On the surface it appears that Nate has everything. However, unbeknownst to those closest to him, Nate is in turmoil as his true closeted sexual identity threatens to surface and destroy the facade that he has worked so hard to build and maintain. With the encouragement and support of his only friend, Mike has worked hard to achieve a level of success that previously seemed unattainable. But old habits die hard and a terribly troubled past that he's been unable or unwilling to let go of threatens to destroy everything he has worked so hard to accomplish. Without Nate's support Sierra would be lost. Despite her very strong belief and faith in God, she cannot manage to turn the tainted memories of her damaged childhood over to Him. Only Nate knows her secret, a secret that could ultimately ruin her marriage. United by pain, loss, fear, and more importantly hope, these three friends are forced to confront the issues of their youth in a most devastatingly unimaginable way.

The greatest challenge in preparing young children for the sacrament of Penance is in making confession a habit to which they will be voluntarily attracted. We can require their presence at catechism class, and compel them to go to confession, but without this crucial ingredient, we cannot hope to dispel the all-too-common view that it is an onerous task to be studiously avoided.
It is precisely this difficulty that Mother Mary Loyola addresses with this book. She knew children's minds so well-that they crave being treated like adults-and thus she avoids all that is oversimplified or saccharine, a quality which gives all of her work such broad appeal, even to adults. Her vivid storytelling brings to life an irresistible feeling of the comfort and joy the child will find in the forgiveness of their loving father. Who, then, would dream of ever avoiding such sweet medicine?

"The Problem with the Other Sacraments is a must read for anyone who is concerned about saving their immortal soul and understanding deceptions and errors of the Second Vatican Council. In this book, Dr. Coomaraswamy exposes the defects of the sacraments of the Conciliar Church. He exposes the planned self-destruction of the Church as designed and executed by the Conciliar and Post-Conciliar progressive clergy, and their subtle plan to crucify the Church by destroying the sacraments." Bishop Joseph S. Macek]"Today, we are witnessing the auto-destruction of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. For the past 2,000 years, Satan has sought to destroy the Faith by perverting the truths that Christ taught the Apostles. Beginning in Jesus's own time with the betrayal of the arch-heretic Judas Iscariot, and continuing through the centuries, waves of error have threatened to destroy the Church, only to break and be dashed upon the Rock of Peter. With the inception of the Second Vatican Council, however, this spirit of arch-heresy has been welcomed into the Church of Rome by progressivists. Today, we are witnessing the sin of malfeasance. Priests, Bishops, Cardinals, and Popes have embraced the spirit of Judas Iscariot and have betrayed Christ by allowing the Church to be destroyed from within. Satan is having His hour."Traditions are not 'changed', they are either kept or discarded. Destroy Christian (Catholic) Tradition-immemorial, if not Apostolic, ceremonies, laws and practices of the Church-and you undermine the Church itself. Such was the strategy of the modernists who, under the aegis of John XXIII's aggiornamento ('updating'), quickly seized control of the Second Vatican Council, which laid the groundwork for the overthrowing of Tradition. The revision of the Mass and the sacraments came in the wake of the Council; the specific changes made to the sacraments other than the Mass are well documented here by Dr. Coomaraswamy." Bishop Robert F. McKenna, O.P]

Mother Loyola's work on the subject of Confession is not merely groundbreaking, but seems to form one of the most crucial of her strengths, given that the Sacrament of Penance has always been the most avoidable and avoided of all; most Catholics express a distaste for it akin to torment. For her readers, however, such angst is inconceivable, as she does not merely help to remove all fear and discomfort associated with the Confessional; she also enkindles a deep sense of appreciation for the gift of the sacrament. This, in turn, fosters an eager anticipation of the grace it confers. Those who make use of Forgive us our Trespasses -whether children or adults-will find themselves seeking this healing Sacrament with regularity.
Please note: this is considered a revised edition due to the correction of errors in the original text, the addition of selected footnotes, and minor clarifications in punctuation or phrasing. No material has been removed or rewritten.

The book discusses similarities and differences between Jewish tevila and Christian baptism. The question is whether baptism is a gradual evolution from the Jewish rite into a Christian form. Or is baptism an entirely new mode of initiation unique to the Christian faith. Is it a novum?

This is the first of three volumes for Ordinary Time in the Christian year. For the weekday readings at Mass there is a two-year cycle: Year A and Year B. Over the two years there is a different first reading from the Scriptures while both years share the same Gospel readings. On Sundays there is a three-year cycle. Each year concentrates on a different synoptic gospel: cycle A, Matthew; cycle B, Mark; and cycle C, Luke.

During Ordinary Time we can focus more on knowing the Scriptures and how they inspire and teach us. There is not another book that has such a collection of history, drama, prose, poetry, autobiography, folklore, pathos, joy, achievement and loss as our Bible. There is always some passage that will suit our need and emotion every day.

Meditating on the Scriptures opens the door to search for more knowledge about it and what it reveals of Jewish history and the beginnings of Christianity. "Angels Celebrate" will help you undertake a wonderful and fascinating journey to discover more behind the scenes. You will discover how much of Scripture is dictated by various editors in the Old Testament and the authors of the New Testament books from their living experiences within various Christian communities.

This series for Ordinary Time completes the series of daily meditations for the entire Christian year by author Marianne Dorman. The series begins with "Angels Rejoice" from Advent to Lent, followed by "Living Lent," and then "Angels Welcome" from Easter to Corpus Christi.

A theological exploration of how baptism and Communion shape our lives together as God's people, explaining how the physical water, bread, and wine embody the promises, grace, and presence of Christ.

Baptism has been a contested practice from the very beginning of the church. In this volume, Ben Witherington rethinks the theology of baptism and does so in constant conversation with the classic theological positions and central New Testament texts. By placing baptism in the context of the covenant, Witherington shows how advocates of both believer's baptism and infant baptism have added some water to both their theology and practice of baptism.

This book is the House of Faith Theological Seminarian guide to the sacraments and duties performed my minister's of the gospel. The House of Faith Church is a Bible believing, Christ centered community of believers, and as such, this book was designed around the Holy Word of God and it's instruction.

What are the sacraments, really?

For centuries, the religious lives of Catholics and other Christians have revolved around church rituals with generally accepted individual and social effects. What, precisely, are those effects, and how are they produced? Traditional theology used Greek philosophy to understand the sacraments and how they work. But is there no other way to understand them? In fact, there are a number of ways, and this book invites you to look at the sacraments through a variety of lenses: psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, theology, morality, and spirituality.

As the introduction to this volume challenges, If you read this book, and especially if you engage in the interactive study to which it invites you, your understanding of sacraments will be changed forever."

To help personalize your investigation, the author has created a web site with thought-provoking questions that encourage you to interact with the ideas being proposed in this volume. To engage these topics more deeply, see www.TheSacraments.org.

"Joseph Martos is author of "Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the Catholic Church," which for more than a quarter of a century has been the most widely read book on the subject. Recently retired from full-time teaching, he has been a visiting professor in universities and theology schools in Canada and Australia as well as around the United States.""

"I have seen water move rocks. I have seen thistles break through boulders." "If water and flowers can move stones, surely love can." Becca Stevens, from "Funeral for a Stranger" In this meditation on living and dying, Becca Stevens shares moving and hilarious stories about her life, love, friends, and our many families. This delicately formed narrative is also a window into the soul of a priest. I loved it and will hold it in my heart with gratitude for years to come. -Phyllis Tickle, author of The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why Loneliness finds connections, depair meets celebration, and fear discovers faith. Join Becca on her journey to a funeral for a stranger. God will be there. -Don Schlitz, Hall of Fame songwriter of The Gambler With elegant simplicity Becca Stevens escorts the reader to the banks of the deepest spiritual wellspring. Surely she ranks among our most gifted teachers on the things that matter most of all. -Stephen Bauman, author of Simple Truths: On Values, Civility, and Our Common Good

The Christian church confesses "one baptism." But the church's answers to how, whom and when to baptize, and even what it means or does, are famously varied. This book provides a forum for thoughtful proponents of three principal evangelical views to state their case, respond to the others, and then provide a summary response and statement. Sinclair Ferguson sets out the case for infant baptism, Bruce Ware presents the case for believers' baptism, and Anthony Lane argues for a mixed practice. As with any good conversation on a controversial topic, this book raises critical issues, challenges preconceptions and discloses the soft points in each view. Evangelicals who wish to understand better their own church's practice or that of their neighbor, or who perhaps are uncertain of their own views, will value this incisive book.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This work examines the history, theology, and praxis of the use of sacramental bread in traditional Christianity. From the Last Supper to the Great Schism, and from Christology to ecclesiology and Christian anthropology-the symbolism of bread has dominated Christian history and belief. What kind of bread did Christ offer to His disciples at the Last Supper? Why do Roman Catholics and the Orthodox disagree on how to bake bread? What is the significance of the symbolism of bread for Christian theology and praxis? This book addresses these and many other questions. Scholars and bakers, clergy and lay folk alike-all are invited to take a closer look at that which speaks of our unity-one loaf to represent one Body.

This book looks at the New Testament texts that teach about the sacrament of Holy Communion and challenges many modern assumptions that the Lord's Supper is just a memorial meal or symbolic ceremony.

"Angels Welcome: The Risen Lord" is the third in a series of meditations for the entire Christian year. This book focuses on the great fifty days that celebrate the empty tomb and its significance.

About the Author

Other books by Marianne Dorman include: "Angels Rejoice: The Christ Has Come Mark Frank: (1612-1664) His Contribution to the Caroline Church Living Lent Lancelot Andrewes: Teacher and Preacher"

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

Since its publication, Christian Weddings has become the necessary tool for engaged couples and pastors to plan unique and meaningful wedding services. It allows users to select the different elements from their wedding liturgy from a menu of choices in ceremonies from over twenty denominational traditions around the world. Christian Weddings serves many purposes. Pastors can offer new options in planning Christian weddings; couples of mixed religious denominations or traditions can celebrate a wedding day that meets their Christian needs; and couples who want a special service can successfully create a beautiful, personalized ceremony. This new edition includes additional ceremonies from an expanded range of sources, giving couples even greater freedom to plan a ceremony that fits their needs. The enclosed CDROM makes choosing the separate elements and arranging them into a single service simple and enjoyable.

What better way to commemorate the Year, of the Eucharist than to pray and meditate on each of the thirty-one scriptural reflections in this book! The well-known author Msgr. David Rosage offers a Scripture passage and short commentary for each meditation to guide the reader into prayer, along with suggestions for additional Scripture passages to pray. As readers progress through the book, they will be preparing their hearts to more fully appreciate the wondrous gift of Jesus in the Eucharist.