Be Thou My Vision


Book Description

Bishop David Ricken leads priests on a contemplative journey to the core of priesthood in his new book. Be Thou My Vision: Meditations on the Priesthood will deepen and renew a priest's love of his own vocation. In a series of short meditations, Bishop Ricken invites the reader not only into a clearer image of priesthood but into a deeper perception of how these images open the mind to healing and prayer. All priests will benefit from prayerfully spending time with Bishop Ricken's spiritual and practical insights on priestly commitment, prayer, and parish life. At a time when Pope Benedict XVI has called upon all priests to become "contemplative pastors," Be Thou My Vision shows how this call can be fulfilled.




Meditations Before Mass


Book Description

The profound wisdom found in this Romano Guardini classic will help you to quiet your soul, concentrate your mind, and grow more receptive to God's grace in the Holy Mass. Written for ordinary Catholics who are struggling to become closer to Christ, Meditations Before Mass is full of wisdom and yet offers practical, straightforward advice that will help you overcome distractions and restlessness while leading you into a more enriching experience when you enter into Holy Communion with God. Over fifty years ago, Msgr. Romano Guardini resolved to help his parishioners move beyond the petty hindrances to full participation in the Mass—hindrances to which we are all prone. Just before Mass each Sunday, he gave a brief talk on some aspect of the Mass, teaching them week by week, topic by topic, how to prepare themselves to participate more prayerfully. So helpful were these 32 talks that they were soon published and have since been reprinted countless times in numerous countries and languages, helping generations of Catholics to deepen their devotion during Mass. In these pages, you'll discover: What to do when Mass becomes boring and "routine" How to achieve a genuine—not superficial—stillness The one indispensible element for a deep liturgical life How to gain control over your wandering attention One tendency we must overcome when listening to Scripture readings The real meaning of "keeping holy" the Sabbath—and its special importance for the family The importance of listening, and the inner barriers that prevent it Why it's good to arrive early at Mass whenever possible The true significance of standing and kneeling in church And dozens of other practical ways to enrich your worship




Beyond These Horizons


Book Description

"From the electron microscope to the Hubble space telescope, modern technological advances have broadened our horizons - macroscopic and microscopic - beyond anything imaginable prior to the 1930s. One of the most important discoveries of the past few decades is the fact that everything, beginning with subatomic particles and including star systems and conscious human life, emerges from an underlying, transcendent Reality that brings all things from nonexistence into being through a continuous act of creation. All things are essentially interconnected in an entangled unity, which obliges us to view the world as a great hologram in which every aspect contains information of the Whole. This book raises the question of the relationship between that Reality and the Christian understanding of God. Written in the form of a simple novel, it begins by offering an overview, in lay terms, of quantum theory as it has developed since the early twentieth century. Gradually it lays the groundwork for an exploration of the relationship between quantum mechanics and certain key aspects of traditional Christian teaching. Its aim is to make clear that our usual conception of God and the world, in the words of the English theologian J.B. Phillips, is far 'too small.' With the help of insights drawn from quantum theory, we can now see that Creation is more intricate, more interconnected and more beautiful than our forebears could ever have imagined."--Publisher.




A Life of Daring Simplicity


Book Description

If priests want the people entrusted to their care to develop a meaningful spiritual life, they must provide a living example of what that is. In A Life of Daring Simplicity: Daily Meditations on the Priesthood Michael Becker helps priests provide that example. Monsignor Becker has gathered a powerful collection of reflections drawn from an impressively wide array of great spiritual guides. Pope Saint John Paul II is well-represented here and so is Karl Rahner. We also hear from Catherine de Hueck Doherty and Adrian Von Speyr, Pedro Arrupe and Columba Marmion, and many more. Each passage challenges priests to reflect on their own vocation. Every page is filled with holy wisdom that will nourish priestly ministry and invite readers to embrace "a life of daring simplicity"--words used by Pope Saint John XXIII to describe his own life. Each day includes a Scripture verse, an inspiring insight on the priestly life, and a closing prayer or question to prompt deeper reflection. Spend a few minutes every day with these meditations and you will deepen your own commitment to your ministry and find ever more zeal to serve those entrusted to your care.




Biblical Meditations for Lent


Book Description

Readings for each weekday as well as the Sundays of each of the three cycles are summarized and reflections for each day are given based on scriptural scholarship. +




Meditations on Vatican Art Angels


Book Description

Following his acclaimed first book, Fr. Mark Haydu, international coordinator of the Patrons of the Arts of the Vatican Museums, serves once again as your spiritual guide for a breathtaking journey through time, meditation, and the Vatican art collections. Meditations on Vatican Art: Angels offers you a deeper understanding of your own spiritual journey as you follow Fr. Haydu's explanation of the battle between the fallen angels and the faithful angels and God sending His angels to watch over you. The book's splendid reproductions of major works represent ancient through contemporary periods in art. Each day's meditation includes a: Unique image with descriptive and contextual background about the artist and the work Relevant and insightful passage from Scripture Reflection on the meaning of the work with questions to ponder Contemplate the 34 meditations in this hardbound book as the Holy Spirit inspires or use them to create a retreat for yourself or a group.




Classic Catholic Meditations


Book Description

Without regular reminders of God and a sure routine of prayer and meditation, the inner life shrivels, devotion grows listless, and the Sacraments can become mere habits. Daily meditation is a proven remedy for such dangerous spiritual lethargy, and in our challenging time it is a more important practice than ever before. Originally published as Meditations for Layfolk, this edition of Classic Catholic Meditations recovers the readable and insightful essays of Fr. Bede Jarrett, OP (d. 1934), who understood the need for Catholic laypeople to shape and sanctify their busy lives with brief times of devotion and focused mental prayer. In these pages, Fr. Jarrett offers more than 120 meditations with precisely that goal in mind: None are longer than 1,000 words, and each one attends to some unique truth of Divine Revelation that assists the reader in personal prayer. Don't know how to meditate? Fr. Jarrett's simple and kindly guidance is accessible for those in all walks of life, and makes this time-honored practice understandable for those unfamiliar with traditional Catholic forms of prayer. Classic Catholic Meditations will calm your soul, inform and enrich your faith, and help you enter more deeply into prayer. Why not begin today?




A Guide to Christian Meditation


Book Description

Daily meditation keeps your faith lively, supple, and relevant. It irrigates the soil of your soul, making your life more fruitful and continually opening up new vistas along the path to spiritual maturity.Let God change you from the inside out. St. Alphonsus Liguori, one of the Church's all-time great prayer masters, believed that sin could not survive in the soul of a person who practiced mental prayer. "He will either give up meditation," wrote Alphonsus, "or renounce sin." And a strong aversion to committing offenses against God is just the beginning of the benefits that flow from even modest dedication to Christian meditation. Join Father John Bartunek on an exhilarating, how-to journey into this time-tested method whose ultimate aim is intimacy with God - the Author not only of life but also of the life of the mind. You'll find types of prayer, fundamentals of Christian meditation, a 4-step structure for meditation, how to overcome difficulties in prayer, and more!




Diary of A City Priest


Book Description

The diary of a man trying to live within his religious faith while dealing with the harsh realities of urban America.




Meditations for Lent


Book Description

Even three hundred years ago, believers found it difficult to sustain for forty days the proper Lenten spirit. That's why even then, countless Christians turned to the writings of Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627-1704), whose great piety and simple eloquence won him renown as one of the greatest preachers of his time. From Bishop Bossuet's sermons and spiritual writings, believers drew ever greater Lenten wisdom and strength. Now translator Christopher Blum has selected from Bishop Bossuet's voluminous works fifty brief but remarkably powerful meditations that complement the daily readings at Mass during the Lenten season, thus offering to us the perfect companion for a thoughtful and fruitful Lent. If you read and meditate briefly on just one of them each day in Lent, I guarantee that this good French bishop's eloquence will soon have you not merely remembering the events of Christ's journey to His Crucifixion; it will have you spiritually walking with Him on that journey . . . which is precisely what we are called to do in Lent! With Bossuet, this Lent you will find yourself saying, "O Jesus! I present myself to you to make my journey in your company. O my Savior, receive your traveler! Here I am ready, holding on to nothing. Let me go with You to the Father." That's the fire that should burn in the heart of all Christians. This Lent, let Bishop Bossuet enkindle it in yours. Among the Meditations: God Alone Suffices Pray to God in Secret The Truth and the Life Tempted in the Desert The Sign of Jonah Love Your Enemies This Is My Beloved Son And You Will Be Forgiven The Wicked Tenants In Spirit and in Truth The Silence of Christ Priest, Prophet, and King Our Life, a Journey to God The Great Commandment I Was Hungry and You Fed Me The Love of God for Repentant Sinners Up to Jerusalem God, the Life of the Soul The Witness of the Baptist The Raising of Lazarus Jesus Is Persecuted The True Messiah The Anointing The Betrayal The Eucharist The Passion The Brevity of Life Washed of Our Sins A Sign of Contradiction No Man Ever Spoke Like This Man The Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem To Unite Ourselves with Christ