Encyclicals

Pope Francis' words to those seeking to give a firm profession of faith--which has always been the particular effect Catholic tradition has ascribed to confirmation--ring true for all of us. In Anointed, Jayme Stuart Wolfe has compiled the Holy Father's words about wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord as special gifts for those continuing the commitment of their baptism into confirmation and beyond, as well as appropriate Scripture readings and prayers.

"Let us seek out others and embrace the world as it is, without fear of pain or a sense of inadequacy, because there we will discover all the goodness that God has planted in human hearts." ‚"‚€‚"Pope Francis

Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, "Brothers and Sisters All" invites every Christian to be a Good Samaritan‚"‚€‚"to embrace and care for others with a humble and open heart. Pope Francis challenges us to rise above the isolation and discouragement that is so prevalent in our world today and to set our sights on Christ's call to love one another deeply and sacrificially.

No one is disposable, Pope Francis reminds us, and every person is endowed with dignity as a daughter or and son of God. This truth allows us to acknowledge, appreciate, and love each person. It also allows us to meet people in their place of suffering‚"‚€‚"whether it be the physical suffering of hunger or exploitation, or the unseen suffering of loneliness

You know that in an Apostolic Letter in 2002, Pope John Paul II added five Luminous Mysteries. Did you know that in that same Letter he also called for a new way of praying the Rosary?

St. John Paul II's new way of praying the Rosary was based on the teachings of St. Theresa of Avila and has become known as the Contemplative Rosary because it more perfectly unites vocal prayer and meditation, transforming the prayers of the Rosary into a contemplative meeting with God.

The priesthood is going through a dark time, according to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Robert Cardinal Sarah. Wounded by the revelation of so many scandals, disconcerted by the constant questioning of their consecrated celibacy, many priests are tempted by the thought of giving up and abandoning everything.

In this book, the pope emeritus and the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments give their brother priests, and the whole Church, a message of hope. They honestly address the spiritual challenges faced by priests today, while pointing to deeper conversion to Jesus Christ as the key to faithful and fruitful priestly ministry and genuine reform.

Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sarah fraternally offer these reflections to the people of God and, of course, in a spirit of filial obedience, to Pope Francis, who has said, I think that celibacy is a gift for the Church. . . . I don't agree with allowing optional celibacy, no.

Responding to calls for refashioning the priesthood, including proposals from participants in the Amazonian Synod, two wise, spiritually astute pastors explain the importance of priestly celibacy for the good of the whole Church. Drawing on Vatican II, they present celibacy as not just a mere precept of ecclesiastical law, but as a sharing in Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross and his identity as Bridegroom of the Church.

The successor to Pope John Paul II shares a Lenten blessing that evaluates the meaning of the season, the significance of the birth and death of Christ, and the meaning of Jesus in the lives of Christians everywhere, in a spiritual meditation that follows such themes as the mystery of Mary and the Pentecostal sending of the Spirit.

Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humane Vitae (Of Human Life) continues to speak volumes in our continuously changing world. This book takes an in-depth look at Humanae Vitae and compares it to other Church documents that speak about God's plan for marital love, marriage, children, family, and the community at large.

Centered around the Gospel narrative of Jesus' appearance after Easter to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, this document summarizes Eucharistic theology. Some topics addressed include: the Eucharist as sacrifice, the Eucharist as an expression of fellowship, the Eucharist as perpetuating a just society, and the Eucharist as a source and manifestation of communion. Readers are encouraged to open themselves up to the dimensions of the Mystery of the Eucharist.

Originally published in 1990, Mission of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Missio) recalls the Church to her primary mission: to proclaim Christ to the world. Twenty-five years later, we are still discovering the beauty and challenge of the call to the new evangelization. This special Anniversary Edition includes the full text of the original document plus new commentary that will guide you through this important encyclical. President of Renewal Ministries, Ralph Martin, S.T.D., offers insightful commentary, which can be used for study and reflection either privately or in groups.

In his second encyclical, Laudato Si', On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis follows and expands on Catholic teaching on mankind's responsibility to care for God's creation, and protect and care for the most vulnerable. This letter builds on the teachings of previous popes including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Saint John Paul II.

For over two decades, Eugenio Pacelli, Pope Pius XII, has been blasted in the public square as "Hitler's Pope", accused by bestselling authors of cowardice in the face of the Nazi regime. Some have even said that the pope was complicit in Hitler's grab for power, privately fueled by a hatred for the Jewish people. And if they are right, who would not join in condemning a leader like this, especially one who claims to represent all Christians?

But what if this image of Pius XII is completely backward? Archival and archaeological researcher Michael Hesemann has unearthed thousands of documents--including from the Vatican Secret Archives (or the Vatican Apostolic Archive), only recently opened to scholars--to give a startling picture of Eugenio Pacelli as a shrewd diplomat and a champion of the Jewish people during World War II. Saving thousands upon thousands of lives, Pius demonstrated such courage and compassion in these times that Jewish leaders across the globe praised him, and the ecumenical Pave the Way Foundation has since nominated him for the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum's Righteous among the Nations award.

The Pope and the Holocaust traces Pacelli's fight for peace in the 1930s and 1940s, including his years as apostolic nuncio in Germany, where he resisted Nazism. Even some of his most controversial moves, such as the 1933 Vatican concordat, were made to protect Jewish and Christian lives. What emerges clearly from Hesemann's evidence is a portrait of a man radically committed to the Jews and the revelation God gave to them. As Pope Pius himself remarked in 1938, "It is not legitimate for Christians to take part in anti-Semitism. Spiritually, we are all Semites."

Good spiritual directors can be difficult to come by; this book offers Pope Francis to be yours. Ever wonder what advice the Pope would give you to help you grow in holiness, deepen your prayer life, know God's will?

In Practical Holiness you'll find the keys to discovering the answers to those questions. With anecdotes about people and stories about saints, this exploration of Pope Francis's apostolic exhortation, Rejoice and Be Glad: On the Call to Holiness in Today's World, reminds you that there is no cookie-cutter approach to holiness and encourages you to rediscover your unique way of living out the Beatitudes and Jesus's two-fold command of love. You'll navigate through the "five great expressions of love of God and neighbor" - essential for any Christian in our self-absorbed, digital culture.

Reflection questions at the end of each chapter, as well as forty personal questions at the end of the book, make this ideal for reflection, adult faith formation, book clubs, spiritual directors and their directees, and further catechesis during the RCIA's Mystogogia period between Easter and Pentecost.

St. Catherine of Siena and Her Times tells the moving tale of Catherine, whose call to live a cloistered life of prayer and penance was trumped not only by the social needs of her day (poverty, plague) but by the explicit orders of the Pope, who, hearing of her remarkable powers of reconciliation of enemies, called her out of obscurity to mediate between the warring parties, sometimes even at the risk to her life.

From letters Catherine sent to popes and politicians, cardinals and kings, as well as from the written accounts of many friends of Catherine, author Margaret Roberts has crafted the moving tale of this holy 14th century woman who rivaled in stature and influence the storied prophets of the Old Testament and whose life serves as a noble example for Christians in our own turbulent times.