Open Wide The Doors To Christ

Open Wide the Doors to Christ, is a powerful tool for both teachers and students of the Catholic faith. As an excellent resource for RCIA and Adult Faith Formation, this insightful book discusses the basics of the Catholic faith -- and how we can live it fully. As the "meat and potatoes" of Catholicism, it is an introduction to the Church's teachings on the Creed, the sacraments, the moral life, prayer and much more -- with particular focus upon those who are seeking to become Catholic. Presented in a way that adults from all walks of life can understand, the book challenges readers to dig deeper and to continue to grow in their understanding of Christ and the Catholic Church.

A coherent, forceful, and compelling case for God and the Church founded by Jesus of Nazareth. This is a remarkable achievement of solid, factual, information that is loaded with ammunition for the new evangelization. Contains colorful vignettes of historic moments alternating with sustained argument. Marks challenges the reader to set aside long-held assumptions and prejudices. Jesus is the only one who proclaimed himself sinless and the only one who ever claimed to be God. His followers converted an entire empire without resort to violence, and after winning Rome they not only gave the world its calendar but transformed pagan culture beyond recognition. These hard, cold facts are presented here with copious notes for easy identification of persons, events, or doctrines that may be unfamiliar. The reader will also find a detailed index and useful appendices.

"S.C. Biela reassures the reader that there is a specific spiritual path that leads to a time when Christ will no longer have to knock persistently on the door of our hearts because our interiors will be fully open to Him. Biela demonstrates how the 'key' of spiritual poverty will unlock the door through our imitation and the intercession of Mary, the lowly handmaid of God. Then, there will no longer be two, but One, otherwise known as the transforming union described by two Doctors of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. When transforming union happens, we will not be able to live without the Divine Light of Love. This Light will embrace us and transform us in Itself, where we will find true life."--

"S.C. Biela reassures the reader that there is a specific spiritual path that leads to a time when Christ will no longer have to knock persistently on the door of our hearts because our interiors will be fully open to Him. Biela demonstrates how the 'key' of spiritual poverty will unlock the door through our imitation and the intercession of Mary, the lowly handmaid of God. Then, there will no longer be two, but One, otherwise known as the transforming union described by two Doctors of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. When transforming union happens, we will not be able to live without the Divine Light of Love. This Light will embrace us and transform us in Itself, where we will find true life."--

Though he was a familiar Church leader for many years before becoming pope, there has been little awareness of the spiritual side of Benedict XVI. Now for the first time readers are given a brilliant overview of the Pope’s most inspirational teachings in Let God’s Light Shine Forth. Editor Robert Moynihan offers a brief introduction to the life and work of Pope Benedict XVI and then presents an absorbing collection of his most persuasive words. Within these pages, Pope Benedict XVI introduces a God who is good, beautiful, and true, the fountain of all life. The most important thing for each person, in Benedict’s view, is to discover and develop a loving relationship with God, because this is the way to the deepest and most lasting happiness that human beings can experience. Even in our darkest moments, he teaches, we can have hope that all things will ultimately work out in a wonderful way to show God’s glory and bring blessedness to individual men and women. Many of these selections deal specifically with questions such as: Who is God? How we can know him? What does he wants us to do and to be? Having spent his entire life thinking, studying, and praying about such questions, Benedict has become perhaps the leading contemporary theologian (the word literally means “knower of God”) in the Roman Catholic Church. From his earliest work as a teacher to his first words as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict’s vision of hope is powerfully summarized in Let God’s Light Shine Forth.

When Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s as the new Pope, many were unfamiliar with him. Many wondered who he was, where he was from, and how he would lead the Church in these trying times. When his name was announced—Francis—the world had its first indication that this was going to be a “Pope of firsts.” But for those who already knew Pope Francis as Cardinal Bergoglio, there was nothing surprising about the choice of that name. As the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio had already developed a reputation as a man of unusual humility, simplicity, love for the poor, and evangelical spirit. Encountering Christ gives the reader a glimpse into the heart and mind of Pope Francis. It offers a selection of homilies, letters, and addresses delivered from 2009-2013 as archbishop of Buenos Aires. These texts contain many of the themes that have already emerged as central to Pope Francis’ pontificate: love for the poor, the dangers of a self-referential Church, and the need to “go out” and bring Christ to the world. As the world learns more about Pope Francis in the months and years to come, these texts offer an introduction into the “spiritual priorities” of our new Holy Father.