Many of us feel a little closer to our faith during the Christmas season—even those without a regular faith practice. Around us, people are talking about peace on Earth and goodwill towards all, while deeply rooted Christmas rituals and traditions and familiar prayers speak to our hearts—a refreshing respite in this age. A beautiful collection of inspiring holiday prayers that will bring back heartwarming memories and open new un ...
In this age of sensory overload, more than ever we seek out simplicity—a still pond, quiet space to meditate, the solid stable comforts that are so elusive. Creative leaders through the centuries have understood that simple beauty is one of the highest goals. Albert Einstein said, «Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.» But as the Apple slogan used to say: Simple is hard. With ...
Explore the biblical context for Advent in this series of contemplations. The pieces of the beginning of the Christian story come together, not from one set of hands, but many. For instance, in the four Gospels, Mark makes no mention of the events leading up to and surrounding the birth of Jesus. John, for the most part, points back to Genesis. Most of the historical pieces come to us primarily from Matthew and Luke. The scriptures toget ...
This charming devotional book takes readers on an inward journey to the miracle of Christ's birth in the little town of Bethlehem. Many who will read this book probably haven't actually traveled to Bethlehem. «But that is of little consequence to the adventure of arriving there, to the adventure of discovery that awaits the mystery and wonder in the birth of Jesus,» Todd Outcalt writes. The devotions are both personal and challenging. ...
Bestselling Anglican author Paula Gooder, a favorite of Rowan Williams and many others, has written a daily companion for the six weeks of Lent, to lead you deeper into the spirit of the season and open up the scriptures that are essential at this time of year. She begins with an introduction to the season of Lent and its the characteristic themes, exploring how to use it as a time for spiritual growth. In forty short sections suitable f ...
Pangolins and polar bears, olms, lemurs, and leopards. We share this beautiful blue-green globe with creatures magnificent, delicate, intricate—and now vanishing at a faster rate than at any other time in Earth’s history. Spend Lent with twenty-five of these wild ones. Vivid descriptions of their lives will fill readers with wonder—and grief at what they suffer on a planet shaped by human choices. Their stories thaw our stiff hearts and wake us ...
Based on early Christian practice, pilgrims to Jerusalem reconstructed the events of Good Friday along the “Way of Suffering,” the Via Dolorosa. The Spanish nun, Egeria, writes of her own experience with this in her fourth century Holy Week journal. In the Middle Ages, the Franciscans and Dominicans particularly picked up on the ritual, and transported it from Jerusalem to chapels and churches outside the Holy Land. If one could not make the pil ...
A daily devotional/study for Lent on the subject and the experience of temptation. Daily reflections on the hard school of temptation, based on Scriptures, inspired by the Lenten experience of a Benedictine monastic community. Each day’s reflection includes a quotation taken from two works of the German pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945): a series of lectures given on the creation and fall of Adam and Eve; and a six-day Bible ...
From the author of A Daily Catholic Moment and My Year with the Saints for Kids comes a book about the most popular Christmas song in the world, the Nativity of Jesus Christ, and how to carry the beauty and wonder of the Bethlehem stable into our lives as a new year begins. Celano reflects on “Silent Night, Holy Night”—how it came to be, its continued importance, and its message of contemplation, hope, and love. The year 2019 marks the 200th ann ...
