Christ Our Passover Has Been Sacrificed examines the paschal mystery as it is presented throughout the liturgical year in The Roman Missal. After offering an in-depth definition of the paschal mystery the author guides the reader through Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and more, mining the riches of paschal mystery spirituality. Biblical accounts interpret the death and resurrection of Jesus; liturgical texts in The Roman Missal present a rich seam of spiritual truth for the reader to apply to his or her life. By remembering Jesus' death and resurrection, Roman Catholics celebrate daily dying and rising to new life.
Behind monastery walls, men of God spend their lives preparing for the passage of death. Best-selling French author Nicolas Diat set out to find what their deaths can reveal about the greatest mystery faced by everyone--the end of life. How to die? How to respond to our fear of death? To answer these and other questions, Diat travelled to eight European monasteries including Solesmes Abey and the Grande Chartreuse. Through extraordinary interviews with monks, he learned that their death experiences are varied and unique, with elements of peace, pain, humility, sorrow, and joy. From inside cover.
This inspiring collection of homilies delivered by Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) over six decades offers deep theological and historical insights on the meaning of the life and the witness of a Catholic priest. When Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated the Year for Priests in 2009, he did so in conjunction with celebrating the 150th anniversary of the death of John Vianney, the patron saint of all parish priests. Benedict's purpose for that special year is the same purpose of this book of homilies―to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today's world. As St. John Vianney would often say, "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus." This touching expression makes us reflect on the immense gift that priests represent, not only for the Church but for all mankind.
Rev. Paul Scalia reveals a scholar's mind and a pastor's heart in these inspiring reflections on a wide range of Catholic teachings and practices. Rooted in Scripture, the beauty and truth of these insights places the reader on a path to a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God.
"Listen, Father Jerzy, today is September 14, your birthday. So if you are supposed to do something, this is the day!" So prayed Father Bernard Brien beside the bed of a dying man. As soon as the priest left the hospital room, the comatose patient opened his eyes and asked his wife what had happened. A few days later his medical team, after many tests, observed that his widespread cancer had completely disappeared. The doctors were astounded. The miracle moved Father Brien to write this book about Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko, to make the twentieth-century martyr better known. He presents an intimate portrait of the courageous Polish priest who changed his life and that of countless others. As the young and ardent chaplain of the Solidarity labor union, Father Popieluszko embodied the Polish people's resistance to Communism, and for this he was murdered in 1984, at the age of thirty-seven, by the Communist regime's security forces. Soon afterward Father Popieluszko was hailed as a martyr and a national hero, and his example inspired the Polish people to persevere in their struggle for political and religious freedom.
Sister Mary David Totah was a nun of the Benedictine contemplative community of St Cecilia’s Abbey on the Isle of Wight. American by birth, she was educated at Loyola University, the University of Virginia and Christ Church, Oxford. After a distinguished teaching career, she entered religious life in 1985. For 22 years until her early death from cancer she guided the young nuns of her abbey with enthusiasm, wisdom and wit. The spirituality to be found in the pages of this book demonstrates to the reader why her influence should have been so great and so deep. Her notes to the novices deal with issues of relevance to a world beyond the cloister: What is the meaning of suffering? How do we cope with living with people who annoy us? How do we relate to a God we cannot see? How do we make the big decisions of life?
A Living Sacrifice is a comprehensive guide for men who are discerning God's call. It serves as both an introduction to religious life as well as a guide for discerning vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. With clear language, engaging examples, and solid theology. (written by a Conception alumnus and with a foreword written by Abbot Gregory Polan.)
he experience of loneliness is as universal as hunger or thirst. Because it affects us more intimately, we are less inclined to speak of it. But who has not known its gnawing ache? The fear of loneliness causes anguish. It prompts reckless deeds. To this, every age has borne witness. No voice is more insidious than the one that whispers in our ear: 'You are irredeemably alone, no light will pierce your darkness.' The fundamental statement of Christianity is to convict that voice of lying. The Christian condition unfolds within the certainty that ultimate reality, the source of all that is, is a personal reality of communion, no metaphysical abstraction. Men and women, made 'in the image and likeness' of God, bear the mark of that original communion stamped on their being. When our souls and bodies cry out for Another, it is not a sign of sickness, but of health. This book examines six facets of Christian remembrance, complementing biblical exegesis with readings from literature, ancient and modern. It aims to be an essay in theology. At the same time, it proposes a grounded reflection on what it means to be a human being.
"In these conversations with film maker and writer Lucette Verboven, Thomas Keating OCSO, bestselling author, Trappist monk and founder of the centering prayer movement, looks back on his long life and spiritual development"--Back cover.
"A collection of homilies, speeches, and 'messages of the day' that brings together Pope Francis's wisdom on finding happiness in the here and now. For Pope Francis, the appreciation of our everyday lives is a spiritual undertaking. Joy is a divine attribute, and creating joy around us an essential part of faith. Every homily and speech in this book delivers, in warm, engaging language accessible to believers and nonbelievers alike, a key lesson, instructing readers on finding love and happiness in a chaotic world. Along the way, Pope Francis discusses the sanctity of women's rights, talks about how the love of sports can bring out our best qualities, and explains why fighting discrimination is the essence of loving thy neighbor. He shares personal stories and anecdotes from his life, provides comforting messages of hope, and discusses the ways flawed families can make you a better person. The core ideas of Francis's papacy--mercy, support for marginalized people, and diplomacy--shine through."--Dust jacket flap.
In Awesome Glory, Abbot Jeremy Driscoll offers readers a deep dive into the mystery of the Resurrection of Jesus. Starting from the conviction that the liturgy is meant to be for Christians an immediate and effective contact with the Resurrection, this profound book draws out the riches of each celebration from the Paschal Triduum through Pentecost. Abbot Jeremy focuses particularly on the Scripture texts of Mass, but also on important rituals like the washing of feet, the lucernarium, and the baptism of catechumens.
Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Is the word simply Jesus's last name? Rohr shows that our understandings have been limited by culture, religious squabbling, and the human tendency to put ourselves at the center. Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, he articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God's constant, unfolding work in the world. Rohr believes Jesus's life was meant to declare that humanity has never been separate from God-- except by its own negative choice.
Meditations, devotions, and prayers selected from the collection gathered together and published after Newman's death. Often surprisingly simple and direct, they combine the traditional language of Catholic devotion with Newman's own distinct voice.
In the spiritual life, we need a central idea: something so basic and comprehensive that it encompasses everything else. According to Carmelite Father Wilfrid Stinissen, surrender to God, abandonment to the One who loves us completely, is that central reality. The life of Jesus shows us the centrality of abandonment, for it is truly the beginning and the end of his mission on earth. In this simple but profound book, Father Stinissen distinguishes three degrees or stages in abandonment. The first stage consists of accepting and assenting to God's will as it manifests itself in all circumstances of life. The second is actively doing God's will at every moment of one's life. In the third stage, abandonment to God is so complete that one has become a tool in God's hands. At this stage it is no longer I who do God's will, but God who accomplishes his will through me."
Spirituality: An Art of Living was born out of a generous impulse: to pass on lessons from the monastic tradition to lay people so as to help them achieve a more ardent and fulfilling spiritual life. In this book, Benedictine monk, teacher, and scholar Benoît Standaert provides ninety-nine entries covering topics like abba, humility, listening and time. The entries are divided in twenty-six chapters according to the letters of the alphabet. A perfect book for all spiritual seekers to sit with and enjoy again and again.
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Is it really that important to pray as the early Christians did? Robert Benson's In Constant Prayer explores the ancient practice of fixed-hour prayer, a structure for our lives where we can live in continuous awareness of God's presence and reality. This classic discipline of praying at fixed times during the day and night has transformed the lives of millions around the world. Learn what the apostle Paul meant when he encouraged the Thessalonian church to "pray without ceasing, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
A little more than a year before his death, Pope John Paul II gathered his closest aides for an extended retreat at the Vatican. During this retreat Bruno Forte offered a series of meditations revolving around Jesus' words in John 8:12: "Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
Cross-referenced to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Christ's Mother and Ours explores Mary's role based on Scripture, historic teaching, art, architecture, songs, sacramentals, devotions, and apparitions.
Do you feel chained to a particular sin pattern that you cannot break? Do you still feel guilty, ashamed, and doomed to repeat a besetting sin even after receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation? Then you may find a way to spiritual freedom through deliverance prayer. In Resisting the Devil, author Neal Lozano shows that sometimes evil spirits tell us lies that lock us into sins and personal problems. He explains the practice of deliverance, a way of dealing with such demonic influences that is supported by the teaching and traditionof the Catholic Church. --Learn how to recognize the activity of evil spirits --See how deliverance from spiritual bondage can be gentle, safe, and effective --Understand how deliverance differs from exorcism and how deliverance and Reconciliation can work together--Read the testimonies of women and men who have been freed through deliverance ministry.
The story of a girl who was diagnosed with a serious illness in her teens and who died at the age of 18. The book concentrates on the spiritual aspect of her life. Chiara Luce was beatified on 25 September 2010 in Rome.
For nearly 200 years—standing alongside our heroic military men and women—have been heroic Catholic priests risking their lives to carry wounded soldiers to safety and to console, anoint, and absolve the dying. Heroic Catholic Chaplains spotlights the stories of these courageous, selfless, holy priests who volunteered to bring the Mass and the sacraments to American troops, while also offering them their friendship and spiritual counsel.