Search results for ""Messenger Publications""

“I love my robot lawn mowers, my laptop, wifi, Google, Facetime, Whatsapp and the possibility of drone postal deliveries and more.. Yet worries nag about being overwhelmed by an artificial intelligence revolution whose ethical and moral parameters are less clear than its rampant profiteering from and monetising of your lives and mine. This hugely informative book shakes us out of our massage armchairs and demands that we engage immediately with these galloping advances so we can shape them to the benefit of the many and not leave them to the enrichment of the few at the awful cost of the impoverishment of swathes of humanity”. Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland. "Robots, Ethics and The Future of Jobs is a wakeup call for political, civic, media and church leaders, urging a response to the deepening and accelerating pace of technological change and its potential consequences. Artificial Intelligence, robotics, drones, the internet of things and 3D printing are the building blocks of the 4th industrial revolution. These technologies offer great potential but also carry real risks and are reaching into every corner of our lives, civilian and military. Who will win and who will lose? Who will set the rules and the ethical boundaries within which they should develop and operate? Will the displaced be included, if so, how; or ignored and, if so, with what political, social and economic consequences? That these questions cannot be avoided and should not be postponed - and that we do not need to wait for change to happen because it is already upon us - are central messages of this thought provoking text." Pat Cox, former President European Parliament.

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The Stations of the Cross unfold for us a story of the passion and pain – where all sources of evil are connected: jealousy, betrayal, cowardice, injustice, cruelty and weakness. Jesus takes everything on himself and assumes all human suffering. The Stations of the Cross are in the present tense: Jesus is condemned, Jesus takes his Cross, Jesus meets, Simon carries, Veronica wipes and Jesus is stripped. It is our tears that flow down his cheek, our pain that is felt in his bruised, battered body. The Stations of the Cross is a prayer in motion. They spell out for us that suffering and death do not have the last word because God cares for all creation.

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The growing hunger for the Word of God is an unexpected development in our time. This book sets out to nourish those who desire something deeper and richer than is possible in the usual setting of worship. By exploring the context and background to all three readings, the author hopes to make the readings available for personal prayer and as a preparation for taking part in the Sunday liturgy. A very useful resource for all who wish to get more out the Sunday readings. Fr Kieran is very well-known for his regular emailings of resources on the readings. These are hugely popular amongst clergy and others. Now, for the first time, these readings are brought together in a series of books. This is the third volume covering Easter Week to Pentecost.

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Through the passing of the beads of the Rosary through our fingers, we cross over two thousand years of history to connect with the story of Christ, as it is told by his mother Mary. At one and the same time a treasured part of Catholic tradition and a vital means of telling the story of Christ in the contemporary world, the telling of the Rosary is a distinctly Catholic practice that helps us step into the mystery of Christ. In Telling the Rosary, Vincent Sherlock provides a bead-by-bead guide to the Rosary, taking us through the joyful, luminous – added by Pope St John Paul II – sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, grounding them in Scripture and explaining their significance. With a prayer guide tailored to each mystery, Telling the Rosary is a book that renews a living Catholic tradition.

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John Sullivan SJ was born in Dublin in 1861. Once dubbed 'the best dressed man about Dublin', he seemed destined, like his father, for a career in law. Then, following a conversion to Catholicism, at the age of 35 he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Tullamore, Co Offaly. Immediately after his ordination, he was sent to Clongowes Wood College, Co Kildare, where he spent most of his remaining years. At Clongowes, he became renowned for the hours he spent in prayer, his asceticism, and for his kindness and wisdom. His reputation spread outside the college walls, with many people calling on him in their hour of need. His love of the poor and sick led to miraculous cures being attributed to him. After his death in 1933, devotion to him continued to grow, and in 1947 the first stage of the process of Canonisation was introduced. The large numbers who visit his tomb in St Francis Xavier Church, Gardiner Street, Dublin, bear testimony to the continuing belief in the power of his intercession with God. John Sullivan SJ was beatified in Dublin in May 2017.

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As a passenger on the first two legs of Titanic''s ill fated voyage, Father Francis Browne SJ''s photographs are an immensely important record. As well as taking a unique set of photos, Father Browne also assembled an incredibly valuable album of Titanic material such as an original deck plan, menus, letters to him from fellow passengers, contemporary newspaper cuttings and other documents, many of which are reproduced here. Thanks to the gift of a ticket from his uncle, a young Jesuit named Francis Browne travelled on the Titanic during her maiden voyage from Southampton, to Cherbourg to Cork. Invited to remain with the ship as it crossed the Atlantic, Fr Browne was saved from possible disaster by a telegram from his Jesuit superior ordering him to get off that ship. When the unthinkable happened and the Titanic sank, Fr Browne''s photographs appeared on the front pages of newspapers all around the world. For many years the photographs of Fr Browne were forgotten until 1985 when Fr

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At the darkest hour the dawn arrives again anew, just like always, but we forget so easily. This post-pandemic world of uncertainty, drought, war and death is not the end. It's not all of reality as it proposes to be but just a temporary place of growth and purification. We need to be open to learn about humility, compassion and grace. A person, the Christ, has lifted us up. Our true destiny is revealed, to be with the Light, breaking open the clouds of weary, often isolated existence.Emerging from the Mess is essentially the experience of how suffering and pain alternates with great joy and fulfilment. Especially when we reach the limits of our strength and endurance (Richard Rohr calls this liminal space'), we need to remember to hang on, to be patient and faithful in prayer. This book's challenge is to live every day like a resurrection day. It is all about gratitude: to see the absolute giftedness of every moment, the wonder of every encounter, the silver lining

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Daniel Murray was undoubtedly the outstanding Irish Catholic archbishop of the nineteenth century. He was a man of elegance and charm, ready to listen to others and to find good in them. To the redoubtable Bishop Doyle of Kildare and Leighlin, the archbishop was `an angel of a man’.His concern for the education of the poor led to the founding of the Irish Sisters of Charity and the invitation to Dublin of the Sisters of Mercy and the Irish Christian Brothers. His interest in the education of the middle class was manifested in the foundation of the Sisters of Loreto and in his support for the schools of the Jesuits and the Vincentians. A man of great pastoral energy, he built numerous churches and readily encouraged lay involvement in the work of the diocese. He was actively involved in assisting the Holy See in the appointment of priests and bishops around the world and his efforts to provide aid to the needy during the Great Famine, and the veneration and respect he inspired in his clergy, further contributed to the high esteem in which he was held. And yet, he is a virtually forgotten figure in Irish history.This neglect is related to the stance he took on some issues of the day – his support for certain government initiatives, his opposition to his clergy’s involvement in politics, and his caution about openly supporting Repeal.

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Hand painted on canvas, this set of Stations resulted from the artist's two great loves, the passion of Christ and art. These modern illustrations of the Stations of the Cross are open to personal interpretation and it is the artist's hope that each individual will find their own meaningful insights. The paintings evolved slowly, over a long period of years, with many breaks between, but the spiritual, reflective element was unbroken, ongoing and intense. The authors shares her thoughts about each station and some of the reasons she painted them in the ways she did.

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As the Church Year passes, we anticipate the next festival and season, in much the same way as gardeners look for the first signs of spring or the first frosts of winter, as they plan their planting activities. So, in the Church, Advent passes into Christmas and Epiphany with a speed that seems driven by activity as much as reflection; but the approach of Ash Wednesday can catch us unawares, especially in a year with an early Easter. St Brigid’s Day and Candlemas, set at the beginning of February, warn us that we need to think about how to make the most of the weeks to pray our way, once more, through the days of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. By taking the Cross, and even more specifically, the words Jesus spoke while nailed to that Cross, over the course of some weeks, rather than a few hours on Good Friday, we have time to consider more deeply the inner themes and conclusions. This meditation will help us to prepare for Holy Week, with a mind and heart familiar with the readings and ready to be filled with our own prayerful reflections. If this small book can prompt a mindset of deliberately slowing the pace of the contemplation of Christ’s words, and especially those from the Cross, then it has fulfilled its purpose.

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Our bestselling annual - sales continue to grow year on year! The Scripture, prayers, and reflections in Sacred Space: The Prayer Book will inspire you to a richer daily spiritual experience throughout the liturgical year and invite you to develop a closer relationship with God. Each day of Sacred Space: The Prayer Book includes Scripture reading and points of reflection, as well as a weekly topic enhanced by six steps of prayer and reflection: The Presence of God, Freedom, Consciousness, The Word, Conversation, and Conclusion. Sacred Space: The Prayer Book is designed to help you stay faithful to your intention to deepen your spiritual journey. It is the perfect gift for your parish, campus ministry program, small group, friend, family member, or yourself.

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Many people are open to spirituality but closed to religion. Biblical wisdom reminds us that we are persons-in-relationship. We relate to ourselves, others, the planet and God. Rejecting the wisdom of the biblical lodestar can facilitate a rejection of our identity. The effects are only too prevalent. If we are unaware that we are in a relationship of stewardship with the planet, we will continue to destroy it. If we forget that we are in solidarity with others, social injustice will continue. If we forget that we are living in graced dependence we will exploit others. Our world has reached a critical stage and we stand at a crossroads where huge decisions need to be urgently made. This book attempts to highlight the value of spirituality and religion and how they complement one another. It tries to promote biblical and eucharistic literacy in a more contemporary idiom. But most of all, this book discusses the four Jesuit priorities as the way to redress the implosion of our world and in reimagining Christianity in a modern guise, as it’s clear that the ways we always did things is no longer an option. There is no place for passive bystanders when our world is falling apart. The Jesuit priorities urge us to be reflective, paying attention to our experience of life and learning from it. They stress the urgency of social and climate justice. They challenge us to promote a hope-filled world for our children. There is an urgency in the air that the four Jesuit priorities address.

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The Stations of the Cross etch a story of pain and humiliation in the life of Jesus. There are parallels closer to home as well as across our world, be it in Ukraine, Nicaragua, Iraq or Pakistan that are ‘twinned’ with Gethsemane and Golgotha. This book invites us on a journey as we discern and dialogue for new horizons of gospel service as a church on a Synod path. We are part of a body that is greater than our own individual bodies. We have hearts and souls. Through Baptism, the Eucharist, the shared commitment of our resources, the living out of radical forgiveness, the inclusive service of compassion to all and the willingness to make sacrifices with the lowest, the least and the lost will lead us to be called the ‘body of Christ.’ This book invites you to consider, if as a church, we are part of the un-noticed, the un-recognised and the forgotten that makes us feel their pain and humiliation. This book helps us to discover the paschal (‘pass over’) significance of the cross as a response to the suffering that sears many lives today. Here we can embody the words of Jesus: ‘This is my body given for you.’ Through this proclamation, we can call ourselves the Church. This book sees Jesus as the guardian of the wounded and the tortured. It invites us, like Simon of Cyrene and Veronica to embrace and caress the open wounds that scar innocent lives. The Stations of the Cross lead us, like the Centurion who pierces the side of Christ, to recognise divinity at the heart of humanity.

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Born in Newry, educated at a Jesuit school in Dublin, John O’Hagan studied Law and Arts at Dublin University. There he became friendly with Thomas Davis, Gavan Duffy, and other Young Irelanders. He wrote for the Nation newspaper and was the author of some of its best known ballads. He toured Munster with Duffy and the poet Denis Florence McCarthy, and Ulster with Duffy and John Mitchel, and published accounts of both adventures, which cast light on the country side and people during the 1840s. After the 1848 revolution, O’Hagan worked as a lawyer on the Munster Circuit. Subsequently, he became friendly with John Henry Newman and lectured in Law, Literature and the Arts in Newman’s Catholic University. He stayed in touch with Newman after the latter had returned to England. In the 1860s, O’Hagan was appointed a Commissioner for National Education, a post and subject of great interest to him up to his death. In that decade also he married Frances O’Hagan, who was much younger than him. They had a happy marriage and their house on the hill of Howth was a welcome centre for poets such as Gerard Manley Hopkins and Aubrey de Vere, and a range of friends, writers, educationists, lawyers, and clergy. John O’Hagan prospered in a career in equity law, and he was appointed in turn chairman of the court of quarter sessions in Leitrim and in Clare. While in Clare, the title was raised to that of Judge. In 1880 he was appointed to take charge of the land commission arising from Mr Gladstone’s Land Act of 1881. He died in 1890 widely mourned and praised as a man of integrity who, in the words of The Spectator magazine, was ‘known to all not only as a most learned and experienced lawyer with a serene temper and a judgement of rare balance, but as a scholar of wide and liberal culture, a man beloved and respected by all who knew him’.

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This volume of essays adopts a multi-faceted approach to questions surrounding dying and death. It features contributions from those working within the areas of palliative care, healthcare chaplaincy, philosophy, and theology. Among the topics covered are: the transformative power of palliative care; spiritual care at the end of life; a philosophical perspective on dying, death, and dignity; prudential judgment in end-of-life decision making; perinatal death; compassionate accompaniment of the bereaved; honoring the sacred story of the dying; reflecting on the Order of Christian Funerals; scriptural perspectives on mortality; the significance of music in the funeral liturgy; how the afterlife has been imagined within the Christian tradition; and the ‘liturgy’ of the Irish Wake. With questions for further discussion and reflection at the end of each chapter, all who wish to think more deeply about issues surrounding dying, death, and the care of the terminally ill, will find this collection timely and thought-provoking.

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An inspiring and entertaining collection of short and pithy pieces by one of Ireland's most popular religious writers. With the passing years, one of my major learnings has been that, to live a full life in the modern world, it is necessary to grow into conscious critical awareness of what one is experiencing. The speed of modern life, makes it necessary to pause often and to reflect. Otherwise, life flows over us and away from us when we live with surface feelings and emotions but without deep thought or consciousness. Throughout my later years, I have developed the practice of writing down my thoughts and some phrases that nourished my mind. This little booklet contains 700 of these that I consider creative. I offer them to the reader, not to amuse or to entertain, but as invitations to think, to reflect or to learn and maybe to be fruitfully confused. The full meaning of each one may not be immediately obvious. In fact, some of them could disturb the person willing to be stretched in their beliefs, in their style of thinking and perhaps in their behaviour.

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The growing hunger for the Word of God is an unexpected development in our time. This book sets out to nourish those who desire something deeper and richer than is possible in the usual setting of worship. By exploring the context and background to all three readings, the author hopes to make the readings available for personal prayer and as a preparation for taking part in the Sunday liturgy. A very useful resource for all who wish to get more out the Sunday readings. Fr Kieran is very well-known for his regular emailings of resources on the readings. These are hugely popular amongst clergy and others. Now, for the first time, these readings are brought together in a series of books. This is the third volume covering Easter Week to Pentecost.

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Many books have already been written on spiritual counselling, especially in the Ignatian tradition. But very few consider how Ignatius gave spiritual advice in his letters, directed to various and specific situations. If God really leads us in our spiritual journey, as Ignatius believed, what is the role of the spiritual adviser? What part is played by the numerous rules given in the Spiritual Exercises? The letters show that Ignatius really wanted to give scope to his correspondents and to their awareness of the work of the Holy Spirit within them. Ignatius deployed a “Pedagogy of Consolation” in which his correspondents were trained to exercise their own spiritual agency by discovering God’s abundant gifts. It was clear to Ignatius that a counselling relationship was first grounded in God’s freedom but also in the freedom of the person who asks for assistance. In six chapters, Patrick C. Goujon focuses on eight letters. He offers a careful reading which emphasizes what makes giving spiritual help possible in a conversation. We are shown how Ignatius deals with decision-making and with obstacles in the spiritual life. He is also revealed giving encouragement and correction and advising about how to offer these to others. His aim is to help people grow in freedom which, in turn, permits them to live according to God’s will. Through his letters, we are allowed to enter not only Ignatius’s study, the famous camerata in Rome, but also into his heart. “This volume is an excellent introduction to the letters of Ignatius of Loyola (…) making it an important scholarly contribution not only for those interested in Ignatian spirituality, but also for those interested in the history of spirituality more broadly”, Mark Rotsaert, ARSI

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Ecology challenges theology to reimagine who we are, who the Spirit of God is, who Christ is, where creation is going, and what is the role of liturgy in society-- all in the glare of the ecological crisis. This book also mines the theology within and behind the ground-breaking encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home. In listening to ecology, Lane seeks to open a conversation between religion and science in the context of climate change, to develop a theology of the natural world, and to recover the lost link between creation and liturgy. A new theology of the Spirit permeates most chapters as the key to addressing the current ecological crisis as well as engaging with the increasing number of people who describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious”. Until fairly recently, climate change was left to the scientists, politicians, and activists. More is needed. Now is the time to hear voice of religion in that debate in the public forum with a view to initiating new, transformative practices in society, in politics, and in religions. This new book will be of interest to activists, politicians, priests, christian educators, and theologians. The book is born out of the conviction that climate change is not just one more problem to be addressed by politicians; rather it is the challenge facing humanity in the 21st century and as such is the challenge underlying all other challenges at this moment in history.

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By exploring the context and background to all three readings, the author hopes to make the readings available for personal prayer and as a preparation for taking part in the Sunday liturgy. This book is a very useful resource for all who wish to get more out of the season's readings. Fr Kieran is very well-known for his hugely popular 'Weekly Notes' – an email resource for each week's readings throughout the year.

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This is the eagerly awaited follow up to the best selling, Finding God in the Mess. In this new collection the authors address tough issues such as fear, anxiety, suicide, anger etc. They have received much feedback from workshops based on the first book, and these are some of the topics on which people have asked for help. As well as offering a meditation or a way of praying, in the book the authors suggest scripture and a simple ritual. Once again the book is based on Jim and Brendan's own unique combination of practical prayer and Ignatian spirituality. Like the previous volume, this book is illustrated with their beautiful photographs. This is sure to fly off the shelves.

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This booklet is an attempt to walk the journey of loneliness with someone whose heart has been broken by the loss of their beloved. Take this book within your hands and carry it with you as you travel the roadway of life. As you attempt to re-define your world in the wake of your loss use it as your companion on the road to a new beginning, not forgetting but remembering with love, living with a smile in your heart for those who are now gone home to God. Practical, thoughtful and empathetic, this is a book for both the bereaved, and for those who walk with them along the difficult road to acceptance. Now in its third printing!

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Foreword by Dr Tony Bates Using the format of his earlier books Dipping into Lent and Dipping into Advent, Alan Hilliard again opens up a space for us to engage with our emotional and spiritual response to what life throws at us. The loss, fear, isolation, and fragmentation of 2020 causes us all to pause and take stock of what really matters in our lives, so Dipping into Life comes at the perfect time to help us do this. All of life is in these pages – absence and presence, loss, grief, laughter, believing, forgiveness, enchantment, distraction, gratitude, cousins, freedom, pints and play. Alan has the rare gift of opening out our everyday lives and considering these in light of the wisdom of the religions, of literature, poetry, music, sociology and common sense. As we dip into this book, opening a page at random, Alan helps us to find the deeply religious in the everyday and take time to ‘cultivate reverence and recognition for what is already present’. There is an honesty in these pages that this is not always easy to do. Dipping into Life invites us to be enchanted by the complexity and beauty of our own lives as it is here that we encounter God.

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Among the many strands in Christian spirituality, one of the most esteemed bears the name of St Ignatius Loyola. In recent years Ignatian spirituality has experienced a resurgence and is attracting interest from across the range of Christian denominations and from every walk of life. There has been a widespread desire to learn more about Ignatius and his legacy, and many people have made the Spiritual Exercises in one of its many forms and have grown through the experience. Exploring Ignatian Spirituality is written to appeal, not only to those who are looking for an introduction to Ignatian spirituality, but also to those who have some acquaintance with the Ignatian tradition. It will draw its readers into an exploration of a rich Christian heritage that continues to live and breathe today.

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In less than a decade the notion of synodality' has emerged as a central theme in Catholic life and thought, especially in Catholics' self-reflection on who they are as the People of God: ecclesiology. The notion of the Church as synodal' has early roots in the many councils and synods of the early churches, east and west, but now this notion has emerged from the history of canon law to become one that portrays a whole new image of the church. The church, Pope Francis has said, is called to be synodal as it changes its self-perception from being a power pyramid seeking to impose its vision to being a pilgrim people at the service of humanity. But what are the implications of synodality?The synod on synodality in Rome 2023/24 is grappling with this question, but if the notion has any meaning it will require steady examination over a much longer period, it will need to be owned, and it will call for engagement from all parts of the Catholic Church. One can only have a synodal c

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Liturgies with Young People presents material suitable for liturgies, Eucharistic and non-Eucharistic in schools and other youth centres. A group of experienced chaplains and catechists have put together 20 liturgies suitable for young people in the post-primary age group. These texts take into account the spiritual development and interest of the 16-25 age group, best used by priests, teachers and young people in preparing liturgy together. They may select a theme themselves, or may even pick and choose between readings from different themes. Like any liturgical book, it may be adapted to the age and level of understanding of the group. Available in both paperback and hardback (presider edition).

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Wisdom at the Crossroads is an introduction to the life and thought of the gifted Jesuit priest, theologian, author and educator, Michael Paul Gallagher SJ (1939-2015). It follows his journey from the simplicity of an Irish rural childhood to the more complex world he soon encountered. That changing world prompted him to think deeply about the question of faith in our times, the effects of a shifting culture on our perceptions, and the challenge of unbelief and atheism as it manifests itself today. The book illuminates Michael Paul’s rare gift – both in personal conversation and in the written word – of helping people to move from a detached consideration of faith to an awareness of what was deepest in their own hearts, for it was from that hidden layer of wonder that he believed the journey of faith could unfold. Being attuned to the depths in his own heart, he was able to identify the liberating wavelength in the lives of others and in the culture of our time, awakening many people to a vision that healed them into hope.

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Two Jesuit priests from different centuries and different lands, each with a particular artistic genius, brought together for the first time. Gerard Manley Hopkins is regarded as one of the greatest poets of the Victorian era, and his poems continue to grow in popularity. This volume contains a selection of poems. Francis Browne is considered one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, and his story is well-known, from the publications of the Titanic photos to the discovery after his death of 42,000 images. This volume brings together the work of these two Jesuit artists in a beutiful and balanced book which will make a really special gift to anyone interested in poetry, photography or both. The book has a lovely nostalgic quality which will appeal to many.

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The aim of this booklet is to help foster an understanding of the plight of migrants that leads to action in the local faith community. Understanding of the role of the Christian towards the ever more present reality of migration and of the great Catholic tradition of hospitality is more important than ever, especially if we want or desire to make the appropriate response. The actions may not change situations in the homelands from which people migrated in the first place but the action we undertake in our neighbourhood where we live together can have amazing impacts for the stranger, for us and for our community, eventually influencing policy via our mutual understanding of the way our world is functioning or not functioning. The information in this booklet will hopefully help nurture the instincts of those who wish to make a difference in the face of the current crisis which brings with it so much tragedy. Author interviewed on High Noon on Newstalk with George Hook.

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Drawing on the wisdom of Pope Francis and the spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, austen Ivereigh has written a captivating spiritual guide for our turbulent age. Designed as an eight-day Ignatian retreat, First Belong to God serves as a roadmap to deeper discipleship. It does this by focusing on the three foundational forms of belonging: to God, to creation, and to others. Whether you're embarking on a solitary spiritual expedition or a journey with like-minded individuals, First Belong to God offers the next best thing to a personal retreat with Pope Francis: a full-soul immersion into his wisdom via the classic Jesuit retreat that shaped him profoundly.

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Journeying to the Light is intended to be read daily through the period from Advent Sunday to the Epiphany. It is largely based upon one of the Eucharistic readings each day. There are variations, and it can be adapted to be used whatever the length of Advent, and for individual or group use. The author weaves contemporary trends with biblical themes and with events of his own life. It has at its heart the Incarnation; anticipated by the prophets; joyfully experienced through the words of Luke, and proclaimed to the nations through the visit of the Magi, as recorded by Matthew. The author is an Anglican priest, but as this book is based upon the the Revised Common Lectionary, it is ecumenical in its reach, as many of the readings coincide with those appointed for both the daily Mass in Roman Catholic Churches and in Anglican Churches. Equally, the daily reflections, may be of use to all individuals who are seeking to establish a regular period of contemplation and space through Advent and Christmas, which is traditionally full of distraction and busyness. Bishop Brendan Leahy is joined by Archbishop John McDowell of the Church of Ireland in commending the book for our use, and two Church of England bishops add their voices to suggest that a deepening of our reflection, throughout these days of joyous hope, helps us to seek further the source of the light that was coming to humanity, that is Jesus, son of Mary, redeemer of the world. A Church-goer, a seeker after truth or, quite possibly in these tumultuous days, a Christian soul whose path has become darkened or distracted in recent years will find some thing in these pages to encourage them beyond written texts of any kind to set their eyes towards the light and their heart to the divine.

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The Lord’s Prayer is a simple prayer that goes back to Jesus. But even though it has been around for a long time, we no longer know how to pray it as it should be prayed. We grow up saying this prayer in a hurried way, we continue to recite it in a rush, and we risk dying without ever waking up to its richness. This book slows things down, in order to help us recognize something of the richness of this great prayer. There is a real need to reflect and meditate on each phrase of the Our Father, to ‘chew’ on the words as a cow would chew on the cud, to find the marrow of meaning, and so discover true nourishment. It is like digging for hidden treasure. Each chapter approaches a particular phrase of the Our Father from multiple perspectives, in order to facilitate a deepening level of engagement with its richness. By going through the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase, it is possible to taste something of the unique flavour of each line. Every chapter includes moving stories which throw a new spotlight on the marvellous riches concealed in this familiar prayer. Each chapter also includes short prayers based on the Lord’s Prayer, prayers that get us in touch with the depth and breadth of this foundational prayer. Once we translate the spiritual wisdom of the Lord’s Prayer into the personal language of our experience, we shall be led to a unique encounter with the God who yearns for us more than we could ever yearn for him.

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This book was written during the lockdown caused by the Covid crisis: streets were emptied, churches closed down, and all of a sudden we began to hear the sounds of nature. A new relationship with nature developed in which new questions arose: is God present in nature? Is communion with God in nature possible? Is there a relationship between the God of creation, the God of history and the God we worship in Sunday liturgies. This book seeks to explore some of these questions by going back to the Bible. In the Old Testament it discovers texts that talk about Nature praising God. In the Christian tradition it shows that nature is understood as a living community, is graced by God, and has a sacramental character to it. More particularly the Incarnation of the Word made flesh in Jesus is of profound significance for a new understanding of nature and the way we worship. The Incarnation reveals the integrity of nature, the sacred character of the natural world and the presence of some form of ‘interiority’ in the life of nature An awareness of nature praising God stands out as a rebuke of humanity’s self-absorption at the expense of other creatures, a critique of a man-centred view of liturgy, and an invitation to join the cosmic choir in giving glory to God . The overall result of these explorations is the outline of a new theology of nature praising God, with lessons for the way we worship God in our churches today.

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Space is all around us – and we constantly refer to it. He is taking my space! This place is homely! This room is very impersonal! We need more room! We need to de-clutter! I was lost in the vastness of the hall! I felt locked in and had to go outside! We also know that how space is arranged affects us: we want ‘round table talks’ and we do not want to be put in the back row! Churchill captured the importance of built space in a couplet: We shape our buildings, then our buildings shape us. And in every society buildings have been used to project power and authority, to regulate society, and to project an image of how that group sees itself. Strangely, we out do not think about this aspect of space when it comes to liturgy – yet every religion (and every Christian denomination) has used buildings as part of their worship: from Newgrange to classical temples to churches build of steel, concrete and glass. And it was this concern of the Second Vatican Council that led to the changes in the arrangements in Catholic Churches in the 1960s and 70s. But this religious use of space – just as with the changes mandated by Vatican II – are little appreciated or understood. This book brings together nineteen Christians – liturgists, pastors, architects, artists – from several churches and from around the world who all try to answer the question of how space affects us in worship. The topics covered include the role of light in a religious building, the need for space to appreciate dance as part of worship, the varying needs of spaces for different liturgies, accounts of how communities have become creative with space, and questions about how the liturgical renewal begun in Vatican II should continue today.

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This book is about discernment. To discern means to look for clues in your innermost experience in order to know what to do or what not to do. More precisely, discernment means paying attention to what is happening in the very depths of your heart. Christians believe that a careful reading of our deepest emotions can reveal what God is inviting us to do. The language that God speaks today is that of human experience. The book opens with a general overview about the practice of discernment and examines the role of our heart, our intelligence and our will. It then explains how discernment can be practiced in daily life, how discernment can help in making choices, and in knowing whether something is good or bad. Then ten different emotionally charged situations are explored. Finally, the book addresses the question of whether or not discernment is reserved for Christians, and also briefly discusses discernment in a community setting. The book concludes with a reflection on discernment as a way of life.

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This book is born out of a wide range of practical experience of more than 20 years in working with people training for the ministry of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction recognises that there is an energy in life that moves a person outwards and influences the direction taken. The focus of the ministry is to help the person notice those movements and make good choices that enhance the Christ-like quality of life. It acknowledges that the Holy Spirit is the primary director. See God act. The book seeks to provide a broader vision of the ministry drawing on insights from spirituality, scripture and psychology. These bring a fuller understanding of the person created by God, capable of knowing and responding to God. It acknowledges that many of the difficulties that arise in the direction of life are at the human, not the faith, level. Patterns are laid down in early life and can continue into adulthood. This can be so without much awareness of their source, though their influence may be evident. Even in a prayerful reflective life, further help may be needed to bring greater freedom from unconscious influences. Moreover, freedom is a key mediator to facilitate moving on to accept the gifts God offers. Life is dynamic, not static, involving an inner and an outer journey. We live in relationships with God, self, others and all creation. Jesus is active in life and meets people where they are but does not leave them there. The invitation is onwards. Attention is drawn to, and there is an exploration of the dynamics involved in the different relationships to bring greater clarity to them. The experience of working with people has highlighted the need of this development. Prayer that comes out of life and flows back into life is key to this. May the book inspire you to navigate your ongoing journey in the Lord in an integrated way.

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In 16th and 17th century Ireland religion and nationality fused together in a people’s struggle to survive. In that struggle the country’s links with Europe provided a life line. Members of religious orders, with their international roots, played an important role. Among them were the Irish Jesuits, who adapted to a variety of situations – from quiet work in Irish towns to serving as an emissary for Hugh O’Neill in the south of Ireland and in the courts of Rome and Spain, and then founding seminary colleges in Spain and Portugal from which young Irishmen returned to keep faith and hope alive. In the seventeenth century persecution was more haphazard. There were opportunities for preaching and teaching and, at time, especially during the Confederation of Kilkenny in the 1640s, for the open celebration of one’s religion. This freedom gave way to the savage persecution under Cromwell, which resulted in the killing of some Jesuits and others being forced to find shelter in caves, sepulchres, and bogs, the Jesuit superior dying alone in a shepherd’s hut on an island off Galway. There followed a time of more relaxed laws during which Irish Jesuits publicly ran schools in New Ross and, for Oliver Plunkett, in Drogheda, but persecution soon resumed and Oliver Plunkett was arrested and martyred. At the end of the century, as the forces of King James II were finally defeated, some Jesuits lived and worked through the sieges of Limerick and then nerved themselves to face the Penal Laws in the new century.

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Change is an essential part of life. How we meet that change is where it can get interesting. When a person goes through a conversion experience, there is an automatic assumption that they have it all figured out immediately, and they know exactly what God wants them to do. This is not the case. We only have to look at St. Paul. While his conversion was dramatic, Paul tells us in his letters that he had to spend considerable time in the wilderness pondering what had happened to him, and figuring out what exactly God wanted him to do. The same is true of St. Ignatius of Loyola. St. Ignatius had a dramatic conversion which shattered not only his leg but all his previous dreams and aspirations. Such a change was not easy to get his head around, and he was forced to enter into his own period in the wilderness. This time of reflection not only brought him closer to God, but it also gave him a greater insight into himself. In this booklet, you will be able to witness the transformation which took place in the life of Ignatius from a vainglorious young man obsessed with his own success, to one who put the service of God and other people before anything else. This transformation, while dramatic, was not immediate. It took time and reflection and took him across various locations. In all of his travels, Ignatius was focused on one thing, what was God calling him to do? Ignatius conversion will allow the reader to get a perspective on how Ignatius faced the challenges which transformed his life, and hopefully, the reader may be able to make time in their own life to explore things which brought about changes in their life and see how God was operating within this change.

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The great value of this book is that it helps people to explore together how they can live life more fully and with authentic freedom. Part one outlines three convictions that guide its direction and the programme it describes. Firstly, God desires what is best for all people and invites each one personally to know him. Secondly, every baptised Christian is called to reach out beyond themselves in a way that proclaims and expresses the goodness of God, through action and words and thus enriches those whom they meet. Thirdly, the parish is an important entity in the renewal of God’s people as a dwelling place of God among them. Part two provides a practical outline for people to plan, launch and direct the programme in a way that helps participants come to know God’s providence and love, and to live their relationships in a spirit of joyful service and with love towards all whom they meet, and in a way that enhances renewal and community connections within their parish. Each week presents an important facet of Christian living in a style that is easy to follow, while at the same time inspirational. It all means that hosting this programme is within the capacity of anyone who knows a genuine encounter with God, and a desire to share his love with others. Part three consists of a scripture passage and a brief reflection for each day for the duration of the programme. It supports the theme of each week. It seeks to help people to pray with the help of the scriptures; to inspire a new or more personal relationship with Christ; and to yield to the mystery of God’s loving. Then what may have proved to be elusive in the past becomes part of one’s own personal story.

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What do Christians believe? What is typical of the Christian faith and how Christians live their faith? With 52 questions and answers, this book gives you an overview of the content of the Christian faith. You can read it as an introduction to Christianity. If you are already familiar with it, then it is a deepening refreshment of the basic elements. The questions are taken from life. Is believing for simple souls? Did Jesus really exist? What do people do in heaven? Is God a judge who condemns? Why should you forgive yourself? Does suffering make sense? Are the other religions wrong? Has Jesus laughed? All pieces can be read in a maximum of two minutes. The answer is always followed by two questions to work on it individually or together with others. There are also references to five other questions relating to the subject under discussion. At the end of the book is a list with a short description of 52 common words such as prayer, grace, heaven, Easter, sin, sacrament and devil. In the text these words are marked with an asterisk.

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The growing hunger for the Word of God is an unexpected development in our time. This book sets out to nourish those who desire something deeper and richer than is possible in the usual setting of worship. By exploring the context and background to all three readings, the author hopes to make the readings available for personal prayer and as a preparation for taking part in the Sunday liturgy. A very useful resource for all who wish to get more out the Sunday readings. Fr Kieran is very well-known for his regular emailings of resources on the readings. These are hugely popular amongst clergy and others. Now, for the first time, these readings are brought together in a series of books beginning with Advent to Epiphany.

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This is an attempt by one practicing pastor in an Irish parish to understand the change that has come about in the life of the Catholic church in Ireland. He suggests that ecclesial change in Ireland is mainly a result of social and economic change and of the vastly increased influence of media, both mainstream and social. He also tries to find positive ways of coping with ecclesial and social change. In the first part of the book he describes the change itself, with some reflection on the factors that caused it. He considers the sacramental life of the church with specific reference to Mass-going and to the experience of going to confession, with some general reflections on the present state of liturgy in Ireland. He follows with an exploration of ordinary parish life, its priorities and pre-occupations, and of the variety of styles of being Catholic. Toward the end of the book, he discusses clergy morale and what nourishes it and what damages it. The book concludes with a look towards the future and what might be possible by way of renewal.

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the Jesuits have always defined themselves, not by any particular place or specific ministry, but by a universal outreach. they were ready to go wherever the needs were great and the opportunities promising. Adaptability became their hallmark. From early on the Jesuits spread rapidly: to the Far East, starting with Francis Xavier in 1540, to North and South America, to Africa and eventually to Australasia. In their reports to Rome, they spoke about the different situations they faced, their successes and failures, their frustrations and hopes. This little volume tells the stories of a few of these Jesuits, from different continents and eras. In the hope that their commitment and struggles will prove inspirational once again today.

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With an Introduction by Peter McVerry SJ Why might this man be declared a saint? Pedro Arrupe, twenty-eighth Superior General of the Society of Jesus, re-founded the Jesuits and re-cast Ignatian spirituality for our times. He was a prisoner of Imperial Japan, a first responder when the atom bomb fell on Hiroshima, a pioneer of Catholic social justice and a founder of the Jesuit Refugee Service. His mind and heart were shaped by the Second Vatican Council. Few people—outside religious life—know his story. But now that the process for his beatification is underway, he will become known across the Catholic world and beyond. Best-selling author Brian Grogan SJ, whose life has been deeply influenced by Arrupe, has written Pedro Arrupe SJ: Mystic With Open Eyes. With a foreword by Peter McVerry SJ, this booklet is a guide to the extraordinary life of a great-souled human being. Arrupe belongs to the world because he had a profound love for everyone, especially the neediest. This succinct account of his life, 1907–1991, highlights his dynamic influence on the Church of today as it labours to build a civilisation of justice and love.

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Christmas Day 2021 sees the release of a Netflix series, Stories of a Generation with Pope Francis, based on this book. Pope Francis has always been a champion of intergenerational dialogue and in 2018 commissioned a book which shares the insights of older people from around the globe with young people today. The award-winning Sharing the Wisdom of Time pools the wisdom of elders with the passion and energy of youth, empowering our younger generations to step into the world of tomorrow with wisdom and understanding. Now Netflix has produced a new four-part documentary, Stories of a Generation, inspired by this beautifully-produced, heart-warming and wise book. It is set for Netflix global release on Christmas Day 2021.

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You may think you know the Gospels. You may think they fit together, like the pieces of a jigsaw, completing one picture. But how well do you know the picture? Who was the man who ran naked from the garden of Gethsemane? Why, so long before the crucifixion itself, did Jesus ask his followers to `take up their cross’, and how could they have understood what he meant? What did Peter and Jesus talk about, when Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection? If you find yourself lost tracing the story of Jesus through the gospel readings of the year, you are in good company. For Jack Mahoney the Gospels are not a jigsaw, but a patchwork quilt presenting the `nuclear truth’ of Jesus’ resurrection. Around that truth the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John bound and collide like the uncertain particles of Heisenberg. In Glimpses of the Gospels Jack Mahoney makes accessible to the ordinary reader, perhaps for the first time, the patchwork unity of the Gospel story; tracing major themes, parables and moments across the Gospels, analysing what changes gospel to gospel, and showing how the differences between gospel accounts can shed valuable light on the enduring questions of Christians.

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