Recent audio additions

Tears of An Innocent God: Conversations on Silence, Kindness, and Prayer by Elias Merchal (DBX1077): This title invites the reader to explore the ways of the One who would have us perceive, listen, and love as Christ did, and still does: not by imitation, but through a gradual inner transformation. The book outlines two kinds of contemplation, the first involving activity on the part of the person seeking intimacy with God. Contemplation of the second kind is sudden, unexpected: a gift of God unmediated by the senses, intellect, memory, or imagination. The author speaks of the healing, transformative power of inner silence, and of the mysterious Round Dance of the Trinity. Also available in braille and BRF.

Christ the King: Lord of History by Ann W. Carroll (DBX0075): Here is a fast paced, highly readable and interesting Catholic world history. It clearly illustrates that Christ is the central figure in all of history. Unabashedly proud of our brilliant Catholic heritage, Dr. Carroll examines all historical developments from the point of view of the Church and the enhancement or decline of the influence of the Church upon the historical scene. Whereas most secular histories written today give but a grudging acknowledgment to the role of the Catholic Church in forming Western and therefore modern civilization, this book makes the role of Christ and the contribution of His Church unquestionable. A great book for students, parents, history buffs and educators.

MOMS: A Personal Journal by Paula Hagen and Vickie L. Jennett (DBX0874): A guided, personal examination of the various roles a mother inhabits while raising a family and how they impact on each other. Many of us today are recognizing the need to develop in our busy lifestyles the daily discipline of reflection; really, of claiming our lives, our stories as revelatory of God's love. MOMS: A Personal Journal is an important resource for this prayerful activity, especially for those whose vocation is that of being a mom.

City of God by St. Augustine of Hippo (DBX1002): No book except the Bible itself had a greater influence on the Middle Ages than City of God. Since medieval Europe was the cradle of today’s Western civilization, this work by consequence is vital for understanding our world and how it came into being. Saint Augustine's masterpiece is a cast synthesis of religious and secular knowledge. It began as a reply to the charge that Christian other-worldliness was causing the decline of the Roman Empire. Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction.

The Rule of Saint Benedict (DBX1020): A book of precepts by St. Benedict of Nursia for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work"). Compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism; because of this middle ground, it has been widely popular. Also available in braille and BRF.

The Lepers of Molokai by Charles Warren Stoddard (DBX1026): This title tells the story of the leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. The author, who was a journalist and writer, visited the colony in 1884 and spent several months there. He wrote about the lives of the people who had been exiled to the colony because they had contracted leprosy, a disease that was feared and misunderstood at the time. The book describes the harsh conditions of the colony, where the lepers were forced to live in isolation and were often treated as outcasts by society. Stoddard tells the stories of individual lepers, their struggles, and their courage in the face of adversity.

This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival by Bishop Robert Barron (DBX1329): A recent Pew Forum survey revealed the startling statistic that 69% of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. For the majority of Catholics today, the Eucharist is merely a symbol of Christ, and the Mass is merely a collectivity of like-minded individuals gathering to remember his life. This indicates a spiritual disaster, for the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." In response to this crisis, Bishop Robert Barron, then the Chair of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, began working with his brother bishops on a solution. From these conversations, the National Eucharistic Revival was born. Also available in braille and BRF.