The Book Of The Foundations Of S Teresa of Jesus by St Teresa of Ávila

Paperback: The Book of the Foundations of S Teresa of Jesus of The Order of Our Lady of Carmel with the Visitation of Nunneries, The Rule and Constitutions (1610) written by the Saint herself was translated from the Spanish by David Lewis with an introduction by Very Rev Benedict Zimmerman, Discalced Carmelite. In the present edition, the text published by Mr Lewis in 1871 has been confronted with the original and, where necessary, amended.

The Book of the Foundations was written at different times. It was begun in Salamanca on 24 August 1573, by the order of Father Jerome Ripalda SF, Teresa's confessor at the time. She seemed to have written twenty chapters without much interruption. Then, when she was, as it were, imprisoned in Toledo by order of the general, after the foundation of Seville was made, she was commanded by Fray Jerome of the Mother of God (Jerónimo Gracián) to continue her writing. She obeyed and finished on the vigil of St Eugenius on 14 November 1576. The rest of the book was probably written as each foundation was made. In England, The Book of Foundations was not known till 1669. 

This work chronicling the origins of the Discalced Carmelites and the spiritual evolution and establishment of St Teresa's convents has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

About the author: Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) was a Spanish noblewoman, Carmelite nun, mystic and author of spiritual writings and poems. She founded numerous convents throughout Spain and was the originator of the Carmelite Reform of the Discalced Carmelites that restored a contemplative and austere life to the order.  In 1970, she was declared a Doctor of the Church for her writing and teaching on prayer, one of four women to be honoured in this way hitherto.

Happy Sunday

Finding Viganò: In Search Of The Man Whose Testimony Shook The Church And The World by Robert Moynihan (in conversation with Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò)

Hardback: When you see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, let him who reads understand. Man's mind is a holy place and a temple of God in which the demons have laid waste the soul through passionate thoughts and set up the idol of sin... Some say that these things will also happen when the Antichrist comes. - St Maximus the Confessor

In 2018, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò released an eleven-page testimony that rocked the world. In it, he called out the corruption of the Church, especially with regards to its handling of the sexual abuse crisis - addressing most specifically the case of disgraced Cardinal Theodore McCarrick - and stunningly called for the resignation of Pope Francis. 

And then he was gone...at least physically. 

In these pages, longtime Vatican journalist Robert Moynihan, publisher of Inside the Vatican magazine, brings to bear his vast experience in the corridors of power in Rome as well as his longstanding friendship with Viganò to produce a book that both provides an incisive look at the content of the "Testimony" itself and, through interviews conducted in-person with the archbishop at undisclosed locations, a personal look at the man whose conscience compelled him to speak out about the corruption in which the Church he loves, and to which he has given his life, has been mired for years.

Part thriller, as when Moynihan details his efforts to reach Viganò and makes his way to their meeting, and part personal memoir as both men reflect on their lives, families, and the state of the Church in the world, Finding Viganò (2020) has something for everyone. 

Readers familiar with the ongoing drama surrounding the archbishop will appreciate the insights into the man provided through the interviews, while those unfamiliar with the drama of the "Testimony" and all that has transpired since will, after reading, have a better understanding of the key issues and players involved.

About the author: Robert Moynihan (Harvard College, BA, 1977 and Yale University, PhD, 1988) founded Inside the Vatican magazine in 1993. He has covered the Vatican and Church affairs for more than thirty years and is the author of books on Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, as well as a book-length interview with Cardinal Péter Erdő of Hungary also by TAN Books. 

The Ten Books On The Way Of Life And Great Deeds Of The Carmelites Volume 1 by Felip Ribot OCarm

Hardback: "In these ten books, it will be possible to learn enough of the truth about the Carmelites so as to devoutly study the beginning, progress and growth of their Order, the admirable qualities of its founders and earliest members, the eremitical monastic way of life and its purpose, and the blessed reward gained by those who live it worthily."

In compiling The Ten Books on the Way of Life and Great Deeds of the Carmelites in the late fourteenth century, Felip Ribot, a friar from Catalonia, constructed a legendary history of his religious order that would dominate its spirituality for centuries.

The text, better known under the title The Book of the First Monks, was widely read across medieval Europe. It begins with the Carmelites' supposed foundation in the Holy Land by the Old Testament prophet Elijah, and traces the Order's adoption of Christianity and its international expansion. 

Highlighting the Carmelites' devotion to the Mother of God, their attentiveness to the Bible, and the Rule of Life by which they were guided, Ribot attempts to show his Order's antiquity, its privileged place within the Christian Church, and even its unique role in the history of salvation. 

Held up as a spiritual masterpiece by the likes of Saint Teresa of Jesus (of Ávila), and derided as a work of fantasy by rival religious orders, The Ten Books has attracted a surge of revived interest in recent years from historians and theologians, Carmelites and non-believers, scholars and the wider public.

With an introduction, scholarly notes, illustrations and comprehensive index, this translation, now in its second edition, will be valuable not only to those engaged in Carmelite studies, but all those who wish to explore the fascinating spiritual world evoked in Felip Ribot's masterpiece.

The Ten Books on the Way of Life and Great Deeds Volume 1 is a medieval history of the Carmelites written around 1385 by Felip Ribot OCarm; edited and translated by Richard Copsey OCarm and published in 2005 (second edition, 2007).

About the editor/translator: Richard Copsey OCarm is a Carmelite friar and renowned historian, whose translation of The Ten Books makes this key text of western spirituality available in modern English to the general public for the first time.

Marked For Life (Jana Berzelius Trilogy) by Emelie Schepp

Paperback: When a high-ranking head of the migration board is found shot to death in his living room, there is no shortage of suspects, including his wife. But no one expects to find the mysterious child-sized handprint in the childless home. 

Public prosecutor Jana Berzelius steps in to lead the investigation. Young and brilliant but emotionally cold, Berzelius, like her famous prosecutor father, would not be swayed by the hysterical widow or intimidated by the threatening letters the victim had tried to hide. Jana is steely, aloof, impenetrable. 

That is, until the boy.

A few days later on a nearby deserted shoreline, the body of a preteen boy is discovered, and with him, the murder weapon that killed him and the original victim. Berzelius is drawn more deeply into the case for as she attends his autopsy, she recognizes something strangely familiar in his small, scarred, heroin-riddled body. Cut deep into his flesh are initials that scream child trafficking and trigger in her a flash of memory of her own dark, fear-ridden past. Her connection to this boy has been carved with deliberation and malice that penetrate to her very core. 

Now, to protect her own hidden past, she must find the suspect behind these murders, before the police do. 

International bestselling author Emelie Schepp introduces us to the enigmatic, unforgettable Jana Berzelius in this first novel of a chilling trilogy set in Sweden.

Marked For Life was first published in 2016 and won the Specsavers Reader's Choice Award 2016. The other two instalments in the Jana Berzelius trilogy are Marked For Revenge (2017) and Slowly We Die (2018).

About the author: Emelie Schepp was awarded the Specsavers Reader’s Choice Award for best Crime Writer in 2016, 2017 and 2018. 

Emelie Schepp (b 1979) worked for many years as a project manager in the advertising industry. In 2013 she released her debut book Marked For Life under her own publishing house and with 40 000 copies sold she is still ranked as Sweden's premier self-publisher. Since then, she has released several books in the series about the complex prosecutor Jana Berzelius. The books have been sold to 30 countries and in over two million copies and have become readers’ favourites and bestsellers in many countries.

Rating: 3/5

The Teresian Carmelites: Nuns And Friars In One Family by Finian Monahan OCD

Paperback: The Teresian Carmelites booklet (1994) by Father Finian Monahan OCD shows the areas of struggle that had to be faced by the Discalced Carmelites, namely, the struggle for the birth and survival of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns and Friars in the sixteenth century. This deals with the difficulties they encountered in becoming and staying in an Order in which there are nuns and friars.

The problems which were encountered brought the realization that eventually the Calced and Discalced would have to split and become two separate branches.

Another area where questions arose was the fact that some of the nuns were directly under the Friars whereas others were under the local bishop. What was the Father General’s position as to the visitation of these houses under the bishop?

The Second Vatican Council brought with it further questions which had to be looked at and dealt with.

The Teresian Carmelites trace the roots, beginnings, and vicissitudes of this unity as expressed in the legislation of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns down the years. It is not an outline of the history of the Order, but a history of the Order's legislation. It should help to give the reader a better understanding of one aspect of Discalced Carmelite history and put some recent events in their historical perspective. 

About the author: As Superior General, Father Finian Monahan OCD (1924-2010) was responsible for the Declarations, which updated the Primitive Constitutions according to the directives of the Second Vatican Council. He read Philosophical studies in Dublin (1943-1946) and Theological studies in Rome at the International College (1946-1951). He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1950. From 1951 to 1954, he studied Canon Law at the Angelicum in Rome. He was a member of the Mount Carmel Community in Glasgow and put his experience and learning at the disposal of the Order. He was also Religious Assistant to the Association of Carmels in Britain and Ireland.

Elijah Prophet By Carmel by Jane Ackerman

Paperback: Members of the three monotheistic faiths have always told stories of what the prophet Elijah has done - and is still expected to do - in sacred history. He is perhaps most appreciated by members of the Carmelite Order, known for its contemplative and pastoral orientation. 

Elijah is considered their legendary founder and traditional patron. Carmelites rank him as one of the greatest spiritual models. Their coat of arms displays his flaming sword, Mount Carmel, and Elijah's proclamation, "With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts." This book inquires into this deep appreciation. It examines the linkage between the Order and the prophet over time.

Beginning with the oldest knowledge we have about Elijah, coming from Scripture, Elijah Prophet of Carmel (2003) briefly sketches his role in the three faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It then turns to what the distant, but influential, Christian antecedents of the Carmelite Order, the desert hermits and the early Fathers, wrote about the zealous man of God.

As the Carmelite Order was founded, achieved its corporate identity, and changed over time, so did its views of its legendary model. Interaction between storytelling about Elijah and Carmelites' understanding of themselves continues even to the present. As thoughts from the past about the prophet continue to influence them, both Teresian Carmelites and Carmelites of the Ancient Observance of our times are developing a brand-new tradition of him, the tradition of Elijah's double charism.

About the author: Jane Ackerman is Associate Professor of Religion at The University of Tulsa. She has published articles on Saints Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross and has made a comparative translation of both recensions of Saint John's The Living Flame of Love.

2020 Directory

I Have No Plan

Contradistinction

The New Girl (Gabriel Allon Series) by Daniel Silva

Paperback: What’s done cannot be undone. - Macbeth (1606), Act 5, Scene 1

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva comes the nineteenth thriller of deception, betrayal, and vengeance published in 2019 and dedicated to the fifty-four journalists who were killed worldwide in 2018. 

She was covered from head to toe in expensive wool and plaid, the sort of stuff one saw at the Burberry boutique in Harrods. She carried a leather bookbag rather than a nylon backpack. Her patent leather ballet slippers were glossy and bright. She was proper, the new girl, modest. But there was something else about her.

At an exclusive private school in Switzerland, mystery surrounds the identity of the beautiful raven-haired girl who arrives each morning in a motorcade fit for a head of state. She is said to be the daughter of a wealthy international businessman. In truth, her father is Khalid bin Mohammed, the much-maligned crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Once celebrated for his daring social and religious reforms, he is now reviled for his role in the murder of a dissident journalist. And when his only child is brutally kidnapped, he turns to the one man he can trust to find her before it is too late.

Gabriel Allon, the legendary chief of Israeli intelligence, has spent most of his life fighting terrorists, including the murderous jihadists financed by Saudi Arabia. Prince Khalid - or KBM, as he is known - has pledged to finally break the bond between the Kingdom and radical Islam. For that reason alone, Gabriel regards him as a valuable if flawed partner. Together they will become unlikely allies in a deadly secret war for control of the Middle East. The life of a child, and the throne of Saudi Arabia, hang in the balance. Both men have made their share of enemies. And both have everything to lose.

About the author: Daniel Silva is an American journalist and author of thriller and espionage novels. He is also the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of his long-running thriller series starring spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon. Silva's books are critically acclaimed bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 30 languages. He resides in Florida with his wife, television journalist Jamie Gangel, and their twins, Lily and Nicholas.

Rating: 5/5

Union With Our Lady: Marian Writings Of Venerable Marie Petyt Of St Teresa translated by Reverend Thomas E McGinnis OCarm, STL

E-book: At the same moment, I saw dearly that this was not the work of the imagination - no more than that which happened on Candlemas Day was the work of the imagination. How ugly now appear all the statues and paintings which depict our lovable Mother! Rather than devotion, they inspire nausea, especially now that the recollection is still fresh of the magnificent beauty and majesty whose image remains in my memory. - Ven Marie Petyt, Candlemas Day, 1666

The present work has the purpose of making available to sincere souls the rich treasures of Carmelite Marian devotion through the writings of Venerable Mary Petyt of St Teresa, a lay Third Order Carmelite, who was a spiritual daughter of Venerable Michael of St Augustine, Belgian Carmelite of the seventeenth century. 

Mary Petyt presents a description of Marian devotion in actual practice within the depths of her own soul. 

Time and time again, spiritual writers discussing the subject of Our Lady's position in the life of the soul refer both to Father Michael and to Mary Petyt, also known as Sister Mary of St. Teresa, her name in the Secular Third Order. 

Hence, it seemed to us most desirable that English-speaking lovers of Our Lady should have the Marian classics of each of these Carmelites available for their prayerful study. The main part of the present work is, of course, the translation of Mary Petyt's Marian writings. These writings are selections from her letters to Father Michael, who was the first to publish them. 

In one of her letters, Mary Petyt prays that Our Blessed Lady may raise up many souls to know and love her, souls who will join in singing the praises of their heavenly Queen and Mother. That same desire has motivated our efforts. The Marian Year, it is true, draws to a close. But is not the Marian Era at hand? 

Every sincere Christian must learn to be led to the fulfilment of his spiritual destiny by the hand of his Lady. God wills it. We feel that Mary Petyt, through her Marian writings, can help to teach souls that lesson. 

Union With Our Lady was published in 1954.

About the author: Maria Petyt (1623–1677), was known as a great mystic. Her writings have been cited as unequaled in volume and mystical content within the historical context of the Flemish-speaking 17th century. In about 1662, Michael of St Augustine asked her to write a memoir of her spiritual and mystical experiences. The resulting autobiography titled La vie de Marie Petyt (The Life of Maria Petyt) was published after her death. Maria Petyt was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church. She is also considered a Mystic of the Carmelite Order. 

Excerpts taken from Wikipedia.

The Ávila of Saint Teresa: Religious Reform In A Sixteenth-Century City (European History/Religious History/Women's History) by Jodi Bilinkoff

Paperback: The Ávila of Saint Teresa provides both a fascinating account of social and religious change in one important Castilian city and a historical analysis of the life and work of the religious mystic Saint Teresa of Jesus. 

Jodi Bilinkoff's rich socioeconomic history of sixteenth-century Ávila illuminates the conditions that helped to shape the religious reforms for which the city's most famous citizen is celebrated.

Bilinkoff takes as her subject the period during which Ávila became a centre of intense religious activity and the home of a number of influential mystics and religious reformers. During this time, she notes, urban expansion and increased economic opportunity fostered the social and political aspirations of a new "middle class" of merchants, professionals, and minor clerics. This group supported the creation of religious institutions that fostered such values as individual spiritual revitalization, religious poverty, and apostolic service to the urban community. According to Bilinkoff, these reform movements provided an alternative to the traditional, dynastic style of spirituality expressed by the ruling elite, and profoundly influenced Saint Teresa in her renewal of Carmelite monastic life.

A focal point of the book is the controversy surrounding Teresa's foundation of a new convent in August 1562. Seeking to discover why people in Ávila strenuously opposed this ostensibly innocent act and to reveal what distinguished Teresa's convent from the many others in the city, Bilinkoff offers a detailed examination of the social meaning of religious institutions in Ávila. 

Historians of early modern Europe, especially those concerned with the history of religious culture, urban history, and women's history, specialists in religious studies, and other readers interested in the life of Saint Teresa or in the history of Catholicism will welcome The Avila of Saint Teresa.

First published by Cornell University Press in 1989, this new edition of The Ávila of Saint Teresa includes a new introduction by the author. 

About the author: Dr Jodi Bilinkoff is Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Her research interests include religion, gender, life-writing, and the construction of memory in early modern Europe, particularly Spain. After working for many years on women in Catholic culture, more recently she has turned her attention to masculine identity, especially male clerical identity.

In her current research project, she engages all these issues by examining the life, afterlife, and legacy of St John of the Cross (1542-1591). Her book-in-progress, John of the Cross: The History, Mystery, and Memory of a Spanish Saint, will not be a conventional biography, but rather, a critical study of the manifold, at times, conflicting meanings this intriguing figure has held for individuals and communities, both during and after his lifetime. 

She is also the author of Related Lives: Confessors and Their Female Penitents, 1450-1750 (2005).

Interior Castle by St Teresa of Ávila

Paperback: A masterpiece of spiritual literature, this sixteenth-century work was inspired by a mystical vision that came upon the revered St Teresa of Ávila, one of the most gifted and beloved religious figures in history.

St Teresa's vision was of a luminous crystal castle composed of seven chambers, or "mansions," each representing a different stage in the development of the soul.

In her most important and widely read book, St Teresa describes how, upon entering the castle through prayer and meditation, the human spirit experiences humility, detachment, suffering, and ultimately, self-knowledge, as it roams from room to room. As the soul progresses further toward the center of the castle, it comes closer to achieving ineffable and perfect peace, and finally, a divine communion with God.

A set of rare and beautiful teachings for people of all faiths desirous of divine guidance, this meticulous modern translation from the Spanish by E Allison Peers breathes contemporary life into a religious classic.

Interior Castle or The Mansions (Spanish: El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas as this book is known in Spain) was written by Teresa of Ávila in 1577 and published in 1588, as a guide for spiritual development through service and prayer. 

About the author: St Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) was a Spanish Carmelite nun who lived in the 1500s. She was a mystic and author of spiritual writings and poems. She founded numerous convents throughout Spain and was the originator of the Carmelite Reform that restored a contemplative and austere life to the order.

Dark Night Of The Soul by St John of the Cross

Paperback: The great Spanish mystic St John of the Cross became a Carmelite monk in 1563 and helped St Teresa of Ávila to reform the Carmelite order - enduring persecution and imprisonment for his efforts. 

Both in his writing and in his life, he demonstrated eloquently his love for God. His written thoughts on man's relationship with God were literacy endeavours that placed him on an intellectual and philosophical level with such great writers as St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

In Dark Night of the Soul, a spiritual masterpiece and classic of Christian literature and mysticism - he addresses several subjects, among them pride, avarice, envy and other human imperfections. His discussion of the "dark night of the spirit," which considers afflictions and pain suffered by the soul, is followed by an extended explanation of divine love and the soul's exultant union with God.

Dark Night of the Soul (Noche obscura del alma) - first appeared at Barcelona in 1619 - is probably the best known work of St John of the Cross. This Dover edition is first published in 2003 and is translated from the Spanish by E Allison Peers.

About the author: Juan de Yepes y Álvarez, later to be known as Juan de la Cruz (John of the Cross), was born to an impoverished but love-rich couple in the small town of Fontiveros, Spain on 24 June 1542. His father came from a wealthy family but - after being disowned when he married Catalina Avarez, a humble weaver - took up his wife's trade. Juan's father died when Juan was only seven, and Catalina was left without even the bare necessities of life for herself and her two sons. Juan became an attendant at a smallpox hospital - whose director, impressed by the boy's compassion, offered to pay for his religious education. Juan studied with the Jesuits and then entered the Carmelite order. He finished his education at the University of Salamanca, where he began teaching while still a student, and was ordained at twenty-five. Soon after, he met Teresa of Ávila, a great mystic who took a liking to the young priest and enlisted him in her attempts to reform the Carmelite order. She believed that religious practitioners must embrace poverty, and therefore her branch of the Carmelites became known as "Discalced," or shoeless. Juan first moved to a Discalced nunnery as its confessor, and in 1568 moved to a tiny farmhouse where he established the first monastery of the reformed Carmelites.

In 1575, however, the traditional Carmelites virtually outlawed the Discalced sect, and two years later, they seized Juan and took him to Toledo as their prisoner. When he refused to recant, he was imprisoned in a windowless cell. Three times a week they let him out to eat his daily meal of bread and water, after which he was whipped for his continuing obstinacy. He wrote some of his finest poetry during this imprisonment. After nine months, he broke out by scaling the walls and found refuge with nearby nuns.

His persecution ended in 1578 with the death of the superior general of the traditional Carmelites, and he wrote the majority of his works (most of which remained unfinished) during the next nine years. A few years after Teresa's death (in 1582), the Discalced Carmelites were again troubled by dissension, and Juan was stripped of his offices and forbidden any kind of activity in the order. Juan received this as a blessing because it allowed him to return to a life of solitary contemplation. He died on 14 December 1591 in Úbeda, Spain, and was beatified in 1675, canonized in 1726 and named a doctor of the church in 1926.

Experiences Of A Present Day Exorcist by Donald Omand

Hardback: Go forth thou deceiver, full of all evil and falsehood, the enemy of virtue, the persecutor of the innocent. Give place thou wicked one; give place thou evil one; give place to Christ. - Translation from the Latin of an ancient form of exorcism, which is still sometimes used in the Western Church.

Black magic, sea madness, African witchcraft - these are familiar problems for Dr Omand. A practising exorcist for thirty years and an Anglican priest, he is regularly called upon by those who know of his faculty to exorcise the evil which can possess both people and places, threatening the well-being - and sometimes the lives - of innocent victims.

Dramatically introduced to the problems of 'possession' when invited to exorcise afflicted people, Donald Omand has met many challenging situations and here gives for the first time an account of some of his remarkable cases. Wary of superstition and cautious in his initial assessment when his help has been sought - many calls would be better made to a psychiatrist than a priest - his skill and perception in detecting the source of any sinister influence is impressive.

His reputation as a successful exorcist led to Dr Omand being co-opted on to a study group of scientific and medical men sceptical of traditional belief in possession, but interested to establish whether there was any factual basis to these theories. Evidence examined by that group suggests that many unexplained disasters, including road accidents, may arise from supernatural causes, and underlines the value of Donald Osmand's battle against evil influences. 

Experiences Of A Present Day Exorcist was first published in 1970.

About the author: Donald Omand, a Devon clergyman in the Church of England, began his ministry as an exorcist in the diocese of Portsmouth and is now retired. 

There is only scant information about Reverend Donald Omand on the internet. Sincere apologies for any omission or error here. 

Fundamental Cure

The Path To Salvation: A Concise Outline Of Christian Ascesis by St Theophan The Recluse

Paperback: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

Steeped in the Philokalic tradition, the holy Hierarch Theophan was a prolific writer and interpreter of the holy Fathers of the Church, making them accessible to contemporary Christians.  

Patristic literature has always provided an age-old, tried-and-tested model of  spiritual life, foreign to fleeting fashions. St Theophan keeps this traditional model sharp and clear, presenting it in an approachable language. 

In The Path To Salvation (2016, fourth printing), his crowning achievement, the Saint himself expresses its precise aim as follows: “It is possible to describe the feelings and inclinations which a Christian must have, but this is very far from being all that is demanded for the ordering of one’s salvation. The important thing for us is a real life in the spirit of Christ. But just touch on this, and how many perplexities are uncovered, how many guideposts are necessary, as a result, almost at every step! True, one may know man’s final goal: communion with God and one may describe the path to it: faith, and walking in the commandments, with the aid of divine grace. One need only say in addition: Here is the path - start walking!”

This new edition of St Theophan’s classic spiritual text is enhanced with a larger format, a full-colour icon of the saint, and colourful pages throughout the book.  Also included is a complementary matching bookmark. The soft cover includes inner flaps and the inner pages of the book are securely stitched and glued.

This is a companion volume to St Theophan's The Spiritual Life, just published in a new edition.

The Path To Salvation is translated from the Russian by Hieromonk Seraphim Rose and the St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.

About the author: St Theophan the Recluse, also known as Theophan Zatvornik or Theophanes the Recluse (Russian: Феофан Затворник), is a well-known saint in the Russian Orthodox Church. He was born George Vasilievich Govorov, in the village of Chernavsk. His father was a Russian Orthodox priest. He was educated in the seminaries at Livny, Orel and Kiev. In 1841 he was ordained, became a monk, and adopted the name Theophan. He later became the Bishop of Tambov.

He is especially well-known today through the many books he wrote concerning the spiritual life, especially on the subjects of the Christian life and the training of youth in the faith. He also played an important role in translating the Philokalia from Church Slavonic into Russian. The Philokalia is a classic of orthodox spirituality, composed of the collected works of a number of church fathers which were edited and placed in a four volume set in the 17th and 18th centuries. A persistent theme is developing an interior life of continuous prayer, learning to "pray without ceasing" as St. Paul teaches in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

Being Slow

 

The Dogma of Hell by Rev Fr François Xavier Schouppe SJ

Paperback: And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. - John 10:16

The eminent French theologian, Fr François Xavier Schouppe SJ (1823-1904) has written book on the subject of Hell. 

While the basic Catholic doctrines on Hell are reviewed, he mainly recounts numerous true stories that reinforce belief in Hell and the eternity of its horrors. The subject of Hell is frightening but the purpose of this work is not sensationalistic or to terrify, but rather to present lucidly to readers the reality of Hell and to instil in them a firm dread of the loss of Heaven.

We trust that reading this short volume will motivate many in their faith, bring others back to God and help people truly desire Salvation.

The Dogma of Hell (1883, 1989 by TAN BOOKS) is illustrated by facts taken from profane and sacred history.

About the author: Father François Xavier Schouppe SJ was an eminent theologian of the nineteenth century. He was the author of Purgatory Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints (1893) and The Dogma of Hell (1883). 

Eat The Buddha: The Story Of Modern Tibet Through The People Of One Town by Barbara Demick

Hardback: What was it like to be a Tibetan in the twenty-first century living at the edge of modern China?

In 1950, China claimed sovereignty over Tibet, leading to decades of unrest and resistance, defining the country today.

In Eat the Buddha, Barbara Demick chronicles the Tibetan tragedy from Ngaba, a defiant town on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau where dozens of Tibetans have shocked the world since 2009 by immolating themselves.

Following the stories of the last princess of the region, of Tibetans who experienced the struggle sessions of Mao's Cultural Revolution, of the recent generations of monks and townsfolk experiencing renewed repression, Demick paints a riveting portrait of recent Tibetan history, opening a window onto Tibetan life today, and onto the challenges Tibetans face while locked in a struggle for identity against one of the most powerful countries in the world.

Eat The Buddha (2020) is longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2020.

About the author: Barbara Demick has been interviewing North Koreans about their lives since 2001, when she moved to Seoul for the Los Angeles Times. Her reporting on North Korea won the Overseas Press Club award for human rights reporting, the Asia Society’s Osborne Eliott award and the American Academy of Diplomacy’s Arthur Ross Award.

Before joining the Los Angeles Times, she was with the Philadelphia Inquirer as a foreign correspondent in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. She lived in Sarajevo during the war in Bosnia and wrote a book about daily life, Logavina Street: Life and Death in Sarajevo Neighborhood. Her Sarajevo reporting won the George Polk Award, the Robert F Kennedy Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer.

Demick grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She is currently the Los Angeles Times’ bureau chief in Beijing.

Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan And His Demons by Fr Vincent Lampert

Paperback: At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Barna Research Group released a startling survey showing more people, some 56%, believe in Satan than they do in God. As troubling as that statistic is, this could be yet another one of those Romans 8:28 situations, where God uses all things to work for good. Perhaps the many troubles of our country and world - including illness, civil unrest, and unemployment, just to name a few - will cause folks who haven't taken faith matters seriously to give more thought and prayer to the reality of good and evil, both God and the devil. That's why Fr Lampert's book is not only so timely but so badly needed in a world that knows little about the source of gloom and doom or how to fight it. He brilliantly outlines how the answers can be found in Jesus, Scripture, and the teachings of the Church. - Teresa Tomeo, Syndicated Catholic Talk Show Host and Bestselling Catholic Author

At a time when many Christians no longer practice their faith, there has been an increase in the attention given to the devil and his devious ways. Because the devil seeks to destroy and separate us from God, all Catholics must be on guard.

In Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan and His Angels (2020), Fr Vincent P Lampert, a seasoned exorcist, presents authentic Catholic teaching on the devil and his plan against humanity.

Providing a window into the merciful ministry of exorcism, Fr Lampert equips Catholics with the knowledge necessary to avoid become vulnerable to spiritual attack. In Exorcism, you will learn

• how the Church selects and trains priests for the ministry of exorcism

• where and how the devil operates in the world, and what Scripture has to say about it

• why it is vital for Catholics to live a vibrant life of faith

• what to do if you suspect the presence of the demonic in your life or in others and

• how to fend off spiritual attack and build a stronger relationship with God.

In Exorcism, Fr Lampert makes clear that the power of Satan to wreak havoc in our lives pales in light of the glorious omnipotence of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

About the author: Fr Vincent P Lampert was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 1991. He currently serves as the Pastor of St Michael the Archangel and St Peter Parishes in Brookville, Indiana. In 2005, he was appointed the Exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He received his training in Rome and is a member of the International Association of Exorcists.

An Innocent Client (Joe Dillard Series) by Scott Pratt

Paperback: A preacher is found brutally murdered in a Tennessee motel room.

A beautiful, mysterious young girl is accused.

In this bestselling debut, criminal defense lawyer Joe Dillard has become jaded over the years as he has tried to balance his career against his conscience. 

Savvy but cynical, Dillard wants to quit doing criminal defense, but he cannot resist the chance to represent someone who might actually be innocent. His drug-addicted sister has just been released from prison and his mother is succumbing to Alzheimer's, but Dillard's commitment to the case never wavers despite the personal troubles and professional demands that threaten to destroy him.

An Innocent Client (2014) is the first instalment in the hit Joe Dillard series set in Tennessee. 

About the author: Scott Pratt is a Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author whose books have sold more than three million copies. He was born in South Haven, Michigan, and moved to Jonesborough, Tennessee when he was thirteen years old. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from East Tennessee State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He lived in Johnson City, Tennessee until his tragic, untimely passing in November of 2018.

*A Note From his Family*

Honor and duty. In Dad's mind, these were among the most important foundational pillars in becoming a man, and he instilled these values deeply into me from a young age. As a family dealing with Mom’s cancer, we’ve been staring death in the eyes for a long time. Because of this, Dad often talked to me about my responsibility to our family after he was gone. He was adamant that it was my duty to continue driving his work, further cementing his legacy and what he’s left behind for our family. I will continue doing that. I also feel it’s my responsibility to finish out the projects he was working on. Here are those projects: two more books co-written with Mark Stout which he had already spent considerable time working on, two books co-written with Kelly Hodge which he had already worked on, and finally, Dad’s younger brother, Dan, and I will be finishing the solo novel, and possibly the three-book series, for Audible Originals that he was working on. We’ll also be completing a tenth instalment in the Dillard series, a book we anticipate will be the last in the Dillard saga. I’m writing to let you know this because I don’t want anyone to feel like there’s any sort of profiteering going on. It’s a matter of honor, of finishing what he started. I will never publish anything under Dad’s name that he wasn’t directly involved in conceptualizing and working on. So, once these are finished, there won’t be any more titles released under Scott Pratt. At that time, I’ll evaluate which way I feel is best to move forward, and we’ll go from there. At some point, there will be a biography written about Dad. He was an extraordinary man that led an extraordinary life. When the time is right, I’ll make sure whoever writes it does him justice.

- Dylan Pratt

Rating: 5/5