Stations of the Nativity


Book Description

Illustrated devotions to enrich your understanding of the Nativity narratives. This devotional guide for the days from Advent to Candlemas builds on the popularity of the ancient Christian tradition of walking the Stations of the Cross. Readings and prayers will help individuals and groups walk the Stations of the Nativity, from the vision of Zecharias in the temple to the return of the Holy family to Galilee. Along the way readers can pray and meditate on the Annunciation, the Visitation, the birth of John the Baptist, Joseph’s dream, the Nativity, the appearance of the angels, the shepherds and Magi at the manger, the Presentation, the flight into Egypt, and the massacre of the innocents. Each station includes an opening sentence and a response, a Bible reading, a reflection, prayers, a longer meditation, and a short closing prayer. Striking engravings or woodcuts provide a visual meditation on each station.




Meditations on the Life of Christ


Book Description

McNamer offers a critical edition of The Meditations on the Life of Christ, the most popular and influential devotional work of the later Middle Ages, including a new English translation, commentary, and previously unpublished Italian text.




The Art of Christmas


Book Description

Jane Williams' meditations on the birth of Jesus take you deep into the story of the original Christmas, as depicted in some of the world's greatest paintings on the nativity. These reflections will deepen and refresh your appreciation of the real meaning of Christmas, and the message of love, joy, and peace that it speaks to all the world.




Why Christ Came


Book Description

When thinking about Christ's birth, we often focus our attention on Luke's detailed gospel account. But to appreciate the main point of the story--that the eternal Son of God assumed our flesh-and-blood human nature--we need to learn from the rest of the Bible why Christ came to earth. Why did Christ come? In this book, thirty-one thoughtful meditations answer this vital question, and the answers encourage us to celebrate Christ's birth more deeply, see more clearly how it is connected with the rest of His ministry, and recognize its importance for our lives. Table of Contents: To Do the Will of the Father To Save Sinners To Bring Light to a Dark World To Be Made Like His People To Bear Witness to the Truth To Destroy the Works of the Devil To Give Eternal Life To Receive Worship To Bring Great Joy To Demonstrate True Humility To Preach the Gospel To Bring Judgment To Give His Life a Ransom for Many To Fulfill the Law and Prophets To Reveal God's Love for Sinners To Call Sinners to Repentance To Die To Seek and Save the Lost To Serve To Bring Peace To Bring a Sword To Bind Up Broken Hearts To Give Us the Spirit of Adoption To Make Us Partakers of the Divine Nature To Reign as King To Restore Human Nature to Holiness To Be a Faithful and Merciful High Priest To Be the Second and Greater Adam To Satisfy Our Deepest Thirst To Be Loved by God's Children To Reveal God's Glory




Meditations on the Christ


Book Description

These pages don’t tell you what Jesus did — you know that already! Instead, they take you into the mind and heart of the Son of God in a way you may not have thought possible. You’ll come to understand the inner logic of Jesus’ ministry: why Jesus’ life had to take the course it took, why He couldn’t have been the earthly king many were expecting, and why He couldn’t have conformed to the conventional ideas of a warrior, a hero, or even just a successful man. You’ll even see why He had to be abandoned by everyone — including His disciples — yet His Father remained close to Him then, just as He remains close to you now. Your new insight into why Jesus chose His own particular paths will illuminate the paths He is choosing for your now — and will help you stay on those paths with gratitude and joy. Let your newfound knowledge of Jesus blossom into joy as — directed by these pages — you open yourself to the One whose whole being will resound in your heart and will nourish your soul.




The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ


Book Description

The Incarnation stands at the center of human history. We judge time based on this event. There is the time before Christ and after Christ. In The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ, Saint Alphonsus Liguori takes the mind and heart on a grace-filled journey through these three divine mysteries. Through discourses and meditations, he gives the reader rich theology to feed the mind and simple, powerful wisdom to lead the soul to a child-like faith in the God who became a child for our salvation. His discourses will guide you through the humility of God and how the Eternal Word being great became little, being Lord became a servant, being innocent became as it were guilty, being strong became weak, and much more. The incarnation, birth, and infancy of Jesus Christ are inexhaustible mysteries that deserve our meditation and prayerful attention. Our Lord becomes vulnerable to a ruthless world and is placed in the care of the Holy Family. In a similar manner, Our Lord becomes vulnerable in the Eucharist and places Himself into our care to either be loved or rejected. Saint Alphonsus takes the reader deeper into the divine mystery of who Jesus Christ is and provides meditations for everyday during Advent, the Novena of Christmas, the Octave of Christmas, Epiphany, and the Octave of Epiphany, as well. His meditations are filled with illustrative wisdom about the smallest details of Our Lord's early life. He writes of the poverty of Our Lord, the goodness and love of God expressed in the Incarnation, the restoration of life through the sending of the Son, Christ as the fountain of grace, physician of souls, and so much more. These meditations are the perfect material for a fruitful Advent Season, and his insights can be visited again throughout the year for your spiritual benefit.




Meditations for Great Lent


Book Description

The Lenten Triodion exhorts us, "Let us observe a fast acceptable and pleasing to the Lord." Using hymns from the Triodion and the Scripture readings appointed for the season, Meditations for Great Lent shows us how to make our fast acceptable: to fast not only from food but from sin; to fast with love and humility, as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Keep this gem of a book with you to inspire you for the Fast and to dip into for encouragement as you pursue your Lenten journey.




Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Mary, Journal


Book Description

You don’t change your life for an idea. You change your life for a person. This Advent, don’t get caught up in the busyness. Don’t get lost in the anxiety of preparing for a day. Joyfully anticipate the coming of the person of Jesus through an encounter with his Most Blessed Mother. Imagine having an Advent that is more peaceful, more joyful, and more meaningful than ever before. The Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Mary Journal not only lets you walk beside Mary during the first Advent, but also lets you get to know her in a way you haven’t before. Rejoice! offers more than insights and information about Mary’s life—it offers an opportunity for you to encounter Mary in the quiet of your heart. Each day, in a few short pages, Fr. Toups provides you with aids to help guide your prayer: A word - Focus on a single word each day to draw out the details, the specifics of who Our Lady is. A reflection - Learn more about Mary, the culture in which she was raised, and the world in which she lived. A Psalm - Each day, you’re given a Psalm to pray (just as Mary herself would have prayed) to help you enter into prayer. A reading - In reading Scripture, you find the Word of God, bringing you closer to Mary, who carried the Word in her body. A prompt - Space is provided each day to journal. Record how the Lord is speaking to you




When the Time Was Fulfilled


Book Description

"The meditations in this collection are written by three seekers who struggled hard and long to find, in the words of Søren Kierkegaard, "the contemporary Christ." They witness to the fact that the birth of Jesus is more than history - it is a reality - but only for those who feel their need and are personally ready to come to the manger."--Back cover.




Meditations on the Life of Christ


Book Description

The Description for this book, Meditations on the Life of Christ: An Illustrated Manuscript of the Fourteenth Century, will be forthcoming.