150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know

Patrick Madrid

Scripture is your guide to what matters most in life. If you're not familiar with it, Patrick Madrid's choice of 150 key verses can ease you in. If you regularly read and pray with Scripture, these verses will provide you rich food for thought.  No matter what your situation, the Bible will help you evaluate the choices and make the decisions that confront you every day. Either explicity or implicity, Scripture addresses all of life's problems, worries, dangers, questions and uncertainties. 

150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know offers you a window into Scripture revealing how God's eternal wisdom relates to your life.

"One of God's greatest gifts to us is his word, inscribed through the ages to be held in our hearts as a source of guidance. Through this book, Patrick Madrid provides us a practical, accessible resource for spiritual development that will make a meaningful difference in our relationship with the Lord and the people in our lives. 150 Bible Verses will help us to grow in faith and awareness of God's presence in our world." --Cardinal Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Archdiocese of Boston

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Jesus, Present Before Me

Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration

Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P.

What do you do in eucharistic adoration? Many Catholics love the idea of spending time with Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament, but find it difficult to focus their attention and make contact with the hidden Lord. This new book, Jesus, Present Before Me: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration, will give you the words to help you connect to Jesus in his eucharistic presence.  Written by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P., founding editor-in-chief of the monthly worship aid, Magnificat, this book provides thirty separate eucharistic meditations, eucharistic reflections on the twenty mysteries of the rosary, a eucharistic colloquy, a Way of the Eucharist, Scripture quotes and reflection questions, all designed to help you offer your time of adoration wholeheartedly, without distraction.

This volume is beautifully bound with a leatherette cover to be a durable and attractive resource. To find out more, or to order this book, please click here. 

As Fr. Cameron points out: "You were made for this presence." 

Meet John Paul II

The People's Pope

Janel Rodriguez

“Do not be afraid.  Open wide the doors for Christ”

Pope John Paul II, from Chapter Four

Everyone knows bits and pieces of the story of this great man.  In Meet John Paul II, Rodriguez tells the whole story of his life, from growing up in war-torn Poland, to his position on the world-stage as leader of the Catholic Church. Learn what animated him and gave him the courage to confidently proclaim the message of Christ—an absolute trust in God. As Meet John Paul II makes clear, the gospel truths that sustained this hero of the faith are available to readers as well.

If you have loved and admired this great man, Meet John Paul II will complete the story of his life, and inspire you to open wide the doors to Christ in your own life.  Click here to order this book.

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God Loves You
and There's Nothing You Can Do About It

Saying Yes to the Holy Spirit

David Mangan

God's love comes to us through the Holy Spirit, but many people are confused about the role and work of this third person of the Trinity. Author David Mangan's experience of the sacrament of confirmation, when the Holy Spirit floods the soul, is typical: "I figured that...God knew what he was doing...and the bishop knew what [he] was doing...but I wasn't so sure that I knew what I was doing."

If you're wondering how to receive more of God's life and love through the action of the Holy Spirit, this book is for you. The power Jesus promised his followers when he ascended to the Father is yours for the asking. Blending lively anecdotes, personal testimony and humor, David Mangan shows you how to turn to God in expectant faith and open yourself to the "dynamite" of the Holy Spiirt. 

Spiritual Freedom

God's Life-Changing Gift

Fr. Dave Pivonka, T.O.R.

Foreword by Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, O.P.

Freedom--what does it mean in our spiritual life? Every day we are free to make hundreds of choices, but something within longs for greater freedom in our hearts, in our response to God. Fr. Dave Pivonka has good news. God wants us to be free and it is God who ultimately frees us. He teaches that true spiritual freedom is gained by getting to know God in quiet prayer and learning to follow where he leads us. 

Spiritual Freedom teaches us what we are set free from and what we are set free for. No matter where you are on your journey of faith, God wants to give you more freedom. "There is always more freedom:  more grace, more forgiveness, more mercy, more God," Fr. Pivonka writes. If you want to dive into that journey of freedom, Spiritual Freedom will be your guide.

Holy Simplicity

The Little Way of Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day & Therese of Lisieux

Joel Schorn

Three women, three very different circumstances, yet they walked a remarkably similiar road to holiness. Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, and St. Therese of Lisieux all knew how to find God in the simplicity of everyday life. Whether actively working with the poor, or living a hidden life of prayer in the cloister, these women all practiced the "little way". They let God's love flow through them in all the mundane circumstances of life, thus transforming the most ordinary tasks into acts of extraordinary holiness. 

In Holy Simplicity, Joel Schorn weaves together three lives and the spiritual principles that united them. Their stories will inspire you to seek God in the challenges of ordinary life, a little way to holiness that, as Dorothy Day pointed out, unleashes forces "that help to overcome evil in the world".

Deeper Conversion

Extraordinary Grace for Ordinary Times

Sister Ann Shields, S.G.L.

Does God's living word in the Bible make a difference in your daily life? If you would like to do better in this area, this book will show you the way. The bottom line is that we are created to live forever with God, and we have great dignity as his sons and daughters. Studying God's word helps us bridge the gap between our ordinary daily activities and this profound truth of our identity and destiny in Christ. 

Meditating on Scripture is essential for every Christian, especially in a culture that disregards the gospel message. Are you afraid? Are you hungry for a deeper spiritual life?  Does God seem far away?  Extraordinary Grace for Ordinary Times will help you incorporate God's truth and live in greater freedom.

Sr. Ann Shields, S.G.L. is an internationally known evangelist and the host of the daily evangelistic and inspirational radio program, Food for the Journey.

The Mystery of the Transfiguration

Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap.

"The Transfiguration is a mystery of divine happiness."

                                                --from Chapter Two

On the surface, the Transfiguration is a familiar story: Jesus' glory is revealed to his disciples as he prays on Mount Tabor. They are dazzled by his brilliant transfiguration and by the sound of the Father's voice. Such a lofty experience seems far from our everyday lives. But in The Mystery of the Transfiguration by Fr. Cantalamessa, we find that this transforming glory is meant to be our own experience. Jesus was praying when he was transfigured. Our life of prayer is meant to bring growing intimacy with God and a growing likeness to Christ in our lives. Little by little we are brought from one degree of glory to another.

Does this seem beyond our capacity? Is it an impossible dream? Through the perspective of Scripture and some of the great teachers of the Church, Cantalamessa points out that this mystery is meant for each one of us. We are not just to be witnesses of Christ's glory, but we too are to be transfigured. Are you ready for this great adventure? It begins with a single prayer.

Lourdes Today: A Pilgrimage to Mary's Grotto

Kerry Crawford

In 1858 the Virgin Mary appeared to a poor young girl named Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France. From this humble beginning, one of the greatest shrines in the Catholic world has arisen. The attraction of candlelight processions, bathing in the miraculous spring and stories of miracles have beckoned countless pilgrims to this remote village in southern France. 

What does this long-ago apparition have to do with the modern believer? What does Lourdes offer today? Why do we care?  In Lourdes Today: A Pilgrimage to Mary's Grotto, Kerry Crawford introduces us to the historical events and people at the heart of Lourdes. She also paints a picture of Lourdes as it is today.  Now, as always, Lourdes points us to the person of Jesus Christ and the healing power and hope that come from him. The Blessed Mother has always pointed to him, and a visit to Lourdes brings the pilgrim close to heaven here on earth.

Whether remembering a past pilgrimage or visiting Lourdes for the first time in the words of this book, the reader will experience the mystery and spiritual adventure of Lourdes. 

Surprised by Canon Law, Volume 2

More Questions Catholics Ask About Canon Law

Pete Vere and Michael Trueman

Why should you care about Canon Law?  It sounds so dry and dusty--definitely over the head of the average Catholic.  The happy surprise is that canon lawyers Vere and Trueman are able to look at the internal governing code of the Church and apply it to everyday Catholic life.  In Surprised by Canon Law, Volume 2, the authors look at issues that everybody has questions about.  Why does the Church run the way it does?   Everybody wonders about the nuts and bolts of daily life in the Church. 

Following up on their popular first book,  Surprised by Canon Law, the authors tackle more questions that touch the life of every Catholic.  Topics include: Can someone be denied a church funeral?  How do parishes merge and what happens to their property?  What is excommunication and how is it applied?  Under what circumstances might a priest be removed from his role?  You just might be surprised at what you discover.

Saints, A Closer Look

Thomas Dubay, S.M.

All of us know the stories of the saints.  We know that their holy actions and deep prayer lives led to them being recognized by the Church as saints, as those we should look up to, those we should emulate.  But how seriously do we take our call to follow in their steps?  Could we actually become saints?  In Saints, A Closer Look by Thomas Dubay, S.M. we are assured that sainthood is available to all of us.  The key is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  As Dubay puts it, "...their heroic choices and actions flow from an inner fire, whose only source can be the Holy Spirit.  And they place no impediments to its ignition." 

Dubay explores the inner lives of the saints.  How did they overcome their human weaknesses and temptations?  How did they pray?   Why are the saints relevant to us now?  How can they guide us out of the inner emptiness and boredom so many people experience today?      Dubay makes it clear that the inner fire of the Holy Spirit is available to each of us who dares to accept the invitation of the saints.  Yes, you.  You can become a saint.

Men, Women and the Mystery of Love

Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility

Edward Sri

Pope John Paul II's teaching on the Theology of the Body has revolutionized the way Catholics look at relationships between men and women. In 1960, a young Fr. Karol Wojtyla published Love and Responsibility, the foundational thought for the Theology of the Body.

Based on his pastoral work, especially among young people, Wojtyla analyzed the true meaning of human love.  In Men, Women and the Mystery of Love, Edward Sri unpacks the content of this great work, making it accessible to every reader. Practical and inspiring, this book will enrich your relationships.

Life Issues, Medical Choices

Questions and Answers for Catholics

Janet E. Smith and Christopher Kaczor

Until my own mother's final illness, I thought I knew what the Church taught about life issues.  Not until I had to face decisions on feeding tubes and nursing homes did I realize how much I did not know. Life Issues, Medical Choices by Janet Smith and Christopher Kaczor tackles the kind of nuts and bolts questions we will all face.

From conception to natural death, we are asked by John Paul II to develop  "a civilization of love."  In a thoughtul and very understandable question and answer format, Smith and Kaczor deal with complex issues both on a practical level and by placing them in the context of the Church's moral authority.  In our rapidly changing technological environment, this book offers clarity and hope.

Catholic and Christian for Young Adults:
Questions and Answers About the Faith

Alan Schreck, Ph.D.

As a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, Alan Schreck is familiar with the kinds of questions that young people ask about the Catholic Church.  The author of numerous books, including Catholic and Christian and The Compact History of the Catholic Church, and The Essential Catholic Catechism, Dr. Schreck is well-prepared to discuss things Catholic and Christian.

This newest book by Alan Schreck, Catholic and Christian for Young Adults, was written precisely for the young adult audience, for young people who are looking for clear answers about the faith from a Catholic perspective.  In his customary, easy-to-read style, Schreck offers eye-opening discussion of Catholic beliefs and teachings that are often misunderstood. His answers are designed to help inquiring minds begin to think about their faith, not just take it for granted.  The lively question-and-answer format makes this a perfect book to open at random, again and again, discovering new and exciting treasures with each reading.

I Choose God

Chris Cuddy and Peter Ericksen
Foreword by Scott Hahn

Everyday we are bombarded with choices--big and small.  In I Choose God, we meet twenty-one young men and women who made the choice of a lifetime.  Some were raised Catholic, some raised with no faith at all.  Some were "good kids," some had serious problems with drugs or alcohol.  Some had a bright future, some were at a dead end.  All of them found their lives changed to the core when they encountered Jesus in the Catholic church.  Whether you are searching yourself, or have long ago chosen God, these stories will inspire you to choose again to give your life to God.

Chosen and Cherished: Biblical Wisdom for Your Marriage

Kimberly Hahn

If spouses and children came with instruction manuals, marriage and family life would be a lot easier.

Chosen and Cherished draws on the ultimate instruction manual—God’s inspired Word. For almost two decades Kimberly Hahn has shared this wisdom, based on Proverbs 31, with the married, and those hoping to be married. Now, for the first time, this solid teaching is available in this book as well as on DVD. Down-to-earth, practical and full of hope, Hahn presents the principles that will bring to every marriage the blessings God has always intended.

Included are questions for reflection and discussion questions for group study. The three DVDs include Hahn’s lively presentation to a seminar audience. This book will help you deal with many common problems—conflict resolution, communication, healing wounds of unfaithfulness and many others. But more than that, Hahn points us to a marriage built on trust, generosity, sanctity and faith.

Catholic and Loving It: Traditions for a New Generation

Sabitha Narendran and Andrew Salzmann

Foreword by Mark Hart

Did you know August is the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary? Have you ever visited a local shrine? How about baking some St. Elizabeth’s Bread to celebrate this queen who spent her life in service to the poor?

In Catholic and Loving It, authors Sabitha Narendran and Andrew Salzmann invite us to celebrate Christ in our daily lives and in our homes. It’s time to dust off the Church’s ancient devotions and to rediscover the joy—and the fun—of the traditions that unite our day-by-day routines to the wonders of Christ.

“Our goal is to live the faith, and books like this one make it simpler and a whole lot more fun.”

--Mark Hart, Author of Blessed Are the Bored in Spirit, A Young Catholic’s Search for Meaning