meditations resourcement christianity ecclesiology

books:

In the Beginning...: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall (Resourcement)

12 reviews
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995

An Timely, Important Set of Reflections
No time could be better than now for this text to be read by Americans. Catholics stand between adamant fundamentalists and extreme atheistic evolutionists. This text is something I have desired to see for a long time. It is often difficult to show atheists that Catholics are not opposed to evolution and still show fundamentalists that we are not atheistic. I believe that reading this text ...

The Spirit of the Liturgy

21 reviews
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

Ignatius Press, 2000

Understanding what we do on Sunday.
This book held me spellbound. Filled with insights and history surrounding the mass and the liturgy, as a lifelong Catholic, I suddenly saw the mass in a whole new light. Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger demonnstrates his abilities as a clear patient teacher as he teaches about the liturgy and its meaning, in ways that are down to earth and don't require a degree in theology to ...

On Conscience (Bioethics & Culture)

5 reviews
Pope Benedict XVI

Ignatius Press, 2007

Spectacular Reflections on Conscience!
To the best of my knowledge, these essays were presented in English (both were keynote addresses to bishops' workshops.) and it may partly this fact - their lack of translation by a second party - that makes the texts so wonderfully approachable. Having studied a great amount of Ratzinger's work from his more than forty-year career, I feel that I have a decent grasp of his world-view, approach ...

Truth And Tolerance: Christian Belief And World Religions

17 reviews
Pope Benedict XVI

Ignatius Press, 2004

Ratzinger Shines on a Popular Modern Theological Topic
The matters covered in this book are sundry by its very nature. For that reason, I will not attempt to completely outline the work. Nonetheless, the brief review below will state the general strengths of the text as a whole and partially in particular. Religious pluralism is a topic of great interest in most modern theology schools. For better or for worse, many schools subordinate much to ...

Saved in Hope: Spe Salvi

9 reviews
Pope Benedict XVI

Ignatius Press, 2008

"God is the foundation of hope"
So says Benedict XVI in Spe Salvi (paragraph 31), his second encyclical, and the entire elegant and closely reasoned essay is an argument in defense of the claim. As is typical of papal encyclicals, references in Spe Salvi tend to focus on scripture, the patristic fathers, and a handful of medieval theologians. But it also strikes me that Benedict's reflections on hope are informed as well by ...

Milestones: Memoirs 1927-1977

18 reviews
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Ignatius Press, 1998

Still want to know more about him
The first 50 years of Joseph Ratzinger's life. I liked Joseph Ratzinger very much prior to 2005, and have loved him very much since he's been Pope. Not being an intellectual myself, I can only marvel at the life and character of this man. Maybe the reading of this small book is a little dry, but if you are interested in learning about him - it is well worth the reading. However, because ...

Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures

6 reviews
Pope Benedict XVI

Ignatius Press, 2006

Succinct
Non-Catholics and those of nominal faith might be more comfortable reading "Without Roots: The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam" by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Marcello Pera first. The analysis is much the same but correctives, in the form of a return to a pan-European shared faith (by Pena--the head of the Italian Senate) and/or individual action (Benedict)will find a wider audience. ...

Marian Thoughts: Selection of Texts

1 review
Pope Benedict XVI

Catholic Book Publishing Company, 2008

Marian Thoughts by Pope Benedict XVI
This is a beautiful little gem of a book. There is much food in it for meditaton for anyone who wants to understand the role of the Virgin Mary in the Church. As always, Benedict XVI sheds light beautifully and succinctly on whatever he chooses to teach.

God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life

13 reviews
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Stephan Otto Horn, ...

Ignatius Press, 2003

One in a million
I have read many books about the Eucharist and many books by Cardinal Ratzinger. However this is one in a million. It has a vibrant quality that springs from a true contemplative, a profoundly spiritual man that really lives what he is writing about. I think that what makes this book really special is the depth of Ratzinger's knowledge of the Bible and how he illuminates the reading of the Old ...

Jesus of Nazareth

148 reviews
Pope Benedict XVI

Doubleday, 2007

Sublime
This book is not so much a traditional biography per say but more of a biographical critical study. What made me buy it was an interest both in its subject and its author. The Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, is a figure who greatly fascinates me. He's a master's master and a scholar's scholar. Not that I'm a worthy appreciator of his skills as I am a Biblical ignoramus. While I did learn a ton from ...

Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today

13 reviews
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Ignatius Press, 1996

You too are called to communion
Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today starts off with three theology lectures for a course on universal vs. particular Churches for bishops in Brazil, followed by an address to the Synod of Bishops on the priesthood, a talk on ecclesial reform to conclude an annual meeting in Rimini, and finally a homily preached at a seminary in Philadelphia which is added to "clarify once more the ...

The Apostles

19 reviews
Pope Benedict XVI

Our Sunday Visitor, 2007

The Apostles
I consider that nowadays Pope Benedict XVI is currently "an universal moral reference" for mankind, the Catholic Church is all over the world the only one of churches growing vigorously among the young and the intellectuals .. The message of Jesus is as fresh as always !!!

The Church Fathers: From Clement of Rome to Augustine
Pope Benedict XVI

Ignatius Press, 2008

Following his best selling book, Jesus of Nazareth , and his talks published in Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church , Pope Benedict's Church Fathers presents these important figures of early Christianity in all their evangelical vitality, spiritual profundity, and uncompromising love of God. Benedict tells the true story of Christianity's against-all-odds triumph in the face of fierce pagan Roman hostility and persecution. He does ...

A New Song for the Lord: Faith in Christ and Liturgy Today

1 review
Pope Benedict XVI

The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1996

A Song Needing to Be Sung
Some months ago I set as a goal for myself the promotion of the ideas of Joseph Cardianl Ratzinger as a source of a far, far richer appreciation of the Eucharistic Liturgy. I have read and continue to read the Cardinal to further my stated goal. However, perhaps more importantly, I find in the course of this exercise my own appreciation of the Liturgy being significantly enriched. Participating ...

Church, Ecumenism, and Politics: New Endeavors in Ecclesiology
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

Ignatius Press, 2008

This work features the most discussed topics of the life of the Church, treated with unique frankness and depth by the Church's spiritual and theological leader. In this collection of essays, theologian Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, tackles three major issues in the Church today--the nature of the Church, the pursuit of Christian unity, and the relationship of Christianity to the secular/political power. The first part of the book ...

New Outpourings of the Spirit: Movements in the Church

1 review
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

Ignatius Press, 2007

Excellent Insight into Charismatic Dimension of the Church
Cardinal Ratzinger (of course, now Pope Benedict XVI) gives us an insightful view of the charismatic dimension of the Church. What I found most striking was his faith in the ongoing activity of the Holy Spirit and in how the Holy Spirit constantly surprises us and has surprises up his sleeve, so to speak (cf. p.54). Ratzinger thus warns against excessive bureaucratic planning in the Church that ...

Seek That Which Is Above: Meditations Through the Year

2 reviews
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

Ignatius Press, 2007

Glorious Work
This is such a lovely book from the Pope with his truly inspiring and insightful meditations on a wide variety of interesting themes year round, including joy, peace, prayer, silence, vacation & rest, play & life and feasts like Candlemas, Easter, Advent, etc. It is so beautifully produced with a classy gift book design and many classic art pieces illustrating the work throughout, all printed on ...

Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium: An Interview With Peter Seewald

28 reviews
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Ignatius Press, 1997

Excellent insight into the thought and world of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI)
Read this book. There are so many things that are wonderful about this book; it is hard to know where to begin. First and foremost, this is a fantastic comprehensive synthesis of Ratzinger's views regarding much of the current concerns of the Church and of the world. Additionally, the question and answer format makes this book extremely accessible, even for those who might think they ...

Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church

16 reviews
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Vittorio Messori

Ignatius Press, 1985

Candid and Cool
Several years after its publication, this remains the best single introduction to the man now pope. It also would be something of a classic even had Cardinal Ratzinger not become pope. The 2 book-length interviews which followed, by Peter Seewald, are also interesting, but Messori's edges them out for its conciseness and organization, plus the fact Messori is an informed Catholic who does not ...

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

47 reviews
Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

usccb, 2006

What should Catholics believe?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (904 pages) tells you how the clock works before it tells you the time. This book just tells you the time. If you want to know more about a question, then you can go to the big Catechism.

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