Spirituality Catholicism

Continuously popular since it first appeared in 1977, The Incorruptibles remains the acknowledged classic on the bodies of Saints that did not undergo decomposition after death, many remaining fresh and flexible for years, or even centuries. After explaining both natural and artificial mummification, the author shows that the incorruption of the Saints bodies fits into neither category but constitutes a much greater phenomenon which is unexplained by modern science even to this day.

Sohrab Ahmari was a teenager living under the Iranian ayatollahs when he decided that there is no God. Nearly two decades later, he would be received into the Roman Catholic Church. In From Fire, by Water, he recounts this unlikely passage, from the strident Marxism and atheism of a youth misspent on both sides of the Atlantic to a moral and spiritual awakening prompted by the Mass.

L'humanité présente hésite et souffre, au comble de sa puissance, parce qu'elle n'a pas défini son pôle spirituel. Elle manque de Religion. En face du phénomène évident et inéluctable de la "totalisation humaine", la seule attitude possible est d'"accepter", de se fier, et de se lancer courageusement en avant, escomptant que la Vie, qui nous jette dans ce creuset, nous aidera à développer la chaleur spirituelle (les forces de sympathie et d'Amour) qui nous fera sortir de la transformation, non pas mécanisés, mais humanisés et personnalisés.

This book describes the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based style of catechesis that focuses on the child’s independent journey to God by working with materials in a specially prepared place called an atrium. Written by Sofia Cavaletti, the Italian scripture scholar who developed the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, this classic work demonstrates the profound spiritual capabilities of children as brought forth through their engagement in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Christian doctrine sees creation not as a one-time event but rather as an eternal outpouring of divine merciful love. In Creation: A Catholic's Guide to God and the Universe, Christopher Baglow explores how the doctrine of creation addresses the why of the universe, making it perfectly open to science, which helps us to answer how the universe came to be and continues to exist.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at the University of Oxford. His research on Beowulf is still considered a standard in the field. Tolkien, however, unlike most Oxford dons, stepped out of his role as professor to create popular literature. Tolkien’s best-known writings were The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in which he created a fully realized world known as Middle-earth, vaguely identifiable as Northern Europe in a pre-history that never was.

One Old Testament passage seized the imagination of the early Church - and directed Christian hearts and minds toward the Eucharist. It was the oracle of Malachi 1:11, and it was cited (like Isaiah’s Suffering Servant oracles) to prove the identity of the Messiah through his church and his sacrament. In The Eucharist Foretold: The Lost Prophecy of Malachi, Mike Aquilina reveals that the Messiah’s true identity - and the identity of the Eucharist - helps us find our identity as “Catholic”, and will lead us to discover our roots in the religion of ancient Israel.

The Middle Ages in Europe were some of the most precarious centuries in recorded history, bristling with war, excitement, and chaos. The Western Roman Empire had crumbled, territories were rapidly expanding, and heavy ploughs, hourglasses, spectacles, tidal mills, and more pioneering inventions were popping up across the continent. It was also a time of extreme prejudice, when women were treated as second-class citizens. Their only purpose in life was to procreate by the dozen.

The Middle Ages remains one of the most defining eras of human civilization. It is an era characterized by illustrious monarchs, valiant knights in shining armor, and magnificent Gothic architecture. It is also an era characterized by fervent friction, brutish barbarism, frequent famines, pestilent plagues, and of course, death. Some say the mortality rate in medieval times was like no other; with about a third of all children dying before the age of five, it was nearly miraculous for one to live past their 40s.

Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer, a devoted husband and father, and a devout Catholic, was executed in 1943 as a result of his refusal to serve in the Nazi army. Before taking this stand Jägerstätter consulted both his pastor and his local bishop, who instructed him to do his duty to the fatherland and to obey the law, an instruction that violated his conscience.

Wake up and deepen your spiritual life with Mary, all the angels and saints as your aides. Call on these holy men and women to intercede for you with the Father, through his son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And rediscover the unique power of prayer, with Thirty Favorite Novenas.

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 sexual revolution—and the breakdown of the family—has brought misery to millions. In The Sexual State, Jennifer Roback Morse shows that the sexual revolution did not just “happen” like a force of nature. Rather, it was deliberately created by “elites”, harnessing the power of the state, allowing them inflict three false and calamitous ideologies—contraception, divorce, and gender—that have led to widespread and profound unhappiness, and worse.

With the story of the painful and life-changing crisis he experienced in the Church that led him to love the Church more intensely, Fr. Berg Along intertwines the stories of other Catholics who have themselves experienced life-changing hurts but who, in Jesus, found healing. Ultimately, this audiobook is about hope for wounded believers: If you have been hurt in the Church, Jesus can take you on a journey through your wounds, a journey of healing that will make you an even better human being, a better Christian, and a better disciple.

Music is the most effective delivery system for feelings - love, joy, sadness, glory. The early church fathers knew that music also has power over minds, and they used that power to maximum effect, writing hymns through which the early Christians would learn, retain, and spread the Gospel message. In How the Choir Converted the World, best-selling author Mike Aquilina demonstrates how the earliest Christians used music to transform a world that desperately needed transforming. As Aquilina suggests, "If we did it once, we can do it again".

What's the hardest question you've ever been asked? I've given thousands of lectures around the country to engaged, thoughtful, curious university and church audiences and have always made it a practice to allow for as many questions as possible. Here are the most interesting ones I've been asked, and the answers I gave. Some of the questions and answers are easy, some hard; some profound, some silly; some tragic, some funny; most of them thought-provoking and all of them, I hope, entertaining.

Offering almost 100 new selections on a variety of themes such as the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year, compassion, ministry, difficult times, and important events for personal or group prayer, Prayer Seeds is a collection of never-before-published prayers written since the publication of her first collection. The prayers are organized thematically. Rupp's warmth and closeness to God along with her sensitivity to the joy and sadness of life make her an ideal prayer companion. Her prayers are like seed planted in your soul.

Whether you struggle to believe in God, are a beginner in prayer, or are more advanced in your spiritual practice, renowned spiritual master Ronald Rolheiser will gently lead you to a deepening experience of God in prayer. Your own yearning and intuition mark the starting point. Drawing from Scripture, ancient and modern writers, and experience, Fr. Rolheiser clears common misconceptions about prayer and offers both consolation and challenge.

In Calming the Storm: Navigating the Crises Facing the Catholic Church and Society, experienced Vatican journalist Diane Montagna conducts a wide-ranging and trenchant interview with Fr. Gerald E. Murray that examines the root causes, and potential solutions, to the many challenges the church faces today.

Yes, I know that memorizing the Faith is no substitute for living a holy life, but even devout people can't live by truths and precepts they don't remember. That's why, over 700 years ago, St. Thomas Aquinas perfected an easy method for his students to memorize most any information, but especially the truths taught by Christ and His Church. Now thanks to Memorize the Faith!, you can easily keep all these in mind by tapping into the power of the classical memory system that helped St. Thomas become the Church's preeminent theologian.