The Cantata of Love: A Verse by Verse Reading of The Song of Songs

 Author: Blaise Arminjon, S.J.

What book of the Old or New Testament has generated the most commentaries in the history of
the Church? Not John’s Gospel, not Paul’s letter to the Romans, not the prophet Isaiah, no, it is the
Song of Songs. It is a book that is unknown to many Catholics, and shocking to those who discover it for the first time because of its descriptions of a lover and his beloved—God is only mentioned once and that is at the very end.

And yet the greatest of the Fathers have commented on it. Origen’s is the classic and St. Jerome says of it: “Origen, having surpassed all of the interpreters of all the books of Scripture, surpassed himself in this interpretation of the Canticle.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Francis de Sales, St. John of the Cross, all have added to the great tradition of interpreting this book for they see it as God’s love for Israel and the Church, Christ’s love for Mary, for the Church, and for each of us. The author draws on all these classics of Catholic tradition to give us a verse by verse reading of the Song of Songs which will deepen the spiritual lives of all of us—a deepening rooted in God’s word and the most profound Catholic tradition.

$54.95 Paperback
$35.72 eBook

The Man Who Left His Mark: How Mark’s Gospel Answers Modern Questions

 Author: Peter Kreeft

In this unusual book on the Gospel of Mark, the brilliant and prolific Peter Kreeft presents 252
contemporary questions that modern man asks about every aspect of the meaning of life, faith, love, suffering, friendship, death, eternity, God, Jesus and more.

He then gives an answer to each question taken directly from Mark’s Gospel, which are always
pointed and often surprising, and makes us ponder more deeply about the meaning of the Scripture passage in relation to our own lives. Kreeft says that Mark’s Gospel is “the quickest and ‘busiest’ of the four—the Gospel for Americans.” He describes the book as “a series of sudden shocks and surprises because that is how Jesus appeared to Mark and others who followed him—full of shocks and surprises.”

Kreeft’s goal of this book is for us to allow Jesus to speak more directly to us, to answer our questions in a personal and profound way, so that we will learn more about ourselves, and about Him. And thus, how to know, love, and follow Him more closely in our lives.

$15.95 Paperback
$10.37 eBook

Probes: Deep Sea Diving into Saint John’s Gospel: Questions for Individual or Group Study

Author: Peter Kreeft

This is no ordinary book. It is a set of probing questions (1,450 in fact) designed to help individuals or groups, especially groups, to dive deeply into Saint John’s Gospel. No answers are provided, but the questions are phrased in such a way as to set a person in a reliable direction for finding the answers.

The questions correspond to the verses of the Gospel and require active and personal interaction. Some of the questions are easy, some difficult, and they are marked accordingly. Some questions include background information or hints that help the reader along. Some were written with a fair bit of humor. Any person or group using these questions to explore John will find themselves entertained as well as informed and inspired.

$17.95 Paperback
$11.67 eBook

Wisdom from the Psalms

Author: Peter Kreeft

The Psalms make up the most popular, most universally loved and used book in the Bible, which
is the most widely read book in the world.  They are hymns, songs, poems, and prayers—at once formal and informal, liturgical and spontaneous, communal and individual. As a result, they have many layers of meaning.

In this work, Peter Kreeft focuses on a dozen of the best-known psalms, including Psalms 23 and 51. He leads the reader through his personal explorations of this deep ocean of divinely inspired spiritual water, pulling up treasures for the soul along the way.

$17.95 Paperback
$11.67 eBook

Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word—Commentaries
on the Book of Matthew

Author: Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis

To the unstudied eye, Matthew’s Gospel can seem a terse narrative, almost a historical document and not the tremendously spiritual (and doctrinal) storehouse that it is. Erasmo Leiva here acts as our guide, showing Matthew’s prose to be not terse so much as economical—astoundingly so given its depth. The lay reader can derive great profit from reading this. Each short meditation comments on a verse or two, pointing to some facet of the text not immediately apparent.

Leiva’s work is scholarly but eminently approachable by the non-technical reader. The tone is very much gustate et videte, quoniam suavis est Dominus [taste and see how good the Lord is]—as it is “friend, come up higher!” The goal of the book is to help the reader experience the heat of the divine heart/the light of the divine Word.

Leiva points to Matthew’s Gospel as being deeply ecclesial because it is first Christological. He comments on the Greek text, demonstrating to the reader nuances in the text that defy translation into English without serious revision of the text. Leiva uses linguistic analysis to aid the non-Greek reader with the literal meaning of the text; numerous quotes from the Fathers and the liturgy of the church demonstrate the way the Tradition has lived and read the Word of God. His theological reflection vivifies doctrine by seeking its roots in the words and actions of Jesus.

$34.95 Paperback
$22.72 eBook

Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word, Volume 3
Author: Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis ($34.95 Paperback • $22.72 eBook)

Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word, Volume 4
Author: Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis ($34.95 Paperback • $22.72 eBook)

Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word Set: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew
Author: Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis ($114.95 Paperback Four Volume Set)

Genesis: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary

Author: Stephen K. Ray

Everything in the Bible—and in the Catholic Church—starts with the Book of Genesis. The Greek
word genesis means “beginning”, and this inspired text reveals to us not only our origins, but our
purpose, our meaning, and God’s plan for mankind. 

Yet Genesis can be daunting, especially given the scientific discoveries of the last few centuries.
Stephen K. Ray, author of Crossing the Tiber, breaks down this sacred and profoundly influential book, wrestling with the complex intersection of history and theology. Thoroughly Catholic in his approach, Ray is unafraid to draw from sources of all kinds: from Jewish and Protestant commentaries, from archaeology, from geography, and even from modern literature. 

This work uncovers the excitement and drama of this ancient narrative, so often ignored or
misunderstood. In Ray’s reading, the Book of Genesis is a shout of joy: “We can know where we
came from! We can know who we are! We can know our destiny! And we are not alone in the universe!”

$21.95 Paperback
$14.27 eBook

St. John’s Gospel: A Bible Study and Commentary

Author: Stephen K. Ray

As Catholics in ever-growing numbers are taking part in Bible studies, many questions arise. How do I study the Bible? Where do I begin? Is it OK to interpret the Bible for ourselves? What Bible should I use? How can I understand such a deep book as the Gospel of St. John?

This book has the answer to these and many other such questions. Stephen Ray takes the difficult and makes it easy; he takes the confusion and makes things clear. It gives a simple start for a beginner while providing the depth and profundity for the scholar. This book is one of a kind. It is the first extensive, easy to use and thoroughly Catholic study guide available.

This Bible study provides extensive “text boxes” with detailed information that helps students discover the cultural, religious, historical and other information on the specific passage they are
studying. It utilizes quotes for a wide range of scholars, historians and specialists to instruct the
student and give valuable insights into the background and meaning of the text. This book can
serve as a basic Bible study guide for working through the Gospel of John, helping the student
plumb the depths of St. John’s marvelous and deeply spiritual Gospel. It is excellent for use by individuals or groups, for families or schools.

$19.95 Paperback
$12.97 eBook

Elijah

Author: Adrienne Von Speyr

As she has done with other books of Scripture, the mystic von Speyr here provides incisive, profound and original verse by verse commentary on the Elijah cycle, reflecting on both the action and events of the narrative as well as on the meaning of each verse. Both the content and the style are stimulus to prayerful reflection and a help to meditation. Von Speyr focuses on the importance of understanding Elijah as a prototype of Christ and a key to the New Testament message. 

Some of the chapters included here are “The Drought is Announced”, “Elijah and Ahab”, The
Sacrifice of Mt. Carmel, “The Encounter with God”, The Call of Elisha, “Ahaziah and Elijah”, and “Elijah is Caught Up to Heaven”.

$9.95 Paperback
$6.47 eBook

The Letter to the Ephesians

Author: Adrienne Von Speyr

The contemporary mystic and spiritual writer Von Speyr gives a verse-by-verse commentary on St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that is the fruit of her own contemplative meditation and prayerful reflection. As with her other volumes of New Testament meditations, this one bears two
distinctive features. First, her method of expressing the theological meaning of an enunciation is not merely to state the universal Christian truth, but also to characterize the particular angle of vision from which the sacred writer (St. Paul) sees it. Thus, Paul’s way of conceiving the content and life of faith, and the self-conscious role of the apostle in the economy of salvation accordingly stands out in bold relief. Secondly, Von Speyr always retraces the content of the words back to the source of revelation, which is the Trinity—she has an unremitting regress to the Triune God who occupies the central position in the whole of scriptural revelation and is its one viewpoint and theme that must be heard for its own sake.

$21.95 Paperback
$11.67 eBook

Paul Struggles with His Congregation: The Pastoral Message of the Letters to the Corinthians

Author: Fr. Hans Urs Von Balthasar

Commenting on the pastoral questions taken up by Saint Paul in his letters to the Corinthians, Hans Urs von Balthasar offers a meditative interpretation of Paul’s writings and difficulties with the Christians at Corinth. He discusses the different roles of pastors and believers, and we see how the problems are resolved through Paul’s advice, example and prayerful patience.

$7.95 Paperback
$5.17 eBook

The Victory of Love: A Meditation on Romans 8

Author: Adrienne Von Speyr

The mystic Adrienne von Speyr provides profound and original meditations on each verse of St. Paul’s rich summary of the meaning of the Christian faith. The eighth chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, a radiant trumpet-call in the tremendous symphony of the Pauline writings, proclaims the ultimate victory of the love of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit in the faithful united as the Church. In our age, which has become focused on the darker side of man, von Speyr shows how the Christian needs nothing more urgently than the courage, inspiration,
and hope that God offers to us through these writings of St. Paul.

$9.95 Paperback
$6.47 eBook

Water and Spirit: Meditations on Saint John’s Gospel 1:19 to 5:47

Author: Adrienne Von Speyr

Following up her book, THE WORD: A Meditation on the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel, this beautiful work by the mystic Adrienne von Speyr continues these meditations to the end of chapter five. Von Speyr reflects deeply on the text, taking it sentence by sentence, but this precise adherence to the words is developed into a much broader picture. The meditations are confluent with the scenes and themes of the Gospel itself, and perhaps the most characteristic note of her meditations is determined by the author’s use of the whole imagery of St. John
to convey his thought. The result is that her thought is not presented to us in a language of abstraction but retains the living, moving and dramatic quality of the original language
from the Gospel. In these meditations the imagery of St. John is everywhere seen as leading into eternal life, and that life as beginning here and now.

$17.95 Paperback
$11.67 eBook

The Word: A Meditation on the Prologue to Saint John’s
Gospel

Author: Adrienne Von Speyr

Adrienne von Speyr wrote an acclaimed four-volume series of meditations on Saint John’s Gospel, and this volume presents her reflections on the Prologue (1:1–18). Her insights embrace the whole Christian revelation as well as its acceptance and rejection by men.

This work is a spiritual meditation of the highest quality, the fruit of prayer, discernment, and
communion with the sacramental life of the Church. It provides rich nourishment for both theological reflection and contemplation.

$16.95 Paperback
$11.02 eBook