritual masters. A man of desire and of friendship, he learned from Christ to purify everything in charity, to direct everything toward God, to unify everything in communion with him. After almost two millennia, the saint’s vigorous and expansive view of the human heart still speaks to Christians today.Father Emmanuel-Marie Le Fébure du Bus walks readers through the world of Augustinian spirituality, giving an overview the saint’s life and then unpacking his teachings on seven key points: happiness, love, prayer, Christ, the Church, community, and the kingdom of God. Each chapter gives prompts for meditation. Desire and Unity&#160;will help readers to discover Saint Augustine and, though him, to draw from the bottomless wells of God’s love.“When I read Saint Augustine’s writings, I do not get the impression that he is a man who died 1,600 years ago. I feel he is like a man of today: a friend, a contemporary who speaks to me, who speaks to us with his fresh and timely faith. We see the everlasting timeliness of his faith; of the faith that comes from Christ, the Eternal Incarnate Word, Son of God and Son of Man.”—Pope Benedict XVI

Desire and Unity: Augustinian Spirituality for Today

<DIV>What do Christians believe? What gives meaning to our life? What is the purpose of life? The Christian answer to these questions is found in the Creed, in the profession of faith. But what do the articles of this confession actually mean? And how to they affect our lives? Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, takes a fresh look at these timeless questions. This work is a reflection of the profound, personal insights of Benedict XVI, but also of the great foundations of Christianity: faith, hope, and charity. Ratzinger writes eloquently and persuasively about the importance for followers of Christ to understand well what they believe so one can live as a serious Christian in today's secular world. He talks in depth about the true meaning of faith, hope, and love�the love of God and the love of neighbor. He also discusses the crucial importance of a lived faith, for the believer himself as well as being a witness for our age, and striving to bring faith in line with the present age that has veered off into rampant secularism and materialism. "In our generation the Christian Faith finds itself in a much deeper crisis than at any other time in the past. In this situation it is no solution to shut our eyes in fear in the face of pressing problems, or to simply pass over them. If faith is to survive this age, then it must be lived, and above all, lived in this age. And this is possible only if a manifestation of faith is shown to have value for our present day, by growing to knowledge and fulfillment." �Pope Benedict XVI</DIV>

Credo for Today: What Christians Believe

<DIV>The beloved Archbishop Sheen, whose cause for canonization is open in Rome, presents a profound and deeply spiritual look at the meaning of the priesthood and relationship of the priest with Christ as an "alter Christus". Sheen delves deeply into what he considers the main character of the priesthood, and one not often discussed, that of being, like Christ, a "holy victim". To be like Christ, Sheen emphasizes that the priest must imitate Christ in His example of sacrifice, offering himself as a victim to make His Incarnation continually present in the world. "Unlike anyone else, Our Lord came on earth, not to live, but to die. Death for our redemption was the goal of His sojourn here, the gold that he was seeking. He was, therefore, not primarily a teacher, but a Savior. Was not Christ the Priest a Victim? He never offered anything except Himself. So we have a mutilated concept of our priesthood, if we envisage it apart from making ourselves victims in the prolongation of His Incarnation." —Bishop Fulton Sheen</DIV>

The Priest Is Not His Own

<DIV>Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, writes eloquently and persuasively about how one can live as a serious Christian in today's secular world. He talks in depth about the true meaning of faith, hope, and love--the love of God and the love of neighbor. He also discusses at length the crucial importance of a lived faith, for the believer himself as well as being a witness for our age, and striving to bring faith in line with the present age that has veered off into rampant secularism and materialism. He passionately encourages the reader to practice a deep, abiding Christian faith that seeks to be at the service of humanity. As Joseph Ratzinger mentions in the preface, "the book presents in written form three sermons that the author preached in the Cathedral at Muenster to a congregation from the Catholic Student Chaplaincy, December 13-15, 1964." In other words, these are essays derived from sermons preached to college students toward the end of Vatican II. They are remarkable, among other reasons, for their insights into the ongoing Christian struggle to understand and realize in action "what it means to be a Christian". Contents First Sermon: "Are We Saved? Or, Job Talks with God" Christianity as Advent The Unfulfilled Promise Are We Saved? The Hidden God Second Sermon: "Faith as Service" The Salvation of Christians and the Salvation of the World God Becomes Man, Man Becomes Christlike The Meaning of Salvation History Third Sermon: "Above All: Love" Love is Enough Why Do We Need Faith? The Law of Superabundance Faith, Hope, and Love "In our generation the Christian Faith finds itself in a much deeper crisis than at any other time in the past. In this situation it is no solution to shut our eyes in fear in the face of pressing problems, or to simply pass over them. If faith is to survive this age, then it must be lived, and above all, lived in this age. And this is possible only if a manifestation of faith is shown to have value for our present day, by growing to knowledge and fulfillment." -Pope Benedict XVI, From the Introduction Learn more about Pope Benedict! Visit the </DIV>

What It Means to be a Christian

<DIV>The Mass and the Saints is a work both of deep spirituality and profound insight into the glories of the Church's liturgy. It brings together passages from great spiritual writers throughout the ages, from all centuries in which the Mass has been offered. Every aspect and part of the Mass is covered, the quotations forming a continuous commentary on the central action of the Church's worship. Most of the authors are canonized saints of the Church, and many are doctors of the Church. Included are Church Fathers such as St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great; great scholars of the Middle Ages such as St. Anselm, St. Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas; and more modern figures such as Prosper Gueranger and Pope John XXIII. The quotations have been selected and freshly translated by Fr. Thomas Crean. These writings will nourish understanding and appreciation of the Mass, and also aid prayer and contemplation. "[This book] reminds the reader of the huge supply of enriching aspects at every Mass that are often easy to miss." The Catholic Sun</DIV>

The Mass and the Saints