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What can the lay person learn from the life of a monk? Solitude and Silence are two pillars of monastic life that many people quickly point to as the hardest and most confusing parts of this kind of religious consecration. However, the great spiritual writer Thomas à Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, helps us to understand that all Christians are called to some solitude and silence in our lives while not taking on a complete eremitical life. He recommends the systematic and intentional incorporation of solitude and silence in a manner which is consistent with each one's vocation and state of life. It is important for us to cultivate these two habits in order to enter into contemplation and conversation with God. This vision of God may also be experienced (to varying degrees) even in this world, through the grace of contemplative prayer. And silence and solitude are the hallowed doors through which one must pass to arrive at this delightful and serene state of holy contemplation.

What is the greatest spiritual battle? The greatest battles do not occur in a distant land or even in past times but in the depths of the human soul. It is the battle between virtue and vice, the conflict between aspiring to be a saint or living a mediocre life. The conflict between reaching heaven or forfeiting it. In this spiritual masterpiece, Pope Saint Leo IX, identifies our foes: "The enemies in this battle--the vices and temptations which infect our fallen nature--are invisible and internal." These invisible and internal vices have dragged many souls to hell, and they will not stop until every person has surrendered to their pernicious and vile attacks. Are you saddened and discouraged by such daily assaults? There is hope. In these pages, you will find over twenty-five virtues to help you win the spiritual victory against sin. With God's grace and virtues like humility, detachment, prudent restraint, firm stability, and others, the battle can be won. But keep in mind that spiritual victory does not happen overnight. The battle wages on until your final breath. The question remains: Are you willing to fight? Just as this book is a dialogue between the virtues and vices, so too must we learn to listen to the voice of truth and not the voice of lies. The Lord, the General of our souls, whispers words of encouragement and peace while the devil, the captain of vice and enemy of our souls, tempts us to sin and then accuses us. On our earthly pilgrimage fraught with suffering, sorrow, and trials, let us keep our eyes fixed on our celestial homeland, the eternal city, where there will be perpetual peace. In heaven, Our Lord will welcome His glorious martyrs and courageous soldiers, those who have kept the faith and fought victoriously. There is nothing more important in this life than fortifying the interior castle of the soul with virtue.

Sister Mary Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, founded the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles in 1995 at the age of seventy. Four years after her death, in May 2023, the sisters were preparing for the reinternment of the remains of their beloved foundress after the completion of a St. Joseph Shrine. Upon seeing Sister Mary's remains, they discovered something incredible, something miraculous--her body appeared to be incorrupt! In The Life of Sister Mary Wilhelmina, you will become acquainted with this most humble sister, who, after fifty years of religious life, was called to establish the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, to remain faithful to the traditional religious life and the Latin Mass. This biography includes stories of her life, her experience as a Black Catholic during racial tensions, the founding of a community, and her original poetry. Her entire life is a testament to fidelity, devotion, and surrender to God's will.

"To mature as a man is to grow in virtue. And yet, year after year, many of us regress in our fundamental calling for a host of reasons: poor catechesis, modernism, isolation, self-absorption, and, to sum it up, the chains of vice. But God calls us to a life of virtue--that is, a life of faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These theological and cardinal virtues, the 'traditional virtues,' which this book walks through, are at the heart and soul of the spiritual life. We often think we know what 'the virtues' are, and perhaps we even dismiss them as being dry or abstract. But in The traditional virtues according to St. Thomas Aquinas, Jason Craig shows us how the insights and teachings of the Angelic Doctor can rescue Catholics from the common distortions of relativism, overpromising self-help programs, and impotent platitudes that reduce good living to 'being nice.' This timely work is laid out as a study for fathers and leaders of men, providing a common language and understanding for not only a manly life but a happy one. Surveying St. Thomas Aquinas's entire treatise on the virtues, while highlighting those aspects that touch most powerfully on the life of fathers, leaders, and mentors, this book is broad yet very practical. Along with a weekly lesson derived from Aquinas, there are also short daily directions for reading through a large portion of the New Testament to help ground and highlight his insights on Scripture and stretch the lessons through the whole week. With Aquinas's own prayers for virtue, wisdom, and purity included in this book, The traditional virtues according to St. Thomas Aquinas will challenge every Catholic man to reach the heights of holiness"--Back cove

"In 'Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy,' Fr. Geraci unpacks the divine mercy message and devotion, offering tremendous insights into the Feast of Divine Mercy, as well as the image and Chaplet of Divine Mercy."--Back cover of dust jacke

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" --Job 38:4 The Foundations of Science introduces children to the wonders of the natural world in light of God's providential care over creation. Too often we hear messages that science is in conflict with faith, but Pope St. John Paul II wrote that faith and science "each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish." Foundations seeks to spawn this flourishing in the hearts and minds of young readers, guiding them into a world that will delight their imaginations and inspire awe in the awesome power of God. This eight-part series covers an extensive scope of scientific studies, from animals and plants, to the galaxies of outer space and the depths of the ocean, to cells and organisms, to the curiosities of chemistry and the marvels of our planet. Still more, it reveals the intricate order found beneath the surface of creation and chronicles many of the Church's contributions to science throughout history. In Cells and Systems: Living Machines, Dr. Heather Ayala explores the fascinating depths found in the smallest of God's creations - the cell. The complex fabric and workings of the human body are presented vibrantly and clearly so that children can come to understand how they were created, from the division of their cells and the DNA instructions within them, to their muscles and bones, to their cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and other systems, to their five senses, to understanding why eating healthy foods and getting plenty of exercise is good for them. Did you know . . .If you stretched out a single chromosome, it would be about 6 feet long?Our skin is our largest organ?A typical adult has 206 different bones in their body, from the largest, the femur in the leg just under twenty inches on average, to the smallest at only a few millimeters inside our ears? The human body has over 600 different muscles?A protein called hemoglobin found inside the red blood cells is what gives blood its red color?Our sense of taste is connected to our sense of smell?In addition, children will also meet heroic figures like Saint Peregrine and Saint Damian, discover amazing true accounts of Eucharistic miracles where actual human flesh could be found within the Sacred Host, read about stories from the Bible, including Jesus healing the blind and deaf and the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones, and receive lessons on the virtues and how they are like spiritual muscles. Take a journey back to when God laid the foundation of the world with this groundbreaking science curriculum!

Translation of: Don Amorth continua: la biografia ufficiale.

How do we truly live well? Can philosophy actually tell us how to be happy? Constantly under attack in today's day and age, the Church's philosophy of what it means to be human and how to act serves as the logical consequence and culmination of all the truths of her theology and holy religion. But if we do not understand why we should act well according to the light of natural reason, it will be all the more difficult to explain why we should act in a certain way according to the light of supernatural revelation. In short, the Church's philosophical system of ethics may well be the most important thing to learn today, and so it forms the culmination of our Foundations of Wisdom series. Ethics covers the teachings of Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas, showing how living a life according to the Church's perennial philosophy not only is not contrary to reason but also leads to the culmination of what reason was made for: the perfection of the human person, serving as a vehicle for beatitude. In this fourth and final volume of The Foundations of Wisdom, you will understand the Church's teaching that the human person should act according to the light of natural reason by delving into the teachings of Saint Thomas and seeing how natural reason harmonizes with the ethics of Holy Mother Church. Deepen your understanding of our very selves, learning how God made us to come to know Him and see His mark in every aspect of creation. Finally, understand the journey to happiness that God through His Church has provided for us to reach our ultimate end: eternal beatitude by union with God.

For centuries, the use of Latin in the liturgy has been under attack. In these pages, Pope Benedict XIV (1675-1758) offers a convincing defense for the use of Latin as the normative liturgical language in the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. Although the attacks over the use of Latin in Pope Benedict XIV's time stemmed primarily from the Protestant schism, the objections today are very similar. With charity and reason, the Holy Father seeks to bring clarity to this most important topic by relying on tradition and Church history. An accomplished canonist and scholar, Pope Benedict XIV was perhaps the most prolific author of any of the Roman pontiffs. In this short work, which also includes an Essay on the use of Latin in the Mass by Hierotheus Confluentinus, the provincial of the German Capuchins (1682-1766), one will find a hidden treasure beckoning the soul to defend our sacred patrimony with even greater fervor: the use of Latin in the liturgy.

Is there a short explanation for what each part of the Traditional Latin Mass signifies? Why are there so many little movements, prayers, and gestures? Why does each matter? Father Victor Hintgen, a seminary formator during the 1950s at the premier seminary in the world, the Louvain, gives short, succinct explanations of each part of the Traditional Latin Mass in his book What the Mass Means. The explications are simple enough for a child but deep enough to give sufficient consideration to the infinite worth of the Mass. Instead of a technical exploration of the Mass, its parts, and its history, What the Mass Means gives a formative introduction and catechetical elucidation of the Mass perfect for beginners, teachers of the Mass, and those simply curious about why this action comes at this part of the Mass. Formatted with questions after each section, this book is ideal for First Communicants preparing to better understand the Traditional Latin Mass, small study groups, or homeschoolers.

Rediscover the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Mass of the Ages. This richly-illustrated introduction to the Latin Mass for readers young and old provides a thorough sampling of Latin text from the missal with English translation. It also provides a look behind the veil of what we can see with our eyes, depicting the meeting of heaven and earth at each Mass, as Pope Saint Gregory the Great stated: "The heavens open and multitudes of angels come to assist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." The beauty of the language, the reverent movements, and the salvation made possible through Jesus's penitential offering to the Father are all depicted lovingly within these pages. For those unfamiliar but curious about the Latin Mass, this book can ease them into experiencing it without feeling overwhelmed. Even if you've only attended the Novus Ordo, the knowledge of the Latin Mass you'll get from this book will deepen your understanding of the Novus Ordo. For children who can sit still but need help to be fully involved at the Mass, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus will guide them along visually and verbally.

More is at stake in the music we listen to or perform than most people are aware. In this vivacious and challenging work, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski--a philosopher, theologian, composer, conductor, and singer--explains why the great classical music of Western civilization is morally and intellectually good for us, as well as why certain other forms of music can actually be harmful. Kwasniewski then offers a defense of the magnificent treasury of sacred music in the Latin-rite Catholic Church and shows how well-suited it is to divine worship, especially the incomparable art form known as Gregorian chant. Questioned and abandoned in recent tumultuous decades, this outstanding heritage of beauty deserves to be restored for profound theological and spiritual reasons, a restoration our times are at last beginning to see as old prejudices fade away. Kwasniewski issues a poignant crie de coeur in favor of giving the glorious sacred music of our tradition its rightful place in every Roman Catholic church on earth. No genuine liturgical renewal or deep Eucharistic revival can occur until this happens: music is that important. Finally, Kwasniewski shows how silence is as valuable as--indeed, at times, more valuable than--even the greatest music, precisely because music at its best opens the way to encountering a reality that transcends all we can say or sing. Written to be accessible to the non-specialist, Good Music, Sacred Music, and Silence: Three Gifts of God for Liturgy and for Life will benefit all Catholics, other Christians, and even aesthetically curious nonbelievers who wish to explore the art of music in general, its role in human life, its effects on morality, and its inspired and inspiring function in religion. Kwasniewski's wide-ranging erudition and sound argumentation provide essential musical guidance for clergy, musicians, teachers, and parents.

Catholics have always known that Satan wages a constant war against the Church. But the past three centuries have witnessed a far more radical onslaught than ever before, leading to a rapid and universal apostasy among formerly Christian nations. Who or what is behind this greatest of all apostasies from the Catholic Church? According to this prophetic book, it is Freemasonry. Originally published by Monsignor George Dillon, DD, in 1885 in response to Pope Leo XIII's call to "tear away the mask from Freemasonry," The War of the Antichrist with the Church and Christian Civilization lays out the facts of Freemasonry, its history, and its anti-Christic ideology. Though written over 130 years ago, it remains stunningly relevant. Monsignor Dillon details the Masonic plot to de-Christianize the world through the separation of Church and state, "democratic" ideology, religious indifferentism, civil marriage and easy divorce laws, secularized education, the encouragement of moral decay among the population, the destruction of the temporal and spiritual authority of the pope, all animated by an atheistic Socialist, Communist, and ultimately pantheistic ideology of nature worship that will climax with the arrival of the antichrist. The result was considered so trustworthy that Pope Leo XIII endorsed it and paid for its translation and printing in Italian. This cannot be dismissed as a "conspiracy theory."But as Monsignor Dillon makes clear, the duty of Catholics in light of this war of the antichrist with the Church and Christian civilization remains constant: to love God above all, our neighbors as ourselves, and to confront evil wherever we find it--first within ourselves, and then in the world around us. Only by bearing the cross with Our Lord during these dark days can we secure salvation for ourselves and others.

Once upon a bridge in Alençon, France, an ordinary man met an ordinary woman, and they fell extraordinarily in love. Uncover the beauty of the Sacrament of Marriage through the quiet, virtuous lives of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, the first married saints in history to be canonized together. This beautiful picture book biography captures the hearts of both child and adult readers, introducing them to the inspirational parents of the Little Flower, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, and bringing to life G.K. Chesterton's observation: "The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children."

What is the greatest title of Saint Joseph? While the Litany of Saint Joseph is filled with many rich titles describing Joseph's virtues and duties--such as most just, most chaste, patron of the dying, terror of demons, and protector of the Holy Church--there is one title that stands out which is quietly absent from his litany: the man closest to Christ. Of all the men God has created, no one has been as close to Christ as Saint Joseph. He was the first man to hold God in his arms. He was the only man recorded to save Christ's life. He was, ultimately, the man chosen from all time to be God's earthly father. Just as his Son was prefigured in the Scriptures, Saint Joseph was also long foreshadowed in the Old Testament. Looking at these biblical types opens our eyes to the reality that Saint Joseph has many other titles, such as the provider of the Eucharist and the souls in purgatory. Even though the year of Saint Joseph has passed, the insights concerning our spiritual father continue to unfold. As the greatest of all the saints after Our Lady, Saint Joseph holds the key to opening the treasuries of Our Lord's Sacred and Eucharistic Heart. To imitate Christ is the goal of our spiritual lives. And what better way to imitate Christ than to learn from Saint Joseph, the man who spent the most time with Him, the man closest to Christ!

Are we truly striving for heaven or merely avoiding hell? The human heart's greatest longing is to see God as He is. And yet, many people simply want to escape hell's pain, or even worse, they follow our disordered fallen nature in choosing sinful pleasures. Our Lord said the road to heaven is narrow, but the road to hell is wide (see Matt. 7:13). Is choosing the road to heaven merely wanting to avoid pain, or is it actively pursuing the greatest good beyond imagining? Do we choose the good because we strive to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, or do we choose the good merely because we fear hell? God never leaves us alone in these choices. Indeed, He sends us His grace, but--to help us cooperate with that grace and fight valiantly--He also sends spiritual warriors and guides, of whom one of the greatest is Saint Thomas Aquinas. In Angelic Virtues and Demonic Vices, Saint Thomas guides us on how to pursue our true celestial homeland while avoiding running to a false heaven. He outlines the various vices, and their forty-plus daughters, and details how to conquer them. After reading this work, you will not only desire to become a saint because you will see how hideous vice truly is but also see how splendid and virtuous living for God is.

From the pulpit of the cross, Christ gave His final and most riveting sermon: His seven last words. In times past, Christ frequently spoke in parables, but no more. No, Christ penned these words with His royal blood like a calligrapher using the most delicate of strokes. Christʼs seven last words are the greatest utterances ever recorded in the history of the world--greater than the words of any esteemed orator, heroic leader, or even saint, because they were the last words of God to mankind. They are the "mystical compendium of the entire Gospel," the perfection of the Beatitudes. Yes, Christ saved the best for last, just like at the wedding feast of Cana--only this time, it was the blood and water from His side that were offered freely to His own bride, the Church. In this engrossing work, the seraphic doctor, Saint Bonaventure, and Arnold of Bonneval, a Benedictine abbot, offer some of the most profound insights into the seven last words of Christ. Arnold, a friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, is believed to be the first person to write on the seven last words, inspiring Bonaventure. While the seven last words have been glossed over for centuries by Christians, it is now time to uncover their hidden and powerful meaning--for there is no greater meditation than pondering the Teacher's last lecture. In Christ's seven last words, we find the necessary direction to reach the heights of perfection.

This book is written to bring to our minds the thoughts of Advent so that we may think and pray with Mary, who brought Christ to us. Advent, like Lent, is a time of preparation in thought and deed for a great event. Certainly, if a king or a cardinal were to come to our home as a guest, we would prepare for his advent. Should we not prepare, then, for the great King of the universe during these days? Instead of coming to our homes, however, His Advent, or "coming," is one into our hearts, and it depends on how we pray and meditate during these preparatory days leading up to Christmas. Advent should not cause sorrow, for penance is a joy when done for God. These Advent days, then, will be most joyful if they are dedicated to God. We are happiest when all things are in harmony and in their proper place. This is the definition of health. This is the understanding of peace. This is to be Christian. It is our aim here to put Christ back into Christmas, to welcome the Christ Child in our souls, and to enjoy the godliness of having Christ's Mass at Christmas.

Thinking on death is the most profitable meditation we can make. Indeed, Our Lord's most holy passion and death offers us the greatest meditation, but pondering our own imminent death can bring us great fruit as it prepares us for the most important thing we will do: enter into eternity. >By meditating on their deaths, many have renounced this fleeting world for the monastery and cloister. By meditating on their deaths, many have conquered the flesh, the world, and the devil. By meditating on their deaths, many have climbed the ladder of holiness in a brief time. To keep death daily before your eyes is one of the greatest secrets to sanctity, for death is the only certainty in this life. And those who ponder the hour of their death daily will not be surprised when that moment comes; rather, they will have prepared for it their entire lives and will be ready to meet their Creator. In this soul-jarring work, Thomas à Kempis guides the reader to consider the last four things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. One of the devil's favorite words is tomorrow. But God's is today. Meditations on Death is like a mini-retreat that will redirect your heart to eternal things rather than passing things. For to contemplate the hour of your death is to already have one foot in heaven.

Every human person seeks happiness, but few find it, because they have not discovered the source of all happiness: God. In the Way to Happiness, Futon Sheen reflects on the most fundamental aspects of our lives: love, politics, motherhood, work, teens, forgiveness, rest, meditation, and more. In a culture stricken with anxiety, boredom, despair, and fear, Sheen desires to reignite healing, hope, and contentment in the reader. While the secular world holds the mistaken belief that hunger for infinity can be satisfied by an infinity of material things, Sheen warns that they really wish for the infinity of divine love. Addressing the philosophy of pleasure, Sheen reminds the reader of the centrality of self-discipline and detachment. At the heart of Way to Happiness is heroically living out the spirit of charity: love of God and love of neighbor. To achieve a spirit of service and self-donation, a strong interior life is a perquisite. True peace is born in meditation. Lastly, Sheen provides a blueprint to overcome bad habits through introspection, avoiding the occasion of sin, willing the good, and a right philosophy of life. In an age when so few people have time to make a retreat, allow the retreat master, Sheen, to take you on a spiritual journey that will spurn you on to holiness. For anyone seeking a clear path to a happy and saintly life, The Way to Happiness will be your guide.

Amidst the backdrop of World War II, the great Fulton Sheen wrote Preface to Religion, his first book published after the war ended. As the world was recovering from death, destruction, and despair, Sheen's timely work tackles the most salient questions pertaining to happiness and sanity. With simplicity and frankness, Sheen declares, "If you do not worship God, you worship something, and nine times out of ten it will be yourself. If there is no God, then you are a god." Throughout this work, Sheen addresses the perennial subjects of fallen nature, forgiveness, the four last things, how God remakes us, the role of religion in the process, and the gift of second chances. Contrary to the modern world, God does not give us what "we want for our pleasure" but "what we need for our perfection." Preface to Religion reminds us of education's primary purpose, which is to train the mind to use freedom rightly. God chose to make a moral universe, but morality is impossible without freedom. And therefore, the reader will see that the body must always serve the soul. Finally, Sheen writes on faith, that "the modern man who is not living according to his conscience wants a religion without a Cross, a Christ without a Calvary, a Kingdom without Justice," and a pastor "who never mentions hell to ears polite." For anyone seeking to find true happiness and true freedom, Preface to Religion will be your guide.