(For Distribution in the Philippines Only)
Committed by Choice
By Judith Merkle, S.N.D. de N.
158 pp., PhP 129
Committed by Choice examines the nature of "the choice" today to be a religious in light of conflicting images of success and autonomy in society. After thirty years of renewal efforts, religious congregations still find themselves in transition. The author asks the questions, What are the next steps? How do religious combine in the language of their vows the basic religious experience which grounds them and the commitment to the poor, the Church, and global justice which those vows inspire?
Merkle's answers offer some models of post-Vatican II theological thinking that may help communities in the process of renewal address foundational issues of religious life in the modern, multicultural world. The end result is a keen look at the future of community life, the relationship between the Church and religious communities, and the new partnerships being formed through the reorganization of religious congregations and through new forms of association.
Hiding in Plain Sight
Sabbath Blessings
By Molly Wolf
152 pp., PhP 169
Failing to notice God in daily life may be what keeps us from experiencing the full joy of God's presence. In Hiding in Plain Sight, Molly Wolf shows that, by relating God-talk to the practical and the everyday, we can find love, joy, and God right where we are: "hiding in plain sight."
These short, lively pieces pull together the sacred and the human, looking for God in such ordinary things as lilacs, mud season, turtles, dancing ants, a handful of sheep's wool, the turn of the season, and plumbing-all places where Wolf suggests God can be found "not locked in the tabernacle, not hiding behind a mass of complex concepts, not absent from our pain, not out of reach, but here with us, in us, and among us, in the laundry, the scutwork, and the landscape we walk through."
Intelligent, often humorous, always inspiring, Hiding in Plain Sight is the perfect book to keep handy for reflection.
Holistic Healing
Hildegard of Bingen;
Patrick Madigan, S.J., and John Kulas, O.S.B., Translators
236 pp., PhP 229
Hildegard of Bingen's suggestions and prescriptions for health are explained in this translation of her chief work Causae et Curae. Although the holy Hildegard gained her knowledge of nature's healing powers eight hundred years ago, it remains relevant and timely today.
Hildegard, the youngest of ten children, was born in 1098 and died in
1179. Throughout her life she suffered from a delicate and weak constitution.
As the abbess of Rupertsberg and a convent visitator, Hildegard traveled
widely and served the clergy and aristocracy as a confidant and advisor.
She also profoundly influenced the convent and folk medicine traditions
of her time.
Holistic Healing concerns the causes of illnesses and nature's remedies
for them. The sources of her knowledge are not clear to this day. Hildegard
discusses the use of natural ingredients in diet and therapy to alleviate
pain and to foster healing and gives insights into human physiology and
pathology. She also comments on animal diseases and their treatment, as
well as other aspects of agrarian economy.
Introduction to Profound Prayer
Mariano Ballester, S.J.; Bethany Lane, Translator
104 pp., PhP 149
One definition of prayer is ascent to God and this ascent can start from many different levels, because not every way of prayer is equal in depth. In Introduction to Profound Prayer Father Ballester contends that one aspect of profound prayer is that the dynamism of this ascent, this elevation, is infinite in breadth, length, height, and depth. With profound prayer, then, one seeks to elevate oneself toward God by beginning from the most intimate roots of one's being: the richest, deepest, most profound part of the person.
The three characteristics of profound prayer are its tendency to elevate us towards God, its profundity or depth, and its aim of integrating the whole person. Profound prayer is not a common prayer; this book is for those who feel drawn to deepen and unify their personal prayer. Thus, in Introduction to Profound Prayer Father Ballester considers the whole human being-body and spirit, social and individual dimensions, contemplation and action, and manifest and latent faculties.
The Need and the Blessing of Prayer
Karl Rahner, S.J.; Bruce W. Gillette, Translator
128 pp., PhP 119
A new translation of Father Rahner's book on prayer.
Karl Rahner stands in a long line of great Christian theologians who were
likewise great teachers of prayer. He has been called the voice of Vatican
II, and is acknowledged as the rare theologian whose writings speak to
the "ordinary" Christian.
In The Need and the Blessing of Prayer , Father Rahner views the human person as essentially one called to prayer. He also highlights prayer as the act of human existence, the great religious act. By encouraging people to "pray in the everyday"-to pray regardless of the desire or mood of the moment-Rahner's theology of the prayer of everyday life challenges us to surrender ourselves to God so that God dwells at the very center of our lives.
The eight chapters of The Need and the Blessing of Prayer
were originally sermons that Rahner gave during Lent 1946 at St. Michael's
Church in Munich, Germany. This work has been reprinted often throughout
its thirty-year history, testifying to its enduring message. For as Father
Rahner wrote in the first edition, "If we are not supposed to cease
praying, then perhaps one shouldn't cease speaking about prayer."
Chapters are "Opening Our Hearts," "The Helper-Spirit," "The Prayer of Love," "Prayer in the Everyday," "The Prayer of Need," "Prayers of Consecration, "The Prayer of Guilt," and "Prayers of Decision."
Once More from Emmaus
Carlo Maria Martini; Matthew J. O'Connell, Translator
120 pp., PhP 119
The Church exists for the sake of mission: the plan of salvation that
God offers to all. It is mission that is the theme of these articles by
the archbishop of Milan. They remind those involved in ministry that the
ultimate aim of any pastoral program is to share, in its own unique way,
the Gospel message with the world. Cardinal Martini stresses that all
who have received the Gospel message are compelled to pass on that message
to the unbaptized and to those who have strayed from the Church.
For all who have met Christ along the road but still find their step hesitant
as they set out to spread the good news, Once More from Emmaus will put
confidence in their stride.
Psalms for Troubled Times
By Merrill Morse
192 pp., PhP 89
These thoughtful, inspiring reflections on the psalms of lamentation
comment on their themes of suffering, sorrow, sin, repentance, anguish,
and anger in a creative way. Through his reflections, Reverend Morse shares
the revelation that, while often dark, these sad psalms can be an intensely
personal and rewarding way to address life's stresses and sorrows.
The Symbols of the Church
Maurice Dilasser, Editor; Mary Cabrini Durkin, O.S.U.,
Madeleine Beaumont, and Caroline Morson, Translators
168 pp., Hardcover, PhP 399
Richly illustrated, The Symbols of the Church shows that the language of symbols is more universal than the language of words in expressing faith. Over 200 full-color photographs and illustrations depict a variety of symbols that range from bells to architecture to liturgical vestments. Commentary, poetry, scriptural text, prayers, musical excerpts, and quotes from well-known persons offer insight into the meaning and history of these symbols.
This book is a feast for the eyes as well as a spiritual banquet for
the heart.
Unless You Take Up Your Cross
Lenten Reflection and Devotion
Robert D. Eimer, O.M.I., and Sarah A. O'Malley,
O.S.B.
104 pp., PhP 69
The meditations in this private devotion focus on the Cross, the symbol
of conversion and salvation. Each day has its theme, beginning with Ash
Wednesday and culminating at Easter in the revelation of the Cross as
the Tree of Life.
Each devotion includes the following: a prayer, a passage from Scripture,
a short meditation followed by reflective questions, and a suggested action
based on the reading and meditation. Petitions are offered, then the devotion
concludes with another short prayer.
Walking in the Kingdom of God
A Lenten Meditation for the Busy Christian
By Carl F. Peltz
48 pp., PhP 69
Lent is a time of preparation. Walking in the Kingdom of God offers a
reflection on a Scripture reading, a prayer, and a "remembrance"
activity for each day of Lent to facilitate your preparation for Easter.
The reflections are thematic and based on the Gospel readings from the
Lectionary. At the end of each week and after each day of the Triduum,
the reader may contribute to a "response" to articulate the
insights gained from the reflection, prayer, and remembrance activity.
Walking in the Kingdom of God
An Advent Meditation for the Busy Christian
By Carl F. Peltz
80 pp., PhP 69
The days prior to Christmas can be hectic, with numerous demands upon a person's time. Walking in the Kingdom of God helps the reader find God in the hustle and bustle of the Advent season. In this series of reflections, prayers, and activities based on the Advent gospels, the reader is invited to experience the activities and events of everyday life as revealing something of God's reign in our midst.
Some Catholic Prayers
by Hubert J. Richards
48 pp PhP 60
When the friends of Jesus pray, they speak to God, as Jesus taught them,
from their hearts. This book opens out three of these prayers:
• The Hail Mary, in which they ask Mary, the mother of Jesus, to pray with them.
• The Rosary, in which they remember before God a number of stories from the life of Jesus.
• The I Confess, in which they own up to their failings, in order to be assured once again that God forgives them.
What Christians Believe
by
Hubert J. Richards
72 pp, PhP 60
One of the earliest titles that people give to Jesus is 'Christ'.
The word means 'God's Chosen One', or 'God's
Appointed Leader'.
That is why those who accept Jesus as their Leader, and try to live in
his way, call themselves 'Christians'.
Some of the things they believe are set out in this book:
• The basic truths that they accept as their Creed.
• The ten rules or Commandments which they agree to live by.
• The ceremonies or Sacraments, in which they continue to feel close to Jesus.
• The ceremony of Holy Communion in which they thank God for all his gifts, especially for the gift of Jesus.
What Jesus
Taught
by Hubert J. Richards
48 pp PhP 60
Jesus taught many things. Read the Gospel ("The Good News")
to see how his friends remembered the good things he taught.
But of all the good things Jesus taught, three stand out:
• The words he taught his friends to say when they turned to God in prayer. These words are known as The Lord's Prayer.
• The list of people he pointed to as the really lucky ones. This list is known as The Beatitudes.
• The stories he told to show people how God is suprisingly different from what they imagine. These stories are known as The Parables.
This book tries to help you understand these things taught by Jesus.
Woman to Woman
An Anthology of Women's Spiritualities
Phyllis Zagano, Editor
128 pp., PhP 119
The women whose writings are included in this anthology are all different colors in a kaleidoscope of history. Spanning nearly one thousand years in the history of spirituality, these works, arranged chronologically, begin with Hildegard of Bingen in the eleventh century and move to Ita Ford in our own. Their authors are mystics, contemplatives, actives, intellectuals, poets, and dreamers. They are portraits of women through the centuries who loved deeply their families, their communities, their careers, or their causes, but who, most of all, loved God.
Some women whose writings are included: Beatrice of Nazareth, Dorothy Day, Edith Stein, Mary Ward, Jessica Powers, Ita Ford, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Simone Weil, and Elizabeth Anne Seton. The editor introduces each selection.
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