Showing titles in Saints & Sainthood

“They should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17: 3). Sometimes we become so consumed with “activism” that God becomes a mere concept, an uplifting idea we try to wrap our minds around, and we forget that He is really present and in love with us. Far too many souls, even good religious souls, tend to forget that God is a Person — a Trinity of Persons, in fact — longing to enter into a relationship with us. Fr. Wayne Sattler awakens us and places us in that fruitful mindset.

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most venerated Christian figures, and his profound teachings, deep love of nature, and commitment to simplicity have resonated with generations of followers. St. Francis of Assisi, a title in the Essential Wisdom Library, offers a simple and universal introduction to Francis' life, his key teachings, and the spiritual practices that enriched his faith and the lives of those who follow his legacy.

Among the most beloved saints in the Catholic tradition, Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226) is popularly remembered for his dedication to poverty, his love of animals and nature, and his desire to follow perfectly the teachings and example of Christ. During his lifetime and after his death, followers collected, for their own purposes, numerous stories, anecdotes, and reports about Francis. As a result, the man himself and his own concerns became lost in legend.

Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer, a devoted husband and father, and a devout Catholic, was executed in 1943 as a result of his refusal to serve in the Nazi army. Before taking this stand Jägerstätter consulted both his pastor and his local bishop, who instructed him to do his duty to the fatherland and to obey the law, an instruction that violated his conscience.

Parents of any age or at any stage can cultivate the same virtues in prayer that Saint Monica discovered during her long wait for God's answer for her child. This devotion includes eighteen contemporary reflections, meditations taken from the writings of Saint Augustine, and prayers adapted from the liturgy and other ancient sources.

Praying with Our Sorrowful Mother explores the riches of Mary's soul while illuminating the profound sorrows she experienced as the mother of Jesus Christ. The beautiful devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is exceedingly beneficial in helping Christians bear their sufferings well and follow more closely the footsteps of Christ. After listening to this book, one's relationship with Mary, the mother of God, will always be different.

In My Badass Book of Saints, Johnson shares her experience as a first-generation Cuban-American, educator of at-risk college students, and caregiver for a husband with Lou Gehrig's disease. Through humorous, empowering, and touching portraits of 24 spiritual mentors who inspired her, Johnson describes how their bravery, integrity, selflessness, perseverance, and hope helped her and can help others have courage to reach for a closer connection to God.

In the fourth century, a young man named Augustine turned his back on the church, plunging into a frenzied life of lust and dissipation. His renunciation left Monica, his pious Catholic mother, weeping and praying for his salvation...for more than a decade! Like so many Catholics today - even, perhaps, like you - Monica wrestled daily with the pain of having a loved one fall away from the faith. Like us, she often feared that her prayers and tears were of little worth, empty, futile.

St. Bridget of Sweden (1303 - 1373) was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband Ulf. She is famous for her saintly life, the many miracles she worked, and her influence on various popes and European leaders. She is also well-known for the revelations she received, which are composed in eight books. St. Bridget is one of the six patron saints of Europe.

Born Helena Kowalska on a clear August day in 1905, to a poor Polish family, she was the third of 10 children. When Helena turned 19, she felt called by Jesus to go to Warsaw and enter a convent. After arriving, she was turned down by convent after convent, until finally, one accepted her. She took the name Faustina and stayed in the convent until her death in 1938.

In every era of the Catholic Church, holy men and women have shaped history through their gifts and talents and, most importantly, through their resolute commitment to Jesus Christ. Some led armies, some founded monasteries, some lived a radical call to charity—and each one had a unique part to play. How the Saints Shaped History focuses on the essential role of the saints, as vessels of God's grace, in moving the Church (and the world!) through her two-thousand-year history.

The Little Flowers of St. Francis is a classic collection of popular legends about the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Composed at the end of the 14th century by an unknown author, this manuscript is a version of the Latin Actus beati Francisci et sociorum eius, which can be dated to 1390 AD. Most scholars are now agreed that the author was Ugolino Brunforte (1262-1348). The text was the inspiration for Roberto Rossellini’s 1950 film Francesco, giullare di Dio (Francis, God’s Jester), which was co-written by Federico Fellini.

This audiobook features two timeless classics by A.W. Tozer. "The Pursuit of God" delves into the depths of true worship, inviting listeners to seek a closer relationship with the Almighty. In "The Holy Spirit's Presence," Tozer explores the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, guiding believers toward a life filled with divine guidance and presence.

Firmly rooted in the Church's magisterium and the wisdom of the Saints, Life of Union with Mary presents a simple philosophy of life that is built around the relations of Mary to God and to man. That devotion to her can be a part of everyday life is a recurring theme in this devotional book that explains the extreme importance of union with Mary by showing its marvelous results. Father Neubert not only gives the dogmatic basis for union with Mary, but details methods of working at and achieving it.

In this riveting biography, author Bret Thoman accomplishes what few biographers have. He pierces the inner life of Francis, revealing his deepest passions, his unquenchable love for poverty, and his unshakable grip on the core of the Gospel. The life of Francis, so often festooned with spectacle and miracle, is in reality the story of a soul yearning for God in every moment and glimpsing his presence in all creation.

Filled with reflections and brief imaginative sequences, Come to Mary's House invites you to imagine you are with the Blessed Virgin-visiting in her living room, working in her garden, or catching up over coffee. The goal is to encourage your encounter with Mary as a friend, sister, and mother-in a comfortable, gentle way. By developing a personal relationship with her, you'll let her lead you closer to Jesus.

This book is about Paul, the apostle who had an amazing revelation of the love of God the Father expressed through Jesus Christ, his beloved Son. The revelation of the God who was in Christ. How did Paul receive such an incredible revelation? How was this legalistic Jewish pharisee who persecuted the early church transform into the man who has this profound revelation? Who was the man behind the words? What was the back story? Paul’s story unfolds in the pages of the New Testament.

In 1892, a young man left his home in the coastal foothills of Lebanon in search of a better life. Coming to America with his newlywed wife, he found work as a traveling peddler, before settling on a small farm in central Nebraska. Years later, personal tragedy and an unexpected midnight visit from a saint changed the course of his life. Seeing the desperate need of his fellow orthodox Christians and heeding God’s call, he would spend the rest of his life traversing the Great Plains as a circuit-riding priest, known to his thousands of parishioners as Father Nicola Yanney.

Follow one of the most revered saints in history as he embarks on an extraordinary journey through earthly trials, diabolical attacks, and heavenly triumphs. St. Benedict: Monk, Mystic, Exorcist is the riveting true story of one man's radical faith and spiritual battles in the ashes of the Roman Empire. Benedict of Nursia gave up a privileged life of nobility to seek solitude in a remote cave. After three years of wrestling with unseen forces and relying on the good will of strangers for sustenance, he emerged as a spiritual leader. Known as a man of miracles, visions, exorcisms, and ...

This book is the fruit of Fr. Dubay's many years of study and experience in spiritual direction and in it he synthesizes the teachings on prayer of the two great doctors of the Church on prayer--St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila--and the teaching of Sacred Scripture. But the teaching that Fr. Dubay synthesized is not collected from Teresa and John for contemplatives alone. It is meant for every Christian and is based on the Gospel imperative of personal prayer and the call to holiness.