Religion Catholicism

A short, famous classic on "true devotion to Mary" - an excellent, easy means of attaining holiness and salvation, a way followed by popes and saints, but also perfect for laypeople. It is at least every bit as good as his True Devotion to Mary! Small but powerful, it seems almost divinely inspired!

What does the Bible really say about the birth of Jesus? How did the celebration of Christmas become associated with things like Santa Claus and decorated trees? In The True Meaning of Christmas: The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season, biblical scholar Michael Patrick Barber offers an inspiring look at the Bible's accounts of Jesus' birth and the development of the Christmas season. As Dr. Barber will show, to find our way "home" at Christmas, we need to first return to Christmas' home in the story of the Bible.

The Hammer of Witches, known as the Malleus Maleficarum in Latin, is perhaps the most important (and infamous) treatise on witchcraft in the history of the Catholic Church. Penned in 1486, the Malleus Maleficarum challenges those who would deny the existence of witchcraft and offers authorities, both civil and religious, the tools necessary to expose, condemn, and ultimately defeat it.

Listeners will be fully engaged in a unique and altogether fascinating discussion of Christian spirituality. Rolheiser seeks to reconcile the rift between a smorgasbord of spiritual voices and an authentic Christian discipleship by the use of anecdotes, personal examples and a wide range of literary and cultural references. His starting point is the desire within us that longs irresistibly for fulfillment.

What is a monastery? A monastery is a place set apart - a place to learn the blessings of powerlessness, and that time is not ours but God’s. Our home and our duties can, just like a monastery, teach us those things. The vocation of monastic men and women is to physically withdraw from the world. But the principle is equally valid for those of us who cannot go off to monasteries. Certain vocations offer the same kind of opportunity for contemplation, and provide a desert for reflection.

Salvation and spiritual perfection should not be sought haphazardly; a strategy is needed to win the battle for our souls. The Spiritual Combat, first published in 1589, provides timeless guidance in spiritual discipline. St. Francis de Sales (1576-1622) read from it himself every day and recommended it to everyone under his direction.

Noted author Mike Aquilina conducts an intriguing and insightful tour of the symbols that expressed the life and devotion of the Church through the first four centuries of its existence. He explains how Christians freely borrowed pagan and Jewish symbols, giving them new, distinctly Christian meanings. Recover the zeal of our spiritual ancestors as you learn to read their symbolic language—and discover the impact the symbols still have on your life today.

Since Pope Benedict XV1 died he has had a remarkably good press. Indeed many have argued that there is a natural evolution between Pope Benedict`s mission and that of his successor Pope Francis. Here for the first time are assembled a collection of Pope Benedict`s most important public speeches and addresses. Dubbed and dismissed by many as an unrepentant traditionalist, we now see a man of profound intelligence and wisdom on matters relating not just to religion but to what is not termed ` The Common Good`.

Sparkling with intelligence and Boston University professor Peter Kreeft's trademark humor, You Can Understand the Bible will transform dry study into spiritually satisfying adventures in God's word. Regardless of how you approached—or didn't approach—the Bible before, you'll come away with a new appreciation of its depth and meaning. Kreeft also provides practical guidance for praying the scriptures every day, allowing the listener to delve into the messages of scripture in a manner that will surprise, delight, and reward.

Over twenty years ago, in the tiny mountain village of Medjugorje, Bosnia, six young people began to report seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. Since then, the beauty of Heaven and the importance of prayer, conversion, and reconciliation have been revealed to them through Mary´s appearances. Queen of the Cosmos provides an opportunity to hear the messages of the mother of Christ through in-depth interviews with the six visionaries of Medjugorje.

In the appealing conversational tone that has won him millions of devoted readers, Hahn presents the basic tenets of Church teachings, clears up common misconceptions about specific rituals and traditions, and responds thoughtfully to the objections raised about them. Each chapter concludes with loving, good-natured, inspiring advice on applying the Church's wisdom to everyday life.

The Venerable Louis of Granada, OP (1504-1588), was a Dominican friar who was a noted theologian, writer and preacher. He is best known for his ascetical writings of which The Sinner's Guide has achieved the greatest success. It was published in 1555 and quickly became a classic....

This audio version of The Imitation of Christ from Catholic Book Publishing is a wonderful new edition of the original, deeply spiritual book by Thomas à Kempis. From this audiobook, listeners will experience the peace and wisdom that has comforted Catholics from around the world. The Imitation of Christ tells us how to better live the life of a Christian by closely following Christ's example. The Imitation of Christ will bless all who want to respond to the call to follow Jesus.

The world hates the Church that Jesus founded, just as He said it would (John 15:18). It reviles her doctrines, mocks her moral teachings and invents lies about her history. In every age, but especially in our modern day, historians and political powers have distorted the facts about her past (or just made up novel falsehoods from scratch) to make the Church, and the civilization it fostered, seem corrupt, backward, or simply evil.

Women have been shamans since time immemorial, not only because women have innate intuitive gifts, but also because the female body is wired to more easily experience altered states, such as during the process of birth. Whether female or male, the altered states produced by psychedelics and ecstatic trance expand our minds to tap into and enhance our feminine states of consciousness as well as reconnect us to the web of life.

Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion; how to open a conversation about faith and belief; how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the great story of Jesus; how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship; and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

Emeritus Pope Benedict commands both adulation and unremitting criticism. In this second volume of Peter Seewald’s authoritative biography, the story runs from the Second Vatican Council (1965-68) that shaped Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s conservative ideas about the role of the Catholic Church, through his short, scandal-ridden papacy and unprecedented resignation. Volume two introduces listeners to the Pope Emeritus living in the Vatican Gardens, contemplating the future of the church and his controversial legacy within it.

John Chrysostom, the Archbishop of Constantinople, wrote a short treatise in dialogue form between his friend Basil and himself, about the dignity of the priesthood. The work includes sections on the importance of preaching, the call to the priesthood, the purity of the priest, and the exalted position of the priesthood.

No Greater Love is the essential wisdom of Mother Teresa - the most accessible and inspirational collection of her teachings ever published. This definitive volume features Mother Teresa on love, prayer, giving, service, poverty, forgiveness, Jesus, and more. No Greater Love is a passionate testament to Mother Teresa's deep hope and abiding faith in God and the world. It will bring readers into the heart of this remarkable woman, showing Mother Teresa's revolutionary vision of Christianity in its graceful, poetic simplicity.

The Most Holy Rosary is one of the greatest prayers in the history of the Church. Garnished as it is with the testimony of saints and popes for the last thousand years, the only greater prayers are the Mass and the Divine Office. It is a prayer for the people, to be said over and over, and yet many still seek ways to enter into the deeper mansions of spiritual richness to be found in this devotion. If you seek to reap the full harvest of this bountiful prayer, focus on the mysteries to better follow the life of our Lord through the eyes of Our Blessed Lady.