Catechesis

What do you really know about Vatican City?

The Vatican, comprising the Apostolic Palace, St. Peter's Basilica, and various other buildings, serves as the headquarters of the Catholic Church. It has done so for nearly two millennium ever since the first Pope, St. Peter, made it his home.

Thousands of Catholics flock to the Vatican and its iconic basilica each year. But what do you really know about this great basilica and the city that houses it?

Here, Father Jeffrey Kirby takes you on a whirlwind tour of this little country (yes, Vatican City is its own country, Fact # 2) and uncovers the secrets and surprising facts about the city, and its famous church.

Discover what language degree you need to work a Vatican ATM, what archi tectural feature of St. Peter's is a map of the universe, and even what the pope's license plate number is. Along the way, you'll find the deep theological meaning woven into the design and architectural features of St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican.

Whether you've already been to Rome or are still planning your first trip, 101 Surprising Facts About the Vatican will transport you to Basilica and City at the heart of the Catholic Church and enable you to appreciate them like never before.

No mattter how much or how little you already know about the Ercharist, the secrets revealed here will bring you to a new, personal Emmaus experience, again and again. Perfect for personal devotion, catechesis, study groups, book clubs, and theological...

This classic collection offers rich meditation material before the Blessed Sacrament, providing prayerful souls with insights gleaned from the wealth of Church teaching and tradition. The selections are drawn from a variety of sources and times. They come from the Old and New Testaments, the Church Fathers, great saints, popes, councils, traditional prayers. These prayers and meditations offer a rich view of the Eucharist, and their unique perspectives are intended to aid us in our understanding, appreciation and worship of this Sacrament of Sacraments.

The theory goes like this: Just a few centuries after Christ's death, around the time the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, the true Faith suffered a catastrophic falling-away, so obscured by worldliness and pagan idolatry, kicking off the Dark Ages of Catholicism, that Christianity required a complete reboot. This theory is popular]] but it's also fiction. This idea of a "Great Apostasy" is one of the cornerstones of American Protestantism, along with Mormonism, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and even Islam. Countless millions today profess a faith built on the assumption that the early Church quickly became broken beyond repair, and needed restoration to the "pure" teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Amid imperial intrigue, military menace, and bitter theological debate, a hero arises in the form of a homely little monk named Athanasius, who stands against the world to prove that there could never be a Great Apostasybecause Jesus promised his Church would never be broken With the touch of a master storyteller, Rod Bennett narrates the drama of the early Church's fight to preserve Christian orthodoxy, while powerful forces try to smash it.

The Didache Bible presents extensive commentaries, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, for each of the books of the Holy Bible. It also includes numerous apologetical inserts to assist the reader in understanding the Church's teachings on current issues.

It uses the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition translation of the complete text of Sacred Scriptures, Old and New Testaments. This Bible version is considered by many Catholic leaders and authors, including Peter Kreeft and Scott Hahn, as the most beautiful English translation of the Bible today.

The Didache Bible is a valuable resource for students and those participating in Scripture studies. Ideal for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith and intended to be accessible by all Catholics in its level of scriptural scholarship.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Twenty-seven full-color biblical maps, including the journeys of Jesus Christ.

More than 100 apologetical explanations that help to answer common questions about the faith

Comprehensive, forty-three page glossary and a topical index.

Large 6" x 9" size

Sewn binding

Questions about the Catholic faith? Basic Catechism has answers! Structured around the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church--creed, sacraments, morality, and prayer--this guide presents the fundamentals of the Catholic faith in a handy Q&A format. This 8th edition of a perennial best-seller is updated to reflect the revised Roman Missal and expanded to incorporate Church teaching on challenges facing the faithful Catholic in today's society.

As we all know and as many of our well established textbooks have argued for decades, the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history, Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and rightfully called "Hitler's Pope," the Dark Ages were a stunting of the progress of knowledge to be redeemed only by the secular spirit of the Enlightenment, and the religious Crusades were an early example of the rapacious Western thirst for riches and power. But what if these long held beliefs were all wrong?
In this stunning, powerful, and ultimately persuasive book, Rodney Stark, one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion and bestselling author of The Rise of Christianity (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history, ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light are, in fact, fiction. Why have we held these wrongheaded ideas so strongly and for so long? And if our beliefs are wrong, what, in fact, is the truth?
In each chapter, Stark takes on a well-established anti-Catholic myth, gives a fascinating history of how each myth became the conventional wisdom, and presents a startling picture of the real truth. For example,

Instead of the Spanish Inquisition being an anomaly of torture and murder of innocent people persecuted for "imaginary" crimes such as witchcraft and blasphemy, Stark argues that not only did the Spanish Inquisition spill very little blood, but it was a major force in support of moderation and justice.

Instead of Pope Pius XII being apathetic or even helpful to the Nazi movement, such as to merit the title, "Hitler's Pope," Stark shows that the campaign to link Pope Pius XII to Hitler was initiated by the Soviet Union, presumably in hopes of neutralizing the Vatican in post-World War II affairs. Pope Pius XII was widely praised for his vigorous and devoted efforts to saving Jewish lives during the war.

Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church's power, Stark argues that the whole notion of the "Dark Ages" was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of "Enlightenment."

In the end, readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church, they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give us a false truth.

Can we all agree on some things about Jesus, regardless of our belief--or unbelief?

Perhaps surprisingly, there is a lot upon which all scholars can agree. When surveying historical scholarship, there are certain truths about Jesus that Christians, agnostics, and skeptics must affirm.

In The Bedrock of Christianity, Justin Bass shows how--regardless of one's feelings about Christianity--there lies a bedrock of truths about Jesus's life and ministry that are held by virtually all scholars of religion. Through an examination of each of these key facts, readers will encounter the unalterable truths upon which everyone can agree. Useful for both Christians and non-Christians alike, this study demonstrates what we can really know about the historical truth of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have each approached the papacy in strikingly different ways, yet they share the same fundamental vision of the world and man. In these pages, Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, explores the differences and commonalities of these two popes, showing how the challenge for the Church's hierarchy remains the same, and how these two popes are leading the Church to resist worldly infections and to heal the spiritual diseases of our time.

He also provides a succinct and fascinating look into the universal ministry of the Church, showing how the popes, as successors to Peter, are the visible head of the pilgrim Church and are tasked with carrying out the pastoral ministry of Christ.

It's almost undeniable that God is working miracles of healing in evangelization today. For theologians, pastors, and evangelists some questions arise: What is the relationship between physical healing and the message of salvation? Should the church really expect God to do healings in evangelization today? Father Thelen answers these questions by examining the relationship between the preaching of the gospel and physical healing in the New Testament. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not simply a message of fact; it is a message of power that is often expressed through the working of deeds that serve as signs of the reality preached: salvation. As signs of the kingdom, healings that accompany the preaching of the gospel play an indispensable role in bringing people to faith throughout the New Testament. The result of this biblical study is a clarion call for the church to renew its faith in God's desire and power to confirm his word through healing. As healing becomes more accepted and frequent in evangelization, a Catholic biblical and theological approach to healing as it relates to evangelization--an approach that can be different from its Protestant counterpart--is necessary. This modest book fits this need. ""As the church in the West once again faces the prospect of being a 'little flock' surrounded by an increasingly hostile post-Christian culture, it is not surprising that some of the main features of the life of the early church should reappear that until recently didn't seem either relevant or realistic. Texts of the Scripture and main aspects of Jesus' ministry that were consigned to another age are beginning to be seen as extremely relevant once again. Thelen has done the church a great service by establishing the solid scriptural and theological foundations for the place of 'signs and wonders' in the mission of the church today."" --Ralph Martin, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Archdiocese of Detroit ""The New Evangelization will not succeed without a revival of the healing ministry within the Catholic Church. Miraculous healing, as it was for Jesus, is indispensable in proclaiming the Gospel for it bears witness to the Gospel's saving power. Fr. Thelen's small book clearly and lucidly demonstrates the importance of healing in the ministry of Jesus and in the life of the Apostolic Church, and in so doing establishes the importance of the healing ministry in our own day. Fr. Thelen's book provides clergy and laity alike the needed theological foundation and the indispensable pastoral inspiration for them to proclaim boldly Jesus' Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father."" --Thomas Weinandy, Capuchin College, Washington DC ""In a world enchanted with self-made religion, how should the church evangelize? As they did in the early church: by signs to confirm the word. After reviewing the abundant New Testament evidence regarding the strong relationship between preaching and healing, Thelen explores the audience to which the Word is addressed today. Since those touched by growing atheism and the cult of self are more open to tangible events like testimonies of healing than mere proclaimed truths, Thelen challenges preachers and evangelists to pray for signs, especially healings, when they proclaim the Word. Such an approach is not only deeply rooted in Scripture, but is also good advice."" --George Montague, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas ""The New Evangelization will not succeed without a revival of the healing ministry within the Catholic Church. Miraculous healing, as it was for Jesus, is indispensable in proclaiming the gospel for it bears witness to the gospel's saving power. Thelen's small book clearly and lucidly demonstrates the importance of healing in the ministry of Jesus and in the life of the Apostolic Church, and in so doing establishes the importance of the healing ministry in our own day. Thelen's book provides clergy and laity alike the needed theological f