Hans Urs von Balthasar Von Balthasar presents one of the few serious studies available on the thought of one of the most important, and yet most neglected Fathers of the Church, Gregory of Nyssa. He was the most profound Greek philosopher of the Christian era, a mystic and an incomparable poet whom St. Maximus designated as the "Universal Doctor" and the Second Council of Nicaea declared him …

Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English. Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with A.J. Ayer in a fabled debate …

"The ultimate of human happiness is to be found in contemplation." In offering this proposition of Thomas Aquinas to our thought, Josef Pieper uses traditional wisdom in order to throw light on present-day reality and present-day psychological problems. What, in fact, does one pursue in pursuing happiness? What, in the consensus of the wisdom of the early Greeks, of Plato and Aristotle, of the …

In this exciting new book Thomas Nash refutes the common charge that the Mass is “unbiblical” in a resoundingly biblical fashion. From the Garden of Eden to Christ's Ascension, the biblical roots of the Mass go much deeper than the Last Supper and Christ's Passion. Old Testament sacrifices like Abel’s, Abraham’s and the Passover all prefigure and are fulfilled by Christ's Sacrifice, which is …

Come, Creator Spirit Meditations on the Veni Creator Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap.; Denis and Marlene Barrett, Translators Written particularly for the Charismatic Renewal in the English-speaking world, Come, Creator Spirit is a helpful guide for a better understanding of the Holy Spirit. In this detailed commentary on the famous hymn Veni Creator , sung at the beginning of every new year, …

St. John Eudes One of the most prolific ascetical writers of the seventeenth century, St. John Eudes was a reservoir of holy wisdom and fervor.  Perhaps no book of our author better exemplifies his profoundly incarnational dactrine than The Admirable Heart of Mary.  Eudes reveals to his disciples this most pure and maternal of all hearts in its corporal and spiritual pulsations, …

William K. McDohough Foreward by Scott Hahn In this fourth title in the series of contemporary Catholic classics, William K. McDonough offers a popular explanation of the meaning of the Trinity, "the fundamental doctrine of the Catholic faith," and its relation to the body of Christian revelation.  He presents a synthesis of the Catholic faith: the triune life of God; the Person of the …

Hans Urs von Balthasar In the twelve months before his sudden death, Hans Urs von Balthasar had been writing a series of reflections on the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. These texts, which are undoubtedly among the last things he wrote, take on the character of a legacy, a spiritual testament. For they amount in their extraordinary compactness and depth to a little "summa" of his …

Sr. Mary Jeremiah, theologian and contemplative Dominican, presents a well-researched and beautifully written summary of the spirituality of St. Catherine of Siena, focusing on her intimate and loving relationship with Jesus and its implications for the spirituality of the Sacred Heart, providing a deeper insight into the mystery of the Sacred Heart under the guidance of one of the great women …

John Hardon, S.J. What is Grace? Among the mysteries of Catholicism, none is more practically important than the doctrine of grace. It is at the very heart of Christianity because it describes the panorama of God's dealings with mankind. However the doctrine of grace is not simple, as may be seen from the sequence of errors in the understanding of grace seen along the path of the Church's …

The mixed results of the ecumenical dialogue since the Second Vatican Council have made it clear that the primacy of the Bishop of Rome remains the single most serious obstacle on the path of ecumenism. In his landmark 1995 encyclical Ut unum sint, Pope John Paul II reiterated the constant teaching that the Catholic Church “has preserved the ministry of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, the …

John F. Kippley The thesis of this book is that God intends that sexual intercourse should be at least implicitly a renewal of the marriage covenant. From this it follows that the marriage covenant provides the criterion to evaluate the morality of every sexual act. Thus the title, Sex and the Marriage Covenant , is an appropriate description of the book’s contents. Marriage comes into being …

The Gift of God: The Holy Spirit Fr. Andrew Apostoli During the past two decades more references to the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God have probably been made than were made in the last several centuries. The Second Vatican Council stirred a new interest in the identity and the activity of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity and opened up whole new avenues of study into the scriptural …

One thing in this world is different from all other. It has a personality and a force. It is recognized and (when recognized) most violently loved or hated. It is the Catholic Church. Within that household the human spirit has roof and hearth. Outside it, is the night." This statement from "A Letter to Dean Inge" encapsules the spirit of Essays of A Catholic by the great Catholic historian and …

Ways Of God For Meditation And Prayer Attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas Improve your own spiritual life by carrying this pocket edition of his meditations where ever you go. In them, St. Thomas recalls Christ’s words, “Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” and shows you how to fulfill His command in the midst of your everyday duties. Read and meditate on a few …

Aeterni Patris: Restoring Christian Philosophy. An exhortation by Pope St. Leo XIII on the reasons for Christian philosophy, primarily Thomism, and the problems that have resulted because of its neglect.

Summa Theologiae A Concise Translation "The teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas is presented in continuously flowing paragraphs with appropriate chapter headings, much more like the style of modern philosophers since Descartes. ...The real meat of St. Thomas Aquinas has been captured here with remarkable good judgment, and it is in fact a fresh and stimulating experience to read Aquinas' …

I Am With You Always Michael Davies New revised and expanded edition of the original 1986 issue. Beautifully explains beyond question the doctrine of the Church's indefectibility—especially in regards to the rite of Mass found in the 1970 Roman Missal. The author explains the sometimes difficult meaning of Christ's words "He that heareth you heareth Me" as it pertains to His …

Edited by Josef Pieper Near the end of a long career as one of the most widely read popular Thomistic philosophers of the twentieth century, Josef Pieper has himself compiled an anthology from all his works. He has selected the best and most representative passages and arranged them in an order that gives sense to the whole and aids in the understanding of each excerpt. Pieper's reputation …

RIGHT AND REASON is probably the greatest and most successful Ethics book written to date. Widely used in Catholic colleges, it is undoubtedly the clearest and easiest-to-read Ethics text ever published. The author says that no book can take the place of a professor in the classroom, but this one virtually does-and Fr. Fagothey says he wrote it that way. Though issued in 1959, it remains …