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May
19
Tiber River Review: First Communion Bible
Posted by Ian on 19 May 2012 06:14 AM

The Douay-Rheims First Communion Bible from Saint Benedict Press is a lovely gift idea for a first communicant.  This hard cover bible is packaged in a nice box that is suitable for gift giving.  With it's gold embossing, gold page edges and ribbon marker, this bible will certainly become a treasured keepsake.

Read more about this wonderful First Communion Gift >>>


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May
18
Take 20% off over 1000 Catholic Gifts
Posted by Ian on 18 May 2012 11:50 AM

We're having a clearance sale! Take 20% off over 1200 in-stock gifts, but only through this weekend.

Browse now!


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May
9
Wonderful Book for Children for May
Posted by Ian on 09 May 2012 09:34 AM

Several years ago a local author approached us and asked if we would carry her new books for children. The book was colorful and came with a packet of "wheat berries" for the child to grow. We thought the concept and the story were great and decided to carry The Parable of Willy Wheat and the Mother Mary books as well.

All of these books make great gifts for children all the way through grade school and middle school especially as First Communion gifts.

We'll let Kathy tell you more about how this series came about and what you can expect from it...

The Origins of Willy Wheat

The conception of The Parable of Willy Wheat actually happened years ago when I was grinding wheat to make bread for my family. I told a friend that inside each wheat berry there is a hidden "life" (wheat germ) and that it lies dormant within the berry until the outer shell is softened, cracks and dies. Then the "life" inside begins to grow and the wheat berry is transformed into a wheat plant. It is the same with us. We have the hidden Life of Jesus within us and need to change and grow to be One with Him.

Well, my friend told me to put this in writing. So when I went to my typewriter (pre-computer days) the story of Willy Wheat emerged. I was totally surprised as I wrote it… anxious to see what would happen next! It was truly inspired by God.

I began to write pages and pages of analogies that pertained to our Catholic Faith. The main theme was that like Willy Wheat we have a hidden life within us - the Life of God! You can't see Him, but He is there. Our goal is to allow the Life of Jesus to grow in us, just as Willy needed to allow the life to grow in him.

By sprouting the wheat berries in the Mother Mary books, the reader is able to SEE that there is a hidden life inside the berry and that as it's outer shell cracks and "dies" it begins to change and grow into a tiny sprout which will continue to grow into a wheat plant. This helps one to visualize the fact that Jesus lives IN them (even though they can't see Him) and that it is necessary to "die to self" so the Life of Jesus can grow and transform them into His Image and Likeness!

Mother Mary- God's Quick & Easy Way to Divine Holiness, for young teens and adults shows more deeply that is Mary's role as our Mother to HELP us change and grow to be like Jesus by being our Advocate, Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix. This concept is often very difficult to understand. But by making simple comparisons to The Parable of Willy Wheat, these deep mysteries are simplified and even visualized through the use of colorful illustrations.

For example, Willy needed to crack his shell (die to his outer self) for the life inside him to grow. The quickest and easiest way was in the heart of mother earth. The rain water went THROUGHthe soil to soften Willy's outer shell to make it easy for the wheat germ to sprout and grow. In like manner God's Graces are given to us THROUGH the Heart of our Mother Mary (Mediatrix) to make it easier for us to "die to self" so the Life of Jesus will grow in us!

First Communion Stories is pleased to announce its annual First Holy Communion Story contest once again!

  • From May 1- May 21, go to www.firstcommunionstories.com and submit your unique story about your First Holy Communion. Be sure to create an account and then send it in!
  • Your story can be as long or short as you would like. Here are a few, simple rules:
    • Be truthful
    • Talk about good things -- this isn’t a place to rant about the lousy liturgy, etc
    • Enter tags for your city, year and church name so other people can browse stories from the same area.
    • For privacy reasons, please do not include last names in your story.
  • From May 22-May 29, you will have a chance to vote on your favorite First Holy Communion story.
  • Winners will be announced on May 31.

Our lucky winner will receive a $100 gift card to our store, Aquinas and More Catholic Goods!

We will also be giving away two $25 gift certifcates for runners-up.


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May
6
We're Hiring! Do You Have a Talent for Writing?
Posted by Ian on 06 May 2012 09:43 PM

Aquinas and More is hiring a contract copy writer to write articles and descriptions for our websites. Read the full description and compensation information.


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May
3
Oddity in the Revised Mass Translation
Posted by Ian on 03 May 2012 05:57 PM

My dad is working on a project involving the antiphons for the Mass and noticed a rather odd translation change. For the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time the introit used to read:

Lord, be true to your covenant, forget not the life of your poor ones for ever. Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; do not ignore the shouts of your enemies.

Now it reads:

Look to your covenant, O Lord, and forget not the life of your poor ones for ever. Arise, O God, and defend your cause, and forget not the cries of those who seek you.

The referenced Bible verses are Psalm 74: 20, 19, 22, 23

Now, I'm not Fr. Z, but it seems that the meaning of this antiphon has been completely changed. Further, if you look at the actual Bible passages referenced, unless those seeking God are His enemies, the new version is completely different from what's actually in the Bible as well. Thoughts?


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