Best of
Catholic

1978

The Life of Saint Dominic Savio


John Bosco - 1978
    

To Believe in Jesus


Ruth Burrows - 1978
    The message of To Believe in Jesus is heartening, if disconcerting, for it stands a common assumption on its head. The way to holiness is not through dramatic renunciation, and holiness itself is not just for the "specialists," clergy, and religious. Holiness cannot be struggled for and won - it can only be given, and all that is necessary is that we should ask. As soon as we cease to strive for virtue, concentrating attention uselessly on ourselves, and instead recognize our weakness, our need, the way is open to encounter God and the holiness of Jesus which is His gift.

The Soul's Journey into God / The Tree of Life / The Life of St. Francis


Bonaventure - 1978
    Kenneth L. Woodward Religion Editor of Newsweek Magazine in Publishers Weekly Bonaventure-The Soul's Journey into God, The Tree of Life, The Life of St. Francis translation and introduction by Ewert Cousins, preface by Ignatius Brady, O.F.M. But if you wish to know how these things come about ask grace not instruction, desire not understanding, the groaning of prayer not diligent reading, the Spouse not the teacher, God not man, darkness not clarity, not light but the fire that totally enflames and carries us into God by ecstatic unctions and burning affections. This fire is God and his furnace is in Jerusalem... Bonaventure, 1217-1274 Long before Bonaventure was called The Prince of Mystics by Leo XIII or The Seraphic Doctor by John Gerson, he was known throughout the Christian world as The Devout Teacher. Professor Ewert Cousins says in his introduction, In the history of Western Spirituality, Bonaventure holds a central and pivotal position. The 13th century friar, professor at the University of Paris, minister general of the Franciscan Order, cardinal and advisor to popes, played a major role in the spiritual ferment of the high Middle Ages...when Islamic, Jewish and Christian spirituality were flourishing-he produced one of the richest syntheses of Christian spirituality. Although cosmic in its scope, it was distinctively Christian in its content, grounded in the doctrine of the Trinity and devotion to the humanity of Christ. Within Christianity he achieved a striking integration of Eastern and Western elements. The three works contained in this volume offer the core of his vision. In The Soul's Journey into God, considered Bonaventure's masterpiece, he takes the six-winged Seraph as the symbol for the six stages of contemplation in which the created world is seen as a reflection of God. The Tree of Life is a simple meditation on the life of Jesus, based on the Gospel accounts in which Christ is seen as the Tree of Life on whose branches blossom such virtues as humility, piety, patience, constancy and justice. The Life of St. Francis was the official biography commissioned by the Franciscan Order in 1260. The editor of this volume, Dr. Ewert Cousins, is Professor of Theology, Fordham University and Visiting Professor, Columbia University. He is Director of the Spirituality Graduate Program at Fordham. Ignatius Brady, O.F.M., who wrote the preface to this volume, is one of the world's leading authorities on Bonaventure and early Franciscan spirituality. He is Prefect of the Theology Section of the Franciscan research center, Collegio S. Bonaventura at Grottaferrata near Rome. +

The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 1


William A. Jurgens - 1978
    Volume 1 ends circa 382.Volume 1: the Pre-Nicene and Nicene erasVolume 2: the Post-Nicene era through St. Jerome;Volume 3: St. Augustine to the end of the patristic period. The passages selected are keyed to the numerical order established in M. J. Rouët de Journel's Enchiridion Patristicum. In no sense, however, are these volumes a translation of that standard work. The author has made his own investigation of theological textbooks in common use and has selected the patristic passages most frequently cited, including much that is in Rouët and much that is not. All passages have been freshly and accurately translated from the best critical editions. Preceding each selection is a brief introduction treating the authorship, date and place of composition, and the purpose of the work from which the selection is taken. The author's scholarship and sprightly sense of humor are evident in these prefatory remarks. Of immense value to the reader is the Doctrinal Index provided for each volume. Here one can find the texts pertinent to particular doctrinal points, a method especially useful to homilists. In addition, each volume is enhanced by comprehensive Scriptural and General Indices.

A Tour of the Summa


Paul J. Glenn - 1978
    Thomas' work, intended to expose readers to the totality of St. Thomas' thought and yet be brief enough to fit into one volume. Author of eleven other books on philosophy, Msgr. Glenn brings to this work—by far his greatest—a lifetime of teaching and writing experience. A masterpiece in its own right.

My Personal Experiences With the Poor Souls


Maria Simma - 1978
    

An Adult Christ at Christmas


Raymond E. Brown - 1978
    In this digest of his longer work, The Birth of the Messiah, Father Brown puts the adult Christ back into Christmas, treating the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke as the entire Gospel story in miniature.

The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ: An Interpretation (Vol. II)


Alban Goodier - 1978
    

Stations Of The Cross


Lawrence G. Lovasik - 1978
    Full-color illustrations.

The Seven Sacraments


Lawrence G. Lovasik - 1978
    Illustrated in full color.