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YEAR OF FAITH: A Reading from Catholicism by Fr. Robert Barron

Posted on: April 17, 2013 by Image Books

At the close of the Eucharistic prayer, Jesus, who is really present under the forms of bread and wine, is offered as a living sacrifice to the Father. Lifting up the elements, the priest prays, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours forever and ever.” At this moment the Catholic priest is in the true holy of holies, and what he does is analogous to what the high priest did in the Temple on the Day of Atonement. In ancient times the Jewish priest would enter the holy of holies, which was symbolic of the heavenly realm, and there he would sacrifice an animal to Yahweh on behalf of all the people. Then he would sprinkle some of the blood around the interior of the sanctuary, and the rest he would bring out in a bowl and sprinkle on the people, sealing thereby a kind of blood bond between God and the nation. The Catholic priest, at the climax of the Mass, offers to the Father not the blood of bulls and goats but the Blood of Christ beyond all price. Since the Father has no need of anything, that sacrifice redounds completely to our benefit.

The priest and the other Eucharistic ministers then come down out of the sanctuary, carrying Christ’s Body in the Host and his Blood in chalices and offering it as food and drink for the people. By this act they establish a blood fellowship between God and his people that is, in its intensity, beyond anything dreamed of by the Temple priests of old. We recall Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation [a koinonia, or a communion] in the blood of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). If our troubles began with a bad meal—seizing at the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—our redemption is affected through a properly constituted meal, God feeding his people with his own Body and Blood.

Excerpted from Catholicism p. 193 by Robert Barron. Copyright © 2011 by Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Excerpted by permission of Image Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

YEAR OF FAITH: A Reading from Why Catholicism Matters by Bill Donohue

Posted on: March 18, 2013 by Image Books

Knowing what to do and acting in a just manner are necessary virtues in the good society, but getting the job done often requires courage. That’s where the virtue of fortitude comes in; it fires us, propelling us to do our duty. We often think of fortitude as bravery, such as when a soldier lays down his life for a just cause. That certainly would qualify. But there are other instances, more mundane, that also meet the test. The sick and dying need fortitude just to face their condition, as do their loved ones (they often suffer more, needing plenty of courage not to give up). Going against the grain requires fortitude as well, as in standing up for what is right when it is not popular to do so. The opposite of fortitude, cowardice, has nothing to recommend it, although it may temporarily appeal to those looking for an easy way out. Fortitude, then, is something that needs to be nourished in everyone. We never know when and where we may be required to draw on it; we also have a vested interest in seeing to it that others possess it as well.

Excerpted from Why Catholicism Matters pp. 30-31 by Bill Donohue. Copyright © 2012 by Dr. William Donohue. Excerpted by permission of Image Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

The Church 101: A Glimpse into Donald Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina’s Newest Book

Posted on: March 5, 2013 by Image Books

From the authors of The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition, Donald Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina, comes an examination of the places Catholics call home, on sale today! From the shape of the building, to the candles, to the poor box, The Church looks at the elements that are a part of every Catholic church—from St. Peter’s Cathedral to your modern, hometown parish—and explains the religious and historical importance of the architecture and traditions. In this blog series, we offer a glimpse into this insightful and beautiful book.

Join us next week as we look at a brief history of churches, and discuss some key architectural features, and the spiritual meanings behind them.

In the meantime, please enjoy (and share!) this video trailer for The Church.

Livestream with Christopher West

Posted on: February 8, 2013 by Image Books

Did you miss our Livestream web chat with Christopher West today on his new book, Fill These Hearts? If so, you can watch the on-demand version of the conversation now.

Click here to watch the on-demand version on.

POPE 101 PART 3: The Writings of Benedict XVI

Posted on: November 26, 2012 by Image Books

By Bianca M. Caraza

Even before his papacy, his holiness was considered an influential and significant theologian and academic within the Church. In April of 2005 (prior to his ascension to the papacy) Time magazine named him among the top 100 most influential people in the world. His reputation is well-deserved, always a scholastic individual, his holiness speaks German, his native tongue, English, Italian, and Latin.

His holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Photo Courtesy of Turn Back to God website.

Early in his life, his holiness pursued the path of an academic, obtaining several degrees. According to the Vatican website, after completing seminary, he studied theology and philosophy at the Higher School of Philosophy and Theology of Freising and the University of Munich. He later earned a doctorate in theology with his thesis, “People and House of God in St Augustine’s Doctrine of the Church.” Next, he wrote a dissertation on “The Theology of History in St Bonaventure,” to qualify for his professorship. He then proceeded to teach at a number of universities, including the University of Regensburg, where he acted as the Chair of dogmatics and the history of dogma.

In 1972, his holiness, along with Hans Urs von Balthasar and Henri de Lubac, made one of his largest contributions to the Catholic community by founding Communio, a now-international quarterly Catholic journal. In a Zenit interview with David Schindler, the journal’s current editor, he defined Communio as “seek[ing] to recover the nature of the Church as a communion of persons.” After being named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981, Cardinal Ratzinger could no longer be involved in the journal as he had once been. However, he has since has been a faithful contributor, publishing work in Communio such as his writings on the theology of the Marian doctrine and an “Introduction to Christianity,” which explains Christianity’s mission to provide a Christ-centered doctrine in light of modern times. In the aforementioned interview, Schindler spoke of his holiness as having a “childlike wonder about him,” and describing his amazing humility which “enables him to speak with such courage in defense of the truth.”

In addition to his many accomplishments, degrees, and books, his holiness has received many honorary doctorates over the years: from the Catholic University of Lima, the Faculty of Theology of the University of Wrocław in Poland, and several more. Among his many books are Charity in Truth, Maria, on the Mother of God, and Jesus of Nazareth, a three-volume series of meditations on the life of Christ and its modern day relevance to the Catholic faith. The third and final volume, The Infancy Narratives, which focuses on the childhood of the messiah, is now available from Image Books.

Thank you for reading and learning with us! We hope you’ve enjoyed our series on his holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.