Spiritual Life
Courage To Be Afraid
by Fr. Marie-Dominique Molinié, O.P.
“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, size 9" x 5.8", 226 pages
by Fr. Francis Xavier Lasance
Reprinted from the 1906 edition.. This is a wonderful guide for Catholic young women; filled with many counsels and devotions.
It addresses many of the issues which face girls in their adolescent years. After admonishing the young lady to be a 'child of Mary,' Fr. Lasance builds a 'Maiden's Wreath' combining catechism and virtues with an appropriate flower (lily, rose, etc.). Should the religious state or married life be followed? Chapters discuss both alternatives with an additional section on family life. Extensive traditional devotions (novenas, prayers, etc.) end the book, which also contains detailed information about the Sodality of Mary. A classic, as is the Young Man's Guide.
Paperback, size 6" x 4", 680 pages
God's Loving Care for Men and the Need for Confidence in Almighty God
by Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.
Gives both the deep theological background (Thomistic) and its practical ramifications. Demonstrates an entire way of life based on the firm rock of confidence in God's Providence for us.
Shows how we can have the confidence and joy of the Saints amid the trials of this life. Fr Garrigou-Lagrange shows how non-Catholics often err by presumption by despair.
Paperback, size 8.25" x 5.5", 389 pages
from The Mystical City of God
by Ven. Mary of Agreda
Taken from the ever popular Mystical City of God, this illuminating abridgment describes heretofore unknown mysteries in the life of Our Lady, giving an account of numerous events and miracles in her life, as seen in vision by Venerable Mary of Ágreda. The Divine Life of the Most Holy Virgin describes Our Lady's vital role in many events of Christ's life, from His Infancy through His Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension—plus her life in the early Church, including her miraculous trip to see St. James in Spain, how her body was assumed into Heaven, and much, much more. Particularly revealing are the accounts of how the Angels served Our Lady and of Lucifer's continual warfare against her and against the Catholic Church.
From this book, we can realize something of Our Lady's greatness by learning of the wonderful favors bestowed on her by God, such as infused supernatural knowledge from the moment of her conception, the visible presence of the Angels, the continual Eucharistic presence of Our Lord within her after she received Holy Communion, and her frequent visits to Heaven during her life on earth. In sum, The Divine Life of the Most Holy Virgin gives a whole new appreciation for the greatness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, showing the amazing heights to which God has raised her.
Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, O.I.C., also known as the Abbess of Ágreda, was a Franciscan abbess and spiritual writer, known especially for her extensive correspondence with King Philip IV of Spain and reports of her bilocation between Spain and its colonies in New Spain. She was a noted mystic of her era and received many visions, some of which appear in The Divine Life of the Most Holy Virgin, along with ecstasies.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.4", 385 pages
Doctor of the Church, patron of the press, patron saint of the deaf, and patron of the Archconfraternity of Christian Doctrine. He touched the lives of thousands during his life and his wise and loving counsels have inspired millions since his death. The conversion of thousands of heretics is credited to the examples he showed, which worked miracles of grace wherever he appeared. St. Francis is the Apostle of Cheerfulness and Hope. He was a most holy and faithful priest and bishop. He wrote numerous letters and the book entitled Introduction to the Devout Life, among many other works of rare merit. His writings are uplifting and a breath of fresh air.
Booklet, size 8.3" x 5", 31 pages, Impr 1948
With considerations on the Passion.
Translated from the Italian of St. Alphonsus Liguori by a Catholic Clergyman.
Described in simple language, according to the narration of the Holy Evangelist. This book is filled with the events of Christ’s crucifixion with bible verses placed in appropriate areas for explanation. Also, has many prayers. As you read this unusual book you will feel that you are right there with our Lord and follow Him all the way.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 256 pages
A Story of Christ, Yourself, and Your Job
by Fr. Daniel A. Lord, S.J.
About how a young man, in line to be a surgeon, is forced to quit medical school when his father suffers an untimely death. He hates his job until a walk with a priest makes him think. The story goes on to show that even Jesus, the divine physician, was a hard-working carpenter. “Whatever my job, it’s a good job. Christ the carpenter, help me to do my job as well as you did yours.”
Booklet, size 8.5" x 4.75", 32 page, Impr 1941
by Kevin Vost
Though the controversies and scandals racking the Church today cannot ultimately prevail against it, they have certainly created rifts between believers like never before. Where can we look to rediscover the heart of our Faith so that, as Christ Himself prayed, we might all be one? Almost every pope has declared the answer since 1323 when Pope John XXII named one man the Common Doctor of the Church whose philosophy and approach to truth are to be held in common, cherished, and shared, by all of the Church throughout time St. Thomas Aquinas. Through his unequalled powers of intellect, enhanced by his full embrace of all the Holy Spirits gifts, Thomass writings provide the utterly timeless life lessons we must heed if we, the Church, are to become one in our pursuit of eternal salvation for ourselves and for all men. Here, youll find the twelve essential, eternal life lessons culled from Thomass writings, accompanied by practical ways to implement them in your life.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 304 pages
Purgatory
The Two Catholic Views Of Purgatory Based On Catholic Teaching And Revelations Of Saintly Souls
by Fr. Frederick William Faber
In Purgatory: The Two Catholic Views of Purgatory Based on Catholic Teaching and Revelations of Saintly Souls, Fr. Faber is at it again explaining Catholic doctrine in a clear and engaging manner rare in modern times. Considering the different views Catholics have had about Purgatory over the ages, Fr. Faber asks: What is Purgatory like? Is it almost like Hell? Or is it a place of relative peace and even joy? Emphasizing that Catholicism has no definitive answer for such mysteries, Fr. Faber explores the traditions about this place of God's Mercy that nevertheless involves pain. He bases his discussion on teachings and revelations from saintly souls, including St. Catherine of Genoa's well-known Treatise on Purgatory (available in The Spiritual Doctrine of St. Catherine of Genoa).
As always, Fr. Faber's prowess as a writer and teacher of the Catholic Faith shines admirably. His work is thorough, concise, and, as ever, deeply moving on account of the holiness of his own soul and the beauty of the words that spring from it.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 96 pages
According to St Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica
by Fr. Édouard Hugon, O.P.
How Does God Use Instruments?
"All of these gifts of Fr. Hugon—his supernatural holiness, his deep scholarship, his profound understanding of the mind of St. Thomas, and his aptitude for clear explanations—are on display in Instrumental Causality." - Forward, Fr. Paul Robinson
The contributions of this author to both theology and philosophy cannot be overstated. Instrumental Causality could only have been composed by a master Thomist, because it singles out a particular idea of the Angelic Doctor and then proceeds to find that idea in St. Thomas’s explanations of the supernatural order.
One of the main purposes of the book, is a greater understanding of the Catholic faith. In the tradition of Catholic theology, it has always been the practice to manifest its compatibility with reason. The procedure begins with two fixed points: on the one hand, there is the data of revelation, provided by the Magisterium, Tradition, and Scripture; on the other hand, there is the data of reality. The one is known by the authority of the Church, the other is known by reason, especially in its philosophical exercise.
Fr. Hugon wants to make use of theological explanations as the best means to the end of the contemplation of God. He wants to use the most solid bridge available between reason and faith, he finds it in St. Thomas’s Summa, and he explains a particular aspect of that bridge in this work. The bridge that is being highlighted in this book is that of instrumental causality.
Fr. Hugon gets to the bottom of the way that instruments work. Fr. Hugon believes that, once we have understood from reality what an instrument is and how it works—and understood it deeply by means of philosophical reflection—we can then apply the notion of ‘instrument’ to certain mysteries of our faith. In doing so, we are making an analogy between instrument as we know it and instrument as found in the supernatural order. Insofar as our analogy is successful, it enlightens our mind as to how God works in the supernatural order, and so also as to who God is in Himself.
After explaining the notion of instrument Fr. Hugon spends the rest of the book applying that notion analogically to these mysteries of the supernatural order:
- Scriptural inspiration wherein God inspires a sacred author to write and so uses that author as an instrument
- Our Lord’s humanity, God’s supreme instrument, which He used as a physical cause of miracles during Our Lord’s life, and uses as a physical cause of every grace that is given to souls, up to the present day
- The sacraments and priests which God uses as physical instruments for the conferral of grace
- Miracles, which God sometimes works without using any creature as an instrument, but which He often likes to work using His saints as instruments, in their actions or words, or even inanimate creatures, such as the water of Lourdes
- The Blessed Virgin Mary who, as we know, is the Mediatrix of all graces, and, as such, might very well be used by God as a physical, instrumental cause of those graces, and not merely a moral cause who simply asks for those graces
This way that theology bears its supernatural fruit. It is meant to lead to a contemplation of God Himself. It can only do so by drawing analogies between what we know of the created order through reason and what we know of the supernatural order through revelation. In this book, Fr. Hugon is providing us with an ample and beautiful subject for theological reflection—God’s love for using instruments in the supernatural order.
This book belongs in the home of every aspiring theologian, philosopher, and ardent Catholic looking to grow his Faith through deeper contemplation of the eternal mysteries of God and Causality.
Clothbound hardcover, size 9.25" x 6.25", 168 pages
Sermons of the Cure of Ars
For the Sundays and Feasts of the Year
by St John Vianney
Reprint of the 1901 edition of St. John Vianney’s Sermons! These sermons cover all the Sundays of the Year and all the principal feasts, combined with a few of the greater saints. It is almost 400 pages and unabridged from the original.
- Easy to read layouts with large font;
- Beautiful dropcaps and floral effects
- Balanced margins that provides an easy reading experience
This edition has all 85 of the extant sermons of St. John Vianney, and several additional sermons distributed to cover all the Sundays of the Year as well as the principal feasts (as they were in 1901). There is a lot more here to find spiritual nourishment.
This wonderful work by the patron of parish priests should be in every home!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 424 pages
Also available in Hardcover upon request (additional cost)
by Archbishop Alban Goodier
The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by bishop Goodier, takes the subject of Christ’s life from the coming of John the Baptist until his last day before Palm Sunday and the beginning of His passion.
In this work Goodier sets out not merely to write another life of Christ or follow the mold of a devotional work or a scientific analysis but to transcend both to apply logic and reason combined with Catholic faith to understand who Jesus was, and what was the impact of his public life, what was it like for those there, what did his disciples and enemies think?
Goodier’s text is descriptive, lucid, and original, not being loaded up with quotes from other authors. Moreover, it is entirely faithful to the text of the Gospels and harmonizes the four narratives into one account spanning the three years of Christ’s public life before His passion.
The second volume continues where the first left off in Our Lord’s life and continues the same original commentary and discussion all the way to passion week. The wonderful thing of Bishop Goodier’s narrative is that it does not make use of secondary sources or copious quotes, rather he simply quotes the Scriptures and organizes the teaching of the Gospels into the sequential occurrence of events. If you want to know more about our Lord and understand the places he is going to, what he is doing and why, this is the perfect work. The new edition includes wonderful depictions of events from Renaissance art.
2 volumes Hardcover, size 9.5" x 6.25', 540 pages Vol 1, 612 pages Vol 2
Twenty Poems of Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity with Passages from Bl Dom Columba Marmion, OSB
by Bl Elizabeth of the Trinity
translated by Alan Bancroft
New and vivid translations of the twenty poems by Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity that were published in the Souvenirs shortly after her death in 1906. Accompanying each poem is a selected passage from Abbot Marmion, also newly translated. The editor and translator, Alan Bancroft, shows how strikingly the writings of the celebrated Benedictine Blessed Columba Marmion (beatified in 2000) and those of the young French Carmelite interlock. Elizabeth Catez, beatified in 1984, loved God with an astonishing intensity. These translations - of poems mainly unpublished before in English - together with a discerning introduction present to the reader an out-of-the-ordinary person indeed. She (like Abbot Marmion) answers in a direct manner a central question facing us all: 'What is our existence for?' Alan Bancroft is well known for his accomplished verse translation of, and commentary on, poems of St Therese of Lisieux.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 204 pages
Avoiding Bitterness In Suffering
by Dr Ronda Chervin
When Ronda Chervin’s son, Charles, ended his own life, he did so believing that it is pointless to endure inevitable suffering. In the wake of Charles’s death, Dr. Chervin set out to discover some of the most basic — but all too often misunderstood — answers to why God allows us to suffer, and how we can bear it with perseverance and hope.
She shares her discoveries in these pages, helping you understand that while there is no escape from pain, pain itself is the road into the heart of Christ where peace can be found.
You’ll be given encouragement and practical advice as you explore afflictions such as failure, fear, frustration, loneliness, loss, marital problems, physical pain, fatigue, and temptation.
Dr. Chervin explains each affliction in detail and offers reflections on the lives of saints who suffered from the very same cross. Throughout each chapter you’re given practical suggestions on how you can meet Christ in your particular pain.
You’ll draw wisdom from the lives and writings of saints who were addicted, depressed, exhausted, raped, and unhappily married. And among these saints, you’ll discover within their responses a pattern that you can ponder and imitate.
Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering will bring courage and hope that in Christ and in communion with his saints, you can — and will — triumph over every kind of adversity. You’ll also learn:
- How you can overcome the pain associated with loneliness and isolation.
- Five ways to overcome doubts about the Faith.
- Four steps to liberation from the suffering of indecision.
- Five ways to meet Christ in the suffering of exploitation.
- What St. Benedict teaches us about failure – and how it changed the world.
- How to cope with failure and poverty.
- Five ways you can transform fear into trust in Christ.
- How you can turn frustrations and anger into a Christian spirit.
- How you can respond in a holy way to marital discord, demanding spouses, physical abuse, psychological abuse, abandonment, and rage.
- Four ways you can turn to Christ in times of temptation.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 243 pages
by Archbishop Alban Goodier
The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by bishop Goodier, takes the subject of Christ’s life from the coming of John the Baptist until his last day before Palm Sunday and the beginning of His passion.
In this work Goodier sets out not merely to write another life of Christ or follow the mold of a devotional work or a scientific analysis but to transcend both to apply logic and reason combined with Catholic faith to understand who Jesus was, and what was the impact of his public life, what was it like for those there, what did his disciples and enemies think?
Goodier’s text is descriptive, lucid, and original, not being loaded up with quotes from other authors. Moreover, it is entirely faithful to the text of the Gospels and harmonizes the four narratives into one account spanning the three years of Christ’s public life before His passion.
The second volume continues where the first left off in Our Lord’s life and continues the same original commentary and discussion all the way to passion week. The wonderful thing of Bishop Goodier’s narrative is that it does not make use of secondary sources or copious quotes, rather he simply quotes the Scriptures and organizes the teaching of the Gospels into the sequential occurrence of events. If you want to know more about our Lord and understand the places he is going to, what he is doing and why, this is the perfect work. The new edition includes wonderful depictions of events from Renaissance art.
2 volumes Paperback, size 9.5" x 6.25', 540 pages Vol 1, 612 pages Vol 2
The Wonders of Divine Love
by Fr Fredrick William Faber
This book stands as the source and origin of all Fr. Faber's other writings, for it contains the fundamental insight which leads to a proper understanding of our religion. Fr. Faber says men in the modern era accept God s existence, but deny His sovereignty in practice. Though composed in mid-19th century, this book is absolutely on target today, for man s tendency to arrogate to himself the prerogatives of God, although strong in Fr. Faber s time, is epidemic today. A real eye-opener!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 376 pages
Before the Blessed Sacrament
by Fr. Frederick A. Reuter, KCBS
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is not only the greatest devotion for individual members of the Church, it is also the supreme action of the Church—for the Sacrament of the Eucharistic liturgy is the Sacrifice of God Himself. What the Lord offers us daily in this Most Blessed Sacrament is unspeakably glorious, salutary, and magnificent; it is, as the Second Vatican Council's document Sacrosanctum Concilium says, the "source" and "summit" of the Christian life. Therefore, veneration of the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord is not only extremely beneficial to us; it also very likely may turn out the means of our salvation.
In Moments Divine, find powerful, piercing meditations, devotions, and stories related to the Blessed Sacrament and Its adoration. Suitable for private devotion and Holy Hours made with Our Lord, each of the 30 chapters here contains:
- True Stories
- Various Prayers
- An Act of Contrition
- A Sacred Heart Reading
- A Spiritual Communion
- And so much more...
As Archbishop Fulton Sheen would say, if Faith is alive, no other justification to adore the Blessed Sacrament is needed than that it is the Lord Himself present with us. Nothing can compare to spending time with God; for, if and when we get to Heaven, we will already know Him as intimately there as in our moments divine here on earth.
Deluxe soft leatherette, size 5.5" x 4", 338 pages, Impr.
A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life from St Catherine of Siena
compiled by John McClernon
This deluxe book contains a collection of hundreds of direct quotes and short sayings of St. Catherine of Siena, carefully arranged by the major virtues of the Christian life. The quotes are arranged and classified by the virtues represented in the 15 decades of the Rosary. The Rosary mysteries provide us a mosaic of virtues for the spiritual life, a ladder for advancing in holiness and in the love of God.
Hardcover, size 6.75" x 4.7", 188 pages
Thus, in this wonderful meditation book, perfect for Lent, or any time of the year, the great spiritual writer and monk gives profound, short reflections on Gospel passages about the passion and death of Christ. Each chapter, focusing on a specific aspect of the Passion of Our Lord, gives a prayer, a meditation and spiritual advice and closes with another short prayer.
Very much in the same style as his The Imitation of Christ, this book covers the entire Passion, and makes great spiritual reading for anyone. Illustrated.
Paperback, 168 pages