Catechumens and candidates will quickly learn that Jesus Christ will be their focus throughout their journey through the catechumenate. They will learn what they need to do to become Catholic too, of course, as they discern, pray, worship, break open the Word, and try to live their daily lives as followers of Christ. Nick Wagner guides catechumens and candidates through the entire process of preparing for baptism, the Rite of Election, the Scrutinies, keeping Lent, celebrating the Triduum, baptism (or acceptance) at the Easter Vigil, and life after baptism. This is a warm and wonderful companion for parish catechumens and candidates, one they will value and treasure long after they become Catholics.

"In a world born of the "big bang," Edwards shows that humanity and the world are together being made into the image of God. The heart of faith is an ecological communion that holds together and grows in love toward the fullness of life imaged in the Resurrection of Jesus. Denis Edwards helps the general reader, the preacher, the spiritual director, the student, and the theologian tear down the walls that too often separate mysticism, theology, prophecy, poetry, and science." -- Book jacket.

Faith for the Heart makes a special outreach to the "spiritual but not religious," to the "nones, and the "believers without belonging," with rich resources for their faith journey. "Catholic" signals that "all are welcome" to draw upon its treasury of the Church's spiritual resources, regardless of faith identity.ÿÿ

World-renowned Jesus scholar Marcus J. Borg shows how we can live passionately as Christians in today's world by practicing the vital elements of Christian faith. For the millions of people who have turned away from many traditional beliefs about God, Jesus, and the Bible, but still long for a relevant, nourishing faith, Borg shows why the Christian life can remain a transforming relationship with God. Emphasizing the critical role of daily practice in living the Christian life, he explores how prayer, worship, Sabbath, pilgrimage, and more can be experienced as authentically life-giving practices. Borg reclaims terms and ideas once thought to be the sole province of evangelicals and fundamentalists: he shows that terms such as "born again" have real meaning for all Christians; that the "Kingdom of God" is not a bulwark against secularism but is a means of transforming society into a world that values justice and love; and that the Christian life is essentially about opening one's heart to God and to others.

People of faith and people of science often view one another with suspicion, even disdain. But what if science and faith were complementary ideas? Physicist Michael Dennin explains that science doesn't deny the existence of God and that faith and science can actually enhance one another when approached the right away. He explains that science and faith do not have to live in conflict and inspires you to accept that you can be a person of faith and of science. The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

Nadiv Lev. “Offerings of the Heart.” This phrase sets the tone for the Jewish spiritual perspective that money is a tool for actualizing God’s presence in the world. Building on this core value and setting aside the financial/spiritual split with which many congregational leaders operate, Rabbi Shawn Zevit brings the depth and breadth of Jewish teachings on money and the spiritual life to all faith communities. This book provides texts and tools to help clergy, staff, and lay leaders of congregations of any faith approach financial and other resources as core means to build and maintain whole and holy lives in a communal setting. Zevit demonstrates how faith communities can create values-based approaches to developing and managing financial and human resources that are rooted in the very sacred traditions, principles, and impulses that bring us together. "Rabbi Shawn Zevit has gathered much of the wisdom of the Jewish community learned through four millennia of life with God. He shows us the rich thought and experience Hebrew scriptures and traditions contribute for all who seek to be faithful in the use of money in their communities. A deep understanding of generosity and giving is brought to bear on the practicalities of budgets, planning, and reaching out in deeds of justice and mercy." -- Loren B. Mead, founding president, The Alban Institute

When a Christian fundamentalist-turned-scoffer becomes the senior religion reporter for one of the nation's top newspapers, she and God find themselves on a collision course. As her journey begins, Christine Wicker knows God primarily as "the source you never get to interview." Despite this, she pursues Him anyway and begins to glimpse a God she hasn't dared hope might exist. She finds Him in unlikely places--the ceremony of a Wiccan coven, an East German shop window, a Northern Ireland breakfast table. To her grumpy amazement, she also finds Him in a place she swore she would never again look--the confines of a Southern Baptist church. It's a hard trip with surprising turns, but in the end Wicker finds a faith that answers the soul's call without ignoring the world's realities.

The journey of faith can be risky and overwhelming. Yet we join up, knowing that with the challenge comes excitement, the sense of being fully alive, and the extremity of living a life completely sold out to Jesus. And our goal is to become spiritually strong enough to stand till the end. Author and teacher Ben Patterson calls you to develop muscular faith—the faith of a Jesus follower whose heart, soul, mind, and time are committed to a cause of supreme worth. Through biblical insight and wisdom, you’ll be equipped for the only fight that matters—doing the work of God against the snares and temptations of this world. You’ll build up your spiritual muscles on the hard road to glory . . . and become stronger than you ever knew you could be.

Follow pastor Jim Belcher and his family as they take a pilgrimage through Europe, seeking substance for their faith in Christianity's historic, civilizational home. What they find, in places like Lewis's Oxford and Bonhoeffer's Germany, are glimpses of another kind of faith—one with power to cut through centuries and pierce our hearts today.

A manual of true spiritual transformation in a world of often cheap grace. A classic book by St. Theophan the Recluse.