Showing results by author "Wyatt North" in All Categories

Praying with the Saints: Prayers for the Sick and Dying is a collection of 20 days' meditations and prayers. The prospect of one's mortality can be intimidating - the experience of loss when those whom we love die can cause immense pain and sorrow. For Christians, however, we have an answer to these problems that allows us to persist through sickness and death in hope.

The New Testament speaks of repentance as a gift from God. Yet, out of pride, many of us cling to our sins and justify our misdeeds to ourselves. Out of shame, many of us will cover up or ignore our sins as if we could simply pretend they were not a burden. This audiobook offers many meditations and prayers on repentance. God willing, it can help draw you closer to an attitude of the heart befitting of penance - that is, confession, repentance, satisfaction, and forgiveness.

From ancient Jewish rabbis through the Bible and into the Church in every age, Michael the Archangel has quite the story to be told, and even more so, quite the job still to do! This prince of the heavenly host and protector of God’s people is seen behind the scenes from the most ancient of times down to the present day. In this book, we will piece together what the Bible and tradition tell us about angels in general, their being and roles, and where St. Michael may fit in with the choirs of angels.

Christian writer, C.S. Lewis once made the point that people tend to either obsess over demons or deny their existence entirely - and the devil is equally pleased either way. The Bible is clear. Our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual forces (Eph. 6:12). At the same time, however, the Bible makes it clear that the evil forces, devils and demons, are powerless in comparison to God. If God is for us, who can be against us? Even the demons shudder in the presence of God (James 2:19).

Take a 180-day journey with St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. John of the Cross. Each day includes a meditation, a prayer, and further Biblical references for study.

A lo largo de su vida, la Madre Teresa trabajó para transformar nuestras ideas de hogar, amor y familia. Como figura del siglo XX, vio los rápidos cambios que se estaban produciendo en el mundo y entre su gente, y fue lo suficientemente intuitiva como para saber que el Catolicismo, así como su trabajo misionero, necesitaría re-dibujarse para poder satisfacer las nuevas y diversas necesidades.

As much as any of the saints, Saint Francis of Assisi - born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone - is known for his profound piety. He is especially remembered for how he renounced worldly possessions in order to focus on spiritual things. At great personal risk, he attempted to convert the Sultan in Egypt to end the Crusades. His Franciscan Order grew quickly in his time and has since birthed several other orders that persist to this day.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was a Burgundian abbot who was credited with the revitalization of the Benedictine order through the nascent Order of the Cistercians. He lived during the time of schism, when the head of the church was in contention. Benedict was chosen to help decide between the claims on the papacy - ultimately siding with Pope Innocent II rather than the Antipope Anacletus II. Benedict played a significant role in unifying the church and protecting its unity against the threat that this dispute signified.

Few Christians in history are more revered when it comes to prayer and contemplation than St. Teresa of Ávila. Known for her piety and rapturous mystical experiences, many have sought to pursue her path or a path like it. While some have done this formally in the Carmelite orders she established, countless others have grown in their faith and experiences of intimacy with God through her writings and prayers.

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591) was a major reformer of the Carmelite Order. He was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. What he accomplished in the monasteries paralleled what Saint Theresa of Avila did in the convents. Together, these two saints are considered the founders of the Discalced Carmelites. In fact, the two saints were friends and corresponded regularly.

St. Catherine of Siena was born during an outbreak of the Plague in Siena in 1347. She was brought up in the faith, and especially after her own sister died at the age of 16, found herself committed to pursuits of piety. She joined the Dominican order, and, at the age of 21, had what she described as her "mystical marriage" to Christ.

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.

A Reader's Study of the Gospels: The Gospel of John assists the listener to understand the fourth gospel's theology and symbolism in presenting Jesus as God’s eternal word, the light of the world, the bread of life, the good shepherd, and much more.

St. Teresa stands among the greatest of the mystics. It was her pursuit of Christ, not her pursuit of visions, that set her apart as one of the most notable saints in the history of Christendom. It is her dedication to her Lord, her bridegroom, not her experiences, that render her worthy of imitation.

The world needs saints to show it the way to true humanity. The Church needs saints to show it how to live out its calling. This audiobook, The Lives of the Saints: Volume IV (October - December), brings to completion a series of four volumes on the lives of the saints, covering the memorials, feasts, and solemnities of the whole Church year, in addition to several of the many optional memorials. This last volume brings with it some of the most beloved of the saints, including St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the Holy Guardian Angels, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Cecelia.

Catholics have always had a special love for the blessed Virgin Mary. Devotions to Mary are wide-ranging and diverse. Within this book, we will explore a tremendous variety of Marian devotional practices, including prayers honoring Mary, such as the rosary, devotional articles, and a Mary garden, filled with plants representing events from her life.

Angels are, indeed, everywhere. Their purpose is to serve God and guide us. They are formidable warriors against evil, guardians of the whole of God’s creation, witnesses to God’s sacred mysteries, and messengers of God’s salvation.

Saint Matthew is an example of God’s love and mercy not just for those who are saints, but also for those who are struggling with sin and feeling disconnected from God. The many layers of Matthew’s story teach us about true love and the powerful and sustaining force God’s love offers to us.

While all of us are capable of holiness, canonization is the Church’s official recognition that a particular person displayed an extraordinary degree of holiness, or devotion to God, during his or her time on Earth. There is much to be learned from the words, acts, and lives of the saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Each concise biography, from Saint Padre Pio to Saint Catherine of Siena, provides guidance for living a life of love.

Let’s live a life of love. Let’s reflect on and learn from the lives of saints. The word saint comes from the Latin word sanctus, a translation of the Greek word hagios, which means “holy”. While all of us are capable of holiness, canonization is the church’s official recognition that a particular person displayed an extraordinary degree of holiness, or devotion to God, during his or her time on earth.