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Lent calls us to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Few saints have done this more intentionally than St. Francis of Assisi. He lived the teachings of Jesus, often quite literally, from the time of his conversion until his death. In doing so, he inspired people of his own time as well as millions from his day to our own, to do likewise.By pairing the words and deeds of Francis with the Scripture readings for Lent, Lent With St. Francis: Daily Reflections helps readers reflect on how they, too, can live the Gospel in the circumstances of their daily lives. It is written in a simple and engaging style that will draw readers in to the life of Francis, as they grow in their faith and spiritual practice through the inspiration of this beloved saint.

The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis gathers the wisdom of Pope Francis for each day of the Lenten season. Offering inspiring quotes from Pope Francis, insightful commentary, and questions and challenges designed to encourage readers to "bring the Word to life," this book is for anyone looking for ways to make the pope's message--and his commitment to Gospel living--part of their daily life during the transformative season of Lent.

Written to coincide with the September 2016 canonization of Mother Teresa by Pope Francis, this stirring new biography follows St. Teresa's life from Macedonia to the cloister in India to the streets of Calcutta to worldwide fame and the company of the saints. Readers will be inspired by the remarkable trajectory of her life, and the love of God that propelled it. Each chapter focuses on a different period in her one-of-a-kind life and ministry, beginning with her childhood and family life, her postulancy, novitiate, commitment to the Loreto Sisters, and her twenty years (1928-48) with them in India. Then, author Kerry Walters observes the 1946 turning point in Mother Teresa's life: her sense that God was calling her to dedicate herself to serving the poor of India, her leave-taking of the Loreto Sisters, and struggle for ecclesial approval for a new religious order. He also explores her 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, relationship with John Paul II, and work in the 1980s and 90s with war victims and AIDS patients. One of the most illuminating facets of this new biography is the posthumous revelation that Mother Teresa endured a 50-year "dark night of the soul," and how she persevered by realizing that it was a grace that allowed her to live Christ's Passion. Underlying all of the events of her life was the driving force behind her spirituality and ministry: her conviction that as miserable as physical hunger, lovelessness and exile are, their spiritual analogs are even worse--and that both the physical and the spiritual need to be addressed for humans to live as God intends. Readers will leave inspired and strengthened in their own spirituality, with the knowledge that even the holiest among us must work to find a path--and that God's love follows us even into the most challenging of circumstances.

"Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to gospel. -From The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order The goal of Franciscans has always been to put the Gospel into action. Whether you are a professed Franciscan of many years or someone just beginning to seek a spiritual understanding of Francis and Clare of Assisi, Live Like Francis will give you the tools you need to live the Gospel--a directive that remains as simple and, at times, confounding, today as it was eight hundred years ago during Francis's life. Through a process of prayer, reflection, study texts, questions and connections to Scripture, you will gain a deeper understanding of the Franciscan way and, through it, the Gospel. Live Like Francis is, first and foremost, a prayer book. No deep understanding of Jesus, Francis and Clare can be reached without God's direction through prayer. Divided into fifty-two sections, this book encourages you to contemplate one aspect of the Franciscan way each week. You are invited to study the text and suggested additional readings; read selections from the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, which you'll find in various chapters; meditate on questions for reflection; and consider the application to daily life. Heartfelt prayers by Patti Normile from the previous edition (entitled To Live as Francis Lived) round out each section and offer a way to integrate the material into your daily prayer life. You can live joyfully and humbly in the secular modern world. Week by week, Live Like Francis will help you answer the Gospel's call to simplicity, peace, gratitude and service, and live a life in balance with all of God's creatures.

If you're looking for a new Lenten experience, here are forty fresh ideas. Some will challenge you to deepen your prayer life; others will open your mind to new ways to serve others. Each of the forty ways includes a reflection to help you understand more about Lent and why it matters. You'll learn how to have a more creative experience of Lent. You'll discover positive, proactive ways to take action instead of the same old routine of giving something up. The result will be spiritual transformation and a closer walk with Christ--not only during Lent but throughout the year. The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

Perhaps the Christmas story has become almost too familiar. A virgin giving birth. A child laid in a manger. Shepherds greeted by angels. The Christmas story has become so familiar that the profound, even shocking, nature of the incarnation might be overlooked. But what if we had never heard the story before? What if we were hearing it for the first time, like the first-century Jews? These events certainly would not be taken for granted--they would signal something new: the dawning of the long-awaited Messiah. This Advent, put yourself in that ancient Jewish world. Containing an entry for each day of Advent and continuing through the Christmas season, Dr. Ted Sri will help you to discover spiritual treasures in the Gospels and gain a new understanding of the coming of Christ.

Who was St. Joseph? Was he just a passive, incidental figure in the drama of salvation? On the contrary, in every way that Jesus needed a father, St. Joseph was that for him. And how overwhelming it must have been for Joseph to be asked to stand in the Father's place! No man has ever been asked to do so in such an unthinkable way. Every priest, and certainly every man who is a father (biologically or otherwise), should take this to heart. Caster's book provides a unique, in-depth presentation of Joseph from the perspective of the evangelical counsels and the theological and cardinal virtues. Each section begins with an explanation of what each counsel or virtue means and then shows how Joseph models it for us. The descriptions of St. Joseph's life and character found in this book, while rooted in the Scripture passages that mention him, are chiefly inspired by Jesus, who spent the majority of his life at home with Joseph and Mary. For years, the three of them lived, prayed, celebrated, studied, and shared, all the while uniting their lives more intimately with God's own. Those years in Nazareth were a real preparation for the foundation upon which Jesus would build his saving ministry. And as much as Joseph and Mary offered Jesus, he offered them an ever-expanding awareness of the God that had changed both their lives. The reciprocity of love that perfectly defines the home in Nazareth is the very pattern for all family life--and therefore of the Church itself. Let Fr. Gary Caster introduce you to the man who risked everything to care for Mary and her Son, safeguarding them from harm and cherishing them with a pure and true love. Joseph was a flesh-and-blood testimony of what it means to live according to the Father's will with one's mind and heart centered on Christ.

Richard Rohr invita a los lectores a no sólo prepararse para el nacimiento de Jesús el día de Navidad, sino para la venida del Cristo cósmico, quien nos trae el verdadero reino del cielo a la tierra. Se ofrece un listado de las lecturas diarias de las Sagradas Escrituras y se incluyen además preguntas para la reflexión.

Kerry Walters explores the Salvadoran archbishop's journey from carpenter's son through his early priesthood, his selection as a "safe" bishop who wouldn't rock the government boat, to his transformation into someone who proclaimed the truth of the Gospel so unswervingly that it led to his assassination.

Paula D'Arcy was only 27 when a drunk driver killed her husband and young daughter. But in the midst of crushing despair, she discovered a presence that responded to her fearful cries with great tenderness and wisdom. In this captivating work, D'Arcy recounts the way night slowly became day again--and the perspective shift that allowed her to find meaning in life again. If you've experienced great loss, or if you're feeling lost in the darkness yourself, Stars at Night can offer reassurance that pain does not have the final say.

The Desert Monastics, thousands of monks and nuns who lived in the Egyptian wastelands between the third and fifth centuries, have come to be seen as the Olympians of the spiritual life. Renowned spiritual writer Joan Chittister explores the sayings of the Desert Mothers and Fathers, finding wisdom from that ancient tradition that speaks to your life today. This popular introduction to a powerful source of Christian wisdom can be a companion to your own spiritual journey. The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

You might well ask why the world needs yet another book on Francis of Assisi--but this isn't just any book. Most books about Francis of Assisi can be called hagiography - stories about the "Poor Man of Assisi" that are meant to capture his spirit and edify us, regardless of the truth of the tale. This book, on the other hand, is a history. Author Tom Speier, OFM, sticks to the facts--the day-to-day historical events in the life of Francis, as best we can know them. Readers might wonder why more colorful details from episodes in Francis' life, such as him "kissing" the leper, are missing from these pages. But just listen to Francis's own powerful words in his Testament: "It seemed very bitter for me to see lepers. And the Lord led me among them and I showed mercy to them. And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body." Why try to embellish the spiritual beauty and power of the event as described in Francis's own words? That's the difference between hagiography and history, and Fr. Speier shows the plain truth about the life of St. Francis is just as captivating as the myth.

This user-friendly book blends theory and practice, gently and concretely taking the reader through the first steps of contemplative prayer. Armchair Mysticbegins with the necessary details of time and place to pray, then presents the maturation of the prayer life in four stages: Talking at God, Talking to God, Listening to God, and Being with God. Step-by-step exercises throughout the book provide concrete examples of how to use the concepts discussed. Armchair Mysticwill prove invaluable to individuals and small groups who are new to contemplative prayer, or who wish to deepen their experience of it. This updated edition includes a new preface and afterword from the author.

"You are about to be led on a wonderful journey with both Jesus and Francis, by a Franciscan brother of mine and a fellow New Mexican, Fr. Murray Bodo, who has earned the right to speak about both of them," writes noted author Richard Rohr, O.F.M., in the foreword. Following up on Francis: The Journey and the Dream, Murray Bodo offers a maturing of his own friar's spirituality in this dramatic storytelling of Francis' close connection and relationship with Jesus. Here we see a multi-dimensional, yet internal Francis as the ultimate disciple of Jesus: Francis as sufferer, in the wilderness, as itinerant, as misunderstood, in prayer, as teacher, as lover and protector of the poor, in authority while subject to God's authority, in community, as healer, as wounded. The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

What do you do when life makes a sharp left turn?When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Terry Hershey found himself unexpectedly asking that question; and as a popular speaker and author, he was inundated with other people asking it too.In Stand Still, Hershey lays out the answer: that in every unforeseen challenge there is an invitation to pause, re-evaluate the status quo, and welcome the change of heart that is knocking on your door. ';Transformative events will be hard,' he writes. ';So, whatever love is in your heartNurture it. Develop it. Grow it. Spread it.'Through real-life stories, thoughtful reflections, and questions to meditate on, you will receive in these pages renewed perspective for a mindful approach to the present moment that can get you through any hardship.Writing in his trademark lighthearted and friendly style, Hershey will encourage you to embrace the challenges of life with hope, curiosity, and a relentless optimism that goodness can be found anywhereyes, even right where you are today.

"The best possible experience of life comes from following Christ. I should know, because I have the best life of anyone I know! The only way to disprove me is to follow Christ and see whether or not I'm right." Father Gary Caster knows that there can be a confusing number of devotional practices in Catholicism; attending Mass, praying the Rosary, tithing, fasting, performing the Sacraments--all are important, but checking obligations off a list is not the way to a nourished soul. In Prayer Everywhere: The Spiritual Life Made Simple, Father Gary strips Catholicism down to Jesus's core command: that we let Him love us.Simple, of course, is not the same as easy. Jesus made it abundantly clear that we do not follow Him as individuals alone; we follow Him as companions. Every human activity and endeavor, no matter how grand or seemingly insignificant, can flow from and express our relationship with Christ. In this practical, conversational and accessible guide, you'll learn to open the whole of your life to Christ and intentionally make him a vital part of everything you do. Within the recesses of every human heart is a longing that only God can satisfy. You are the most important work that Jesus is up to, so why not let Him be at work in you? The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.