BOOKS
Apologetics: Veritas has a huge selection of resources that fall into this category, because these resources not only include two full bookcases of multi-faceted books on the various aspects of defending one's Catholic Faith, but they also include a long list of CDs and DVDs that provide coherent presentations of common objections non-Catholics often ask and how to answer these questions from the Bible, Church Tradition, the Saints, and logic.
Aquinas & Augustine: Actually two separate sections side by side, a good bookstore should have a thorough selection of titles to help both the neophyte and the well-versed reader come to appreciate more and more these two Doctors of the Church who have done so much to deepen our understanding of Christ's authentic teaching.
Bible Studies: From DVD/Book combinations to simple bible introductions and extensive commentaries Veritas offers a large selection of materials to help get your bible study going.
Bibles: Veritas only carries Catholic translations of the Bible. The reason for this is two-fold. First, up until 1670 all Bibles contained 73 books, (46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New), including the first edition of the King James Bible published in 1611. However, after a decision made by a council of Anglican Bishops (who were not in communion with the Pope) 7 books from the Old Testament were removed. To this day most Protestant Bibles are missing those seven Old Testament Books. Second, it should go without saying that the Bible itself, being one of the Church's greatest treasures, should be safeguarded from erroneous translations. Therefore, all Catholic translations require approval from competent Church authorities to ensure accuracy in translation from the original texts. At Veritas you will find a vast array of choices in Bibles to meet your needs.
Catechetics: In a sense, this is the heart of the store. Veritas exists to provide resources that help individuals to come to know the teachings of Jesus Christ. Catechesis is a Greek word which means "to echo back" and so books that are Catechetical in nature would simply be publications that authentically echo back the teachings of Christ and his Church. Veritas carries many Catechisms, from the Official Catechism of the Catholic Church to many smaller question and answer catechisms.
Children's Corner: If you are looking to stimulate your child's interest in the faith then look no further. We have books, stickers, puzzles, flash cards, and more for children as young as toddler age. There is no greater gift than the gift of Faith.
Christology: We cannot have an authentic relationship with the Son of God unless we at least begin to understand who he is and what the Church knows about him. This is the study of Christ or Christology. Unless we begin to meditate on the meaning of God becoming Man and all its implications are faith in Jesus will be vague and wanting. Veritas provides books and resources to help in your understanding of Jesus, the Christ.
Church & Culture: Whether we like it or not the Church is in the crossfire of a greater culture war occurring in Western Society. It is important to understand the pressures at hand, the encroaching problems of secularism and the Church's history in fighting all ideologies that have at their heart a substitution for faith in Jesus Christ. Our Church & Culture section gives the tools you need to understand the problems at hand and the forces of good within the Church that are at work to solve them.
Divine Mercy: From a simple uneducated Sister from Poland came a simple message from Jesus: God's name is Mercy. Devotion to Jesus' Divine Mercy is spreading like a brush fire and Veritas has an entire section of DVDs, CDs, Prayer Cards, and Books to help you spread the good news of God's Divine Mercy to others. This is the devotion for our time as St. Faustina Kowalska and Pope John Paul II have testified.
Encyclicals/Papal Pronouncements: It is one of the goals of Veritas to offer every significant pronouncement that has come from the Vatican. Unfortunately, most are not being published. Nevertheless, we still have a large selection of the more salient encyclicals, apostolic letters, decrees, and statements by the Popes and Pontifical councils for you to purchase.
Eucharist: The Source and Summit of the Christian life deserves a section all on its own. And with new title constantly being published Veritas hopes to provide the best selection of books available to help increase devotion to Jesus present among us in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist.
Evolution: A very controversial and exciting topic, Evolution can mean many things. In its most fundamental definition of things changing slowly over time, and even in its implication that the human body evolved from a lower species the Catholic Church finds no problem to contend with. However, when Evolution becomes a religious philosophy that seeks to exclude God and the human soul from reality the Church objects. To help understand this issue better we offer books from Cardinal Schonborn to leading scientists to unpack the intricacies of this issue.
General Biography: Living the Catholic faith requires a certain amount of heroism. You will be inspired to read the many life-changing stories recounted in the books in this section. From the founder of the Knights of Columbus to the founder of EWTN, these biographies are a must-read.
Great Writers: Some writers are so prolific and cover such a variety of topics that we have designated them our "great writers." They include such giants as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, G.K. Chesterton, Peter Kreeft and Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Several of these writers have written on virtually every aspect of the Catholic faith. Furthermore, Veritas designates them as great writers because they effectively communicate and deeply penetrate the mysteries of the faith.
Healing and Self-Help: When difficult spiritual or psychological times occur it is helpful to have the advice of a friend. Fortunately being a member of the communion of saints, we have those who have gone before us and can share their experience of similar circumstances. The books in our healing and self-help section provide such assistance. Dealing with grief, healing after loss and other interior struggles are all included under this category.
Literature: This is one of our fastest growing sections. As Catholics revisit great works of literature and the circumstances from which they arose, new critical editions of these great works with Catholic commentary are being published. In addition, many fine Catholic authors are writing new works of fiction with spiritual undertones that make for edifying reading.
History: Catholicism is an historical religion. The Christ we worship is Jesus of Nazareth who walked among us at a particular place in time. Similarly, the Church that is His body, lives in history and to study history is to study the story of the Church. Our history section is complete with books dealing with the First Century of Christian witness up to our own times. History really is His story.
Mariology: Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is an integral part of Catholic life. We imitate Jesus Who honored His Mother and honor her with a section of books of Catholic piety and love for Our Lady.
Marriage and Family: Pope John Paul II called the family the "domestic church." More and more, the family finds itself the recipient of hostility and divisive attacks. It is imperative that the Church provides every resource possible to ensure marriages which are rooted in Christ's love. Parenting resources also must reflect the nature and mission of authentic married life with the Holy Family as their guide. Love that is free, faithful, fruitful and forever.
Morality: Christ came, not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. Our morality section provides the thoughtful Catholic with resources to further the understanding and commitment to the Decalogue and apply the Commandments to modern life.
Mystical Theology: Veritas understands that the faith can be taken to its ultimate end: the sanctification of individuals to the point of union with God. We are blessed to have models of faith in our Tradition who have traversed the narrow way and have left us signposts to aid us in our own journey. Books in this section deal with growth in virtue and growth in prayer and are excellent resources for the spiritual director as well as those seeking supplemental spiritual direction.
New Age: New age is nebulous belief that all things are one: God, trees, humans, dogs, chewing gum-everything shares the same being. It also holds that God is in all things and that to find fulfillment a person needs only to seek the God within. Unfortunately, because New Age is so malleable it has and can find its way into Catholic thought. Veritas provides books that show the origin and errors of New Age philosophy for the purpose of rebutting its presence in Catholic thought.
Patristics: "To be immersed in history is to cease to be Protestant." So said Cardinal John Henry Newman who converted to the Catholic Church after reading the early Church Fathers. The Church Fathers are those writers of the first seven centuries after Christ's Resurrection who expounded upon the teaching of the Apostles and defended the Church from heresies within and without. What is so remarkable about the Church Fathers is they span the time from when the Apostles were preaching to after the fall of the Roman empire, and yet there teaching about the Church and the exposition on the Church's faith always agreed. Now they are as accessible as they are important, and Veritas offers a great deal of their writings.
Prayer Books: St. Theresa of Avila encouraged the use of prayer books for interior growth. Beginners and the well-versed alike will find prayer books to suit their spiritual needs. Rosary books, novenas, Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration and daily scriptural guides can be found among the diverse selection of prayer books.
Pro-Life Resources: Pope Paul VI wrote Humanae Vitae over 40 years ago and, unfortunately, the diabolical attacks on the unborn have increased. Contraception and abortion are on the rise and threaten to carry even Catholics along with the evil tide. Our Pro-Life section has books with solid information and encouragement for the person engaged in the struggle to end abortion as well as books to aid the individual to grow in the knowledge and understanding of respect for all human life - from conception to natural death.
Rites: This section contains books used in Roman Catholic liturgies that include Lectionaries, Funeral Rites, Latin hymnals, the Book of Blessing and other books that will be necessary for the parish and for priests and deacons in their sacred ministry.
Saints: Many great conversions began with someone picking up and reading the biography of a saint. St. Augustine and St. Ignatius of Loyola are two instances in which someone gave their life to Christ by reading the lives of the saints. The saints are temples of the Holy Spirit and extension of Christ's hands and feet to sanctify and hold up the world in their own particular time. Veritas has no less than five full bookcases filled with biographies of the saints. We have books which compile the saints according to topic or category such as male or female saints, or saints of the liturgical year. Moreover, we have dozens of individual biographies of these holy people of God.
Spanish: Veritas recognizes the need to provide excellent resources, not only in English, but for the growing Catholic Spanish-speaking community of Houston. While space is limited, the categories are not and we are continually adding titles to our books in Spanish.
Theology: Theology is faith seeking understanding. It is the Queen of all sciences, which seeks to Duc in Altum, put out into the deep, or delve more fully the meaning of the Church's authentic teaching. Christ is the Divine Teacher. The Catholic Christian who seeks to understand, finds many books by those willing to lead them on their way. Discernment is necessary so we have taken the guesswork out of the equation and have provided only those books on theology which are in conformity with the authentic teachers of the faith - the Bishops united to the Holy Father.
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