At what point are believing, repentant sinners saved? Marion Owens reports: In e-mail communications with Al Maxey he has elaborated to me somewhat on his views. If one does not receive salvation at baptism, when does he receive it? Al expressed the belief that one cannot say exactly when one has been saved. God knows, but Al suggests the person cannot be sure. As he put it, "I think we too often get bogged down over 'timing, ' especially when our God is not bound by such restraints. . . . God regards us as saved when one's heart is genuinely given over to him in loving faith. I imagine HE is aware of that happening before we are."

This is the last volume in the set for Ordinary Time in the Christian Year and it completes a series of meditations for the whole year. For the weekday readings at Mass there is a two-year cycle. Over the two years there is a different first reading from the Scriptures whilst both years share the same Gospel readings. On Sundays there is a three-year cycle with the Gospel readings taken from Matthew, Mark, and Luke respectively.

One of the ways we grow in our faith is by knowing the Scriptures well. Even if we do not attend Mass daily we can always meditate on the set readings. When we do this it will lead us into parts of our Bible that hitherto we may not have ventured. If digested properly they will undoubtedly prompt questions and raise topics for prayer and further research. This book is designed to help you to understand your Bible better and how it unveils the work of salvation by our loving God, beginning with the call of Abraham and His relationship with His chosen people. When the time was right God sent His Son into the world to continue God's redeeming love for all creation.

So the Old Testament prepared the way for the coming of the Christ that is recorded in the New Testament. It is this part of the Bible that is particularly interesting for Christians today as it gives insight as to how those first Christians came to believe in Jesus as their Saviour and were baptised into His death. It also reveals many of the problems that beset the first Christians over morality, worship, and obligations. These are still relevant today. Thus we need to heed the advice of Paul and other Christian writers of the first century in how we live out the teachings of Christ.

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.

The services of Holy Week of the Orthodox Church in Greek and English in full color. This edition contains: Holy Sunday evening (Nymphios), Holy Monday evening, Holy Tuesday evening, Holy Wednesday morning (Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts), Holy Wednesday afternoon (Holy Oil), Holy Wednesday evening (Orthros of Holy Thursday), Holy Thursday morning (Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great) and evening (The Passion), Holy Friday morning (Great Hours), Holy Friday afternoon (Unnailing), Holy Friday evening (Lamentations w/ Greek phonetics), Holy Saturday morning (Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great), Holy Saturday evening (The Vigil of Pascha) and Holy Saturday afternoon (Vespers of Love). The texts of the services are uncut, and include the priestly prayers missing from other texts currently available. Translation by Arch. Ephrem Lash. English text metered and set to traditional Byzantine melodies by David Melling. Paschal Canon adapted to traditional melodies by EIKONA. Third softcover printing, Decemeber 2012. Replaces ISBN 978-0981731759.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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