Best of
Religion

1944

The Reed of God: A New Edition of a Spiritual Classic


Caryll Houselander - 1944
    British Catholic writer and artist Caryll Houselander lovingly explores Mary’s intimately human side, depicting Our Lady as a musical instrument who makes divine love known to the world. This refreshed edition is rich and rewarding reading for all Christians who wonder what Mary was really like.While the Second Vatican Council led to a renewed interest in the theology and person of Mary, Caryll Houselander offered a simple yet profound reflection on the Mother of God almost fifteen years before the council began.Confronting the static, surreal “Madonna of the Christmas card,” Houselander provides instead an intuitive, warmly human, and approachable image of the Mother of God. Through the central image of a reed that is played for music, Houselander demonstrates how Mary chose to make herself an instrument for the divine plan, giving her inmost being to the proclamation of God’s greatness. In sharing her distinctive vision of Mary, Houselander offers the Mother of God as a model for all people seeking to be instruments of the Divine.The essays and poems in The Reed of God also reflect on the mysteries of Mary’s life and her impact on salvation history. In the book’s four parts, Houselander explores key events of Mary’s life, including her fiat, finding Jesus in the Temple, and the Assumption, as well as the themes of fruitful emptiness and the eternal search for union with God.

The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church


Vladimir Lossky - 1944
    The Eastern Tradition ."..has never made a sharp distinction between mysticism and theology; between personal experience of the divine mysteries and the dogma affirmed by the Church." The term "mystical theology" denotes that which is accessible yet inaccessible; those things understood yet surpassing all knowledge.

The Will of God


Leslie D. Weatherhead - 1944
    Weatherhead to his congregation in 1944 on the question of the will of God.

The Children Of Fatima: And Our Lady's Message to the World


Mary Fabyan Windeatt - 1944
    \"Oh no, Father!\" replied Lucia. \"I know something wonderful is going to happen on the 13th. The Lady told us so.\" This book tells what happened and gives the wonderful story of Our Lady\'s appearances to little Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia. Impr. 162 pgs 15 Illus, PB

The Drama of Atheist Humanism


Henri de Lubac - 1944
    De Lubac traces the origin of 19th century attempts to construct a humanism apart from God, the sources of contemporary atheism which purports to have "moved beyond God." The three persons he focuses on are Feuerbach, who greatly influenced Marx; Nietzsche, who represents nihilism; and Comte, who is the father of all forms of positivism. He then shows that the only one who really responded to this ideology was Dostoevsky, a kind of prophet who criticizes in his novels this attempt to have a society without God. Despite their historical and scholarly appearance, de Lubac's work clearly refers to the present. As he investigates the sources of modern atheism, particularly in its claim to have definitely moved beyond the idea of God, he is thinking of an ideology prevalent today in East and West which regards the Christian faith as a completely outdated.

Hermes: Guide of Souls


Karl Kerényi - 1944
    Chapters on Hermes and Night, Hermes and Eros, and Hermes and the goddesses illuminate the complex role of Hermes in classical mythology, while also providing an archetypal background for the guiding of souls in psychotherapy. A vital contribution both to the study of the classics and the therapy of the soul.

Patron Saint of First Communicants: The Story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini


Mary Fabyan Windeatt - 1944
    Imelda was delighted, but still she asked, \"I was wondering if I could have just one more present.\" \"Greedy girl!\" laughed her father. Unfortunately, her parents could not give her this one present--Our Lord in Holy Communion. But Imelda decided to ask Our Lord Himself. What would He reply? This book gives the answer and tells how little Imelda came to be the Patroness of First Communicants.

Beyond Personality: The Christian Idea of God


C.S. Lewis - 1944
    Based on a series of 12 short radio talks given by CS Lewis in 1944, this little book is a goldmine of wisdom and understanding, bringing to the surface extraordinary insights into several challenging issues on the nature of God and Christian belief.

Between Man and Man


Martin Buber - 1944
    He believed that the deepest reality of human life lies in the relationship between one being and another. Between Man and Man is the classic work where he puts this belief into practice, applying it to the concrete problems of contemporary society. Here he tackles subjects as varied as religious ethics, social philosophy, marriage, education, psychology and art. Including some of his most famous writings, such as the masterful What is Man?, this enlightening work challenges each reader to reassess their encounter with the world that surrounds them.

A Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Part One: From Adam to Noah


Umberto Cassuto - 1944
    The aim of this commentary is to explain, with the help of an historico-philological method of interpretation, the simple meaning of the biblical text, and to arrive, as nearly as possible, at the sense that the words of the Torah were intended to have for the reader at the time they were written.

Paul of Tarsus


Joseph Holzner - 1944
    Paul into a unified and inspiring biography. With a novelist's ability to take you into a scene and a historian's rigorous concern for accuracy, he traces this noble Apostle's life from his early years as a disciple of the celebrated rabbi Gamaliel through his zealous persecution of the Church as a Pharisee, through his miraculous conversion, his tireless efforts to spread the Gospel, and his martyr's death in imperial Rome. Along the way, he provides instructive background information about the religious and social situation of Paul's times and the circumstances of his New Testament epistles. Here, then, is a complete and enlightening introduction to the Apostle to the Gentiles.

The New Testament


Ronald Knox - 1944
    

Holy Thursday


François Mauriac - 1944
    The famed novelist Francois Mauriac walks through the great events of Holy Thursday, showing how each -- the foot washing, the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist, and more -- flows from the abiding love of the Savior. His reflections on each are vivid, spirit-filled, and able to move the stoniest heart to fervor.

Attack upon Christendom


Søren Kierkegaard - 1944
    A religious diatribe written from within the Church against the established order of things in a presumably "Christian" land.

The Perennial Philosophy


Aldous Huxley - 1944
    The Perennial Philosophy includes selections from Meister Eckhart, Rumi, and Lao Tzu, as well as the Bhagavad Gita, Tibetan Book of the Dead, Diamond Sutra, and Upanishads, among many others.

Dear Newlyweds


Pope Pius XII - 1944
    In his time, the world knew Pope Pius XII for his sanctity, his efforts for world peace, his remarkable gifts of diplomacy, language and letters. But there was another side to this holy Pope who found time to address scores of newlyweds who came to seek his blessing on their marriages. This is the Pius XII who is revealed in Dear Newlyweds . Dear Newlyweds should be placed in the hands of every newly-married couple. It is a book to read, ponder, cherish, and be guided by, all through married life. Newlywed, married, and engaged couples will be inspired and uplifted by Pius XII�s explanation of Matrimony and his insight into the practical problems of everyday marriage. Dear Newlyweds is a book to turn to again and again. It is a sure guide as new difficulties arise�problems of discipline in the rearing of children, temptations against fidelity, relationships with elderly parents, and much more! Dear Newlyweds combines the solid doctrine of the Roman Magisterium with the pastoral touch of the Angelic shepherd himself. It is Catholic truth digested and perfectly fitted to those who need it most. It is not a haphazard collection of talks, but forms a complete course on Catholic married life.