Sacraments

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.

Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: Sacraments. (First Place).


How can Christians grow spiritually in the midst of our sinfulness? How can we transform our lives in a way that allows us to share in the resurrection of Jesus?

God has already given us the perfect solution--the sacraments.

Whether it is the wound of past hurts, the strain in our relationships, or the stress of daily life, we all need to be comforted and made whole by Christ. In this follow-up to his bestselling Be Healed, Bob Schuchts explains how the sacraments can fuel your emotional and spiritual healing and bring you closer to God.

Based on more than thirty-five years of experience as a therapist and decades spent in parish ministry, Schuchts demonstrates how each of the seven sacraments can be a life-changing encounter with Christ, communicated through the power of the Holy Spirit. He pairs each healing sacrament with one of the seven deadly wounds that emanated from original sin in the Garden of Eden. We perpetuate and deepen those wounds each time we sin, but the sacraments are God's remedy for sin. They give us a way to restore us to wholeness in Christ.

In Be Transformed, You'll discover how each sacrament can help you heal from wounds that can impede your relationships and sense of self-worth. With Schuchts's help, you'll learn how:

Baptism makes us beloved children of God, healing our wounds of rejection

Holy Communion heals our wounds of abandonment by inviting us to share in Jesus' abiding presence

Confirmation overcomes our powerlessness through the power of the Holy Spirit

Holy Orders heals wounds of confusion and disorder by re-establishing God's authority in our lives

In marriage, God's faithful love heals wounds of fear and mistrust

Reconciliation restores purity and releases us from shame

Anointing of the Sick provides enduring hope to overcome our hopelessness

Be Transformed offers all of the tools you need for a fresh understanding of the sacraments, including reflection questions, scripture meditations, prayers, and inspiring stories. You'll come away hungry for the sacraments in a way you never knew possible.

In this profoundly insightful and highly readable book, Thomas Nash brilliantly refutes the common charge that the Mass is "unbiblical." As you'll discover in these pages, the story of the Mass goes much deeper than the Last Supper and Christ's Passion. Indeed, it's part of an unbroken story that begins in the Garden of Eden and continues today in your local parish. Working systematically through Scripture, Nash offers an authoritative explanation of salvation history, showing how the Old Testament pre-figures and the New Testament wondrously records Jesus's one self-sacrifice on Calvary which is mysteriously made present at each and every Mass. Nash's meticulous, Scripture-packed analysis relies on hundreds of Bible passages to show that the story of the Mass is inextricably linked with the story of the Bible.

In "The Blessed Eucharist," Father Michael Mueller describes how Christ\'s love for us moved Him to create this most beautiful Sacrament. He explains why Our Lord veils Himself in the appearance of bread - a garment so humble He is little known, little loved even neglected and insulted. Fr. Mueller helps the reader discover what a treasure the Sacrament is, sharing countless compelling accounts of miracles involving the Eucharist, quotations from Scripture and the Saints reflecting the virtues that can be obtained from Communion worthily received and the consequences of an unworthy reception of Our Lord. He instructs the reader on how to best prepare for receiving the Sacrament, and how to properly offer thanksgiving afterwards. "The Blessed Eucharist" awakens a deeper awareness of the incredible gift that God has given us in His Presence in the Eucharist, allowing us to embrace all the wondrous fruits this Sacrament has to offer.

The Holy Eucharist is the Church's center, her most precious treasure, the source and summit of her prayer and worship of God. The Church is built upon and around the Eucharist. In this book, the renowned spiritual writer and Carmelite priest shows how the Eucharist is not only seen as the great Sacrament that brings about our oneness with Christ, and with the faithful, but also how the Eucharist is the foundational norm for all our actions. To become one with the Lord who is sacrificed has necessary consequences. The mystic of the Eucharist leads to a Eucharistic ethic for life. Fr. Stinissen says that the Eucharist is such a rich and many-faceted mystery that a systematic and exhaustive treatment of it does not suffice. Therefore he has chosen to touch on the subject with the help of some key concepts, consider it from different perspectives, and thus continually find new aspects and dimensions of the Eucharist. All the Sacraments are holy, but the Eucharist is called "Sanctissimum Sacramentum". According to St. Thomas Aquinas, all the Sacraments are directed toward this "Most Holy Sacrament" as toward their final purpose. The Church keeps guard over this sacred treasure and does not readily distribute it if she is not sure that others are worthy of it, and receive it with as great a reverence as she does. In this profound work, Fr. Stinissen says that since Christ comes to us in the Eucharist and unites himself with us under the form of broken bread, we must become like him, a sacrificing, serving people. Anyone who wonders how he should act will find the answer in the Eucharist. He is called to become like Jesus, bread that is broken, "for the life of the world" (Jn 6:51).

Make the most of every Mass with this informative and instructive booklet. Also available in packs of 10.

If you're unhappy because the Mass has become for you routine or even boring and tedious these pages are for you. They teach you eight simple ways to make your every Mass a joyful time of piety and intense devotion.

Explaining the spiritual meanings behind the signs and symbols, words and actions of the Mass, author Christopher Carstens teaches you spiritually-enriching ways to enter the church building, make the Sign of the Cross, pray the Opening Prayer, listen to the Readings, prepare your soul at the Offertory, participate in the Eucharistic Prayer, receive Communion, and even respond to the Dismissal.

Soon with the help of author Carstens wise suggestions you will be surprised to find each Eucharistic Celebration a fountain of peace for you, a profound refreshment for your soul.

On many occasions throughout the history of the Catholic Church, God has provided visible proof of the invisible reality of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. In her book, Eucharistic Miracles, Joan Carroll Cruz documents 36 such miracles which occurred from 800 AD to the present day. This book tells of consecrated Hosts which have visibly turned to human flesh, have bled, levitated, and which have become hard as flint when received by a person in mortal sin. It details the official investigations that have been made into these miracles by scientists throughout the world, and where some can still be venerated today. Eucharistic Miracles also recounts miraculous Eucharistic phenomena in the lives of saints: saints who lived with only the Eucharist for sustenance, received Communication miraculously, or experienced raptures, ecstasies, levitations, visions, locutions, and more. Pictures and photographs of the miracles, the churches they took place in, and the people involved are also included, adding the final touch to a comprehensive, detailed, and extraordinary overview of these miraculous happenings. Eucharistic Miracles is a superb compilation of God's visible testimony of the truth of the Catholic Faith, proving the reality of one of its loftiest mysteries - the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. (352 pgs., PB.)

In "Freedom & Forgiveness: A Fresh Look at the Sacrament of Reconciliation", Father Farren examines the history of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the ways it brings us into a deeper experience of God. Totaling just 85 pages, this little book is simple, easy to read, and deeply prayerful. Father Paul's Irish storytelling background comes to the forefront as he articulates simply but effectively the history of confession with a fresh look to the sacraments which profoundly centers a tone of New Evangelization.

Confession is somewhat daunting for many of us; yet Farren argues, "Our understanding of the sacrament reveals our image of God. If our image of God is one of an uncompromising judge, then the sacrament can fill us with dread." Instead of coming to confession to avoid judgment and hellfire, Father Farren paints a picture of the Sacrament of Reconciliation which presents a loving God who longs for a restored relationship with His children. It is an inspirational picture and one that is presented compellingly.

In this easy-to-read booklet, you'll gain the confidence you need to return to the Sacrament of Confession, where you will experience God's mercy and unconditional forgiveness.

I believe that were it not for holy Mass, at this moment, the world would be in the abyss, unable to bear up under the mighty load of its iniquities. Mass is the potent prop that holds the world upon its base. Therefore, when we are assisting at it, we ought to practice that which once Alphonsus of Albuquerque did, who, finding himself with his fleet in danger of perishing during a fierce and terrific tempest, adopted the following means: He took in his arms an innocent little child which was on board his ship, and lifting it up toward heaven, he said, "If we are sinners, this creature is certainly free from sin; O Lord, for love of this innocent, remit to us the death we deserve!" Will you believe it? The spectacle of the stainless babe was so pleasing to God that He tranquilized the sea, and changed into joy for these unfortunates their terror of a death already imminent. Now, what do you believe is done by the Eternal Father when the priest, lifting in the air the thrice-sacred Victim, shows to Him the innocence of His Divine Son? An, then his compassion cannot resist the sight of the most spotless innocence of Jesus, and He feels as if compelled to calm our storms, and to provide for all our necessities.

This down-to-earth, practical guide shows you how to transform confession into a profound experience of God's love. You'll get solid guidelines to help you make the most of this sacrament and carry its grace into your daily life. Give it a try! Soon you'll start winning your battles against sin.

From among the many journal entries written by Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Conchita), mother of nine and foundress of the Sisters of the Cross, the compiler of this selection offers us carefully chosen mystical writings about the Eucharist. Regarding the meaning of the word mystic, the author refers us to Saint Thomas, for whom the essence of the word lies in the fact that when in a mystical state, one's reason is not only illuminated by faith, but one's soul is also driven to work under the impulse of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These writings are ordered chronologically, in order to follow Conchita's spiritual development and at the same time to display her spirituality and contribution to love for the Blessed Sacrament. This book, therefore, contains a good source of eucharistic spirituality for which so many are hungering today."

A revelatory exploration of the Jewish roots of the Last Supper that seeks to understand exactly what happened at Jesus' final Passover.

"Clear, profound and practical--you do not want to miss this book."--Dr. Scott Hahn, author of The Lamb's Supper and The Fourth Cup

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes. Using his in-depth knowledge of the Bible and ancient Judaism, Dr. Brant Pitre answers questions such as: What was the Passover like at the time of Jesus? What were the Jewish hopes for the Messiah? What was Jesus' purpose in instituting the Eucharist during the feast of Passover? And, most important of all, what did Jesus mean when he said, "This is my body... This is my blood"?

To answer these questions, Pitre explores ancient Jewish beliefs about the Passover of the Messiah, the miraculous Manna from heaven, and the mysterious Bread of the Presence. As he shows, these three keys--the Passover, the Manna, and the Bread of the Presence--have the power to unlock the original meaning of the Eucharistic words of Jesus. Along the way, Pitre also explains how Jesus united the Last Supper to his death on Good Friday and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Inspiring and informative, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist is a groundbreaking work that is sure to illuminate one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith: the mystery of Jesus' presence in "the breaking of the bread."