Showing results by narrator "Kevin OBrien" in All Categories

In The Synodal Pope: The True Story of the Theology and Politics of Pope Francis, Jean-Pierre Moreau traces the history and theological development of Pope Francis from his upbringing in Argentina and formation by the liberationist Jesuits. Moreau, a keen observer of liberation theology, many of whose leading figures he personally met when he was a special correspondent for the Figaro-Magazine in the 1980s, has made a close study of the personal and intellectual itinerary of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, described by his closest supporters as professing the “theology of the people.”

Island of the World is the story of a child born in 1933 into the turbulent world of the Balkans and tracing his life into the third millennium. The central character is Josip Lasta, the son of an impoverished school teacher in a remote village high in the mountains of the Bosnian interior. As the novel begins, World War II is underway and the entire region of Yugoslavia is torn by conflicting factions: German and Italian occupying armies, and the rebel forces that resist them the fascist Ustashe, Serb nationalist Chetniks, and Communist Partisans.

There’s so much noise. Everything can seem like a distraction. Distraction, in fact, seems like it is our oxygen. When was the last time you saw people talking on an elevator? We seem to plug in everywhere. We don’t even look up from our earphones and screens, never mind find time for silence. Our hearts need quiet. How are we ever going to pray otherwise? How could we ever possibly know God’s love and will—and the truth about ourselves and the world—without resting in him?

Ten Battles Every Catholic Should Know offers listeners richly detailed accounts of pivotal engagements—many little known in the Westin the centuries-long defense of Christendom against militant Islam.

With gripping detail and firsthand accounts that sound like a novel, renowned author Warren Carroll unveils the events that led up to the divine intervention in which Our Lady of Guadalupe was sent to an Aztec, known now as St. Juan Diego. Here is the untold story of the faith and valor of the Spanish as they encounter an early Aztec culture marked by an immorality and an idolatry of epic proportions, along with the hardships they endured in the face of unspeakable cruelty.

A beautiful little book "all about the Holy Ghost," including prayers to Him. Shows He really and truly dwells in every soul that is in the state of grace. He aids all Christians without exception, if only we will ask His help. Enlightening and encouraging!

Join Thoman as he skillfully weaves the known facts of Clare’s life with imaginative passages that bring the listener into the profoundly spiritual world of the “Light from the Cloister.” Hailing from an aristocratic or “Major” family, Clare continually—in imitation of Our Lord and Francis—sought to make herself lesser or minor. In the process, in another of God’s “divine paradoxes,” she became a giant, not only of her Age, but of all time.

Lovely short anecdotes from the lives of the saints, showing us in a warm, encouraging, and inspiring way the importance of prayer and the ease with which we can all derive great benefits therefrom, without yet being saints ourselves. Covers the meaning of the basic Catholic prayers; plus, the Mysteries of the Rosary and the wonders of the Mass. Written for all and all should listen to it.

St. Joseph obtains favors of any kind, but particularly in family problems, financial needs, purity, dangers, work, housing and a happy death. He is the universal patron - whatever our petition is, you can pray to St. Joseph with confidence. He was the foster father of Jesus Christ on earth, and Jesus still obeys his requests in heaven! God chose St. Joseph over all other men to represent the fatherhood of God himself in the Holy Family.

This classic novel by the brilliant G. K. Chesterton tells the rollicking tale of Innocent Smith, a man who may be crazy - or possibly the most sane man of all. Arriving at a dreary London boarding house accompanied by a windstorm, Smith is an exuberant, eccentric, and sweet-natured man. Smith has a positive effect on the house - he creates his own court, brings a few couples together, and falls in love with a paid companion next door. All seems to be well with the world.

Selected and accompanied by commentary from best-selling author and literature professor Joseph Pearce, this exciting collection of verse contains classic poems that every child should know to begin a poetic ascent towards God.

This TAN Books edition of Stories About Purgatory and What They Reveal, by An Ursiline of Sligo, features the complete original text, along with a supplemental section entitled What Will Hell Be Like?. We’ve also included unique hand-selected classic artwork for the listener’s enjoyment, exclusive to this edition of Stories About Purgatory and What They Reveal. This audiobook was written to impress upon its listeners many truths about Purgatory - first, that it exists; second, that the souls detained there suffer long and excruciating pains.

After nearly losing his life to an assassin, Stephen LaPointe resigned from his pastorate as a Congregational minister. He made this radical decision as the result of a crisis of truth. This decision had many immediate ramifications for his vocation, his career, and most significantly for his marriage and family. Now, a year later, no one knows where he is. He has disappeared. Out of love, as well as remorse, several people - an old friend, his estranged wife, and a potential enemy - set out separately to find him.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori, the Prince of Moral Theologians, was one of the greatest preachers in Church history. A religious founder, consummate theologian, and holy man of God, St. Alphonsus never failed to utter a stirring word that drew out a lively penitence and redoubled dedication to the work of God from his audience. Here, in The Holy Eucharist, is his extensive work on the Sacrifice that brings about Salvation. As a devoted preacher and teacher, Liguori sought to bring others to devotion and sanctity in the most Blessed Sacrament.

Pope Benedict XVI's second encyclical, Saved in Hope, ("Spe Salvi" in Latin) takes its title from St. Paul, who wrote, "In hope we have been saved." In this audiobook, the Holy Father continues a line of thought he began with his first encyclical, God Is Love. Love and Hope are closely related in the spiritual life. Love of God involves hope or trust in God. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man."

Joy: we look for it, long for it, and spend our lives chasing it. Yet do we really know what it is? Is it a feeling, a state of mind, or a reward for success? Do we know where to find it? The more we seek it, the more it eludes us. Yet joy is real. “Joy”, writes philosopher Peter Kreeft, “is a mystery. It is bigger than we are.” Joy’s secret, however, is that it cannot be reached or found but only given. True joy is God Himself, who, giving Himself, takes us outside ourselves, across valleys of loss and mountains of triumph.

In this popular abridgment of his monumental Preparation for Death, St. Alphonsus teaches the proper attitude toward Death, which is one of readiness; of always having one's "debts cleared". He cautions against letting even one day pass without reflecting on the certainty of death, the shortness of time and the length of eternity. Each chapter is a short consideration on some aspect of death, divided into three points easily understood by people in every state of life.

Ethan McQuarry is a young lighthouse keeper on a tiny island, the rugged outcropping of easternmost Cape Breton Island on the Atlantic Ocean. A man without any family, he sees himself as a silent vigilant, performing his duties courageously year after year, with an admirable sense of responsibility.

St. Malachy of Armagh lived in an age of turmoil, yet his life radiated holiness, reform, and unwavering devotion. Composed by his cherished friend, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, this compelling biography chronicles Malachy's extraordinary journey from his humble beginnings in Ireland to his apostolic labors, miracles, and untimely death at Clairvaux.

In this riveting biography, author Bret Thoman accomplishes what few biographers have. He pierces the inner life of Francis, revealing his deepest passions, his unquenchable love for poverty, and his unshakable grip on the core of the Gospel. The life of Francis, so often festooned with spectacle and miracle, is in reality the story of a soul yearning for God in every moment and glimpsing his presence in all creation.