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In this powerful, life-changing book, Fr. Thomas Morrow shows us how the devil uses our thoughts to throw us off balance and draw us into sin.

One of the most prized Bible translations, the Challoner-Rheims, is presented here as a "Reader's Bible," offering the sacred words of Scripture in the form in which they were originally written - without all the verse numbers, section heads, comments, references, and footnotes that, although valuable to scholars, clutter up most Bibles today, drawing attention away from the meaning of the Sacred Text itself. The early Christians read "the inspired Word of God" without all those academic distractions. Now, with this Catholic Reader's Bible, you finally can too. Instead of double columns that squeeze short lines of text up against each other, here you'll find generous, single-column pages graced with handsome, readable type. For navigation purposes, the top of each page lists the range of verses on that page. Plus, this venerable eighteenth-century translation by Richard Challoner, Roman Catholic bishop of England, relies on the long-revered Douay-Rheims Bible and employs language that is more intelligible and familiar today - which is certainly a boon for those of us who open our Bibles not as scholars but as seekers yearning simply to come to know and to love God. If you've never read God's Word in this way - as it was written - then you are in for an exciting and inspiring experience. The Catholic Reader's Bible is perfect for brief devotional moments as well as for long, delightful hours of extended reading.

30 Days with Teresa of Avila is the third book of Dan Burke's Navigating series that brings the wisdom of the saints into your hands. These unedited letters of Teresa of Avila to her friends offer a rare window from which to gaze upon the Saint's genuine witness and pragmatic advice on pursuing an intimate friendship with God. Dan Burke and Anthony Lilles provide rich reflections to encourage a deeper and more prayerful reading of these fascinating letters to those who want to sit at the feet of this great doctor of the interior life. About the series: Dan Burke's Navigating series brings the wisdom of the saints into your hands. This series is a goldmine for Catholics to deepen your relationship with God and to grow into a deeper union with Jesus Christ.

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. Not so! After nearly two decades, Augustine returned to the Faith, and in a big way. Revered today as Saint Augustine, he joined in holiness his mother, Monica -- now Saint Monica -- whose sacrifices, prayers, and pain finally won for both of them the crown of sanctity. In these pages, author Maggie Green provides wise, compassionate guidance for members of what she calls "The Saint Monica Club": good Catholics suffering like Monica the rejection of the Faith by persons they love dearly. Herself a longtime and long-suffering member of the club, Green shows how persevering as Monica did in devoted love for straying souls -- loving them as God does -- will not only quiet the lingering, aching cry of our hearts, but will also draw our lost loved ones back to the Faith and into the arms of Jesus again. Yes, the non-confrontational Way of Saint Monica is hard. But it is the only way. These pages demonstrate that, with the souls of our loved ones at stake, it is worth the effort. . .and worth the wait.

A Lenten Journey with Mother Mary invites you to walk with the world's singular model of faith and purity -- the Virgin Mary herself -- each day of your Lenten spiritual pilgrimage to Easter. Here the enlightened Fr. Edward Looney presents Mary's messages one by one, dedicating each week of Lent to an overarching theme from her apparitions and drawing from each a vibrant new spiritual lesson for your life. With the help of Our Lady and Fr. Looney, you'll discover how to make your examinations of conscience more fruitful; you'll learn powerful new methods of prayer; and you'll gain an unwavering trust in Our Lord's love and mercy. As you struggle to pray during times of fasting, a new peace with envelop you as you grow in confidence that the Mother of God is praying for you. You'll also learn: --The keys to praying silently so you can hear God's voice --The three ways Mary works to convert sinners --How specifically to pray for the healing of a broken heart --Why and how you should pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary --How a Marian apparition is judged to be worthy of belief --What Mary teaches us about praying for the dead --And, finally, Our Lady's wise and consoling words for persons with debilitating diseases, for families struggling to conceive, and for couples struggling to heal their marriages. Best of all, at the end of your Lenten journey with Mother Mary, you'll be prepared to experience the Paschal Mystery through the eyes of Mary herself, sorrowing and rejoicing with her as the events of Holy Week give way to the palpable rising of Christ in your life.

Christ wants you to join in His saving work. He has called you to be a holy handmaid, a royal princess, a daughter of the Most High: a fighter alongside your King on the spiritual battlefield for souls. To equip you for this mission, author Julie Onderko here brings you exciting tales about bold female warriors of the spirit, from heroic Old Testament women such as Judith, Deborah, and Esther (who prefigured the most courageous of all, the Virgin Mary) to more recent icons of the Faith, including Saint Clare, Saint Monica, and Saint Faustina. From within their diverse circumstances and vocations, these storied women warriors for Christ will teach you the powerful spiritual tactics that they used in their battles against the devil -- and that you can use, too! -- tactics that will help you grow holy even as you engage in the profoundest endeavor of all: saving souls for Christ. In the great drama of human history and on a continuing basis, souls are won or lost for eternity. With all the angels and saints -- and in particular with the Virgin Mary -- you are called to play your part. Open these pages to prepare yourself today! Among the additional holy women you'll meet in these pages are: --St. Jane de Chantal --St. Margaret Bosco --St. Zelie Martin --St. Therese of Lisieux --St. Joan of Arc --St. Perpetua

About a century after Jesus died, a battle began for the Old Testament. Large numbers of faithful Christians fought about its contents and even about its right to be called a Christian book! On one side, many Jewish converts charged Paul and most of the other Apostles with a "Great Apostasy," a pulling away from the deep roots of their Jewish tradition. This, they argued, endangered the souls of believers everywhere. They sought to retain intact the strict practices and teachings of the Old Testament and to integrate more of them into the still new and developing Christian Faith. On the other side, Marcionite Christians held such antipathy toward the Old Testament that they advocated leaving it behind entirely. They even sought to purge from the New Testament practices and notions they judged too friendly to Jewish ideas. The outcome of this conflict would affect nearly every aspect of the new Christian Faith -- and the daily lives of believers everywhere, for centuries to come. Who won these crucial, climactic Scripture Wars? God did, of course -- but not without raising up a great saint whose keen mind and deep faith expelled from Christianity both false understandings of how the gentle, loving God of the New Testament relates to the often-stern God of the Old. That saint was Justin of Neapolis, known today as St. Justin Martyr. These pages tell the surprisingly exciting tale of Justin's encounters with these vigorous early heresies that threatened to paralyze the young Church just as she was struggling to her feet. Scripture Wars is an inspiring, true-life testimony to our Father's providence, a tale that has the power to strengthen the faith of Catholics even today, eighteen centuries later.

Christian perfection consists in the twofold way of charity: service of neighbor and our direct quest for God's love. Many of us discover ways to love our neighbor, but few achieve intimacy with God. Why? Because we don't know how to prepare ourselves properly to reach this exalted goal. In these pages, Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen lays out for us a time-tested path toward achieving complete intimacy with God, the path first mapped out centuries ago by the Church's acclaimed master of the contemplative life, St. John of the Cross (1542-1591). St. John showed that God hungers for union with each of us but also requires arduous efforts on our part, the many details of which Father Gabriel explains in these enlightening pages. Do you perceive holiness as an unattainable goal for you? Or is fear of the fatigue of such an effort holding you back? Absorb this book, and allow gentle St. John to take you by the hand and lead you "€" as he has led so many others "€" to true intimacy with our Lord.

Shocked to find corruption widespread in the ranks of their shepherds today, too many good Catholics are tempted to leave the Church, unaware that ever since the days when Jesus' own treasurer, Judas Iscariot, had his hand in the till, the Good Shepherd and His faithful followers have regularly been betrayed by bad shepherds.In these eye-opening pages, Church historian Rod Bennett introduces a number of those bad shepherds, including Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia, who regularly sold out the Church to the Roman emperor; Pope Stephen VII, who so hated his late predecessor that he had him dug up, put on trial, and flung into the Tiber; Benedict IX, who bought and sold the papacy (twice!); and Pope John XII, whose debauchery rivaled that of the corrupt emperor Caligula.Those were very bad shepherds indeed, but while they did the Devil's work, good Catholics not only survived "¬‚¬" they thrived.They outlasted their bad shepherds, preserved in their ranks the Faith of our fathers, and served in each instance as the foundation for a cleansing of the House of God and a vigorous renewal of the Faith.These enlightening pages demonstrate that it can happen again!

In this joyful and charming book, Maria Von Trapp (from The Sound of Music) unveils for you the year-round Christian traditions she loved "€" traditions that created for her large family a warm and inviting Catholic home and will do the same for yours.Here are the songs they sang for feasts and holidays, as well as Maria's personal recipes for traditional holiday foods. Here are stories and games to delight your children, and countless other ways to turn events such as anniversaries, baptisms, graduations, birthdays, wedding receptions, and even funerals into feasts celebrated in the Lord.Most people only know the young Maria from The Sound of Music; few realize that in subsequent years, as a pious wife and a seasoned Catholic mother, Maria gave herself unreservedly to keeping her family Catholic by observing in her home the many feasts of the Church's liturgical year, with poems and prayers, food and fun, and so much more!With the help of Maria Von Trapp, you, too, can provide Christian structure and vibrancy to your home. Soon your home will be a warm and loving place, an earthly reflection of our eternal home.

As death approaches, the human heart speaks its greatest words of love to those it holds most dear. So it was with Jesus who in His final hours gave us seven last "words" rich with spiritual meaning for every human soul.For the first time ever, Archbishop Fulton Sheen's complete writings and reflections on Christ's last words have been compiled into this one book. Sheen shows how the seven words are, in fact, a full catechism on the spiritual life. From them, you'll learn the secrets to living the Beatitudes, ways to avoid the deadly vices of anger, envy, lust, and pride, and how to cultivate the heavenly virtues of fortitude, prudence, justice, and charity.Few books are such an inspiring call to sanctity, and few books are such a spiritual powerhouse. With Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as your guide, you'll also learn:Why, during His Passion, Jesus never proclaimed his innocence.Why Jesus appealed to His Father to forgive, but did not Himself forgive directly.What Jesus' third word from the Cross says about lust.Why, like Jesus, the most innocent among us must suffer.Why darkness covered the earth after Jesus spoke his fourth word.The seven words spoken unto Jesus while He hung on the Cross and what they reveal about the impact of Christ's Passion on your soul.What the Passion says about judging others (and why it's an assault against hope).How the conversion of the good thief is the key to the conversion of our modern world.Why you and I can sin a thousand times and be forgiven, and the angels who have sinned but once are eternally unforgiven.How envy becomes the denial of all justice and love.The difference between the virtue of hope and the emotion of hope.

More than 500 years after the Reformation, Elizabeth Lev shows how the Catholic Church responded to this turbulent age by finding an artistic voice to proclaim Truth through beauty. Exploring the works of Bernini, Caravaggio, Michelangelo and countless other Counter-Reformation artists, Dr. Lev shows how Catholic art in the 16th and 17th centuries was designed to confront challenges raised by the Reformation with soothing and persuasive voice of art.

My title explains itself.But it's misleading.There are more than 40 reasons.In fact, there are at least ten to the 82nd power, which, I am told, is the number of atoms in the universe. And that's just in ordinary matter, which makes up only 4.9% of the universe, the rest being dark matter and dark energy.Each of my reasons is an independent point, so I have not organized this book by a succession of chapters or headings. After all, most readers only remember a few big ideas or separate points after reading a book. (I've never heard anyone say "Oh, that was a good continuous-process-of-logically-ordered-argumentation" but I've often heard people say, "Oh, that was a good point."Which takes me back to my main point: "Why are you a Catholic" is a good question.A good question deserves a good answer.Here are forty of mine.

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. Among other things you'll learn from these pages: The meaning of the "sacramental principle": if you don't understand it, then Mass is almost surely flat for you How each element of the Liturgy has a sacramental quality about it, and can be for you a grace-filled encounter with Jesus How to transform your prayers at Mass into a conversation with God Why silence - both within the liturgy and outside of it - is a necessary element of that conversation with God What you should desire in order to receive the Eucharist most efficaciously (and what that desire presupposes in you) Coming and going through the church doors: what, each time, it should mean for you spiritually Plus, at the end of each chapter, a list of action items for the next time you go to Mass, and much, much more to awaken in you the bright spirit of joyful devotion that we are all called to have at Mass

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.Did you know about these changes? Have you tried them?In our new book, The Contemplative Rosary, we have not only incorporated the five new Luminous Mysteries, we have included as well the many other changes Pope John Paul made to the Rosary.Here are his additions to the texts and prayers -- additions small and large -- that, as John Paul intended, unite the Rosary more closely to the official liturgical prayers of the Church as well as to Scripture.Here are also scores of full-color images for your contemplation that anchor your attention in each Mystery and transform your Rosary from a hasty, habitual recitation into a profound speaking to God and a keen listening to Him.Following the wise advice of St. Theresa of Avila and the new method proposed by St. John Paul, you'll find here for each mystery:A lovely, full-color classical painting depicting the events in the Mystery, for help in your contemplation A unique announcement of the MysteryA statement of the expected fruits of the MysteryThe Scriptural passage you should consider before embarking on your prayers of the MysteryA call for a moment of silence in order to recollect yourself before entering the presence of GodPlus much more, so that finally you can begin to pray the Rosary as Saint John Paul wants you to pray it!

Few things in this earthly life are absolutely certain, but the most undebatable of these is death. Every person, even the atheist, will admit that death is certain. Death, however, is not the last event in this life of ours. Immediately after death, we shall be judged and then again on the Day of Judgment when all humanity will know us for what we are. Too often the reality of Heaven and salvation are highlighted at the expense of the Church's teachings on Death, Judgment, Purgatory, and Hell. Yet, these important doctrines of the Church hold the truths of salvation -- truths that can lead us to Heaven or can pull us away from it. In these pages, Fr. Wade Menezes, EWTN television host and Assistant General of the Fathers of Mercy, shows us that God has not called us to His wrath, but to salvation. He shows us that Heaven and Hell, salvation and damnation, eternal life and eternal punishment are all complementary doctrines. They need each other to be complete and we must understand the Church's teachings on all of these doctrines in order to have a balanced view of the world. Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell these are the Four Last Things toward which we are moving each hour of the day and night. Read this book, and you'll have a firm grasp of one of the most important doctrines of Holy Mother Church that holds the truths of Heaven and our own salvation.

Meet the mighty spirits sent by God to enlighten and guide us, defend us from harm, and lead us on the path to eternal life. Learn how angels are invisibly present at every moment of your life, and how they can pray with you and for you, amplifying your praise by reflecting it directly to God face-to-face. Angels do not form a separate universe they are an integral part of our own world sent forth for the sake of our salvation. They are pure spirits who communicate to us God's grace, His goodness, and His truth. In these pages, Fr. Horgan unveils the surprising role of the angels in our lives and what you must do to gain their help. You'll learn how to imitate the angels in prayer and how they offer you the enlightenment and the encouragement God so desperately wants to give you. By praying with the angels, you will be strengthened for what lies ahead, better able to discern and do the Lord's will in all your actions. You'll also learn: Why the Church teaches that the angels were created at the time of creationThe responsibilities of the angels at every MassThe key difference between spirits and angelsSeven habits you must develop to grow closer to God through His angelsThe difference between Archangel Gabriel's apparitions to Mary and ZechariahHow St. Joseph can expose you to the inspirations of the angelsThe difference in the way humans and angels thinkHow you can imitate the warrior nature of the angelsThe three ways you must respond to your angel's guardianshipThe five roles that every angel takes in their service for the LordThe surprising ways in which angelic warfare is carried out

Come to know the house of the Virgin Mary which, according to numberless saints, scores of popes, and many official documents of the Vatican (and to protect it from the depredations of the Saracens) was in the late 1200s miraculously transported from Mary's village of Nazareth to a hillside in Italy. In this house, the Virgin Mary herself was born, she was saluted by the angel Gabriel, and Jesus himself became flesh. There he spent the first twelve years of his life. Rev. G.E. Phillips' book, The House of the Virgin Mary, is the comprehensive tale of the Holy House in Nazareth, and its miraculous transport to Loreto, Italy a delightful book that carefully lays out the evidence for the miracle and affords you detailed, convincing answers to those who have challenged it. You'll learn about: Its veneration in Nazareth before it mysteriously disappeared, leaving only its foundation Its sudden, miraculous appearance on a hillside in Italy, dismaying local residents How amazed Italians used exacting detective skills in Italy and later in Palestine to discover where the house had come from How believers have venerated Our Lady of Loreto and revered her Holy House for over 700 years now (shouldn't you, too?) The story of the fifteenth century erection of a magnificent basilica over the humble Holy House and the sixteenth century enclosing of the fragile structure in a grand marble encasement The cure in the Holy House of two Popes in succession (and the tale of many other miracles witnessed there) Among the evidence brought forth in this powerful book are: Scores of quotations from 13th century witnesses, and from hundreds of scholars and visitors in the seven centuries since then

Inspired by the Parable of the Ten Wise Virgins (Matt 25: 2-13), this book affirms the wealth of grace entrusted to praying women. Through poignant stories and teaching, eleven Catholic women, single, widowed, married, mothers and grandmothers, magnify the Marian vocation of living as contemplatives in action. Learn how, amidst the noise of a secular culture, the authors were formed in joy and sorrow, and discovered the transformative power of prayer. Each chapter ends with spiritual reflections: "Ponder, Practice, Pray," and "Feminine Wisdom" from women saints. Eucharist, Scripture and Mary are prominently highlighted. Here is a book that can inspire the new outpouring of the oil of prayer for healing and holiness. Kathleen Beckman: The Marian Heart Prays Johnnette Benkovic: The Transforming Power of Prayer Dr. Ronda Chervin: Prayer: Sigh of the Heart Dr. Pia De Solenni: Prayer: With Sisters in Christ Dr. Mary Healy: Prayer: God's Overflowing Grace Lisa M. Hendey: Daily Prayer with Saints Joan Lewis: Prayer: A Heart to Heart with the Lord Kathyrn Jean Lopez: Pope Benedict XVI & Women Who Pray in Love Marilyn Quirk: Prayer: A Relationship With The Living God Vicky Thorn: Prayer: My Ear to His Heart Kelly Walhquist: Just Pray Prayer: A Willed, Practiced Response to Love How Mary Prays: Scriptural Lessons Praying Against Evil: Spiritual Mothers Prayer of the Pierced Heart Prayer Partners: Mary and the Holy Spirit Deep Calls to Deep From Childish to Childlike Creating New Saints-in-the-Making Prayer Foundation: Family Of Prayer, Schedules and Priorities Authenticity in Prayer Prayer Leads to Service Intercessory Prayer: The Present Role of Women Six Fruits of Prayer

Countless graces flow from the use of Holy Water when you understand its role in God's plan of salvation, and how it brings new graces into your life. In clear, convincing language, Father Theiler lays out for Christians countless surprising, but long-forgotten truths about Holy Water, and explains the interior acts and dispositions that are necessary for this blessed gift of God to have the sanctifying effect our Lord intends for you. Read these pages attentively; consider them thoughtfully; incorporate their truths and suggestions into your daily spiritual life. In these pages, you'll also learn: The time that God Himself commanded the use of Holy Water (Do you know where the Bible tells this story?) Why God chose water as the means to impart so many blessings even before He created man and woman! What you should and should not expect from the graces conferred by Holy Water Did you know that Holy Water helps not merely the souls, but even the bodies of the Faithful Departed Why, although it's not necessary for salvation, Holy Water may be just what you need to be saved Holy Water actually does protect you against ills, physical and spiritual but only if you use it properly. Do you know how? Making the Sign of the Cross with Holy Water: what it ought to bring to your mind. A simple way to use Holy Water to ease and deepen your prayers at Mass You know your children face many dangers. Here are ways Holy Water can protect them The Rite of Sprinkling with Holy Water: what should you do if no drops of water reach you? Many prayers short and long to help you use Holy Water frequently and efficaciously Eight practical ways you can use Holy Water for the well-being of yourself and your loved ones.

Spiritual meditation is the surest way to grow in holiness, and Our Lady is truly an example of perfection. This combination makes "Meditations on Mary" a spiritual powerhouse that will lift your soul to God and help you along the path to heaven. "Meditations on Mary" features twenty-four of the most powerful and moving meditations written by 17th Century Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet considered to be one of the best homilists in the history of the Church. Author of "Meditations for Lent" and "Meditations for Advent," Bishop Bossuet has been admired for his piety and eloquence for over three hundred years. Now his meditations on Our Lady are available to you in English for the very first time! Although we know Our Lady serves as a perfect example of how a Christian should live and bear witness to Our Lord, Scripture contains only a few glimpses of her life, leaving our knowledge limited and our imagination wanting. In these pages, Bishop Bossuet takes you on a stunning pilgrimage through the principal mysteries of Our Lady's life. He masterfully blends what he's learned from Sacred Scripture with the spiritual traditions rooted in the heart of the Church, and illuminates it with his own theological reflections. He'll bring you to a deeper understanding of Our Lady's compassion, her suffering during Christ's Passion, and the loneliness she felt after his Ascension to heaven. Bishop Bossuet will show you how Jesus brings honor to himself by honoring his mother, and how Our Lady is extraordinary solely because of her alliance with Jesus.

"I Believe in Love" has long been beloved by Catholics for its wondrous distillation of the teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux. This study guide helps you explore her teachings more deeply while inspiring you to integrate them into your daily lives. Although this guide is published primarily for book clubs and small group discussions, individuals will find it to be an important resource for deepening their spiritual life. By using this study guide and reading "I Believe in Love," you will embark on the way to the Father and learn how to focus on Him throughout each day, rest in him amid your troubles, and live joyfully with Him at every moment!

Perhaps no other papal document more eloquently articulates the importance of catechesis in our time and how to undertake it than Catechesi Tradendae. Written by St. John Paul II, this apostolic exhortation describes the important and unique roles the Church, the laity, and the family play in ensuring that all Catholics not only understand the Faith, but are prepared to live it fully.

From the thousands of personal letters by St. Francis de Sales comes this short, practical guide that will develop in you the soul-nourishing habits that lead to sanctity. St. Francis de Sales is widely regarded as one of the greatest spiritual advisors in the history of the Church, and we have drawn from his letters the wisest advice for those prepared to take the next step on their spiritual journey. As he did for saints and sinners in his own time, St. Francis de Sales will stiffen your resolve, help you gain small victories over unruly passions, and restore in you a trusting confidence in Jesus Christ. Soon you'll find yourself delivered from the chains of self-love as your soul opens to divine goodness and your heart shaped into a fitting place for Christ to dwell and reign eternally. If you find it difficult to live amid the clamor of the world with your eyes fixed on Christ alone, let St. Francis de Sales teach you how to live as a true rose among thorns as you learn . . . What to do when you stop finding consolation during prayer How to place yourself in the presence of God How busy people should pray Do you fear vice more than you love virtue? A guide to discernment How to be patient with your family The dangers of too many devotions How to know when your feelings are from God or the devil What to do about repeated spiritual dryness The three things you must do to be at peace How to avoid thoughts that give us anxious and restless minds Absorb the wisdom in these holy pages, and you'll soon make true progress on your spiritual journey and navigate with confidence the treacherous waters of our secular world.

God doesn't need us humans to work miracles for Him, but as veteran Catholic author Patricia Treece shows here, it certainly seems His good pleasure to perform great miracles by means of human prayers and human hands, and particularly by means of the prayers and hands of His saints. A quarter century in the making, Treece America's most experienced and revered saint-watcher has gathered in these pages countless fascinating true reports of miraculous healings brought about in our lifetimes through the saints. Among them is the complete 2005 cure of Sr. Marie Simon-Pierre's advanced Parkinson's Disease after she appealed for healing to the just-deceased Pope John Paul II. After intense scrutiny, the Vatican declared her healing miraculous, leading to John Paul's beatification. Here, too, are tales of scores of lesser-known healings brought to light by Treece's own investigations into little-known official Vatican documents as well as from her many interviews with living witnesses of miraculous healings, including several conversations with souls whose healings have been accepted by the Vatican as grounds for canonization of their healers. When faced with a woman skeptical about whether she could be cured, the healer Solanus Casey is reported to have said, "Don't you know that God can cure cancer just as easily as the common cold?" Not only can God do this. These pages show that He is doing it . . . so often and so obviously that even in our day miraculous healings regularly give pause to the most hardened skeptics, and bring joy to the hearts of believers who rightly see in these healings overwhelming and continuing evidence of God's providential love for each and every one of us. May they bring joy to your heart, as well, and renew the confidence in His love that God yearns for you to have!

From the young St. Francis de Sales' heroic efforts to bring Calvinists back to the Faith comes this succinct, eloquent defense of the age-old Catholic practice of making the Sign of the Cross, which 16th century Calvinists denounced as a Popish invention and many Protestants scorn even today. Embodying the zeal of youth and the wisdom of age, this gentle jewel of Catholic apologetics traces the origins of the Sign of the Cross back to the Fathers of the Church, to the Apostles before them, and finally to our Lord Himself. Along with St. Francis's other lucid explanations of our Catholic Faith and his undaunted love even for those who hated him, this modest book helped restore to their native Catholic faith tens of thousands of heretics who not long before were intent on killing him. As they did for the Calvinists in St. Francis's day, so in our day these pages will bring you a better understanding and a renewed love the Sign of the Cross, that brief and lively exterior prayer by which, from time immemorial, God has been invoked by serious Christians before all of their endeavors. Among the other things you'll learn here: --Why God chooses to attach power to the Sign of the Cross --How to convince skeptics to value and pray with it --Two uses of the Sign of the Cross: do you know both of them? --How the Sign of the Cross is the antidote to the Mark of the Devil --The theological significance of the motions, vertical and horizontal --Two reasons it has particular power against the Enemy --Why you should make the Sign of the Cross publicly and often. Outside the Creed itself, there are few topics to which the Fathers testify as universally and unanimously as the pious practice of making, frequently and well, the Sign of the Cross. With the help of these holy pages, the saints' love for it will enkindle yours. Soon you'll be saying with St. Jerome, "With every work, with all of my comings and goings, may my hand make the Sign of the Cross!"