Religion Catholicism

The intentional deprivation of one's most physical and carnal needs is a concept that has existed since the beginning of time, more commonly known as "mortification". The Bible makes one of the earliest references to "mortification of the flesh", as seen in Colossians 3:5, which reads, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

The Contraception Deception: Catholic Teaching on Birth Control by author Patrick Coffin is a comprehensive assessment of the Church's sexual ethic. In this expanded revised edition of Sex Au Naturel: What It is and Why It's Good for Your Marriage, Coffin demonstrates how the rejection of "humanae vitae" impacts more than just our national birth rates.

Every one of us is made in the image of God. We are unique, we are worthy of love, and we are called to greatness. In this world, though, it can be easy to be distracted from that truth and begin to doubt God's love is real. We live in a world that tells us we are not smart enough, not pretty enough, not sexy enough, not rich enough, not thin enough, and don't have enough friends.

In a series of reflections on every part of the Mass, author Tim O'Malley challenges us to turn the idea of boredom on its head, calling boredom the good boredom that opens us to the quiet interior space where we can encounter God. It is there that full participation in the Mass becomes possible the potential to be transfixed by a ritual, to contemplate the readings, and to savor the Eucharist. Become a Bored Again Catholic and rediscover the power of the Mass to change your life and the entire world.

Little Thérèse was "the baby" of the Martin family. She was also her Papa's "Little Queen." With her Mama, her Papa and her four big sisters to love her, Thérèse could have turned out to be a very spoiled little girl. And indeed, it is true that sometimes she was cross and naughty.

Saxum - the Latin word means rock - is a term that St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, sometimes used in letters to Alvaro del Portillo to describe him. Don Alvaro, as he came to be known, was for many years the founder's closest associate as well as his successor and first Prelate of Opus Dei after it became a personal prelature-a foundational rock for this dynamic international Catholic group devoted to promoting sanctity in ordinary life.

Written in an accessible style, Swear to God is a testament to the seven sacraments, which Hahn sees not as boring rituals, but as powerful reminders of our covenants with God.

With a balance of wisdom, candor, and scholarly rigor, the beloved archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, Charles J. Chaput, traces the human experience from ancient times to today to find threads of connection in our yearning for God, love, honor, beauty, truth, and immortality. He looks at our modern appetite for consumption and individualism and offers a penetrating analysis of how we got here and how we can look to our roots and our faith to find purpose each day amid the noise of competing desires.

Founded on October 2, 1928, Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, occupies a unique and often debated position within the Roman Catholic Church. The organization was established by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, a young Spanish priest who claimed to have received a divine revelation during a spiritual retreat in Madrid.

In Apologetics and the Christian Imagination, Holly Ordway shows how an imaginative approach - in cooperation with rational arguments - is extremely valuable in helping people come to faith in Christ. Making a case for the role of imagination in apologetics, this book proposes ways to create meaning for Christian language in a culture that no longer understands words like "sin" or "salvation", suggests how to discern and address the manipulation of language, and shows how metaphor and narrative work in powerful ways to communicate the truth.

Le portrait de Jésus que dessinent les trois premiers évangiles tout au long du récit de la Passion et de la Résurrection laisse apparaître, comme en filigrane, toute une série de figures du Premier Testament : "les figures de l'origine", Adam, Abel, Noé, Abraham et Joseph ; "les figures de l'histoire", de Moïse à Jérémie en passant par Josué, David surtout et Élie; "la figure de la fin" avec le serviteur souffrant qui représente la fin des figures.

This book, edited by biologist Ann Gauger, clears up common misconceptions regarding intelligent design, showing why it is an argument not from ignorance but from knowledge and how the evidence for God's design of the natural world is growing.

Patience and humility are the foundation of all virtue and the surest path to peace, holiness, and lasting joy. These reflections reveal how to cultivate both virtues, even in the midst of daily struggles. With practical steps, spiritual insights, and encouragement drawn from Scripture, discover how to surrender your pride, endure trials with grace, and deepen your relationship with God through trust and self-denial.

Devotion to Our Lord in the Womb embraces a distinct and separate stage in the history of the Incarnation, writes English author and Jesuit priest Henry James Coleridge. Our Lord’s life in the womb of His Blessed Mother, he adds, is a part of His infinite condescension which calls for a corresponding devotion. Beginning with the Annunciation and ending on the eve of the Nativity, it covers the whole unborn life of Our Lord. This portion of His human existence is the period of His greatest humiliation and self-abasement.

A comprehensive and exclusive biography on one of the most pivotal figures of the 20th century: Pope John Paul II. As the spiritual head of more than one billion Catholics and a world statesman of immense stature and influence, Pope John Paul II was a major international figure. Yet he remained...

In 1939, a team of workers beneath the Vatican unearthed an early Christian grave. This surprising discovery launched a secret quest that would last decades a quest to discover the long-lost burial place of the Apostle Peter. From earliest times, Christian tradition held that Peter, a lowly fisherman from Galilee, whom Christ made leader of his church was executed in Rome by Emperor Nero and buried on Vatican Hill. But his tomb had been lost to history. Now, funded anonymously by a wealthy American, a small army of workers embarked on the dig of a lifetime.

In The Practice of Catholic Theology: A Modest Proposal, Paul J. Griffiths has written a how-to book for Catholic theologians that will both instruct beginners and challenge long-time practitioners to sharpen their understanding of their craft. He defines Catholic theology as the practice of thinking, speaking, and writing about the God of Christian confession; so understood, it's something that anyone can learn to do.

Drawing from the deep tradition of the Catholic faith, Lisa Hendey coaches Catholic moms how to care for themselves - heart, mind, body, and soul - so that they can better love and care for their families, their neighbors, and their Church. With warmth and wisdom, Hendey creates an environment where Catholic moms can reflect peacefully upon often-competitive topics like parenting style, types of schooling, and working outside the home. By sharing her own story, Hendey inspires listeners to better balance their own needs with the demands of family life and faith commitment.

In How Catholics Encounter the Bible, award-winning biblical scholar and historian Michael Peppard explores the paradoxical role of the Bible for Catholics—a book central to their tradition, but not usually in the form of a book. Biblical ideas and beliefs are more often mediated through diverse modes of storytelling, artistic imagination, and ritual.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism refutes misrepresentations and misconceptions about the Catholic Church and separates rumor from truth when it comes to Catholic traditions, faith, and controversial leaders.