During the period before the Triodion and the Sundays which mark its beginning, the Church sets forth before our eyes various lessons through the Gospel readings: the grateful Leper, the Blind Man of Jericho, Zacchaeus, the good and faithful Servant of the ‘Talents’, the Canaanite woman, the Publican, the Prodigal Son and the Righteous on Judgment Day. Through some word, or deed, or attitude, these people all attracted God’s gaze upon them. They became the target of His visitation and traversed centuries in an instant. These suffering souls, who had withered away either because of sin or because of not knowing the true God, came into the presence of the Lord and ‘a spiritual sun, the name of which is persona’, began to rise in them. Their attitude and their words are concrete examples of a right presentation before the Holy of Holies. In this way, the Church guides us, knowing the struggle which we are encouraged to undertake in order to find our deep heart, so that we may also become persons in the sight of our Creator and Judge, and targets of His visitation. Yet, the Church also knows our desire not to fail to enter into the presence of the Risen Lord. The path is trodden. The constant principles are laid out with clarity, and we must keep them in our conscience as our polar star, as pearls of great price. We must embrace them so that they may render our labours fruitful not only during Great Lent, but also throughout our lives.

Forty meditations on Great Lent based on liturgical, scriptural and patristic texts.

Are you looking for a way to teach your child about Holy Week and Easter? What if your child could also receive, open, and read his or her own personal mail from God to make the lessons come alive? Easter Love Letters from God contains seven beautifully illustrated Bible stories, each accompanied by a special Bible verse and an encouraging letter tucked away in its own lift-the-flap envelope that can be personalized to your child. Easter Love Letters from God is part of the Love Letters from God series written by Glenys Nellist. Unique features include: 7 letters from God on a pull-out page enclosed inside an envelope, with space to write your child’s name on each letter Endearing text that applies each Easter story directly to your child’s life and helps grow their faith Gorgeous, bright illustrations by Sophie Allsopp The wonderous stories leading up to Jesus’s resurrection on Easter Sunday This interactive picture book is perfect for ages 4-8 and is great for Easter baskets or as an addition to your child’s home library. Check out other titles from this series: Love Letters from God, Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart, and Christmas Love Letters from God: Bible Stories.

We are living in an extraordinary time: A Time of Mercy. But what is mercy? What does it mean to be living in a Time of Mercy? How can we receive God’s Mercy? And how should we respond? In Doors of Mercy, authors Fr. Jeffrey Kirby and Brian Kennelly answer these important questions. They act as your tour guides on a whirlwind tour of salvation history, from Adam and Eve to the coming of the Savior, and into the present day with the beautiful story of St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy message and devotion. You’ll discover the intricate stitching of a divine rescue plan that would not be stopped by anything. Across countless generations the Lord’s mercy acted as the lifeblood of this rescue plan, so that neither our own weakness, nor the devil himself, could thwart it. He would deliver us a Savior and a King of Mercy no matter what it took, one who would bring His Kingdom to the ends of the earth, and who would smash the very gates of hell. You’ll discover: -How the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the Garden affects our relationships with each other, with God, and with the world around us -Why God chose a rainbow as the sign of the covenant with Noah -The purpose behind Abram’s name being changed to Abraham -How the plagues in the time of Moses were not random but had symbolic meaning -How David’s Kingdom serves as a template, or blueprint, for the Church -The hidden meaning behind some of Jesus’s well known parables and why the Eucharist is the sign of the new and eternal covenant -How the Church and her saints have spread mercy throughout the centuries, with short biographies of Sts. Vincent, Camillus, Margaret Mary, Maria Goretti and more -The history behind St. Faustina’s visions of Jesus and the spreading of the Divine Mercy message and devotion -How you can continue Christ’s mission of mercy in your own life…

Loneliness is an epidemic right now, but it doesn't have to be that way. The Turquoise Table is Kristin Schell's invitation to you to connect with your neighbors and build friendships. Featured in Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, and the TODAY Show, Kristin introduces a new way to look at hospitality. Desperate for a way to slow down and connect, Kristin put an ordinary picnic table in her front yard, painted it turquoise, and began inviting friends and neighbors to join her. Life changed in her community, and it can change in yours too. Alongside personal and heartwarming stories, Kristin gives you: Stress-free ideas for kick-starting your own Turquoise Table Simple recipes to take outside and share with others Stories from people using Turquoise Tables in their neighborhoods Encouragement to overcome barriers that keep you from connecting This gorgeous book, with vibrant photography, invites you to make a difference right where you live. The beautiful design makes it ideal to give to a friend or to keep for yourself. Community and friendship are waiting just outside your front door.

Part I is a remarkable account of St Silouan's life, personality and teaching. Part II consists of St Silouan's writings, which he had laboriously penciled on odd scraps of paper, expressing an authentic personal experience of Christianity identical with that of the early Desert Fathers.

This revised, expanded edition of the Common Worship President’s Edition contains everything to celebrate Holy Communion Order One throughout the church year. It combines relevant material from the original President’s Edition with Eucharistic material from Times and Seasons, Festivals and Pastoral Services, and the Additional Collects.

According to Thomas Aquinas, the Eucharist is meant to build up the unity of the church. This desired ecclesial unity is, however, not often given adequate treatment. In Speaking with Aquinas, David Farina Turnbloom seeks to describe the relationship between the celebration of the Eucharist and the unity of the church. By examining Aquinas's treatment of grace and virtues, this book allows the reader to understand Aquinas's eucharistic theology within the context of the spiritual life of the church. In the end, Turnbloom retrieves a Thomistic theology of the Eucharist that arises from Aquinas's concern for the virtuous life of the church, rather than a eucharistic theology that too narrowly focuses on theories of transubstantiation.

The Enlargement of the Heart consists of a series of remarkable presentations on the nature and purpose of human existence in Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866–1938) and Elder Sophrony of Essex (1896–1993), and an Appendix comprised of two lectures on Monasticism. Delivered in Wichita, Kansas, at the 2001 Clergy Brotherhood Retreat of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, each lecture is published here in full together with its Asides and corresponding Questions & Answers.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.