Today there is a growing eagerness to enter into a deeper knowledge of the Mass, the sacraments and the whole life of the Church. A particularly rewarding insight comes from a penetration of the actual words, gestures and symbols used in worship. "The Church wants us to stop and look and be enriched by the glories she presents for our contemplation," writes Sister Laurentia. "The liturgy is God's art. For his material he uses our familiar earth, air, fire and water. In this manner our world undergoes a revelation, an epiphany-it becomes a transfigured world. ...

Excerpt from the Foreword :  'Study of the authoritative commentators on Sacred Scripture, and most particularly of the pericopes to be read out at the Sacred Liturgy has long been the custom of any of the places and communities where the celebration of the Divine Office or the “Liturgy of the Hours” is celebrated. This is true of the several liturgies of both East and West. Just as in the Old Testament Church, so too in the Church of the New Testament, it was unthinkable to approach the inspired word without some example or gloss or ...

This is a new edition of Fr. Paul de Jaegher's classic work on the interior life. ***** In these few simple pages we aim at expounding a conception of the spiritual life, which, of its very nature, seems well adapted to help the soul in its progress through these two stages on the road to sanctity. Founded on a fundamental dogma of the spiritual life, the dogma of sanctifying grace and of the divine indwelling, it helps us singularly to esteem and practise this precious intimacy with Christ, which constitutes the first stage. Then, following the wonderful ...

A deceased art expert seemingly reappears in Japan, upsetting the plans of priestly diplomats. They fear that a ruthless schemer may have stolen his identity. How far will that possible super spy dare to go to subvert Church policy? The answer may be hidden in Vermeer's celebrated paintings. Against a Cold War backdrop, friendship, religion, the fine arts, and ideology intertwine. Loyalties are tested, leaving the only alternatives of betrayal or sacrifice. In the Church under attack, the worst infiltration is sin. Safety then will start with repentance. ...

From the Foreword: "In Designs for Christian Living , Robinson practices what she preaches. Designs is not primarily a theological work but an essay into what Catholics can do in the here and now to begin the transformation of society. Interestingly, Robinson does not propose the formation of Catholic political parties or movements; she avoids the fallacy of urging the erection of a political house on the foundation of a cultural morass. Rather, she asks us to examine how we might transform what we do in everyday life so that it may better reflect ...

This work puts into the hands of the public the first newly translated English edition of Louis Cardinal Billot's work on liberalism which was originally translated in 1922 by Msgr. George Barry O'Toole.  This new edition features extensive footnotes and a foreword by Fr. Thomas Crean, O.P., and an extensive introduction written by Thomas Storck along with his revised translation.   Excerpt from the Foreword 'Louis Billot was one of the most theologically prominent champions of the principle of Christendom, in the early 20 th ...

The present translation, prepared by Fr. Thomas Crean, OP, constitutes the first appearance in English of Fr. Hering's book and also the first appearance in English of most of Humbert's writings on prayer. It should certainly be welcomed not only by those interested in Dominican or medieval spirituality but also by any reader who wishes to know more about how Christians have prayed through the centuries and/or those looking for assistance or inspiration in their own spiritual life.

Excerpt from the Foreword by Fr. James McQuade, S.J. (Former National Promoter of Sodalities):  To transcend the limits of strict obligation demands motivation beyond the ordinary and more or less superficial kind generated by the all too common half-conscious grasp of the driving truths of our holy faith. The truths are the same for all. The difference in the lay apostle lies in his greater grasp of them. The ordinary run-of-the-mill Catholic normally knows the basic motivating truths of Catholicism. The lay apostle enters into these truths intellectually ...

In these modern days of the six-minute homilette, some may question the use of translating musty old sermons. Why bother with the past? Wouldn't we be better off walking hand in hand into the future, leaving what is dead and buried behind us? Yet I think that if we want to move ahead with our faith, we also need to know what went before us. In these confusing, often demoralising times where some in the Church seem to be trying their hardest to erase older forms and distance themselves from a reminder of the past by creating a "parallel Church" where truth ...

Social justice: the expression evokes images of protests in the streets, economic and political debates about human and civil rights, unions, wages, welfare programs for the poor, foreign aid, immigration, race conflicts, and even climate change. All seemingly intractable problems. Taking the wrong side of the debate can lead to exclusion from our inclusive society. One thing is always missing in our secular, pluralistic society: God and religion. The Church herself seems to enter the debate on the world's terms. Another thing is debated but seen as ...