Marie-Dominique Philippe

The Mysteries of Mary shows how the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary is perfectly and intimately identified with that of her Son. It is both a reflection on the most profound moments in Mary s earthly life, from the Immaculate Conception to Cana to Pentecost, and a systematic approach to the doctrine of Mary s spiritual maternity. Mary is the mother of all the faithful because she educates us as a mother, showing us through her example, her life, how we must live the mysteries of faith, hope, and the growth of charity. The early mysteries of Mary s life show us unswerving faith as Mary s soul and flesh are prepared to receive Jesus in the Nativity of the Lord. Through trial, charity is rooted and grows in Mary s heart, until finally that heart is pierced in the mysteries of sorrow. At last, the hope for the resurrected Lord blossoms in glory. Having endured with her Son the agonies of Calvary, Mary most immediately and fully experiences His return to life indeed, from the first beat of His glorious heart. The mysteries of Mary s life are signs that truly point us to the saving grace of Jesus. Highly recommended to anyone who wishes to imitate Mary through growth in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.

It is by means of worship that man recognizes his absolute dependence upon God, comes into His presence, and gains practical knowledge of His goodness and sovereign majesty. Father Marie-Dominique Philippe, founder of the Congregation of St. John and one of the twentieth century s most profound theological and pastoral minds, takes us back to the First Commandment, back to the primacy of worship, in You Shall Worship One God. For only by recognizing the singular importance of worship, of making ourselves an offering of love before God, can we hope to fulfill the other commandments and develop a deep and lasting spiritual life. Divine revelation, says Father Philippe, presents true worship to us in the form of sacrifice. The Old Testament stories in which goods and lives are offered to God, and the holocausts and oblations of the Jewish Temple, train God's people to express their love and fidelity and penitence through sacrifice. In so doing they also prefigure and prepare us for the Passion of Our Lord on Calvary, the perfect and lasting sacrifice that completes and gives meaning to all the others. Christ s offering of Himself is at root a sacrifice of filial worship, glorifying the Father in the truest way possible and thereby effecting the greatest spiritual fruits. You Shall Worship One God is a fascinating study of the development of sacrificial worship throughout salvation history, a rich meditation on the mystery of the Cross, and a necessary reminder to our busy world that the heart of Christianity is found not in service to our fellow man, but in recognizing the Lord s supreme majesty before all. Such worship is essential to salvation, says Father Philippe, for it makes us die to ourselves in order to proclaim that God is first. New from Saint Benedict Press.

This book is a response to Socrates' invitation to 'know thyself'. The journey moves from immediate experience, to the discovery of First Being with the human person as the central figure of inquiry, in order to discover the purpose of human life. This is an important work in the renewal of metaphysics called for by Pope John Paul II in Fides et Ratio (1998).A philosophical inquiry into reality in all its dimensions.