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Sacrament Of Confession
$12.95Add to cartThe seven sacraments are the principal channels of God’s grace to His Mystical Body, the Church. Among these is one that washes us of sin and restores us to friendship with God. All this is accomplished by this one sacrament, this excellent channel of God’s grace: Confession.
Here is the single volume you need to guide you through making a good Confession and fruitful reparation thereafter. You’ll learn the numerous monumental advantages that frequent Confession brings to your soul as well as the steps to obtaining plenary indulgences for the remission of punishment due to sin.
But first, you’ll learn how to perform an effective examination of conscience based on the Ten Commandments and the traditional teaching of the Church. You will then discover not only common pitfalls in the spiritual life but also techniques for developing your spiritual life and aligning your will with God’s will.
Specifically, in this short volume, Fr. Perez’s wisdom will lead you to understand:
*Why the sacrament of Confession is not only useful but necessary for you and for all Christians
*How Confession cleanses you from sin and refreshes your soul
*Why a good Confession is more meritorious than therapy
*What is meant by perfect contrition and the means by which it is attained
*How Confession is invalidated by withholding a mortal sin or omitting the penance
*Tips for making your Confession prudent, honest, and brief
Also featured are prayers to help you prepare for Confession and to meditate upon after Confession. The handy manual includes accessible lists of the precepts of the Church, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, the beatitudes, and the theological and cardinal virtues.
Due to Original Sin and concupiscence, we are born with a tendency to sin. Thankfully, God does not abandon us in this battle but provides us with this necessary means of salvation and healing. Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen often decries the massive resources people spent on psychologists when a good, thorough confession would have been much more efficacious–and free!
Your fidelity in receiving the sacrament of Confession will fortify your soul, open your heart to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and help repair our Church and our world.
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They Are Living In Chains
$18.95Add to cartIn the West African country of Benin – the birthplace of Voodoo – witches, “healers,” and charms are common and a way of life for many. Yet those who suffer from mental illness are nearly universally perceived as being possessed demonically and are thus objects of shame, disgust, and terror. In fact, most are chained to trees and treated like animals.
One man, however, travels all over West Africa to find those “unclean” people who have been disowned by their families and thrown out onto the streets. With love and affection, he gives them a home, medical treatment, and mental care.
In this gripping memoir, Gregoire Ahongbonon recounts his journey from a simple garage owner to a beacon of hope to the homeless and mentally ill of West Africa. You’ll learn how a succession of life trials and hardship brought him to the brink of suicide — and how God intervened and set his life on a new and valiant course.
You’ll journey with Gregoire through war zones, stonings, and near-death experiences as he swims against the cultural tide to care for those shunned by society. You’ll come to understand the dire poverty that grips this part of the world, as well as the horrific damage that widely held superstitions inflict on societies.
Best of all, you’ll be inspired by the real-life miracles performed through Gregoire’s efforts, demonstrating that God is actively engaged in our world and ready to work through those who care for His children.
Despite financial destitution and overwhelming obstacles, Gregoire has established 79 institutions in Africa that have helped more than 100,000 people. Few stories offer such a stirring, real-life example of courage, and fewer still provide such exhilaration over what can be accomplished when one follows God’s will.
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Finding Happiness In A Complex World
$18.95Add to cartWhy, since happiness is so universally sought after, are so many people so miserable? The answer can be found by unpacking the wisdom of two of history’s intellectual giants who set out to answer the question that has confounded man from time immemorial: What makes us happy?
Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas existed sixteen centuries apart, yet each reached similar understandings about what makes a person happy and what makes him miserable. In these enlightening pages, Dr. Charles Nemeth synthesizes the judgments of history’s two greatest thinkers to present for you a life plan that inevitably leads to a happy human existence, whatever your ethnicity, religion, or citizenship.
You will explore what it means to be happy and will come to understand the limitations of happiness. You’ll learn how to live in accordance with your basic nature so that your inclinations will not conflict with that which makes you flourish. And you’ll calibrate your compass so that you will be able to navigate your way into a state of life that makes you truly happy.
Moreover, you’ll discover why happiness is obtained through action and not mere desire and why wealth and fame do not — and cannot — buy happiness. You’ll also learn why the body, despite providing avenues for sensory and intellectual pleasure, is incapable of providing true happiness.
Strikingly, none of the suggestions in this book have ever been shown to be flawed. These timeless recommendations for a happy life never go out of favor and never change. Instead, they remain a constant, permanent, universal set of criteria on how to achieve a happy existence.
You’ll also learn:
*The benefits of moderation, sensibility, and equilibrium
*The source of ultimate happiness and the means to attain it
*The formula for fostering contentment — what to strive for and what to avoid
*The essence of true goodness, happiness, and beauty
*Human excellence and different levels of happinessWith this Rosetta stone of a book, you will find solutions to fortify your soul and bring you peace. You will be equipped with a new sense of direction, hope, and healing that will guide you closer to lasting happiness.
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Wise Men Who Found Christmas
$17.95Add to cartFinally, the True, Untold Story of the Wise Men…
They were not three kings. Nor were they from the Far East, or even Persia…
In this thrilling, visual adventure capturing the wonder of the Christmas season, New York Times bestselling author Raymond Arroyo shares the true, hidden story of the mysterious Magi, who risked everything to discover the truth. Based on new historical evidence, The Wise Men Who Found Christmas is the miraculous, untold tale of three seekers who followed a star and found themselves in the middle of the greatest story ever told. Stunningly illustrated by Diane Le Feyer, this enchanting family keepsake is sure to become part of your Christmas tradition – and a reminder that chasing truth is often the greatest adventure of all.
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Journey To Mount Carmel:
$17.95Add to cartThe Brown Scapular holds a special place in the devotional life of the faithful. It is neither jewelry, a sentimental religious article, nor a vain token of superstition. Rather, it is a silent prayer, a gift from our Heavenly Mother that draws us to the Sacred Heart of her Divine Son.
A simple pairing of two pieces of cloth with ribbon, wearing the scapular is a declaration that you have put on Christ and are seeking to follow His way in imitation of Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Although there is no formal preparation for investiture in the Brown Scapular, Fr. Jeffrey Kirby has collected in these pages the Church’s best writings on the subject to prepare you for receiving the scapular and incorporating it into your daily faith practice. Because Baptism is foundational to your consecration and commitment to Jesus Christ, Fr. Kirby centers the reflections in this book on the six baptismal promises in order to heighten and intensify your living out of the baptismal way of life.
A Journey to Mount Carmel will ground you in the spiritual significance of the scapular as a powerful sacramental that draws us closer to the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. Fr. Kirby explains Our Lady’s pivotal role in our salvation from the protoevangelium (“first gospel”) in Genesis to the Paschal mystery in the Gospels, and he reveals the depths of God the Father’s healing love for you and the maternal intercession of Mary in your life. From there you will grasp the protection and blessing Our Blessed Mother offers through the scapular.
Each chapter comprises three parts: preparation, with opening prayers and goals; teachings, which include a compelling real-world story with catechesis and reflection questions; and spiritual exercises, which include a brief reflection about a saint, a guided Lectio Divina meditation, a Rosary meditation, an examination of conscience, and more!
As Fr. Kirby breaks open wisdom from the Bible, Tradition, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you will learn:
*How investiture in the scapular assists you in living out your baptismal promises
*How to grow in Christian discipleship, live as a “small Christ,” and press on toward eternal glory
*Why Carmelite spirituality opens your heart to spiritual freedom and the gift of contemplation
*Ways to nurture the gift of sanctifying grace in your life and actively listen to God
*How to triumph over concupiscence and find rest from the battle by creating “a Carmel
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Taught By 10
$14.95Add to cartRaising ten kids revealed to Dr. Ray Guarendi and his wife, Randi, a lifetime of insightful lessons. Dr. Ray shares his wisdom with clarity and abundant humor, because as any mother or father knows, parenting is too important to be taken too seriously.
With his rich, tenfold experience as a father, Dr. Ray gives guidance that will help you gain confidence toward molding and instructing your own children. Through his many and absorbing anecdotes, you’ll learn how to act with calm authority whether with a disrespectful teen or a tantrum throwing toddler.
Through parenting, Dr. Ray learned to avoid labels and to respect each child’s temperament. He reinforces how with each child you can become a better parent.
You will learn, as did he, to be better able to stand strong in God’s grace and trust in His plan if your children have special needs. You’ll be moved by stories of children who were affected by serious health issues, substance abuse, and unstable foster-care placement.
You’ll also learn:*Why stronger parents, who act more and lecture less, have smoother family lives
*How “the look” is a form of classical conditioning that helps convey authority
*The power of affection to show your children your love/li>
*To present a united front as parents and not be manipulated by your children
*How perseverance and consistency in setting and enforcing expectations pays off
*To resolve (and avoid) conflicts, teach respect and manners, and much moreMost strikingly, you will see God’s providence at work in forming your own family. You will grow in the resolve and wisdom to guide your children when young and give them wings to fly when older.
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Holy Is His Name
$22.95Add to cartCatholics are taught to prize holiness-to admire it in others and to strive for it in their own lives. But we’re never quite told what holiness is. In Holy Is His Name: The Transforming Power of God’s Holiness in Scripture, Scott Hahn seeks to define the term in order to help us better understand our relationship with holiness. Tracing the meaning of holiness first through the Old Testament and then the New, Hahn masterfully reveals how God gradually transmits his holiness to his people-through creation, right worship, and more-and ultimately transforms them through the sharing of his divine life.
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Life Of Christ
$19.95Add to cartWidely regarded, upon its release in Europe in 1941, as a masterpiece and the best biography of Our Lord ever published, Fr. Giuseppe Ricciotti’s Life of Christ is a monumental work in which the author surveys the chronology, history, customs, and geography pertinent to the life of Christ. In dignified and elegant language, Fr. Ricciotti retells the Gospel story in light of modern archaeological, critical, and historical findings.
“It has been my wish to write an exclusively historical and documentary work,” Fr. Ricciotti declared when the book was first published. He succeeded, bringing the entire Gospel to life, vividly and faithfully, in rich detail. Christ’s life is retold with intimacy and reverence, like a story – our story – of salvation.
Fr. Ricciotti details what Our Lord’s life was like from His infancy and childhood through His public ministry, teachings, miracles, Passion, death, and Resurrection. He unpacks the theological significance of each scriptural event – including the three Paschs of Jesus’ life – in light of the Old Testament and the traditions of the time and provides abundant insights to enrich your meditation throughout. Furthermore, he adds dimension and color to key individuals in the life of Jesus, from Our Lady and St. Joseph to St. John the Baptist and the Apostles.
Additionally, you will learn about significant Jewish customs and religious practices, which will illuminate your understanding of how Jesus lived and worshipped. Fr. Riccioti evaluates documents from Flavius Joseph and Roman writers to Christian sources that are not contained in the New Testament. Whether considering the miraculous or the scientific aspects of each mystery, you will see the relevance of these events and how they relate to the concerns of our day, to help you grow in holiness and in imitation of our Lord.
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Jesse Tree : An Advent Devotional
$17.95Add to cartThis Advent, lead your family closer to Christ as you prepare for the Lord’s coming at Christmas. Engage with the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets who are the branches in Jesus’ family tree and come to understand fully how, in Christ, this family history becomes the history of our salvation.
As you explore Jesus’ fascinating ancestry, you’ll see how God’s plan of salvation unfolds from Adam and Eve, through the Old Testament prophets, to the birth of Christ, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the sacraments of the Church. Marvel at the parallels between Adam and Christ, the New Adam; Eve and Mary, the New Eve; the patriarch Joseph and St. Joseph, guardian of the Redeemer; and others.
You will also learn about the rich, faith-building customs surrounding the Jesse Tree throughout the centuries — and how to create your own. The image of a beautiful ornament signifying an important person or event in the Bible is provided for each day. The daily meditation explains the mystery of the ornament that is featured. And extra information is included for families with older children who want to “dig deeper” into the significance of what is foretold.
The devotion in practice takes five to fifteen minutes per day, depending on family needs and style. Each day features the following:
*Full-color ornament with a distinguishing symbol
*Biblical passage or story illustrating the theme
*Brief, engaging meditation with questions for discussion
*Traditional prayer to enrich the devotion
*”Dig Deeper” section for real-life applicationGrow in the wisdom of Solomon! Learn to hear God’s voice like Samuel! Develop the trust of Elijah and the humility of Isaiah! Families will be enthralled as they learn about key biblical figures and discover the reasons for our beliefs, from why God created us to the origins of the Mass and the sacraments.
A key tool for instilling the virtues and strengthening your family’s faith, hope, and love, this Jesse Tree tradition will be passed on in your family for generations to come.
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Gods Plan For Your Marriage
$17.95Add to cartThis life is preparation for eternity, and from the beginning, God created marriage to help married couples become saints. Indeed, God has given to married couples the profound gift of being able to fulfill the purpose of their creation through, with, and in each other. Marriage is a foreshadowing of Heaven, and each married couple must work with God if their marriage is to be a foretaste of eternity.
In this thought-provoking and uplifting book, Fr. Robert Altier unpacks the theological significance of the Sacrament of Marriage and brilliantly explains how it has been a part of God’s plan from the beginning – and will eventually be fulfilled at the Marriage Banquet of the Lamb in Heaven. Teeming with practical wisdom and clear examples, these pages delve into the surpassing dignity of marriage as a covenant and a sacrament – and a call to holiness.
You will learn how the graces and virtues that are conferred in the Sacrament of Marriage transform the unity of the couple – not just in the flesh but in the heart and soul. You’ll learn how to predispose yourself to receive this divine power and, best of all, how to love your spouse more deeply. You will also explore the significance of marriage vows and how men are called to be the spiritual leaders and women are called to be the heart of their families.
Fr. Altier tackles contemporary questions and concerns, such as the real meaning of “being subject to one another in marriage” and those sensitive and controversial issues regarding sexual morality. Arguably one of the most theologically eye-opening books on marriage ever written, this book also explains:
* The definitive reasons why marriage can exist only between a man and a woman
* The characteristics of true love and how to love with heroic charity
* Why you must become vulnerable in love in order to become receptive to love
* How marriage leads to overcoming sinful tendencies and makes saints -
Little Way Of Living With Less
$18.95Add to cartDo your possessions “spark joy”? In our materialistic society, we are often plagued with the slow torture of accumulated stuff, which creates disharmony, prevents us from living in the present moment, and keeps us from setting our eyes upon Heaven. The Little Way of Living with Less is a spiritual journey guided by St. Therese of Lisieux toward a “less is more” manner of living. It shares one couple’s effort to downsize, declutter, and detach — and the challenge of growing in virtues that is associated with this process. Indeed, this book serves as a practical antidote to the consumerism and commodification of daily home life today.
Through the words and example of the Little Flower, you will find peace, joy, and security as you learn how to overcome disorder — whether physical, mental, or spiritual. St. Therese will help form you in single-mindedness to complete the ordinary with extraordinary, selfless love, and you’ll soon find yourself becoming intentional about making God the center of your life and your home.
Best of all, you will discover that “everything is grace” (St. Therese) and will begin thanking God for your many blessings and experiencing His miraculous favors with greater mindfulness. Inspired by the Little Way, you will more confidently seek the things above and “choose all” in holiness. Let “the greatest saint of modern times” show you how to:
*Let go of clutter, unhealthy habits, vices, and sin
*Simplify your life and manage fear and anxiety
*Create order, beauty, and vibrancy in your home
*Detach from the world, cultivate poverty of spirit, and attain Heaven
*Find the happiness and gratitude that come from within
*Become humble and small, trusting in the mercy of GodBy living an integrated life that is free of materialistic pleasures, you will develop the freedom of a child of God to abandon yourself to the Father’s will. Enter into the Heart of Jesus and make room in your heart to experience the wonders of His love!
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Exorcism Files : True Stories Of Demonic Possession
$18.95Add to cartDrawing from his extensive experience in assisting with cases of demonic oppression and possession, in The Exorcism Files, Adam Blai presents readers with enlightening true stories and traces their causation. Whether people provided a gateway through Ouija boards, tarot cards, Reiki, Yoga, or martial arts, Blai reports from firsthand observation how they were lured into the occult.
Blai also recounts shocking cases of participation in covens and cults under the guise of knowledge, empowerment, and liberation. This is sometimes accompanied by crimes and hauntings, which Blai also documents. An essential guide for our time, The Exorcism Files reveals numerous striking truths about the supernatural, including:
*The key signs of diabolic possession – and how they differ from those of oppression
*How dabbling in the occult opens the door to evil
*Why the devil most intently attacks priestly and religious vocations
*How evil can manifest itself in physical objects or symptoms
*Why only priests, with their bishops’ permission, should perform the old solemn rite of exorcism
*How engaging in mind control and ghost hunting is flirting with evil
Blai demonstrates that there is a supernatural enemy in this world who is trying to destroy us. Our defenses are the Precious Blood of Jesus, the sacraments of the Catholic Church, Holy Scripture, and Church Tradition.
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Mystery Of Divine Love
$14.95Add to cartHave you ever longed for a soul-enriching personal retreat with a spiritual master that you could experience in the comfort and privacy of your own home?
Well, your wait is over, because this extraordinary volume by the Theologian of the Pontifical Household, Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P., aspires to nothing less than giving you intimate “eye contact” with God.
In his deeply penetrating and engaging style, Fr. Giertych reveals how to cultivate the theological and moral virtues in your daily life. He describes faith as a spark plug: “Every time we make an act of faith, the supernatural life is triggered; there is the ignition of the supernatural life, and power comes out of Jesus.” Miracles happen, he attests, when we show faith – like the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak, and His heart, with her belief and was healed of a hemorrhage.
You will learn how to pray in faith each time you pray, even when your faith has been challenged. You will also learn how to go beyond intellectual reasoning and experience and how to nourish the supernatural quality of faith. You will see how a mustard seed of faith can lead to contemplative prayer and communion with Jesus and will learn ways to introduce children to contemplative prayer.
This book reveals how to demonstrate authentic love in marriage and how to regard sexuality as an expression of charity, regardless of your vocation. It relates how to foster a pure faith, free of “mental contraceptives” that block the life of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, it clarifies the connection between faith and reason and their role in Catholic social ethics.
Best of all, Fr. Giertych explains how Christ shows us the “Face of the Father” and His paternal heart. In His divine mercy, Jesus pours His power out through us. In this radiance, you will view different aspects of the virtue of hope – how to rekindle it in your life and share it with the world. These pages also illustrate how:
The regular practice of contemplative prayer draws an outpouring of God’s grace upon us
We’re made holy and learn to encounter the mysterious presence of God by “the struggle” of faith
Surrendering our lives in trustful offering to God brings Him joy and frees us of discouragement
We can learn to be “a child before God” and thereby grow in receptivity to the Holy Spirit and receive healing
We can “borrow” divine love, like St. Therese, and thus quench God’s thirst and nourish others
St. Thomas Aquinas defines the essence
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Sins Of Parents
$18.95Add to cartIf you’re tired of modern psychobabble and are looking for practical advice and spiritual solutions to bring healing to your marriage and your family, this book is for you.
In this spiritual classic, Fr. Doyle explains the primary purpose of marriage – procreation and education of children – and offers advice on how to revive the true essence of a loving relationship. He will guide you in how to cultivate a home with faith and a nurturing temper so that your family may lead holy, happy, and healthy lives.
Also found in these pages is priceless wisdom about child-rearing that “may spell the difference between being an affectionate and well-loved parent, or a complete failure.” Fr. Doyle relates how parents sometimes confuse spoiling their children with providing them with love. He further notes the authentic needs, rights, and privileges of children. His insights have made the difference between happy, fruitful families and broken, debilitated families for more than seventy years.
God warned Moses that the “sins of our fathers” would create generational family dysfunction. Our civilization is reaping the fruits of easy divorce and poor marriage formation. In these pages, you will learn about the root causes behind parental sins of omission and commission, as well as the effects of abandonment, divorce, remarriage, and split families. Fr. Doyle examines their aftermath in youth who suffer from drug addiction, alcoholism, promiscuity, obesity, and crime, along with an amalgam of physical, emotional, and mental-health issues.
Through Scripture, classical reasoning, popular culture, real-world stories, and historical examples, Fr. Doyle addresses a broad array of topics. He evaluates the indissolubility of marriage and emphasizes why it is imperative that we restore a culture of life.
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Written In Stone
$14.95Add to cartWho Said This? “The Ten Commandments are . . . unsuited and inadequate to modern needs.”
The answer is the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (Man and Superman) – but it could have been any number of modern-day skeptics.
The once “shocking” views of such skeptics are now held by countless millions and sustained by unceasing propaganda from Hollywood, public schools, the government, and the pervasive media. The result? A widespread moral meltdown, unprecedented in human history, whose catastrophic consequences are just beginning to be felt and fully understood.
The good news is there is hope. But the hour is even later than when Fr. P. J. Gannon spelled out our stark choices some sixty-five years ago:
“Humanity has really two courses open to it – to get back to clear thinking and right moral principles, or to continue its perilous drift toward the abyss.”
Those “right moral principles” derive from the very Decalogue spurned by elites, past and present, argues Fr. Gannon, who was one of Ireland’s foremost preachers and delivered these essays as sermons to packed Dublin churches in the 1930s. He shows how the Commandments, as interpreted by the Catholic Church, provide solid answers to a wide range of moral and social questions and why the widespread flouting of any one of them brings disastrous results for the whole of society. Fr. Gannon explores critical, compelling topics, including:
Why modern morality makes sin virtuous and virtues sinful
Why non-Christian “spirituality” soon collapses into atheism
Why true liberty cannot and does not exist outside Christian tradition
How to form youth in authenticCatholic teaching in the midst of a spiritual maelstrom
When revolution is justified – and when it is not
How societies that exalt unfettered personal freedom inevitably degenerate into tyrannies
Can a soldier take his own life to prevent vital information from falling into enemy hands?
Can a woman jump from a high window to escape a pursuing attacker?
How modern conventions of speech have muddied the distinction between love and lust
Why the communal ownership practiced by religious communities cannot be the basis of society in general
Why every act of dishonesty is at the expense of the poor – whether the sinner is rich or not
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Christ And The Powers Of Darkness
$17.95Add to cartMake no mistake about it: the father of lies is waging a war against your soul. At the end of your life, it will be either he who has won – or you, through God’s grace.
Here is the book that pulls the curtain back on the devil’s strategies and shows you how to safeguard yourself and your family against his deadly methods.
In this spiritual classic, Fr. Godfrey Raupert unveils the true aim and character of those dangerous forces seeking to destroy your peace and your way of life. You’ll learn how the devil and his fallen angels leverage your natural temperament and disposition in their efforts to inflict damage upon your soul. You’ll also learn why souls are increasingly attacked as they reach higher degrees of sanctity and how your own heroic spiritual efforts can thwart demonic activity.
Armed with revealing examples from the Old Testament to today, Fr. Raupert shows us how the work of evil spirits is stealthy and subtle – so subtle that even their presence and operation are often layers removed and not even suspected. He also shares in chilling detail true cases of exorcisms and house hauntings and what our Lord seeks to teach us through each.
In addition, Father Raupert answers questions such as:
Can evil spirits read our minds?
What is the difference between demonic possession and demonic obsession?
Why does God not use His power to destroy rebellious angels?
What is the difference between false and true mysticism?
Why is spending time alone with God imperative?
What is the most powerful defense against falling prey to the devil?
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Frequent Confession : Its Place In The Spiritual Life
$18.95Add to cartThis is the book you need to discover the significant advantages of frequent Confession and the keys to making each Confession more fruitful. Spiritual master Fr. Benedict Baur quells criticisms of frequent Confession and shares why it is more efficacious for vanquishing sin and repairing the damage due to sin.
In 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 PurgatoryWith 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.
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Gods Of Atheism
$19.95Add to cartAn excellent overview of the Enlightenment theologians/philosophers and how they
try to get us to deny God’s existence, why different forms and/or philosophies of
atheism still involve some ‘higher power’ or deified ideal of perfection.This eye-opening book provides a detailed overview of the Enlightenment
theologians and philosophers and their attempt to get us to deny God’s existence. Fr.
Miceli demonstrates that atheism’s vigor arises from its creation of mythical gods
in place of the true God. When the atheist has a spiritual posture against God he
is simultaneously posturing in preference for some other Being above God. As he
dismisses the true God he is welcoming his New God. Why must this be so? Because
every personal commitment of man presupposes, deep in the metaphysical core of
his being, a hunger for being and goodness.The aim of this work is to indicate that the great sin of contemporary atheism is that
it consists, through a sustained act of Supreme Self-Will, a narcissistic adoration and
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Struggles In The Spiritual Life
$18.95Add to cartTo navigate through the inevitable desolation and dryness that we experience in our
spiritual lives, Fr. Timothy Gallagher here helps you apply St. Ignatius of Loyola’s
Rules for Discernment to your own spiritual life.He’ll help you determine whether you are experiencing non-spiritual desolation, such
as burnout or depression, or spiritual desolation, such as the Dark Night of the Soul.
You’ll learn whether your spiritual struggles are due to a lack of formation of prayer,
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Good The Messy And The Beautiful
$15.95Add to cartGod draws spouses closer to the Heavenly marriage through the sanctifying power of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
However, that means it is not always easy, and it certainly is not like what newlyweds may imagine.
In The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful: The Joys and Struggles of Real Married Life, Edward and Beth Sri – national marriage speakers – show readers that the struggles of marriage are to be expected and, even more so, they are purifying us to make us saints.
No marriage is perfect, and neither is the Sri’s. This book is packed full of hilarious and relatable stories from their 20+ years of marriage. From their experience, see helpful tips, mindsets, and reminders of how to live out the beautiful vocation of marriage.
In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, God has an incredible vocation for all for spouses. The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful goes into the nitty-gritty, explaining what to do when reality hits-when the rubber hits the road.
From discussions about:
*Miscommunication
*Healing
*Intimacy
*Gifts
*And moreYou will dive into new depths of the reality of Catholic marriage-from the messy to the beautiful-in this practical, entertaining, and wise book.
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Stages In Prayer
$12.99Add to cartHere’s the spiritual classic that will elevate your prayer life from the “ordinary” to the “supernatural” by exploring and guiding you through the five fundamental stages of prayer.
Contrary to popular belief, true progress in your prayer life is not solely a function of adherence to a fixed set of rules. Rather, it is governed almost entirely by the emerging fruits of your prayer as the Holy Spirit leads you to live a life ever more pleasing to God. Thus, progress in prayer is more of an art than a science. Few Christians become mystics not because few are called but because few figure out how to navigate the stages of prayer and leverage the fruits to achieve union with God.
Fr. Arintero will show you how to progress from simple vocal prayer to the depths of spiritual meditation. You’ll learn how to “travel by foot” when those inevitable moments of dryness in prayer surface, and you’ll learn how to maximize progress in times of deep consolation.
With the writings of Sts. Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis de Sales, and Thomas Aquinas as his touch points, Fr. Arintero explains what is happening to the soul as it begins to enter into union with our Lord, including such manifestations as locutions and intellectual visions. Additionally, you will learn what to expect at each stage of contemplation, as well as the corresponding gifts many receive, such as ecstasies and raptures. Through the wisdom of the mystics, Fr. Arintero unpacks these mysteries and shares insights about:
*The importance of making specific resolutions to grow in virtue
*Why times of both great and light aridity are natural
*How God pours out the gift of wisdom on souls through prayer
*Why attachment to specific methods of prayer can hinder God’s movement
*What distractions in prayer may indicate and how to approach them
*How to prepare yourself for prayer of quiet and infused recollectionYou’ll also receive guidance from the saints and mystics on difficulties in prayer, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, passive and active purgation, and the practice of mental prayer.
There is no authentic active life without a fervent contemplative life. Fr. Arintero will teach you “not to think much but to love much” in prayer. You will glean how to attain peace and joy in God’s presence in this life and the next. By striving to grow in virtue and union with God, you will be emboldened to work for His kingdom and the salvation of souls. Through prayer, your charity will
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Pilgrimage To The Museum
$17.99Add to cartHave you ever visited a museum and found the narrations in the self-guided-tour headsets a bit tedious? Slightly too clinical, perhaps? And have you ever noticed that God is rarely mentioned in art museums these days, unless in a cold, archaeological, “scientific” way? All of that is about to change.
In Pilgrimage to the Museum, author-curator Stephen Auth takes you on a provocative and colorful journey through the history of Western art, interpreted through a lens of profound Christian faith – appropriately so since, in Auth’s view, much of Western art expresses humanity’s search for God, the Divine Artist-Creator.
In this beautifully illustrated voyage, you will experience with Auth and his wife, Evelyn, the ups and downs of man’s determined quest. Leaving all the art-history jargon at the front door, Auth will transport you in his spiritual time machine from Egypt’s Old Kingdom, through Greece and Rome, to medieval Europe; from the age of the Renaissance, through the Ages of Exploration and Enlightenment; and from the rise of atheism in the late 1800s to the seeds of a spiritual rebirth in the modern era. Along the way, you will experience anew the masterpieces of many artists, from Polykleitos to Raphael, Duccio to Rembrandt, Monet to Picasso.
Through the works of these great artists, you will encounter the profound truths that lead many to God and cause many others to wonder. You will discover how various themes and motifs of man’s struggle to find God occur, morph, fade, and then reoccur centuries later. As you laugh, cry, and pray your way through this illuminating voyage, you will emerge refreshed and renewed in your own journey to God- and you will never look at a work of art the same way again.
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Diary Of Saint Gemma
$15.95Add to cartFrom 1899 until her death in 1903, the young Italian woman St. Gemma Galgani physically experienced the wounds of Christ every Thursday evening. The stigmata would appear and bleed on her hands, feet, and side, stopping only on Friday afternoon and leaving white marks as a reminder. St. Gemma also experienced countless visions, raptures, ecstasies, and other mystical graces – as well as intense temptations from the devil.
Here is the remarkable diary of this young saint, which her spiritual director ordered her to write. It will give you an enthralling glimpse into her numerous encounters with Jesus Crucified, with Our Lady, and with her guardian angel, whom she saw almost every day and would even send on errands, usually to deliver messages to her confessor in Rome.
You will witness St. Gemma’s courage in fulfilling even laborious duties while wearing the hidden crown of thorns, and you’ll learn what St. Gabriel Possenti, to whom she was especially devoted, taught her about the connection between bodily illness and spiritual healing. Moreover, St. Gemma will teach you:
*What to do when you are mocked, tormented, or experience powerful temptations
*How to overcome the hesitation to receive Holy Communion due to scrupulosity, dryness, and desolation
*The key to overcoming struggles in prayer
*How to remain faithful during periods of intense suffering
*How obedience will defeat the enemy and help you overcome sinful habits
*How your prayers and small sufferings relieve souls in Purgatory
St. Gemma was a laywoman who lived near Lucca, Italy. She yearned to be a Passionist nun, but her poor health prevented this. Instead, she was mystically espoused to Jesus and faithfully lived out the Passionist spirituality.
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Handbook Of Moral Theology Centenary Edition
$24.95Add to cartFirst published in 1921, Fr. Prummer’s Handbook of Moral Theology was immediately regarded as an international classic. The author’s clarity of vision, precision of expression, and humble fidelity to the traditional Catholic moral framework during a period of social upheaval and increasing doctrinal deviation made his manual the standard reference text for generations of clergy, seminarians, and laity. For those seeking answers to moral questions, the Catholic advice was often “Look it up in Prummer!”
At long last, this centenary edition restores the superb English translation of 1956 in a fresh new typesetting, making Fr. Prummer’s original text much easier to navigate and more pleasant to read. The many citation errors that plagued earlier editions have been painstakingly corrected, and scores of additional citations have been added from Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae, Denzinger’s Enchiridion, and the Roman Catechism ? three of the author’s favorite sources. The topical index has likewise been expanded and now includes technical moral terms of more recent use (such as “double effect”) to allow for more rapid contemporary reference.
After a brilliant introduction to the science of moral theology, part 1 explores the end of man and all aspects of human conduct, and part 2 examines the sacraments and sacramentals and their core importance to the Catholic moral life. These packed pages contain the traditional Catholic moral teachings on:
*Law, conscience, sin, and the passions ? with their respective types, causes, and effects
*Commandments and precepts, how to observe them and recognize their violation
*Divine rights and obligations in Christian family life and civil society
*Excommunication and other penalties
*Indulgences and how to obtain them
*Virtues and vices
*Scandal and moral cooperation in evil
*Right worship, secret societies, private property, capital punishment, sexuality, abortion, war
*And much more!
In our own time of widespread confusion and decay, Fr. Prummer’s Handbook is the definitive and complete Catholic source book of the Church’s moral doctrine as it was received and taught before the laxity and innovations of the last century. Far more than a work of mere historical interest, this surprisingly relevant guide to Christian moral perfection is a treasure that will endure as long as there are souls seeking eternal life.
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Catholic Essentials : A Guide To Understanding Key Church Teachings
$18.95Add to cartFinally, here is a book that provides brief teachings on the basics of the Faith for everyone. Quickly find answers you need to questions on faith, reason, Church governance, Christology, ecclesiology, Apostolic Succession, the Communion of Saints, the precepts of the Church, and much more.
You will learn-and be able to share-the meaning of the sacraments and the Sacred Liturgy, including the importance of Latin in the Mass, and aspects of the awesome mystery that is occurring. You will grow in reverence for the Holy Eucharist through the writings of saints such as Thomas Aquinas and the early Church Fathers.
Fr. Wade describes God’s mercy in a relational way, noting that He manifests His mercy as a gift throughout our lifetime before the inevitability of His justice at our judgment. In addition, Fr. Wade addresses a wide variety of contemporary issues, including:
*Which Church teachings apply to the many unhealthy beliefs promoted in our culture today
*Points of confusion surrounding vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life
*The definition of marriage and the vocation of parents
*What the Church teaches about private revelation, the afterlife, and the Antichrist
*Cultivating personal spirituality and virtues-regardless of your vocation
*Modern dilemmas in moral theology, and much more! -
You Are Called To Greatness
$17.95Add to cartWe are all called to be saints, yet many of us struggle to move beyond living as “average” Catholics who have settled into complacency. Here’s the one book you need to break through to higher ground and attain holiness in your ordinary life.
In these short, compelling chapters, Fr. Leo Trese brilliantly explains how we can manifest our faith, hope, and love for God in our everyday lives, and he shares concrete ways you can grow in zeal through simple actions.
You Are Called to Greatness offers valuable advice for parents on how to bring up emotionally healthy children to become saints, as well as how older Catholics can best serve our Lord in their golden years. Fr. Trese offers the secret to forgiving others – both spiritually and practically – and he shows us how our fidelity to making small sacrifices can bring tremendous fruit.
Fr. Trese discusses the most common sins you will encounter on your spiritual journey, and he provides a short, daily examen that will help you move from what you did wrong to why you sinned. He clarifies numerous misconceptions of God’s love that may be standing in your way, and he even tackles those issues that lead many souls to scrupulosity and oversensitivity.
Fr. Trese skillfully unpacks the four cardinal virtues and shows how they can become a permanent presence in your life. In addition, he explains how your sins against virtue diminish the happiness of those around you.
Best of all, you will learn about the importance of spending time daily with the Lord and how to give God the greatest honor. You will be consoled by Fr. Trese’s advice about distractions in prayer and, importantly, will learn how to intercede for others. Taking this classic book to heart will deepen your mental prayer, open the door of your heart to contemplation, and fix your gaze lovingly upon the Lord in all things.
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Visions And Revelations
$14.95Add to cartMany Catholics feel deficient, if not hopeless, when they read of the many saints who experienced visions and revelations – mystical phenomena that seem so distant from their own experience. Or worse, those who do experience such visions and consolations can come to feel that they are especially favored by God and consequently become overly confident in their spiritual progress.
This is the book that explains everything you need to know about true Catholic mysticism. Spiritual master Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., will guide you in understanding contemplative prayer and the preeminence of faith over revelations in the spiritual life. Drawing from the writings of Sts. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, he lays out principles of discernment for both spiritual directors and laypersons on the journey to holiness.
Fr. Gabriel invites you to consider souls such as St. Therese of Lisieux, arguably the greatest saint of modern times, who wrote of only two visions in her life – but experienced mystical union with God. The real goal, he explains, isn’t seeking gifts but, rather, opening ourselves to God’s grace to attain a Spiritual Marriage with Him.
St. Teresa elucidates what is really meant by phenomena such as ecstasies and raptures in the spiritual life. Fr. Gabriel unpacks her profound mystical insights from Interior Castle to describe the various stages in the soul’s journey to God and how one’s prayer life develops in each mansion. These teachings are introspective, filled with psychological insights, and reflective of St. Teresa’s personal experiences. In this book, Fr. Gabriel also summarizes the many types of visions and locutions the great saint experienced.
In addition, you will receive St. John of the Cross’s advice about supernatural experiences, as well as possible sources of these phenomena – God, the devil, or the soul. Fr. Gabriel further shares his spiritually edifying and even awe-inspiring wisdom on:
The attitude a soul should possess regarding divine favors
How a spiritual director should respond to souls experiencing visions or revelations
The importance of exercising common sense and prudence in the spiritual life
How obedience helps the soul avoid deception and rest tranquilly
Why exercising the theological virtues is the shortest road to holiness
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Icon Of Trust
$13.95Add to cartHere is the singular book you need to grow in total abandonment to divine providence and deepen your trust in God – and to appreciate as your mother and model in faith Mary, whose loving obedience is central to the achievement of your salvation.
Icon of Trust juxtaposes the Blessed Mother’s trustful and unwavering yes to the archangel Gabriel with Zechariah’s doubt and hesitation. You will learn how Mary’s total surrender, as the tabernacle of the Lord, ushered in your redemption. Whether searching for the Child Jesus for three days or standing at the foot of the Cross, Our Lady remained a faithful witness to His love.
This small book will unveil for you the ways in which the Virgin Mary teaches us to trust in Jesus – such as in the episodes of the Wedding at Cana and the Upper Room. It will show you how Old Testament words and events are fulfilled in Our Lady’s mission and how, as the New Eve, Mary mediates for us at Calvary and Jesus entrusts us to her maternal, intercessory care. It also reveals how Mary’s self-emptying, or kenosis, aids in the salvation of the world.
You will learn the parallels between Our Lady and the Temple and will explore the meanings of the “Ark of the New Covenant” and “Daughter Zion.” And you will delight in how this essential feminine symbol of Israel elucidates the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the Bible.
Icon of Trust reflects upon the deep meaning of the words Totus Tuus. Through the lens of Scripture and Catholic authors, it explains how to place yourself in the hands of Mary and love Jesus with her heart. Best of all, Icon of Trust explains how Mary was created by God “full of grace” and sheds light on her key role in building up the early Church community.
This book will help you realize your call to:*Imitate Our Lady’s fiat at the Annunciation and rejoice in her Magnificat
*Accept that God first loved you and then respond to His overture with love
*Foster docility by emulating Mary’s heart of openness and simplicity
*Be attentive like the Blessed Mother and ponder God’s mysteries in your heart
*Follow Our Lady’s childlike faith, even in dark and difficult times
*Pray with Mary for the coming of the Holy Spirit and the salvation of souls -
War And Peace
$19.95Add to cartWitnessing the growing threat of communism, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen recognized that modern atheism was a new type of Messianism threatening to beguile and conquer humanity.
Sheen stressed the use of reason as the unparalleled countermeasure to deceptive communism. The first three books contained in this anthology are a collection of Sheen’s classic Catholic Hour radio addresses that were heard by millions of listeners in the 1930s and 1940s. Here, in a single compilation, are Bishop Sheen’s most clearly delineated investigations into the underlying causes of communism – every bit as relevant today as when he spoke them – along with an entirely sound and hopeful program for defeating it.
In the fourth book of this anthology, The Philosophies of War, Sheen addresses the confusion felt by most people who were dissatisfied with the ephemeral and superficial commentaries about World War II. Like a master surgeon, Sheen applies the sharp scalpel of his crystal-clear logic to lay open the sources of the world’s infection. The fifth book, Seven Pillars of Peace, presents the principles upon which Sheen believes the foundations for a just and lasting peace must be built.
By making these five powerful resources your own, you’ll have in one volume the means to thrive spiritually in our current seemingly desperate time. Drawing from biblical, cultural, and contemporary examples, Sheen will show you:
*The spirit of the Antichrist, immoral leaders, education, and societies
*How personal sin is sickening our culture – and the cure for this “pandemic”
*The proper understanding of and instinctive human need for authentic freedom, justice, and love
*The need to unite for personal rights, including freedom of conscience
*Why it is crucial to be intolerant of evil and embrace a divine solution
*How America must choose to repent in order to overcome our present crisis
Most notably, Archbishop Sheen proclaims the hope of Christ’s Cross and the immeasurable power of His resurrected love. He exhorts us to carry our individual fragments of the beam. It is always darkest before the dawn, Sheen teaches. Times of discouragement are moments when great spiritual transformations can occur. If we return to God and do penance, we will attain interior peace. The future of America’s freedom and restoration as a constitutional republic depend on our decision – now – to obediently trust in God.
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Wrath Of God
$18.95Add to cartThe end of the world is an unmistakable focus of Christ’s teaching. Yet contemporary Catholic preaching ignores it, leaving it almost exclusively to Protestants and to the growing number of believers in private revelations or alleged Marian locutions.
“This book does not intend to further multiply such messages,” writes Fr. Livio Fanzaga, notable Rome-educated theologian and founder of Europe’s largest Catholic radio network, Radio Maria. Instead, Fr. Livio seeks to acquaint ordinary Catholics with the biblical and Church teachings necessary to evaluate various kinds of speculation about the end of the world, to read the signs of the times and recognize the evils of our age, to prepare ourselves spiritually for the end whenever it may come,” and to discern the answers to such urgent questions as:
What will be the “supreme religious deception” that will lead countless Catholics to abandon their faith?
Will the Antichrist be a clerical traitor? A religious leader? A politician? A collective phenomenon? Some combination?
How will the Antichrist succeed in posing as the friend, even protector, of the Church – while seducing her members?
Which of us will be most vulnerable to seduction?
Will the Antichrist’s appearance coincide with the end of the world?
Which prophetic visions or private revelations about the end times fall within the bounds of right doctrine, and which don’t?
Drawing numerous prophetic insights from Hugh Benson’s Lord of the World and Vladimir Soloviev’s Tale of the Antichrist – which he carefully evaluates in the light of Scripture, magisterial teaching, and recent history – Fr. Livio compiles a persuasive and vivid portrait not only of the Antichrist, but of the world as it will be when it welcomes him.
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Unleashing Hope : The Biography Of Vernerable Mother Luisa Josefa Of The Mo
$16.99Add to cartHere is the book that you need to “live in hope” in uncertain times. This seminal biography of Venerable Luisa de la Pea Navarro (1866-1937), “Mother Luisita,” reveals gripping historical events and stories of the atrocious persecution of Catholics in Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s. Mother Luisita’s Carmelite spirituality, illuminating each page, will remind you that God has your back and keeps His promises. Mother’s life and late religious vocation bears witness that it is never too late to begin, that you can trust God, and He will never abandon you.
You will learn how Mother formed her sisters to prepare a dwelling place for God within. This helped them withstand violence and remain faithful in the face of death, when they had to flee for their lives repeatedly. There were times when they had no food or money, but God always provided.
Mother Luisita is still a beloved spiritual mother to the faithful in Jalisco, Mexico, and beyond, and memories of her holiness and kindness continue to bring hope and healing. Included in this biography are firsthand testimonies, Mother’s inspirational maxims, excerpts from her letters, a prayer for her cause, and other compelling documents.
You will also learn about Mother’s early life: her poor health from youth, her privileged background, and her marriage to a medical doctor, with whom she founded a hospital for the poor.
Fortify your faith as you read about Mother’s adventures, trials, and joys in establishing two religious orders – the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles and the Carmelitas del Sagrado Corazon de Mexico – as well as numerous foundations and institutions. The work of the Sisters proceeded even during a smallpox epidemic and periods when it was illegal to be Catholic in Mexico.
Discover the truth about the atrocities that the faithful suffered during the Mexican Revolution through a rare testimony of a Carmelite religious superior before the U.S. Congress.
Best of all, you will be encouraged by Mother’s:
*Devout Catholic family and great devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary
*Character and faith formation and love of intercessory prayer and the Holy Eucharist
*Transformation as teen and how she overcame self-centeredness and worldliness
*Compassionate and indefatigable care for the poor, the sick, and orphans
*Obedience to God’s will, regardless of the painful sacrifices it entailed
*Profession of vows – in secret, despite the dangers
Documen
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Living Calm : Mastering Anger And Frustration
$17.95Add to cartThis is the book you need to master your anger so your anger won’t master you. Popular TV host, clinical psychologist, and best-selling author Dr. Ray Guarendi incisively cuts to the heart of the matter to help you determine whether your anger response is justified – and what to do when it isn’t.
Dr. Guarendi unpacks for you the many types of anger and the types of people who suffer most from anger. For some, anger is a trait; for others, it is a state. Some are “wired fiery,” with an anger that is always simmering or on a low boil, while the anger of others often comes and goes quickly.
You’ll learn why feelings aren’t neutral, and whether anger is a product of your nature or nurture. You’ll also learn the difference between righteous and unrighteous anger – and why those closest to us can anger us the most.
In his straightforward, engaging, and humorous style, Dr. Guarendi also unveils healthy strategies for coping with those who make us angry and how we can make choices to regulate our emotions. From this compelling, life-changing book, you will also learn:
*The danger of harboring negative feelings
*The surprising benefits of anger, as well as its liabilities
*Pros and cons of venting anger and of holding it inside
*The advantages of exercising self-control in the heat of an argument
*Ways to take ownership of your thoughts, words, and actionsBest of all, this book will help you grow in virtue as you develop Christlike patience, charity, self-control, forgiveness, and humility in your relationships with others. By responding prayerfully and choosing to love deliberately, you will attain greater happiness, clarity of mind, and peace of heart.
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Overcoming Worldly Concerns
$17.95Add to cartNo 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
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Gethsemane : The Origin And Rise Of The Intellectual Revolution In The Chur
$19.95Add to cartHere is the clarity you need in an age of “linguistic acrobatics” that has attempted to change the meaning of sacred truths. Theological misinterpretations and free thinking have sparked a revolution that has redefined “love” and “knowledge.” The “reconstitution of history” has reduced Christ to simply a great man, the firsthand accounts of the apostles are overthrown for “transcendental pluralism,” and the absence of objective truth has yielded “perpetual existential instability.”
If you’re fed up with the prevalence of errant philosophies and are looking for a means of defending your Faith, this book is for you. In this reprint of Gethsemane: Reflections on the Contemporary Theological Movement, the renowned Joseph Cardinal Siri corrects the erroneous teaching of controversial twentieth-century theologians Henri de Lubac, Jacques Maritain, Karl Rahner, and Hans Kung.
In these pages, you will learn the truth about the gamut of dominant heresies, including relativism, rationalism, modernism, cosmic monism, pantheism, anthropocentrism, dogmatic evolutionism, subjectivism, intellectual esoterism, and secularization in the Church.
Best of all, Cardinal Siri provides the answer to this persistent crisis of confusion – that “the whole historicist heritage must be overturned within itself.” And he teaches how to avoid the “intellectual kaleidoscope” that correlates unreal concepts to eternal truth.
In Gethsemane, readers will discover why it is imperative to uphold divine revelation, to recognize Original Sin and man’s need for salvation, and consistently to reaffirm Catholic doctrines and dogma.
Cardinal Siri explains that, without revelation, we lose all objectivity and plummet into an “existential night.” It is only by imitating the fiat of Jesus and Mary that we enter into the unity and adoration where truth is revealed. Christ affirmed that the Church is His Mystical Body. Jesus did not abandon us in His agony and we are called to remain true to His teaching until the end.
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Precious Gift Of Old Age
$14.95Add to cartThe fear of growing old is a universal burden. Here’s the book you need to ensure that you move into and through old age with grit and grace. Fr. John LaFarge shows you how to conquer any fear of aging – and how to make your golden years the best years of your life.
At age 84, Fr. LaFarge was struck by the many advantages and blessings of aging, and he observed that modern men and women have lost touch with the traditional view of old age as the crowning summit of life. Seeing old age instead as a calamity, he says, is what makes aging such a misery for many.
In these insightful and encouraging pages, Fr. John helps you recognize that old age has its own inherent meaning and that the wisest thing we can do when it creeps up on us is to explore this meaning and adopt a general plan of action to profit from it.
Specifically, you will learn how to overcome loneliness and assist others who are suffering from the pains of poverty or neglect. Fr. LaFarge addresses the challenges of caring for elderly people who are too sick to live at home and require admission to nursing homes. He also clarifies the duties of the younger generations toward those in old age and how it is incumbent upon them to turn the tide of our utilitarian culture of death.
Best of all, Fr. LaFarge affirms that old age affords more time for quiet communion with our Lord, for contemplation, and for reaching out to others to help provide for their spiritual needs. He imparts the invaluable lesson that to embrace old age is to value the opportunity to strengthen yourself on the road to eternity after a lifetime of sin. You will also discover:
*New opportunities, dignities, and privileges that come with old age
*How old age is a time of great strength, beauty, and resurrection
*An attitude of thankfulness and joy that attracts others to the Faith
*How the “greatest social power in the world” rests in old age
*What the older and younger generations can teach each other
*How practicing the four cardinal virtues in our senior years leads to an authentic love of God and neighbor -
Kidnapped In Iraq
$21.95Add to cartBlindfolded, tied, prodded by guns, Alexandre faced intense interrogations, fearing all the
while that torture and death were imminent.In Kidnapped in Iraq, Alexandre Goodarzy describes in gripping detail his abduction by
Islamic terrorists in January 2020, how prayer and his Catholic Faith sustained him, and why he now views the entire ordeal as a blessing from God.After learning of the fate of untold Christians in the Middle East, Alexandre was among a cadre of young men who agreed to assist Christians in danger. As the war in Syria quickly turned into a religious war, Alexandre provided aid to Christians there who were caught between a hardening regime and increasingly bloodthirsty Islamist groups.
The brutalization of Syrian Christians was only recently exposed, since the real story was often distorted by the media. In recent years, Syrian Christians faced the grim choice of fleeing from ISIS and abandoning their homeland or enduring barbaric martyrdom. Their cities were leveled and their churches destroyed. Goodarzy describes how these Christians, loyal to their country, were sporadically kidnapped by Kurds and held for ransom or forced into military service. In Syria, priests provide both spiritual and temporal care, assisting with basic necessities in the community and working to preserve their culture while mediating with secular authorities.
In what reads like a dystopian thriller, Alexandre describes the dangerous episodes he experienced assisting Christians, including the perilous twelve-hour bus ride from Damascus to Aleppo and the numerous face-to-face encounters with Islamic rebels – the last of which resulted in his abduction and sixty-six-day captivity by Iraqi terrorists.
“What is affecting us here today will strike you tomorrow!” people in Iraq and Syria told Goodarzy, predicting that the radical Islamic atrocities in their countries would soon assail France and other Western countries.
Kidnapped in Iraq is a riveting story of bravery and courage and one man’s extraordinary efforts to aid Christians in need. It is also a chilling guidebook on how to fight for justice and proclaim the hope that comes in the triumph of the Cross.
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How The Angels Got Their Wings
$16.95Add to cartWith these charming rhyming verses, Anthony DeStefano begins this enchanting children’s book on perhaps the most fascinating of all God’s creatures – the angels.
How the Angels Got Their Wings is a winsome introduction to the story of the angels – pure spiritual beings of extraordinary power made by God to assist Him in carrying out His will. Beginning with the creation of the angels and the “war in Heaven” between the good angels and the bad, this book introduces children to the famous archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael – as well as to Satan, the ringleader of the fallen angels, who chose to rebel against God.
This book also acquaints children with those special angels who are here with us right now, helping to protect and guide us – our guardian angels. It shows children how angels can assist them with all the problems they encounter in life, from communicating with others to choosing between right and wrong, and can protect them from physical harm.
How the Angels Got Their Wings is a beautifully illustrated, highly entertaining, biblically correct, and theologically orthodox introduction to angels. Once children read it, they will be forever comforted in knowing that God’s love for them is so strong that He gave them not only His Son, but the angels above so they will never, ever be alone in life.
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Confessions Of A Cafeteria Catholic
$16.99Add to cartOne day, philosopher Peter Kreeft reads an open letter published by a friend, Nat Whilk. He’s Catholic, but he sees the Church as unsteady, outdated, obsessive. As a challenge to the “True Believers”, Nat pens a twenty-point manifesto for “cafeteria Catholics”, who pass up certain Church teachings and scoop up others like a diner in a buffet line.”I find in [Catholicism] both much to accept and even love and also much to refuse and even despise”, he asserts. “If you insist on tying God to the Church, you will make me an atheist.”
Kreeft has an answer for Nat–one that spans over a hundred pages. The result is this book: a sharp, friendly, and funny debate between two honest thinkers trying to understand the Christian life. Nat “is the’cafeteria Catholic’, “writes Kreeft,”and I am the ‘eat all the food Mommy puts on your plate’ Catholic.” Taking on Nat’s manifesto point by point, the Boston College philosopher builds his case for a full-package Catholicism, addressing the themes of authority, love, freedom, conscience, sex, abortion, social justice, science, and more. “Our hopes differ”, he points out to his friend.”Your hope is in man; mine is in God.”
If, like Nat Whilk, you find yourself wondering why the Church asks for so much commitment, Confessions of a Cafeteria Catholic could be the book for you. This debate serves as a fun and accessible introduction to some of the knottiest aspects of Catholic doctrine. Readers of Peter Kreeft’s apologetic works and his Socrates Meets dialogues will enjoy the latest venture by one of the most celebrated contemporary Catholic writers.
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Mary
$16.99Add to cartA Be A Heart Title
Sharing the simple idea of how Mary, the mother of Jesus, brings each of us closer to God. She teaches us how to find God in everything – in babies and in trees, in animals and in the breeze. Fun drawings of diverse children will captivate all of our little ones along with the message that “you are good, you are loved, and you are never, ever alone.”
The book is sturdy for little hands to love!
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Habits Of Freedom
$14.95Add to cartDo you feel exhausted, anxious, or distracted? Do you want to free your mind from mental clutter?
Popular retreat leader and spiritual director Fr. Christopher Collins, SJ, says that if you turn your heart to God you will find clarity and spiritual peace. In Habits of Freedom, Collins offers you five practical tools to help you develop a habit of daily discernment that will lead to inner calm.
Drawing on the wisdom of St. Ignatius Loyola and his renowned Spiritual Exercises, Collins offers practical spiritual exercises for incorporating five tools into your daily life to help you de-stress, organize your thoughts, and experience the calming presence of Jesus. These are:
*allowing God to show you the signs of oncoming anxiety and mental breakdown;
*developing the ancient practice of spiritual discernment to help analyze your moods and perceptions;
*interpreting life events with an eye toward personal growth and resiliency;
*practicing detachment from negative influences; and
*engaging in interior sensitivity to how God works to bring you peace.
Habits of Freedom is an excellent resource for spiritual directors and individuals, as well as for use in prayer and parish groups seeking practical material that can speak broadly to members from a variety of backgrounds and seasons of life. The book can be easily adapted for small groups and retreat use. A free small-group guide is available at AveMariaPress.com.
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Catholic Pilgrimage Through American History
$19.95Add to cartHistorian Kevin Schmiesing takes you to more than two-dozen sites and events that symbolize and embody America’s rich and sometimes tumultuous Catholic past, including the Santa Fe Trail, Gettysburg, and the Bourbon Trail. You’ll also meet both famous and infamous Catholics–including Augustus Tolton, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and Francis Cabrini–who impacted our nation’s history.
The idea for A Catholic Pilgrimage through American History came from Schmiesing’s mother, he says. She turned every childhood vacation into a pilgrimage, purposely inserting religious sites into the family’s journey to places such as Niagara Falls, Washington, DC, or Myrtle Beach.
Catholics have been part of the American experiment since the beginning–in founding the colonies and expanding the west, building education and health care systems, abolishing slavery, fighting on the front lines, and advancing science, technology, and space exploration. Each of the twenty-seven sites on Schmiesing’s virtual itinerary–including, the Washington Monument, Wounded Knee Creek, the University of Notre Dame, and Mission San Diego de Alcala–transports you to a significant time in US history and connects the dots to our Catholic heritage. You will meet notable Catholics such as John F. Kennedy, Black Elk, and Katharine Drexel, and learn more about their contributions to history.
You will explore the various and sometimes conflicting roles Catholics have played in key periods and events through the stories of shrines, memorials, and other historic places including:
*the Catholic Plymouth Rock–St. Mary’s City, Maryland;
*the Bourbon Trail–Church of St. Thomas, Bardstown, Kentucky;
*the Pope’s Stone–the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia;
*a Catholic mission and a Native American tragedy: Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota; and
*the home of the first Black priest–the churches of Quincy, Illinois.
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7 Steps To Sanctification
$18.95Add to cartGot a hunch?
It may be a nudge from the Holy Spirit! In a time when man clings to the world instead of Heaven, we are in more need than ever of the Sanctifier’s gifts to guide us and to preserve our interior peace.
The renowned Dominican priests Frs. Walter Farrell and Dominic Hughes will help you deepen your relationship with God as they take you on a journey through the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. You’ll learn how to be empowered by the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and live in imitation of the Holy Family. By developing an awareness of God’s presence, you will grow in Understanding and perceive the truth in an age of confusion. You’ll grow in Knowledge and become certain of the “things that are not seen.” You’ll inculcate Wisdom as you grow in charity, and you will foster Counsel that will aid you in docility.
Your growth in Piety will enkindle within you filial devotion, and Fear of the Lord will give you the reverence of a child for his father. You’ll also learn how to grow in courage as the gift of Fortitude conquers your fears and enlivens your confidence. Best of all, as you learn to cooperate in cultivating the gifts of the Holy Spirit in your life, you will find lasting tranquility and joy in living for God’s glory. You will also learn how the gifts of the Holy Spirit:
*Form you in the virtues needed to exercise Charity toward God and others
*Help you to practice temperance and overcome inordinate appetites
*Pour out grace to build upon your nature, fortify you, and bolster your faith
*Enable you to enter into loving communion with God and reflect His simplicity
*Work with others and relate to the theological and cardinal virtues
*Provide you with the armor you need for spiritual combat and final victory
“Ours is an age for courage, it is an age for martyrs, it is an age for splendid Catholic living. Now the world looks to the mystical Christ for salvation.”
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Purgatory : And The Means To Avoid It
$19.95Add to cartMany books on Purgatory reflect upon what you can do to help the Holy Souls suffering there. But this informative and reassuring book offers practical tips on what you can do to avoid the pains of Purgatory yourself. And the good news is, you don’t have to endure martyrdom; you just have to grow in virtue.
Fr. Martin Jugie clarifies the truth about the Church’s teaching on Purgatory and explains why it isn’t enough simply to strive to avoid Hell. You must expiate for your sins now – and Fr. Jugie spells out how.
You’ll learn what St. John Vianney had to say about the afterlife to a woman whose husband committed suicide. You’ll delve into the reality of Purgatory through the revelations of the mystics, including St. Gertrude the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Catherine of Genoa. And you’ll be gripped by the captivating true stories of Catholics who atoned for sin via Fr. Jugie’s methods and received manifestations from the Holy Souls.
You will also learn about the relationships between the Holy Souls and their various interactions with the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant. Most reassuringly, you’ll come to appreciate the extraordinary efficacy of your prayers for the Holy Souls and how immeasurably rewarded you are for the intercessory prayers and petitions you offer on their behalf.
Reading this book will show you not only how to reduce your time in Purgatory dramatically but how to strive to avoid it entirely and go straight to Heaven.
You will see why living a life of spiritual childhood and charity atones for a multitude of transgressions and why the Sacraments of Initiation are crucial in satisfying your debt of sin. You will also see the value of Extreme Unction and the critical role of Masses of the Living in preparing souls for a happy death and a blissful eternity.
Additionally, Fr. Jugie explains:
*The location of Purgatory
*The condition and state of knowledge of the Holy Souls
*How you should atone through prayer, works, penances, and charity
*The seriousness of even venial sin and how it stains your soul
*Our Lady’s role in interceding for and guiding souls to Heaven
*The role of indulgences and other means to satisfy your debts for sin
*How fidelity to your vocation and living the evangelical counsels prepares you for Heaven
Despite the intense pain experienced there, Purgatory is a consoling dogma because, in the midst of their suffering, the Holy Souls are enlivened by the assurance
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Reading The Church Fathers
$21.95Add to cartHeresies, schisms, culture of death, persecutions, excommunications … While reflective of headlines from today, these difficulties roiled Christians of the early Church as well. In fact, the earliest Church manual, the Didache,brought clarity to a range of moral issues that our culture continues to grapple with to this day.
Here is one of the most lucid and comprehensive overviews of the Patristic period ever written. With simplicity and clarity, Dr. James Papandrea introduces you to all the major theologians, philosophers, and martyrs of the early Christian church and explains the theological principles that guided the Church from the New Testament era through the apologists, and, ultimately, to the development of the major doctrines. Best of all, he uniquely situates the teachings of the early Church Fathers against the social and cultural context of the Roman Empire and its relationship to the Church.
Dr. Papandrea will introduce you to the gnostics and their influence on the early Church, as well as explain how Church mothers, such as Macrina the Younger, laid a foundation for the monastic life to come. You’ll learn how our understanding of the sacraments developed and when devotion to Our Lady and the saints emerged. You’ll also explore how the New Testament canon was formed as well as the criteria used to interpret early Christian writings.
A must-have resource, Reading the Church Fathers offers helpful charts, recommended texts, and summaries of important theological concepts and doctrines. It also reveals:
*How the early Church refuted heresies
*How catechesis was taught and shared
*The order of the liturgy in early Christianity
*The marks of the early Church and the role of tradition
*How apostolic succession was defined
*What is meant by the development of doctrine
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Saint John And The Apocalypse
$17.95Add to cartOne of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries is the Book of Revelation. The faithful
have tried to decode the meaning of the Apocalypse for centuries. Finally, here
is the accessible book you need to assist you in reflecting upon the epic battle it
contains and its reverberations. The prophecies of St. John the Evangelist brought
dire warnings not just to the pagan culture and lukewarm faithful of his time, but also
exhort our blasphemous society and apathetic believers today.Learn about events that were foretold and have taken place, as well as prophecies
that await fulfillment. Be amazed at how the mystical experiences of St. John lead
us to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the holy sacrifice of the Mass,
worship, and adoration of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Amidst
rebukes for immorality, the Apocalypse also contains an invitation: remain faithful
and your name will be written in the Book of Life, you will partake in the wedding
feast of the Lamb.In St. John and the Apocalypse, C.C. Martindale, S.J. elucidates historical and
theological interpretations of the Apocalypse, from Roman times to present.
He synthesizes and outlines the structure of Revelation, while reflecting upon its
essence as the inspired word of God, its literary value, and influences.Unpack the significance of the number seven throughout the Apocalypse and
the import of the seven seals, cities, mysteries, angels, lampstands, plagues, and
trumpets. Understand the meaning of 666, the reign of “a thousand years,” and the
battle between the Woman and the Dragon more deeply.You will recognize how St. John’s prophecies in the Apocalypse transcend Old
Testament prophecies. Fr. Martindale will guide you in cross-referencing parallel
passages and pondering the magnitude of their meaning. -
How They Love Mary
$18.95Add to cartCould your love and reverence for the Mother of God use a boost? Here’s a powerful 30-day devotional to help you invigorate your love for Our Lady by exploring the many ways in which holy men and women have venerated Mary throughout time. From St. Damian of Molokai to Padre Pio, from St. Francis of Assisi to St. Thomas Aquinas, you’ll learn new ways of honoring Mary that you hadn’t considered previously, and you’ll be heartened toward a holiness and love of God that only these illustrious spiritual teachers can inspire.
Here’s a book that will be of particular value to those who are either beginning their devotion to Our Lady or whose devotion has become stagnant over time.
You’ll learn how St. Kateri Tekakwitha imitated Mary’s life as a consecrated virgin and offered Marian prayers that bore fruit. You’ll explore St. Faustina’s mystical experiences of Mary and how St. Francis de Sales’s depression was healed through Our Lady’s intercession. You’ll also learn how Bishop Fulton Sheen relied on Mary to remain celibate, how St. Therese of Lisieux was healed by her smile, and how Mother Angelica would pray the Rosary.
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Surfers Guide To The Soul
$18.95Add to cartFor world-class surfer Bear Woznick, the ocean has always been the center of his universe. He’s spent his entire life with it; riding its waves, learning from it, loving it.b The ocean also nourishes the soul as Bear shows us on his surfboard.
In Deep in the Wave, readers ride along with Woznick through the calmest of tides and most turbulent waves. Woznick’s portrayal of the beauty and power of the ocean is truly inspiring and showcases the profound meaning surfing has had on his life.
From the way a surfboard is painstakingly crafted, to the faith and patience that is required to ride a monster wave, Woznick weaves his relationship to surfing with his relationship to God, relating how the two are often one in the same. Instead of standing on the shore with our toes in the surf, Woznick takes us on the board–to the deep water–to watch and wait–and, if need be, to paddle hard to survive.
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Catholic Scientist Harmonizes Science And Faith
$18.95Add to cartModernity, academia, and the media perceive and relentlessly advance a dichotomous, contradictory relationship between faith and science. However, from the time of Aristotle, it has been demonstrated that man is a rational being who reasons intellectually in a way that animals and technology cannot. Man is also a religious being, correlating himself to what is above and seeking answers to the ultimate questions of transcendence.
In his definitive book A Catholic Scientist Harmonizes Science and Faith, Dr. Gerard Verschuuren draws from the reflections of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Dr. Peter Kreeft, and numerous scientists, such as Albert Einstein and Gregor Mendel, who reveal the essential connection between reason and religion.
Dr. Verschuuren confirms the necessity of reasoning in scientific theory. Relying on true stories from scientific developments in medicine, astronomy, and physics, he asserts that the scientific method alone can’t explain the origins of the universe. By the same token, he decries blind faith and shows how science doesn’t threaten the Church. On the contrary: it confirms those truths that Christians have always believed.
That is why the Father of Lies has always sought to pit faith against reason and science against revelation. Dr. Verschuuren explains how the progress of doubt, from agnosticism to atheism to antitheism, is not a result of increased scientific knowledge. Rather, it’s part of a diabolical attack on the Faith. The devil means to enthrone a new religion ? scientism ? in Christianity’s place.
This attack can be repelled only by true religion and real science working together, hand in hand, as they always have.
Clarifying the assumptions upon which science and religion are based, this cogent book reflects on how:
*Authentic reasoning inevitably leads us closer to God and belief in His attributes
*Both science and faith are guided by logic and deal with facts
*Faith needs science to avoid fideism, and science requires belief
*The New Atheism, including the views of Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins, is erroneous
*Our thoughts should be “controlled by reality” and objective truth
*Christianity helped produce modern scientific advancements
*There is no “double truth” between evolution and faith and between the Big Bang theory and faith
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Know Thyself : The Game Of Temperaments
$29.99Add to cartDiscover the secret building blocks of your personality with this fun and enlightening game that reveals players’ temperaments – the personal qualities that make them who they are!
We are all born with distinct personality traits. Some love going to parties, while others seek solitude. Some are naturally brash and assertive, while others are content to just get along.
We don’t pick and choose these character features; they’re just part of the way we’re made.
Ancient philosophers identified four basic temperaments that wise thinkers through the ages have used to understand human nature.
Now comes Know Thyself! The Game of Temperaments – the first game to help you identify, understand, and appreciate your own temperament, and those of your friends and family.
Take charge or follow the lead? Jump in feet first or analyze and contemplate? Introvert or extrovert? Focused or distractible?
All of these traits point to the temperament you were born with. Which one is yours, and how much of the others do you have?
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Drinking With The Saints (Deluxe)
$39.99Add to cartRaise Your Spirits and Toast the Saints!
It’s the full-color edition of Drinking with the Saints!
Recipe for a liturgically correct cocktail: mix Bartender’s Guide and Lives of the Saints, shake well, garnish with good cheer. Drinking with the Saints is a concoction that both sinner and saint will savor.
Michael Foley offers the faithful drinker witty and imaginative instruction on the appropriate libations for the seasons, feasts, and saints’ days of the Church year.
*A guide to wine, beer, and spirits, with more than three hundred cocktail recipes
*Lively full-color sketches of scores of saints, from the popular to the obscure
*Tips on giving the perfect toast and on mixing the perfect drink
*Even includes drinks for Lent!