"We hear the voices of the early Church Fathers even today. Their teachings, their guidance, their insights, and their sacrifice shaped the Catholic Church. They defined the canon of Scripture. They developed our creeds and forms of worship. They defined Christianity's distinctive moral sense.
But who were they? What can we learn from their ancient teachings? What can the Fathers teach the twenty-first century—about holiness, culture, faith, and the Gospel.
This is the definitive resource for anyone interested in learning about the Church Fathers and their legacy. Ideal for RCIA, catechists, clergy, as well as lay Catholics who want to learn more about the great teachers of early Christianity. In this new and extensively updated third edition, you'll find:
● Twenty Church Fathers never before covered in this series
● Many poets of ancient Christianity, whose hymns we still sing today.
● An extensively revised introduction
● The Mothers of the Church and their impact"
"The Virgin Mary's part in history doesn't begin and end with her yes to God. Popular Catholic author Mike Aquilina points out that Mary is at the center of history from creation to the end of time and everywhere in between. In History's Queen, you'll learn about the many ways the mother of humanity has left her mark on the great events of time, not only as we see them in the Bible, but also in pivotal events such as Fatima, the battle of Lepanto, and the plague.
In this journey through two thousand years of Mary's active participation in world events, each chapter of History's Queen highlights a Marian intervention that is emblematic of a particular era, and opens our eyes to the ways in which Mary provides a vital key for understanding both our past and our future.
Mike Aquilina provides a fresh, fascinating, and classical view of history to today's listeners, exploring: Mary's centrality in the Church Fathers' view of history; Mary's role in preserving Byzantium during the explosive rise of Islam; Marian devotion in medieval Ireland that inspired generations of great missionaries; Mary's role in military victories at Lepanto and Vienna; and the message of peace received by three shepherd children in Fatima that sustained the world through a century of unprecedented violence and apostasy."
"Imagine the dangerous life of an early Christian. You've embraced your newfound faith in Christ but fear the risk of persecution or death at the hands of the pagans living around you. Then a trusted friend tells you about some of Jesus' followers who secretly meet. He whispers into your ear, 'Look for a fish carved in a paving stone' by a certain home on the Via Tiburtina. You smile in gratitude.
Still today, modern society recognizes those Christian symbols that kept the early Christians safely connected: they appear on churches, bumper stickers, mugs—even mints and stuffed animals. Yet we are often ignorant of the rich meaning of these symbols: their origins in Scripture, in ancient culture, and in the preaching of the Church Fathers.
In this book, noted author Mike Aquilina conducts an intriguing and insightful tour of the symbols that expressed the life and devotion of the Church through the first four centuries of its existence. He explains how Christians freely borrowed pagan and Jewish symbols, giving them new, distinctly Christian meanings. Recover the zeal of our spiritual ancestors as you learn to read their symbolic language—and discover the impact the symbols still have on your life today."
"Many of us give up on prayer when we don't get the answer we want WHEN we want it.
For nearly two decades, Saint Monica prayed for her wayward son. Years and years of prayers, seemingly unanswered. Countless tears shed with no relief. Yet she would not give up.
That very act of persistent prayer blessed the entire Church, for we have all benefitted from the conversion of her son, Augustine, who became one of the most revered saints of all time.
Parents of any age or at any stage can cultivate the same virtues in prayer that Saint Monica discovered during her long wait for God's answer for her child. This devotion includes eighteen contemporary reflections, meditations taken from the writings of Saint Augustine, and prayers adapted from the liturgy and other ancient sources.
Don't give up. Persistence in prayer can change everything—for you, your children, and maybe even the world."
"Late Have I Loved You, Recollections of a Life - Foreword by Mike Aquilina - is Grammy / Dove award winning, multi-platinum selling, Best-Selling Author John Michael Talbot's first autobiography."
"Times change, but human nature does not. Neither do the daily struggles that all Christians experience in their walk with the Lord. Today as two thousand years ago we fight anger, pride, lust, spiritual sloth. Now as then we strive to be more diligent in prayer, more faithful to the commandments, more patient and charitable toward others. And in our time, no less than in the earliest centuries of Christianity, we need wise guidance to direct us on the road to holiness.
In A Year with the Church Fathers, popular Patristics expert Mike Aquilina gathers the wisest, most practical teachings and exhortations from the Fathers of the Church, and presents them in a format perfect for daily meditation and inspiration. The Fathers were the immediate inheritors of the riches of the Apostolic Age, and their intimacy with the revelation of Jesus Christ is beautifully evident throughout their theological and pastoral writings: a profound patrimony that is ours to read and cherish and profit from.
Learn to humbly accept corrections from St. Clement of Rome. Let Tertullian teach you how to clear your mind before prayer. Read St. Gregory the Great and deepen your love for the Eucharist. Do you suffer from pain or illness? St. John Chrysostom's counsels will refresh you. Do you have trouble curbing your appetite for food and other fleshly things? St. John Cassian will teach you the true way to moderation and self-control.
A Year with the Church Fathers is different from a study guide, and more than a collection of pious passages. It is a year-long retreat that in just a few minutes every day will lead you on a cycle of contemplation, prayer, resolution, and spiritual growth that is guaranteed to bring you closer to God and His truth. From the Church Fathers we should expect nothing less."
