By studying how the early Christians believed and lived, we can learn many valuable lessons on what to avoid and what to strive for today. The Roman world had many facets that are strikingly similar to elements of modern life. Sommer’s aim is to help the reader learn how to transform modern culture with the power of the Gospel as was first done in the centuries of the early Church. 457 pages, Paperback. (Item #81647) $19.95

160 pages, Paperback (Item #88874) $16.95

Discover how Francis was first found by God and then joined by Clare despite the violent objections of her family. Explore a variety of issues that they faced, including the treatment of lepers in medieval society, corruption in the Church, and attitudes toward the created world. You will also learn how Clare's spirituality influenced that of other prominent women, how St. Francis lost control of his own movement, and why Francis's body was secretly buried upon his death.

The examples of early Franciscan spirituality challenge any of us who would follow Christ today. How would we view a young person today who rejected family for spiritual reasons? Is it possible for men and women to have deep friendship and remain true to a call to chastity? Is intentional poverty of any value? Have we sentimentalized family to the point of ignoring what Jesus taught his disciples on the subject?  204 pages. Paperback (Item #87440) $16.95

Bestselling author Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, has experienced the doubts that so often drive discussions about God and the Church. In the years before his conversion, he was first a nonbeliever and then an anti-Catholic clergyman. In REASONS TO BELIEVE, he explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith—drawing from Scripture, his own struggles and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather they offer complementary evidence that God exists. But He doesn't merely exist. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernible and knowable. Hahn leads readers to see that God created the universe with a purpose and a form—a form that can be found in the Book of Genesis and that is there when we view the natural world through a microscope, through a telescope, or through our contact lenses. At the heart of the book is Hahn's examination of the ten "keys to the kingdom"—the characteristics of the Church clearly evident in the Scriptures. As the story of creation discloses, the world is a house that has a Father, a palace where the king is really present. God created the cosmos to be a kingdom, and that kingdom is the universal Church, fully revealed by Jesus Christ. Hardcover, 196 pages. (Item #88651) $21.95

This eighteenth-century classic has continued to challenge and bless thoughtful Christians. Here is a simple approach to deeper commitment to God's will and purpose. 201 pages (Item #83261) $15.95

When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent to stay with a kind professor who lives in the country, they can hardly imagine the extraordinary adventure that awaits them. It all begins one rainy summer day when the children explore the professor's rambling old house. When they come across a room with an old wardrobe in the corner, Lucy immediately opens the door and gets inside. To her amazement, she suddenly finds herself standing in the clearing of a wood on a winter after-noon, with snowflakes falling through the air. Lucy has found Narnia, a magical land of fauns and centaurs, nymphs and talking animals -- and the beautiful but evil White Witch, who has held the country in eternal winter for a hundred years. This exquisite gift edition brings a fresh look to this timeless classic and is the perfect introduction to all the wonders of Narnia.
Gift Edition Hardcover (Item #88974) $19.99
Paperback (Item #88975) $8.99

The bestselling Chronicles of Narnia Mass Market Box Set now has movie still images from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe live-action film on the box! The LWW movie tie-in rack edition with a movie still cover and eight-page movie still insert can be found inside. Boxed Set of 7 paperbacks, including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. (Item #88976) $45.00

Based on nearly 400 firsthand anecdotes and recollections, the book pays tribute to nuns and recalls them with a mix of fondness, respect, awe, and fear. Brief, descriptive anecdotes cover subjects ranging from religious training, habits, and devotion to discipline, pranks, and the always-dicey sex education.

Readers are introduced to such legends-in-the-making as baseball-playing nuns, telepathic nuns, gun-toting nuns, and even skinny-dipping nuns. These nuns have seen it all—the silly or the sad, the frightening or sublime—and always keep their gazes directed upward. (Item #88992) $20.00

Deeply based on the Scriptures, the writings of the Saints, and the teachings of our two most recent Popes, this profound and remarkably readable book will introduce you to some of the "hidden" truths of the Eucharist — truths that have always been embraced by theologians, saints, and mystics, but have rarely been passed on to the average person in a meaningful way. In 7 Secrets of the Eucharist, these truths are finally made accessible to all, as author Vinny Flynn shows how each reception of Holy Communion can be a life-changing experience.

No matter how much or how little you already know about the Eucharist, 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 studies, 7 Secrets of the Eucharist will rekindle the "Eucharistic amazement" called for by Pope John Paul II. 140 pages, paperback (Item #88687) $9.95

Cardinal Schonborn, former student of Pope Benedict XVI and well-known as a brilliant theologian, presents his second volume of reflections on the person of Christ, this time as found in the Gospel of Mark. Sunday after Sunday, Cardinal Schonborn uses the Gospel readings from Mark to explain the beauty of the Gospel in clear and understandable words.

The Cardinal emphasizes that each of the four Gospels is unique and has its own unmistakable shape and approach. He says that no other Gospel writer talks in such a human way about Jesus as Mark. Anger and sorrow, Jesus’ passionate emotional responses, are more explicitly mentioned in Mark than in the other Gospels. But however human Jesus may appear here, it is also Mark in particular who also strongly emphasizes his divinity. Believing in Jesus, having faith in him, is what Mark is all about. 230 pages, Paperback (Item #81643) $16.95

This work is a joint effort of McCloskey and Russell Shaw, the widely read Catholic author, speaker, and former communications director for the U.S. bishops. Drawing on moving, firsthand accounts of conversions, this book combines personal testimony, solid theology, and effective methods of communicating the Catholic Faith. 134 pages, Paperback (Item #81632) $12.95

It wasn't just talent that made Danny Abramowicz an All-Pro NFL Receiver. It was talent and a lot of hard work. Blessed with athletic ability -- and with parents who cherished and lived the Catholic faith -- Abramowicz poured his time and energy into making it in the National Football League. Everything else -- and everyone else -- was a distant second. Including his wife and three children. Including God.  Spiritual Workout of a Former Saint is more than the story of a recovering alcoholic grabbing on to -- and working hard at -- his second chance at a happy, spiritually rich life.

Here, derived from years of experience in the real world of men, is a practical, encouraging, step-by-step method to help you:

- Increase your spiritual strength.
- Add new life to your relationship with your spouse, family and friends.
- Re-energize your sould as you deepend your love of Christ and His Church.
(Item #88243) $12.95

In Faith That Dares to Speak, Donald Cozzens addresses the laity's role in challenging a feudal church to embrace accountability and transparency and to bring light where there is now darkness. Awakened to their dignity and responsibility as full, equal, and adult members of the church, lay Catholics in North America are finding their voice and daring to speak to church authorities long accustomed to deferential obedience and compliance.

Church life, Cozzens believes, will never be quite the same. Hardcover (Item #83794) $19.95

In The Rhythm of Life, author Matthew Kelly exposes the lifestyle challenges and problems that face us in this age obsessed with noise, speed, and activity. In response, Kelly proposes an alternative lifestyle which promotes genuine well-being by attending to our legitimate needs - physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Kelly puts forth a message which is unmistakably challenging and attractive - "What you become is infinitely more important than what you do, or what you have." Encouraging each reader to find their own rhythm, Kelly takes us on an adventure of self-discovery. Hardcover (Item #84956) $19.95

At a time when many people are disillusioned with the Catholic Church, questioning the faith, and filled with doubts about the relevance of Catholicism in the modern world, Matthew Kelly reveals the essence of authentic Catholic spirituality while addressing some of the most important questions we face today as both individuals and as a Church. Hardcover (Item #83437) $22.95

In this fascinating, comforting book, DeStefano takes the reader on a tour of heaven, painting it as a dynamic place of unlimited joy, and using Scripture and dramatic imagination to fill in details about the afterlife. "God doesn't throw away the good things he creates," he writes, an idea which is the basis of many of his speculations about heaven. Heaven is a tangible place, believes DeStefano, and at least part of it will be a transformed new earth. People will have their own recognizable bodies, only perfected. DeStefano tackles tough questions about heaven, including the role of angels, the measurement of time, marriages and whether pets will be there ("Of course!"). ..   He is neither an academic nor a professional theologian, which gives the book its delightfully conversational tone and frees him to conjecture without restraint. Many readers will find DeStefano's solid Christian framework reassuring and his exciting picture of heaven compelling. (Item #83482) $18.95

Throughout the forty some books that Henri Nouwen wrote and the hundreds of talks that he gave, the subject of "Prayer" runs through them all and unites them. For him a life of faith is a life of prayer. Drawn from many decades of his life, the compilation of Henri's throughts, feelings, and the struggle with prayer, reveal the core of the man and his belief that "prayer is the only necessary thing." (Item #80364) $19.95

NEW!
Divining the Body: Keys to Discovering Your Sacred Self
by Jan Phillips

Honor Your Body as the Instrument of Your Soul

This book is an attempt to undo the damage we've sustained living in a culture that thrives on our self-hatred. It is a sanctification of our human bodies, a consecration of ourselves as hosts to the Great Beloved. It is a journey of awe and reverence through the sacred terrain of foot and hand, back and breast, heart and brain. The path to peace is the pathway through ourselves, starting with the inward step, the brave, gentle step toward the Divine within.
-from the Introduction

Our view of the human body is always evolving. From the goddess-worship of civilizations millennia ago, to the strict social rules of Victorian England, to the modern feminist movement, the human body-particularly the feminine body-has always been a point of interest, mystery, and contention.

Discover an entirely new way to look at your body-as a pathway to the Divine. Award-winner Jan Phillips takes you on an energizing journey through your physical self, drawing connections between the bone, muscle, and sinew of your body and the spiritual teachings of various faith traditions, modern scientific research, and her own experiences. You will find yourself empowered to work to transform the world around you and overcome self-defeating thoughts through positive, practical exercises and meditations that show you how to climb back into your body and honor it as the temple of God that it is. Paperback (Item #85585) $16.99