• Excerpts from the Revised Standard Version Bible, Catholic Edition, copyright 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
• Excerpts and quotations from Friends of God, Christ is Passing By, The Way, Forge, and Furrow by St. Josemaria Escriva.
• Excerpts from Practical Meditations for every day in the year on the life of our Lord Jesus Christ…composed by a Father of the Society of Jesus; from In Conversation with God, Volumes 1 to 7 by Francis Fernandez; from Jesus as Friend by Salvatore Canals; from Blessed Be God by Very Rev Charles J. Callan, OP, STM and Very Rev John a McHugh, OP. STM; from Two Months with Mary by Rev Joseph A. Viano, SSP; from Children of God by Francis Fernandez-Carvajal and Peter Beteta; and from Encounters with Christ by Fr. M. Guzman.
• Text of the Devotion to St. Joseph: The Seven Sundays and May Devotions including excerpts for the homilies “ In Joseph Workshop” and “The Epiphany of the Lord” in Christ is Passing By and Friends of God by St. Josemaria Escriva, from Handbook of Prayers edited by Fr. Charles Belmonte and Fr. James Socias.
• Excerpts from Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II, The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II, and Breakfast with the Pope, Daily Readings by Pope John Paul II.

_______________________________________________________________________

Novena for the Dead

by Fr Fernand L. Cruz, S.T.D.

Our affection for those who accompanied us here on earth remains alive even after theirdeath. And it is a consoling truth of our Faith that, through theCommunion of Saints, wecan help the faithful departed attainthe eternal happiness of heaven as soon as possible.
            Consequently we remember them and pray for their eternal rest, make sacrifices and perform good works, refer indulgences to them, and most especially, we have Masses offered for them. In the Scriptures we read that Judas Maccabee “made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” (2 Mac 12:48).
            With death the time for repentance and for gaining merit ends. The suffering souls in purgatory depend now on the members of the Church on earth and in heaven to alleviate their sufferings and attain their eternal glory.
            Praying for the dead is one of the spiritual works of mercy. In many cases, if the person was close to us, it may also be a duty of justice. We have to repay the love that they showed us here on earth with love, through our prayers.
            The custom of gathering together in prayer for nine consecutive days (novena) after the death of a loved one is an act of charity that is very pleasing to God. Jesus himself said, “I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me” (Mt 25:40). And so, we ourselves merit by praying for the dead.
            This particular collection of liturgical prayers, scriptural readings and spiritual considerations was prepared to help families and friends participate actively in group prayer. The reader can also make good use of the texts herein for private prayer anytime during the year, e.g., wakes, death anniversaries, visits to cemeteries, and during the month of November traditionally dedicated to prayer for the faithful departed.
(Fr Fernand L. Cruz, STD)

Understanding the Mass

by Charles Belmonte

• Clearly presents what the Mass is, what happens in the liturgy, and what impact the Eucharist can have on a person's life.
• Incorporates the most recent legislation of the Church on the liturgy of the Mass and explains it in a way that is easy to understand.
• Addresses all who are puzzled, who cannot see the relevance of the Mass to their daily living.
• Suitable for use as a reference for the preparation of homilies, talks, and meditations.
• Divided in two sections. The first is a systematic explanation of the Mass as a whole. The second studies the different parts of the Mass from the viewpoints of liturgy, history, theology, and practical piety.
• For daily Mass-goers, this excellent book is worth having and reading.
• For the ordinary church-goer and anyone who wants to love the Mass more.
• 7" x 4.5" • 300 pages • bookpaper •softbound

Daily Roman Missal

(English-Latin)
First Edition 1989

The Daily Roman Missal (DRM) has the prayers (Missale Romanum, 1975) and readings (Ordo Lectionum Missae, 1981) of the Saunday and weekday Masses of the Proper of Seasons, Solemnities and Feasts of Our Lord, the Proper of Saints from the Universal Roman Calendar, as well as the National Calendars of most of the English-speaking countries. A selection of votive and ritual Masses, Masses for various needs and occasions, and Masses for the dead has also been incorporated.

The DRM is a one-volume compilation of the texts for Sunday Masses, Solemnities and weekday Masses printed in their entirety. Latin antiphons, presidential prayers, Gospel acclamations and responses to the Psalms are included to facilitate active participation of the faithful during Latin Masses. The scriptural readings are taken from the Jerusalem Bible.

The Missal includes at the back the Treasury of Prayers. It is a compilation of prayers that could help in conversing with God confidently and intimately. Most are traditional and are thus grounded in the piety of the Communion of the Saints.

The years of liturgical reform after the Second Vatican Council have underscored the need for a missal for the faithful, one that would enable them to savour the richness of the sacrifice of the Holy Mass throughout the liturgical year and which would gather all the wealth of prayers and readings used in the liturgy. This book is intended to answer that need. It helps prepare, participate in, and live the daily celebration of the Eucharist.

The missal of the faithful is a book for the home as well as the church. It familiarizes the people of God with the Sacred Scripture, explaining it.

For an ordinary Christian, the missal is the best book of prayers. It contains the experience of the Church, the .teacher of prayer. With it one may converse with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, whether in the liturgical synaxis or in the intimacy of one's heart.

2,218 pages • Printed on Bible paper. Hardbound • 1993 edition

Do You Want to be Great?

Reflections on the Virtue of Humility

by Charles Belmonte

"Do you want to be great?--Become little. Do you plan to erect a building of colossal height? Apply yourself first to set a solid foundation--the higher your building, the deeper the foundation should be. The building will be going up; it will soar high; but first someone must dig the foundations, sink in the depths. Before going up, buildings go down; they humble themselves. The finials and pinnacles gracefully stand up only after the hu¬miliation" (St. Augustine, Sermon 142).

Are you willing to go along this route? Begin your journey of humility by the hand of great saints, masters of spirituality, from St. Augustine to Pope Leo XIII and beyond. In this book, you will find many thoughts of a modem saint, St. Josemaria Escriva; he, more than any other man, helped many of us to live better our Christian lives.

310 pages • 4.5" x 7" • softbound •bookpaper

Patience: The Path to Victory

by Charles Belmonte

The victory you try to get will come only after treading a path. You will find difficulties, but remember, in this life, like in sports, one loss does not make a season.You must trasverse a long drive strewn with hopes and fears, satisfaction and disappointments, joys and suffering. You will tread that path going through each of these elements. Yet, you must set your eyes in the final goal, reject any sadness resulting from these hardships, and continue fighting. When you do that, you are living the virtue of patience. (Excerpt from the preface)

• 5.5” x 8.5” • 256 pages • bookpaper • softbound
  

To Know Christ Jesus

by F.J. Sheed

THIS IS NOT A BIOGRAPHY--the Gospels were written by men who were not biographically-minded. It is not a Gospel Commentary either, though written in the light shed upon the text by scholars. The author's concern with the Gospels is to see the face which looks out from them upon men. The book is about Christ--not the Christ of the great preachers or the great Painters, but the Christ of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is written for the great mass of people in our world who reverence him but barely know him. Its object is not to prove anything but to meet Someone.

382 pages • 5.5" x 8.25" • bookpaper • softbound

Books Printed by National Bookstore
in collaboration with Theological Centrum

Priestly Celibacy

Fidelity to a Divine Gift

Celibacy is God’s gift to us. Let us be grateful for it. Let us safeguard it as we would take care of the precious gifts given to us by those whom we love and hold close to our hearts.

Celibacy is our gift to God. Let us keep it beautiful. It is a gift that we offer to God not only at the rite of ordination but at every moment of our lives. God cherishes this gift from us. May it remain pure and holy, undefiled and whole.

Celibacy is a gift. Celibacy is our task. It is our obligation. We owe the people of God the powerful witnessing of happy and dedicated celibates. Let us give the Lord and the people of God our very best. Only our best is good enough.

+JAIME CARDINAL L. SIN, D.D.
Archbishop of Manila

6” x 8 ½”• 272 pages• bookpaper• softbound

50 Questions on the Natural Law

(What it is and Why we need it)

by Charles Rice

This book approaches the subject on two levels. First, if offers to state, as plainly as possible, the natural law jurisprudence of Saint Thomas Aquinas and its bases in reason and revelation. On the second level, especially in Questions 35 through 49, it examines relevant teachings of the magisterium, or teaching authority, of the Catholic Church. Saint Thomas accepted the Magisterium as the indispensable arbiter of morals as well as of faith. The Magisterium is the arbiter of the meaning of the natural law on specific issues. However, the Magisterium does not undertake merely to explain the natural law. Rather, it incorporates natural law as an aspect of the Truth, who is a person, Jesus Christ.

5 ½” x 8” •334 pages• bookpaper• softbound

The Battle for Normality

A Guide for (Self-) Theraphy for Homosexuality

by Gerard J.M. Van Den Aardweg, Ph.D.

This book is primarily meant for those persons afflicted with homesexuality who seek practical advice in order to change,or, at least, to deal with it constructively and (morally) responsibly. It is written with their needs, anxieties, and weakness in mind, as Dr. van den Aawweg has learned them during more than 30 years of theraphy with homosexual persons.

There is a need for such a practical “guide” because there are very few able therapists who want to help the well-intentioned homosexual to change, and because most existing works on homosexuality-no matter how excellent their content may be- are chiefly about theory, not about every-day self-theraphy. Theoretical subjects are discussed, too, insofar, as they are necessary to be able to fight the homosexual inclination and to refute certain myths that may undermine the homosexual’s confidence in the possibility of a change.

Order now from Theological Centrum
Tel. nos. 635-6113, 634-8590
Emal: theologicalcentrum@yahoo.com