McGrath Institute for Church Life

In A Fierce and Tender Love, bestselling author, speaker, and theologian Timothy P. O'Malley invites us to contemplate Mary, as a model of tenderness, hope, and renewal, and as the Church's first and preeminent disciple. As O'Malley writes, "Mary's vocation is also to be ours. Like her, we are called to find our meaning and our identity most completely in the tender mercy of God revealed in the face of the Son." Through personal stories, spiritual reflections, and deep theological insights, O'Malley shows us how Mary, as the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and Queen of All Saints, guides us to Christ, teaching us how to live as true disciples. Along the way, we learn what it means to belong to the Church, to journey together through history as a pilgrim people, and to play our part in the "revolution of tenderness" that Pope Francis speaks of--a movement rooted in the mystery of God becoming human in a virgin named Mary. O'Malley helps us to see that in this time of renewal and hope, Mary offers us the key to unlocking both. The book offers seven thoughtful meditations on Mary's life, including: The Immaculate Conception as a model of true freedom The Annunciation as the wisdom to trust God The Visitation as a source of enduring hope The Incarnation as the revolution of tenderness that changes everything The Seven Sorrows of Mary, showing us how she walks with us in suffering Mary's motherhood of the Church, calling us to deeper discipleship The Assumption as a glimpse of our own future victory in Christ These meditations help us to walk with Mary, aligning our lives with hers and discovering renewed hope in Christ and in his Church. Through O'Malley's guidance, readers will see how Mary's life offers a sure path for navigating times of uncertainty, suffering, and our world's profound need for spiritual renewal. Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us This book is part of the Engaging Catholicism series from the McGrath Institute for Church Life.

We often pray with the saints in our Catholic practice or see paintings of angels by famous artists, but who are they really? What do they do? Can they really intercede for us? Elizabeth Klein, assistant professor of theology at the Augustine Institute, leads us through a soul-inspiring exploration of Catholic teaching on angels and saints and why they matter to us as individuals and to the Church. Throughout the book, Klein answers common questions about the angels and saints in order to give us a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role they play in our lives, the Mass, and in the life of the Church. She also equips us to better discuss with non-Catholics what we believe about angels and saints. In Angels and Saints, Klein explains that these heavenly companions are gifts from God. They are our friends and are joined to us in the mystical Body of Christ. They invite us to love God and each other perfectly as they do. In this book, you also will learn that Angels appear throughout the Bible in many forms. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that angels are perfect, immortal, have souls, and are as individual as humans. Both the Old and New Testaments provide strong evidence that each one of us has a guardian angel. The Communion of Saints refers to the Church, the Body of Christ of which we are a part. This means we have true contact and unity with all members of the Church, both living and dead. No matter your state in life, you can find a canonized saint very like you. When we pray to saints, we are really asking them to pray to God on our behalf. Relics are the remains of saints, including their body or parts of it, clothing or items they have used, or something put into contact with the saint's body or one of its parts. Relics are mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. A saint's feast day is the day of their death--the day they entered eternal life. Books in the Engaging Catholicism series from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame help readers discover the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith through a concise exploration of the Church's most important but often difficult-to-grasp doctrines as well as crucial pastoral and spiritual practices.

Was creation a fantastic series of actions by God that long ago set the universe in motion? Or is creation an eternal flowing forth from God that even now causes all things to exist? Christopher Baglow, director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, writes from within the deep well of Catholic tradition and his personal love of both science and faith to provide probing yet lively and often-humorous answers to the foundational questions of human existence. Christian doctrine sees creation not as a one-time event but rather as an eternal outpouring of divine merciful love. In Creation: A Catholic's Guide to God and the Universe, Baglow explores how the doctrine of creation addresses the why of the universe, making it perfectly open to science, which helps us to answer how the universe came to be and continues to exist. He weaves the lessons of scripture, the Church's long tradition of scientific inquiry and theological development, and cultural icons such as Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the inhabitants of C. S. Lewis's Narnia series to create a concise and spirited guide for Catholics wanting to better understand the doctrine of creation without abandoning what science teaches us. Baglow helps to neutralize the unnecessary conflict between faith and science that often runs rampant among people of faith. He provides an excellent guide for curious Catholics, and an expert resource for teachers in Catholic schools, parish leaders, campus ministers, and RCIA teams, helping those exploring foundational questions of faith dive into the meaning of creation and what it tells us about who God is, who we are, and how we are to live.

Winner of a third-place award for best new religious book from the Catholic Media Association. Whether you are just beginning to develop a consistent prayer practice or are looking for a new approach to spiritual growth, Ten Ways to Pray will explore a variety of traditional forms of Catholic prayer that enable you to draw closer to God and the communion of saints. This practical introduction to ten traditional forms of prayer from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame will help you develop a richer spiritual life that draws you closer to the triune God and the communion of saints. Carolyn Pirtle provides intriguing bits of history, engaging spiritual and theological commentary, and step-by-step guidance for trying ten distinct ways of praying that Catholics have utilized across the centuries and around the world in order to develop your own prayer practice. These include praying: with scriptureto consecrate time through the Liturgy of the Hours and the Angelusthrough experience in the Examenthrough action in the Works of Mercythrough the beauty of nature, art, and musicthrough silence