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!

Online ebook: “The Eucharist: Sacrament and Sacrifice”, by Fr. Giles Dimock

See this online ebook:

• 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.

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 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 Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), 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).

“The tradition which I received from the Lord, and handed on to you, is that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was being betrayed, took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, given up for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. And so with the cup, when supper was ended, This cup, he said, is the new testament, in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, for a commemoration of me. So it is the Lord’s death that you are heralding, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, until he comes.”

“And therefore, if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, he will be held to account for the Lord’s body and blood. A man must examine himself first, and then eat of that bread and drink of that cup; he is eating and drinking damnation to himself if he eats and drinks unworthily, not recognizing the Lord’s body for what it is.” (I Corinthians xi, 23-29)

Online text: “The Liturgical and Theological Aesthetics of Pope Benedict XVI”, by Roland Millare

See this online text:

• “The Sacred Is Still Beautiful: The Liturgical and Theological Aesthetics of Pope Benedict XVI”, by Roland Millare, Logos, vol. 16, no. 1 (Winter 2013), pp. 104-128. May be read online and downloaded in pdf format at Academia.edu.

See also our list of ebooks on Art and Architecture; as well as these related texts and ebooks:

• The Beauty of Holiness: Sacred Art and the New Evangelization, by Jem Sullivan (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council—Catholic Information Service, 2012). With Imprimatur. Part of the New Evangelization series (Michelle K. Borras, Ph.D., general editor). Available in PDF format (on this page) at the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council—Catholic Information Service.
• “The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty”, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). 2002 message to a meeting of the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation. May be read online at Zenit and on this page of Cossroads Initiative, which summarizes the text as a “Lenten and Holy Week meditation on Psalm 45 and the contemplation of beauty”. [N.B., According to John Jang in his thesis “Beauty as a transcendental in the thought of Joseph Ratzinger”, page 5, footnote 21, this text was re-titled “Wounded by the Arrow of Beauty: The Cross and the New ‘Aesthetics’ of Faith,” when published in On the Way to Jesus Christ (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005)]

• Letter to Artists, by Pope St. John Paul II (4 April 1999). Subtitled: “To all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new ‘epiphanies’ of beauty so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts to the world”. May be read online on this page of the EWTN Libraries (linked from this page of Ignitum Today); at the Holy See (linked from this page of the Institute of Catholic Culture); on this page of JP2 Love; and on this page of The Foundation for Sacred Arts. Excerpts of the Letter are read out in “Pope John Paul II’s ‘Letter to Artists’”, (published April 21, 2014) at the JPCatholic Youtube channel, which may also be viewed on this page of Xt3; and on this page, which has a brief essay by Monique Ocampo, at the John Paul II Foundation.
• “Liturgical Architecture and the Classical Tradition: A Balthasarian Approach”, by Denis R. McNamara, Communio: International Catholic Review, Vol. 32, pp. 137-151 (Spring 2005). Available in PDF format (through this page) at Communio: International Catholic Review, with a link from Spring Hill College.
• The Spirit of the Liturgy, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)  (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000). May be purchased through this page of Ignatius Press and at Amazon.com. The following excepts may be read online, linked by The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club and anagasto.wordpress.com:
  • “The Altar and the Direction of Liturgical Prayer” , in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VI, No. 3 (May 2000) , available at Adoremus;
  • “Art and Liturgy: A Question of ImagesI“, in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VII, No. 10: (February 2002), which is the 1st part of the chapter “A Question of Images”, available at Adoremus;
  •  Art, Image and Artists: Sacred art, inspired by faith, both reflects and informs the culture – Part II”, in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VIII, No. 1 (March 2002), which is the 2nd part of the chapter “A Question of Images”, available at Adoremus;
  • “Music and Liturgy: How does music express the Word of God, the Vision of God?”, in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VII, No. 8 (November 2001), available at Adoremus;
  • “The Theology of Kneeling”, excerpt from a chapter, “The Body and the Liturgy”, available at Adoremus; and
  • “What Does ‘Rite’ Mean in the Context of Christian Liturgy?”.

Posted on Holy Monday, 2019; on the anniversary of Lateran Council of AD 769; in observance of the Universal Day of Culture and of World Art Day; and in advance of the birthday of Pope Benedict XVI. 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).

[S]ome artistic expressions are real highways to God, the supreme Beauty; indeed, they help us to grow in our relationship with him, in prayer. These are works that were born from faith and express faith.” (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 31 August 2011)

“[R]eligious iconography should be directed to sacramental mystagogy… Everything related to the Eucharist should be marked by beauty.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, no. 41)

Free ebook: “Manual of Christian Doctrine, Comprising Dogma, Moral, and Worship”, by a seminary professor

See this legally free ebook:

• Manual of Christian Doctrine, Comprising Dogma, Moral, and Worship, authorized English version, 39^th edition, by a seminary professor (Philadelphia, Pa.: John Joseph McVey, 1923). With Imprimatur. [N.B., The Internet Archive index page states that the author is Brother John Chrysostom, who, according to HathiTrust index page, lived in 1863-1917.] . May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi and other formats, at Internet Archive. The 37th edition (1921) is available at Internet Archive. The 1919 edition is available at Internet Archive. The 13th edition (1910) is available at Internet Archive. The 6th edition (1906) is available at Internet Archive and HathiTrust Digital Library.

On the Feast of Pope St. Urban I and St. Epaphroditus in the Maronite church: may their prayers be with us. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed: And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (St. John viii, 31-32)

“Go out all over the world and preach the gospel to the whole of creation; he who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who refuses belief will be condemned.” (St. Mark xvi, 15-16)

“God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” (II Thessalonians ii, 13-15 KJV)

Online text: “Perfect Contrition”, by Rev. F. Quirijnen

See this online text:

• Perfect Contrition, by Rev. F. Quirijnen, S.J. Australian Catholic Truth Society No. 978 (1945). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf format (on this page) at Catholic Pamphlets.net (linked by TradCatKnight, Traditional Catholic, The Prodigal Catholic Blog, and Totus Tuus). May be read online on this page at e-Catholic 2000 (©1999-2018 e-Catholic2000.com); on this page of Catholic Truth Society Pamphlets (found by expanding the website’s left sidebar); and in 6 parts at Et Verbum: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6.
  • [Notice: These links were posted on the assumption that this text/tract was lawfully made available at these websites. If the assumption is incorrect, kindly inform us that we might remove the links as appropriate. Thank you.]

See also this related text previously posted on the Project:

• Contrition: The Golden Key of Paradise; Key to Heaven (Pamphlet), by an Italian priest. Australian Catholic Truth Society No. 1325 (1959). With Imprimatur. Available in PDF format (on this page) at Catholic Pamphlets; and may be read online (here) at Catholic Truth Society Pamphlets. [Notice: These links were posted on the assumption that this 1959 text was lawfully made available at these websites. If the assumption is incorrect, kindly inform us that we might remove the links as appropriate. Thank you.]

Posted the Feast of the Penitent Thief in the Maronite church: may his prayers be with us. For other online texts and more 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 Mysteries of the Life of Jesus”, by Dr. Michelle K. Borras

See this online ebook:

• The Mysteries of the Life of Jesus, by Dr. Michelle K. Borras (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus, 2013). With Imprimatur. Part of The New Evangelization Series of the Catholic Information Service. May be read online, and available in pdf format, through this page of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council – Catholic Information Service.

See also the following related texts previously indexed on the Project:

• Dogmatic Theology IV. Christology: A Dogmatic Treatise on the Incarnation, by Joseph Pohle, translated by Arthur Preuss (St. Louis: Herder, 1916). With Imprimatur. Available at Internet Archive. The 2^nd edition (1913) is also available on Open Library and Internet Archive. [N.B., The discussion in the text on the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ should be supplemented by a reading of relevant portions of another volume: Dogmatic Theology II. The Divine Trinity, A Dogmatic Treatise.]
• Encyclical “Lux Veritatis” on the Council of Ephesus, by Pope Pius XI, 25 December 1931. May be read online on this page at the EWTN Libraries (copyright 1999), at Papal Encyclicals Online, and at the Catholic News Agency; and available in .doc format on this page through Documenta Catholica Omnia.
• The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ, or, The Mysteries of the Faith, by Saint Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori [St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori], ed. Eugene Grimm (New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1886). With Approbation from the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Available on Internet Archive and Open Library (Digitizing sponsor: MSN; Book contributor: Kelly Library, University of Toronto). May be downloaded in PDF format through the Saints’ Books index.
• “Mary’s Role in the Incarnation”, by Jacques Servais, S.J., translated by Michelle Borras, Communio: International Catholic Review, vol. 30, pp. 5-25 (Spring 2003). Available in PDF format (through this page) at Communio: International Catholic Review.
• 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.
• The Preparation of the Incarnation, by Henry James Coleridge, S.J. (London: Burns and Oates, 1885). Available in pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, and other formats at Internet Archive and Open Library. Also available at Forgotten Books (with some pages limited to members).
• Sermons of St. Bernard on Advent and Christmas; including the Famous Treatise on the Incarnation called “Missus Est”, by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, compiled and translated from the 1508 edition of his Sermons and Letters, with Introduction by the Right Rev. J.V. Hedley, OSB, Bishop of Newport (London, Manchester, Glasgow: R.T. Washbourne; New York, Chicago, Cincinnati: Benziger Bros., 1909). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, djvu, txt, Daisy, and kindle/mobi formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.

Posted for the Feast of the Annunciation in the one true and Catholic Church. For other online texts and more legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“[T]he Angel Gabriel was sent from God… [t]o a virgin… and the name of the virgin was Mary. And the Angel… said to her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women… Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name, Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High… The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God… And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (St. Luke i, 26, 27, 28, 31-32, 35, 38, formatting supplied)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us: and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth… And of his fulness we all have received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, grace and truth by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” (St. John i, 1-3, 14, 16-18)

“Christ Jesus… being in the form of God, thought it not robbery, to be himself equal to God: But debased himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in shape found as a man. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above every name: That in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians ii, 5-11)

Free ebook: “First Communion”, by Mother Mary Loyola

See this legally free ebook:

• First Communion, by Mother Mary Loyola, edited by Father Thurston (London: Burns & Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1913). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive. Also available in pdf format and may be read online at Catholic Harbor of Faith and Morals.
  • (N.B., The last-mentioned copy of the text is hosted by a website that rejects the Second Vatican Council, which it interprets in a manner contrary to the hermeneutic of reform and continuity proposed by Pope Benedict XVI. Therefore, while the text itself appear to be orthodox, readers are counselled to avoid any statement on the website concerning the said Council.)

On the Feast of Saint Marie-Eugénie de Jésus. For other online texts and more legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Free ebook: Man and His Immortal Soul, Lenten Sermons by a Priest of Nottingham

See this legally free ebook:

• Man and His Immortal Soul: A Course of Seven Lenten Sermons, by a Priest of the Diocese of Nottingham (New York: Joseph F. Wagner, 1905). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Internet Archive.

Posted on Ash Wednesday and beginning of Great Lent in the Roman Rite, 2019. For more ebooks relating to the holy season of Lent, see our 12 April 2011 post “Free eBooks: Lenten meditations and reflections” and our 01 April 2012 post “Free ebooks on the Passion and Death of Christ, for Holy Week“. 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).

“[W[hat is the greatest love we show for God and neighbor? Is it not to see as many people as possible, including ourselves, come to know the love and mercy of God and be with him one day forever in heaven? … Our mission is, only by the grace of God, to seek the salvation of our souls, and to bring as many with us to Heaven as we can, again only as God uses us as his instruments of grace and mercy.” (Archbishop Alexander Sample, “The supreme law of the Church”)

“We must take more care of our soul than of our body, because in losing our soul we lose God and everlasting happiness… To save our souls, we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity; that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart.” (Baltimore Catechism No. 3, 153-154)

“[T]he salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes.” (Code of Canon Law, can. 1752)