Best of
Catholic

1982

The Seven Last Words


Fulton J. Sheen - 1982
    A penetrating resume of Jesus' last words.

Friends Of God: Homilies


Josemaría Escrivá - 1982
    Josemaria Escriva helps you develop a strong, lasting friendship with the God who is close to us. St. Josemaria gives you a broad picture of the basic human and Christian virtues, so that you can not only follow closely in our Lord's footsteps, but establish and maintain a filial dialogue with God. Each of his homilies here are not only heartfelt conversations with the Christian who is immersed in ordinary life, but also a prayerful colloquy with God. With a masterful pastor's hand St. Josemaria combines theological depth with evangelical clarity. He gives you here not only a lesson in doctrine, but an introduction to essential aspects of the Christian life. Simple, compassionate, and profound, these homilies are a full expression of St. Josemaria's passionate, expansive love for God.

Padre Pio: The True Story


C. Bernard Ruffin - 1982
    By far the best story of Padre Pio in print! Witness the amazing life of the obscure Italian priest who became world-famous for his stigmata, miracles, and supernatural insights.

A Man for Others: Maximilian Kolbe the "Saint of Auschwitz"


Patricia Treece - 1982
    Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan saint who gave up his life for another at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Patricia Treece chronicles the remarkable life of this Polish priest, theologian, journalist, evangelist and "martyr of charity" in the words of those who knew him. The first person testimonies include those of family members, friends, fellow Franciscan friars, death camp survivors--even that of the prisoner for whom Kolbe died. Treese uses this unique biographical approach like a master artist, revealing the extraordinary virtues of this "prophet of the civilization of love" (Pope John Paul II). She shows how St. Maximilian exemplified the Franciscan ideal of loving without limits, loving even his Nazi oppressors, loving even unto death. St. Maximilian Kolbe is truly a hero and inspiration for those of any creed.

The Letters of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Vol. 1


Thérèse de Lisieux - 1982
    Thérèse of Lisieux from April 1877 (Childhood) to September 1890 (Novitiate period as a Carmelite Nun). Translated from the critical edition by John Clarke, OCD.

The Book of Gomorrah and St. Peter Damian's Struggle Against Ecclesiastical Corruption


Peter Damian - 1982
    Peter Damian introduces the Book of Gomorrah, an eloquent and impassioned denunciation of a plague of homosexuality among the Catholic clergy during the 11th century. Although it was written almost a thousand years ago, the Book of Gomorrah seems addressed to our own times, associating the phenomena of clerical homosexuality and pederasty, and endorsing the imprisonment of clergy who are a danger to youth. The Book of Gomorrah offers a scathing analysis of the evil of sodomy, while also expressing compassion for those who have fallen into such vice and the possibility of their redemption by the aid of divine grace. It explains the devastating effects of the vice both spiritually and psychologically, and warns that such behavior, particularly among the clergy, will bring down the wrath of God. It also urges the permanent defrocking of clerics who are habituated to homosexual behavior and endorses the permanent confinement those guilty of child sex abuse. This new translation by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman is the most accurate and faithful available in English, and carries a foreword by Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara. It includes a 10,000-word biographical introduction recounting Damian’s struggle against corruption in the Catholic Church, and a translator’s preface that breaks new scholarly ground and resolves old controversies about the text.

The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux, Vol. 2


Thérèse de Lisieux - 1982
    Therese shows the path of her growth as a religious and a deep spiritual writer. These letters are like pearls hidden in a field. It is wise to read and see for yourself.

Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of Spiritual Development


Benedict J. Groeschel - 1982
    Of special note is the way Groeschel identifies four distinct approaches to God (as Beauty, Truth, the Good, and the One) and shows how each leads to a different kind of spiritual path or pilgrimage.

Book Of Saints (Part 4): Super-Heroes Of God


Lawrence G. Lovasik - 1982
    Illustrated in full color.

The Assumption of Mary


Kilian J. Healy - 1982
    This dogma is the gateway to answer one of the greatest problems that has ever faced the human race. What is the meaning of life? Is death the end of everything?Mary's Assumption tells us that eternal life with God is the final evolution of every man and woman who dies in the friendship of God. At the end of time all will be taken up and transformed, the body and the soul, the corporeal and the spiritual. For all that God created is sacred and loved. Where Mary is, all the elect will be. Whoever contemplates this mystery learns much about God, Christ, Mary, the Church and oneself.The Virgin Mary is one who walked in the darkness of faith and never despaired, one who obeyed and never deserted, one who loved and was never unfaithful. She is an example of the perfect disciple. Mary was Jesus' first and the most perfect disciple of Christ.The Virgin Mary, taken up into heaven after her earthly life, remains for us the symbol of all that we should be, and of all that we will be, if only we are faithful to Christ. She is the woman in the life of Christ and the woman in the life of all who follow him.On earth Mary was the mother of Jesus and his wholehearted companion, his comfort and joy.Now in heaven close to Jesus, she watches over us with a mother's care and intercedes for us.She is our life, our sweetness and our hope. She is our shining example. Where she is, we shallbe. God knows we need the woman clothed in glory.The purpose of this book is to contemplate the Virgin Mary in her heavenly glory. The book's reflections go beyond the mystery of the Assumption in itself to contemplate the Mother of God in glory in relation to Christ and the Church. For Mary in glory is close to Christ and the people of God. We hope to penetrate more deeply this twofold mystery.To facilitate this task, the book is divided the study into two parts: The Assumption in theMystery of Christ, and the Assumption in the Mystery of the Church.The first part follows the model of Chapter eight of the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council. There as here, Mary is considered first in the mystery of Christ and then in the mystery of the Church.The first part is actually a commentary on the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus that defined the dogma of the Assumption. It is here we perceive that the Assumption is not an isolated privilege granted to Mary, but one that is intimately joined with the person and mission of Christ. Her triumphal entrance into glory is part of Christ's victory over sin and death.The second part goes beyond the Constitution and ponders the Immaculate Virgin in heaven in relation to the mystery of the Church. The first consideration is Mary in heaven as the model, image and beginning of the pilgrim Church. This is followed by her relation to the suffering and heavenly Church. The final chapter ponders the texts of the liturgical feast of the Assumption. It is in the liturgy of the feast that we experience God's love for the human family; Mary's inseparable union with Christ her Son and Savior, and the joy that we are called to experience once our pilgrimage of faith is over. For, taken up to heaven we join Mary in the communion of saints in union with Christ our Lord.