Many have called the psalms a 'school of prayer' and indeed St. Augustine in his Confessions wrote that the psalms could be a stepping stone to deeper conversation with God. These ancient words from Scripture mirror our own thoughts and emotions—celebration and praise, suffering and lament, gratitude and asking for help—as relevant today as when they were first sung in the Temple. Fr. Martin Shannon brings deep t ...
Twenty-five meditations paired with original woodcuts reflect on how wild animals adapt when darkness and cold descend. We hear as if for the first time the ancient wisdom of Advent: The dark is not an end but the way a new beginning comes. ...
Explore the meaning of Lent, its importance in spiritual formation, its significance in the preparation of Easter, and the holy season of Easter itself. Reflections from leading spiritual writers in North America reveal what one theologian has called the «bright sadness» of Lent – that it is not about becoming lost in feelings of brokenness, but about cleansing the palate so that we can taste life more fully. Lent and Easter reveal the God who i ...
Christmas is the season most difficult to grasp and understand in all its spiritual richness. The sentimentality and commercialism that dominate the season tend to obscure the profound mystery at its heart: the Incarnation. <i>God with Us</i> provides the perfect way to slow down and reconnect with the liturgical and sacramental traditions that illuminate the meaning of Christmas and the Incarnation. In daily meditations for the comp ...
Central to the Christian mystical tradition is the inspired work of the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing. Rich with insights and perceptions of the obscurity and “unknowability” of God, this work reveals God as being on an entirely different plane of existence from human beings—so different that time-bound human language is inadequate to describe God exhaustively or accurately. Intellect and emotion both fail in seeking God, who can on ...
Sybil MacBeth writes that Advent and Epiphany are the often-neglected parentheses around Christmas. And they deserve more attention and better publicity. This Season of the Nativity sets the stage the liturgical year, our yearlong journey through Scripture and salvation history. Sybil MacBeth’s memoir, front-porch theology, and pages of practices and activities invite individuals and families to enjoy this season in a way that has more peace and ...
Few people know that “Joy to the World” – the world’s most popular Christmas song – wasn’t written for Christmas at all. Isaac Watts wrote it in imitation of Psalm 98. That psalm has nothing to say about the coming of the Messiah as a child; it is instead about the Messiah who comes in glory, and righteousness, and victory over evil, to judge the world and comfort the faithful. In other words, Isaac Watts meant “Joy to the World” as a spiritual ...
“Abba, give me a word!” So young monks and visitors to desert monasteries would address an elder at the beginning of the 4th century. These seekers believed that a word originating outside oneself would descend into the heart and give direction to one’s inner life. Enzo Bianchi has tried to let himself be guided by this tradition in Words of Spirituality and Hope. These “words” are not listed alphabetically or by theme. They are arranged to take ...
A specialist in human goodness, divine providence, and recent saints, Patricia Treece offers the fruits of years of research on how God meets the financial needs, in varying ways, or his people. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, for instance, refused to let anyone raise money in her name, insisting if God wanted something done through her, he'd send the money. Other friends of God did seek donations and got them in amazing ways. In this lively boo ...
