New Booklet, Meditations on Deification and the Luminous Mysteries
...an important topic for evangelization & reaching the fallen-away
The National Catholic Register recently reported on the importance of recovery of the early Church Fathers’ (patristic) emphasis on the metaphysical reality of what occurs to the human soul by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: deification or divinization. Relevant to the new evangelization (bringing back fallen-away Christians and reaching a neo-paganized Western culture), the patristic emphasis on man’s divinization through Christ not only recaptures the proper priority of grace (God loves us first and wants to share his divinity freely), but also the proper priority of the Gospel message: “for freedom Christ has set us free” (Gal 5:1). The freedom Saint Paul promotes is about becoming more by beginning to partake in the supernatural life here and now in one’s soul through faith in Christ: “so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life” (2 Cor 5:4).
The NCR reported: “Over the past three decades or so, the Catholic Church has undergone a profound recovery of the theology of deification, also known as divinization. The ancient approach to the Christian life emphasizes that salvation isn’t merely about being freed from sin, but is more fundamentally about being united to God and sharing in his divine life.”
In large part, the recovery of the patristic doctrine of deification is due to the Catechism of the Catholic Church #460, the very reason this Substack is named Catholic460. Paragraph 460 summarizes the Catholic tradition:
The Word became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature“ [2 Peter 1:4]: “For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God” [Saint Irenaeus]. “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God” [Saint Athanasius]. “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods” [Saint Thomas Aquinas].
The editor of Catholic World Report, Carl Olson, commenting on the importance of “deification theology” explained in the NCR article: “Catholicism is not ultimately about rules and ‘being good’…It’s about being filled with the Trinitarian life and having real and eternal communion with the God Who is Creator of all things, the Giver of Life, and the Lover of Souls.” In other words, it is because of one’s sanctification and so being deified [divinized by the Spirit] that one is made good and acts now from something higher, God’s righteousness in us (cf. Rom 8:10) as “partakers of the Holy Spirit” (Heb 6:4).
Tsakanikas’ first book on the topic of deification – a manuscript from decades before the topic was popularized, but only recently published in print – was recommended by one of the most prominent contributors to the recently published The Oxford Handbook of Deification, Tracey Rowland. Professor Rowland, who was awarded the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in theology, known as the “Ratzinger Prize,” promoted Tsakanikas’ original book along with other noted theologians: “Whatever one’s level of theological education or none, these reflections on deification and the luminous mysteries of the rosary are rich in theological insights and scriptural exegesis. Moreover, one comes away from this work with one’s faith in the Church and the possibilities for human salvation renewed.”
Catholic460 is now pleased to announce that En Route Books & Media is publishing a companion booklet to that original work. The new companion booklet is called: Meditations on Deification and the Luminous Mysteries. After teaching on the topic at an undergraduate and graduate level for twenty years, Professor Tsakanikas wanted to develop his earlier and highly recommended work, A Catechesis on Deification, Transfiguration & the Luminous Mysteries with a renewed focus on the mystical approach of Saint Catherine of Siena and emphasis on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) along with deeper theological reflection.
The president of En Route Books & Media, Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, O.P., promoted the new companion booklet: “This work is a gift to the Church—at once intellectually rigorous and spiritually luminous. Tsakanikas leads the reader beyond reflection into encounter, where theology becomes prayer and the mysteries of Christ become a path to transformation.”
Developed from his Substack articles last year, all of the author’s proceeds [about $1 per paperback sale] from the new companion booklet will be donated to the support of Christendom College’s new chapel and literature it provides visitors, including free materials like the booklet. The 38-page 5.25”x8” booklet includes the public domain color artwork of Blessed Fra Angelico and is recommended for the booklet racks in vestibules of parishes and to provide beautiful materials for the new evangelization.
Consider purchasing this new and brief companion booklet [Meditations on Deification and the Luminous Mysteries] at Amazon. It is $9.99 in paperback and currently free digitally to Kindle Unlimited subscribers. The link to the booklet at Amazon is here:
Click this link for a preview of the booklet on Amazon
If you are considering bulk purchases for vestibule racks of churches, or bookstores, or retreat centers, or gifts to large groups, see the button on the En Route Books and Media page here:
Click this link to see information at the ‘Bulk Orders’ button
Books and booklets provide something more attractive, personal and practical for distribution than just digital reading on a screen. They are helpful for devotion, study, note-taking, and sharing with others. Catholic460 Substack articles may not be reprinted for sale due to copyright, but these articles can still be accessed for free only at the Catholic460 Substack. Education at Catholic460 is free to everyone. Your prayers and/or your sharing of materials is greatly appreciated. My special thanks go to Christendom College’s Communication Office for originally compiling, formatting and editing the booklet, especially Julie Wells.
About the author: Dr. Matthew A. Tsakanikas is an evangelist who serves as a professor, chaired departments, and ghost-written for public figures. He’s been at Christendom College since 2015 and taught at Benedictine College previously. His evangelical, pastoral, and theological works appear in Spirit Daily, Catholic World Report, Catholic Exchange, New Advent, Adoremus Bulletin, Crisis Magazine, and Homiletic & Pastoral Review. His academic writings have appeared in top theological peer-reviewed journals including Communio: International Catholic Review. In 2024, his podcast interview by Robert Spitzer’s Magis Center was awarded “Best Single-Podcast” from the Catholic Media Association. He has appeared on EWTN series and done series for the Institute of Catholic Culture. His doctorate was from the Pontifical University of the Lateran’s John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family, Rome.
His original work can be found at Amazon here: A Catechesis on Deification…