Von Balthasar explores the main streams of metaphysics which have developed since the `catastrophe' of Nominalism, with its denial of the divine light in creation. Three paths have been taken, each with its own dangers. In a series of studies of representative mystic theologians, philosophers and poets, glory is traced through such figures as Eckhart, Ignatius, de Sales; the attempt to …

St. John Vianney Composed when he was a young priest, The Sermons of the Cure of Ars constitutes one of the most powerful Saints' writings in the literature of the Church. Covering a wide range of vital moral and doctrinal issues for the average layman, St. John Vianney probes quickly, incisively and with total candor into the various sins we are prone to commit and that we might make excuses …

Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith Cardinal Ratzinger is perhaps the most visible member of the Catholic clergy in the world, second only to the Pope. In addition, his status as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has made him one of the most controversial churchmen in recent history. On the occasion of the Cardinal's seventy-fifth birthay, his former students have selected …

Hans Urs von Balthasar The first of four volumes of von Balthasar's many essays and conferences. Each focuses on a specific aspect of theology or spirituality and presents it with all the richness which comes from his immense erudition, but in a style that is directed and intelligible since few of these essays were intended for scholarly audiences. These volumes present a rare opportunity to …

One of the great Catholic philosophers of our day reflects on the way language has been abused so that, instead of being a means of communicating the truth and entering more deeply into it, and of the acquisition of wisdom, it is being used to control people and manipulate them to achieve practical ends. Reality becomes intelligible through words. Man speaks so that through naming things, what …

Hans Urs von Balthasar Surveys the understanding of the transcendental, "the beautiful" in ancient literature and philosophy.

Hans Urs von Balthasar In this volume, von Balthasar looks at the Church, ``the Bride of Christ," as both unspotted and unfaithful, the Church of saints and of sinners. He goes through Scripture and tradition looking at both sides of the Church and what they mean.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Selected Writings Translated and introduced by Mary T. Clark Augustine of Hippo (354-430), bishop, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church whose thought molded the Western theological tradition, is clearly one of the most influential figures in the history of the Church. At the heart of his brilliant philosophical and theological speculation is his spirituality-a …

St. Vincent de Paul St. Louise de Marillac This volume presents the principal spiritual teachings of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, the two Vincentian founders who left an indelible mark on the Church of France in the 1600s and beyond to the present. The collaboratively written, multi-part introduction locates Vincent and Louise within the framework of the spirituality of …

Hans Urs von Balthasar Volume two gives us a series of monographs designed to illustrate the different ways in which theologians have shaped their works.  

Hans Urs von Balthasar A continuation of monographs in Volume II in which the aesthetical dimension of theology, its intrinsic beauty, is traced through some of the great Christian thinkers of modern times.

St. Robert Bellarmine Edited by John Patrick Donnelly, SJ, and Roland J. Teske, SJ  There are few figures in the history of the Church that have had such a wide-ranging effect on the religious life of their age as Robert Bellarmine. Born in Tuscany in 1542, he entered the Society of Jesus at the height of the Counter-Reformation. His first major work, The Controversies, was published in …

Hans Urs von Balthasar In this third book, Balthasar presents various ways in which something of the Creator Spirit should be experienced through his manifestations: in the way in which he leads human persons to the living God ("Faith"), in the way in which he distinguishes the spirits of this time ("Crisis"), in the way in which he initiates into the mystery of the Incarnate One ("Night"), in …

Leon J. Suprenant, Jr., editor Servants of the Gospel is a collection of essays by American bishops on the bishop’s role in the Church today. Written in anticipation of the Synod (worldwide gathering) of Bishops scheduled for the Year 2000 to discuss this very topic, these essays are geared to helping all people understand the unique and challenging task of the successors of the apostles. This …

An Essay on the Devleopment of Christian Doctrine , reprinted from the 1888 imprint, “is rightly regarded as one of the most seminal theological works ever to be written,” states Ian Ker in his foreword. “It remains,” Ker continues, "the classic text for the theology of the development of doctrine, a branch of theology which has become especially important in the …

Elisabeth Leseur Edited by Janet K. Ruffing This volume, the first in the highly praised Classics of Western Spirituality series to venture into the 20th century, introduces the writings of Elisabeth Leseur (1800-1914), a French laywoman who left a precious record of a remarkable inner spiritual journey that was all but hidden from those who knew her. Leseur confronted the twin challenges of …

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 …

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 …

With the original preface by Hilaire Belloc Flee To The Fields is a collection of essays by the leaders of the Catholic Land Movement which flourished in England and Scotland during the quarter century just prior to the Second World War. It was and remains: a challenge to all those attempting a Faustian bargain with modern, industrial "civilization"; an inspiration for those seeking the vision …

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Cardinal Ratzinger wrote this book in response to the dialogue going on today concerning theology and the clarification of its methods, its mission and its limits which he thinks has become urgent. Ratzinger states: "To do theology-as the Magisterium understands theology-it is not sufficient merely to calculate how much religion can reasonably be expected of man and …