PRACTICAL THEOLOGY: New from Ignatius Press

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 18, 2014) St. Thomas Aquinas' theoretical and philosophical brilliance were evident in his writings, particularly his masterpiece, the Summa Theologiae. Aquinas also provided personal and practical wisdom in his highly acclaimed work. In his new book, PRACTICAL THEOLOGY: Spiritual Direction From St. Thomas Aquinas, Dr. Peter Kreeft provides 359 pieces of wisdom from the Summa Theologiae, which, Kreeft says, "are literally more valuable than all the kingdoms of this world because they will help you to attain "the one thing needful," or "the greatest good," the ultimate end and purpose and meaning of life.

Kreeft's book is unlike any other on Aquinas in that it provides the most practical analysis of the Summa Theologiae ever written. Aquinas had a reputation as an absent-minded professor, but he provided practical, personal and functional advice that helped his followers, including Kreeft, in their quest for sanity, happiness and union with God.

The 359 gold nuggets Kreeft selected helped him in the struggles of real life, to live in the real world and to grow closer to the Lord. He hopes they do the same for his readers. After each passage directly from Aquinas, Kreeft provides brief spiritual commentary to help explain it and apply it practical, personal, existential, "livable" thoughts.

Kreeft, who is an expert on Aquinas, has framed these readings as answers to questions that people actually ask their spiritual directors. Each answer is taken word for word from Aquinas.

Among the many topics Aquinas and Kreeft cover in PRACTICAL THEOLOGY include:

• The problem of evil
• Interpreting the Bible
• Love vs. knowledge
• Reconciling justice and mercy
• Human freedom and divine grace
• Angels and demons
• The need for theology
• Predestination and free will
• Three kinds of goods

"Peter Kreeft's writings fall into the category of true genius, and this work, PRACTICAL THEOLOGY, may be his opus," says Dan Burke, executive director, of the National Catholic Register. "Not only does Dr. Kreeft make Aquinas" thought more accessible, but he does so in what I believe to be Aquinas" most important gift to the Church, the revelation of truth illumining the path to union with God. If this path isn't quite clear to you, this is the book for you."


More Catholic books.

Celebrating the Return of a Timeless Classic: The Beloved Queen of Apostles Prayer Book

Pauline Books & Media and the Daughters of St. Paul are pleased to announce the return of Queen of Apostles Prayer Book, a beloved classic in a soft leatherette gift edition. A favorite for more than fifty years, this treasured prayer companion with time-honored devotions including the Angelus, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Rosary, and now Mary, Untier of Knots is a comprehensive resource for daily prayer and meditation. 

Come home again to the richness of traditional Catholic prayers offered in this warm honey-brown gift edition. The handsome treasury reunites you with classic prayers accented with lovely religious art from the masters—a beautiful family heirloom to enjoy and hand down through generations. 

The updated version of this perennial favorite includes: 

* Daily Prayers 
* Prayers to the Holy Trinity 
* Eucharistic Devotions 
* Prayers to Our Lady 
* Prayers to the Saints 
* Seasonal Prayers 

"It is my hope that the Queen of Apostles Prayer Book will inspire all who use it with a deep trust in the power of prayer, and that they will find encouragement and consolation in times of difficulty," says Pauline Books & Media Publisher Mary Mark Wickenhiser, FSP, compiler and editor of Queen of Apostles Prayer Book. 

Queen Of Apostles Prayerbook

How Would Bilbo Vote?

The midterm elections and the final installment of The Hobbit film trilogy are just around the corner. It's past time somebody asked the burning question: How would Bilbo Baggins vote? For the uninitiated, Bilbo is the title character of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel behind the films, and most people's introduction to The Lord of the Rings, the grand sequel to The Hobbit.

To understand Bilbo, we need look no further than his creator, J.R.R. Tolkien. The clues are not only in Tolkien's collected letters, but also in the novels themselves.


Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, is a proponent of nonviolence near the end of The Lord of the Rings. Plus, Tolkien loved trees and detested the ugly side of industrialism. Surely if the Oxford don were alive today, the thinking goes, he would be a Prius-driving, organic smoothie-drinking, COEXIST bumper sticker-sporting liberal. Wouldn't he?

But wait. What of all the stuff in his work about honor, chivalry, family, battlefield courage and moral absolutes? Focusing on this, some on the left have concluded that, no, Tolkien must have been an old-fashioned dead white male conservative.

Both views can't be right. Is the truth somewhere in the middle? Was Tolkien a soft-edged moderate? Tolkien was a moderate beer drinker. He was a moderately good rugby player as a boy. But there was nothing moderate about his political views.

In the recently released The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot coauthors Dr. Jay Richards, a Catholic, and Dr. Jonathan Witt, an Evangelical Christian, show how Tolkien's Middle-Earth novels championed liberty, trade and limited government, key issues in the upcoming midterm elections. They believe Tolkien's novels of Middle-Earth draw us a map to freedom and liberty, and that perhaps brushing up on our Tolkien lore can help us prepare for this midterm election vote.

For more information, contact CarmelCommunications.com.

Lessons from the Charterhouse

Due to the kindness of a benefactor, the Brothers recently came into possession of the book, The Prayer of Love and Silence ^[1], which Father David Phillipson had recommended from our pulpit some weeks previously. Its author is “A Carthusian,” so named due to a custom of the Carthusian Order^{1 [2]} that guards the monks’ hiddenness and silence.

The volume is a translation of two works that originally appeared in 1951 and 1948 respectively. Its subjects are varied, but all pertain to the interior life. Two parts of the book, “An Introduction to the Interior Life” and “The Blessed Trinity and the Spiritual Life,”are systematic in their approach. A third section — in the middle of the work — is a series of “Sermons in Chapter” given by the Abbot to his monks in their chapter meeting ^[3] on feast days.

It would be difficult to do such a work justice in a review. My intention herein is to give the reader a taste of a work at once so simple and so deep that it defies summary.

With the exception of the section entitled “The Blessed Trinity and the Spiritual Life,” which is the last one third of the book, reading it was easy. It was like drinking good water: nothing to prevent the effortless imbibing of the material — and refreshing! After a few draughts, though, I realized that I was drinking strong stuff, so I had to slow down and read sections over again — even though the words and the syntax were quite simple. The thought occurred to me that the life of the Carthusians is productive of such an experience. In their slow, silent, hidden existence, they distill the complexities of the ancient liturgy, the great spiritual writers they read, and the manual labor they carry out, all into a life of great simplicity.

This makes their writing itself highly distilled, rather like the liquor they make ^[4]. Yes, this strong stuff is spiritual Chartreuse!

. . . 

Read more

Source: Brother-André Marie On August 4, 2014 @ 10:51 am In Articles, Book Reviews, Spiritual Life, Theology

Pre-papal Writings of Pope John Paul I

A year after its first release, the collection of the pre-papal writings of Pope John Paul I, A Passionate Adventure: Living the Catholic Faith Today, edited and translated by Lori Pieper, is about to be reissued in a new edition with a preface by Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia.

Dr. Pieper, writes: These works show the many sides of Pope John Paul I. He was known as the smiling Pope and with his warmth he was as appealing to people as Pope Francis is. He showed how it was possible to live the faith as an adventure, out of a passionate love of God. But more than that, as a bishop, Albino Luciani was really a prophet for our time in regard to many areas of present concern in the Church, including the importance of the universal call to holiness and the apostolate of the laity, the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, bioethics and in-vitro fertilization, and above all the New Evangelization which he anticipated and put into practice in his pastoral work as a bishop.

The book contains, along with a short biography of the Pope, 38 sermons, articles, essays, synod interventions, talks and interviews, dating from 1959 to 1978, when Luciani was Bishop of Vittorio Veneto and Patriarch of Venice. Dr. Pieper did the translations over the course of many years as part of the team publishing the English-language edition of Humilitas, the quarterly publication on John Paul I.

Dr. Pieper says, "I'm happy that the publication of the book will concide with the consigment of the last part of the Positio for the cause of John Paul I's canonization to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in October, during the Synod of Bishops on the Family and around the time of the beatification of Pope Paul VI. This is fitting, because Luciani was a great proponent of Catholic teaching on the family and the transmission of life. The book includes his pastoral letter in 1968 supporting Paul VI on Humane Vitae. He was prophetic in regard to IVH as Paul was to contraception. He foresaw the dehumanization of the 'baby-manufacturing' industry that IVH has brought into being. What he wrote about this has been misunderstood and distorted because the interview he gave on the first 'test-tube baby' in July 1978 has not been available in its entirety. That complete interview too is included in the book."

As a bishop, Luciani took on the challenges that secularism presented to the faith of Catholics in the period immediately before, during and after the Second Vatican Council; most of them are still with us today. In a vivid and original style, he offers his reflections on the first Year of Faith in 1967-68, and the mysteries of Catholic belief such as the Incarnation and Redemption, the Eucharist, the Cross, death and eternal life. He also speaks of evangelization and catechesis, birth control and abortion, faith and science, the meaning of the Church, the papal Magisterium, pluralism, ecumenism, prayer, devotion to Our Lady, and above all, becoming saints.

The book is available in paperback and ebook formats from Tau Cross Books and Media and will go on sale September 28. It will be available at taucrossbooks.com, on Amazon and other outlets.

Tree of Healing "a compelling tale"

 

A spiritual work of Catholic fiction, filled with quotes from Scripture, color illustrations, and poetry, has been released by Diana Gonzalez Tabbaa. It is the author’s hope that the work will help young people especially to develop a closer relationship to Jesus Christ, to have a better understanding of the Catholic faith, and to increase their appreciation of Scripture.

Rose spends much of her time dwelling on her troubles. She lives in a state of worry and loneliness as her mother has been harsh and distant since the death of her father when she was an infant. One golden summer, as she leaves her childhood years, her grandmother and a heaven-sent friend teach her to bring everything in her life to God in prayer and to bring His Life into her own. She comes to know and trust Him deeply, especially when she discovers a carving made by her father in a great tree that forms the crucifix of a Rosary Garden. Hidden in its depths and unfolding in layers of mystery and beauty, signs of God's Love are continuously revealed to her. A Mary’s Garden that she plants reflects her own growth in a living faith that brings a garden of souls with her to God, including her mother.

Suitable for all ages, this timeless story of forgiveness and hope shows how suffering is transformed through union with Christ. Enriched with spiritual art, poetry, and quotes from Scripture, The Tree of Healing tells of the healing of one young girl and of all wounded humanity by the Sacrifice of Jesus on a new Tree of Life.

The print version is available from CreateSpace: www.createspace.com/3727662
Ebook versions:
Kindle Edition: http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Healing-Diana-Gonzalez-Tabbaa-ebook/dp/B00I9BT76U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1392556193
Smashwords Edition for Apple iOS devices, Nook and Kobo: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/406571
PDF file: http://www.lulu.com/shop/diana-tabbaa/the-tree-of-healing/ebook/product-21383645.html

Pope Francis and Person of the Year: Is it Right?

Time magazine announced recently that its 2013 Person of the Year is Pope Francis. Radhika Jones, deputy managing editor of Time, explained why he was chosen.

“The Pope came onto the scene in March with … fanfare, and almost the opposite of fanfare, and immediately made his presence felt in a way that seemed different from popes in recent memory. … He’s in a position of immense power, but he introduced himself as a man of great humility. Even in a very short amount of time — he’s only been pope for nine months — he really has refocused a conversation that’s global, putting more emphasis on poverty and the poor.”

Pope Francis stood out “as someone who has changed the tone and perception and focus of one of the world's largest institutions in an extraordinary way,” Time managing editor Nancy Gibbs said. It’s the third time the magazine has named a pope its person of the year.

But do the people who know Pope Francis agree with this distinction, and further, is the Pope pleased with being singled out in this way?

Available to discuss those very ideas are the people who know him:

Alejandro Bermudez, author of POPE FRANCIS: OUR BROTHER, OUR FRIEND, which presents the personal insights of ten Jesuits, many who have known Jorge Bergoglio since his first days as a Jesuit, and were interviewed for this book shortly after he was elected the Pope. Non-Jesuits, including an Argentine senator, a prominent rabbi, a priest working in the slums of Buenos Aires that Bergoglio often visited, also were interviewed. Bermudez can address topics including the Pope’s longstanding simplicity and authentic spirituality; his concern for the individual and the poor; his desire for the Church to go out to the street to meet the needs of the people; abortion; and same-sex marriage. Bermudez is the director of the largest Catholic news Agency in Spanish, ACI-Prensa, and the executive director of the Catholic News Agency. He translated Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio's book, On Heaven and Earth, into English.

Andrea Tornielli, author of FRANCIS: POPE OF A NEW WORLD, is the first biographer of Pope Francis and knows personally the former humble pastor of one of the world’s largest archdioceses; a cardinal who took the bus, talked with common folk, and lived simply. He knows the story of why the cardinal electors of the Catholic Church set aside political and diplomatic calculations to elect a pope to lead the renewal and purification of the worldwide Church of our time. Tornielli is a Vatican correspondent for the highly regarded Italian newspaper La Stampa who has collaborated with numerous Italian and international publications

For the full list of books and pamphlets Ignatius Press has published on Pope Francis, please visit http://bit.ly/1kDePQA.

Francis: A Pope for Our Time (Humanix Books)

As the first Advent season begins and former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio prepares for his first Christmas Midnight Mass, take an incisive look at Pope Francis’s rise through the ecclesiastical ranks all the way to Saint Peter’s Throne. “Francis: A Pope for Our Time, The Definitive Biography,” authored by two highly-esteemed Argentine journalists, provides an in-depth analysis of Pope Francis’ youth, influences, doctrine, and potential to inspire a renewal of faith, not only within the Catholic Church, but the world-over.

From Bergoglio’s coming of age in the Peronist era and his role in Argentina’s darkest period, the Dirty War, to his volatile relationship with the Kirchners, and his views on everything from same-sex marriage and abortion to women’s issues and the crisis of world poverty, this book addresses the all of the key issues facing the new leader of the largest religious organization in the world.
“Francis: A Pope for Our Time” provides a concise look at the history and politics that have consumed Latin America, Argentina, and the Church, breaking the cult of secrecy that has long plagued the region as well as the institution. As Pope Francis has ignited a profound sense of pride in his compatriots, the authors describe the tremendous influence that Latin America stands to bring to the world stage.

This treasury of prayers, now released on Kindle, will help you go to the Lord with courage and pray to receive God's grace.

Known as the “Black Pope” (for his Jesuit garb), the “Pope of the Poor,” and the “Third World Pope,” such monikers exemplify Pope Francis’ commitment to society’s most underprivileged and disenfranchised. In “Francis: A Pope for Our Time,” the authors bring clarity to the man and his work: his dedication to interreligious dialogue, accessibility to his community, and rejection of lavish excess in favor of simplicity that promises to bring real-world leadership to a modern Church desperate to emerge from old-world precepts.

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GoBible: Scripture Just Got More Accessible

The Word of God has never been more accessible than it is today. With a largely literate society, the explosion of the Internet and the variety of devices to let you access the Web, there’s no reason not to read Scripture. But for some Catholics, actually reading Scripture can present some challenges.

The Original GoBible is a digital audio device about the size of deck of cards that can be tucked anywhere – purse, backpack, even a diaper bag or medical pouch. It even fits comfortably in a pocket. With the addition of the GoBible’s Voice Menu feature, the device will be particularly useful to the disabled and the Catholic ministries that serve them, particularly the sight-impaired, and to the elderly, who may find reading the Bible difficult because of illness or physical challenge.

GoBible gives Catholics the chance to take the Bible with them almost anywhere, and to be able to follow by audio each day’s readings. The Catholic version has the imprimatur of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and is narrated by Emmy Award-winner Stephen Johnston. One of the most important new features in this Catholic version is a daily reading plan accessible by voice menu to both the year and cycle, which are important to Catholics who regularly attend daily Mass.

The Original GoBible is preloaded with over 80 hours of audio; the entire Old and New Testaments and it is searchable by any of the 35,000 plus verses in the Catholic Bible. The unit also has a Story Index of 230 popular Bible storeis, a Topic Index, a Holiday/Event Index and Bookmarks. The Catholic GoBible also features a narrated rosary and common prayers, including the Apostles Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and Act of Contrition.

A simpler version of the unit was released last year and sold several thousand copies to date. This expanded version is expected to be a best seller.

A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs: Book Preview

Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church For the first time in 400 years the Catholic Church has authorized an official universal catechism which instantly became an international best-seller, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Using this official Catechism, the highly-regarded author and professor Peter Kreeft presents a complete compendium of all the major beliefs of Catholicism written in his readable and concise style. Since the Catechism of the Catholic Church was written for the express purpose of grounding and fostering catechisms based on it for local needs and ordinary readers, Kreeft does just that, offering a thorough summary of Catholic doctrine, morality, and worship in a popular format with less technical language. He presents a systematic, organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental Catholic teachings in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition. This book is the most thorough, complete and popular catechetical summary of Catholic belief in print that is based on the universal Catechism.

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Catholic Treasury of Prayers: New eReader (Kindle) Edition

This treasury of prayers, now released on Kindle, will help you go to the Lord with courage and pray to receive God's grace.


Sometimes, the Pope said of prayers and devotions, one goes to the Lord "to ask something for someone;" one asks for a favor and then goes away. "But that," he warned, "is not prayer," because if "you want the Lord to bestow a grace, you have to go with courage and do what Abraham did, with that sort of tenacity."

This comprehensive treasury of Catholic prayer includes everyday prayers, devotionals, how to pray the rosary, litanies, the Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic prayers, prayers to prepare for confession, prayers to the saints, Marian prayers, family prayers, and more.

New Book on Catholic Sacrament: 7 Secrets of Confession

Christians, including many Catholics, have a limited and narrow point view of the Sacrament commonly called “Confession” that prevents them from understanding the gift of this Sacrament instituted by Christ and discovering its real beauty and value.

For non-Catholics, Confession is unnecessary, and some may even think unbiblical, believing there should be no mediator between them and Christ. For too many Catholics, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is just a means to an end: cleaning us up from sin so we can receive Holy Communion. But, as Pope Francis tells us, Confession is much more than “going to the dry cleaner.” It’s “an encounter with Jesus, who waits for us as we are.”

Vinny Flynn exposes the life-altering power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in his new book, 7 SECRETS OF CONFESSION, and clears up some of the common misunderstandings many might hold of this important encounter with Christ.

Flynn has long recognized that there is an urgent need for all Christians to receive clear teaching about Confession. He shows that Confession is a sacred encounter with Christ that everybody should eagerly welcome with love, passion and appreciation. Flynn draws upon the biblical proof of its existence, the wisdom of the saints and the 2,000-year tradition of the Church, and the fruits of his own contemplation and prayer to write an essential guide on the heavenly gift of Confession.

“Simple and clear, yet profound too, this is a book which should be found in every home and on the book shelf of every confessor and director of souls,” said Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, S.T.D., author of St. Maximilian Kolbe: Martyr of Charity.

7 SECRETS OF CONFESSION shows that those who choose to embrace Confession will come away convinced that they are not only forgiven but truly healed and liberated in a way like no other.

Cardinal DiNardo Endorses The Book of Jotham

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo has endorsed The Book of Jotham, Arthur Powers’ 2012 Tuscany Prize Novella Winner.

The Book of Jotham follows the journey of Jotham, a young man with intellectual disabilities, as he follows Jesus on his ministry. According to DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Powers “gives the reader a unique insight into the mind and the heart of one who is mentally challenged.”

While the other apostles care for Jotham, they do not understand Jesus’ love for him. “The universal theme of the grace of adoption helps us to discover that, as children of Light, our conversion and progression of faith may not be so different from those who experience life like Jotham,” a message that resonates with DiNardo’s dedication to the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, where he serves as a board member. Part of Cardinal DiNardo’s interest in and empathy for this group stems from his own experience with significant hearing loss. The NCPD’s mission is to “work collaboratively to ensure meaningful participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of the life of the Church and society.”

Cardinal DiNardo is the spiritual leader of over 1.3 million Catholics in the largest of 15 dioceses in Texas.

Tuscany Press publishes Catholic fiction that explores the spectrum of human relationships with God. The Tuscany Prize celebrates writers and literature of Catholic faith at the short story, young adult, novella, and novel levels. Visit the Tuscany Prize winners page for more moving works of fiction.

Blessing in Disguise Wins Catholic Arts & Letters Award

Pauline Books & Media is honored to announce that Anna Mei, Blessing in Disguise, the third book in the Anna Mei trilogy, has won a Catholic Arts & Letters Award (CALA) from the Catholic Writers Guild. The CALA is awarded to works of fiction which have fulfilled the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval prerequisite guaranteeing the work displays sound Catholic doctrine and which have been deemed by judges as showcasing exemplary literary merit.

Anna Mei, Blessing in Disguise (Pauline Kids, 2011) was submitted for consideration in the children’s contemporary fiction award category. This last installment in the Anna Mei series of novels for ages 8–12 follows the life of Anna Mei Anderson—the girl at school who has a weird cartoon-sounding name, an adoptive family she doesn’t even remotely resemble, and an unknown birth mother somewhere back in China—as she begins seventh-grade and has to cope with an annoying “boy genius” from Beijing. Anna Mei, Cartoon Girl (Pauline Kids, 2010) and Anna Mei, Escape Artist (Pauline Kids, 2011) complete the trilogy.

The trophy for Anna Mei, Blessing in Disguise was presented at the 2013 Catholic Marketing Network (CMN) trade show in Somerset, New Jersey. A representative from the publishing house accepted the award on author Carol A. Grund’s behalf.

To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth: New Catholic Book

Deep in the heart of Communist Russia a young woman with fiery courage and tenacious spirit sought and discovered the ancient Wisdom which has existed from time immemorial. Enraptured, she sacrificed herself on the altar of selfless love and followed after this Truth which so enthralled her heart and captivated her mind.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, leaving behind all she had ever loved, Anna Ivanovna began her quest to give her entire life to this Truth she had found by becoming the first ever Byzantine Dominican Sister in Soviet Russia. Entirely a daughter of the Church and Saint Dominic, and entirely a daughter of Russia, Anna united these two identities in her own person into one dynamic whole while communist Russia attempted to tear them—and her—apart. Her quest would ultimately lead her to murder in the Butyrka prison in Moscow. A Martyr for the faith, a martyr for Russia—this is the story of how one woman’s daring faith brought hope and light to a country shrouded in the shadows of communism.

In To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth, Sr. Mary of the Sacred Heart, OP brings this heroine of Russia to the English speaking world. Sister is a contemplative, cloistered Dominican nun living in the Monastery of St. Jude in Marbury, Alabama.

In 1991 the first article about Dominicans in Russia was published in English and inspired Sister to begin research into their lives. In 2002 Sister travelled to Russia to spend three months learning the language and culture while exploring the possibility of founding a Dominican monastic community in Russia someday.

During her stay she was able to meet with some of the people who knew the Byzantine Dominican Sisters personally. To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth is the culmination of Sister’s studies and her first published book.

To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth has been published by DNS Publications, a publishing house of the Dominican Nuns of Summit. The book may be purchased in paperback through Amazon.com or through the online gift shop of the Dominican Nuns of Summit (http://summitdominicans.3dcartstores.com/). A Kindle version is available through Amazon. An excerpt of the Introduction may be found at the online gift shop of the Nuns.