The Path of Spiritual Happiness

The Path of Spiritual Happiness

The Path of Spiritual Happiness

by Dr. Heather M. Erb

This book is a story of the unfolding triumph of Christian happiness as a philosophy of life. We begin with ancient Greek roots and principles provided us by Aristotle, ‘the master of those who know.’ We continue through medieval flourishing in the sparkling syntheses of the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas. We move to the application of this Dominican saint’s penetrating vision to leisure and worship by a prominent twentieth century Thomist pilgrim, Josef Pieper. Pope John Paul II’s encyclicals complete the threads in this little tapestry of reason redeemed, which is offered for today’s Christian in the heart of the world.

Fr. Kevin E. O’Reilly, O.P. (Angelicum, Rome), in his Foreword to this volume, writes:

The synthesis of faith and reason and fidelity to the Church’s magisterium are hallmarks of this volume, which deals with the most fundamental of human desires, namely the desire for happiness….My own desire is that it become a standard text in Catholic educational circles and, indeed, beyond!….What better way to prepare the soil of contemporary culture for the reception of the Gospel of Joy than to outline the nature of true happiness!

Paperback $14.95 | Kindle $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“I enjoyed reading The Path of Spiritual Happiness. It is a well-founded presentation of a topic which is so important to the moral behaviour of mankind in our present age, when theological arguments are not very popular. The philosophical foundation therefore is becoming more important.” – +Bishop Attila Miklósházy S.J., ep.emeritus Hungarorum in exteris, prof. et decanus emeritus Facultatis Theol. in Seminario S. Augustini, in Toronto School of Theology; author of a 5 volume series, The Origin And Development of the Christian Liturgy According to Cultural Epochs: Political, Cultural and Ecclesial Backgrounds (Mellen Press).


“Dr. Heather Erb’s The Path of Spiritual Happiness is paved with good intentions, sage counsel, and delightful results.  This carefully crafted compendium of the best of Christian philosophy throughout the ages illuminates the mind and brings joy to the heart — a must-read for all seekers of the wisdom and happiness that only Truth can bring.” – Kevin Vost, Psy.D., author of Memorize the Mass! and The One-Minute Aquinas


The Path of Spiritual Happiness is a wonderful book not only for students, but also for all Catholic intellectuals. Dr. Erb’s book is scholastically authoritative and engaging, providing contemporary examples for today’s world.” – Dr. Ronda Chervin, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Holy Apostles College & Seminary, and author of Catholic Realism: A Framework for the Refutation of Atheism and the Evangelization of Atheists

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather M. Erb is a moderator in the Great Books Program of Angelicum Academy. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas from University of Toronto, as well as degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies from St. Michael’s College (University of Toronto) and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium). Dr. Erb has taught at a variety of universities, including Lock Haven, Catholic Distance University, Penn State, Fordham, St. Francis, and University of Toronto. She publishes widely in Catholic academic and popular journals and books, and lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband and three children.

 

Representative Publications

  • “Modernism and the Growing Catholic Identity Problem: Thomistic Reflections and Solutions” (available online: Studia Gilsoniana 4:3 July –September 2015, 251-83): http://www.gilsonsociety.pl/studia-gilsoniana/4-2015/251-283/
  • Pati Divina: Mystical Union in Aquinas” in Faith, Scholarship, and Culture in the 21st Century, Alice Ramos and Marie George, eds., Catholic University of America Press (2002) 73-96 [Introduction by Robert Royal]: https://www3.nd.edu/~maritain/ama/Faith/faith104.pdf
  • Heather M. Erb, “Metaphysical Aspects of Aquinas’ Doctrine of the Spiritual Life” (Proceedings of the International Congress on “Christian Humanism in the Third Millennium: The Perspective of Thomas Aquinas” (Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas and the Thomas Aquinas International Society) 2003 http://www.e-aquinas.net/pdf/mcadam.pdf
  • From Rivulets to the Fountain’s Source: Image and Love in Aquinas’ Christian Anthropology” in Pagan-Aguiar and Auer, eds. The Human Person and a Culture of Freedom (Catholic University of America Press, March 2009) 61-91: https://www3.nd.edu/~maritain/ama/Human/Human104.pdf
  • “Chosen for Glory: Aquinas on Vocation to the Supernatural”, in John Hittinger, ed., The Vocation of the Catholic Philosopher from Maritain to John Paul II (Catholic University of America Press, 2010) 230-252: https://www3.nd.edu/~maritain/ama/Vocation/Vocation403.pdf
  • Articles in New Oxford Review, including: “The Pilgrim Church and Ummat al-Islam: Two Visions of Peace and Community”, (November 2013); “The Charismatic Appetite” (November 2008); “Truth – A Destroyer of Community?” (March 2010)
  • “The Varieties of Wisdom and The Consolation of Philosophy” (Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture3 (Summer 2012) 161-189.

OTHER ACADEMIC BOOKS

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Mary, the Beloved

Mary, the Beloved

Mary, the Beloved

by Keith Berubé

The Magisterium of the Catholic Church teaches that Marythe Mother of God, is a grace-filled, flesh and blood woman, who unsurpassingly loves each of us by name. Marythe Beloved, affirms that teaching, providing a theological and philosophical portraiture of our Heavenly Mother that plunges both heart and intellect deeply into her mystery. It’s not simply to teach doctrine that this book was written, but to introduce the reader to a real Lady who will fill their hearts.

Paperback $16.95 | Hardcover $27.95 | Kindle $9.99

INTERVIEWS

  • WCAT Radio interview with Bob Olson and Sebastian Mahfood:

  • Interview on Tumblar (note that Tumblar is selling the book at $3 more than it costs to purchase on Amazon)
  • EWTN with Jim and Joy

TESTIMONIALS

Mary, the Beloved by Keith Berube is a fresh look at our heavenly mother. How many Catholics do you meet who say they want to get closer to Mary but don’t know how? Often this is because what is given them to read has old-fashioned language that becomes a barrier to understanding. Or, they think too much of Mary as a plaster statue, stately and lovely but distant, and certainly not a mother who loves them in an individual way as most other mothers love their children. By contrast, Berube’s book is contemporary, but reliant on Scripture and tradition. He brings to bear on the subject of Mary not only Christian psychology, philosophy and theology but also a personal, charming literary style!  It is full of surprises!”  – Dr. Ronda Chervin, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Holy Apostles College & Seminary, and author of Weeping with Jesus: The Journey from Grief to Hope

“Keith Berube has composed a remarkable, exegetical, philosophical and theological meditation on the meaning of Mary. His Mary, the Beloved lovingly traces Mary’s presence through the Old and New Testaments, dogma, doctrine and apparitions within a deep contextual appreciation of the nature of femininity and motherhood. This work takes the highest mystical and poetical exaltations of Our Lady and is able to transfer, without reduction, their crystalline wisdom into a rigorous reflection. What is never lost in this devotional exegesis is what Peguy knew to be true: that the only asylum is the hollow of Her hand as the garden where the soul finally opens up. And it is within this hollow that Berube elevates the mystery of the whispering of a secret between God and Mary so intimate, so historical, utterly loving, free and necessary to our salvation. Highly Recommended. – Caitlin Smith Gilson, PhD Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Holy Cross, New Orleans”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Keith Berubé, author of Mary: The Rosary, the Relationship, and Dragons and A Love Letter to Mary, holds holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and has taken doctoral studies at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. His MA and doctoral studies focused on Mariology and he is currently writing his doctoral dissertation at the University of South Africa under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Slater and the co-direction of Fr. Peter Kucer, MSA, currently serving as the Interim Rector-President at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. His doctoral thesis concerns the eschatological reality of Mary and the intimate relationship God desires people to have with her. Mr. Berubé writes Marian articles for Homiletic and Pastoral Review, is featured in the upcoming 2019 edition of Fr. Donald Calloway’s Marian Journal Mater Misericordiae, has given various radio interviews, and has appeared on Mother Angelica’s EWTN. He teaches at Queen of Heaven Academy and resides with his wife and their five children in Columbus, Ohio.

See Keith’s article in Homiletic and Pastoral Review entitled “‘To Jesus through Mary’ is Not Enough” (October 2, 2018)

MARY, OUR BLESSED MOTHER

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Eyewitnesses: Biblical Foundations in Christian Spirituality

Eyewitnesses: Biblical Foundations in Christian Spirituality

Eyewitnesses: Biblical Foundations in Christian Spirituality

– Ed. by Fr. John Horn, S.J.

St. Paul prays with ardent desire that “the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened, that we might know what is the hope of the risen Jesus’ calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance” (Eph 1:18). This book contains glimpses of the riches of God’s glory. Seminarians offer a brief understanding of foundations in Christian Spirituality while reflecting upon selected topics in Fr. Xavier Leon-Du Four’s seminal work entitled Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Through the art of sharing witness stories, the truth and beauty of Jesus’ active loving is unveiled, and we are invited to see with new eyes.

Paperback $14.95 | Kindle $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

This is a perfect book to prepare for the Synod on Youth, Faith and Vocations. – Bishop Felipe J. Estévez, Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida


These brief reflections on spiritual truth reach beyond the head to the heart, because they are the real witness of those who, like us, seek to drink deeply at the well of Christ’s love.  Time spent reflecting on these biblically rooted truths of our faith will allow our hearts to be conformed to the living word, so that we can radiate His love to many. – Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota


As Rector of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, I am very proud of our students for pulling together to publish this little work. Each topic is quite evidently the fruit of their study and prayer. I believe any reader will be edified and encouraged on their own faith journey by the insights and personal reflections contained in this book. – Msgr. David L. Toups, S.T.D., President-Rector of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, Florida


Eyewitnesses provides a wonderful summary of foundational Biblical themes illustrated through personal examples. The simple format nourishes the reader while inviting the reader’s personal response. – Fr. Rich Gabuzda, Executive Director, Institute of Priestly Formation


The students’ testimonies in first year theology are expressions not only of dogmatic faith but also of personal faith. The reflection questions at the end of each chapter help guide readers to personalize their faith by leading them to a conversion of heart. This is a necessary process of growth in head, heart and hands as taught by Pope Francis. – Fr. Jack Hunthausen, SJ, Spiritual Director and Pastoral Ministry


Eyewitnesses is a most edifying testament to the personal verification of truth that is indispensable for all disciples of Jesus, but especially for those called to serve the unfolding of faith of their brothers and sisters as future priests. I am impressed and encouraged by the unique inspiration that this project represents and by the way in which these reflections manifest authentic encounters with the Risen One whose beauty saves and whose gentleness heals. – Fr. Peter J. Williams, Vice Rector for Formation, St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas


These essays and reflective questions lift the veil, revealing the glory of God coming closer as Psalm 42:7 expresses, “deep calls to deep.” May you enter into the deep waters of new life through these Eyewitnesses. – Mrs. Jane Guenther, Director of Catholic Renewal Center, Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri


Eyewitnesses’ reflections enlighten the mind, touch the heart, and encourage the readers to journey in truth, love, beauty, and freedom as joyful witnesses of Christ the Lord. The seminarians’ labor of love will bear much fruit. – Franca Salvo, A.O., Consecrated Apostolic Oblate in the Ministry of Intercession.

DONATION OF ROYALTIES

Mission Bethlehem” in Wharf Jeremie, Haiti, will be the recipient of all royalties received from book sales. This is a Catholic community of missionaries who live with the poor in the same situation as they live. The missionaries work with those who live on the streets and suffer from various addictions, inviting them into a house of hospitality that provides support to them in their choice to leave their vices. In engaging in this kind of work, the missionary community desires to live as an image of the Holy Family inspired by the love of  St. Joseph and Mary with Jesus. Mission Bethlehem also sponsors a school for children, a clinic for those suffering from physical and spiritual malnutrition and an orphanage.

     

ABOUT THE GENERAL EDITOR

Following his ordination in 1985, Father John Horn, SJ served in the Jesuit Refugee Service in Bataan, Philippines. This assignment was followed by teaching in secondary education in the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. In 1992, he was privileged to be a co-founder of the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF), an institute dedicated to serving diocesan seminarians and priests. In the Institute, he served as spiritual director and teacher in the ministry of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola and in administration. Currently, Father Horn is Professor of Spiritual and Pastoral Theology at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.

OTHER ACADEMIC BOOKS

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The Way of Love: The Path of Inner Transformation

The Way of Love: The Path of Inner Transformation

The Way of Love: The Path of Inner Transformation

by Dr. Ronda Chervin

A reprint of Dr. Ronda’s The Way of Love: The Battle for Inner Transformation, this new edition under a new subtitle puts back in front of the world the nature of human love alongside human passion as told from the perspective of a woman who has deeply experienced both.

All of us hope that others think of us as loving persons. But do we really have nothing but love in our hearts: how about anger, anxiety, despair, annoyance, the blahs…? Learn from Dr. Ronda’s The Way of Love how to understand different types of love, how to overcome obstacles to love with the grace of God, and how to make loving moral decisions. Respond to the challenge of becoming more loving day by day as a spiritual marathon runner.

Paperback $18.95 | Kindle $9.99

FROM THE AUTHOR

“I wanted to write something that would deal with a passionate concern of mine about myself and others – how is it that I, and many of my closest friends, long and yearn to be holy, defined by me as having nothing but love in our hearts, and yet it doesn’t happen. As well as love, we find pockets of anger (the bad kind), anxiety, discouragement, disgruntlement… and other unloving emotions. And how is it that these don’t yield to the graces of daily Mass, the rosary, liturgy of the hours, adoration, or talking to Jesus all day?

“My diagnosis was that our prayers and thoughts are often too vague so that we can be in denial of our worst patterns of thought, word, and deed in spite of general prayers to be more loving. My remedy was to write for my blog-readers a 100-day book, not of sweet meditations but, instead, of challenges. I wrote it. I tested out each one on myself ,with ardent prayers for God’s help, in the writing and the practicing, with the result that some of my nearest and dearest thought I had improved greatly.

“Let us step forth on the way of love with this Scripture as our challenge: ‘You are the temple of the living God, just as God has said: I dwell with them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and in the fear of God strive to fulfill our consecration perfectly.’ (2 Corinthian 6:16b; 7, 1)” — Ronda Chervin

TESTIMONIALS

“I was the first Catholic that Ronda met, and we became friends immediately. She could be called ‘the Apostle of the Confused’ because, through grace, she is making good use of her atheistic background to reach many of those who live in darkness and confusion. The water of atheism (and other dirty water) is changed into the wine of faith.” – Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, author of Man and Woman: A Divine Intervention

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronda Chervin has a Ph.D. in philosophy from Fordham University and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Notre Dame Apostolic Institute. She is a convert to the Catholic faith from a Jewish but atheistic background. She has been a professor at Loyola Marymount University, St. John’s Seminary of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Our Lady of Corpus Christi, and presently teaches at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut. More than fifty books of hers have been published by Catholic presses in the area of philosophy and spirituality. Dr. Ronda presents on EWTN and Catholic radio. She is a dedicated widow and grandmother. Her many books include Quotable SaintsHealing Meditations from the Gospel of St. JohnCatholic RealismVoyage to InsightWeeping with Jesusand Healing of Rejection

OTHER ACADEMIC BOOKS

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The Moral Psychology of St. Thomas Aquinas: An Introduction to Ragamuffin Ethics

The Moral Psychology of St. Thomas Aquinas: An Introduction to Ragamuffin Ethics

The Moral Psychology of St. Thomas Aquinas: An Introduction to Ragamuffin Ethics

by Dr. Peter Redpath

Through a radical reinterpretation of classical philosophy as an organizational psychology, The Moral Psychology of St. Thomas: An Introduction to Ragamuffin Ethics just as radically reinterprets St. Thomas Aquinas’s moral teaching to be a behavioristic psychology chiefly designed to synthesize right reason and right pleasure to help a person excel at living life as a whole. In the process of so doing, this work demonstrates how the skill of prudential living is a necessary condition for becoming a grand master of leadership in any and every profession.

Paperback $39.95 | Hardback: $64.95 | Kindle: $9.99

INTERVIEWS

Catholic Cave Interviews with Peter Redpath:
April 17, 2017
 May 15, 2017

REVIEWS

TESTIMONIALS

Brilliant, as usual!” – John N. Deely, author of Medieval Philosophy Redefined


“If you’re a leader, you need to read this book. In Ragamuffin Ethics, Dr. Redpath provides a powerfully effective psychology for energizing organizations to become their best. His teachings have fundamentally changed my life, and how I coach our clients at top organizations throughout the country.” – Peter C. DeMarco, Executive Coach, CEO of Priority Thinking, and author of the forthcoming book, The Good Will Leader


“This is the only work in modern times that can be said to bring together three seemingly incompatible words: practical, science, and moral.” – Eduardo Bernot, Aquinas Leadership International


“The modern person needs to make decisions, however she or he has received a limited and fragmented knowledge to do that. Dr. Redpath provides an integrated view of modern science, relying on the wider view of philosophy, inviting other sciences, that way providing an integrated and consistent view of personal psychological as well as organizational dimensions. This work clarifies every topic with a fresh view of Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas wisdom, enlightening with a profound analysis, and critical thinking, the roads to making ethical decisions. Redpath’s work is an extraordinary contribution to modern moral psychology, presenting the strengths and limitations of modern philosophy, by highlighting the power of Christian Metaphysics in building personal and organizational leadership, ethics, values, virtues, discernment.” – Dr. Juan Pablo Stegmann

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter A. Redpath (retired Full Professor of Philosophy at St. John’s University, New York) is author, editor, co-editor of 22 books and many dozens of articles and book reviews. An internationally recognized scholar, since 1980 he has given over 200 invited guest lectures nationally and internationally. Among his many accomplishments, he is CEO of the Aquinas School of Leadership, LLC; former Founder and Chair of the Thomistic Studies Graduate Concentration in Christian Wisdom for Holy Apostles College and Seminary (USA); an Affiliate Scholar with the University Abat Oliba Graduate program (Barcelona, Spain). Peter is also co-founder of the Gilson Society (USA) and the International Etienne Gilson Society, the Adler-Aquinas Institute, and the Angelicum Academy and Great Books Academy homeschool programs (both founded with the help of Mortimer J. Adler); former executive editor of the Value Inquiry Book Series (VIBS) for the Dutch publisher Editions Rodopi, B.V., and special series editor for Rodopi and Brill/Rodopi. Presently, he is a member of the editorial board of Brill Publishing’s Philosophy and Religion (PAR) series, a member of the Advisory Board of the Lyceum Institute, and Officer in Charge of Medieval Christian Philosophy and Academic Liaison to the Holy See for Global Scholarly Publications. For a list of articles published on the Catholic World Report, see http://www.catholicworldreport.com/author/redpath-peter/

One of the books Dr. Redpath has edited and highly endorses is Origin of the Human Species by Dr. Dennis Bonnette. Dr. Bonnette has also written an article on the topic entitled, “The rational credibility of a literal Adam and Eve.” When combined with the article, the book provides a Thomistic interpretation of mainstream evolution theory that is consonant with Catholic teaching, including that regarding our first parents.The article is found in the peer reviewed Spanish philosophical journal, Espiritu. For a list of articles published on the Catholic World Report, see http://www.catholicworldreport.com/author/redpath-peter/

OTHER CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHY BOOKS

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