The Faith of Our Fathers: A Plain Exposition and Vindication of the Church Founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ by James Cardinal Gibbons The Faith of Our Fathers always has been an incredibly popular and successful book explaining the basic tenets of the Catholic Faith and why we hold them. It delves into the historical background of virtually everything people find hard to understand about …

    Jo hn Paul II Translated and introduced by Michael M. Waldstein   In this new critical translation of Pope John Paul II’s magnum opus, internationally renowned biblical scholar Michael Waldstein presents John Paul II’s magnificent vision of the human person with meticulous scholarship and profound insight. In this vision, John Paul II presents a catechesis …

In response to the growing "Culture of Death," Pope John Paul II issued this encyclical which addresses theological and moral concerns regarding life issues such as abortion, euthenasia and contraception. The document is divided into the following sections: Introduction I. The Voice of Your Brother's Blood Cries Out to Me From the Ground - Present - Day Threats to Human Life II. I Came That …

Broken families, abortion, AIDS, Internet pornography, clergy abuse, homosexual "Marriage" - our Church and world is in the midst of a profound sexual crisis. Is there a way out? For such a time as this have we been given Pope John Paul 11 and his "theology of the body." Based on the words of Jesus, John Paul 11's reflections on the body and sex take us to the root of the modern c~isis and …

Fr. Richard Hogan and Fr. John LeVoir Pope John Paul II has had a profound theological and personal impact on Catholics and non-Catholics alike. In the scholarly tradition of Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas, he has found a new unity between faith and reason. The study of God, says John Paul, is also the study of humanity. He has come to vigorously insist on the rights and dignity of each …

C.S. Lewis A candid, wise, and warmly personal book in which Lewis explores the possibilities and problems of the four basic kinds of human love- affection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God.

Discover John Paul II's radical teaching on sex, love, and the meaning of life By Rev. Anthony Percy —Perfect for beginners, ideal for seekers—   Sex matters. Yet even deeper than the urge for sex is the desire for love. More than sexual, we are relational : meant for true and intimate relationship with each other and with God. Rather than a “casual indoor sport,” sex is sacred. And John …

  In three separate sessions, from 1545 to 1564, the Fathers of the Church met in Ecumenical Council at a small town in the Austrian Tyrol, named Tridentum-in English, Trent. That meeting-the Council of Trent-produced a large number of canons and decrees, condemned the errors of the Protestant Reformation, and shown as a beacon to all the world. Of the twenty Ecumenical Councils of the …

Fr. John Laux Packed with fascinating information.  Scores hundreds of points without a wasted word.  Full of brief Bible quotes that show how Catholic teaching is truly Scriptural.  Topics include the Sources of Faith (Scripture and Tradition), the Blessed Trinity, creation, Angels, Original Sin, Christ the Redeemer, the Blessed Virgin, Sanctifying & Actual Grace, good …

Following the 1987 Synod of Bishops on the topic of the lay faithful in the Church, Pope John Paul II issued this letter detailing the theological and aspects of the role of the laity in the Church as well as their formation and mission. This document is divided into the following sections: Introduction I. I Am the Vine and You are the Branches - The Dignity of the Lay Faithful in the Church …

In one series, the original writings of the universally acknowledged teachers of the Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic and Native American traditions have been critically selected, translated and introduced by internationally recognized scholars and spiritual leaders. I abandoned and forgot myself Laying my face on my beloved; All things ceased; I went out from …

In The Beginning:  A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger These five superb homilies by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of today ' s most significant Catholic theologians, provide a clear and biblically based explanation of the Genesis creation narratives. While the stories of the creation of the world and of the fall of human-kind have …

Pontifical Council For The Family Because of the many problematic aspects of "sex education" in both secular and religious schools, the Pontifical Council for the Family issued this document which discusses the theology of sex, marriage and chastity and also sets guidelines and rights of parents in the education of their children. The document is divided into the following sections: …

During his years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, well-known Vatican prelate Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger has given three in-depth interviews. The first two interviews have become bestselling books: The Ratzinger Report and Salt of the Earth. Because of the tremendous reception those books received, the Cardinal agreed to do another interview with journalist Peter …

Created And Redeemed Study Guide Christopher West Drawing on Pope John Paul II ' s Theology of the Body, author and video host Christopher West shares God ' s original plan for marriage and sexuality and how an understanding of this plan gives profound meaning to all our lives—married, single, and consecrated celibates. The Theology of the Body has been called " one of the boldest …

Rev. John A. Nageleisen Charity for the Suffering Souls is not only a complete explanation of the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, but it is also a devotional and inspirational book conceived to instill in its readers a lasting and powerful devotion to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. This is a profound, provocative and well-rounded study which treats of the sufferings, consolations and duration of …

This encyclical on the importance and issues concerning labor was issued on the 90th anniversary of the famous encyclical Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII. It contains the following sections: Introduction Human Work on the Nintieth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum In the Organic Development of the Church's Social Action and Teaching The Question of Work, the Key to the Social Question Work and Man …

Charles E. Rice Charles Rice, professor of the jurisprudence of St. Thomas Aquinas for the last twenty years at Notre Dame Law School, presents a very readable book on the natural law as seen through the teachings of Aquinas and their foundations in reason and Revelation. Reflecting on the most persistent questions asked by his students over the years, Rice shows how the natural law works and …

"Christ, in instituting the Eucharist ... expressed the relationship between man and woman."     - Pope John Paul II, On the Dignity of Women, #26 That's an amazing statement. It needs an explanation. The nine meditations here not only explain that sentence, they  illuminate the relationship between man and woman, between parents and children and between family and the …

This timely document was written to lay out the theological nature of sexuality and the educational rights and responsibilities for the young concerning sex and sexuality. The book also includes the Charter of the Rights of the Family issued by the Holy See in 1983. The document is divided into the following sections: Introduction I. Some Fundamental Principles II. Responsibility in Putting …

Hans Urs von Balthasar From Luther to Kierkegaard, from Heidegger to Sartre, the theme of anguish has dominated both philosophy and spiritual theology. In our "societies of depression" where individuals confront their own loneliness, this theme has recently regained its intensity. In these dense and luminous pages, he is not content merely to show how much this feeling is profoundly inscribed …

Hans Urs von Balthasar In this final volume, Balthasar reflects on the New Testament vision of God's revelation of his glory in Christ. In Christ's incarnation and resurrection the Christian vision is truly expressed and the joining of God and the world in the new and eternal covenant is realized.

The Privilege of Being a Woman Alice von Hildebrand Women historically have been denigrated as lower than men or viewed as privileged. Dr. Alice von Hildebrand characterizes the difference between such views as based on whether man's vision is secularistic or steeped in the supernatural. She shows that feminism's attempts to gain equality with men by imitation of men is unnatural, foolish, …

Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. A theological treatise for lay people on the 4 Last Things - Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell by probably the 20th century's greatest theologian.  Discusses the roots of vice and virtue, purgatory before death, final impenitence, the grace of a happy death, the Particular Judgment, reasons for Hell, dvine perfections, the pain of loss, Purgatory's …

In 1997, eight different Vatican Congregations co-authored this document concerning problems with the bluring of the distinction between the lay faithful and the ordained priesthood, primarily in liturgical matters. Among other things addressed were the use of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, the preaching of homilies and the proper minister for the sacraments. The document is divided …

Hans Urs von Balthasar The fourth volume in von Balthasar's essays is built around the theme of Spirit and Institution, the two central features of the Church which Balthasar approaches from different angles. The third volume is built around the theme of the Holy Spirit as the Creator Spirit. The first volume was constructed around the mid-point of the Word become man, and the second volume …

Hans Urs von Balthasar Volume one of the long-awaited English version of von Balthasar's masterwork, Herrlichkeit .

Edited by Hans Urs von Balthasar Saint Irenaeus was the first great Christian theologian. Born in Asia Minor in about 130 A.D., he became Bishop of Lyons and died as a martyr early in the third century. His main work, Adversus Haereses (Against the Heresies), is as relevant today as it was eighteen hundred years ago. It is a critique of Gnosticism, the `anti-body' heresy, which, far from dying …

In Hans Urs von Balthasar’s masterwork, The Glory of the Lord, the great theologian used the term "theological aesthetic" to describe what he believed to the most accurate method of interpreting the concept of divine love, as opposed to approaches founded on historical or scientific grounds. In this newly translated book, von Balthasar delves deeper into this exploration of what love means, …

In  The Creator and the Creature , the great Father Faber scrutinizes the relationship between man and God. He states that this book is at the "source and origin" of all his other books, because it contains the fundamen­tal insight which leads to proper understanding about all the other aspects of our religion. Man in the modern era, he explains, does not deny the existence of God, …

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 …

Ratzinger, Schürmann, von Balthasar A concise compendium of the fundamental principles of Christian life by three of the most respected scholars in the Catholic Church.

Josef Pieper This volume, three separate books in one edition, is a collection of Josef Pieper's famous treatises on the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. Each of these treatises was originally published as a separate work over a period of thirty-seven years, and here they are brought together in English for the first time. The first of the three that he wrote, On Hope , was …

In Providence , the famous Garrigou-Lagrange explains Divine Providence in both its deep doctrinal foundations and in its workings in our daily lives.  Unlike many modern theologians, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange holds that the salvation of souls is more important than anything else on this earth, and this great truth enlightens his entire book.  He shows how God's Providence works in the …

To the ears of ceaselessly busy and ambitious modern Westerners, it will come as a shock, and perhaps as an insult, to be told that human affairs are "unserious." But this fundamental truth is exactly what James Schall, following Plato, has to teach us in this wise and witty book. Schall cites Charlie Brown, Aristotle, and Samuel Johnson with the same sobriety-the sobriety that sees the truth …

In Predestination , the great Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange gives a masterful theological exposition of the classic Thomistic teaching on this, the most difficult of all theological tracts, showing the reconciliation - as far as it can be understood this side of the Beatific Vision - of the various elements of the Church's teaching on Predestination. Based on Scripture and Tradition, this book gives …

John Saward In the pre-Christian world, children were slain on pagan altars, and now, in the post-Christian world of the affluent West, children are again the object of adult hostility. In the U.S.A. the abuse of children has been called a "national emergency", while in almost every country on earth the killing of children still unborn has become an ideology of "choice". In this challenging …

Josef Pieper The famous and popular Thomistic philosopher addresses the topic of hope from the perspective of human history and asks the questions: ``Is man's hope such that it can find any fulfillment in the field of human history?" And: ``Is man's human history such that it can give us any grounds not to despair?" Pieper looks at the movement of history, the idea of progress, man's hope for …

John R. Sommerfeldt, PhD For the medieval Cistercian abbot Aelred of Rievaulx, human beings are capable of happiness because human nature is good-but the self-defeating choices of humans have led to their misery. A loving God leads humans to happiness by nudging their free wills toward choosing the good and then, if they respond positively, giving them the power to realize that good. The …

Catholicism Christ and the Common Destiny of Man by Henri Cardinal de Lubac, S.J. This book first appeared just over fifty years ago. It is the pilgrimatic work of one of the 20th century's greatest theologians. Deeply rooted in tradition, it breaks ground and sows seeds which will bear their fruit in the Second Vatican Council's central documents on the Church. Here, de Lubac gathers from …

Josef Pieper The popular Thomistic philosopher and writer Josef Pieper focuses on the thesis of Plato, which at first sight appears strange and unrealistic, that those experiences that advance human life to its true fullness are bestowed on us only during a "god-given" state of "being-beside-oneself". This thesis is then resolutely confronted with our contemporary and above all …

The Glories of Divine Grace Fr. Matthias J. Scheeben Catholic catechisms all teach that with Baptism we become children of God and heirs of Heaven; that we receive thereby Sanctifying Grace and thus have a share in the life of God Himself. However, after learning this, most Catholics think little more about the nature of Sanctifying Grace, what it means and what it does for us. Far from being …

Hans Urs von Balthasar In one of the last books written before his death, the great theologian von Balthasar provides a moving and profound meditation on the theme of spiritual childhood. Somewhat startlingly, von Balthasar puts forth his conviction that the central mystery of Christianity is our transformation from world-wise, self-sufficient ``adults" into abiding children of the Father of …

"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 …

Henri de Lubac This is a masterpiece written by one of the 20th century's greatest theologians.  The book's influence has been vast and profound.  In many ways it laid the foundation for the Second Vatican Council and the book remains a powerful corrective to misunderstandings of Catholicism that have been erroneously presented as flowing from the council.  Drawing on the Bible, …

The last two decades or so have seen a marked resurgence of interest in natural law thought. Russell Hittinger has been a major figure in this movement. The First Grace: Rediscovering the Natural Law in a Post-Christian World reveals the power and subtlety of Hittinger's philosophical work and cultural criticism. Hittinger first defines the natural law, considers its relationship to the …

Josef Pieper This is a masterpiece of a forgotten virtue by one of the great Christian philosophers of the twentieth century.

One of the most important philosophy titles ... ... published in the twentieth century, Josef Pieper's Leisure, the Basis of Culture is more significant, even more crucial, today than it was when it first appeared fifty years ago. This special edition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the work's first appearance in Germany, has a new introduction by the eminent British philosopher, Roger …

The meaning of life. You can't buy it, steal it, borrow it. You have to discover it. Best-selling Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft has written a short, thoughtful guide to help you on your journey. Kreeft lays out God's answers to your questions with a simplicity and directness that will help you find that meaning, and share that meaning with others. God's answers are not complicated or …

Jorge Cardinal Medina Estevez responds to the attack by modern society on the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage with these beautiful, thought-provoking and clear essays on marriage and the family. A highly regarded author, teacher, prelate and strong defender of Catholic doctrine, Cardinal Medina Estevez presents inspiring insights on the divine plan for male and female, the family as …

Fr. William Most examines the question of predestination in the light of Divine Revelation and the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church, and with the aid of the writings of the Church Fathers. What results is an in-depth study of grace and judgment and of the eternal will of God, who desires the salvation of all mankind.

By Fr. James V. Schall S.J. In The Life of the Mind , Georgetown University's James V. Schall takes up the task of reminding us that, as human beings, we naturally take special delight and pleasure in simply knowing.  Because we have not only bodies but also minds, we are built to know what is.  In this volume, Schall, author of On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs , among many …