Spirituality Catholicism

First published anonymously in 1418, Thomas à Kempis's The Imitation of Christ is a classic Christian devotional work that has been read through the ages by such notable figures as Sir Thomas More, John Wesley, and Pope John Paul I. A meditation on spiritual life, it offers instructions for renouncing worldly vanity and discovering eternal truths with the goal of living out the teachings of Jesus by taking inspiration from his life.

Macarius was born in Upper Egypt around AD 300. As a young man, he was a saltpeter smuggler and became familiar with the desert. He was known for his wisdom and was called "old young man" by his friends. While in the desert, he visited Anthony the Great and learned monasticism from him. After he left, around the age of 40, he returned to his former desert and governed a monastic community there for the rest of his life. St. Macarius is venerated in all Christian denominations, and his spiritual homilies have always been held in high regard throughout the ages.

Written early in this century by Rev. A. G. Sertillanges, a priest who lived in Jerusalem, this acclaimed devotional classic gives you vivid and dramatic details not included in the Gospel: With Jesus, you'll be jostled by crowds as you enter Jerusalem, choke on the dust of the narrow streets, experience the exotic oriental smells of the city at festival time, share the Last Supper with the disciples, stare into the face of Jesus' accusers, and be there as he dies on the Cross.

In Between Heaven and Mirth, James Martin, SJ, assures us that God wants us to experience joy, to cultivate a sense of holy humor, and to laugh at life’s absurdities—not to mention our own humanity. Father Martin invites believers to rediscover the importance of humor and laughter in our daily lives and to embrace an essential truth: faith leads to joy.

"The dear God placed me in a position in which I had a duty to call black 'black' and white 'white'." These words were spoken by Cardinal Clemens August von Galen, the bishop of the diocese of Münster in Germany from 1933 to 1946. In so doing, he risked death at the hands of the Nazis, one Gestapo leader even urging that he be publicly hanged. Joseph Goebbels and others in the Nazi leadership, knowing the bishop's popularity, advised waiting, subscribing to the adage that revenge is a dish best served cold.

The most important focus of this book is on the new loveful mysteries of the rosary. Do you sometimes have trouble concentrating when praying the rosary? Meditation beads can help you. Chapter one begins with two sections on the history of the rosary. The first is a short summary. The second section offers a more extensive look at the rosary’s often confusing history. It also considers the continuing changes to the rosary over the centuries and addresses a common attack made by some people who wrongly call it “vain repetition” of prayer. That misconception is put to rest here.

This TAN Books edition of Stories About Purgatory and What They Reveal, by An Ursiline of Sligo, features the complete original text, along with a supplemental section entitled What Will Hell Be Like?. We’ve also included unique hand-selected classic artwork for the listener’s enjoyment, exclusive to this edition of Stories About Purgatory and What They Reveal. This audiobook was written to impress upon its listeners many truths about Purgatory - first, that it exists; second, that the souls detained there suffer long and excruciating pains.

In How to Converse with God, St. Alphonsus Ligouri teaches us how to use the small events of everyday life to raise our hearts and minds to God: in praise, contrition, hope, joy, and union with God's will. In this way, we can “pray unceasingly” and converse with God in the way most pleasing to him - personally and confidently.

The history of America cannot be told without the history of religion, the history of American religion cannot be told without the history of Catholicism, and the history of Catholicism in America cannot be told without the history of Jesuits in America. Jesuits in the United States offers a panoramic overview of the Jesuit order in the United States from the colonial era to the present. David J. Collins, SJ, describes the development of the Jesuit order in the US against the background of American religious, cultural, and social history.

Il est presque devenu banal d'affirmer que l'Église catholique est en crise au Québec et en Occident. Lorsqu'on considère les abus sexuels sur mineurs, la baisse de la pratique, l'effondre­ment des vocations, la disparition des ordres religieux ou la place ambiguë des femmes, il peut sembler difficile d'espérer des jours meilleurs pour le corps du Christ. Serait-ce la fin de cette institution bimillénaire ? Et pourtant, des voix d'ici s'élèvent pour témoigner de leur espérance malgré les difficultés vécues par notre Église.

St. Teresa stands among the greatest of the mystics. It was her pursuit of Christ, not her pursuit of visions, that set her apart as one of the most notable saints in the history of Christendom. It is her dedication to her Lord, her bridegroom, not her experiences, that render her worthy of imitation.

Some Christians decry the deism of our Founding Fathers, claiming that outright anti-Christian principles lie at the heart of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, crippling from birth our beloved republic. Here philosopher Timothy Gordon forcefully disagrees, arguing that while anti-Catholic bias kept them from admitting their reliance on Aristotle, Aquinas, and the early Jesuits, our Protestant and Enlightenment Founding Fathers secretly held Catholic views about politics and nature.

Frère François naît à la fin du XIIe siècle, dans une Italie divisée par les guerres, entre les murs d'une petite cité moyenâgeuse : Assise...

Of the billion or so Catholics in the world, the members of Opus Dei constitute almost a hundredth of one percent. Though their numbers might be relatively minuscule, their reputation is many orders of magnitude greater. While the guiding lights of the Church have taken a more genial, modern approach to religion in the last century, the members of Opus Dei have stuck rigidly to the traditions of old. In doing so, they have become known as the hardcore.

Do committed Christians need to withdraw from society? This is the question that many people are asking. No one can predict how the future will look, but one thing is clear. We don’t need countercultural gestures, so much as the grace of Christ. By an Unexpected Way explores true stories of modern men and women living and sharing their faith against remarkable odds.

It is of vital importance that each individual soul recover this lost sense of sin and to begin the struggle to conquer the deadly sins that threaten his or her salvation. The Manual for Conquering Deadly Sin will help you do just that in your own life. As Fr. Kolinski makes clear, the truest medicine is found in the sacramental life of the church. But, in addition to the graces found in frequent confession and reception of the Eucharist, the Manual for Conquering Deadly Sin will be an indispensable aid in your fight.

After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman’s Companion to Healing and Hope is a book about grief, healing, and hope after miscarriage. Not afraid to examine the raw emotions that accompany such an experience, the author tells women that they are not alone in reacting strongly, even frighteningly, to their loss and reassures them that hope and healing will come. Having experienced multiple miscarriages herself, Karen shares excerpts from her personal journals, as well as other women’s stories, rich quotes about grieving and the healing process, and practical advice.

Many Catholics don't believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist. Rather, they see the bread and wine of Holy Communion as mere symbols of Christ's body and blood. Is that disbelief just a misunderstanding or is it a blatant rejection of one of the central beliefs of the faith? In Real Presence, University of Notre Dame theologian Timothy P. O'Malley clears up the confusion and shows you how to learn to love God and neighbor through a deeper understanding of the doctrine of real presence.

An expansive and deeply contextual work, at its heart The Great Reformer is about the intersection of faith and politics—the tension between the pope's innovative vision for the Church and the obstacles he faces in an institution still strongly defined by its conservative past. Based on extensive interviews in Argentina and years of study of the Catholic Church, Ivereigh tells the story not only of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the remarkable man whose background and total commitment to the discernment of God's will transformed him into Pope Francis.

In this age of moral relativism and subjective truth. Archbishop Fulton Sheen is a breath of fresh air. In Truth for a Troubled Age, the beloved prelate reveals Christ’s sustained power to overcome the sinful attitudes and mindsets of modern society, and delves into the roots of the current moral quagmire. A refreshing and insightful look at the results of our cultural revolution. Remastered digital audio of a live sermon.