The Friendship of Christ

Literature & Fiction

Robert Hugh Benson

Classics

Scepter Publishers, Incorporated

Palestine had been at the crossroads of cultural conflict and influence for centuries when it gave birth to the new religion of Christianity. Although many books describe the events of the Incarnation, life, and death of Jesus Christ, few attempt to provide a deeper background into the culture and mentality of those who lived as Christ began his mission on earth. In this reprint, Franz Willam explores the Scriptural and cultural roots of Christianity at its beginnings. He thus illuminates the events that took place in the life of Jesus and his parents so that modern readers can appreciate the lessons of ordinary struggle that those first believers practiced.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Willam, Franz

Religion & Spirituality

HOW DO YOU SPEAK ABOUT GOD TO PEOPLE TODAY, especially to young people? What language do they understand?In this selection of meditations, the author presents the adventure of seeking Jesus Christ and the greatness of the task he offers them. Fr. Federico Suarez (1917- ) urges them to go against the current of an easygoing life and to commit themselves generously, giving testimony to their faith in all its consequences. He is the author of a number of books of spiritual biography and meditations, including Mary of Nazareth, Joseph of Nazareth, About Being a Priest, and When the Son of Man Comes, all available from Scepter. The Narrow Gate was ﬁrst published in Spanish in 1971 and has gone through 13 editions.

The Narrow Gate

Suarez, Federico

First published at the outbreak of World War II, The Holy Ghost (renamed The Holy Spirit for this printing) answers the need of many people for “a deeper and more accurate knowledge of the Holy Spirit,” in the author’s words. The Holy Spirit’s role in creation as the fountain of life and the ﬁrst of God’s gifts is studied along with the Spirit’s mission, divine ﬁliation, and the principles of supernatural growth.

The Holy Spirit

Leen, Edward

The persecution of Catholics began in 16th century England and tested the Church for over 250 years. Penal laws labeled Catholic believers as traitors and brought fines, imprisonment, and even execution. Prominent persons such as Thomas More, Edmund Campion, and Margaret Clitherow were martyred, while others quietly endured suspicion or harassment to teach and pass on their faith to others, but died peacefully in their beds. The official persecution slowly subsided as threats to England's external power waned in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century, intellectual converts such as John Henry Newman and Henry Manning brought the merits of Catholicism a new respect in the eyes of Protestant public opinion. This enabled the unfolding of a wide-ranging apologetic that would fall to 20th century figures such as G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, and Ronald Knox. This book tells the story of the Catholic Church's survival and restoration in one land. It serves both as a lesson and a warning of the risks to faith and freedom when absolute power is given free reign.

Supremacy and Survival: How Catholics Endured the English Reformation

Mann, Stephanie

When -- as we often hear -- there are too few priests, can and should lay people assume part of the priestly ministry? And when all men and women have equal dignity in the eyes of God, is it not also time to organize parishes democratically? Also, why does the church need priests at all?

Why Priests? Answers Guided by the Teaching of Benedict XVI

Cardinal Cordes, Paul Josef

Archbishop Alban Goodier, S.J. fills in the many blanks in the historical narratives about the Passion of Jesus Christ with a riveting account based on history, culture and his own deep spiritual insights. He brings to life and uniﬁes the many observations, emotions and subtle and not-so-subtle actions that revolve around the person of God the Son as he faces his most tragic and triumphant moment. The author’s unique approach intersperses Scripture accounts with the commentary of an incisive narrator who sifts and judges from the span of hundreds of years. He draws from the obvious as well as the obscure, and ﬁnds supernatural meaning in the most mundane actions that surround the suffering Christ. In the hands of this writer, the Lord’s few words, accompanied by the author’s commentary, challenge contemporary believers as much as they did those who ﬁrst followed in the footsteps of Christ and his apostles. The author was born in 1869 in Lancashire, northern England and educated at the prominent Catholic college, Stonyhurst, which has been the source of many English Catholic politicians, intellectuals and business people. After a degree from the University of London, he was ordained a Jesuit in 1903. He served as archbishop of Bombay from 1919 to 1926 and returned to England to write and serve as a chaplain until his death in 1939.

The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Goodier, Alban

Every soul strives for unity with God. Over the centuries, spiritual guides have offered myriad methods for achieving such an intimate relationship. But those sincerely invested in the spiritual life know there is no shortcut to finding God. There is only one true path: through Christ. This slim volume, penned by an anonymous Carthusian monk in the early twentieth century, offers a direct and practical way to advance one's personal holiness. Set upon a foundation of Christ's own words in the Gospels, Life in God's Presence confesses that God offers every soul the means to unity with Him through the virtues of faith, hope, and love. These virtues, coupled with a straightforward, childlike approach to prayer, can lead a soul to recognize God's presence in every aspect of daily life. By constantly and genuinely offering Him "all of our time, all of our strength, our whole soul", eternal life need not wait until after death; it can begin here and now.

Life in God's Presence - A Simple Approach to Prayer

Carthusian, A.

“There is a blessing sent from God in every burden of sorrow. There is hope in that, hope even in a dying child.” “A Grace Given is a decade long window into the metamorphosis of the soul. This is a modern day Pilgrim’s Progress told with humor, deep love, and unflinching honesty. A book that every Christian should read.” —Donald E. Wildmon, Founder of the American Family Association and American Family Radio. A Grace Given is the personal account of the impact that one life, however insignificant, can have on those around it. It explores how a child who never spoke, could not walk, and could not even smile, could still inspire and mobilize hundreds of people. Beyond that, A Grace Given explores the meaning of faith, the growth and deepening of spirituality that comes from suffering and sorrow, and the gift that a severely handicapped child represents. Most of all, it is the story of hope and a father’s love. Kent Gilges was born in Zambia in 1965. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and five children and has written extensively for numerous magazines and newspapers. His freelance articles have appeared in Europe, The Independent, Industry Week, Chemical Engineering, Earthwatch, and featured on public radio. He is a graduate of Cornell and Oxford Universities. Suffering and Death Brings Life in new book A Grace Given by Kent Gilges “Nothing really bad ever happened to me or my family . . . I had led a charmed life,” wrote Kent Gilges, author of A Grace Given: A Father's Love for His Dying Child, (Scepter Publishers). An adventurous life, time in Italy and Germany, and an idyllic honeymoon year in Oxford, culminated in the joyous birth of his daughter Elie. But soon, she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. “How long?” they asked the doctors who informed them that she might have six days or six months to live. Kent turned to God. “We both asked that God not take her away soon, that he let her have a while longer.” She was given nine more years. Kent didn’t grow up religious. He watched as other families attended church and his family stayed home. In college he was an “active disbeliever in organized religions.” Elie’s prognosis jolted his views. He prayed, “If Christ has some relevance to me, and if religion is something that I should embrace, give me some kind of sign.” A Grace Given chronicles Kent’s journey of hope and discovery of faith. “Children are our symbol of hope in life. Hopelessness in a child is a painful anomaly.” But Kent and his wife, finding their beautiful life together eclipsed by the unbearable pain of slowly losing their daughter to this world, felt no anger. Instead, they decided to do everything in their power to give Elie a life filled with love and family in the time that they had with her. The book shares stirring revelations of the sort that bloom from the heart made wise through enduring one of life’s most painful tribulation. “We spend our lives dying, but the process of dying is what gives life its poignancy, its beauty, even its joy.” Joy, beauty and faith are the gifts Elie bestowed. Her condition led them on pilgrimages to Lourdes and even to meeting Pope John Paul II in search of healing and the acceptance of God’s will. Kent, who at the book’s close is the father of six wrote, “My children are the greatest gifts I have known, but Elie is particularly special.” It’s through Elie, his first born, that he learned the lessons to impart to his readers. “Suffering,” he wrote, “wakes us from the torpor that leads to desperation. Grief makes us aware enough to experience beauty and joy.” A Grace Given is a decade-long window into the metamorphosis of the soul. This is a modern day Pilgrim’s Progress told with humor, deep love, and unflinching honesty. A book every Christian should read. —Donald E. Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association and American Family Radio

A Grace Given: a Father's Love for a Dying Child

Gilges, Mr. Kent

Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross is the central act of human existence which links every act of suffering, self-giving, or self-denial with God Himself. The author, a priest who wrote on the eve of World War II, forcefully makes the connection between the Crucifixion as the horrible expiation for all sins and the need for ordinary faithful to willingly embrace suffering in its various forms to find their way to God. The author shows how the problem of obtaining happiness is intrinsically bound up with the problem of pain. Sacrifices undertaken for faith do not make one unhappy, if that faith is made a reality in the constant and ordinary activities of life. “Too many use their religion as medicine and not as food,” Leen writes. “They make of it a remedy for evil and not a means to good.”

Why the Cross?

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