A true treasure of spiritual insights, this little booklet contains the remarkable meditations on the Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane by Blessed Padre Pio, the stigmatist priest. One of his few writings, the booklet also includes many pictures of Blessed Padre Pio from throughout his ministry. Padre Pio's beautiful and descriptive manner of writing provides a wonderful spiritual insight into that last night of Jesus' human life.

Excerpt:

"Jesus has returned to His place of prayer, and another picture, more terrible than the first, presents itself to Him. All our sins with their entire ugliness parade before Him in every detail. He must clothe Himself with this entire unclean mass of human corruption and present Himself before the sanctity of His Father, to expiate everything with individual pains, to render Him all that glory of which they have robbed Him, to cleanse that human cesspool in which man wallows with contemptible indifference.

And all this does not make Him retreat. As a raging sea, this mass inundates Him, enfolds Him, and oppresses Him. Behold Him before His Father the God of Justice, facing the full penalty of divine justice. He, the essence of purity, sanctity by nature, in contact with sin, indeed, as if He Himself had become a sinner! Who can fathom the disgust that He feels in His innermost spirit? The horror He feels? The nausea, the contempt He senses so vividly? And having taken all upon Himself, nothing excepted, He is crushed by this immense weight, oppressed, thrown down, prostrated. Exhausted, He groans beneath the weight of Divine Justice, before His Father, Who has permitted His Son to offer Himself as a Victim for sin, as one accursed."

Wicked stepmothers and stepsisters, an ugly beast, a poisoned apple, and a fairy's curse couldn't stop these enchanting princesses from living "happily ever after." After Beauty (Beauty and the Beast) marries the Beast, the evil spell is broken, transforming him into a handsome prince. As Cinderella (Cinderella) leaves the prince's ball, she loses her glass slipper - only for the prince to find it, search for her, and marry her. And Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) were both awakened from a deep sleep by a prince's kiss. You can dress up our little storybook princess in elegant gowns and matching accessories from each of these favorite fairy tales.
Just lift off the stickers and place them on the doll located on the inside back cover. The stickers can be used over and over, so be sure to put them back on the pages of the book to store them.

The second volume continues where the first left off in Our Lord's life and continues the same original commentary and discussion all the way to Passion Week. The wonderful thing about Bishop Goodier's narrative is that it does not make use of secondary sources or copious quotes, rather he simply quotes the Scriptures and organizes the teaching of the Gospels into the sequential occurrence of events. If you want to know more about our Lord and understand the places he is going to, what he is doing, and why, this is the perfect work. The new edition includes wonderful depictions of events from Renaissance art.

The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by bishop Goodier, takes the subject of Christ's life from the coming of John the Baptist until his last day before Palm Sunday and the beginning of His passion.

In this work, Goodier sets out not merely to write another life of Christ or follow the mold of a devotional work or a scientific analysis but to transcend both to apply logic and reason combined with Catholic faith to understand who Jesus was, and what was the impact of his public life, what was it like for those there, what did his disciples and enemies think?

Goodier's text is descriptive, lucid, and original, not being loaded up with quotes from other authors. Moreover, it is entirely faithful to the text of the Gospels and harmonizes the four narratives into one account spanning the three years of Christ's public life before His passion.

In this text, you will find Bishop Goodier faithful to the Gospel narrative unlike many writers in his time who applied the historical-critical method to such lengths that they had rejected the gospels themselves as witnesses. Goodier notes in his introduction: "Hence in a work of this kind it has not seemed necessary to introduce any discussion concerning the four Evangelists, the authenticity of their work, or the special characteristics of each. These have been examined and proved by writers far more skilled and learned than the author and he is content to accept their decision referring readers who would examine these sources to them. On the other hand, when accepting the Gospels, he accepts them wholly and entirely. It seems to him a futile attitude of mind to take a source as authentic, and then, almost entirely from internal evidence, to proceed to whittle it away. For instance, let us take the miracles. Not only do the four Evangelists record them, but they record them as an essential part of their evidence; so essential, in every case, that if they are eliminated their whole concept of Jesus tumbles to ruins. There is scarcely any miracle that may be canceled without involving in its fall many other portions of the Gospel; eliminate them all and there is virtually nothing left. Far more fair to the facts, even from the point of view of the rationalist historian, does it seem to the author to take the evidence as he finds it, make of it the best he can, put faith in those whom he professes to acknowledge as his only safe guides, build up his picture of Jesus as they have built it up and with the same material. If he accepts some evidence and rejects the rest, this at least he must confess: that the conclusion he draws, whether true or not, cannot possibly be the picture drawn by the four Evangelists. In the present work, the four Gospels have been taken simply as they are given to us; the question has been simply asked: What is the Jesus of the four Evangelists like?" (From the Introduction)

This reprint from the 1944 edition has been made faithful to the original in every detail, retaining UK spelling standards found in the original. The only changes made are the correction of errata in the original text.

Additionally, artwork from the Renaissance and Baroque periods has been added which is not in the original to aid the reader.

A rich and engrossing thread of Romance runs through this tale of the motherless son of a valiant robber baron of Medieval Germany. Young Otto, born into a warring household in an age when lawless chiefs were constantly fighting each other or despoiling the caravans of the merchant burghers, is raised in a monastery only to return to his family's domain and become painfully involved in the blood feud between his father and the rival house of Trutz-Drachen. The narrative is told with Howard Pyle's consummate skill and illustrated with some of the most enchanting sketches ever done for a book of this type.

Author: Howard Pyle

Re-create the biblical story of Noah's Ark with the help of this clever little activity book. You'll find a picture of the ark - high and dry with a boarding ramp in place - on the inside covers. Also included are 23 charming stickers depicting Noah, his wife, a rainbow, and pairs of turtles, zebras, tigers, lions, elephants, butterflies, giraffes, and other creatures. Simply apply these reusable stickers to the background picture to create different scenes from an old, old story.

Those seeking to deepen their spiritual lives by visiting monasteries rarely have enough time to absorb as much as they would like. In this book, an experienced spiritual master provides an intensive directed retreat that relies heavily on the rich Cistercian spiritual tradition. Readers may read and digest at their own pace, savoring the author's contagious enthusiasm for the monastic way and the medieval monks who formed this distinctive contemplative tradition.

Written during his benedictine years, these colloquies reveal William's inner struggle to reach out to God by stripping away encumbrances, to learn to love, and to accept God's love by learning to accept himself.

"Mary's Troubadour" is the way most people remember St. Bernard of Clairvaux, so refined was his tremendous devotion to the Mother of God. On the eighth centenary of his death, Pope Pius XII dubbed him the "Mellifluous Doctor," thus paying tribute to the sweet accents of his flowing prose. This "Last of the Fathers of the Church" has never ceased to inspire his readers with a deeper love of the Lord. His pursuit of charity, his zeal for the purity of the monastic lifestyle, his fidelity to the Faith, and his promotion of contemplative prayer have endeared him to generations of the faithful down through the ages. In this collection of his writings, emphasis has been placed on abridging his better-known works and letters with the hope that, as a sampler, more people may be inspired to read them in their entirety. This book will serve as an introduction to a great saint whose message is, if anything, more timely today than it ever was.

Author: St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Blessed Padre Pio, a humble peasant, and world-famous stigmatist, spoke simple words of Christian encouragement and inspiration to all who approached him seeking counsel. This biographical sketch and collection of memorable sayings is a compact and accessible introduction to the life and message of one of the great religious figures of the 20th century.

Compiled by Anthony F. Chiffolo

The story of "Terisita" Quevedo (1930-50), the Catholic beauty who wanted to become a saint.
 

Become a Knight of the Immaculate Virgin Mary by joining the Militia Immaculatae, founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917. Learn the object of the M.I., the conditions of joining, and the means of being a member. This book includes the origin and history of the M.I., Explanatory Notes by St. Maximilian Kolbe himself, Indulgences granted to the M.I., and the Ceremony of Enrollment to the M.I

Our principal motive is to help the greatest possible number of souls to be united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the mediation of the Immaculata. "It should not be viewed as just one organization among many others; rather, it ought to penetrate into the depths of all other organizations. The essence of the M.I. consists of belonging to the Immaculata unconditionally, irrevocably, unreservedly, and entirely... The object of the M.I. is to strive for the conversion of sinners, heretics, schismatics, etc., and especially of Freemasons, as well as for the sanctification of all, under the protection and through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin." (St. Maximilian Kolbe)
"Isn't it beautiful, this ideal of life? The battle to conquer the whole world, the hearts of all men and of each one in particular beginning with oneself... Our strength consists of recognizing our own stupidity, weakness, and misery, and entrusting ourselves entirely to the goodness and power of the Immaculata." (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

The always eloquent Bernard of Clairvaux preaches on the joys and spiritual opportunities of summertime festivals: Rogationtide, Ascension Day, the Pentecost season, and the feasts of Saint John the Baptist and SS Peter and Paul. From a world still in touch with the seasons of nature and a lifestyle integrating prayer and physical work, he speaks to moderns with insight and calm sanity.

Translated by Beverly Kienzle with James Jarzembowski
 

We live in an age characterized by agitation and lack of peace. This tendency manifests itself in our spiritual as well as our secular life. In our search for God and holiness, in our service to our neighbor, a kind of restlessness and anxiety take the place of the confidence and peace that ought to be ours. What must we do to overcome the moments of fear and distress which assail us? How can we learn to place all our confidence in God and abandon ourselves to his loving care? This is what is taught in this simple, yet profound little treatise on peace of mind. Taking concrete examples from our everyday lives, the author invites us to respond in a Gospel fashion to the upsetting situations we must all confront. Since peace of heart is a pure gift of God, it is something we should seek, pursue, and ask him for without ceasing. This book is here to help us in that pursuit.

Author: Jacques Philippe

The greatest Spanish monarch, King of Castile and Leon, St. Fernando III was born in the year 1199 - exactly 100 years after the death of his illustrious ancestor, El Cid. In him would be combined the soul of a knight dedicated entirely to God, the irresistible power of the Cid, and due to his royal heritage, the authority to marshal the might of an entire kingdom against the enemies of Christ. Personally leading his armies into battle, he took back more territory from Islam than any other king in history. First cousin of St. Louis IX of France, he died a saintly death in the year 1252. His incorrupt body can still be seen in the Cathedral of Seville, and his feast day, May 30th, is a holy day of obligation in Spain.

From its origins as a sharpened stick in the days of cave dwellers, the sword developed over the centuries into one of mankind's deadliest and most widely used weapons. This fascinating volume traces the development of the sword in 44 carefully researched, ready-to-color drawings. Authentically costumed depictions of sword-wielders both famous and obscure include Queen Boadicea, King Charlemagne, a twelfth-century Muslim warrior, a Puritan of the seventeenth century, and many others.

Elizabeth of the Trinity (Elizabeth Catez) was a young French woman who became a Discalced Carmelite in the Carmel of Dijon. She was just twenty-one when she died in 1906. But those few years were enough for her to develop and deepen a distinctive approach to God, one that has since inspired countless people in their quest for a deeper relationship with the indwelling God.

Educated at the abbeys of Bonnevaux and Cluny and at the court of his kinsman, Conrad of Hohenstaufen, Amadeus became a monk of Clairvaux in 1125, just about the time its abbot, Bernard, began to be noticed by the Church at large. After twenty years in the cloister, Amadeus became bishop of the troubled diocese of Lausanne. Reform and renewal did not come easily. In one of his letters, he tells how his vestments once ran red with the blood of a man murdered while the bishop tried unsuccessfully to protect him.
 

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most beloved symbol of Mexican Catholicism, and devotion to her is widespread in the USA. While she has entranced and encouraged Mexican Catholics for several centuries, believers and even nonbelievers the world over are inspired and intrigued by her. Millions of pilgrims visit her shrine in Mexico City every year. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have traveled there to pray for her motherly intercession. And scientists from many disciplines have studied the amazing attributes of her mysterious image.

In this glorious, lavishly illustrated book, the renowned author-photographer team Grzegorz Górny and Janusz Rosikon take the reader on an illustrated pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. They tell the amazing story of her apparition to Juan Diego in 1531 and its dramatic impact on the destiny of an entire people. They interview the various experts on the image and reveal its symbolic messages, those of the past and those speaking to us today.

By Marie Vincent Bernadot, O.P.

From the Eucharist to the Trinity is the culminating work of Fr. Marie Vincent Bernadot’s reflection on the practice of receiving the Eucharist. In the Introduction to this new edition, Sr. Maria of the Angels writes, “The basic idea, as the title suggests, is that ardent reception of the Eucharist makes possible the indwelling of the entire Trinity; through Holy Communion, each divine Person is increasingly present in the soul and active according to the particular properties of each.” The Introduction highlights how Fr. Bernadot saw the written word as a fruitful way of communicating God’s desire to dwell within us. Bernadot engages the wisdom of the saints and offers practical advice about how to maintain union with the Trinity in work and suffering. From the Eucharist to the Trinity is a wonderful book for those hoping to deepen their desire for the Eucharist and let the Trinity take root in their hearts.

“The Sacrament of the Altar...[is]...the Sacrament in which all the rest receive their consummation and crown.”

Marie Vincent Bernadot, O.P. (1883–1941) was ordained a priest in 1906 and entered the Order of Preachers in 1912. He founded the weekly magazine Sept, a journal, La Vie spirituelle, and a Parisian publishing house, Les Éditions du Cerf. He founded another journal, La Vie Intellectuelle, with the help of Jacques Maritain. Fr. Bernadot preached retreats, and wrote and translated numerous works with a desire to enrich the intellectual and spiritual lives of the faithful.