Often presented as a clash between Irish and Roman missionaries representing two different kinds of Christianity, the Synod of Whitby held in 664 decided the date of Easter in the English church. Yet Benedicta Ward shows that in fact the traditions were mingled and that a common faith and a common devotion to Easter as the central feast of the Resurrection enabled participants to resolve difficulties caused by a difference between calendric calculations.

Fairacres Publication 193 This is a book about the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as we meet them in the teaching of St Augustine of Hippo. He is generally acclaimed as someone who has had enormous influence on Christian theology and much has been written about him by scholars. However, apart from a number of translations of the Confessions, few of his writings are accessible to the ordinary reader, even though, as Bishop of Hippo, he constantly wrote and preached for his people. The first part of this book presents Augustine’s teaching on three central practices of Christian living—prayer, fasting and almsgiving—with reference to his sermons and his commentaries on the Psalms. The second part places it alongside some recent authors who demonstrate how this triad continues to be of value to Christians today. Although it has been conceived as a Lent book, this text provides a reflective introduction to these ways of Christian living in whatever season of the Church’s year a reader picks it up.

SLG Press Contemplative Poetry 7 In a variety of moods and forms the poems in this collection attempt to capture something of the spiritual element that resides in the ore of common experience. They range from sing-song verse to taut lines embodying struggle. In some the everyday breaks into the numinous, in others the sacred is fused with ordinariness, even comedy. Irony has a prophetic edge, and human pain and brokenness, entangled with memory, border a mystical vision.

The liturgy, the public worship of the Catholic Church, was a crucial factor in forging the society of early medieval Rome. As the Roman Empire dissolved, a new world emerged as Christian bishops stepped into the power vacuum left by the dismantling of the Empire. Among these potentates, none was more important than the bishop of Rome, the pope. The documents, archaeology, and architecture that issued forth from papal Rome in the seventh and eighth centuries preserve a precious glimpse into novel societal patterns. The underexploited liturgical sources in particular enrich and complicate our historical understanding of this period. They show how liturgy was the ’social glue’ that held together the Christian society of early medieval Rome - and excluded those who did not belong to it. This study places the liturgy center stage, filling a gap in research on early medieval Rome and demonstrating the utility of investigating how the liturgy functioned in medieval Europe. It includes a detailed analysis of the papal Mass, the central act of liturgy and the most obvious example of the close interaction of liturgy, social relations and power. The first extant Mass liturgy, the First Roman Ordo, is also given a new presentation in Latin here with an English translation and commentary. Other grand liturgical events such as penitential processions are also examined, as well as more mundane acts of worship. Far from a pious business with limited influence, the liturgy established an exchange between humans and the divine that oriented Roman society to God and fostered the dominance of the clergy.

Fairacres Publication 192 The Eastern Orthodox description of Jesus as ‘the undistorted image of God’ is based on texts such as ‘the Gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God’ (2 Corinthians 4:4). This is the author’s favourite statement of belief about Jesus in relation to God and of the mysterious attractiveness of Jesus who draws everyone without distinction to God. Christ’s image is inescapable, even when rejected. There seems to be no way of avoiding this person who puzzles, yet attracts, the world. Based on a series of retreat talks, this book may be used for personal private reflection, as material for a group or as a foundation for leading a retreat for others. Each chapter discusses a particular aspect of the personhood of Jesus: His attractiveness, energy, gentleness, fierceness, confidence and steadfastness, and concludes with suggestions for applying the theme to our daily lives.

Fairacres Publications 104 This heartening and perceptive study outlines common problems and sorrows in the ageing process. But there can be growth and fulfilment, too, and benefit to others. Tom Rudd affirms God’s loving purposes, encouraging us to see that the retirement years can give us an opportunity to rediscover our spiritual needs and the work of prayer.

Fairacres Publications 90 The short though profoundly mystical work, The Five Feasts of the Child Jesus, which is presented here in a new translation, came from the pen of St Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and one of the most renowned followers of St Francis of Assisi. We are given five meditations on scenes in the life of Christ. Contrary to what one might expect from the title, however, the theme of these meditations is spiritual motherhood, namely the doctrine concerning the mystical birth of God’s Word in the soul and the vocation of every Christian to become a mother of Christ. Men and women alike are invited to fashion their spiritual lives on Mary, the Mother of the Lord and the image of the Church, and to develop the maternal element in their nature. St Bonaventure brought the skills of a poet and a theologian to his task; his work belongs to the rich heritage of Franciscan spirituality, it is also a minor classic of the spiritual tradition of western Christianity and has a message pertinent to our times.

Vestry Guides 3 The vast theology and enormous depth of the Eucharist explains why it has been central to Christian worship since the time of the apostles. This modern guide to the Liturgy explores the Church of England’s Common Worship form of service. It explains and demystifies everything about the words, actions, traditions and meaning within the Eucharist service, both implicit and explicit. Throughout, the explanations are printed facing the respective text of the service, allowing the reader to follow through ‘in real time’ as a service proceeds and thereby appreciate better the various parts and gain a fuller understanding of the liturgy. The approach here is conceived for adult candidates for confirmation or considering reception into the church. It is also an ideal introduction for anyone interested in learning more about the Anglican liturgy, as well as an excellent resource for teaching and discussing its meaning.

Fairacres Publications 55 For centuries theology and spirituality have been divorced, as if mysticism were for the saintly and theological study for the practical but unsaintly (to paraphrase Thomas Merton). So Archpriest Louth writes: ‘The theologian is one who prays, and one who thinks about the object of his loving prayer. So, part of the formation of a theologian is the study of spirituality, not just as another branch of the history of doctrine, or whatever, but as a deepening of their own life of prayer.’ This book seeks to show that theology—even the rigorous ‘academic’ theology—and spirituality belong together and, isolated, suffer disintegration and atrophy. It does this by suggesting that contemplation lies at the heart of both theology and spirituality, and includes an examination of the place of the contemplative in the thought of Diadochus of Photicé.

Fairacres Publications 130 In these addresses, the expectations – true and false – of newly-ordained clergy are identified. Stressing the need for constant thanksgiving as the bedrock of a pastor’s life, the author examines the role of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, in providing practical and spiritual support to ministry.