Spirituality Catholicism

In The First Society: The Sacrament of Matrimony and the Restoration of the Social Order, Scott Hahn makes the startling claim that our society's ills and its cures are rooted in whether we reject or accept the divine graces made available through the sacrament of holy matrimony.

The Spiritual Combat is considered one of the two greatest ascetic classics, the other being The Imitation of Christ. The authors of both are shrouded in mystery. There are many 17th-century editions which have the name Spanish Benedictine, John of Castanzia. Some Jesuit writers have ascribed the book to the Jesuit Achilles Gagliardi. However, most critics consider Fr. Lawrence Scupoli the author.

Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo’s Surrender Prayer brought understanding and peace to countless souls amid the turbulence of the last century. Now, in our age of incomparable uncertainty, this miracle worker and visionary writer offers the assurance you need to resolutely face the final things: death, judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Don Dolindo provides proof for the existence of Purgatory and explains what it’s like for the souls suffering there. Moreover, he describes the consequences of sin and how the souls in Purgatory are awaiting our sacrificial suffering to be released into Paradise.

Cardinal Ratzinger compellingly shows us the biblical, historical, and theological dimensions of the Eucharist. The cardinal draws far-reaching conclusions, focusing on the importance of one's personal devotion to and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for the personal reception of communion by the individual christian, as well as for the life of the church. For Ratzinger, any transformation of the world on the social plane grows out of the celebration of the Eucharist. He beautifully illustrates how the omnipotent God comes intimately close to us in the Holy Eucharist, the heart of life.

Pope John Paul II, as part of his effort to improve Catholic-Jewish relations, himself called for a clear-eyed historical investigation into any possible link between the Church and the Holocaust. An important sign of his commitment was the decision to allow the distinguished historian David I. Kertzer, a specialist in Italian history, to be one of the first scholars given access to long-sealed Vatican archives. The result is a book filled with shocking revelations.

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.

The spiritual life is not a life then and there, but a life here and now. It is a life in which the spirit of God is revealed in the ordinary enccounters of every day. With a smile and a tear, Nouwen looks at the day-to-day events of our lives and discovers there places where God chooses to dwell and call us.

God spoke to Don Bosco in dreams. These fascinating dreams of St. John Bosco involve prophecy, parables, and reading of hearts, with a powerful spiritual message. These stories include: "To Hell and Back", "Two Boys Attacked by a Monster", "The Snake and the Rosary", and many more. Those dreams led to many conversions and will instruct, admonish, and inspire many today!

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.

Why were the early Christians willing to die rather than change a single iota of the creed? Why have the Judeans, Romans, and Persians - among others - seen the Christian creed as a threat to the established social order? In The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages, best-selling author Dr. Scott Hahn recovers and conveys the creed's revolutionary character.

To trust in God’s will is the “secret of happiness and content”, the one sure-fire way to attain serenity in this world and salvation in the next. Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence simply and clearly answers questions that many Christians have regarding God’s will, the existence of evil, and the practice of trustful surrender.

In this deeply moving narrative, Thomas Howard describes his pilgrimage from Evangelicalism (which he loves and reveres as the religion of his youth) to liturgical Christianity. He soon afterward became a Roman Catholic. He describes Evangelicalism with great sympathy and then examines more formal, liturgical worship with the freshness of someone discovering for the first time what his soul had always hungered for.

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!

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.

Is it time to take your spiritual pulse, reorient yourself to your Creator, and seek his guidance to live your faith more seriously? The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola outline the rigorous self-examination and spiritual meditations St. Ignatius set forth. Listeners will make a new beginning on the path to holiness, repenting of their sins and attaining freedom from Satan's power. Though St. Ignatius wrote The Spiritual Exercises as a handbook for a four-week guided retreat, this edition contains step-by-step explanations suitable for independent use.

Incredibly revealing and edifying background of Our Lady, her parents and ancestors, St. Joseph, plus other people who figured into the coming of Christ. Many facts described about the Nativity and early life of Our Lord, as well as the final days of the Blessed Mother–all from the visions of this great mystic.

Drawing from the rich tradition of the church and powerful insights from the saints and the Bible, this invaluable resource teaches Catholics how to recognize God's voice, discern spirits, and know which vocation God is calling them to. It will also show you that it is possible to be in the waiting yet fully joyfully alive at the same time. After listening to this book and following this five-step discernment process, Catholics can be at peace with their decision, knowing that they have truly discerned God's will.

This two-volume work is not written to persuade Jews to convert to Christianity. It is written to persuade Christians of the inevitability and desirability of that conversion. It is written to persuade Catholics to pray properly for it. If we do, then in God’s time the conversion will happen, followed soon after by the awesome return of our lord Jesus Christ on clouds of glory. If we do not pray properly for the conversion of the Jews then we will have hell on earth until we do.

What mountain is threatening you? It's time to talk to your mountains. We talk to ourselves and each other about our problems all day long when we should be talking to our problems. Jesus said, "Say to this mountain." He has given us authority and power over fear, worry, and every negative stronghold oppressing us.

The only true and unedited telling of the life of Christ - his life and times,in historical context, but not lacking the psychology behind his physical being and spirit. Unlike other books seeking to strip Jesus' story to reveal only the human being, Romano Guardini's The Lord gives the complete story of Jesus Christ - as man, Holy Ghost, and Creator. Pope Benedict XVI lauds Guardini's work as providing a full understanding of the Son of God away from the prejudice that rationality engenders.