"Here we have a Catholic exegete, on the basis of a close analysis of the New Testament texts, challenging his church to a reexamination of its disciplinary tradition: if the meal practice of Jesus embodied a never-failing presence of the Lord to his ever-failing disciples, then should not the church think twice before excluding faltering members from communion? Moloney's stimulating study gives food for thought even to Protestants who may consider that their own communion discipline has relaxed to the point of disappearance. In any case, this book makes a significant contribution to reflection on the ways to hold together the divine generosity in forgiveness, the call of sinners to repentance, and the responsibility of the church as beneficiary, messenger, and steward of the gospel."--Geoffrey Wainwright, Robert Earl Cushman Professor of Christian Theology, Duke University

"Sam Lansky has such a wondrous way with words."—Taylor Swift ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, Parade, Library Journal, Harper’s Bazaar and more “Profound and affecting.”—Chloe Benjamin A groundbreaking, incandescent debut novel about coming to grips with the past and ourselves, for fans of Sally Rooney, Hanya Yanagihara and Garth Greenwell “He fixes everything that’s wrong with you in three days.” This is what hooks Sam when he first overhears it at a fancy dinner party in the Hollywood hills: the story of a globe-trotting shaman who claims to perform “open-soul surgery” on emotionally damaged people. For neurotic, depressed Sam, new to Los Angeles after his life in New York imploded, the possibility of total transformation is utterly tantalizing. He’s desperate for something to believe in, and the shaman—who promises ancient rituals, plant medicine and encounters with the divine—seems convincing, enough for Sam to sign up for a weekend under his care. But are the great spirits the shaman says he’s summoning real at all? Or are the ghosts in Sam’s memory more powerful than any magic? At turns tender and acid, funny and wise, Broken People is a journey into the nature of truth and fiction—a story of discovering hope amid cynicism, intimacy within chaos and peace in our own skin.

In the tradition of William Styron’s tour de force Darkness Visible, The Body Broken is a gorgeously told and intensely moving account of one woman’s extraordinary odyssey into a life of chronic pain–and of the unyielding resilience of the human spirit. At age nineteen, Lynne Greenberg narrowly survived a devastating car crash. When her broken neck healed–or so everyone thought–her recovery was hailed as a medical miracle and she returned to normal life. Years later, she seemed to have it all: a loving husband, two wonderful children, a peaceful home, and a richly satisfying job as a tenured poetry professor. Then, one morning, this blissful façade shattered–the pain in her neck returned in the most vicious way. A life with physical agony ensued. Greenberg realized that she had been living for years on borrowed time. As she and her family navigated an increasingly complicated web of doctors and specialists, Greenberg taught herself to fight her own battles–against a medical system ill-equipped to handle patients with chronic pain, and against the emotional pitfalls of a newly restricted life. Drawing on her family’s support, her own indomitable spirit, and an intense connection to the poetry she taught, Greenberg found the strength to return to a productive and satisfying–if irrevocably changed–life. This deeply personal saga takes us to the heart of a family’s struggle to survive a crisis, and shows us how, at the most profound levels, such an odyssey affects a patient’s marriage, the ability to parent, family, work, and friendships. The Body Broken is a powerful, lyrical story of one woman’s remarkable determination and breathtaking courage, as she puts mind over matter in the struggle to reclaim her life.

An invitation to find beauty and meaning in the ordinary and imperfect aspects of your life; not as a call to settle for less, but rather as a way to mysteriously participate in God's power and purpose. Glenn Packiam wants to empower readers to find great joy, purpose, and passion in their daily living. While bread may be one of the most common items on our dinner tables, Jesus chose to take it at the Last Supper and invest deep, wonderful, and transcendent meaning in it. Like the bread that was blessed, broken, and given; readers will see how God uses ordinary experiences to cultivate their mission and their brokenness to bring healing to the world. The ordinary is not the enemy; it is the means by which God accomplishes the miraculous. Through clear biblical teaching and practical steps, Packiam leads the reader into a more purposeful, directed, hopeful future.

Blessed, Broken, and Scared. What does that mean? We know that Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and shared it with His friends saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." The Last Supper challenges us to live in such a way that we actually become the sacred food of Jesus Christ for others as we share our lives with them. And that can be scary! Blessed, Broken, and Scared calls the reader to a conversion from living a scared life to living a shared life. It is in sharing our life with others that we find the healing and peace we truly seek. All people are wounded by the world and have areas of hidden brokenness in their life. This book offers hope, healing, and change as it explores the profound implications of God's mercy, forgiveness, and love. "Brian addresses some very important issues in a conversational style that invites you into his book. Let this book, in a "sea of purple," be a place for us to share and be blessed. This book will truly encourage us to be Eucharist for one another." Fr. Martin Schratz OFM Cap. Brian has been sharing his Blessed, Broken, and Scared retreats around the country for years. Now the message has been captured in this book. Here is what some past retreatants have had to say: "Brian opens himself to all and helped us see that our brokenness isn't a deterrent to God's love and healing. Our retreat was truly a special day." "Should be required for today's Christians and Catholics." "One of the best day retreats that I have attended in nearly 40 years! So much to reflect on and put into action." "I have been to many seminars, webinars, retreats and have been blessed to have read many great books, but I have to say...this retreat impacted my life as to learning more about God's will in my life than any other book, resource, event ever has! Thanks be to God!" Brian Pusateri is a Christian author and speaker. Brian felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending a retreat in 2011. With the God-inspired message of mercy and unconditional love, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, talks, and retreats. Brian and his wife of 45 years, Mary Beth, live in, and love the Carolina mountains.

"As I looked back over the landscape of my life, and the many setbacks I had endured, I saw that every loss also offered a gift, even if I didn't recognize it at the time. Whenever I was called upon to loosen my grip on some cherished part of my life, I was consequently given the opportunity to start again, to create anew something of value . . . every ending carried the seeds of possibility, a chance to start over." --Janine Shepherd Defiant chronicles the remarkable life of Janine Shepherd, an elite ski racer whose bid to represent Australia in the Olympics was cut short by a tragic accident. She recalls the ten days she hovered between life and death, faced with the difficult choice to let go or return to a body that would never be whole again. After six months in hospital battling to rehabilitate her permanent disabilities, she not only taught herself to walk again--she earned her wings as both a pilot and an aerobatics instructor. Happily married and raising three children, her life was again upended when she was forced to face a painful divorce, the loss of her home, and financial ruin. Undaunted, Janine persevered in managing her again-reinvented life as a single mom, as well as celebrated author and international speaker. Janine Shepherd shares with candor and compassion the practical lessons she has learned throughout her continuing journey. Defiant offers hope and encouragement for anyone facing a life challenge, sharing the author's hard-won wisdom and priceless advice for navigating one's way from loss to healing.

In the summer of 1995, Mary Earle returned from a vacation feeling refreshed and restored from her time away. A few days later, all that changed, when she was rushed to the emergency room with a case of acute and life-threatening pancreatitis. Being ill, she discovered, forces you to learn to live in whole new ways, ones often marked by limitation and fragility. As a priest and spiritual director, Earle began to explore ways in which her own prayer life might help her build a different relationship with her illness. Using the Benedictine practice of lectio divina, or sacred reading, she began to "read" her own illness, and discovered a way of befriending and helping to heal--if not cure--her body and her life. In Broken Body, Healing Spirit, Earle introduces this strategy to others who are hungry to find ways of living more fully despite chronic or serious illness or pain. Her practical, step-by-step approach to "reading the text of our illnesses," and learning to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us will be of help to those who are currently suffering with disease or limitations, as well as to those who are caregivers and counselors.

A comprehensive, objective, scholarly and yet easy-to-read presentation of the differences, both historical, theological and liturgical between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The ideal complement (or even antidote) to such books as Upon this Rock; Jesus, Peter and the Keys; Two Paths; The Primacy of Peter; etc. Discusses Peter's Primacy and Succession, Ecclesiology, Infallibility, the Filioque, Celibacy, etc.

A woman in search of a fresh start is about to get more than she bargained for in this surprising and addictive domestic thriller for fans of The Couple Next Door. "Even the biggest thriller fan will struggle to guess the ending of this twisty, gorgeously written debut." --Rolling Stone It's just a lie among friends...until someone ends up dead. Fleeing Brooklyn with little more than a suitcase and her trusty dog, Lucy King heads to rustic Woodstock, New York, eager to lose herself in a quiet life where her past can never find her. But when she meets Vera and John, the alluring couple next door, their friendship proves impossible to resist. Just as Lucy starts to think the worst is behind her, the couple delivers a staggering bombshell: They, too, need to escape their troubles--and the only way they can begin their new life is if Lucy helps them fake John's death. Afraid to lose her newfound support system, Lucy reluctantly conspires with them to stage an "accidental" death on a hike nearby. It's just one little lie to the police, after all, and she knows a thing or two about the importance of fresh starts. But what begins as an elaborate ruse turns all too real when John turns up dead in the woods the morning after their hike. Now, Lucy must figure out who she can trust and who's pulling the strings of her tenuous new life...before she takes the fall for murder.

When Nouwen was asked by a secular Jewish friend to explain his faith in simple language, he responded with "Life of the Beloved, " which shows that all people, believers and nonbelievers, are beloved by God unconditionally.