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St. Francis de Sales—Doctor of Mariology?

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Today’s guest post is by Brandon Rappuhn, a Logos marketing copywriter.

We continue through the month of Mary, and I find myself surprised at some unexpected discoveries in Logos’ soon-to-come products.

St. Louis de Montfort in his Treatise on the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, records that St. Francis de Sales is one of the Church’s foremost devotees to Mary (among Saints Ephrem, John Damascene, Bonaventure, etc.[1]). As I’ve said before, I’m quite fond of St. Francis de Sales. His spiritual directions have, for me, promoted a devout way of life in my lay vocation. Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God are the quintessential Frances de Sales texts; in my time reading his works, though, I haven’t come across any revelatory or notably profound sections on Mary. So now I’m dying to know: what does St. Francis de Sales have to say that caught St. Louis de Montfort’s attention?

I searched fervently through the writings of Francis de Sales, looking for the eloquent words of my favorite Doctor of the Church that had won Louis de Montfort’s respect—and I found nothing profound or startling. I discovered only the expected sermons on Mary and Joseph as examples for us to follow.

It wasn’t too longer afterward that I realized the Doctors of the Church are not always chosen for the writings they leave behind, but for the exemplary legacy of their lives. My study now takes an interesting turn: I began to look at the life of St. Francis de Sales, and not so much his writings.

Franz_von_SalesSt. Francis de Sales had much holiness and devotion to model ourselves after. In The Mystical Explanation of the Canticle of Canticles, St. Jane Frances de Chantal testifies to the life, practices, and teachings of St. Francis de Sales. St. Jane Frances reports that Francis de Sales prayed the Memorare and was instantly freed from an agony that tormented him for three weeks. He was said to have carried his rosary with him in his belt wherever he would go. In that text, St. Jane Frances de Chantal reported that Francis de Sales once said to her, “I have been feeling most strongly, how great a blessing it is to be a child, though an unworthy one, of this glorious Mother. Let us undertake great things under her patronage, for if we are ever so little dear to her, she will never leave us destitute of what we are struggling to attain.” St. Frances de Chantal further reported that “He said his rosary every day with extraordinary devotion, and use to tell me that he found all his help in the Blessed Sacrament and in that Holy Virgin from whom he had received special and even miraculous assistance, as I have before said.” It is now apparent why St. Louis de Montfort thought so highly of St. Francis de Sales.

St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal had already founded the order of the Nuns of the Visitation when he started writing Treatise on the Love of God. Treatise on the Love of God was written during his travels to and from Geneva and Savoy—the former being his bishopric and the latter being where the Convent of the Visitation had been founded, and where Saints Frances and Francis would give sermons about love, chastity, devotion, moderation, and other important virtues, which were eventually compiled in The Spiritual Conferences. (In fact, the sisters would crowd around him and ask him to read the latest chapters he had written in Treatise on the Love of God.)

His impact on the world—through preaching, founding religious orders, and even his private acts of devotion—have thus far spoken to me more than his words. I started my investigation of the patron of writers by studying his writing, only to realize that sainthood and sanctity is earned by holiness and devotion.[2]

[1] Treatise on the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, page 103

[2] No one man has changed the course of history as much as has Jesus, and no man leaves for us a better or more perfect example of how we should live, and yet he left behind no writings for us. Even the words he wrote in the sand (John 8:6) are not recorded.

Filed Under: Doctors of the Church, Mary, Products, Saints

The Meaning of Pentecost

May 17, 2013 By 2 Comments

This Sunday, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost.

Many people don’t know that the feast of Pentecost (from the Greek Πεντηκοστή, which literally means “50 days”) is actually celebrated by both Christians and Jews, but the celebrations have different meanings. Whereas Jews celebrate God’s giving the Torah to his people at Mount Sinai (in what is called the “Feast of Weeks” or Shavuot), Christians celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in the Upper Room. Both feasts happen 50 days after a monumental event—Jews celebrate Shavuot 50 days after the Passover feast, and Christians celebrate Pentecost 50 days after the resurrection of Christ. Yet even though these feasts celebrate something different, both feasts celebrate the outpouring of God’s power and guidance. In fact, we find that the Christian celebration of Pentecost is a completion and fulfillment of what happened at Sinai.

It’s in Acts 2:1-6 where we read that the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in the upper room on this Jewish Shavuot:

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound capentecostme from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

This first “Pentecost” thus marked the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the disciples. We read in Acts 2:15–17 that after the Holy Spirit had descended, the Apostle Peter told the crowd that this event fulfilled the prophecy in Joel 2:28. It was in this moment that the Church received the gift that Christ had promised (Jn. 16:7): namely, the counselor or helper who would, “teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (Jn. 14:26).

But how is this event related to the Jewish tradition that celebrates the giving of the Torah to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai? On closer inspection, the parallels are actually quite staggering: First, both Pentecosts are celebrated 50 days after a Paschal (Passover) event. Second, we see that the law given to Moses is a kind of guidance, just as the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost provides guidance. We can even see the parallel in terms of physical location: Just as Moses was given the law up on a mountain, so too the disciples were given the Holy Spirit in an upper room (Luke 22:12–13).

What we find is that the Passover and giving of the Torah is actually a prefiguring of the events of Christ. Augustine says as much in his letter Contra Faustum:

“The Pentecost, too, we observe, that is, the fiftieth day from the passion and resurrection of the Lord, for on that day He sent us the Holy Paraclete whom He had promised; as was prefigured in the Jewish Passover, for on the fiftieth day after the slaying of the lamb, Moses on the mount received the law written with the finger of God (Exodus 19). If you read the Gospel, you will see that the Spirit is there called the finger of God. (Luke 11:8)”

The celebration of Pentecost commemorates God’s fulfilled promise that he would guide and help his people. When we remember the Day of Pentecost, we remember what Jesus said, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). The Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the law given at Sinai; it is the animating power of the Church by which we receive “The charity of God poured into our hearts” (Rom. 5:5). On this feast of Pentecost, we remember this great gift.

Filed Under: Feast Days, Scripture

Save 18% on the The Select Works of Joseph Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

select-works-of-joseph-ratzinger-pope-benedict-xvi

Right now, you can still get this important collection at a special Pre-Pub price. The print edition for this huge 21-volume set would be well over $300, but you can get the full-featured digital texts now for just $179.95.

Along with our collection containing all the writings of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during his pontificate, the Select Works of Joseph Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI provides you with Ratzinger’s most essential writings on the Church, politics, Mary, faith, and more. This collection—21 volumes—amasses just shy of 4,000 pages, giving you an incredibly comprehensive body of work by one of the greatest scholars, theologians, and religious teachers of the twenty-first century.

With the recent conclusion of Benedict XVI’s papacy, this collection couldn’t be any timelier. Spanning from some of his early publications—such as Theology of History in Bonaventure, in 1971—to his most recent Dogma and Preaching: Applying Christian Doctrine to Daily Life, published in 2011, this collection traces the development of Joseph Ratzinger’s thought.

These texts come alive in Verbum, linking Ratzinger’s scriptural and theological references to other works in your library. Renowned resources in both theology and philosophy, Joseph Ratzinger’s works become a catalyst for more profound and deeply integrated study within your Verbum library.

Filed Under: Products, Theology

How to use Verbum for Apologetics (pt. 7)

May 13, 2013 By 2 Comments

In this final week of Easter, we’ve decided to do something special. Below, of course, is the final Easter apologetics training video, featuring the Scott Hahn Collection which you can get now at 15% off. But we’ve also decided to give 15% off of every one of the apologetic resources we’ve featured during this Easter season. If you missed a deal on a resource this week, you still have one last chance to grab it before Pentecost this coming Sunday. The coupon code VerbumEaster2013 gets you 15% off all of the apologetic resources listed below in addition to any Verbum base package we offer.

In the mean time, watch the video below for some tips on integrating some of Dr. Scott Hahn’s great works with the rest of your titles in your Verbum Library:

Get any of these resources for 15% off with the coupon code VerbumEaster2013 !

Happy seventh week of Easter!

 

Filed Under: Apologetics, Products, Training

Mother of God, and the Mother of Us All

May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Today’s guest post is by Kyle Fuller, marketing promotion coordinator and Logos Bible Software.

When God came down from Heaven in the form of Jesus Christ, he could have come any way imaginable. Descending on a throne of clouds, rising from the waters, a chariot of fire, he could have come to Earth in a way fitting for our Creator, the King of kings. But how did he come?

Through a woman, and he called her Mother.

virgin-and-child.jpg!HalfHDAs we know from reading Sacred Scripture, Jesus did nothing by accident, and nothing was to be taken lightly. We believe in the Eucharist because Christ said at the Last Supper “Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) This was a direct command, with nothing to be left desired or questioned. As Catholics, we take both what Jesus said and did very seriously, including the way he came into the world. Jesus having a mother conveys how much importance God places on mothers. He started his ministry at his mother’s insistence at the wedding of Cana (John 2:2-12), and at his crucifixion he left his mother in charge of looking over his creation (“Woman, behold your son” John 19:26).

Our parents are truly our first ministers. At our baptism, they profess the Catholic faith and promise to raise their children according to the faith. Mothers are the first parent that a child clings to for love and nourishment: They are our first examples of piety, charity, and selflessness.

My mother was and continues to be the foundation for my faith. I would not be the woman I am today without her guidance, encouragement, and ministry. Mothers are a vital part of our identity, and I thank God and the Holy Mother for blessing me with mine.

The Blessed Virgin is more than Christ’s mother—she is the mother of us all. I ask her to protect me, to fight for me, and to pray for me to our Lord. I look to her as the ultimate example of obedience, trust in the Lord, and unshakeable faith. I strive daily to follow her example so I can be a better Catholic, a better woman, and (one day) a better mother.

Jesus didn’t need a mother—he wanted one. Spend this Mothers Day reflecting on the the gift of motherhood.

To learn more about your Holy Mother, get Queen Mother: A Biblical Theology of Mary’s Queenship 15% off with code Mary2013. 

 

Filed Under: Mary

The Ascension: A Call to Evangelism

May 10, 2013 By 1 Comment

Mark 16:19

Luke 24:49–53

Acts 1:6–11

This Sunday, many of us will be celebrating the feast day of the Ascension of our Lord (unless you live in in certain ecclesiastical provinces and have celebrated it already on Thursday). We observe the Ascension of our Lord as a holy day of obligation—it is a commemoration of the moment when Christ was taken up into heaven 40 days after his resurrection. But our commemorating of the ascension is not just a remembering of Christ’s going into heaven; when we read the scriptural accounts of the ascension, we are also reminded that his ascending into heaven marked the beginning of an evangelistic ministry that would change the world.

Benvenuto_Tisi_da_Garofalo_-_Ascension_of_Christ_-_WGA08474There are three primary accounts of Christ’s ascension in the Scriptures, two in the Gospels and one in the Acts of the Apostles. It is in Acts that we see the most detailed account, but each portrays a unique and important aspect of the ascension. In Mark 16:19, we read that after Jesus was taken into heaven, the disciples “went forth and preached everywhere” and that “the Lord worked with them.” In Luke 24:49–53, we read that the disciples went and were “continually in the temple blessing God” after Christ’s ascension. In Acts, right before Jesus is taken up, he tells the apostles that “you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” After Jesus disappears, two angels called out to the gawking disciples, “why do you stand looking up into heaven?,” as if to waken them out of a stupor.

What do all these accounts have in common? Other than the fact that Jesus is indeed taken up to sit at the right hand of the Father, the most important element in all these accounts is that Christ’s ascension is fundamentally tied to a call to evangelism and worship. The disciples did not lose heart when Jesus was taken up. They did not disperse in confusion. Instead, they “went out and preached everywhere” to be Christ’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” Looking at the Scriptures, we see that the concept of ascension is fundamentally died to the concept of ministry. When we celebrate the ascension, we are celebrating not just the sovereignty of our Lord as King, but also the promise that when Jesus goes, he leaves us the Holy Spirit to go and carry out his ministry while he is away.

The angels that appeared to the apostles remind us that Christ will come again, just as he has left. But in the meantime, we are given guidance and strength that the Holy Spirit provides as we carry out Christ’s ministry as his hands and feet. As we celebrate the ascension this weekend, let us remember not just our Lord’s ascension into heaven, but also our call to proclaim the Gospel on earth.

Filed Under: Gospel, The New Evangelization, Theology

Theology of the Body Collection

May 8, 2013 By 2 Comments

 The Theology of the Body Collection (7 vols.) ships this Friday, but you can still lock in a Pre-Pub price at nearly 30% off if you order it now. This is an indispensable collection for anyone interested in the discourse centered on sexuality, especially in our modern era.

Abreha-wa-atsbeha-church02G. K. Chesterton wrote in his beautiful hagiography of St Francis that “the moment sex ceases to be a servant it becomes a tyrant.” The same might be said of any bodily passion, but Chesterton points out that there is something different about the sexual appetite compared to, say, that for food.[1] Why is it that sex takes on such a unique role in the spectrum of human appetites? What is it about sex that makes it one of the most central and contentious topics in all of human history?

From September of 1979 to November of 1984, Pope John Paul II gave a series of 129 audience addresses aiming to wrestle with these very questions. John Paul II posits that it is the “body, and it alone” that is “capable of making visible what is invisible, the spiritual and the divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the invisible mystery hidden in God from time immemorial, and thus be a sign of it” (Feb 20, 1980). Pope John Paul II thus understands the human body as something that demands its own theological discourse: if we are the imago Dei (image of God), then it behooves us to study and understand that image so that we may better understand that which it reflects.

We live in a time when the conversation around human sexuality is not only extremely contentious, but all around us. When we turn on the news (or read our blogs), when we go to work, when our children come home from school with questions—the topic of sexuality is discussed everywhere. How best do we address this controversial and extremely important topic? The Theology of the Body Collection gives us more than just a place to start—it is a comprehensive collection giving us John Paul II’s enormous study and a set of six other resources that offer reflections on the theology of the body, as well as numerous other Catholic reflections on sexuality.

Get this important collection today and save 27% at our pre-pub price.

[1] Though it is obviously true that the consumption of food is something that has been contentious throughout all of human history as well: Dietary laws, food taboos—even our modern obsession with eating the “right kinds” of food—all point to the fact that our bodies are an essential part of our being. We are not disembodied spirits; God has created us in his image as embodied souls.

Filed Under: Products, Theology

How to use Verbum for Apologetics (pt. 6)

May 6, 2013 By 2 Comments

It’s the sixth week of Easter, and this week we’ll be giving 15% off the Catholic Apologetics Collection with the coupon code CathApol2013. Below is a training video featuring this great collection. We’ll look at the topic of the eucharist and how Verbum can help you compile some great notes around this often controversial subject:

Also remember that there are only two weeks left to get in on our Easter Sale—15% off any one of our base packages with the coupon code VerbumEaster2013!

institution-of-the-eucharist-1640

Filed Under: Apologetics, Products, Training

St. Louis de Montfort and Modern Mariology

May 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Today’s guest post is by Brandon Rappuhn, a Logos marketing copywriter.

In many ways, St. Louis de Montfort was the St. Dominic of the seventeenth century. He was a zealous traveling preacher, lived in poverty to meet the needs of those in poverty, and had a voracious approach to prayer and devotion. His work in spreading devotion through the rosary met with momentous success, and he founded three religious orders that imitated his practices of poverty, prayer, and charity: the Daughters of Wisdom, the Missionaries of the Company of Mary, and the Brothers of St. Gabriel. The feast of the rosary was introduced on the year of his death, and shortly thereafter, the Angelus was revitalized by Pope Benedict XIII. His three famous books, The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, The Secret of the Rosary, and The Secret of Mary, have all been gathered in the recent St. Louis de Montfort Collection.

E0EDDF0E-5A8E-46F6-BFDB-ABE436E19CE1St. Louis de Montfort came along during a period of advancement in the discussion of Mariology. Saints Bellarmine and Lawrence, along with Pope Alexander VII, advanced Thomas Aquinas’ twelfth-century investigations of Mariology, while Jesuits and Baroque artists produced more literature and artwork focused on the Virgin Mary than had ever previously existed.

Despite this advancement in Mariology, the Enlightenment era of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries marked a notable decline in Marian writings. The elevation of rationalism and empiricism challenged everything from Marian intercession to the Virgin Birth. The rosary was seldom prayed, the writings on Mary scaled back, and feast days for Mary were all but removed from the calendar. The persecution of the Catholic Church in France and Spain during this period also contributed to a decline in Marian studies (though St. Alphonsus Ligouri developed a few noteworthy texts on Mary, most notably The Glories of Mary.)

The rediscovery of St. Louis de Montfort’s famous works in the middle of the nineteenth century contributed to a spark in the revival of devotion to Mary and prayer through the rosary. Pope Alexander VII’s discussions of the Immaculate Conception were renewed by Pope Pius IX and the First Vatican Council, and the nineteenth century closed with the reign of the famous “Rosary Pope,” Leo XIII, who wrote a record number of encyclicals on the Virgin Mary.

Whether for your own personal devotions or for your investigation of Roman Catholic Mariology, we’ve compiled St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort’s famous writings on Community Pricing for you. Bid whatever price you think it’s worth—with the rest of the Verbum community, you can determine the price you’ll pay for the collection when it ships, often saving you hundreds of dollars in the long run. New to Community Pricing? Check out the video on the landing page and see how it works!

Filed Under: History, Mary, Products

Behold, Your Mother: A Closer Look at Mary as the New Eve

May 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Today’s guest post is by Kyle Fuller, marketing assistant at Logos Bible Software.

May is the month that the Church, starting in thirteenth century, has dedicated to reverence and veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In observance of this Marian month, let’s remember the miraculous things God did through her, and what we can learn from her obedience and love.

madonna-and-child-giving-blessings“What the virgin Eve bound by her unbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.” —Lumen Gentium, 56

St. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that Jesus Christ is the New Adam. “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). If in Christ Jesus we have the new Adam, then it is through the Blessed Virgin Mary that we have the new Eve.

“The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.” —Genesis 3:20

Eve was the mother of all Creation; beside Adam, she looked after all the lands and animals, and birthed humanity. Mary was, in turn, the mother of all the New Creation, looking after us after Christ died. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus commanded on the Cross that Mary be the mother of his new Creation, that she look after us after his death (and ultimately his resurrection)—“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26–27). Both virgins brought forth new life, one for this world and one for the next.

Just as the former—that is, Eve—was seduced by the words of an angel so that she turned away from God by disobeying his word, so the latter—Mary—received the good news from an angel’s announcement in such a way as to give birth to God by obeying his word . . . And as the human race was subjected to death by a virgin, it was liberated by a virgin; a virgin’s disobedience was thus counterbalanced by a Virgin’s obedience. —St. Irenaeus, “Against Heresies” 3:22:24

Eve was created immaculate. She walked the Earth pure and unsullied by the stain of sin. In fact, sin did not enter the world until she and Adam brought it. Ever since the Fall, sin has been destroying the world, bringing men and women to their knees repenting and asking for God’s grace and mercy. But just as sin came into the world through a spotless virgin, so salvation would come through another. Eve lived her life disobeying God, falling into darkness and brokenness. Mary lived her life in obedience to God, even when it seemed an insurmountable task was placed before her.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is what Eve was created to be. God formed Eve because Adam needed “a helper fit for him” (Gen. 2:18). Rather than helping Adam follow God’s commands, Eve aided him in turning away from God. Mary did the exact opposite. At the wedding of Cana, the Holy Mother encouraged her son to perform his first miracle, and show the world that he was the Christ, beginning his ministry. Both women were created to be helpers, but only one led a man into God’s obedience and plan—to be our savior.

If, then, piety is the virtue which binds us to the sources of all life, to God, to our parents, to the church, to Christ, certainly Christian piety binds us, in grateful love, to Mary—or our acceptance of Christ and of the mystery of our kinship with Him is imperfect, partial, and unfulfilled. —Cardinal John Wright

Jesus Christ is Lord. We are to look to him for grace, for mercy, and as the living Word of God. He is the Immanuel, “God with us,” and for our sake he sacrificed himself on the cross. He lived in obedience, whereas Adam lived in obstinacy. Mary, too, stands as an exemplar of humility, modeling everything we are supposed to be—obedient, trusting, and submissive to God’s will because he has shown us time and again he knows what is best for us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” he tells us through the Prophet Jeremiah. Yet for all of this, we often forsake the one who loves us more than we can comprehend. The Blessed Virgin Mary did not. She listened to the angel, said “yes” to God when Eve said “no,” and birthed the one who saved us all. Spend this May in prayer, offering your heart up to Mary, and ask yourself how you, too, can be a New Eve or Adam.

To celebrate the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are offering Queen Mother: A Biblical Theology of Mary’s Queenship and the Catholic for a Reason Collection—two resources that focus on Mary—for 15% off with the coupon code Mary2013.

Filed Under: Apologetics, Mary, Products, Theology
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