First Communion is an important experience for a Roman Catholic child. "A Little Guide to First Communion" is a delightfully illustrated story written to give children a preview of what's involved and provide adult readers with helpful tips for the occasion.

The long-standing tradition of baptizing infants suggests that the sacraments plunge our bodies into salvation, so the revelation of God's love in the sacraments addresses the whole person, not the mind alone. In this work, the contemporary Roman Catholic rite of baptism for infants becomes a case study, manifesting the connections between the human body, the ecclesial body, and the Body of Christ. The sacramental life, for children as for adults, is an ongoing journey deeper into the life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

By examining the church's practice of infant baptism, Kimberly Hope Belcher asks how human beings participate in God's life through the sacraments. Christian sacraments are embodied, cultural rituals performed by and for human beings. At the same time, the sacraments are God's gifts of grace, by which human beings enter into God's own life. In this study, contemporary ritual studies, sacramental theology, and trinitarian theology are used to explore how participation in the sacraments can be an efficacious engagement in God's life of love.

Kimberly Hope Belcher is an assistant professor of theology at Saint John's University, where she teaches sacramental theology and ritual studies. She is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy and writes for the liturgical blog Pray Tell.

The four volumes of the Christian Living Series are the fruit of a catechism class that the late bishop Youanis used to teach to university students who came to Cairo from other states to study. The Chapters of these volumes have been a hand book for many Christians who are pursuing their spiritual path and a source of direction to many over the last fifty years, now we present it to you in the English language. This volume starts from the beginning of our spiritual journey, the life of Repentance; it also deals with two of the church sacraments, Confession and Communion, Their meaning, practical applications, fruits, and other related questions are discussed in this volume.

This manual will help anyone prepare for the sacrament of confirmation or prepare someone else for the sacrament. Part I is organized according to the plan of St. Thomas Aquinas. It contains * the full text of the basic prayers that any sacramental candidate should know. * a selection from the Baltimore Catechism on: The Trinity, The Incarnation and Redemption, The seven Sacraments, with emphasis on Confirmation, The Two Great Laws and the Ten Commandments Part II contains a summary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church's discussion of catechism, complete with article references to that catechism. It also has questions and answers from the Baltimore Catechism covering the elements of the rite, the role of sponsors, of parents and the duties of confirmands. Part III contains prayers specifically for Confirmation and the candidate, along with the complete text used in the Extraordinary Form of the rite of Confirmation. It also contains a section for note-taking at the back of the book. This is the most complete and concise confirmation guide available today.

The Children's Charter was Mother Mary Loyola's response to Pope Pius X's 1910 decree Quam Singulari, which lowered the age for reception of First Communion to seven. Addressed directly to the parents and teachers of children, this is a rare peek into the classroom as Mother Loyola would have it. Here the author of The King of the Golden City gives sage advice for how best to capture and maintain the interest of little ones in preparing them for Confession and Communion. Despite the century that has passed since this book was first published, Mother Loyola's advice remains just as relevant, a testament to how well she knew how to reach the hearts and minds of children.

As an element in the Churchs mission to proclaim the unchanging gospel, and on the eve of the new millennium, the House of Bishops considers it right to reaffirm the Church of Englands teaching on marriage by restating that lifelong marriage should be one of the bedrocks of a rapidly changing society. This document seeks to relate this teaching to the pastoral needs of people in our communities today, so that they might approach marriage with confidence. It is intended that this document be used as a stimulus to commend marriage to all people in society, and as a basis for teaching in churches. It carries the full authority of the House of Bishops, one of the most senior bodies of the Church of England. Please note this is the 1999 edition.

This journal has been constructed in imitation of the copybook made for Therese Martin by her older sister Pauline (Sr. Agnes of Jesus) in 1884 to help Therese prepare for her First Holy Communion. Each day of her sixty-nine day preparation period Therese recorded the number of times she recited the included prayers and aspirations. By using her "sacrifice beads," she counted each time she overcame her own desires in order to please Jesus. Inspired by that copybook, this journal uses the same method of encouraging-and recording-daily prayers and mortifications. However, instead of using flowers to illustrate virtues, this resource uses the battle model St. Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-17. First communicants are encouraged to arm themselves with virtues and spiritual weapons in order to fight as soldiers of Christ. The scriptural words of Jesus and St. Paul are reflected on frequently to encourage the imitation of the actions and love of Jesus and to inspire a love and knowledge of Holy Scripture.
Use this journal on its own or in conjunction with the "Communion with the Saints "family preparation program for First Communion. Create a lasting First Communion keepsake by daily recording your thoughts, prayers, and drawings. May you-like St. Therese-learn to love Jesus more deeply, thereby joining St. Paul's "holy ones" (Ephesians 6:18) in heaven.

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?

As the global climate crisis worsens, many churches have sought to respond by instituting a movement to observe a liturgical season of creation. Scholars who have pioneered the connections between biblical scholarship, ecological theology, liturgy, and homiletics provide here a comprehensive resource for preaching and leading worship in this new season. Included are theological and practical introductions to observance of the season, biblical texts for its twelve Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, and astute commentary to help preachers and worship leaders guide their congregations into deeper connection with our imperiled planet

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 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]

2011 Reprint of 1906 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Fully describes the first three degrees of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Pike is best known for his major work, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry," originally published in 1871. "Morals and Dogma' was traditionally given to the candidate upon his receipt of the 14th degree of the Scottish Rite. This practice was stopped in 1974. "Morals and Dogma" has not been given to candidates since 1974. A classic work on the subject.

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.

Chapel-size edition with a black-and-white interior for the celebrant saying Mass. Contains the Traditional Catholic Mass in Latin (1928, typical), the Traditional Catholic Mass in English (1912, Knott), the Mystical Mass in English (1916, Wedgwood/Leadbeater), the Propers for the Moveable Cycle, and the Propers for the Fixed Cycle of days.

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.

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.

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?

Since the time of the Reformation, most of Protestantism has celebrated two sacraments - "baptism and supper." And while the Roman Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox church celebrate five more, almost all Christians celebrate baptism and communion. This book will provide a brief history into the practice of those two sacraments, and show how those practices diverged over time between denominations. Part One discusses the celebration of the Lord's Supper (also known as the Eucharist, communion, etc.) Part Two will discuss baptism, and provides a chapter on the question of "Infant verses Believers' Baptism." Both sections discuss references in the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Early Church Fathers, the Reformation, and the practice of the sacraments today. An appendix discusses the question of whether the baptism practiced by John the Baptist might have had Essene roots. A Brief History of the Sacraments: Baptism and Communion

This premier work considers the development of the doctrine of baptism in the Reformed tradition. John Riggs studies the major early Reformers, concentrating on Calvin's views, and then traces the development of the doctrine through the Reformed Confessions, Reformed Orthodoxy, and into Schleiermacher's thought. Twentieth-century debates are discussed as they illuminate earlier tensions and differing views from the past.

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.