Free ebook: “Calvary and the Altar”, by Mademoiselle Guillemaut

See this online ebook:

• Calvary and the Altar; or, Devotions for the Octave of the Blessed Sacrament, the Forty Hours (Quarant’ ore) and the Days of Perpetual Adoration, by Mademoiselle [Léonie] Guillemaut; translated and with a preface by Lady Herbert [Mary Elizabeth Herbert, Baroness] (London, Dublin, Derby: Thomas Richardson and Son; New York: Henry H. Richardson & Co., 1870). Available in pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive.

See also these texts and ebooks on the Sacrament of the Eucharist:

• The Coming Home Journal, Volume I, Issue 3: The Eucharist (July-December 1998). Includes the articles: “The Real Presence” by David Palm, “Transubstantiation and the Eucharist” and “St. Augustine’s Belief in the Real Presence” by David Armstrong, “But What Do We Mean By ‘The Real Presence’?” by Dwight Longenecker, “The Holy Eucharist (reprint)” by James Cardinal Gibbons, “The Meal of Melkizedek” by Scott Hahn, Ph. D., and “Before You Object” by Marcus Grodi. Available in PDF format (on this page) at the Coming Home Network.
• The Eucharist: Sacrament and Sacrifice, by Father Giles Dimock, O.P., S.T.D. (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2009). With Imprimatur. May be read online and available in pdf format through this page of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council – Catholic Information Service.
• The Eucharistic Christ: Reflections and Considerations on the Blessed Sacrament, by the Rev. A. [Albert] Tesnière, translated by Mrs. Anne R. Bennett-Gladstone, with a Preface by the Rev. D.J. McMahon, D.D. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1897). With Imprimatur. Available at Google Books. May be read online, and available in pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, and other formats, at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• Eucharistic Meditations of the Curé d’Ars, by St. John Baptist Mary Vianney (Carmelite Publications, 1961). Available in pdf format (here) at through this archive of the Irish Province of the Order of Carmelites; and also available at Yumpu. [N.B., We have assumed that this work was lawfully published online since it is available on a Carmelite website. If this assumption is incorrect, please comment immediately so we may immediately remove the link.]
• Lectures on the Holy Eucharist, by Charles Coupe, S.J., M.A., edited with notes and references by Hatherley More (London: R. & T. Washbourne; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1906). Available in pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive; also available at Forgotten Books (with some copies limited to members).
• The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise. Volume II, The Holy Eucharist, 2^nd revised edition by Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph Pohle, adapted and edited by Arthur Preuss (London, St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1917). Book IX of the Pohle-Preuss Dogmatic Theology series. With Imprimatur. Available on multiple formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 3^rd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.

On the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, see the following books and texts:

• Hierurgia; or, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; With Notes and Dissertations Elucidating its Doctrines and Ceremonies, and Numerous Illustrations, 3^rd edition, by Daniel Rock, revised by W. H. James Weale (London : John Hodges, 1892). Volume 1 is available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library; and at eBooksRead.com. Volume 2 is available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; Dogmatically, Liturgically and Ascetically Explained, 3^rd edition, by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Gihr, translated from the sixth German edition (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1908). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats (pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, etc.) at Internet Archive and Open Library. An earlier edition (Freiburg im Breisgau, Vienna, Munich, Strassburg, St. Louis: B. Herder, 1902) is available at Internet Archive and Open Library, with another imprint (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1902) available at Internet Archive and Open Library. An excerpt from a 1918 edition, “The Saints of the Canon of the Mass”, reprinted from The Catholic Voice, is available in PDF format through this page of Sancta Missa.
• How Christ said the First Mass, or, The Lord’s Last Supper: The Rites and Ceremonies, the Ritual and Liturgy, the Forms of Divine Worship Christ Observed, when He Changed the Passover into the Mass, 2^nd edition, by Rev. James L. Meagher (New York: Christian Press Association, 1908). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library. The 1^st edition (New York: Christian Press Association, 1906) is also available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Sacrifice of the Mass: An Explanation of its Doctrine, Rubrics and Prayers; with an Introductory Chapter, 5^th edition, revised, enlarged, and corrected, by the Rev. M. Gavin, S.J. (London: Burns and Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1906). With Imprimatur. Available at the HathiTrust Digital Library; and in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.
• The Sacrifice of the Mass: An Explanation of its Doctrine, Rubrics and Prayers; with an Introductory Chapter, 3^rd edition, by the Rev. M. Gavin, S.J. (London: Burns and Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1903). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf format (on this page) of the Grupo São Tomás de Aquino. As linked from this page of Catholic AudioBooks, it may be read online on this page of the-latinmass, and it is available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Internet Archive. The audiobook of what appears to be the 3^rd edition, read out by Maureen S. O’Brien (2008) is available in video form (on this page), published 25 September 2017 by Classic Catholic Audiobooks. The same audiobook is also available in 3 parts at Internet Archive (linked from this page of Catholic AudioBooks): Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

On the worthy reception of Christ our Lord in Holy Communion, see the books and texts listed in our post “Online texts: Commentaries on ‘Amoris Laetitia’“, as well as the following texts:

• “Abortion, Bishops, Eucharist, and Politicians: A Question of Communion”, by Professor Gregory C. Sisk and Professor Charles J. Reid, Jr., The Catholic Lawyer, Vol. 43, No. 2, p.255-288 (Fall 2004). Available in pdf format on this page and on this page of the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), and on this page of the University of St. Thomas. What appears to be a November 2017 electronic reprint is available in pdf format on this page of the St. John’s Law Scholarship Repository.
• “Canon 915: The Discipline Regarding the Denial of Holy Communion to Those Obstinately Persevering in Manifest Grave Sin”, by the Most Rev. [now Cardinal] Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis, Periodica de Re Canonica, Vol. 96 (2007) pp. 3-58. May be read online on this page of the EWTN Library; and on this page of the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association, linked to from In the Light of the Law (blogspot)and In the Light of the Law (wordpress).
• Communio: International Catholic Review, Volume 41.2, Marriage: Theological and Pastoral Considerations (Summer 2014). Available (on this page) at Communio: International Catholic Review, including the following articles: “Marriage and the Family Between Anthropology and the Eucharist, by Cardinal Angelo Scola (in PDF format); “The Merciful Gift of Indissolubility and the Question of Pastoral Care for Civilly Divorced and Remarried Catholics”, by Nicholas J. Healy, Jr. (in PDF format); and “God’s Gift of Life and Love: On Marriage and the Eucharist”, by Pope St. John Paul II (in PDF format).
• “Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper”: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist, by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 14, 2006. Available in PDF format on this page of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Marriage: Theological and Pastoral Considerations (Washington, D.C.: Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage & Family and Communio International Catholic Review, 2015), which is available in PDF format (on this page) at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Catholic University of America.

Posted on the Feast of Corpus Christi in the Roman Rite. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: do this for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink it for the commemoration of me.

“For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord until he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.” (I Corinthians xi, 23-29)

Free ebook: “God Our Father”, by a Father of the Society of Jesus

See this legally free ebook:

• God Our Father, by a Father of the Society of Jesus (Rev. F.J. Boudreaux, S.J.) (London: Burns and Oates, 1878). May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive. An earlier impression (Baltimore: John Murphy & Co.; New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1873) with Imprimatur and superior’s approbation is available at Internet Archive and Open Library.

See also these other texts relating to God the Father:

• Catechesis on God the Father, by Pope John Paul II (General Audiences from December 16, 1998 through December 1999). Indexed and linked on this page of Pierced Hearts.
• General Audience of 23 May 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI. May be read online in Deutsch, English, Español, Français, Magyar, Italiano, e Portugues at the Holy See.

• “I believe in God: the almighty Father”, by Pope Benedict XVI (General Audience of 30 January 2013). May be read online in عربى , Deutsch, English, Español, Français, Magyar, Italiano, e Portugues at the Holy See; and may be read online in English at the Catholic News Agency (which provides a summary on this page). A video of the audience, in which the address delivered in English is much shorter than the prepared text, is available on Youtube. Both the prepared text and the text as delivered may be read online at Zenit.

See also these texts and audio on the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”, “Pater Noster”):

• The Lord’s Prayer, by Frederick N. Lynk, S.V.D. (Techny, Illinois: Mission Press, S.V.D., 1915). May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive. [Legal Notice: We believe that this work is in the public domain in the United States in view of its year of publication; but we are uncertain if it is in the public domain in other jurisdictions, as we are unable to determine the year of the author’s decease. Advice on this point would be highly appreciated.]
• The Lord’s Prayer, by Peter Kreeft (New Haven, CT:  Knights of Columbus Supreme Council—Catholic Information Service, 2001). With Imprimatur. The audiobook may be listened to, and is available in mp3 format, and the ebook may be viewed online and is available in pdf format, at the Catholic Information Service of the Knights of Columbus.
• The “Our Father”: A Booklet for Young and Old, from the German of F.X. Wetzel (St. Louis, Mo., B. Herder, 1899). May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive. [No Imprimatur, but printed by a reliably faithful and orthodox publishing house]
• The Our Father, Analyzed According to the Doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas, by Rev. J.G. Haen, S.J., translated by a Visitation Nun (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1903). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive.
• Saint Teresa’s Pater Noster: A Treatise on Prayer, by Joseph Giuseppe Frassinetti, translated by William Hutch, D.D. (London: Burns & Oates; New York: Catholic Publication Society Co., 1887). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive.

See also these texts relating to the Blessed Trinity:

• Catechesis on the Holy Trinity, by Pope John Paul II (General Audiences from November 16, 1997 to December 15, 1999). Indexed and linked on this page of Pierced Hearts.
• Conferences on the Blessed Trinity, by the Rev. Dr. J.J. O’Connell, O.S.B. (New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1882). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, Daisy, djvu, and txt formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.
• “Dear Priests: The Top 5 Heresies to Avoid This Trinity Sunday“, by Brantly Millegan, May 28, 2015, at ChurchPOP.
• The Divine Trinity: A Dogmatic Treatise, by the Rev. Joseph Pohle, Ph.D., D.D., authorized English version with some abridgment and numerous additional references, by Arthur Preuss. With Imprimatur. Volume II of the Dogmatic Theology series of Professor Joseph Pohle and Arthur Preuss.
  • The 1^st edition (St. Louis, Freiburg, London: B. Herder, 1912) is available at the Hathitrust Digital Library; and in pdf, epub, kindle, and other formats at Internet Archive (linked from this page of Ite Ad Thomam), with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive (linked from “Scholastic’s Bookshelf, Part IV (UPDATED)” at Edward Feser), a 3^rd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library (with some pages missing from table of contents), and a 4^th copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  • The 2^nd edition (St. Louis, Freiburg, London: B. Herder, 1915) is available at the Hathitrust Digital Library; and in pdf, epub, kindle, and other formats at Internet Archive, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive.
• “A Meditation on the Feast of the Holy Trinity”, by Msgr. Charles Pope, May 25, 2013, at Community in Mission.
• “The Trinity and our spiritual life”, by Father Ryan Erlenbush, 19 June 2011, at The New Theological Movement.

Posted for the Feast of the Holy Trinity in the one true and Catholic Church; and in solidarity with the celebration of Father’s Day in the United States and other nations. [N.B., And is it not a gift of our provident Lord that, in this evil year when both the Divine Paternity and men’s spiritual and physical fatherhood are obscured by error and sin, Father’s Day is being celebrated on the same day as the Solemnity of the Triune God? Pater noster, sanctificetur nomen Tuum!]

For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“[G]o out, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all the commandments which I have given you.” (St. Matthew xxviii, 19-20)

“[W]hen he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth… All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine. Therefore, I said, that he shall receive of mine, and will shew it to you” (St. John xvi, 13, 15)

Online text: “On the Christian Moral Order”, by the Vatican II Preparatory Theological Commission

See this online text:

• Draft of a Dogmatic Constitution on the Christian Moral Order, by the Preparatory Theological Commission for the Second Vatican Council, translated by Fr. Joseph A. Komonchak (2012). Available in pdf format (on this page) at In Verbo Veritatis.

See also these related texts and ebooks:

• Carta Encíclica «Veritatis splendor» sobre Algunas Cuestiones Fundamentales de la Enseñanza Moral de la Iglesia, del Papa San Juan Pablo II (6 de agosto 1993). Disponible en esta pagina de la Santa Sede; en esta pagina de ACI Prensa; en esta pagina del Archidiocesis de Valencia.
• Encyclical Letter “Veritatis splendor”, by Pope St. John Paul II (6 August 1993). Available at the Holy See and at IntraText. [According to Wikipedia: “The encyclical is one of the most comprehensive and philosophical teachings of moral theology in the Catholic tradition”]
• The Foundation of True Morality, by Rev. Thomas Slater, S.J. [1855-1928] (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger brothers, 1920). With Imprimatur. . May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi and other formats, at Internet Archive and Internet Archive.
• [The Moral Specification of Human Acts According to Thomas Aquinas]*, by Dr. Duarte Sousa-Lara, translated by Dr. Joseph T. Papa from Dr. Sousa-Lara’s dissertation, A especificação moral dos actos humanos segundo são Tomás de Aquino (Roma: Edizioni Università Santa Croce, 2008). [N.B.1, *The title is supplied from a translation of the original Portuguese title of the dissertation.] [N.B.2, The original Portuguese text has an Imprimatur and is available through this page at Etica e Politica. To our knowledge, its Introduction and Conclusion have not been translated into English.] The translated chapters, from this page of Etica e Politica, are:
  • Chapter 1, “The Sources of Aquinas on Human Action”;
  • Chapter 2, “Albert [Magnus] on human action and Aquinas”;
  • Chapter 3, “Human Action and its Morality in Aquinas (2008)”;
  • Chapter 4, “Aquinas on the Object of the Human Act: A Reading in Light of the Texts and Commentators”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 15, No. 2 (2008): pp. 243-276;
  • Chapter 5, “‘Genus naturae’ and ‘Genus moris’ in Aquinas”;
  • Chapter 6, “‘Materia ex qua’ and ‘Materia circa quam’ in Aquinas”;
  • Chapter 7, “‘Intentio’ and ‘Electio’ in Aquinas”;
  • Chapter 8, “Aquinas on Interior and Exterior Acts: Clarifying a Key Aspect of His Action Theory”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 15, No. 2 (2008): pp. 277-316;
  • Chapter 9, “‘Circumstantia’ and ‘Conditiones’ in Aquinas”;
  • Chapter 10, “‘Per se’ and ‘Praeter Intentionem’ in Aquinas (2011)”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 18, No. 2 (2011): pp. 418-453; and
  • Chapter 11, “The Ordo Rationis and the Moral Species”, in the Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol. 17, No. 1 (2010): pp. 80-125. [Note that the last may not be an exact translation, as the author states that: “This essay was developed from the eleventh chapter”.]
• The Principles of Moral Science, an essay by the Rev. Walter McDonald, D.D. [1854-1920] (Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son, 1910). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi and other formats, at Internet Archive.
• “The Universality and Immutability of the Precepts of the Natural Law: The Existence of an Intrinsically Absolute Morality”, by Professor Ángel Rodríguez Luño, translated by Kira Howes. [N.B., The text states that the essay was “[p]ublished in Various Authors, Teología Moral. Actas del Congreso Internacional De Teología Moral (Murcia, November 27-29, 2003), Universidad Católica San Antonio (Murcia: 2004), pp. 215-229”. This may refer to the original text.] Available in pdf format on this page of of Etica e Politica.
• “’Veritatis Splendor’ and Action Theory”, by Professor Angel Rodríguez Luño, translated by Tom and Kira Howes. Available in pdf format on this page of Etica e Politica.
• “’Veritatis Splendor’ un anno dopo: Appunti per un bilancio (I)” di Mgr. Angel Rodriguez Luño, Acta Philosophica, vol. 4, fasc. 2 (1995): pagg. 223-260. Disponibile in formato pdf su questa pagina di Acta Philosophica.
• “‘Veritatis Splendor’ un anno dopo: Appunti per un bilancio (II)”, di Mgr. Angel Rodriguez Luño, Acta Philosophica, vol. 5, fasc. 1 (1996): pagg. 47-75. Disponibile in formato pdf su questa pagina di Acta Philosophica.

Posted on the Feast of Saint Stanisław Szczepanowski (Saint Stanislaus the Martyr) in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints!

Online text: “Towards a Spirituality of Work for the 21st Century”, by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez

See this online text:

• “All You Who Labor: Towards a Spirituality of Work for the 21st Century”, by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, Vol. 20 (2006): pp. 791-814. Available in pdf format at Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy.

See also these related texts:

• Encyclical “Laborem Exercens” on Human Work on the Ninetieth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, by Pope John Paul II, 14 September 1981. May be read online on this page at Catholic Culture, on this page at the EWTN Libraries, and at the Holy See; and available in pdf format at The Catholic Church in England and Wales.
• “Professional Ethics and Sanctification of Work”, by Carlos Llano Cifuentes, Romana (January-June 2004): pp. 112-126. May be read online on this page of Romana and on this page of Gloria.tv, and available in pdf format (on this page) at the University of Navarra.
• A Spirituality of Work (London: Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales – Committee for the World of Work, 2001). Available in pdf format (on this page) at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

On the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in the Roman Rite. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Online ebook: “The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy”, by the Congregation for the Clergy

See this online ebook:

• The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy: An Aid for Confessors and Spiritual Directors, by the Congregation for the Clergy (Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011). Available in pdf document on this page (linked from this page of Rorate Coeli) at the Congregation for the Clergy; and may be read online at Yumpu.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, 2019. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“When I say to the wicked: O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand. But if thou tell the wicked man, that he may be converted from his ways, and he be not converted from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul…

“As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways…

“And if I shall say to the wicked: Thou shalt surely die: and he do penance for his sin and do judgment and justice; And if that wicked man restore the pledge, and render what he had robbed, and walk in the commandments of life, and do no unjust thing, he shall surely live, and shall not die.”

(Ezechiel xxxiii, 8-9, 11, 14-15)

“‘Neither will I condemn you.’ What is this, O Lord? Do You therefore favor sins? Not so, evidently. Mark what follows: ‘Go, henceforth sin no more’. Therefore the Lord did also condemn, but condemned sins, not man. For if He were a patron of sin, He would say, Neither will I condemn you; go, live as you will: be secure in my deliverance; how much soever you will sin, I will deliver you from all punishment even of hell, and from the tormentors of the infernal world. He said not this…

“The Lord is gentle, the Lord is long-suffering, the Lord is pitiful; but the Lord is also just, the Lord is also true. He bestows on you space for correction; but you love the delay of judgment more than the amendment of your ways… You are always expecting, and from the mercy of God makest exceeding great promises to yourself. As if He, who has promised you pardon through repentance, promised you also a longer life. How do you know what tomorrow may bring forth?…

“Accordingly, for the sake of those who are in danger by despair, He has offered us a refuge of pardon; and because of those who are in danger by hope, and are deluded by delays, He has made the day of death uncertain… Thus therefore said He to the woman, ‘Neither will I condemn you’; but, being made secure concerning the past, beware of the future. ‘Neither will I condemn you’: I have blotted out what you have done; keep what I have commanded you, that you may find what I have promised.”

(St. Augustine, Tractate xxxiii on the Gospel of John, 6-8)

Online ebook: “Faith and Reason according to Benedict XVI”

See this online ebook:

• Faith and Reason according to Benedict XVI: Six Key Texts: Subiaco, Regensburg, Paris, London, Berlin (Opus Dei Information Office, 2017). Available in ePub format and Mobi format, and may be downloaded at iTunes iBooks and Google Play Books, through Opus Dei. Also available at Google Books.

This ebook collects the following addresses:

• “Europe in the Crisis of Cultures” (also titled “Cardinal Ratzinger on Europe’s Crisis of Culture” and, in the Opus Dei collection, “On the Crisis in Cultures”), lecture delivered by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in Subiaco, Italy on April 1, 2005.
  • The text of the lecture may be read online (on this page) at the Catholic Education Resource Center, and available in pdf format at The Way.
  • It may also be read online in 4 parts at Zenit News Service, linked by The Ratzinger Archives: Part I: “Excludes God From the Public Conscience”, Part II: “A Confused Ideology of Freedom Leads to Dogmatism”, Part III: “Meaning and Limits of the Present Rationalist Culture”, and Part IV: Christianity: “The Religion According to Reason”.
• “Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections” (also known as the Regensbur Lecture or the Regensburg Address), lecture delivered by Pope Benedict XVI at his meeting with the representatives of science at the University of Regensburg on 12 September 2006 (part of his Apostolic Journey to München, Altötting and Regensburg on 9-14 September 2006) (© 2006, Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
  • The text of the lecture may be read online at the Holy See and available in pdf format at The Catholic Church of England and Wales and at The Catholic Church of England and Wales (catholicnews.org.uk).
  • A collection of commentaries on and responses to the address may be read through this page of Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.
• “On the Rationality of Faith”, homily delivered by Pope Benedict XVI at Islinger Feld, Regensburg, 12 September 2006 (during his Apostolic Journey to München, Altötting and Regensburg on 9-14 September 2006) (© 2006, Libreria Editrice Vaticana). May be read online at the Congregation for the Clergy and at the Holy See.
• Address of Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his Meeting with Representatives from the World of Culture, Friday, at the Collège des Bernardins, Paris, 12 September 2008 (during his Apostolic Journey to France on the Occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes on September 12-15, 2008) (© 2008, Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
  • The text of the address may be read online at the Holy See.
  • The video of the address, with the English text in the video and with the Italian translation in audio, is available in 3 parts at the channel Felix Nobilis: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

• Address of Benedict XVI at Westminster Hall on 17 September 2010 on the occasion of his Meeting with the Representatives of British Society, including the Diplomatic Corps, Politicians, Academics and Business Leaders (during his Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom, September 16-19, 2010) (© 2010, Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
  • The text of the address may be read online (here) through this page of the EWTN Library; on this page of Totus Tuus; on this page of The Papal Visit; at the Holy See; and at the Congregation for the Clergy.
  • The audio of the address is available in mp3 format (here) through this page of The Papal Visit; at the Holy See; and at the Congregation for the Clergy.
  • The video of the address may be viewed on this page of the Ascendit Deus Youtube channel.

• “The Listening Heart: Reflections on the Foundations of Law”, address of Benedict XVI at the Reichstag Building, Berlin on the occasion of his visit to the Bundestag on 22 September 2011 (during his Apostolic Journey to Germany, on 22-25 September 2011) (© 2011, Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
  • The text of the lecture may be read online at the Holy See. Synopses of the address are available in pdf format on this page of The Athenaeum of Ohio, and at Catholic News (Archdiocese of Singapore).
  • The video of the lecture (with the English translation in voiceover) may be viewed at Youtube, with a second copy (without English voiceover) on this page.

Posted for the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, and in belated commemoration of the anniversary of the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) as Bishop of Rome (19 April). For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“[N]ot to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature…

“John began the prologue of his Gospel with the words: “In the beginning was the λόγος”… Logos means both reason and word—a reason which is creative and capable of self-communication, precisely as reason. John thus spoke the final word on the biblical concept of God… From the very heart of Christian faith and, at the same time, the heart of Greek thought now joined to faith, Manuel II was able to say: Not to act ‘with logos’ is contrary to God’s nature.

“[T]he faith of the Church has always insisted that between God and us, between his eternal Creator Spirit and our created reason there exists a real analogy… [T]he truly divine God is the God who has revealed himself as logos and, as logos, has acted and continues to act lovingly on our behalf… Consequently, Christian worship is, again to quote Paul—”λογικη λατρεία”, worship in harmony with the eternal Word and with our reason”. (Pope Benedict XVI, 2006 Regensburg Address)

Online Text: “Global Climate Change and Biodiversity”, edited by Peter H. Raven

See this online text:

• Global Climate Change and Biodiversity / Cambiamenti Climatici Mondiali e Biodiversità: Extra Series 35, edited by Peter H. Raven (Vatican City: Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 2010). 37 pages. Available in pdf format at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

See also this other text/ebook on ecological issues written primarily from the perspective of the natural sciences:

• Geosphere-Biosphere Interactions and Climate: Scripta Varia 96, by the Working Group of 9-13 November 1998 of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (Vatican City: Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 2001). Published by the Cambridge University Press. The ebook is available at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The paper copy may be purchased at Cambridge University Press and at Amazon.
  • The genesis of the essays contained in the text is explained thus on the websites of Nature and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences: “From 9-13 November 1998 an important workshop was held at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. This workshop on the subject of Geosphere-Biosphere Interactions and Climate was concerned with those environmental and climatic changes which may pose a threat to human society during the course of the next century… This meeting of world experts at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences summarised our present-day knowledge about the subject and identified gaps in our understanding of how the earth’s climate is affected by greenhouse gases, deforestation, and the circulation of the oceans.”
  • [N.B. (Legal Notice): The text shows that its copyright is held by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and also states that “no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of the Cambridge University Press.” Since the pdf copy of the text was made available on a webpage of the copyright holder’s website, we have assumed that it is lawful to link to the said webpage. If this is incorrect, please inform us immediately so we may remove the link.]

See also these texts/ebooks written primarily from the perspective of the philosophical and theological sciences:

• “The Challenge of Climate Change and Environmental Justice: A Distinctive Catholic Contribution”, by Thomas G. Wenski, Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, Vol. 23, pp. 497-514 (2009). Available in PDF format at the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy.
• “A Deeper Ecology: A Catholic Vision of the Person in Nature” by Mary Taylor, Communio: International Catholic Review, Volume 38 (Winter 2011). Available in PDF format (on this page) at Second Spring.
• “Ecology and the Common Good: Sustainability and Catholic Social Teaching”, by Russell Butkus and Steven Kolmes, Journal of Catholic Social Thought, Vol. 4, No. 2 (2007): pp. 403-436. Available in pdf format at the University of Portland.
• Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si’” on Care for Our Common Home, by Pope Francis, 24 May 2015. May be read online at the Holy See.
• The Green Popes: Benedict XVI and John Paul II on the Environment, by Brother Ignatius Schweitzer, O.P. (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2010). With Imprimatur. Part of the Veritas Series “Proclaiming the Faith in the Third Millennium”, under General Editor Father Juan-Diego Brunetta, O.P., Director of the Catholic Information Service, Knights of Columbus Supreme Council. Available in pdf format on this page of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council.
• “’If You Want To Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation’: Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1 January 2010”, by Pope Benedict XVI, 8 December 2009 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2009). May be read online at the Holy See.

Posted in observance of Earth Day, 2019. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“What air is for biological life, the Holy Spirit is for the spiritual life; and as there is air pollution, that poisons the environment and living things, there is also pollution of the heart and the spirit, that mortifies and poisons spiritual existence. In the same way that we should not be complacent about the poisons in the air — and for this reason ecological efforts are a priority today — we should also not be complacent about that which corrupts the spirit.

“But instead it seems that our minds and hearts are menaced by many pollutants that circulate in society today — the images, for example, that make pleasure a spectacle, violence that degrades men and women — and people seem to habituate themselves to this without any problem. It is said that this is freedom but it is just a failure to recognize all that which pollutes, poisons the soul, above all of the new generations, and ends up limiting freedom itself.

“The metaphor of the strong driving wind of Pentecost makes one think of how precious it is to breathe clean air, be it physical air [with our] lungs, or spiritual air — the healthy air of the spirit that is love — with our heart.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost, 31 May 2009. Paragraph breaks supplied.)

 

Online ebook: 2018-2019 Liturgical Year: Easter, edited by Jennifer Gregory Miller and Darden Brock

See this online ebook:

• 2018-2019 Liturgical Year, Volume 4: Easter, edited by Jennifer Gregory Miller and Darden Brock (Manassas, VA: Trinity Communications, 2018). Available in pdf, mobi, and epub formats through this index page of Catholic Culture: Free Catholic eBooks. [N.B., The ebooks may be accessed upon login or a free subscription. Registration takes less than a minute, though we recommend taking another 2 minutes to input a password and modify other details of one’s account.] As summarized in the index page:
  • “This fourth volume of the 2018-2019 Liturgical Year series covers all the days of Easter Season from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost Sunday, providing a rich set of resources for families to use in living the liturgical year in the domestic church, that is, in their own families. Resources include biographies of the saints to match each feast day, histories of the various celebrations and devotions, penitential spirituality, descriptions of customs from around the world, prayers, activities and recipes.”

See also these related texts:

• Contemplations and Meditations on the Passion and Death, and on the Glorious Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, According to the Method of St. Ignatius, 5^th edition, [by Charles Michel Alexandre de Brandt,] translated from the French by a Sister of Mercy, revised by the Rev. W. [William] H. Eyre, S.J. (London: Burns & Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1901). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive (linked by the Free Traditional Catholic Books page of Traditional Catholic) and Open Library.
  • The 2nd edition (London: Burns & Oates), with the approbation of the Bishop of Birmingham, is available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive.
  • The 2nd edition (London: Burns & Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1898), with Imprimatur, is available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive.
• The Mystery of Jesus, by Dom Savinien Louismet, 1858-1926 (London: Burns, Oates, & Washbourne; New York: P.J. Kenedy & Sons, 1922). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• “Risen Time: Easter as the Source of History”, by Professor José Granados, Communio 37 (Spring 2010): pp. 6-33. Available in pdf format (here) through this page at Communio: International Catholic Review.
• The Tragedy of Calvary: or the Minute Details of Christ’s Life from Palm Sunday Morning till the Resurrection and Ascension; Taken from Prophecy, History, Revelations and Ancient Writings, by James L. Meagher (New York, N.Y. : Christian Press Association Publishing Co., 1905). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library.

On the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Easter Sunday) in the one true and Catholic Church. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Your Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. (Collect Prayer, Fourth Sunday of Advent, with some capitalization modified)

This post is dedicated to Father James V. Schall, S.J. (+17 April 2019), faithful shepherd and teacher, with prayer for his soul, sadness for his passing, and gratitude for his witness and service. Requiescat in pace.

Online text: “He Descended Into Hell”, by Pope John Paul II (in English, Español e Italiano)

See this online text:

• “He Descended Into Hell”, by Pope John Paul II. General Audience on January 11, 1989. Taken from L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, 16 January 1989. May be read online on this page at Catholic Culture, and on this page of the Document and Audio Libraries of EWTN.
• Also available en Español e Italiano:
  • Udienza Generale di Papa Giovanni Paolo II, Mercoledì, 11 gennaio 1989. Disponibile presso la Santa Sede.
  • “Descendió a los infiernos”: Audiencia General de Papa Juan Pablo II, Miércoles 11 de enero de 1989. Disponible en la Santa Sede.

See also these texts relating to the doctrine of Holy Saturday:

• “An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday” (also entitled “A reading from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday”, and “The Lord’s descent into the underworld”).  The text may be read online on this page at St. John Cantius Parish; at the Holy See, prepared by Pontifical University Saint Thomas Aquinas; at Catholic Online; and on this page of Universalis (© 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited), as part of the Office of Readings in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite for Holy Saturday.
  • [N.B., Various pages attribute the text to Bishop Melito of Sardis or St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus. Its source is cited by St. John Cantius Parish as PG (Patrologia Graeca) 43, 440A, 452C.]
• “The Anguish of an Absence: Three Meditations on Holy Saturday”, by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), 30 Days, Issue 03-2006. May be read online (on this page) at 30 Days.
• Easter Vigil Homily, by Pope Benedict XVI, on Holy Saturday, 7 April 2007. Available at the Holy See in  English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, e Portugues.
• “Holy Saturday and the Harrowing of Hell”, by Dr. Lawrence Feingold STD (Saint Louis, MO: Association of Hebrew Catholics, 2010). This is Talk #7 of Series 6: Themes of the Incarnation, in the Association of Hebrew Catholics Lecture Series: The Mystery of Israel and the Church. The text of the lecture (in pdf format) and the audio of lecture (in mp3 format) together with the audio of questions and answers are available through this page of the Association of Hebrew Catholics.
• “The Meaning Behind ‘He Descended into Hell’”, by Fr. William Saunders, O.P., April 13, 2017. May be read online on this page of Catholic Exchange and on this page of Catholic Straight Answers.

See these texts relating to the liturgy of Holy Saturday:

• Holy Saturday, excerpted from Mass and Vespers, with Gregorian Chant for Sundays and Holy Days: Latin and English Text, edited by the Benedictines of the Solesmes Congregation (Paris, Tournai, Rome, New York: Desclee & Co., 1957), with Imprimatur. Available in pdf format through the post “Rough PDF • Rubrics & Music, Holy Saturday (1962)”, 4 April 2015, at Corpus Christi Watershed. [N.B., This relates to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.] [N.B.2, We have assumed that the text was lawfully made available online. Please advise us if this is incorrect so we may remove the offending link(s) if necessary.]
• “The Roman Missal and the Easter Vigil”. May be read online on this page at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. [N.B., This relates to the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite.]
• Vespers with Divine Liturgy for Great and Holy Saturday (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Metropolitan Cantor Institute – Byzantine Catholic Seminary March 2009. Available in pdf format at the Metropolitan Cantor Institute of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. [N.B., This relates to the Rite of the Byzantine Catholic churches.]

On Holy Saturday, 2019, in the one true and Catholic Church. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“It was thus that Christ died as a ransom, paid once for all, on behalf of our sins, he the innocent for us the guilty, so as to present us in God’s sight. In his mortal nature he was done to death, but endowed with fresh life in his spirit, and it was in his spirit that he went and preached to the spirits who lay in prison… He sits, now, at the right hand of God, annihilating death, to make us heirs of eternal life; he has taken his journey to heaven, with all the angels and powers and princedoms made subject under his feet.” (1 Peter 3:17-19,22, formatting supplied)

Online text and audio: “Stations of the Cross”, by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

See these online ebooks/texts and audio:

• Stations of the Cross, composed by Saint Alphonsus Liguori [or St. Alphonsus De Liguori] (Alexandria, VA: Sacred Spaces Liturgical Design Inc., 2011). Produced by the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Gainesville, Virginia, with verses from the hymn “Stabat Mater” and “pictures of the Stations of the Cross taken from Church of the Holy Trinity, Gainesville, Virginia by TimeLine Media”. Available in pdf format on this page at The New Evangelization: Share Your Catholic Faith, by Father Francis J. Peffley and on this page at Holy Angels Catholic Church.
• The text of a similar version with the verses of the “Stabat Mater” may be read online on this page at the-latinmass.com, and on this page at Catholic Prayers; and is included in:
  • The Way of the Cross: Traditional and Modern Meditations: Traditional Meditations by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri, Modern Meditations by Father Stefano Penna (New Haven CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2003-2017), which may be read online and is available in pdf format through this page of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council – Catholic Information Service.

• The audio of a similar version is provided in the video “Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori – Sacred Art Series” at the Youtube channel of Will Bloomfield. It is narrated by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf (“Fr. Z”) of www.wdtprs.com, with the verses of the “Stabat Mater” chanted, visually accompanied by the “Stations of the Cross painted by Pietro Rudolfi, St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco, California”, and with “Crux Fidelis during closing credits by Schola Sanctae Scholasticae, UK; St. Cecilia’s Abbey UK”.
• The text of a similar version with the verses of the “Stabat Mater”, with responses, is provided in:
  • The Stations of the Cross according to the Method of St Alphonsus Liguori (St Mary’s Shrine, Warrington). Produced by St Mary’s Shrine Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Liverpool, served by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP). Available in pdf format (on this page) at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Balornock.
• The text of a similar version, with Scriptural references and the stanzas of the Stabat Mater (in Latin and English), may read online at Fish Eaters. [N.B., The text is hosted on a website that rejects the hermeneutic of continuity and reform proposed by Pope Benedict XVI; hence readers are advised to exercises prayerful caution if they peruse the site.]
• The version without the verses of the “Stabat Mater” is available in pdf format on this page at Holy Angels Catholic Church, and, under the title “Traditional Stations of the Cross”, on this page at Sophia Institute for Teachers; and it may be read online on this page at e-Catholic2000 and at Daily Catholic. [N.B., The last-mentioned host of the text, Daily Catholic, appears to reject the hermeneutic of continuity and reform proposed by Pope Benedict XVI; hence readers are advised to exercises prayerful caution is they peruse the rest of the site.]
• The text of what appears to be a shorter version may be read online on this page at National Shrine of the Divine Mercy.

See these other meditations on the Way of the Cross:

• Scriptural Stations of the Cross, based on the stations celebrated by Pope John Paul II on Good Friday, 1991. May be read online (on this page) at United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Via Crucis, or, The Holy Way of the Cross: containing a novena for the passion of Our Lord, a devout method for performing the stations of the cross, prayers at mass, &c.; with concise instructions on the scapular, and the novena of St. Francis Xaverius &c. &c. &c. compiled for the congregation of St. Patrick’s Church. (Quebec: Augustin Cote & Co., 1844) With episcopal approbation. Available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Way of the Cross, by St. Josemaria Escriva.
  • The ebook may be read online using its Table of Contents accessible through this page (containing the synopsis) at Josemaria Escriva (© Studium Foundation, rights reserved).
  • A leaflet version of the text, entitled “Stations of the Cross” and containing brief summaries of the meditations for the stations, is available in pdf format on this page of San Josemaria Escriva, Fundador del Opus Dei. [N.B., Notwithstanding the availability of the summary, we heartily recommend the use of the original longer text for meditation.]
  • The ebook and paperback of the text are available for worth-it prices at this page of Scepter Publishers (linked by this page of Opus Dei); on this page of Young Catholuc Mums; at Amazon; and at Barnes & Noble.
  • The paperback may be purchased on this page of Casa Maria Bookstore; on this page of Sinag-Tala Publishers (for purchasers in the Philippines); and at St Paul’s (for Australian and international customers).
• Way of the Cross at the Colosseum, Good Friday 2005: Meditations and Prayers, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).
  • May be read online at the Catholic News Agency (courtesy of Libreria Editrice Vaticana), Zenit, TotusTuus-Totus2us, and at the Holy See; and available in .docx format on this page at xt3.
  • The audio in English may be listened to at TotusTuus-Totus2us, which also has links to the audio in French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
  • The audio, read out by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, is available in mp3 format on this page of Fr. Z’s Blog, and it is published on this video (embedded in this post) at the bedwere Youtube channel. [The meditations and prayers for each Station are in English, while the responses are in Latin.]

Posted on Holy Friday (Good Friday), 2019 in the one true and Catholic Church. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). We adore You, oh Christ, and we bless You, for by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world!