Spirituality Catholicism

Jesus was a Messiah behind enemy lines - God come into a sinful world ruled by evil. He was on a secret mission to save humanity. To Jesus' first-century Jewish contemporaries, whatever the Nazarene might be, he was not simply "another good rabbi". Jesus was a polarizing figure. One believed either that this powerful preacher and wonderworker was uniquely of God, or that he was an agent of the Evil One.

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.

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.

A History of the Papacy From the Great Schism to the Sack of Rome by Mandell Creighton. This book is a reproduction of the original book published in 1909 and may have some imperfections such as marks or hand-written notes.

In 1939, a team of workers beneath the Vatican unearthed an early Christian grave. This surprising discovery launched a secret quest that would last decades a quest to discover the long-lost burial place of the Apostle Peter. From earliest times, Christian tradition held that Peter, a lowly fisherman from Galilee, whom Christ made leader of his church was executed in Rome by Emperor Nero and buried on Vatican Hill. But his tomb had been lost to history. Now, funded anonymously by a wealthy American, a small army of workers embarked on the dig of a lifetime.

Though often thought of as a towering intellect and theologian, Cardinal Newman’s writings reveal a man who possessed a simple devotion to Jesus and Mary. These powerful meditations on the Stations of the Cross, originally written for his parishioners in the Birmingham Oratory Church, can aid us with the simple and singular focus on Christ’s passion and our own failings that contributed to it.

Catholic Stories of Faith and Hope provides a Catholic response to the big question, "Why would a loving God allow evil, pain, and suffering?" This includes exploring why God would allow disease and natural disasters (natural evil) and evil human behavior (moral evil), as well as how suffering can help us find a deeper meaning and purpose in life. This book contains poignant and inspiring personal testimonies of present-day Catholics who have dealt positively with significant suffering. These stories provide accounts of how suffering can lead to personal and spiritual growth.

Jean Pierre de Caussade's accounts in this work present the case that the present moment is a sacrament from God and that self-abandonment to it, and its needs, is a holy state. In the theological climate of France at the time, this belief was considered close to Quietist heresy. In fact, because of this fear, the work was kept unpublished until 1861.

For more than 25 years John Thavis held one of the most fascinating journalistic jobs in the world: reporting on the inner workings of the Vatican. His daily exposure to the power, politics, and personalities in the seat of Roman Catholicism gave him a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on an institution that is far less monolithic and unified than it first appears. Thavis reveals Vatican City as a place where Curia cardinals fight private wars, scandals threaten to undermine papal authority, and reverence for the past is continually upended by the practical considerations of modern life.

During the past five decades, the Second Vatican Council has been alternately celebrated or maligned for its supposed break with tradition and embrace of the modern world. But what if we've gotten it all wrong? Have Catholics—both those who embrace the spirit of Vatican II and those who regard it with suspicion—misunderstood what the council was really about? Fr. Blake Britton discovered the truth and beauty of the council while he was in seminary and he has witnessed firsthand the power of its teachings

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) was the most important Catholic event in the past five hundred years. Yet sixty years after its opening on October 11, 1962, its meaning remains sharply contested and its promise unfulfilled. In To Sanctify the World, George Weigel explains the necessity of Vatican II and explores the continuing relevance of its teaching in a world seeking a deeper experience of freedom than personal willfulness.

This classic work of Fr. Faber, which many consider his best, was composed to help us "serve Jesus out of love. Because once we love then everything becomes easy." Fr. Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863) was a noted English hymn writer and theologian. He converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1845 and was ordained to priesthood in 1847.

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.

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.

The Golden Arrow tells of both the life of Sister Mary of Saint Peter and her life's work: the devotion, granted to her by Jesus himself, to his Holy Face. Approved by Pope Leo XIII and promoted by St. Therese of Lisieux half a century later, the devotion to the Holy Face may be the single most important devotion of our time that still remains relatively unknown.

Easily the most popular and best-loved Way of the Cross ever. The Stabat Mater in Latin and in English.

What does our Catholic faith teach us about eating well? Some of us eat too much food. Or we eat too little. Often, we eat without gratitude, without charity, without respect. But, as award-winning author and food-blogger Emily Stimpson Chapman explains in The Catholic Table, with a sacramental worldview, the supernatural gift of God's grace can transform and heal us through the food we make, eat, and share.

Thanks to Dan Brown's best-selling novel turned blockbuster mega-hit, The Da Vinci Code, in which audiences were introduced to Silas, the villainous, self-whipping monk, corporal mortification is now a term most often associated with Opus Dei. A creepy, deranged, and blood-thirsty albino monk, Silas is most remembered for viciously whipping himself with a nail-embedded cilice. For added suspense, various falsehoods of the real-life order have been propagated by the literary masterpiece; in fact, the character of Silas contains one of the foremost bloopers, as there were never any monks in the order.

While the 20th century was often a time of turbulence, selfishness, godlessness, and violence, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a witness to love. She was a clear reminder of the goodness within human nature and the beauty of being truly open to God. "Mother" was her religious title, but as she ascended to the world stage, it became her role for the world - to be like a mother to all, no matter their origins. She was accepting and welcoming towards all people, not only towards the good or the like-minded. She continues to serve as an inspiration to people of all walks of life.

Do you ever feel caught in an endless cycle of working harder and longer to get more while enjoying life less? The Stewart family did - and they decided to make a radical change. Popular Catholic blogger and podcaster Haley Stewart explains how a year-long internship on a sustainable farm changed her family's life for the better, allowing them to live gospel values more intentionally.