Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui Down in adoration falling, Lo! The Sacred Host we hail These words, written by the great theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, have inspired millions over the past seven centuries. St. Thomas's devotion to the Eucharist was profound. His brother Dominicans recalled that he would spend long hours kneeling before the tabernacle. When he faced a particularly difficult problem, he would lean against the tabernacle, as if to rest against the Master's heart as did the Beloved Disciple at the Last Supper. Now St. Thomas's immortal poems of praise - in both their original Latin and stunning translation - have been assembled along with insightful meditations and commentary by Mike Aquilina in Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with St. Thomas Aquinas.
The practice of Eucharistic Adoration is growing in popularity across the country, but knowing exactly what to do and what to say during the hour you keep watch can be difficult. Now Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, author of In the Presence of Our Lord, the best-selling examination of the practice of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, has created a prayer book just for Eucharistic Adoration. Combining traditional prayers with modern ones, this compact volume is ideal for Perpetual Adoration, as well as private meditation and personal reflection. With his deep love for the Blessed Sacrament and his profound sense of the sacred, Fr. Groeschel has assembled a book that is sure to enrich your prayer life and strengthen your faith.
With warmth, understanding, and pastoral skill, Fr. Timothy Gallagher provides here a hopeful invitation to all who struggle to overcome the greatest obstacle of all in the spiritual life — discouragement. Our enemy actively exploits our vulnerabilities, shrewdly leading us time and again into an overwhelming sense of disturbance. But Fr. Gallagher pulls the curtain back on the wiles of the devil, offering gentle reflections that are remarkably effective in lightening the burdens of your day-to-day spiritual life. You'll learn practical ways to find peace amid your spiritual struggles, and patience in the face of even the most intense trials. Best of all, you'll learn how to profit spiritually from the afflictions that beset you. Each reflection in these pages begins with a quotation by Venerable Bruno Lanteri, the holy founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, whose wisdom has guided the uncommonly insightful spirituality of Fr. Gallagher. In these pages, you will learn: What to do when you have reached the point of despair How to evade sadness, melancholy, and temptation Ways you can be joyful even when you do not feel mirth How to leave the sins, weaknesses, and failures of your past to God's mercy How to recognize the enemy, even when he presents himself under the appearance of good What is holy presumption, why you want it, and how to get it The five benefits you'll derive from regular Confession How each part of the Mass corresponds to an affection of the heart Proven techniques for waging warfare against negative moods There is no shame in spiritual desolation. Fr. Gallagher reminds us that the greatest of saints suffered from this affliction. The key is to learn how to draw closer to God in life's darkest moments. Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement is a call to hope . . . a call to solace in time of suffering . . . and a call to stand tall in times of affliction. Read this book, and you'll learn how to enter into the sublime peace and joy that our Lord promises.
Adoration is love, and eucharistic adoration is love of Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. In the Gospels there are few people who understand love for Jesus as well as Mary Magdalene, which is the reason she is a prophetess of eucharistic love. This work is an extended meditation on the life of Saint Mary Magdalene, known as the "Apostle to the Apostles" because the Risen Christ appeared to her first and then sent her to announce the Resurrection to the apostles. Based on the biblical texts traditionally associated with Mary Magdalene, this book helps readers to learn from her inspiring example and to enter more deeply into adoration of Jesus Christ truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. In telling the story of Mary Magdalene's profound conversion after a life so steeped in sin that the Lord had to expel seven demons from her soul, this book shows how she is a shining witness to the transforming power of an encounter with Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene is the perfect model for those who have experienced the redeeming love of Christ and who seek to deepen their devotion to him and to the Eucharist.
Times change, but human nature does not. Neither do the daily struggles that all Christians experience in their walk with the Lord. Today as two thousand years ago we fight anger, pride, lust, spiritual sloth. Now as then we strive to be more diligent in prayer, more faithful to the commandments, more patient and charitable toward others. And in our time, no less than in the earliest centuries of Christianity, we need wise guidance to direct us on the road to holiness. In A Year with the Church Fathers, popular Patristics expert Mike Aquilina gathers the wisest, most practical teachings and exhortations from the Fathers of the Church, and presents them in a format perfect for daily meditation and inspiration. The Fathers were the immediate inheritors of the riches of the Apostolic Age, and their intimacy with the revelation of Jesus Christ is beautifully evident throughout their theological and pastoral writings: a profound patrimony that is ours to read and cherish and profit from. Learn to humbly accept correction from St. Clement of Rome. Let Tertullian teach you how to clear your mind before prayer. Read St. Gregory the Great and deepen your love for the Eucharist. Do you suffer from pain or illness? St. John Chrysostom's counsels will refresh you. Do you have trouble curbing your appetite for food and other fleshly things? St. John Cassian will teach you the true way to moderation and self-control. A Year with the Church Fathers is different from a study guide, and more than a collection of pious passages. It is a year-long retreat that in just a few minutes every day will lead you on a cycle of contemplation, prayer, resolution, and spiritual growth that is guaranteed to bring you closer to God and His truth. From the Church Fathers we should expect nothing less.
Aquinas at Prayer draws attention to important aspects of Aquinas's life and work which have been all too often overlooked or forgotten. Today Aquinas is almost exclusively regarded as an outstanding scholastic philosopher and theologian. But what is little known is that Aquinas was, first and last, a teacher of the Bible - a Master of the Sacred Page. Moreover there is a distinctly mystical character to his theology. And, as a writer, he was not only a poet but, arguably, the greatest Latin poet of the Middle Ages. The primary focus of this most engaging new book is to explore the question of Aquinas's own practice of prayer and his teaching on prayer in his commentaries on the Psalms and St Paul. The book is strengthened by quotations from Aquinas in fresh translations.
Thoughtful and eloquent, as timely (or timeless) now as when it was originally published in 1956, Thoughts in Solitude addresses the pleasure of a solitary life, as well as the necessity for quiet reflection in an age when so little is private. Thomas Merton writes: "When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it is held together by a violent and abusive authority. But when men are violently deprived of the solitude and freedom which are their due, the society in which they live becomes putrid, it festers with servility, resentment and hate." Thoughts in Solitude stands alongside The Seven Storey Mountain as one of Merton's most uring and popular works. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, is perhaps the foremost spiritual thinker of the twentiethcentury. His diaries, social commentary, and spiritual writings continue to be widely read after his untimely death in 1968.
Pocket Guide to Adoration equips Catholics with the tools they need to improve the way they pray and cultivate a deeper relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist. Drawing from the wisdom of the Church and the writings from spiritual masters like St. Teresa of Avila and Fulton Sheen, Fr. Josh Johnson has produced an evergreen resource that Catholics will want to take with them every time they go to Adoration. This pocket guide includes: Stories of Eucharistic miracles Lectio divina prompts and reflections Inspiration from the saints Litanies and devotionals, including the Litany of Trust by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia of the Sisters of Life. Its small size makes it easy to carry, fit into a purse or handbag, or hand out at your parish. It has a beautiful Alpha Cowhide cover that will last for years. Catholics who struggle to stay focused in prayer, who struggle to be consistent in their relationship with Jesus, who don t know what to do in Adoration, or who simply need encouragement and inspiration to get there, will deeply appreciate this tiny but mighty book. This essential pocket guide by Fr. Josh Johnson teaches Catholics: How to remain fixed on the face of Jesus during adoration. What to do with the distractions that will inevitably come in prayer. How to discern with the Holy Spirit the invitation from Jesus to rest during their time in Eucharistic Adoration. How to overcome spiritual dryness. How to pray with the Sacred Scriptures. How to pray with the mysteries of the Rosary during Adoration. How to pray with the lives of the saints. How to discern practical, concrete actions to take after Adoration.
Here, Dr. Kevin Vost provides you with 12 essential life lessons, culled from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Together these lessons will elevate your mind, enrich your spirit, and teach you how to participate fully in the universal vocation to holiness and happiness. Distilling Thomas's timeless and unparalleled spiritual wisdom, Vost shows you: The things you must believe, know, and desire in order to be saved (and how to thoroughly attend to these in your daily life) Why you must be religious and not merely spiritual How sloth in particular can blind you to the highest meaning of life (and which virtues supply the antidote) The surprising and dreadful effects of wrath in your life How to recognize injustices you may be committing dailyand how to train yourself to fight those impulses How to free yourself from the crushing yoke of envy How and why you should be your own best friend Which virtues you need so you can hate the sin while loving the sinner Why you should care about angels What you need to know about the saints in order to become one These 12 Life Lessons from St. Thomas Aquinas will help you cultivate a rich, robust faith life that will bring you into closer communion with God and beckon others to follow. With the help of Vost and Thomas, you'll soon find yourself confidently and happily living in imitation of Our Lord, the Way, the Truth, and the Life for all men.
