Fr. Jake Empereur, S.J., vicar and liturgist at the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas, was for many years a professor of systematic and liturgical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union. During that time he founded the Institute for Spirituality and Worship, a nine-month renewal program which has trained people from all around the world. He was also the founding editor of Modern Liturgy Magazine that still continues today under the name of Ministry and Liturgy. At Berkeley he was very much involved in the area of theology and the arts. He also taught courses in the enneagram and spiritual direction. In 1994 he moved to San Antonio, Texas, to work in Hispanic ministry at the San Fernando Cathedral and to be the cathedral liturgist. There he continues his work in teaching and writing while being engaged as a full time parish priest. He is the author of several books and articles in the field of liturgy and sacraments. His latest books are The Enneagram and Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Direction and the Gay Person. His latest book with the title of La Vida Sacra: Hispanic Sacramental Theology should appear in 2006. Christopher G. Kiesling is also the author of _The Spirit and Practice of the Liturgy_, _The Future of the Christian Sunday_, and _Celibacy, Prayer, and Friendship_.

What is the Word of the Lord for a world of injustice? What does it mean to hear the cries of the oppressed? What does liturgy have to do with justice? These questions have been at the heart of Nicholas Wolterstorff s work for over forty years. In this collection of essays, he brings together personal, historical, theological, and contemporary perspectives to issue a passionate call to work for justice and peace. An essential complement to his now classic Until Justice and Peace Embrace, the forthcoming Love and Justice, and Justice, this book makes clear why Wolterstorff is one of the church s most incisive and compelling voices. Between the Times invites us not simply into new ways of thinking, but a transformational way of life.

Liturgical celebrations and the work of justice are tightly woven threads of the same cloth. The essays in Liturgy and Justice explore this intrinsic relationship and its promise for the ongoing renewal of church life. The authors write about the vision of the modern liturgical and social reformers, building just communities, reuniting worship and justice, globalization, rural life, church leadership, women in the Church, justice and prayer in Latino and African American communities, liturgy as a school of discipleship, forming catechumens as disciples, the catechesis of liturgy-justice, preparing just liturgies, and preaching justice. Authentic discipleship demands that the already existing relationship between our liturgy and our mission as ministers of justice be lived. Those serving in all areas of church ministry will find this book helpful in striving for justice in the Christian life. Contributors are Gilbert Ostdiek, O.F.M.; Eleanor Josaitis; Msgr. William Linder; Walter J. Burghardt, S.J.; John P. Hogan; Br. David Andrews, C.S.C.; Zeni Fox; Frances B. O'Connor, C.S.C.; Daniel Lizarraga; C. Vanessa White; Mary Alice Piil, C.S.J.; James M. Schellman; John Roberto; Tom East; Godfrey Mullen, O.S.B.; Del Staigers; and R. Kevin Seasoltz, O.S.B.

The connection between Christian ethics and liturgy has been on the research agenda for some decades now. Liturgy and Ethics addresses this issue departing from the particularity of the Reformed tradition and its potential for contributing to the discussion. The volume offers in-depth studies of how to understand God’s acting in worship, the centrality of justice, and the formative meaning of the liturgy, and relates these reflections to various moral issues and contemporary liturgical practices. In combining a specific theological approach with a broad disciplinary treatment of the topics this volume aims to push forward the scholarly discussion on liturgy and ethics in significant ways.

Paul Westermeyer, a professor of church music at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, explores the theme of justice in hymns over the decades. "Let Justice Sing" explores the content, context, and importance of justice within the "warp and woof" of hymnody.

Catholic health care is one of the key places where the church lives Catholic social teaching (CST). Yet the individualistic methodology of Catholic bioethics inherited from the manualist tradition has yet to incorporate this critical component of the Catholic moral tradition. Informed by the places where Catholic health care intersects with the diverse societal injustices embodied in the patients it encounters, this book brings the lens of CST to bear on Catholic health care, illuminating a new spectrum of ethical issues and practical recommendations from social determinants of health, immigration, diversity and disparities, behavioral health, gender-questioning patients, and environmental and global health issues.

Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.

Music does not make itself. It is made by people: professionals and amateurs, singers and instrumentalists, composers and publishers, performers and audiences, entrepreneurs and consumers. In turn, making music shapes those who make it—spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, socially, politically, economically—for good or ill, harming and healing. This volume considers the social practice of music from a Christian point of view. Using a variety of methodological perspectives, the essays explore the ethical and doctrinal implications of music-making. The reflections are grouped according to the traditional threefold ministry of Christ: prophet, priest, and shepherd: the prophetic role of music, as a means of articulating protest against injustice, offering consolation, and embodying a harmonious order; the pastoral role of music: creating and sustaining community, building peace, fostering harmony with the whole of creation; and the priestly role of music: in service of reconciliation and restoration, for individuals and communities, offering prayers of praise and intercession to God. Using music in priestly, prophetic, and pastoral ways, Christians pray for and rehearse the coming of God’s kingdom—whether in formal worship, social protest, concert performance, interfaith sharing, or peacebuilding. Whereas temperance was of prime importance in relation to the ethics of music from antiquity to the early modern period, justice has become central to contemporary debates. This book seeks to contribute to those debates by means of Christian theological reflection on a wide range of musics: including monastic chant, death metal, protest songs, psalms and worship music, punk rock, musical drama, interfaith choral singing, Sting, and Daft Punk.

The American church avoids lament. But lament is a missing, essential component of Christian faith. Soong-Chan Rah's prophetic exposition of the book of Lamentations provides a biblical and theological lens for examining the church's relationship with a suffering world. Hear the prophet's lament as the necessary corrective for Christianity's future.