Spiritual Life
Authored by renowned Scottish Archbishop George Hay (1729–1811), this work, pulled from Bishop Hay’s The Devout Christian, examines our three chief enemies—the flesh, the world, and the devil—and how they conspire together to threaten our salvation. In this succinct text, Bishop Hay provides a field map to knowing your enemies, and learning how to defeat them.
88pp, paperback
No matter how pure or virtuous your intentions may be, you can easily get so caught up in temporal pursuits — “the things of this world” — that you forget about God and His intimate, sustained involvement in your life. But with help from this book, you can turn that around by making an examination of your life that will orient you on the fertile path to Jesus Christ.
It's not enough simply to call yourself a Christian or attend Sunday Mass: you need to decide to live for God rather than for yourself. To help you do so, Archbishop Alban Goodier explains how giving yourself to God will ennoble you and bring you great rewards. He details the many ways in which you will gain happiness by rising above the concerns of this world, even amid the cares and duties of your daily life! He shows how the very fact of God's existence — to say nothing of achieving spiritual closeness with Him — gives meaning and dignity to your life in a way that worldly possessions or success never can.
Uncompromising, incisive, and comprehensive, Overcoming Worldly Concerns is a much-needed wake-up call for every “comfortable Christian.”
Abandon yourself fully to God and learn:
The little-known fact that will inspire you to resist sin with all your strength
The ways in which you've been throwing away God's grace
The secret of the saints that makes them such a powerful help for you today — if only you ask for that help
How you can be certain of God's love for you at any given moment
How you can arm yourself for the spiritual warfare that is sure to beset your soul
The many forms and levels of prayer (and why just knowing them is not enough)
The most common hindrances to prayer — and how to overcome them
by Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Fulton J. Sheen was remarkable in his ability to uncover many layers of meaning in the life and words of Jesus of Nazareth. The Seven Beatitudes and The Seven Words from the Cross—both were delivered from a mountain, but the connection runs deeper than that. As Bishop Sheen points out, Our Lord began His Public Life on the Mount of the Beatitudes and closed it on the Mount of Calvary. On the first He uttered the words central to His message; on the second He spoke to the deed central to His mission. Two avenues were thereby opened: one for spreading the Good News throughout the world, the other for reconciling all men to God through Christ. Fulton Sheen’s profound meditations will slake the spiritual thirst of all who desire a fuller understanding of the Gospels and seek to draw closer to Christ.
Paperback, 94 pages
Also available in Hardcover on request (additional cost)
In writing this allegory to help explain the religious life to the boy oblates in his charge, Dom Bede drew upon the struggles he experienced during his conversion, as well as an experience from his Oxford years, when shipwrecked off the coast of Spain. Left clinging to the wreckage along with his fellow passengers for 17 hours, upon being rescued, he decided to consecrate his life to the service of God in thanksgiving.
The Voyage of the PAX, then, is a thrilling seafaring allegory portraying the journey of life, with its many threats to our souls, as a voyage of several young men, crossing the high seas to reach their home in the Golden City. They must work hard and make difficult decisions in order to pass the straits of Mors and enter into the haven of Æternitas.
This story is a perfect follow-up for those who loved Mother Mary Loyola's The King of the Golden City.
5.5" x 8.5" paperback 72 pages
This treasure of spirituality beautifully explains God's love for the sinner, how great His joy is upon the return of just one lost sheep, and how God's mercy extends even towards the damned. St. Francis encourages us to conform ourselves to God's will, and teaches us to abandon ourselves to the Lord who so desires our hearts.
Readers of Consoling Thoughts on God and Providence will experience first-hand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.
“Fr. Molinié brings us back to the essentials of the Gospel: the simplicity of following Christ and the grandeur of God’s plan for us. Every Catholic will find in this book clarity, rejuvenation, and wisdom.” —Fr. Alexander Wiseman, SSPX
The Courage to Be Afraid is remarkably different from other spiritual books. It is a tour de force that examines many aspects of the Christian life, yet always returning to a simple, powerful theme: we have to let God act. Fr. Molinié addresses himself to us, children of the modern world, in order to recall us forcefully to what never changes, no matter the state of things: the divine life is in us, and will transform us if we surrender to it. “God’s love is a consuming fire...”
Some of the themes in the book include:
• Nature and grace
• Combat between pride and humility
• Development and stages of the spiritual life
• Suffering and the Mystery of God
“If, in the face of this world whose values are crumbling, you look feverishly and anxiously for what must be done, you have not understood that God wants to be the only One who saves us: His glory is at stake. When we rely on action or on natural qualities, we attack the glory of God....This secret is the Trinitarian life, and to enter into it, we must live a life where we lose our footing... this is the whole savor of the mystical life.”
—Fr. Marie-Dominique Molinié, O.P.
Available for the first time English.
Paperback 226 pages
by Canon Alfred Weber
“His Holiness Pope Pius X desires me to send you His thanks … for having raised an outstanding monument of sacred literature on the foundation of the Holy Gospels.” (Letter of Cardinal Merry del Val to Canon Weber.)
Have you ever wished you could read all four Gospels in one single, unbroken narrative? Canon Alfred Weber allows you to do just that thanks to his outstanding work The Four Gospels in One.
Using the words of the Evangelists themselves and relying on the harmonization of the best Scriptural scholars, Weber weaves the four Gospel texts into one seamless account, allowing us to accompany Our Lord Jesus Christ at every step of His earthly life, from the Incarnation right through to the Ascension.
Illustrated by the beautiful engravings of Gustave Doré, supplemented by copious and informative notes from the Fathers and great Ecclesiastical writers, as well as by maps and plans of Palestine and Jerusalem in the first century, this wonderful book deserves a place in every Catholic home.
Features of this book:
- Douay-Rheims text
- Detailed introduction on the importance of the Gospels in the mind of the Church
- Reader’s layout (no columns or verse numbers)
- Comprehensive notes giving important doctrinal, historical and geographical explanations
- Special sections on Our Lord’s journeys during His Public Life, the layout of the Temple, the city of Jerusalem
- Appendix on the foretold destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
- Maps of Palestine and Galilee, model of the Temple of Herod and plan of the city of Jerusalem
- Synoptic table of the main events of Our Lord’s life and the places and times they occurred
- Table referencing Gospel excerpts for every Sunday and major feast days
- Beautiful illustrations by Gustave Doré
A Companion to the Summa
by Fr. Walter Farrell, O. P.
Order the 4 Volume set This magnificent set of four books is an exposition and guide to the entire Summa of Saint Thomas Aquinas. It was written by one of the premier Dominican Thomistic scholars who were active in the scholastic revival of the 1930s and 40s. These books contain the entire Summa transposed into modern English prose, thereby making accessible, for those who are not trained philosophers, the complete theology of Saint Thomas’s Summa.
The composition of these four books matches up perfectly with each of the 614 questions of the Summa. This book is meant to be read alongside the actual Summa in order to make it more easily understood by the average reader.
Volume One - The Architect of the Universe - 408 pages
Volume Two - The Pursuit of Happiness - 412 pages
Volume Three - The Fullness of Life - 462 pages
Volume Four - The Way of Life - 430 Pages
The Author
Father Farrell’s four-part Companion to the Summa has been responsible for much of the renewed interest in Thomism in the United States. It is required reading for many Catholic college students and “unrequired reading” for thousands of other lovers of St. Thomas.
Its author was born in Chicago in 1902. He attended Dominican schools and was ordained in the Dominican order in 1927, then going to the University of Fribourg for his S.T.D. degree. In 1940 he was awarded the seldom given Dominican honor of the Master of Sacred Theology degree. He served as a Navy chaplain during World War II and was then stationed at the Dominican Houses of Studies in Washington, D. C. and River Forest, Illinois until his death in 1951.
by St Anselm of Canterbury
“And yet the visible sun, as splendid as it is, is a mere created object, and is therefore certainly less radiant than the divine splendor, and less beautiful than the glory of the God Who fashioned it. It consequently follows that the bodies of the saints—suffused with this glory of God—will surpass the beauty and radiance of the sun itself.” —Saint Anselm
The great Doctor of the Church and Benedictine monk Saint Anselm has assembled one of the greatest books ever written on heaven. Relying on his profound insights from prayer and his deep love for Sacred Scripture, Anselm systematically describes various aspects of the happiness of heaven: the beauty of the bodies of the blessed, the velocity of the glorified bodies of the saints in heaven, the strength of the blessed, the pleasures of heaven, and much more. At the same time, Saint Anselm does not shy away from the reality of hell and its unending torments. Nothing spurs the soul to repentance like the thought of being eternally separated from God.
To obtain our celestial homeland, Saint Anselm instructs the reader to meditate daily on the day of judgment and the blessings of heaven. Saint Anselm, who later became the archbishop of Canterbury, exhorts the faithful to daily conversion and heartfelt prayers. It is a book that will make you long for heaven with all your heart and slowly detach you from this world, where “the pleasures, joys, and honors of this mortal life are but brief and ephemeral.”
Hardcover,
The Mother of Sorrows is the woman of the interior life who leads us to the Master of the interior life, the Man of Sorrows. There is no better way to contemplate the passion of Christ than through the eyes of Mary, she who loved Him above everything, she who loved Him with a mother’s heart, and she who stood firmly when everyone else fled.
Hardcover, 162 pages
by Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Fulton J. Sheen turned his voice and pen to many subjects during the course of a long and remarkable apostolate. But nothing was closer to the heart of his message than bringing the words of Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother to bear on the problems of modern life and the modern world. In this book, Archbishop Sheen explores the connection between the seven words spoken by Mary in the Gospels, and the seven last words of Jesus on the Cross. Fulton Sheen was unparalleled in his ability to combine theology, devotion, and the profoundest reflections on the central events of the Christian narrative. Displayed here in full are the literary and rhetorical skills of one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century. Sheen’s meditations will slake the spiritual thirst of all who desire a fuller understanding of the Gospels and seek to draw closer to Christ and Mary.
Paperback, 80 pages
Also available in Hardcover on request (additional cost)
by Fr Benedict Baur
n this exceptional book, Fr. Baur shows you how to develop a well-formed conscience, properly confess your sins, and develop a firm, practical purpose of amendment. He also shares how to make a meticulous examination of conscience and daily examen, and offers methods for compiling a detailed inventory of your sins. Moreover, Father provides a reflection on the most common sins of omission that lead many to fall into dangerous self-righteous dispositions.
Most importantly of all, Fr. Baur reveals what is really meant by "Christian perfection" and how to attain it in this life. He describes concrete ways to grow in knowledge of self, acquire the strength to uproot sins, and conquer self-love. You’ll deepen your spiritual life measurably as you learn how to:
- Focus on the root causes of sin and surmount sins that you habitually commit
- Overcome thoughts and impulses that are occasions of sin
- Detect when you are becoming lukewarm and promptly revive your love for God
- Grow in reverential love for God and conform your life to His will
- Atone for the temporal punishment due to sin - now, before Purgatory
With clarity and wisdom, Fr. Baur explains why your conscience is holy and must therefore be obeyed. He conveys how frequent Confession increases sanctifying grace in your soul, gives glory to God, and brings healing, joy, and fulfillment. An invaluable resource, this book will enrich your sacramental life and inspire you to greater charity for your neighbor. It will also move you to more frequent and fervent reception of Holy Communion.
Paperback, 256 pages
by Fr Patrick Troadec
"One cannot think about the Eucharist without thinking about the Blessed Virgin Mary, because if she had not pronounced her fiat, we would not have the Holy Eucharist. It is because she gave her fiat that today we have the joy and the happiness of possessing Our Lord Jesus Christ in our tabernacles and on our altars. So, let us ask the Most Blessed Virgin Mary to give us this love that she so admired in her Son Jesus." - Archbishop Lefebvre on the Joyful Mysteries
This little book collects the thoughts of Archbishop Lefebvre and uses them to deepen our understanding of the mysteries of the Faith contained in the Rosary. The tone of the Archbishop is thoughtful, pleasant, and easy to read. Each mystery is described, followed by an instructional lesson with the corresponding virtue of the mystery to be imitated in our daily lives.
If you are seeking a better understanding of the Rosary, to integrate this prayer into your daily schedule, or to develop a deeper level of Faith through the study of its mysteries, this book is for you.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 136 pages
In this masterful collection, St. Francis speaks to every soul on the riches to be gained from suffering trials and temptations, the advantages we can draw from our own defects, and how to choose and carry the best crosses. Also included are uplifting passages on suffering sadness, or what we would now call depression.
Readers of Consoling Thoughts on Trials of an Interior Life will experience firsthand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.
From the thousands of personal letters by St. Francis de Sales comes this short, practical guide that will develop in you the soul-nourishing habits that lead to sanctity.
St. Francis de Sales is widely regarded as one of the greatest spiritual advisors in the history of the Church, and we have drawn from his letters the wisest advice for those prepared to take the next step on their spiritual journey.
As he did for saints and sinners in his own time, St. Francis de Sales will strengthen your resolve, help you gain small victories over unruly passions, and restore in you a trusting confidence in Jesus Christ. Soon you’ll find yourself delivered from the chains of self-love as your soul opens to divine goodness and your heart shaped into a fitting place for Christ to dwell and reign eternally.
If you find it difficult to live amid the clamour of the world with your eyes fixed on Christ alone, let St. Francis de Sales teach you how to live as a true rose among thorns as you learn . . .
- What to do when you stop finding consolation during prayer
- How to place yourself in the presence of God
- How busy people should pray
- Do you fear vice more than you love virtue? A guide to discernment
- How to be patient with your family
- The dangers of too many devotions
- How to know when your feelings are from God or the devil
- What to do about repeated spiritual dryness
- The three things you must do to be at peace
- How to avoid thoughts that give us anxious and restless minds
Absorb the wisdom in these holy pages, and you’ll soon make true progress on your spiritual journey and navigate with confidence the treacherous waters of our secular world.
“A man who prays lives out the mystery of existence, and a man who does not pray scarcely exists.” Thus writes St. Charbel Makhlouf (1828–1898), a Maronite monk and priest from Lebanon whose reputation for sanctity spread widely during his life, and whose heavenly intercession has worked countless miracles after his death. St. Charbel’s homilies and proverbs are reminiscent of the sayings of the Desert Fathers: simple, homespun, and direct, yet shining and profound.
This holy monk speaks from a reservoir of silence about the fundamentals of the Faith and targets the temptations facing all Christians today: the flight from suffering, excessive attachment to comforts, pride over accomplishments, complacency, factiousness, substituting talk for action, fear of proclaiming the truth in an age of hostile unbelief. Alert to the reality of spiritual warfare, St. Charbel calls each one of us to hold fast to the Cross, “the center of the universe and the key to heaven,” and defy the devil who seeks our ruin. This collection of some of the most beautiful words spoken by St. Charbel is augmented by a short biography that will bring him to the attention of those who have not yet made his acquaintance or profited from his wisdom.
Sister Josefa Menéndez was born into a devoutly Catholic family in Madrid, Spain on February 4, 1890. Endowed with an aptitude for prayer and drawn to the religious life from childhood, she first had to support her povertystricken family as a dressmaker. In spite of many hardships her desire to completely offer herself to God never wavered. She left Spain in 1920 to enter a French monastery of the Society of the Sacred Heart, where she became a Coadjutrix Sister. In the convent she received numerous private revelations that gave her a distinguished place among visionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She died a holy death on December 29, 1923.
The Way of Divine Love is the definitive record of Sister Menéndez’s life and the heavenly messages that she received. It is one of the most complete chronicles of an individual’s extraordinary mystical experiences in the history of the Church. Despite many trials in her daily life, she recorded everything that she received from heaven as faithfully as possible, including her incredibly detailed visions of the Passion of Christ.
Everything in Josefa’s life is grace giving and profoundly moving. Her writings and her life confirm each other, as evidence that all that took place in her was divine in origin. Even the most extraordinary happenings have an aim and significance. There are no unessential details, no record of revelations that do not bring out in clearer light and force some dogmatic truth, giving us deeper insight into the Heart of Our Lord, His love, the value of souls, the happiness of heaven, the irreparable loss of the damned.
Binding: Leather hardback
Pages: 584
Edited by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD
Paperback, 92 pages
By Anne Catherine Emmerich
First Beginnings commences with the visionary’s account of Creation, the Fall of the Angels, the formation of the Earth and Paradise, and the mysterious Mountain of the Prophets. The second part presents Adam and Eve, the Trees of Life and Knowledge, the Fall of Humankind, the Promise of the Redeemer, Cain and Abel, the Children of God, the Giants, Enoch, Noah, the Tower of Babel, and such ancient figures as Hom, Jamshid, Nimrod, Derketo, Semiramis, and Melchizedek, concluding with Job. The third part offers fascinating new insights into the lives and missions of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Paperback, 192 pages
Also available in hardcover on request (additional cost)
By Dom Prosper Guéranger
The 19th century background of France during which time Dom Prosper Guéranger classic work, The Liturgical Year, appeared is fundamental to understand the importance of this multi-volumes set.
France was going through such a continuous series of political, social and ecclesiastical upheavals from 1789 (the French Revolution) up to the 20th century that one wonders how it was able to maintain its sanity. The governments changed no less than six times within that period. These wars, revolutions and depressions plagued the French people. And the Church suffered much during and after the French Revolution so that direction was needed to bring it back on track. Seeing the suffering and depression of the French Catholic Church and her people, Dom Guéranger began writing his monumental work in 1841. He died in 1875 after writing nine volumes.
The remaining volumes were completed by another Benedictine under Dom Guéranger's name. Dom Guéranger's belief was that the Mass and the cycle of the Church s year could help restore what had been forsaken. Indeed, one can say that the mission of Dom Guéranger was to restore the more than thousand-year tradition of Christianity and its forgotten riches which were abandoned during the French Revolution and its aftermath. He began in post-revolutionary France by founding the 1st Benedictine community in 1836. In 1841 he began the Liturgical Year to bring back Catholic culture and consequently Western Civilization by turning to the Catholic Mass which is the source of all graces and the soul of Catholic worship. His commentaries, explanations and historical observations as contained in this work are profound, devotional and instructive. Each Mass during the entire Church’s yearly cycle is analyzed and explained in simple terms so as to make the reader appreciate the vast treasure and importance of that particular Mass during the year. The Introits, Collects, Epistles, Gospels, Offertory prayers, etc. all have appropriate explanations which bring out the richness of the Mass.
Preserving Christian Publications’ reprint of this set is made to last many readings with a durable hardback light-blue binding that is sewn. Each volume is numbered on the spine for the season it covers.
Hardcover