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Here's an unabashedly Catholic history that documents scores of sustained and unprecedented assaults on our Catholic Faith these past five centuries and delineates our Church's brave response to each one. For five hundred years, from Luther to Marx, through Darwin, Hitler, and Rousseau, wave after wave of cynical anti-Catholic men and movements have wrought havoc even worse than that of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan, leaving our once noble Christendom a ruined city, devastated politically and spiritually, morally and intellectually. They've ripped the heart from our culture's chest: the Catholic Faith that once gave life and strength to her body. They've wounded even the Church herself. Celebrated Catholic historian Diane Moczar counters here with an unflinching sketch of these five woeful centuries with sound reasons for hope. For, as she demonstrates, even after five hundred years of sustained persecution, our Church has not merely survived but continues in many places to flourish. Almost two thousand years ago, Tertullian noted that the "blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church," a truth borne out these past five hundred years. Time after time, as Moczar shows, persecution has not snuffed out the Faith but has brought forth great saints whose holy deeds and brave examples frustrated their persecutors by communicating to the besieged Church a vigor greater than that of her persecutors. These pages will renew your confidence that the Church is indeed Christ acting in the world and that no matter how strong or ruthless or vicious her opponents, she will not be vanquished but will endure to the end of time.

Even four hundred years ago, believers found it difficult to sustain for forty days the proper Lenten spirit. That's why even then, countless Christians turned to the writings of Bishop Jacques-B nigne Bossuet (1627-1704), whose great piety and simple eloquence won him renown as the greatest preacher of his time. From Bishop Bossuet's sermons and writings, believers drew ever greater Lenten wisdom and strength. Now translator Christopher Blum has selected from Bishop Bossuet's voluminous works forty brief but remarkably powerful meditations, arranged them according to the events reported in the Gospels, and lovingly translated each one for us. If you read and meditate briefly on just one of them each day in Lent, I guarantee that this good French bishop's eloquence will soon have you not merely remembering the events of Christ's journey to His Crucifixion; it will have you spiritually walking with Him on that journey . . . which is precisely what we are called to do in Lent! With Bossuet, this Lent you will find yourself saying, "O Jesus! I present myself to you to make my journey in your company. O my Savior, receive your traveler! Here I am ready, holding on to nothing. Let me go with You to the Father." That's the fire that should burn in the heart of all Christians. This Lent, let Bishop Bossuet enkindle it in yours. First time ever in English By Jacques Benigne Bossuet "The greatest orator who ever appeared in the Christian pulpit."

Filled with inspiring real-world examples of heroic men and women throughout history, this book teaches you how to develop the essential habits you need to become a saint in these times. You'll learn how to develop an attitude of gratitude like the saints in Heaven and how to cultivate a spiritual life that will make you more productive.

Belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist has declined drastically over the past fifty years. For the love of the Lord and the good of souls, how can we help reverse this trend?

From the brief penny catechisms of the 16th century to our own late 20th-century Catechism, scores of faithful priests, bishops, popes, saints, and even Church Councils have for Catholics young and old published succinct, reliable summaries of our Church's perennial teachings: catechisms. In them, readers have encountered Catholic doctrine presented in refreshingly clear and even elegant language, often accompanied by handsome woodcuts on lovely pages. Now, for the first time ever, dozens of historic catechisms are being unearthed and painstakingly restored. They are being reformatted for publication and presented to you in this gorgeous 20-volume, cross-indexed collection. What's in Volume VII: Volume 7 of the Tradivox series contains the most authoritative Catholic catechism ever composed: the Catechism of the Council of Trent. In the nearly five centuries since its publication, this text has been known by many names, perhaps most commonly as the Roman Catechism. Partly in answer to the expanding errors of the Protestant Revolt, this catechism was composed by order of one of the greatest ecumenical councils in history, the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Written especially for priests, the text was authored by a team of the Church's most eminent theologians under the personal direction of the great Saint Charles Borromeo, patron of bishops and catechists. When completed, it was promulgated in 1566 as the first universal catechism in Church history, by Pope Saint Pius V, the great Pontiff of the Counter- Reformation. It was subsequently praised and repeatedly required for priestly formation, by popes and councils across the centuries. Amid its continuous reprintings across the world, it was declared "far removed from every danger of error" by Clement XIII in 1761, hailed as a "precious summary of all theology, both dogmatic and moral" by Leo XIII in 1899, and more recently affirmed as "a work of the first rank as a summary of Christian teaching and traditional theology" by John Paul II in 1979. Among the many versions of this monumental catechism that are currently in print, this Tradivox volume stands as the definitive English edition, as well as a scholarly tool of the first rank, by several counts: First and most notably, it recovers the approved and unabridged 1923 translation by the renowned Dominican priests and scholars, Fathers McHugh (d. 1950) and Callan (d. 1962) - their expert introduction, copious footnotes, and recommended sermon cycle have all been retained, offering detailed insight and apparatus for further study. Second, all footnotes have been sourced, expanded, and standardized for the benefit of the common reader, with the translators' notes clearly marked in order to differentiate them from the original manuscript references. Third, additional citation numbers for the current Code of Canon Law (983) have been included wherever relevant. Produced in the same superlative quality common to the entire Tradivox collection, Volume 8 is therefore the definitive critical edition of the Roman Catechism; a text that princes of the Church have referred to simply as "that golden book."

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.

The 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.

Here's the single book you need in this life to periodically strengthen your devotion to Our Lady by following the examples of the holy men and women who came before us and on whose shoulders we stand.

Two of the greatest Italian catechisms have been paired together for the first time in Volume 8 of the Tradivox collection, composed by authors renowned for their excellent teaching as well as their outstanding holiness.

These pages are a mighty guidebook for souls hungry to follow the way of the Christian warrior by taking up their crosses and following into immortal combat the King of the Universe, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

St. John Paul II propelled the Church into a new era of fruitful contemplation about the dignity and value of women, often reiterating how women reveal the image of God in the world. But his final contribution to that topic may be his most profound. Just months before he passed into eternity, he summed up his decades of teaching on the topic: "To you, women, falls the task of being sentinels of the Invisible!" In these eye-opening pages, author Melissa Maleski shows how this final bold admonition succinctly embodies the Catholic Church's entire, consistent vision of women as powerful, vital agents for good. Drawing not only on the works of John Paul II and on those of the Church Fathers but also on the example of scores of holy women in the Bible plus the Blessed Virgin Mary and the many female saints of the Church, these pages offer profound and practical insights into the fundamental strengths and habits that distinguish womanhood as a particular way of being human, while giving authentic witness to the divine image of our Creator. Be warned: here you'll encounter no outdated, sentimental ode to "feminine genius." On the contrary, reaching across time and space, Maleski's straightforward, engaging prose introduces you to the bracing, universal truths of the Church about the inherent strength and supreme vocation of womanhood, equipping you to counter forcefully our secular culture's distorted views of personhood, the human body, gender, sexuality, and the profound, God-ordained complementarity of men and women. And much more, in our confused times, to show forth for you "the supreme vocation of women"!

Founded in 1983 by a poor Italian nun, Mother Elvira Petrozzi, Comunita Cenacolo began in an abandoned old house in Saluzzo, Italy. Today, with over 2,000 members worldwide, the community is a free, fully residential Catholic program for people seeking to overcome substance abuse. This is Mother Elvira's story of her community's founding and growth and of the powerful principles that guide its uniquely successful programs. This inspired nun's conviction that hard work, prayer, and the sacraments can heal young people of the deep emotional wounds they have suffered has effectively freed thousands from the cruel chains of addiction and other destructive pastimes. Now functioning in 71 houses in 20 countries around the world, Cenacolo communities welcome young people from everywhere and help them rise to new life through a regimen of loving service. They offer a profound source of hope and resurrection for souls lost in a world of darkness, sadness, drugs, and desperation. This is the moving account of the indomitable foundress, her vocation, the arrival of the first young people, the evolution of her teaching methods, the spiritual underpinnings of the community, and the remarkable transformations that her work has produced. Most stirring of all, however, is Mother Elvira's understanding of the compelling demands and the unparalleled joy of love for the less fortunate, which love has motivated her for eight decades now.

Here professor of Church history Dr. James Papandrea gathers in one place all that is known about the afterlife -- drawn from the teachings of Jesus, the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and the Church's Magisterium -- affording, for the first time ever, a complete, authoritative, detailed portrait of the state of souls after death and the realms we enter. The following are among the many questions he answers: -If, as St. Paul says, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God," how can our bodies enter Heaven? -After death but before the final resurrection, are we simply unconscious? -What is our resurrection like? (And does it differ from Jesus' Resurrection?) -Are ghosts real? (You'll be surprised at what the Church Fathers have to say.) -What is the difference between Heaven and Paradise? -Which of our parts will accompany us to Heaven (and which must be left behind)? -In Heaven, do we still eat and drink? -If, as Jesus says, there's no marrying in heaven, are we still male and female there? -After our resurrection, will we, like Jesus, be able to pass through matter? -And many more fascinating questions answered!

Each of the four Gospels tells only part of the story of Jesus . . . and all of them leave out background facts that are essential to understanding events surrounding Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion.That's because the Gospels were written for readers already familiar with many of the persons, places, parties, and politics that governed events in those long-past days.Not so modern readers, twenty centuries later!Which is why Fr. Ralph Gorman has here crafted a single, unforgettable, detailed account that combines material from all four Gospels with critically-important Old Testament passages, plus relevant facts from Jewish and Roman history, laws, traditions, and practices. He also includes helpful first century military, political, geographical, and archaeological information and keen depictions of Gospel places based on his three years residence there.The result?Arichly-textured, moment-by-moment account that brings to vivid life the powerful events that transpired between Jesus' Agony in the Garden and His death on the Cross — a narrative that actually provides a fuller treatment of the events of Passion Week than is found in any of the Gospels.From The Last Hours of Jesus, you'll come to learn scores of new — and often surprising — things, including:The exact moment that Satan entered JudasThe dangerous political currents in Palestine that fueled the fatal eventsof Holy WeekWhy Jesus refused to answer many of His accusersPontius Pilate: why he admired — but condemned — JesusWhy, so quickly, Palm Sunday's "Hosannas" led to Good Friday's "Crucify him!"Why, after His death, the Sanhedrin still feared JesusAnd much more to enrich your knowledge, understanding, and love of Jesus!

Over fifty years ago, Msgr. Romano Guardini resolved to help his parishioners overcome the distractions and restlessness they suffered at Mass. Just before Mass each Sunday, he gave a brief talk on some aspect of the Mass, teaching them week by week, topic by topic, how to pre-pare themselves to participate more prayerfully. Afterward, he provided a few minutes of silence for reflection, and then began to offer Mass. So helpful were these 32 talks that they were soon published and have since been reprinted countless times in numerous countries and languages, helping generations of Catholics to deepen their devotion during Mass. Practical, straightforward, and full of wisdom, these talks will help you to quiet your soul, concentrate your mind, and grow receptive to God's grace during Mass. In these pages, you'll discover: - The three principal hindrances to full participation in the Mass to which all of us are prone - The real meaning of "keeping holy" the Sabbath. Its special importance for the family - One tendency we must overcome when listening to Scripture readings - How to gain control over your wandering attention - The one indispensable element of a deep liturgical life - What to do when the Mass becomes boring and "routine" - How to achieve a genuine not superficial stillness - The importance of listening. Inner barriers that prevent it - Why it's good to arrive early at Mass whenever possible - The true significance of kneeling and standing in church - And dozens of other practical ways to enrich your worship Although he was an eminent theologian, Msgr. Guardini wrote for ordinary Catholics who are struggling to become closer to Christ. Practical, straightforward, yet full of wisdom, Meditations Before Mass will help you to quiet your soul, concentrate your mind, and grow more receptive to grace.

In this compelling spiritual memoir, Bear takes you on a journey from the "mountain waves" of Hawaii to "the Wedge" of Newport Beach, California, showing how his experience surfing led him to a profound encounter with God: "Wave after timeless wave breaking on the shore drew me into a contemplation of God's eternity."

Reprinted over 65 times, Peace Be with You is replete with practical tips, inspirational reflections, case studies, real-life anecdotes, useful diagrams, examples from the lives of the saints, and encouraging maxims to live by.

How can I pray better? How do I know God hears my prayers? How can I 'pray always, ' as Jesus commands? Why must I ask for things God already knows I need? Such were the questions that perplexed a young North African man, Augustine Aurelius (354-430), whose intense yearning for God led him into a profound and lifelong encounter with Christ in prayer. There Augustine found answers to these questions and to countless more answers not grounded in his own brilliance, but in prayer itself. In time, Augustine became a bishop and a Father of the Church, and has long been numbered among her saints. Yet of all the Church's saints, not one expresses the longing for God more beautifully, or explores the nature of prayer more helpfully, than St. Augustine. His words speak to us today as freshly as they did to his contemporaries. St. Augustine wrote many books, but never one devoted to prayer alone. Indeed, his teachings on prayer are scattered in many places. So from over 200 works, Fr. Cliff Ermatinger has gathered and translated Augustine's teachings on prayer, and now presents them here in a simple question-and-answer format. What emerges is nothing less than a rich new "catechism on prayer" by one of the Church's greatest saints.

One of the greatest Catholic minds of the twentieth century was a journalist, playwright, novelist, literary critic, poet, cartoonist, essayist, broadcaster, and even president of the Detection Club. But he was also a theologian. G. K. Chesterton, famous for defending Christian belief in his books Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man (the latter helped to convert C.S. Lewis) could not help thinking theologically even when he was making jokes and his writings illuminate the profoundest religious themes. In his hands, Christian truth is rescued from becoming a purely academic exercise. He gives us an "experience of the fullness and many-sidedness of the truth, in which the Christian can romp without a care" (Balthasar). In fact, like Lewis, Chesterton, who was one of the great converts of the twentieth century, draws us directly into an encounter with the Word of God, showing us the faith of the Church as most of us have never seen it before. No wonder Pope Benedict XVI tells us that "in every age the path to faith can take its bearings by converts." But Chesterton wrote so much literally millions of words in thousands of essays and books that the average reader may feel daunted. There has never been one book that introduces his thoughts on God and the Church ... until now, courtesy of the wise Dominican priest, Aidan Nichols. In these pages, Fr. Nichols has gathered the most powerful theological passages from the many works of Chesterton, and included his own concise explanations of the keen and sometimes surprising ways they illuminate the most profound questions ever asked by man. Readers new to Chesterton as well as his lifelong fans will delight in the fresh light he sheds here on the existence of God, the nature of man, the meaning of Christ, and the universal call to holiness, which in these pages rings out as loudly as it did when G.K. Chesterton first wrote these words over a century ago.

Our Christian faith isn't based on an idea or a philosophy, or on some accumulation of cultural myths and traditions. It's based on a man: Jesus, the God who was born in ancient Nazareth and lived in the flesh and died; Jesus, the Word of the Father who was and is and ever shall be, a man. We also believe that knowing this man is essential to our very salvation. That's why Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, archbishop emeritus of Bologna, Italy, and close friend of Pope Benedict XVI, wrote The Man Christ Jesus to give us an intimate portrait of Jesus as we meet him in the Gospels. Only by experiencing a close, personal encounter with Jesus in his full humanity just as his first disciples did can we develop a true and salvific belief in the Christ of Faith. And so, meticulously following the Gospel data, Cardinal Biffi reveals: -A man of unsurpassed physical strength, vigor, handsomeness, and charisma -A true friend who exhibits selflessness and humility in all his dealings -A brilliant and complex mind who teaches simple people with simple words -A pious Jew, and a perfectly prayerful and obedient son of the Father -A "politically incorrect" preacher whose message leaves no one unchallenged -An "unsolvable enigma of history" that the World, without the gift of faith, will never understand When we are brought face-to-face with the unique mystery of the man Christ Jesus, writes Cardinal Biffi, "either we reject him, or we fall on our knees before him." There is no middle way. Let these pages reveal to you the face of Christ, and bring you more readily and lovingly to your knees.

Historian Diane Moczar pulls back the curtain on one of the most important acts in the drama of Muslim aggression against the West: the 500-year-long siege of Europe by the Ottoman Turks. Tracing the rise of the Turkish people from wandering Asian tribe to mighty pan-continental empire, Islam at the Gates chronicles the heroes and villains, the battles and atrocities, the tragic errors and timely miracles, that marked the Ottomans' incursions from Europe's borders to the very heart of Christendom; and then, by the grace of God, their eventual repulsion and final defeat.

Celebrate the Faith with your kids all year round! For over half a century, Catholic families have treasured the practical piety and homespun wisdom of Mary Reed Newland's classic of domestic spirituality, The Year and Our Children. With this new edition, no longer will you have to search for worn, dusty copies to enjoy Newland's faithful insights, gentle lessons, and delightful stories. They're all here, and ready to be shared with your family or homeschooling group. Here, too, you'll find all the prayers, crafts, family activities, litanies, and recipes that will help make your children ever-mindful of the beautiful rhythm of the Church calendar. Learn how to make an Advent wreath and how to make it more than just a pretty ornament. Teach your children about the real Santa (the one who was a bishop) and how to celebrate all twelve days of Christmas, giving them a holy wonder that will continue long after all the presents have been opened and the wrapping thrown away. When Lent comes, read Newland's simple secrets to helping your kids embrace their sacrifices with enthusiasm. Then, let her show you how to make your home a place where Holy Week and Easter are duly treated as the highest, holiest days of all the year. She'll teach you ways to reclaim All Souls' and All Saints' from the popular occultism of modern Halloween. She'll also show you why Church tradition accords special meaning to certain foods, colors, and symbols, and how these add to the incarnational character of Catholic spirituality allowing children to experience the Faith through sight, smell, touch, and taste. Mary Reed Newland wrote numerous beloved books for Catholic families, but The Year and Our Children is her undisputed masterpiece. Read it, cherish it, share it, put it into practice and give your kids the gift of a fully lived faith, every day and in every season.

Here are the saints and sinners, popes and kings that God used to shape his Church and change the world. You'll meet Clovis and Charlemagne, Luther and Pope Leo, Suleiman and St. Francis, the Arians, the Franks, the Huguenots, and others whose sins or sacrifices altered the course of history. Here, too, are the wars and plagues, the ideas and institutions -- and, yes, the miracles that gave birth to our Christian civilization and often threatened to doom it. Experience the battles of Tours and Lepanto, the Crusades, the Russian Revolution, and Fatima, the miracle that foretold (and offered a way to prevent) the conflicts that killed millions in the twentieth century. Wars and terrorism have rendered the first years of our new century no less bloody. Has God now abandoned us? Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know finds the answer in history: from the first days of the Christian era, at key moments when civilization hung in the balance, God has intervened sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically but ever and always he has come forward himself or given strength to those who were faithful to him.