Spirituality Catholicism

In Wrestling with God, Ronald Rolheiser offers a steady and inspiring voice to help us avow and understand our faith in a world where nothing seems solid or permanent. Drawing from his own life experience, as well as a storehouse of literary, psychological, and theological insights, the beloved author of Sacred Fire examines the fears and doubts that challenge us. It is in these struggles to find meaning, that Rolheiser lays out a path for faith in a world struggling to find faith, but perhaps more important, he helps us find our own rhythm within which to walk that path.

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.

"Living compassionately is rarely convenient and often downright challenging", writes Joyce Rupp, best-selling and award-winning author and retreat leader. The definitive Christian guide to compassion, Boundless Compassion is the culmination of Rupp's research and work as codirector of the Servite Center of Compassionate Presence. Through this six-week personal transformation process for developing and deepening compassion, Rupp nudges, encourages, and inspires you to grow in the kind of love that motivated Jesus' life and mission for his disciples.

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.

The enduring influence of the Catholic Church has many sources, but in the first half of the 19th century, the foundations upon which the church had rested were shaken. For many people, liberalism in the guise of liberty, equality, and fraternity was the quintessence of the evils that shook those foundations. At the Vatican Council of 1869-1870, the church made an effort to set things right by defining the doctrine of papal infallibility. Author John W. O'Malley draws us into the bitter controversies over papal infallibility that at one point seemed destined to rend the church in two.

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.

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.

In Apologetics and the Christian Imagination, Holly Ordway shows how an imaginative approach - in cooperation with rational arguments - is extremely valuable in helping people come to faith in Christ. Making a case for the role of imagination in apologetics, this book proposes ways to create meaning for Christian language in a culture that no longer understands words like "sin" or "salvation", suggests how to discern and address the manipulation of language, and shows how metaphor and narrative work in powerful ways to communicate the truth.

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.

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.

The Mystic Heart chronicled Brother Wayne Teasdale's journey into a multifaceted spirituality blending his traditional Catholic training and the Eastern way of sannyasa (Indian monkhood). A Monk in the World tells what the journey has meant for him - living as a monk outside the monastery, integrating teachings from the world's religions with his own Catholic training, combining his vigorous spiritual practice with the necessities of making a living, and pursuing a course of social justice in a major American city.

Qui était vraiment Jésus ? Quel était son message ? Et comment expliquer qu'il soit devenu une figure d'inspiration aussi largement partagée, le fondateur d'une nouvelle religion et surtout le personnage le plus connu de l'histoire universelle ? Découvrez la vie extraordinaire de Jésus et le mythe qui l'entoure à travers son enfance.

Do you have two and a half minutes in your day that you can give to God? This is the beauty of the rosary. You don’t have to pray the rosary all at once and you can pray it anywhere! Do you struggle with praying the rosary: finding time, fighting distractions, worrying about your mind wandering? In Praying the Rosary Like Never Before, Edward Sri offers practical suggestions that come from the rosary’s tradition and, most especially, St. John Paul II. These helpful tips will make the rosary a constant companions through the different seasons, moments, and challenges we all face.

Whether you’re considering a religious vocation or simply trying to lead a Christ-centered life, Franciscan friar Casey Cole has news: Christian life doesn't end with a profession of faith or hearing of God's call. That's when it begins. Called: What Happens After Saying Yes to God reflects on realities that are common to anyone who is serious about living a sincere Christian life and trying to follow the message of Jesus in the Gospels.

No Catholic library is complete without these five landmark works by Romano Guardini, one of the most important Catholic figures of the 20th century. This treasury of five monumental works by Romano Guardini, one of the most important Catholic figures of the 20th century, brings back the classic Regnery translations of Stella Lange with a new introduction by Robert Royal.

Just as Job was tried, all of us are tested by suffering. It comes to us in many different forms: grief about the past, pain in the present, and sadness about what might have been. The personal dimension of suffering means that it marks our experience and, in some ways, makes us who we are. Coping with suffering as Christians includes certain spiritual practices that lead us to surrender our lives more fully to the Lord.

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.

Originally delivered in 1962 for artists - and made available now for the first time in English - St. John Paul II's (Karol Wojtyla's) penetrating spiritual exercises on divine beauty and its reflection in our humanity - and the art it produces - remain as timely as ever. The retreat itself, of course, forms the heart of this attractive volume.

Every one of us is made in the image of God. We are unique, we are worthy of love, and we are called to greatness. In this world, though, it can be easy to be distracted from that truth and begin to doubt God's love is real. We live in a world that tells us we are not smart enough, not pretty enough, not sexy enough, not rich enough, not thin enough, and don't have enough friends.

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.