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Theology
Christian Faith and the Power of Thinking
Fr. Jay Harrington, O.P., Editor
This volume is offered as a gift to the Order of Preachers, the Dominican family, and other interested readers as we celebrate and commemorate those who have gone before us, those who currently preach and serve, and those who will follow in the footsteps of St. Dominic. May he help us now with his prayers as he once inspired people with his preaching.
Christian Maturity: A Spirituality for Adult Catholics
Pierre-Andre Liege, O.P., and translated by Fr. Charles Bouchard, O.P.
Written in the late 1950s, this book was one of the first serious attempts to integrate psychology and the study of human development into spirituality and morality. Fr. Liégé uses the thought of St. Thomas, especially his emphasis on the virtues, to show how true holiness can only occur in conjunction with human maturity.
Dominican Brothers: Conversi, Lay, and Cooperator Friars
Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P.
Dominican Brothers: Conversi, Lay, and Cooperator Friars by the noted Dominican author and historian, Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P., captures the rich and elaborative history of the vocation and ministry of Dominican brothers since the very foundation of the Dominican Order in 1216.Through exhaustive and ground-breaking research, Fr. Thompson has uncovered a legion of little known facts and about the history, vitality, permanence, and presence of the vocation and ministry of the Dominican brother (including saints, blesseds, and martyrs) in promoting Dominican fraternal life and the mission of the Order in service to the Church universal. Thompson's work is not limited to a dry historical review of the past; rather, he brings the richness of the past into the present day so that it will promote vocations to the Dominican brotherhood, whose life and ministry are indispensable in the process of renewing and sustaining the fraternal life and ministry of the Order and the Church: preaching and the salvation of souls.This prophetic document also needs to be studied by other religious orders and read in tandem with the Vatican Document, "Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church," issued by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies for Apostolic Life.
Exploring Thomas Aquinas: Essays and Sermons
Translated by Fr. Thomas O'Meara, O.P.
Here, writings by students and scholars of Thomas Aquinas' theology offer a panoply of insights. Theologians from recent decades (M.-D. Chenu, O.P.; Yves Congar, O.P.; Jean-Pierre Torrell, O.P.; C.J. Pinto de Olivera, O.P.; Walter Principe, C.S.B.; Edward Schillebeeckx, O.P.; and Karl Rahner, S.J.) look at central themes like the human person, divine presence, cultural history, Christianity and the world religions, and the church and the papacy. Religious thinking from the past illumines contemporary problems, questions, and ways of thinking.
A Short History of New Testament Studies
Fr. Benedict Viviano, O.P.
New Testament study has been the focus of Christian life for two millennia. This brief survey strives to chart the long history and evolution of this effort through the centuries, from the days of the Fathers (and one Mother) of the Church, through the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Baroque. Enlightenment rationalism challenged the tradition, and the romantic idealist era reacted to this rationalism. The modern historical-critical method opened new paths of understanding, and the churches struggled to digest this method in the 19th and 20th Centuries, with campaigns against modernism by the church and political pressure from monarchist, fascist and communist states. The story is told afresh by the author’s lively and opinionated style, which will delight the reader.
The Valiant Woman
St. Albert the Great, O.P., translated with introduction by Fr. Benedict Ashley, O.P., and Fr. Dominic Holtz, O.P.
This splendid example of medieval scriptural interpretation shows us how the “spiritual sense” of scripture enriched the minds of the faithful and warmed their hearts. The literal and historical sense of the passage in Proverbs 31,which is known as the Valiant Woman, is a eulogy for a faithful Jewish wife and mother, who stands out above others for her strength. The spiritual sense, using analogy, meticulous divisions, and proof texts from scripture, finds in this acrostic poem, a catalyst for exploring the deepest mysteries of redemption, the mystical union of the risen Christ, the Husband, with his faithful Church his Bride, seen as the Valiant Woman. By extension, it is also the faithful soul, imitating the Church, experiencing the adventure of seeking the beloved and eternal happiness. St. Albert the Great puts his imagination to service in the understanding of every Christian’s spiritual quest. Every verse, every chapter, opens a new vision of the Valiant Woman. Why the Church should be understood as a woman(ch. 1); how her Husband trusts in her(2); how they repay each other (3); symbols of wool and flax, and the work of her hands (4); she is a ship (5); nights and banquets (6); olives, fields, and vineyards (7); her arm and her strength (8); taste and sight, her lamp (9); wrestling with vices, her fingers (10); stretching out to the poor (11); her house in snow, her servants doubly clothed (12); her tapestry of the passion (13); Christ and the gates of Jerusalem (14); linen garments (15); her strength, fortitude and laughter (16); her “mouth” and “tongue” (17); her house (18); blessed like the sons of Jacob (19); her “riches” (20); how praised (21); fruits of the spirit, in the gates (22).Sometimes amusing, always amazing, and profound in its spiritual wisdom, “The Valiant Woman” is a fruitful experience for the reader and a welcome addition to the translations of medieval scriptural commentaries.
Whatever Happened to Sin?
Fr. Charles Bouchard, O.P.
Most of us think morality is an unpleasant reality marked by authority, confusion and either over- simplification or too many grey areas. Yet the moral life is one of the most creative aspects of our life. It is not just what we do, but who we become as persons. It leads us to find wholeness, peace, and above all, happiness. Morality is the art of human living that draws the best out of us and brings us closer to God and to one another.This volume is intended as an introduction for thinking Catholics. It begins with a general overview of what the Catholic tradition means by “morality.” It continues with chapters on sin, virtue, conscience, sexuality, friendship, liturgy, health care ethics and business ethics. It ends with a chapter on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which in the Catholic tradition are the culmination of a life of virtue.
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