Behold the Handmaid of the Lord


Book Description

Considered by many to be the greatest book of Marian spirituality in one volume, True Devotion to Mary is St. Louis de Montfort's classic statement on the spiritual way to Jesus Christ though the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, Marian theologian Fr. Edward Looney masterfully summarizes the central teachings of St. Louis in a ten-day personal retreat that will bless even those who have completed the full devotion. During the course of ten days, you’ll explore ten different titles for Mary popularized by St. Louis. Each presents a distinct aspect of her motherhood and protection while illuminating the spiritual path to Jesus through Mary. You’ll get to know Mary and become devoted to her as: The Queen of All Saints Our Lady of the Holy Trinity The New Eve The Mother of the Interior Life The Mother of Disciples The Star of the Sea The Queen of All Hearts The Mediatrix of Grace The Mold of God Our Mother and Our Queen Each day you will reflect on Mary’s role in your life and the practical implications of that connection before wrapping up with a brief closing prayer tailored to the day’s title. You’ll come away prepared to begin or renew your consecration to Mary and with a refreshed love for the Mother of Jesus. The book includes an appendix for step-by-step consecration to Mary.




The Holy Handmaids of the Lord


Book Description

Christ wants you to join in His saving work. He has called you to be a holy handmaid, a royal princess, a daughter of the Most High: a fighter alongside your King on the spiritual battlefield for souls. To equip you for this mission, author Julie Onderko here brings you exciting tales about bold female warriors of the spirit, from heroic Old Testament women such as Judith, Deborah, and Esther (who prefigured the most courageous of all, the Virgin Mary) to more recent icons of the Faith, including Saint Clare, Saint Monica, and Saint Faustina. From within their diverse circumstances and vocations, these storied women warriors for Christ will teach you the powerful spiritual tactics that they used in their battles against the devil – and that you can use, too! – tactics that will help you grow holy even as you engage in the profoundest endeavor of all: saving souls for Christ. In the great drama of human history and on a continuing basis, souls are won or lost for eternity. With all the angels and saints – and in particular with the Virgin Mary – you are called to play your part. Open these pages to prepare yourself today! Among the additional holy women you'll meet in these pages are: St. Jane de Chantal St. Margaret Bosco St. Zélie Martin St. Thérèse of Lisieux St. Joan of Arc St. Perpetua




The Handmaid's Tale


Book Description

An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss. In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning.




Praying the Angelus


Book Description

The Angelus is a centuries-old Catholic devotion that recalls the annunciation of Christ’s birth by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. In Praying the Angelus, popular author and speaker Jared Dees reinvigorates the devotion, shares intimately from his own experience of it, shows us how to get started, and enriches the practice with original meditations to reflect on the words of both the Angelus and the Regina Caeli. Jared Dees was twenty-seven and in his fourth year of teaching religion in a Catholic school when he first experienced the Angelus. The creator of The Religion Teacher website allows the devotion to anchor his prayer life and challenge him to daily conversion of heart and will. Dees introduces the Angelus devotion and explores its rich history and significance for the Church. As spiritual companion and guide, he offers meditations on the words and images of both the Angelus and the Regina Caeli, which is prayed during the Easter season. We find lessons about the power of repetitive prayer, the humility of being a disciple, the importance of admitting time belongs to God, the wisdom of taking time with discernment, and the joy of resting in the Lord’s presence. He shares personal stories of the life-change power of the Angelus and guides both newcomers and those already familiar with the prayer to contemplate the mysteries of salvation that lie at the heart of the devotion—the Annunciation, Incarnation, and Resurrection. Named for the opening words of the devotion's first prayer in Latin, "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary," the Angelus is typically prayed at 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. each day. Likewise the Regina Caeli is named for the opening lines of its prayer, "Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia." Praying the Angelus is supported by Dees’s website, TheAngelusPrayer.com, where people can gather online to participate in and share this devotion with others.




Turning Towards the Lord


Book Description

Turning towards the Lord presents an historical and theological argument for the traditional, common direction of liturgical prayer, known as "facing east," and is meant as a contribution to the contemporary debate about the Catholic liturgy. Lang, a member of the London Oratory, studies the direction of liturgical prayer from an historical, theological, and pastoral point of view. At a propitious moment, this book resumes a debate that, despite appearances to the contrary, has never really gone away, not even after the Second Vatican Council. Historical research has made the controversy less partisan, and among the faithful there is an increasing sense of the problems inherent in an arrangement that hardly shows the liturgy to be open to the things that are above and to the world to come. In this situation, Lang's delightfully objective and wholly unpolemical book is a valuable guide. Without claiming to offer major new insights, Lang carefully presents the results of recent research and provides the material necessary for making an informed judgment. It is from such historical evidence that the author elicits the theological answers that he proposes.




The Reed of God


Book Description

The Reed of God is an inspirational classic written by a British Roman Catholic ecclesiastical artist, Caryll Houselander. This book contains a beautiful meditation on Mary, Mother of God and so much more. Reading this book will bring you closer to Our Blessed Mother, and hence, to Christ Himself. Filled with lyrical prose and touching analogies, the author shows how Mary was the "Reed of God" and that we are all vessels waiting to do God's work, and carrying Christ within us.




Daughter Zion


Book Description

Daughter Zion explores the biblical witness to the Church's Marian dogmas―Mary’s role as Mother of God, her virginity, the Immaculate Conception, and her Assumption into heaven. Cardinal Ratzinger examines how these beliefs are linked to the Church’s faith in Jesus Christ. Far from competing with the truth about Christ, the Church’s Marian beliefs uphold and underscore that truth. Mary’s role in salvation, according to Cardinal Ratzinger, was anticipated in the Old Testament. She was prefigured in Eve, the Mother of the Living; in the holy women of the Old Testament, such as Sarah, Hannah, Deborah, Esther, and Judith; and in the prophetic image of the daughter Zion. Cardinal Ratzinger also considers Mary’s place as the embodiment of created wisdom, who faithfully received the Uncreated Wisdom of the Word of God in the Incarnation. Daughter Zion avoids the extremes of ignoring the biblical foundation for Marian doctrine on the one hand and fundamentalistic proof-texting on the other. Instead, the author beautifully and lucidly develops key biblical themes to help readers understand and appreciate the Mother of God.




The Happy Intercessor


Book Description

As we dive into the Father s heart we are overwhelmed by His presence, the fullness of joy. From this place we begin to see from His perspective. As we see and understand His world we are compelled to intercede.We are now praying and speaking with fresh insight.We see that we no longer have to pray from a place of defense. Instead we pray offensive prayers from His presence. When we speak our petitions and most important our declarations into the atmosphere, authority and breakthrough come. From the intimate place with our Father everything is birthed.




Strategic Pastoral Counseling


Book Description

Therapeutic counseling in a Christian context can be highly effective when it maintains narrowly focused goals in a time-limited setting. The details of this proven model of pastoral counseling are described in this practical guide. This second edition of Strategic Pastoral Counseling has been thoroughly revised and includes two new chapters. Benner includes helpful case studies, a new appendix on contemporary ethical issues, and updated chapter bibliographies. His study will continue to serve clergy and students well as a valued practical handbook on pastoral care and counseling.




The Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha


Book Description

The first major translation of the Christian Scriptures from the originallanguages to be undertaken since the King James Version (1611), the RevisedStandard Version debuted in 1952 to simultaneous acclaim and condemnation fromAmerican Christians. Mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics lauded the newtranslation, while many evangelicals villified it.The RSV dramatically shaped the course of English Bible translation work in thelatter half of the Twentieth Century, and it remains the Bible of choice formany people. This Anniversary Edition features a clear new type setting thatreaders are certain to appreciate.