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In the second volume of The Weight of Words Series, Jeremy Black continues his efforts to present and preserve Britain's literary genius. Its intelligence and enduring influence is in large part reliant on the underlining conservatism that has motivated authors such as Agatha Christie (Black's earlier subject) and Henry Fielding alike.Fielding's epic comic novel, Tom Jones, is unforgettable for many reasons, but the author must be credited with an aptitude for documenting contemporary cultura...

"I have felt like Saint Peter with the Apostles in the boat on the Sea of Galilee: the Lord has given us so many days of sun and of light winds, days when the catch was abundant; there were also moments when the waters were rough and the winds against us, as throughout the Church's history, and the Lord seemed to be sleeping. But I have always known that the Lord is in that boat, and I have always known that the barque of the Church is not mine but his. Nor does the Lord let it sink; it is he...

Savvy ecclesial observers recognize that in the great moral debates of the age African Catholics remain committed to the Gospel. Readers will welcome this volume in order to understand better the Church in Africa. So much of the future of the Church universal will be marked by African contributions to theology and mission. These essays are essential reading for those interested in learning about that future.-- Rev. Ryan Connors, St. John's Seminary, Boston MANo small part of the global Cathol...

The Weight of Words Series continues with Daniel Defoe, as historian Jeremy Black uses this writer to interpret Britain in the late 1600s, and likewise looks to the times to interpret the fiction. As seen in previous studies on Christie, Smollett, Fielding, and the Gothic novelists, Black tells the story of the story-teller, and presents the picture of British nationalism that "was the product, history, and record of struggle--collective and individual--as well as its defence. Defoe provides ...

What is papal diplomacy and what role does it play on the larger geopolitical stage? Why does it matter what popes say to a global audience? "As John Tanyi points out, papal diplomacy has followed a trajectory all its own over the years. In today's globalized world, the Holy See stands out as an important communicator with a widely respected moral voice. It is often said that 'When the Pope speaks, the world listens.' What sets the diplomatic voices of the Holy Father and his envoys apart fro...

Any presentation of political philosophy in the 20th century is radically incomplete without Leo Strauss. The appearance of this collection is particularly important given the relentless but shifting interest in his influence and thought in recent years. Lenzner and Minkov contend that in order to evaluate Strauss's achievement properly, one must do so chiefly with reference to the works by which Strauss sought to establish his legacy-i.e., those he chose to submit for the consideration of fu...

"This edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream takes the comedy seriously. Like my previous Hackett editions, it gives full weight to Shakespeare's dramatic setting, which other editors (and scholars) almost always ignore or at least fail adequately to consider. Ancient Athens is the core, not the mere background, of Midsummer Night's Dream. As we shall see, Shakespeare focuses, in particular, on the love of the beautiful and the triumph of learning and art, along with the rise of democracy, whic...

"Kant and Hartmann share a belief that is less common than it once was: that the aim of morality is to guide us toward becoming the best version of ourselves. Morality is not the same as prudence, nor is it a utilitarian calculus about what actions lead to our advantage. Yes, we do need to see what is in front of us, and handle what demands our immediate attention, in accordance with the rules endorsed by our societies. We also need to secure our existence as well as the material flourishing ...

Modern history has not been neutral in telling the story of religion. Since it presumes the centrality of human motives and machinations as the one and only means of explicating the unfolding of 'events', it has helped set the terms for what counts as ...Show MoreThis item is ReturnableAdditional Information BISAC Categories:- Religion | Christianity | Catholic - GeneralINGRAM Categories:- Religious Orientation | Catholic- Religious Orientation | ChristianPhysical Info: 0.47" H x 8.98" L x 5....

"In the beginning, God administrated." For as Donald Prudlo observes, "There can be no achievement without administration." In this book he seeks to restore the idea that while administration is necessary even in the institutional Church, holiness is not only possible for those charged with governance, but is a fulfillment and type of Christus Rector omnium, or "Christ, Ruler of all.Scrutinizing the relevant thought of Aristotle, Machiavelli, Thomas Aquinas, and Nietzsche, among others, Prudl...

Paul Seaton's Public Philosophy and Patriotism: The Declaration and Us is a very countercultural book. It advances the provocative thesis that not only is the Declaration worthy of our study today, but its principles and way of thinking about politics can and should be used to judge us and our politics today. That's countercultural. While conservatives still have a warm place for the document in their hearts, one rarely hears them apply it to today's debates. Progressives tend to take two con...

In Person Means Relation, David Walsh offers a moving reflection on personhood, beginning from the connection between person and relation established in the Trinitarian theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. Although Thomas did not apply this insight to persons more generally, Walsh argues, there is enough to suggest the path he might have taken. To know persons, we can now see, is to know what is going on within them. This understanding is largely the fruit of a later philosophical revolution, a fr...

For over thirty years, Joseph Bottum has been writing widely acclaimed Christmas essays, columns, short stories, and carols for American magazines and newspapers. Now, for the first time, St. Augustine's Press has gathered a selection of these classic pieces--with a vast range across the Christmas spectrum.There's the comic: "Tinsel. No one needs tinsel. Even the word is a tinselly kind of word." There's the sentimental: "Her hair was the same thin shade of gray as the weather-beaten pickets ...

This new series of scholarly reflections on the interpretation of Socratic philosophy is an inviting combination of intuition and meticulous analysis. Ryszard Legutko provides the reader a monumental service in his confrontation of the most important and influential literature written on the subject to date. He likewise opens the conversation to European contributions and renders Socrates truly a figurehead of future philosophy far beyond being a pillar in ancient thought.Legutko argues that ...

Renowned psychologist Paul Vitz addresses the troubling fact that scientific progress is no longer making human beings happy. In fact, the reverse trend is taking hold: individuals are more distressed and struggle with overwhelming confusion regarding personal identity and the meaningfulness of life as technology makes daily life more 'manageable.' Vitz asserts there is a noteworthy connection between the sense of personal identity and flourishing, and the connection between well-being and te...

"The present crisis is felt more acutely than previous crisis situations," observes Dutch security expert Marcel van Herpen, largely because human beings are now projecting responsibility into history on all fronts--past and future, in addition to the present. Learning from the past has become an imperative to safeguard the well-being of future generations by never repeating negative experiences, so much so that it demands an explanation of culpability into the past that burdens the present u...

Dakin Matthews is an acclaimed actor, whose relationship with the stage and lyrical performance has made him keenly aware of the splendor and meaningfulness of Thomas Aquinas' often overlooked verse. The 'songs of Aquinas' are treasuries of theological wisdom but also serve to stir the mind to participate in prayer with as much zeal as the heart and mouth. Matthews offers an introduction to Aquinas and his main objectives for writing, and then relates the more serious theological treatises to...

The muse of Pietro Federico's most recent collection of poems, La Maggioranza delle Stelle ( Most of the Stars), is the United States of America, her people and landscapes. In fifty poems (one for each state), Federico plumbs the depths of the historic, geographic, political, emotional, psychological, and metaphysical realms through a variety of voices of these fifty states. Translated from Italian into English by the author with American poet John Poch, this book is unlike any other collecti...

Pope Francis has declared the Jubilee Year 2025 a celebration of both mercy and hope, merging his own favorite theme with John Paul II's call in 2000 for all mankind to enter the new millennium with the light of Christian hope. The motto of the Holy Year 2025 centers on the image "pilgrims of hope." Visits to sacred places--especially in Rome--is a principal expectation and much has been organized in the Eternal City to welcome visitors. Pilgrims are encouraged to rekindle their light by retu...

The importance of engaging the problems of contemporary political theory has brought us to an unprecedented reliance on the historical commentary already provided by giants like Alexis de Tocqueville and Edmund Burke. Among these is also the less often noted Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges and his landmark work, The Ancient City.Fustel de Coulanges plunged deep into the world and language of the ancient Greeks and Romans. His presentation of religion as a factor in civilization equates to a vi...

The World and Work of Father John J. Burke: A Mystic in Action is a full-length biography of one of the most significant, yet little-known, American Catholic public figures of the twentieth century. Burke was a successful editor and general secretary (chief administrative officer) of the National Catholic War Council and its successor the National Catholic Welfare Conference, which is the present-day United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), one of the most influential institution...

"Poetry is language at play. In New Songs of Innocence S.J. Hodson is hard at work in this playground teasing us with syllabic verse ("Beside Himself with Calm"), haiku stanzas ("A Cougar Strolled By"), sonnet, ("Sonnet for Miriam"), and villanelle ("A Poet's Dark Night of the Soul"). He relishes the natural rhythm of speech and knows how to polish it metrically. He rhymes in wonderfully complex ways, combining end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme, sight rhyme and the unexpected sudden brea...

The Federalist Papers offers an expansive vision of the American Constitution and the original sense of the federal character of the American government. What is contained in these eternally studied arguments is a complex construction of American federalism, and approaching this body of work with its full context in view is necessary but often difficult to achieve. Harvey Flaumenhaft has therefore provided readers with a unique, visual resource to be used as a companion to the primary text wr...

​​One of the most studied and critiqued documents of the papal magisterium is largely spoken of with regards to moral theology and the refutation of modern error. Yet Adrian Reimers points out that, as affirmed by this encyclical, the moral life is itself a realm of love and freedom, a place of intimacy with the Creator as much as interaction with others. Reimers is eager to show that the Encyclical is more innovative than it looks, just as morality is not just about the correction of error. ...

Originally commissioned by Exodus 90, the pioneering men's app, these brief but stirring reflections by acclaimed writer Joseph Pearce show how great literature--including poetry--can help every Catholic man striving for virtue and holiness.Drawing on luminaries such as Homer, Dante, St. John Henry Newman, Chesterton, Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis, Pearce shows that literature, far from being a dead relic of the past, tackles crucial questions which are directly relevant to modern men. What does S...

The Eucharist is no mere symbol. It is the key to life. More specifically, it is the key to your very identity.When we look carefully at the Blessed Sacrament, under the signs of bread and wine, we discover that we were made not simply to receive God, to be nourished by his gifts, or to draw close to him. In fact, "we were made to become Him." In Your Eucharistic Identity, Father Gregory Pine shows that Christ, through the Sacrament, divinizes us in our whole being.But the Eucharist is not ma...

A Psychospiritual Exploration of Grace and Virtue: Vol. 1: Pride and Humility In a world clouded by illusion and self-justification, The Essence of Eden invites readers on a profound journey through the sacred interplay of grace and virtue. With theological depth and psychological insight, this series examines the forces that shape human character, calling the soul toward truth, transformation, and spiritual renewal. Volume I: Pride and Humility unveils the delicate balance between self-worth...

Learned and filled with holiness, he not only organized the constitutions, and established the Salve Regina after compline but was instrumental guiding the work of others to establish the Dominican Liturgy.Though master-general of the order, Bl. Jordan's humility prevented him from attributing himself as a director of any human authority. He was not and did not wish to be anything but a docile instrument of grace. As a director of conscience in his breadth and delicacy, Jordan had the Catholi...

That after seven hundred years his life is still the subject of historians' endeavors is a clear proof of the deep significance of St. Dominic's personality for his Order, for the clergy, and the entire Church. He lived in the late Middle Ages, when the Chair of Peter was occupied by popes like Innocent III, whose prudence and firmness were active factors in shaping Europe's history. The spirit of faith still had at least a little influence in political matters, and enthusiasm for the reclaim...

They Lived the Faith is a truly unique work, combining the biographies of numerous Catholic lay leaders in the 19th and 20th century to illustrate the singular theme of Catholic Action in both social and political life.While many books focus on clerical leaders, They Lived the Faith looks at laity, who worked in politics, literature, and social life to bring the light of the Gospel to ameliorate society's evils.In this work, you will learn how these thirteen Catholic lay leaders confronted th...

In this volume on the Sacraments, St. Robert Bellarmine follows the structure of the Council of Trent to present a precise and authoritative defense of Catholic sacramental theology against the errors of early Protestant reformers. In his treatise On the Sacraments in General, Bellarmine explains the nature and purpose of the Sacraments, examining their definition, matter and form, their divine institution, the distinction between Old Testament and New Testament rites, the conditions for vali...

St. Paschal Baylon was born on the feast of Pentecost in 1540 in Terre Hermosa, Spain. His parents were poor and grew up tending animals. He was endowed with great piety, and soon gained the respect of the other boys. After receiving a vision, he was inspired to become a Franciscan, and though he was offered a great fortune as an inheritance, nevertheless at 24, begged to be received by the Friars minor at Monteforte. He could always be found with a rosary and had great devotion to the Blesse...

The love of nature in our days has gone so far apart from Christian feeling. Men have forgotten that God's thoughts find expression in the visible, as well as in the invisible, world, and that inner and secret harmonies bind the natural and the supernatural together. The things of beauty which God has bidden arise on the earth lose half their grace, because men do not mount by them to the better understanding of the supernal beauty of the operations of that world which Faith reveals to our ga...

The Ascent of the Mind to God stands apart from St. Robert Bellarmine’s apologetical writings as a deeply personal spiritual work. Composed after a retreat in 1614, Bellarmine affectionately called it his “Benjamin,” the child of his old age, and the first of a series of spiritual reflections that have nourished Christians for centuries. Structured around fifteen steps of a spiritual ladder, the book begins with the human person—man as a “microcosm” of creation—inspired by the foundational pr...

A book is a book, and a very good thing, for all the wisdom and knowledge that makes up its contents. Books are common, everyday tools of leisure, education, and prayer; but not every book is a common thing—the Holy Bible is certainly an extraordinary one; and so too the Breviary of the Catholic priest is a very great book, having its roots in Holy Scripture itself. The breviary is the lifetime companion of the priest. It is his first act in the morning and his last act at night. Though pries...

The sixteenth century was a golden age for the Church in Spain, producing great thinkers such as Victoria and Suarez, and mystics such as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Hidden among these towering figures is the venerable Father Louis de Ponte, SJ. Born at Valladolid in 1554, de Ponte lived a remarkably pure and innocent life, advancing steadily in both learning and holiness. Though he served as an administrator within the Jesuit order, ill health eventually led him to withdra...

Devotion to St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, is one of the oldest and strongest currents in Catholic spirituality. The Month of St. Joseph, first published in 1872, provides a complete 31-day cycle of reflections, prayers, and examples designed to deepen love for the humble patriarch who raised the Incarnate Word. Each day offers a short reading focused on an aspect of St. Joseph’s life—his fatherhood, poverty, purity, meekness, work, hidden life in Nazareth, exile in Egypt, and powerf...

Mystical Theology: A Layman's Guide brings together four classic treatises by the French Benedictine Dom Savinien Louismet, one of the great spiritual masters of the early twentieth century. Drawing deeply from Scripture and the full breadth of Catholic tradition, Louismet offers a clear, practical, and compelling account of true mysticism—what it is, how it works, and how ordinary Catholics can grow toward contemplative union with God. Louismet begins by asking a piercing question: Why are t...

The Ascent of the Mind to God stands apart from St. Robert Bellarmine’s apologetical writings as a deeply personal spiritual work. Composed after a retreat in 1614, Bellarmine affectionately called it his “Benjamin,” the child of his old age, and the first of a series of spiritual reflections that have nourished Christians for centuries. Structured around fifteen steps of a spiritual ladder, the book begins with the human person—man as a “microcosm” of creation—inspired by the foundational pr...

After the devotions of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church turns in June to the contemplation of divine love itself: the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is no accident that Western culture has long associated June with love, marriage, and union, nor that Our Lord has drawn countless souls during this month toward deeper reflection on love, sacrifice, and covenant—both human and divine. The Month of the Sacred Heart, by Abbé Berlioux, offers a rich treasury of practices, meditations, and pray...

Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (1696–1787), Doctor of the Church, was a legal prodigy who earned a double doctorate at the age of sixteen. Born into a noble Italian family, he abandoned his legal career to serve the poor and sick of Naples. In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, dedicating his life to preaching missions and guiding souls. Remarkably, his literary career did not begin until he was nearly fifty. From then on, he wrote tirelessly, producin...

The eighteenth century is often called an age of “Enlightenment,” a period marked by skepticism, worldliness, and a turning away from God in favor of constructing a purely human society. Yet long before this crisis emerged, God had already prepared an apostle to confront it: St. Alphonsus Liguori. Renouncing prestige, legal success, and worldly advantage, he placed Christ at the center of his heart and devoted his life to setting souls ablaze with love for the Redeemer. But the roots of St. A...

The two great commandments are to love God above all things and one’s neighbor as oneself. One of the highest acts of charity toward our neighbor is to remember him after death—especially the poor souls in Purgatory, who rely on our prayers and sacrifices. For this reason, the Church gives us the liturgical month of November. As autumn’s harvest is gathered and stored, the faithful are invited to draw from a different harvest: the graces and indulgences God offers for the relief of the souls ...

What happened to the Apostles? How did the early Christians live? Why did the Romans and other peoples try to destroy them with such brutality? Those answers are all provided in Fr. Pedro de Ribadeneyra, SJ's Flores Sanctorum, carefully translated by Mrs. Anne Hope. Lives of the Early Martyrs not only traces the most ancient testimony to where the Apostles went, and where they won their crowns of martyrdom, but their disciples as well. It carefully elucidates the lives that the early Christia...

St. Leonard was born in 1676 at Port Maurice, near Genoa. He went to Rome to study, and there took on the Franciscan habit at the friary of St. Bonaventure. St. Leonard was zealous for souls, and wanted to be a missionary to foreign lands; instead he was called by God to give missions to the Christians of his own country.For twenty-four years, amid great hardships and dangers, he preached missions in every corner of Italy. The power of his words, which flowed from his strict life converted co...

In the Workshop of St. Joseph, by the Rev. Heuser, presents the reader with a fictional account taking place at the time of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt, and later return to Nazareth.It follows several fictional characters, Eliab, his daughter Zelah who becomes a servant for the Holy Family, and his son Ahijah, all of whom are Jews living in Egypt. Zelah accompanies the Holy Family back to Nazareth, and Eliab and Ahijah follow them, ultimately taking up residence in Nazareth itself. The ...

"... All possible means are resorted to in an effort to discredit the phenomena of Konnersreuth, to silence the voices which speak of a Divine Hand at work there. Despite all of this, the phenomena continue to take place as hitherto."Therese Neumann was a simple girl born to good Catholic parents in an obscure village of Catholic Bavaria. Yet God would call her to make known the sacred passion of Christ in her person. After an accident that should have killed her, she was miraculously healed,...

The amazing life of Blessed Nicholas Factor tells of a miracle working saint from the 16th century. As a child of five, Nicholas already manifested signs of his future sanctity. He fasted three times a week and gave the food he did not touch to the poor. With cheerful words he comforted the sick, and on visiting the leper hospital, he would at times kiss the wounds of the afflicted persons. A Moorish maid in his home was so affected at the conduct of the holy child that she was attracted to t...