A group of essays prepared for publication by Maritain in the year before his death. The first series of articles consists of 10 philosophical essays, while second is made up of mainly theological articles. A meditation closes the volume.

Drawing upon the richness and breadth of Jacques Maritain's thought, the contributors to this volume engage readers with philosophical essays about the search for truth in human life and civic engagement. The essays examine a broad range of topics, from those that are more properly theoretical, such as God, science, natural law, practical reason, education, and democracy, to those that are more practical, such as capital punishment, eugenics, friendship, love, and art. In each essay, the author implicitly challenges the claims of relativism and postmodernism, specifically the idea that there is no "real" truth and that what matters is merely the perspective of one's own frame of reference. The essays argue instead that theoretical truth-claims have practical consequences, that truth matters to those who are affected by it. In addition to the editor, the contributors are: Gavin T. Colvert, John A. D. Cuddeback, Raymond Dennehy, Bernard E. Doering, Desmond J. FitzGerald, Sarah J. Fodor, William J. Fossati, W. Matthews Grant, James G. Hanink, Katie Hollenberg, Gregory Kerr, James P. Mesa, Peter Pagan, Matthew S. Pugh, James V. Schall, S.J., Michael D. Torre, John R. Traffas, Cornelia A. Tsakiridou, Timothy S. Valentine, S.J., A. Leo White, Anne M. Wiles, and Henk E. S. Woldring. John G. Trapani, Jr., is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Humanities Division at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.

Drawing on the writings of Jacques Maritain--and by extension those of Thomas Aquinas--the essays in this volume examine the effects of theories of knowledge on individuals, culture, and entire schools of philosophical thought. The contributors challenge contemporary epistemologies, which are largely based on writings of Descartes, Locke, and Kant. They critique these theories internally and demonstrate their incompatibility with other goods, such as liberty, human dignity, and access to the transcendent. In stark contrast to modernity's dubious and fragmented opinions and belief systems, Maritain--in works like The Degrees of Knowledge and Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry--proposed a theory of knowledge that permits real, if limited, knowledge of substances, wholes. Some contributors use these works as a springboard from which to examine aspects or applications of knowledge that Maritain left unexplored. Others challenge or question aspects of Maritain's analysis, seeking to improve upon his work. Still others compare Maritain with other neo-Thomistic philosophers, most notably Etienne Gilson, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Pope John Paul II. Maritain's works on human knowledge and the implicit critique of modernity contained within provide an alternative for those seeking to engage the various deficiencies of the "culture of death." These essays demonstrate the continuing relevance--and timeliness--of Maritain's thought. Douglas A. Ollivant is assistant professor of politics at the United States Military Academy. Contributors: George Anastaplo, James Arraj, Joseph M. de Torre, Robert Delfino, Raymond Dennehy, John M. Dunaway, Robert Fallon, Desmond FitzGerald, William J. Fossati, W. Matthews Grant, Catherine Green, James G. Hanink, Gregory J. Kerr, John F. X. Knasas, John F. Morris, Ralph Nelson, Douglas A. Ollivant, Matthew S. Pugh, Steven J. Schloeder, Christopher H. Toner, John G. Trapani, Jr., Henk E. S. Woldring, and Thomas F. Woods. "This is a valuable collection of articles on an important individual who is still influencing contemporary political thought."--Lucien J. Richard, OMI, Catholic Library World

Hans Urs von Balthasar’s discourse on the descent of Christ into hell and its implications for the Triune God have been disputed for half a century. One of the Trinity has Suffered evaluates and revises von Balthasar’s theology of divine suffering in a way that interacts with and significantly enriches contemporary Catholic theology. In this book, Joshua R. Brotherton engages twentieth-century Thomistic theology, as well as the thought of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) and Pope St. John Paul II. Drawing from the vast secondary literature on von Balthasar, Brotherton offers a balanced assessment of his work on the topic of divine suffering, both critical and appreciative. Recognizing von Balthasar’s laudable attempt to integrate mystical spirituality and systematic theology, Brotherton seeks to distinguish valid insights from confused mixtures of metaphorical, meta-symbolic, and philosophical (metaphysical) discourse on God, particularly with respect to the classical problem of how the Creator who willed to become incarnate may be said to suffer. Truly, “One of the Trinity has suffered,” and yet this mystery of faith must be carefully explained and understood in conformity with sustained Catholic reflection on divine immutability and simplicity, the dual nature and unique personhood of Christ, the Trinity of divine subsistent relations, the freedom of God in creating and becoming man, the analogy of being, the problem of evil, and the immensity and infinite value of Christ’s redemptive suffering.

Provides a sustained account of how the thought of Aquinas may be used in conjunction with contemporary science to deepen our understanding of divine action and address such issues as creation, providence, prayer, and miracles.

For all interested in the dialogue between science and religion, this book offers a fresh, intriguing, and convincing way of reconciling and promoting an inspiring mutual exchange between the well-known Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of philosophy and theology and the most recent version of biological evolution.

A comprehensive account of the concept of woman in Western thought, from ancient Greece, through the Middle Ages, to today In her sweeping, three-volume study, Sister Prudence Allen examined how women and men have been defined in relation to one another scientifically, philosophically, and theologically. Now synthesized for students, The Concept of Woman is the ideal textbook for classes on gender in Catholic thought. Allen surveys Greek philosophers, medieval saints, and modern thinkers to trace the development of integral gender complementarity. This doctrine—a living idea according to the criteria of John Henry Newman—affirms the equal dignity of men and women and the synergetic relationship between them. Allen pays special attention to John Paul II’s contributions to this holistic idea of gender. Readers will gain valuable context for current debates over womanhood and come to a greater appreciation of human personhood.

In this series of beautiful and accessible meditations, Fr. Jean-Miguel Garrigues examines death and eternal life in the light of Christian revelation. His work is the fruit of years of sustained theological reflection, as well as his own experience accompanying terminally ill cancer patients as a hospital chaplain. At the Hour of Our Death nourishes the vitally important theological virtue of hope. It encourages us to accompany the dying with compassion, love, and prayer, to live in communion with the saints of heaven and the holy souls of purgatory, and to wisely and serenely prepare ourselves for the day when we, too, will be called to accomplish, in the company of Jesus, the great Passover from this life to the house of our heavenly Father. The worldwide pandemic has brought end-of-life issues closer to many people than ever before. Fr. Jean Miguel’s insights, lucidly rendered into English by Fr. Gregory Casprini, will serve as a help and consolation to many, strengthening their faith and encouraging them to pray for and accompany others.

The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice, and Communion explores the three ends of the Sacrament of Sacraments: God’s true presence, His redemptive sacrifice, and spiritual nourishment through communion with Him. In this follow-up to his groundbreaking work, Faith Comes From What Is Heard, Lawrence Feingold constructs a biblical vision of the Eucharist from its prefigurement in the Old Testament to its fulfillment in the New and presents the Eucharistic theology of the Church Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, and magisterial teaching from centuries past through today. The Eucharist is a masterful text, both challenging and spiritually rich, that comprehensively examines the unspeakable mystery that is the Eucharist.

Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274) is one of the most important thinkers in the history of western civilization. A philosopher and theologian, a priest and preacher, Aquinas bequeathed to the world an enduring synthesis of philosophy, theology, and Christian spirituality. Aquinas championed the integration of faith and action, sound doctrine and right living, orthodoxy and orthopraxy. From the thirteenth century through the present day, his legacy has served as a blessing for the church and beyond. In the nearly eight hundred years since Aquinas’s death, his thought has been studied, interpreted, criticized, reinvigorated, and anointed as the exemplar of Catholic theology. Thomas and the Thomists, a new volume in the Mapping the Tradition series, serves as an introduction to the life of Aquinas, the major contours of his teaching, and the lasting contribution he made to Christian thought. Romanus Cessario and Cajetan Cuddy also outline the history of the Thomist tradition—the great school of Aquinas’s interpreters—from the medieval era through the revival of the Thomist heritage in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This volume affords its readers a working guide to understanding the history of Aquinas and his expositors as well as to grasping their significance for us today.