Typology for Beginners

This runaway bestseller is being used as the main resource material in study groups on understading how the Old Testament in Sacred Scripture connects to the New Testament.

First-century Jews converted to Christianity in droves because they understood Jesus fulfilled what was foreshadowed in their Sacred Scriptures. Because the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament was so Christocentric, they could easily see Jesus as the Paschal Lamb, the Last Supper as a new Passover, and Mary as the Ark of the Covenant.

Other stories, too, such as the story of Jonah and the large fish, Jael and Judith, Rahab the prostitute, Boaz and Ruth, Noah’s Ark, the crossing of the Jordan, and the water from the Rock that Moses struck – were all seen as pointing to Christ, Mary, the Church, and the Sacraments. This would have been exciting for them because they had waited for the Messiah for over two thousand years, and they were convinced Jesus is God to the point of even dying as martyrs during the various Christian persecutions.

Sadly, we no longer see these connections today; they are still there, but no one’s pointed them out to us. The document Dei Verbum (Word of God) from Vatican II recommends we read the Bible also typologically, but if no one shows us how, we might not be able to see the connections.

This book comes to the rescue by revealing the patterns that the early Christians saw. It will undoubtedly open a new way of reading the Bible so that it is exciting again.

A Sky Full of Stars

Do you ever wonder how Mary is a Mystical Rose, or the Tower of David, or a Tower of Ivory?

We invoke Mary through the titles in the Litany, but some of them have been obscured by time. We are meant to know Mary through them as well as emulate the virtues extolled by them. It is tragic if we don't understand her titles for how can we know her and imitate her love for God?

The book A Sky Full of Stars explains thoroughly each of Mary's titles in the Litany through Scripture, Tradition, liturgy, and typology. It unveils what the evolution of language and culture has concealed. Meet our Lady the way the Church presents her, and prepare to fall in love with Mary all over again.

Bishop Socrates Villegas says, "A Sky Full of Stars must be an obligatory reference material for religion teachers and seminarians. It helps the reader to see the Virgin Mary within the perspective of sound biblical theology and solid Catholic tradition... [and is] also easy to understand."

100 Things Every Catholic Should Know

Whether or not you are new to the Catholic Church, or struggling, or lapsed, or dynamically involved, this book will enlighten you with the essentials of the Faith that have been handed down to us by the apostles.

100 Things Every Catholic Should Know covers what it is we believe in the Creed, how grace configures us to Christ in the sacraments, how we worship in the liturgy, how we connect to God in prayer, how Mary and the saints fit in in all of this, and how we are part of Christ’s Mystical Body – the Church.

Each of the 100 topics is easy to read and distilled into bite-sized portions. Through cross-referencing, the book also shows how the topics are interrelated. Those who are new to the Faith will find this book an edifying handy reference, and those who have simply forgotten will find it a great review material that might spark a new love for God and religion.

Beyond the Veil

Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Paul VI both stressed in their encyclicals that we should contemplate on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary while praying the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be otherwise it runs the risk of being merely mechanical. Beyond the Veil explores seven concrete steps on how to do this. It also explores the mental images of each mystery with meticulous detail.

We've learned to pray the rosary by concentrating on the words of the vocal prayers. Some might even think it scandalous not to do so. But prayer giants like Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Paul VI, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and Bishop Robert Barron recommend thinking of the mysteries as we pray. But how can that be?

The trick is to let your lips do automatically what it has been doing for years when you pray the rosary. This gives your mind the freedom to explore the images connected with the different mysteries.

Beyond the Veil will help you in this process by suggesting seven important steps to get you contemplating on the mysteries.

A problem one might face in praying this way is the lack of mental images. So a large part of the book explores each of the mysteries and provides context and visual mental references that you can recall while praying the rosary. It even suggests specific mental images for each bead.

Pray the rosary the way it is supposed to be prayed: contemplate on the mysteries.