TAN's Mary Harrell talks to Brandon Otto about his carefully translated work of St. John of Avila's selected sermons, My Burden is Light: Suffering and Consolation in the Christian Life, available now for the first time in English.

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“Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28–30

Christ’s words ring true for this earthly life that we must endure in order to, hopefully, attain eternal rest with Him in heaven. Our fallen world is full of sufferings and struggles; from the everyday aggravations to the life-altering sorrows that we sometimes face. Yet, Christ assures us that His “yoke is sweet and [His] burden light.” This is so because He always helps us carry our crosses throughout this life and because the ultimate battle is already won, thanks to Christ’s love for us. Yet we must remain vigilant.

Saint John of Avila, the 34th Doctor of the Church, gave numerous sermons on this subject, in which he offers the consolation of Christ’s own example and that of saints, like St. Francis of Assisi. St. John never failed to instruct, edify, and challenge those who listened attentively to his sermons. Within these sermons, we too can find renewed strength as we embrace the redemptive suffering of this life and hope for the beatific vision in the next.

Published for the first time in English, this carefully translated work of St. John’s selected sermons will be a great spiritual aid to any soul along his path to holiness.

TAN's Mary Harrell interviews Msgr. Charles Pope about his new book, The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church.

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Even self-described Christians question whether God would consign anyone to hell. Msgr. Pope explains this false perception: “If it exists at all, it is largely empty, except perhaps for a few serial killers or genocidal maniacs like Hitler.” People who adopt this belief are ignoring Jesus’s teachings that instruct the exact opposite.

In The Hell There Is, Msgr. Pope defends the doctrine of hell against doubters and skeptics. The reader will learn how God has largely been refashioned and trivialized in much of modern thinking. The God of Scripture has been replaced by the “Jesus I know,” who would never impose demands on anyone. As in the past, those nowadays who invent their own god engage in idolatry. By denying the existence of hell, they choose a false god who is indifferent to their spiritual condition over the true God who makes demands on those He desires to save.

Msgr. Pope argues persuasively why hell plays a central role in God’s plan of salvation, based on a detailed examination of the scriptural evidence. A thorough explication of the teachings of Jesus on hell provides a convincing refutation of commonly heard claims that He never spoke about eternal punishment. Important questions about hell are answered completely based on sources from both Scripture and Tradition, including theologically sound insights from Dante’s Inferno. Through this edifying book, readers will come to better understand, and renew belief in, the doctrine of hell.

“Of all the theological errors commonly held today, the most popular is surely the denial of the doctrine of hell.” —Msgr. Charles Pope

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TAN's Mary Harrell interviews author Rosemary McGuire Berry about her new book Piety and Personality: The Temperaments of the Saints.

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Are you grappling with traits that feel more flawed than saintly? Whether you're impulsive like St. Peter, assertive like St. Paul, or even unpredictable like St. Mary Magdalene, your unique personality is not just a path to heaven, but a canvas for holiness.

God has designed every temperament with the capacity to reflect His glory. Jesus Christ, as in all things, is our ultimate example because he is the perfection of all four temperaments. By following Christ, we meet many saints along the way; saints who may have had the same weaknesses we face, or who endured similar trials in this life. Learning about the saints’ lives and how they used their temperaments to their advantage will orient us towards perfection in Christ.

With vivid biographical anecdotes, Rosemary McGuire Berry will show you saints who have a similar temperament to yours, and through them, you will have the opportunity to learn how to master the strengths and weaknesses of your temperament. Each chapter focuses on one saint but also incorporates others related to that temperament. The chapters include a brief biography of the saint, a discussion on his temperament via examples from his life, reflections, and tips for specific temperaments.

Some saints discussed here include:

• Paul: Choleric
• Teresa of Ávila: Sanguine-Choleric
• Thomas Aquinas: Phlegmatic-Melancholic
• Mary Magdalene: Sanguine-Melancholic
• Simon: Sanguine

Piety and Personality: The Temperaments of the Saints shows you that even the weaknesses of your temperament can be perfected in Christ. The temperaments you will learn about through these pages may also help you better understand yourself and the people around you. By understanding your temperament, you can cooperate with God’s grace by following the examples of the saints!

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TAN's Mary Harrell talks with Elizabeth Zelasco about her new book in collaboration with Katie Warner, My True Love Gave To Me: A Catechism for the Twelve Days of Christmas.

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Enchanting artwork meets one of the most popular Christmas tunes of all time. My True Love Gave to Me teaches children and adults alike about God’s lavishing love for us, and the gifts He bestows on us through His Church. Through memorable rhyme and captivating artwork, numeric symbols help uncover foundational aspects of the Catholic Faith, from the theological virtues to the beatitudes to the twelve doctrines of the Church. Rife with timeless Truths, My True Love Gave to Me will be a unique and beautiful teaching tool in your home or classroom during the holy season of Christmas, or any time of year.

About the Illustrator

Elizabeth Zelasko works as a full-time commissioned artist creating sacred and fine art for Catholic publishers, institutions, Churches, and private collectors. She speaks on the material process and theological aspects of writing a traditional icon, as well as the importance of sacred art in the home, and the history of art in the Catholic Church. Her work has been featured on EWTN, FORMED, the National Catholic Register, Denver Catholic, and in the Denver Art Museum.

After studying fine art at The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, Elizabeth attended the Prosopon School of Iconology where she learned traditional Orthodox iconography. She moved to Denver to finish her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, graduating as valedictorian of her class. Learn more about Elizabeth at https://elizabethzelasko.com/

About the Author

Katie Warner is a Catholic homeschooling mom who loves to make and share creative resources to raise faith-filled families. Katie is the author and editor of the FirstFaithTreasury.com series, Catholic picture books, Head & Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders for Your Family, and a popular prayer journal series including A Parent Who Prays. She holds a graduate degree in Catholic Theology from the Augustine Institute, where she met Meg and fell in love with Meg's art. In her spare time, Katie writes for the National Catholic Register, manages KatieWarner.com, and helps others home to the Church through Catholics Come Home. Katie lives in Georgia with her husband and fellow book-loving children.

Other Katie Warner TAN Books

• The Tiny Seed: A Parable https://tanbooks.com/products/books/the-tiny-seed-a-parable/

• Let Us Pray: A Child's First Book of Prayers https://tanbooks.com/products/books/let-us-pray-a-childs-first-book-of-prayers/
• The Word of the Lord: A Child's First Scripture Verses https://tanbooks.com/products/books/the-word-of-the-lord-a-childs-first-scripture-verses/
• Cloud of Witnesses: A Child's First Book of Saints https://tanbooks.com/products/books/cloud-of-witnesses-a-childs-first-book-of-saints/
• Lily Lolek: Future Saint https://tanbooks.com/products/books/lily-lolek-future-saint/
• Jack Giorgio: Future Priest https://tanbooks.com/products/books/catholic-kids-books/jack-giorgio-future-priest/
• Listening for God: Silence Practice for Little Ones https://tanbooks.com/products/books/listening-for-god-silence-practice-for-little-ones/
• This Is the Church https://tanbooks.com/products/books/this-is-the-church/
• Oremus: Latin Prayers for Young Catholics https://tanbooks.com/products/books/tan-books/oremus/
• One Holy Marriage: The Story of Louis and Zélie Martin https://tanbooks.com/products/books/one-holy-marriage-the-story-of-louis-and-zelie-martin/
• Sister Clare Gets Ready for Prayer https://tanbooks.com/products/sister-clare-gets-ready-for-prayer/

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TAN's Mary Harrell interviews Peter Kwasniewski, PhD, about his new book, Turned Around: Replying to Common Objections Against the Traditional Latin Mass.

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Turned Around: Replying to Common Objections Against the Traditional Latin Mass is a practical and clear book that examines the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) through a fresh lens. In each chapter, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski addresses common objections to the TLM, transforming these challenges into gateways for a deeper understanding and appreciation of its timeless beauty. From the reasons we worship facing East, to the profound significance of praying in Latin, and the ritual separation of priest and people, Turned Around sheds light on why these liturgical elements resonate so deeply with the faithful.

Various other topics will be explored within these pages, including:

• Why the Traditional Mass Is Kingly and Courtly
• Why We Follow Inherited Rituals and Strict Rubrics
• Why We Repeat Ourselves in Traditional Worship
• Why We Use a One-Year Lectionary of Readings
• Why it Is Better Not to Understand Everything Immediately

• Why We Kneel for Communion and Receive on the Tongue

Turned Around provides the answers and intrigue to explore the paradoxical and countercultural elements of the TLM that have drawn the young and older faithful closer to the divine for centuries. This book is not just a defense of tradition; it is a journey to the heart of Catholic worship, promising to deepen the reader's spiritual life and understanding of the Mass. Whether you're a skeptic or a devout follower, Turned Around offers a compelling case for the enduring relevance and beauty of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Other TAN Books by Peter Kwasniewski, PhD:

The Once and Future Roman Rite

Good Music, Sacred Music, and Silence

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TAN's Mary Harrell talks to Paul Kengor about his new book, The Stigmatists: Their Gifts, Their Revelations, Their Warnings, an investigation into one of the most complicated mystical phenomena in Catholicism.

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There have been very few books that offer a serious, reliable, thoughtful look at stigmatists, and specifically, visionary stigmatists. Interestingly, almost all Church-approved stigmatists have been just that: visionaries as well as stigmatists. This book focuses on Church-approved stigmatists and their visions, revelations, and prophecies and warnings. In some cases, the prophecies and warnings relate to the End Times and Second Coming of Christ. That includes the striking revelations of the likes of Saint Faustina (1905-38), the first canonized saint of the new millennium. One might rightly interpret the mark of the stigmata (sometimes invisible stigmata, as in the cases of Saints Faustina and Catherine of Siena) as a heavenly/Church affirmation of these saints’ authenticity, likewise adding a certain authenticity to their claimed visions.

It is interesting that many people, including Protestants and even non-Christians, are intrigued by stigmata. It seems that nearly everyone finds claims of stigmata fascinating; there doesn’t seem to be a lot of scoffers. Anytime the notion of stigmata is raised, including by Hollywood (albeit sensationally), eyes are wide open.

This book opens with a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of stigmata, beginning with the words of St. Paul that some believe might be the first recorded case of stigmata. Aside from St. Paul, Saint Francis (1182-1226) is believed to be the first stigmatist. The opening chapter looks at the data and cases that we know of. Thereafter, the book provides individual chapters focused on figures from Catherine of Siena to Anne Catherine Emmerich, Gemma Galgani, Padre Pio, and more, finishing with Saint Faustina.

Notably, not all of these stigmatic saints had visions of the Final Days. They need not to have changed history. Some of the special visions were along the lines of St. Francis’s transformational conversations with Jesus at the San Damiano cross, which nonetheless had a significant larger purpose: “Francesco,” said Jesus, “ripara la mia Chiesa.” (“Francis, repair my Church.”)

Francis did just that. That was a historic moment for the Church and the faith. Unlike the likes of Martin Luther, Francis endeavored upon a genuine reformation.

These stigmatists and their revelations have spoken to us in profound ways from the time of Christ to the Middle Ages to literally the end times. Truly, there is no more crucial time than now to take a prayerful look at what they’ve told us.

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TAN's Mary Harrell talks to Mary Elizabeth Cuff, PhD, about her new book Mother to Mother: Spiritual and Practical Wisdom from the Cloister to the Home.

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The unique ability of women to be mothers is a most precious gift. Whether a woman’s vocation is to be a mother in the context of married life or the spiritual motherhood of religious life, both vocations have Our Lady as their source and inspiration. This similar calling to model the motherhood of the Blessed Mother suggests that lay mothers and religious nuns can benefit from each other’s wisdom and experiences. Mother to Mother introduces moms to contemplative nuns who have offered their insight on the common struggles of motherhood. Through a series of questions and answers, these nuns from various orders take wisdom from their cloisters and offer it to mothers in the domestic Church. This includes advice on finding and utilizing silence, how to increase charity towards other mothers, and how to keep our children (and ourselves) engaged in the Mass, and more. Mother to Mother serves as a meditation upon the vocation of motherhood as both lay and religious mothers strive to be models of the Mother of God.

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TAN's Mary Harrell interviews author A.J. Benjamin about his book, When the Son Frees You: A Catholic Man's Journey of Healing from Same-Sex Attraction.

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Is it really possible for a man to change his sexual orientation from "gay" to "straight"? Aren’t "gay" men “born this way”?

With the increasing normalization of homosexuality in our society and even in the Church, is there hope for men who struggle with unwanted homosexual feelings and desires?

When the Son Frees You offers a unique perspective on these questions through the eyes of a faithful Catholic who was almost exclusively sexually attracted to men since his teenage years.

The suffering, pain, and shame of his homosexuality all but consumed A. J. Benjamin . . . until he had a life-changing encounter with the Mother of Jesus.

Through her intercession and following the teachings and practice of the Catholic Church, the wisdom of the saints, and the Theology of the Body of Saint John Paul II, A. J. embarked on a soul-searching journey to freedom and wholeness. Through God’s grace in the sacraments, A. J. found the perfect Man in Jesus Christ and, through the power of His cross, experienced true healing of his disordered desires.

A. J. is now happily married with three children and seeks to spread the Gospel message of hope and freedom to all who struggle with their sexuality.

This is his journey.

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TAN's Mary Harrell interviews author Meredith Hinds about her new book, Eucharistic Saints: Twenty Stories of Devotion to Jesus, and how it will inspire your child to meet Christ in the Eucharist.

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With such a great cloud of witnesses, we have much to learn from the saints. Allow the saints to be your child’s example for meeting Christ in the Eucharist.

In Eucharistic Saints, your children will encounter stories of saints they may already know, like Pope Saint John Paul II and St. Thomas Aquinas, and they will become familiar with saints they may not know yet, like St. Peter Julian Eymard and St. Tarcisius. This book also introduces your children to holy souls who were their own age, like Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Jacinta Marto, and Blessed Imelda, patron saint of First Communicants. Your children will see how God’s grace filled these saints’ hearts and enkindled in them an enduring Eucharistic love.

With beautiful illustrations by Adalee Hude and engaging stories, Eucharistic Saints will inspire your children to recognize, adore, and love Christ in the Eucharist.

And for more great ways to deepen your faith, check out all the spiritual resources available at https://TANBooks.com

TAN's Tim Hill interviews Jason Craig, co-author of the new book The Liturgy of the Land: Cultivating a Catholic Homestead.

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Many people today desire a simple life that is closely connected to land, whether it be gardening, farming, or ranching. There is a spiritual draw to a non-consumeristic lifestyle that places God, the family, and the home at the center of all activity. This “agrarian conversion” has led many families to seek out rural communities and leave behind the suburban life.

More than ten years ago two Catholic friends, Jason M. Craig and Thomas D. Van Horn, experienced a similar agrarian conversion inspired by past Catholic land-movements and a growing desire to work with their wives and children, going deeper than just “supporting” them financially. Both began a journey, perhaps with a tad too much romanticism, toward land-based life on farms. All these years later, the two have been tempered by the unyielding realities of land and limitations, and have gained significant insights into the reasons, challenges, and possibilities of homesteading and farming. Van Horn operates a commercial bee operation and Craig operates a microdairy while working remotely for a Catholic apostolate. Both, however, now have extensive experience in general homesteading, niche-marketing of farm products, and trying to order their households around an agricultural life.

In The Liturgy of the Land: Cultivating a Catholic Homestead, authors Jason Craig and Thomas Van Horn present the practicalities and theological aspects behind the desire for a productive, holy home. Our current culture understands economy in efficient consumeristic terms, but our Catholic Faith tells us different. The productive homestead is the center of economic life and the family is at the center of the homestead. This book aims at bringing the stories from their experience into a presentation and proposal of homesteading as a way of life, considering the principles (why?) and the practicalities (how?).

Check out Jason's podcast at TillAndKeepPodcast.com or on YouTube.

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