Showing titles in Essays & Commentary

In this book for the curious, spiritual seeker, Madeleine L'Engle offers relevant lessons drawn from the life of Jacob from the Old Testament. Here, the son of Isaac becomes a spiritual companion to L'Engle, equipping her to deal with earthly and psychological struggles. Throughout her journey, L'Engle offers contemporary answers to questions that burden modern day listeners and believers. With her customary fearlessness and candor, she broaches such topics as the significance of angels, redemption, sexual identity, forgiveness, and the seemingly constant conflict between good and evil.

Is Joseph - the deserted son of Jacob from the Old Testament - relevant in our modern age? For Madeleine L'Engle, the answer is a resounding yes; not solely because Joseph is an important historical character, but primarily because his experiences of disenfranchisement, tragedy, and profound betrayal resonate within our own society. These thoughtful meditations on obedience, prophecy, forgiveness, and compassion are masterfully woven to bridge gaps of belief, politics, education, and even faith.

This classic work of spirituality from the author of A Wrinkle in Time offers life-transforming insights on the rich heritage of the Bible and shows how the characters of this ancient text are relevant for living the good life now. In the first book of her Genesis Trilogy, beloved author Madeleine L'Engle casts long, loving, and perceptive glances not only at the created universe but also at its Creator.

Friends, the next voice you hear might be God's! Wouldn't it be wonderful if this were true? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could hear the Voice of God? And perhaps we can. Perhaps we all have heard the Voice of God but haven't recognized it.

For C. S. Lewis, reason and logic are the sensible way to approach faith and ethics. Much of the 20th century's ills are caused by ill-founded beliefs and opinions. Lewis' original approach remains as vital today as ever. He is able to take the most convoluted subject, turn it side on and shed bright illumination on it. To be able to see along things rather than at them - just like a beam of sunlight that invades the darkness of a toolshed - is, to Lewis, the way to understanding.

A child peeling an orange on the subway. A bearded man with gentle eyes holding a tin cup on the corner. When we see life through the lens of faith, everyday moments become a source of hope and strength. In this collection of essays, chaplain Andrea Raynor reveals the unexpected places she has experienced the Divine and shows us how we, too, might come to see life as a spiritual adventure - one on which we are never truly alone.

"L'Église n'est pas là pour condamner, mais pour permettre la rencontre avec cet amour viscéral qu'est la miséricorde de Dieu. Pour que cela se produise, il est nécessaire de sortir. Sortir des églises et des paroisses, sortir et aller chercher les gens là où ils vivent, où ils souffrent, où ils espèrent." (Franciscus) Chaque page de ce livre vibre du désir du pape François de toucher les âmes qui cherchent un sens à leur vie, un chemin de paix et de réconciliation, un remède à leurs blessures physiques et morales.

Depuis son enfance au milieu des plus pauvres, une conviction habitait le père Joseph Wresinski : le chrétien naît le regard tourné vers le plus misérable ; l'Église, c'est les pauvres, réellement. Là où l'homme le plus méprisé est oublié, l'humanité est cassée, l'Église absente, le Christ bafoué. Cette interview réalisé par Gilles Anouil, ancien rédacteur en chef de Preuves et rédacteur en chef adjoint de Réalités montre bien comment le message du père Joseph, sa vie personnelle et la création du mouvement ATD Quart-monde ont été intimement mêlés. En même temps il fait toucher du doigt à quel point on peut ignorer l'existence et l'ampleur de la grande pauvreté.

From time immemorial, prayer has provided comfort in our darkest hours, stirred us to action beyond what we thought possible, and shown us the way through seemingly insurmountable challenges. In this engaging tour of world history, author and historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts takes us on an inspiring tour of 10 prayers that played a pivotal role in world events.

The view of Christ in America has changed rapidly since the nation's birth. The author will bring forth facts and prove how America started out as a Christian nation and how the first colonists wanted to be different from England. You will also hear quotes from some of America's founding fathers as well as other leaders on how important God is for America and how America needs God.

Si l'Église réfléchit depuis déjà longtemps autour de la protection de la nature, jamais un pape ne lui a consacré une encyclique, son mode d'expression le plus solennel. Les mots italiens "Laudato si': Dieu soit loué", qui ouvrent la première encyclique du pape François sont les premiers du "Cantique des créatures", écrit par Saint François d'Assise peu avant sa mort en 1226. Considéré comme l'un des premiers textes de la littérature italienne, le Poverello y célèbre Dieu à travers sa création : frère soleil, sœur lune, frère vent, sœur eau, frère feu, notre mère la terre.

The Good Book collects new pieces by writers from many different faiths and ethnicities, including literary fiction writers (Colm Tóibín, Edwidge Danticat, Tobias Wolff, and Rick Moody); best-selling nonfiction writers (A. J. Jacobs, Ian Frazier, Adam Gopnik, and Thomas Lynch); notable figures in the media (Charles McGrath, Cokie Roberts, and Steven V. Roberts); and social activists (Al Sharpton and Kerry Kennedy).

The spirit of our times can appear to be one of joyless urgency. As a culture we have become less interested in the exploration of the glorious mind, and more interested in creating and mastering technologies that will yield material well-being. But while cultural pessimism is always fashionable, there is still much to give us hope.

These true Christian testimonies and doctrines are each presented in short chapters. They are, in many cases, summations of biblical teaching without the unnecessary filler information. A wide range of subjects are covered, and you'll hear about some subjects that are not often addressed in churches.

On constate actuellement que l'évolution des sociétés s'accompagne d'une perte de référence à la transcendance ; l'hédonisme ambiant, l'esprit libertaire, les découvertes biologiques et technologiques, les nouveaux modèles économiques et sociaux conduisant à un individualisme destructeur de l'humanisme. Où cela nous mènera-t-il ?

Words To Think About is a collection of Biblical Essays that was written for The Southern Reporter. The response Ray received for these essays lead him to create this amazing book. It is a compilation of various Bible messages, using particular verses, analyzed as condensed thoughts. If you have not already done so, hopefully this book will help you to see, to better understand, to know the truth and seek your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you!

An American journalist named Ben Harris, who works for Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), is traveling the world in search of stories about Jews in their various communities. This lively interview with Harris, the "Wandering Jew", about his travels and traveling, was done mostly by email, with two conversations via webcam on Skype. When this writer spoke to Harris off the record for background, he was in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency offices in New York City, but the reported interview via email comes mostly while he was abroad.

For more than a decade, New York University president John Sexton has used baseball to illustrate the elements of a spiritual life in a wildly popular course at NYU. Using great works of baseball literature as well as the actual game’s fantastic moments, its legendary characters, and its routine rituals - from the long-sought triumph of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers to the heroic achievements of players like the saintly Christy Mathewson and the sinful Ty Cobb to the loving intimacy of a game of catch between a father and son - Sexton teaches that through the game we can touch the spiritual dimensions of life.

Quoi qu'en disent les pragmatiques à outrance, les utilitaires, ce que l'Homme cherche tout le long de sa vie, ce qu'il poursuit plus que le pain et tout le bien-être matériel, c'est le savoir. L'essence même de notre vie est de tendre non pas à être mieux, mais à être plus. Or, un instinct plus fort que toutes les remontrances des sceptiques et des faux sages nous en avertit : pour être plus, il faut d'abord que nous sachions plus.

Plus l'Humanité se raffine et se complique, plus les chances de désordre se multiplient et leur gravité s'accentue ; car on n'élève pas de montagne sans creuser des abîmes, et toute énergie est également puissance pour le bien et pour le mal. Tout ce qui devient souffre et pèche. La vérité sur notre attitude en ce monde, c'est que nous y sommes en croix.