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Right Rev. Francis Aidan Gasquet, Abbot-General of the English Benedictines
In these days when there is a strong movement afoot without the fold to restore the unity of the Christian Faith, we can indulge the hope that the four lectures of the distinguished abbot will prove fruitful. They are on subjects so vital to unity, i.e., the supremacy of the pope, the sacrifice of the Mass, the eternal priesthood, the universal Church. We pray that these sermons will attract the attention of many outside the Church, and make them meditate on the bitterness of breaking from their “Father's House”. May God's holy grace prove stronger than prejudice, as it has so often in the past, and may it soften the hearts which have been hardened by cruel legislation rather than by wilful disobedience.
Norbert Georges, O.P.
Preface
When this little book was composed no one dreamed that it would be an instrument of God to arouse devotion to Blessed Martin over the English speaking world and bring men to a realization of his right to be a patron of social and interracial justice. As a matter of fact, the interest it has created among English-speaking people has renewed the fervor of the Spanish-speaking people. Peru, in particular, had come to a greater realization of the treasure it possessed, and a governmental decree in November, 1939, declared Blessed Martin national patron of all works of social justice. Requests for literature in Spanish, French, Polish, Italian, German, Slovak and even Russian and Armenian, have come to the office of the Blessed Martin Guild. Everywhere, Blessed Martin is being recognized, not only as a friend in time of need, but also as a star of hope, a leader and a guide in the difficult process of spiritual growth of rehabilitation. This is undoubtedly a sign of God’s approval and a proof that Blessed Martin is a modern saint with a particular mission at this time when men are so persistently tempted to turn from God and seek their ultimate happiness and destiny in the things of earth. Blessed Martin, by his life, shows conclusively that true peace and happiness can be found only in God, that it can be found in God even by those whom the world despises and who have not the advantages of temporal prosperity and education. May this little book continue to bring joy to those in sorrow, inspiration to those in doubt, and courage to those who are depressed by suffering and the trials of this world.
Fr. Francis J. Connell, C.SsR - Small Book 48 Pages
This beautiful history of the famous painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was translated from the original Italian by Fr. Francis J. Connell, C.SS.R. and originally published in 1940. Tradition holds that the original of this miraculous painting was created by Saint Luke the Evangelist (The original was destroyed by the Moslem invaders who conquered Constantinople in 1453. It had been venerated there since the 5th century.) and that the most famous copy of it is now in Rome. This is the story of that painting.
Most Rev. Fulton J. Sheen PH.D., D.D., LL.D., Litt. D. — Small book - 60 pages
“The most sublime act in the history of Christ was His Death. Death is always important for it seals a destiny.” “Any dying man is a scene. Any dying scene is a sacred place. That is why the great literature of the past, which has touched on the emotions surrounding death, has never passed out of date. But of all deaths in the record of man, none was more important than the death of Christ. Everyone else who was ever born into the world, came into it to live; our Lord came into it to die. Death was a stumbling block to the life of Socrates, but it was the crown to the life of Christ. He Himself told us that He came ‘to give his life a redemption for many’; that no one could take away His life; but He would lay it down of Himself.”
—from the Prologue
The primary act of Christian worship is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass—the death of Our Lord on Calvary re-enacted daily on our altars. Archbishop Fulton Sheen here gives us a series of sublime meditations on Calvary and the Mass. They are arranged in seven sections. Each section of the Mass is paired with the seven last words of Our Lord from the Cross. The book is subtitled A Missal Companion. You will find by using it that way, that your devotion to the Holy Sacrifice will be deepened and your prayer life enriched.
Richard Clarke, S.J. - Small booklet - 32 pages
Patience, although neither the highest, nor the most fundamental virtue (those would be charity and humility) is first of all a first-fruit of humility and a bridge to charity. It is a first-fruit because those who are possessed of humility know the fragility of their own nature and accomplishments and how they are totally dependant upon God’s grace in all things and are therefore patient with their own failings. This leads to their learning how to be patient with other things, the so-called physical sufferings of life, and patient with others, since they know how to suffer patiently within themselves and for God, thus acting as a bridge to the fruitful practice of charity, the highest of virtues.Patience and suffering go hand in hand, and since the most important work that we do in this life is to suffer well and in offering that suffering in union with the redemptive sufferings of Our Blessed Lord and his most Sorrowful Mother, patience—that which makes suffering rational, bearable, and fruitful—is one of the most important virtues to acquire and practice magnanimously.Father Clarke makes this, and so much else clear and understandable in this short but potent explication of patience.
