Showing titles in Catholicism

In The Accursed Tower, Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter. A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The Accursed Tower offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.

In 1957, at 27 years old, Father Aloysius Schwartz of Washington, D.C. asked to be sent to one of the saddest places in the world: South Korea in the wake of the Korean War. Just a few months into his priesthood, he stepped off the train in Seoul into a dystopian film. Squatters with blank stares picked through hills of garbage. Paper-fleshed orphans lay on the streets like leftover war shrapnel. These scenes pierced him.

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.

Seeing with the Heart is a tour de force that weaves together the author’s personal experiences, the 16th-century wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the insights of sages, poets, artists, and storytellers through the ages.

As we all know, and as many of our well-established textbooks have argued for decades, the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history, Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and rightfully called "Hitler's Pope", the Dark Ages were a stunting of the progress of knowledge to be redeemed only by the secular spirit of the Enlightenment, and the religious Crusades were an early example of the rapacious Western thirst for riches and power. But what if these long-held beliefs were all wrong?

Popular author Katherine Valentine pens the highly anticipated fourth novel in her beloved Dorsetville series. On a Wing and a Prayer is an enchanting portrait of life in a quaint New England town "where miracles are never far away". The 12-year-old Gallagher twins fall through the ice on Fenns Pond and need a miracle of their own. Father James, the parishioners of St. Cecilia’s, Doc Hammond, and all the regulars at the Country Kettle Café struggle to keep their faith as God’s will is eventually revealed.

As Catholics, we believe in the resurrection of the body. We profess it in our creed. We're taught that to bury and pray for the dead are corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We honor the dead in our Liturgy through the rite of Christian burial. We do all of this, and more, because when Jesus Christ took on flesh for the salvation of our souls he also bestowed great dignity on our bodies. In Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body, Scott Hahn explores the significance of death and burial from a Catholic perspective.

The past few years have been extremely challenging, but even in dark times, the light of joy can shine bright. True joy, says Pope Francis, is not a fleeting sentiment or a short-term solution to suffering; it springs from a solid hope that nothing and no one can take away. A Gift of Joy and Hope is an invitation to embrace authentic beauty and a reminder to be open to encountering God, even in the midst of challenges. In this inspiring collection, Pope Francis encourages listeners to change attitudes that exclude others.

Considered by many to be Chesterton's greatest masterpiece, this audiobook declares his comprehensive view of world history as informed by the Incarnation. Retelling mankind's story from the very beginning, he shows how all human desires are fulfilled in the person of Christ and Christ's church. With his characteristic brilliance and irony, he argues that Christianity is not just a religion to stand beside other religions, for the fact of the Incarnation sets it apart.

Beautiful Eucharist is a stunning collection of life-changing reflections about Jesus truly present in the Eucharist and wonderfully present in our lives. The world needs the healing and hope only Jesus can provide. He is waiting in the Eucharist to transform families, Churches, communities, and the culture as a whole. And all of that begins with your own life-changing encounter with him today.

In this eye-opening book, angelologist Father Marcello Stanzione tells the fascinating story of Father Amorth and his life as an exorcist. You'll learn of his daily schedule and how he managed to perform dozens of exorcisms each week. You'll find out what his exorcism room looked like, and how various devils responded to his bold practice. Best of all, you'll hear Father Amorth's own startling explanations of many truths about the Devil that our culture has forgotten and about the canny methods the Deceiver has adopted in recent years to corrupt believers and unbelievers alike.

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.

The Petrine verses (or Biblical passages referring to St. Peter, his role, and the office of the papacy) are perhaps the most controverted passages in the history of Christianity in the last 1, 000 years. This study of St. Peter’s role in the Bible puts to rest any doubts about the true sources for and meaning behind Jesus’s commission to St. Peter (Matthew 16:18), not to mention numerous other passages out of both the Old and New Testaments. Employing language accessible to an average reader, all historically debated passages about St. Peter and the papacy are unpacked so that their ...

Mary appears only a few times in the Bible, but those few passages come at crucial moments. Catholics believe that Mary is the ever-virgin Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and Earth. But she also was a human being—a woman who made a journey of faith through various trials and uncertainties and endured her share of suffering. In Walking with Mary, Edward Sri looks at the crucial passages in the Bible concerning Mary and offers insight about the Blessed Mother's faith and devotion that we can apply in our daily lives.

Father Thomas Dubay is one of the most popular and respected retreat masters and spiritual directors in the US. As in his other popular writings, Dubay’s style is profound and meditative, yet clear and readable. He gives an overview of the spiritual life and journey for anyone seeking to grow in the love of God and neighbor. An expert on the teachings and writings of the two great mystical doctors of prayer and the spiritual life, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, Dubay gives solid, practical advice for a deepening moral and spiritual conversion, and a radical growth in holiness.

These notebooks belong to a category of mystical literature which the Catholic Church has long been familiar with: that of so-called "private revelations". A private revelation is not binding for the faith of Christians, but its value is to be measured by its capacity to instruct and inflame souls, spurring them to love God more and apply divine teachings to their everyday lives.

Beginning with these deep sleeps experienced by Adam, Noah, and Abraham, this book finds more than a dozen instances of sleep featured in the Old Testament, which each foreshadow the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Considered by Joseph Ratzinger devotees as his greatest work on the liturgy, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the "great prayer of the Church" will help listeners to deepen their understanding of the rites of the Church. The cardinal discusses fundamental misunderstandings of the Second Vatican Council's intentions for liturgical renewal, especially about the priest's orientation of prayer to the Father, the placement of the tabernacle in churches, and the posture of kneeling.

With the papacy embattled in recent years, it is essential to have the perspective of one of the world's most accomplished historians. In Absolute Monarchs, John Julius Norwich captures nearly 2,000 years of inspiration and devotion, intrigue and scandal. The men (and maybe one woman) who have held this position of infallible power over millions have ranged from heroes to rogues, admirably wise to utterly decadent.

Victory Over Vice & The Seven Virtues Two of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's best-selling books have been brought together in one special collection. The first part of this book is a collection of engaging sermons from this Emmy award-winning and New York Times best-selling author that will encourage the reader to better understand that the seven deadly sins can be overcome. Using the seven last statements or words spoken by Jesus Christ from the Cross on Calvary as a backdrop, Archbishop Sheen will address matters concerning various addictions and patterns of habitual sin. He will use his ...