Download or read book Growing in Faith written by Mitch Pacwa and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2014-08-22 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives." - Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei Fr. Mitch Pacwa has a God-given talent for taking vast topics like faith, honing in on the things that will truly make a difference in our lives, and presenting these truths in an accessible way. Fr. Mitch Pacwa's groundbreaking bible study, The Year of Faith: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics, has now been updated to include reflections on faith by Pope Francis. In Growing in Faith: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics, Fr. Pacwa uses themes and reflections of Pope Francis' to illuminate each of the six sessions in which readers will understand faith as it relates to our relationship with Christ, what we profess as Catholics, and the ultimate goal of evangelization. "It is this light of faith that I would now like to consider, so that it can grow and enlighten the present, becoming a star to brighten the horizon of our journey at a time when mankind is particularly in need of light."- Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei

Download or read book Mercy written by Mitch Pacwa and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2015-05-15 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you." - Jeremiah 31:3 Fr. Pacwa's Bible studies for Catholics have captivated parish study groups for years. He takes vast topics like the Eucharist, Mary, and the Faith, and breaks them down into useful and accessible lessons we can carry with us always. Now in his new book Mercy: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics Fr. Pacwa leads us to a deeper understanding of mercy through the study of Israel's long, slow struggle to experience mercy. By looking carefully at their experience of turning away and returning to God, we begin to understand that God's love, shown through His mercy, is more powerful than sin. Perfect for a parish small group study, or for personal reflection, each of the six sessions in Mercy: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics will help us rediscover the incredible history of God's mercy in our own lives, which in turn will lead us to an understanding of the importance of extending God's love and mercy to the world around us.

Download or read book The Joy of the Gospel written by Pope Francis and published by Image. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

Download or read book Mary Virgin Mother and Queen written by Fr. Mitch Pacwa and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2014-03-06 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Pray for us oh Holy mother of God" Fr. Pacwa brings his devotion to the Blessed Mother alive for every Catholic in the next in his series of wildly popular Bible studies. Mary - Virgin, Mother, and Queen: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics looks at Old and New Testament texts that are relevant to the Marian doctrine, including: God's promise in Genesis that a woman's offspring would strike the head of the serpent The Old Testament Ark of the Covenant as a symbol of Mary Mary's fiat The wedding at Cana Mary at the cross The woman and the dragon in Revelation And more Mary - Virgin, Mother, and Queen is perfect for use as a parish Bible study, or for individual learning. Each chapter includes background and study exercises, and questions for reflection and discussion. Fr. Mitch enlightens, clarifies, and challenges Catholics to a renewed devotion to the Blessed Mother, through whom we are drawn nearer to Christ.

Download or read book The Eucharist written by Mitch Pacwa and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2013-01-22 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "They devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers" -- Acts 2:42 It is called the "source and summit" of our Catholic faith - The Holy Eucharist. But do we really understand its true meaning? In Fr. Mitch Pacwa's The Eucharist: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics you will see the essential connection between the Eucharist and the Scriptures, and through reflection and discussion you'll learn to apply the principles in your own life.In this study you will find answers to these questions and more: Where do we see symbols of the Eucharist in the Old Testament? How do the Old Testament sacrifices prefigure Christ's sacrifice? What did Jesus mean when he said "Do this in remembrance of me"? Why is Jesus called the Lamb of God? How do we meet Jesus in the breaking of the bread? Perfect for group or individual study, The Eucharist will change the way you look at the Mass and allow you to meet Jesus as transformed by his gift of life.

Download or read book Saved written by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2017-05-05 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” — John 3:16 What does it mean to be saved? Can I know that I am saved? As Christians, and especially as Catholics, we face these questions on a daily basis, not only from the people we meet but also in our own hearts. Scripture provides the answer, for the Bible isn’t simply a collection of disjointed tales — it is the story of our salvation. In this Bible study, Fr. Mitch Pacwa guides us through Catholic teaching on salvation, as found in Scripture. With his characteristic wisdom, he tackles tough topics and questions, including grace and free will, repentance and faith, the role of the sacraments, and the necessity of good works. Perfect for a parish small group study or for personal reflection, each of the six sessions in Saved: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics will help us begin to discover the infinite mystery of our salvation, deepening our relationship with the God who saves us.

Download or read book The Holy Spirit written by Mitch Pacwa and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2016-08-30 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.” —Saint Augustine The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, remains a mystery for many of us. We “adore and glorify” the Spirit with the Father and the Son, but do we really understand the power or the actions of the Spirit? Father Mitch Pacwa, renowned spiritual leader and popular author and TV host, guides us through seven sessions on the Holy Spirit, and answering questions like: What’s the Holy Spirit’s role in creation? How does the Holy Spirit bestow authority and empower us?How did the Spirit work through the prophets? How does the Spirit give us wisdom and "lead us into all truth"? What is the relationship between the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Trinity? How did the Holy Spirit empower Mary and others in the New Testament? What role does the Holy Spirit play in our spiritual lives? Written to be used by groups or individuals, each session includes catechesis, discussion, and a call to put the learning into practice. Let this study encourage you, the words of the Veni, Creator Spiritus, which dates back to the ninth century, pray, “Come Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest.”

Download or read book Living Faith Prayers for Catholics written by and published by Living Faith Books. This book was released on 2015-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Living Faith: Prayers for Catholics is a compilation of over 100 Catholic prayers brought to you by Living Faith: Daily Catholic Devotions staff. This book features the often-requested Morning and Evening Prayers featured in Living Faith for over 25 years, plus seasonal prayers, contemporary prayers for special circumstances, family prayers and prayers from the saints and Scripture. There are also dozens of traditional Catholic prayers--including the Prayers of the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, mealtime graces and prayers for Eucharistic Adoration.

Download or read book Let this be the Time written by Janet Schaeffler and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The journey of aging is different for each of us, but no matter our path, the joys and challenges of getting older give us all a wonderful opportunity to keep growing emotionally and spiritually. In this wise and profound book, Janet Schaeffler draws on her own experiences of aging and the insights of many elders to help us all deal with twelve increasingly important needs: to live a life of meaning and purpose; to joyfully pursue love and relationships; to ask and explore questions; to learn and grow and laugh; to navigate change and transition; to cope with losses; to be grateful; to forgive and be forgiven; to give; for spiritual integration; to let go and simplify; and to prepare for dying and death. The journey of aging is a gift for each eldering person, says Schaeffler. Filled with gentle wisdom and practical suggestions, Let This Be the Time will help us make the most of this wonderful gift as we learn to live and love more fully in our eldering years"--Amazon.com.

Download or read book How Do Catholics Read the Bible written by Daniel J. Harrington and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2005 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A Sheed & Ward book." Includes bibliographical references and index. What do Catholics believe about the Bible? -- The Bible and the church -- Modern Catholic documentation -- The Word of God in human language -- What is in the Catholic Bible? -- The different canons -- The history of the Old Testament canon(s) -- The history of the New Testament canon -- How do Catholics approach the Bible? -- The Catholic theological tradition on the Bible -- The Catholic experience -- Catholic Bibles today -- How do Catholics analyze a biblical text? -- Literary methods -- Historical methods -- Theological methods -- How do Catholics read the Old Testament? -- Old Testament study today -- Biblical interpretation in Jesus' time -- Reading the Old Testament as Catholic Christians -- How do Catholics read the New Testament? -- The formation of the Gospels -- The Gospels as witnesses to Jesus and the early church -- The Epistles as witnesses to early Christian faith and life -- How do Catholics interpret scripture? -- Hermeneutics -- The literal sense and the spiritual sense -- Scripture and tradition -- What place does the Bible have in Catholic life? -- The role of the magisterium -- The Bible in Catholic life -- Lectio divina -- Conclusion: twenty-five theses.

Download or read book Inside the Vatican written by Thomas J. Reese S.J. and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1998-02-19 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are one billion Catholics in the world today, spread over every continent, speaking almost every conceivable language, and all answering to a single authority. The Vatican is a unique international organization, both in terms of its extraordinary power and influence, and in terms of its endurance. Popes come and go, but the elaborate and complex bureaucracy called the Vatican lives on. For centuries, it has served and sometimes undermined popes; it has been praised and blamed for the actions of the pope and for the state of the church. Yet an objective examination of the workings of the Vatican has been unavailable until now. Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with Vatican officials, this book affords a firsthand look at the people, the politics, and the organization behind the institution. Reese brings remarkable clarity to the almost Byzantine bureaucracy of congregations, agencies, secretariats, tribunals, nunciature, and offices, showing how they serve the pope and, through him, the universal church. He gives a lively account of how popes are elected and bishops appointed, how dissident theologians are disciplined and civil authorities dealt with. Throughout, revealing and colorful anecdotes from church history and the present day bring the unique culture of the Vatican to life. The Vatican is a fascinating institution, a model of continuity and adaptation, which remains constant while functioning powerfully in a changing world. As never before, this book provides a clear, objective perspective on how the enormously complex institution surrounding the papacy operates on a day-to-day level, how it has adapted and endured for close to two thousand years, and how it is likely to face the challenges of the next millennium.

Download or read book Laudato Si written by Pope Francis and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2015-07-18 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ In his second encyclical, Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home, Pope Francis draws all Christians into a dialogue with every person on the planet about our common home. We as human beings are united by the concern for our planet, and every living thing that dwells on it, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Pope Francis’ letter joins the body of the Church’s social and moral teaching, draws on the best scientific research, providing the foundation for “the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows.” Laudato Si’ outlines: The current state of our “common home” The Gospel message as seen through creation The human causes of the ecological crisis Ecology and the common good Pope Francis’ call to action for each of us Our Sunday Visitor has included discussion questions, making it perfect for individual or group study, leading all Catholics and Christians into a deeper understanding of the importance of this teaching.

Download or read book The Courage to Be Happy written by Pope Francis and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pope Francis shares wisdom and inspiration with those he calls the "hope and future" of the world. A compilation of his addresses to youth, including sermons and talks from the two Youth Day celebrations in Rio and Krakow.

Download or read book Gay and Catholic written by Eve Tushnet and published by Ave Maria Press. This book was released on 2014-10-20 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of a 2015 Catholic Press Award: Gender Issues Category (First Place). In this first book from an openly lesbian and celibate Catholic, widely published writer and blogger Eve Tushnet recounts her spiritual and intellectual journey from liberal atheism to faithful Catholicism and shows how gay Catholics can love and be loved while adhering to Church teaching. Eve Tushnet was among the unlikeliest of converts. The only child of two atheist academics, Tushnet was a typical Yale undergraduate until the day she went out to poke fun at a gathering of philosophical debaters, who happened also to be Catholic. Instead of enjoying mocking what she termed the “zoo animals,” she found herself engaged in intellectual conversation with them and, in a move that surprised even her, she soon converted to Catholicism. Already self-identifying as a lesbian, Tushnet searched for a third way in the seeming two-option system available to gay Catholics: reject Church teaching on homosexuality or reject the truth of your sexuality. Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith is the fruit of Tushnet’s searching: what she learned in studying Christian history and theology and her articulation of how gay Catholics can pour their love and need for connection into friendships, community, service, and artistic creation.

Download or read book A Big Heart Open to God written by Pope Francis and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2013-12-10 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world was shocked when Jesuit magazines across the globe simultaneously released an exclusive interview with Pope Francis, just six months into his historic papacy. Within minutes of its release, the interview dominated the worldwide media. In a wide-ranging conversation, Pope Francis spoke movingly about his spiritual life, his hopes for church reform, his open-minded stance toward gays and lesbians, his views on women, and even his favorite movies. America magazine, where the idea for the interview originated, commissioned a team of five Italian-language experts to ensure that the pope's words were transmitted accurately into English. Now this remarkable, historic, and moving interview is available in book form. In addition to the full papal interview conducted by Antonio Spadaro, SJ, on behalf of the Jesuit journals, A Big Heart Open to God includes an introduction by the editor in chief of America, Matt Malone, SJ, describing the genesis of the interview, a series of responses by a diverse range of Catholic voices, and a spiritual refection on the interview by James Martin, SJ, author of Te Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. In his refection, Father Martin helps readers use the pope's powerful comments as a foundation for personal prayer. In this historic interview, Pope Francis's vision for the church and humanity itself is delivered through a warm and intimate conversation, and he shows us all how to have a big heart open to God.

Download or read book Discovering Pope Francis written by Brian Y Lee and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2019-08-27 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2020 Association of Catholic Publishers third place award in theology 2020 Catholic Press Association third place award in Pope Francis books The dangerous tendency to reduce theological positions to political ones has always fueled divisions in the Church, and it plagues debates surrounding Pope Francis's teaching today. This collection of essays was born of a landmark international symposium designed to promote theological understanding by contextualizing the thought of Pope Francis—from his understanding of history to his theology of mission—within important theological conversations rarely heard in the US Catholic Church. Its contributors demonstrate decisively that Pope Francis's magisterium is the fruit of a profound and distinctive, yet deeply Catholic, intellectual engagement with the theological and ecclesial traditions of the Church. Contributors include: Austen Ivereigh, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Rodrigo Guerra López, Bishop Robert Barron, Massimo Borghesi, Susan K. Wood, SCL, Rocco Buttiglione, Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour, Peter J. Casarella, Brian Y. Lee, Thomas L. Knoebel

Download or read book God s Guide for Grandparents written by Susan M. Erschen and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2017-09-19 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Very often it is grandparents who ensure that the most important values are passed down to their grandchildren, and many people can testify that they owe their initiation into the Christian life to their grandparents.” — Pope Francis, apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love As fun and special as time spent with grandchildren can be, we know that being a grandparent is a supporting — and not a starring — role. So, how can grandparents truly make a difference in their grandchildren’s lives? Grandparents have the unique opportunity to be holy role models by continuing to grow in their faith and by living the values of the Gospel message in the folllwing ways: Putting others first Accepting without judging Showing compassion to the needy Looking with awe at God’s creation Living peacefully Having courage Being generous Being content with what you have Loving unconditionally Looking to the future with hope Being joyful Expressing gratitude God’s Guide for Grandparents draws on sacred Scripture, the example of the saints, the teachings of the Church, the writings of Pope Francis, and anecdotes from today’s grandparents. Grandchildren are always watching. Make the most of your opportunity to have a positive and lasting impact in their lives.