October 18 is the Feast of St. Luke, the Evangelist

Participation in Christ’s prophetic office

Christ . . . fulfills this prophetic office not only by the hierarchy . . . but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses and provides them with the sense of the faith [sensus fidei] and the grace of the word.

To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer.

Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, ‘that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.’ For lay people, ‘this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.’

This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . of to the faithful.

Lay people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechetical formation, in teaching the scared sciences, and in the use of communications media.

In accord with the knowledge, competence, and preeminence which they possess, [lay people] have the right and event at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward their pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons.”

– from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 904-907

Introduction To The Catechism Of The Catholic Church Authors: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, Pope Benedict, XVI

Companion To The Catechism Of The Catholic Church: A Compendium Of Texts Referred To In The Catechism Of The Catholic Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, Hardcover	Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Hardcover
General Directory For Catechesis	United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
The One-Minute Apologist: Essential Catholic Replies to Over Sixty Common Protestant Claims Author: Dave Armstrong	The Belief Of Catholics   Author: Msgr. Ronald A. Knox, M.A
Biblical Basis For the Catholic Faith   Author: John Salza	The Everyday Apostle: Commonsense Ways to Draw Others to Christ   Author: Fr. Edward F Garesche, S.J.
How Not To Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Catholic Apologetics and Evangelization   Author: Mark Brumley	The Scriptural Roots of Catholic Teaching   Author: Chantal Epie

To browse through more books on Catechesis, please click here.

To browse through more books on Apologetics and Sharing or Defending the Faith, please click here.

October is the Month of the Rosary

 

We carry one of the largest selections of rosaries anywhere. Are you looking for a truly special and unique gift or devotional item? From simplest wood or stone beads, to precious metals and beautiful gemstones, you will find the perfect rosary when you browse our extensive collection here.

We also make custom rosaries, please click here for information about our custom rosary services.

“Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture

God is the author of Sacred Scripture. ‘The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.’

‘For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.’

God inspired the human authors of the scared books. ‘To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever He wanted written, and no more.”

– from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 105-106

Resources we recommend for the Study of the Sacred Scriptures:

 

	The Catholic Bible Study Handbook: A Popular Introduction to Studying Scripture (Second Revised Edition)   Author: Jerome Kodell, O.S.B.	The Essential Bible Handbook: A Guide For Catholics   Author: Fr. Thomas M. Santa, C.Ss.R.
	A Practical Commentary On Holy Scripture   Author: Most Rev. F. J. Knecht, D.D.	You Can Understand the Bible   Author: Peter J. Kreeft, Ph.D.
	Dictionary of the Bible   Author: John McKenzie	The Collegeville Atlas of the Bible   Authors: James Harpur, Marcus Braybrooke
	The Bible is a Catholic Book   Author: Michael Patrick Barber	Where is That in the Bible? 2-DVD Set   Author: Patrick Madrid

Icon of St. Luke writing the first icon

Some historical detail about St. Luke the Evangelist and Apostle:

“St. Luke was a native of Syrian Antioch, a Disciple from amongst the Seventy, a companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil 1:24, 2 Tim 4:10-11), and a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. Hearing about Christ, St. Luke arrived in Palestine and here he fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. Included among the Seventy Disciples, St. Luke was sent by the Lord with the others for the first preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven while yet during the earthly life of the Savior (Lk 10:1-3).

After the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. The Disciple Luke took part in the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul, and from that time they were inseparable. At a point when all his co-workers had left the Apostle Paul, the Disciple Luke stayed on with him to tackle all the toiling of pious deeds (2 Tim 4:10-11). After the martyr’s death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, St. Luke left Rome to preach in Achaeia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. In the city of Thebes he finished his life in holy martyrdom.

Church tradition ascribes to him the writing of the first icons of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of He born of Me and My mercy be with these icons” — said the Blessed Virgin in beholding the icons. St. Luke wrote likewise icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. His Gospel was written by St. Luke in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. St. Luke in the preliminary verses (1:3) spells out exactly the aim of his work: he recorded in greater detail the chronological course of events in the framework of everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings, and by doing so he provided a firmer historical basis of Christian hope (1:4). He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the Blessed Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51).

In the theological content of the Gospel of Luke there stands out first of all the teaching about the universal salvation effected by the Lord Jesus Christ, and about the universal significance of the preaching of the Gospel. The holy disciple likewise wrote in the years 62-63 at Rome, the Book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. The Acts, which is a continuation of the Four Gospels, speaks about the works and effects of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior.

At the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem (year 51 AD), a Church event of great critical significance, with a dogmatic basis for the distancing of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dispersion into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological objective of the Book of Acts is that of the Dispensation-Economy of the Holy Spirit, actualized in the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, from the time of the Ascension and Pentecost to the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

– from the Patron Saint Index and the Catholic Encyclopedia

 

 

A Special Seasonal Announcement from Aquinas and More Catholic Goods for Autumn and Advent

2008 Ordos (for each Province and Diocese in the U.S.) are now available, please click here for information.

2008 Calendars are now available, please click here to view our selection.

 

Christmas cards are now available, please click here to view our selection.