The commentaries on the Lectionary readings in Hearing the Word of God are an attempt not only to hear the Word of God in Scripture but also to suggest ways that the Sunday readings might continue to nurture faith and life. Inevitably, they reflect the time in which they were first written - as a popular weekly column in America from November 2000 to Advent 2001. Hearing the Word of God includes Scripture readings for the Sunday, followed by a reflection on the reading, and concludes with Praying with Scripture," a series of questions and meditations to guide readers in making a personal application of the reflection. John R. Donahue, SJ, PhD, is the Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore. He is the coauthor, with Daniel Harrington, SJ, of the Sacra Pagina commentary on The Gospel of Mark,published by Liturgical Press. "

Looking for homily suggestions that faithfully represent the Scripture readings and offer hearers of the text practical applications for Christian life?" Homilies for Weekdays," the first of two volumes by Father Don Talafous, OSB, contains creative suggestions of what a homilist might say about the daily readings for the two-year Lectionary cycle.

This extensive compilation for each day is a result of Father Talafous ' many years of experience in preparing homilies. Written on both a popular and pastoral level, these homily ideas may also serve as daily reflections or meditations on the Scriptural texts for readers interested in nourishing their Christian lives with Scripture.

Also available "Homilies for Weekdays: "Three-volume set

"Don Talafous, OSB, PhD, serves as alumni chaplain for Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, and is the author of "The Risk in Believing" and "A Word for the Day," published by Liturgical Press. ""

Season of Light and Hope includes original, scripture-based prayers, liturgies, and other worship aids to enrich worship from the First Sunday of Advent through the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord (usually the second Sunday in January.)
Following the same pattern as the author's previous book, Season of Ash and Fire: Prayers and Liturgies for Lent and Easter, this book contains corporate prayers and liturgies for each Sunday in the Advent and Christmas seasons, and prayers and liturgies for other worship celebrations related to Christmas. These include:

*The Hanging of the Greens,

* Service of Light and Healing,

* Order of Worship for the Children s Christmas Program,

*Prayers for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,

* Service for the New Year

* Service for Epiphany

Additional prayers and liturgies for use during the season by small groups and families help extend and unify the congregation s celebration. For each of the special Sundays, the author provides a brief introductory paragraph, identifying the liturgical context and theme of the day, based on the Scriptures and symbols of the season. "

A detailed instruction manual for all Eucharistic ministers This is a handbook to the Eucharist looking in detail at the principles of liturgical celebration as well as ritual instructions. This approach to the rite will show ministers how to enable the community to gather, encounter Christ in word and sacrament and be sent out in response to that encounter. This will help ministers to hold the liturgy together, with a sense of momentum which moves the community from the gathering to the dismissal, and which allows various members of the community to exercise individual ministries within the gathered setting.

Preachers and liturgy planners will find "The Cultural World of the Prophets" a companion to John Pilch's "The Cultural World of Jesus Sunday by Sunday" series and "The Cultural World of the Apostles" series. Each essay offers historical, literary, and Eastern Mediterranean cultural information about the first reading and responsorial psalm of the liturgy of each Sunday.

"The Cultural World of the Prophets" relates the first reading and responsorial psalm to the Gospel as intended by the architects of the Lectionary. It encourages readers to pursue in-depth study and helps them appreciate the specific verses of the first reading and the responsorial psalm in their own right.

"John J. Pilch, PhD, teaches Scripture at Georgetown University. His other Liturgical Press publications include "The Cultural World of Jesus" series; "The Cultural World of the Apostles" series; "The Cultural World of the Prophets" series; "Cultural Tools for Interpreting the Good News; The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible"(Catholic Press Association award winner); "The Triduum and Easter Sunday: Breaking Open the Scriptures; Choosing a Bible Translation; Galatians and Romans in The Collegeville Bible Commentary"; and articles in "The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia, The Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology," and "The Bible Today.

In this book the 2000 year history of Christian worship is viewed from a sociological perspective. Martin Stringer develops the idea of discourse as a way of understanding the place of Christian worship within its many and diverse social contexts. Beginning with the Biblical material the author provides a broad survey of changes over 2000 years of the Christian church, together with a series of case studies that highlight particular elements of the worship, or specific theoretical applications. Stringer does not simply examine the mainstream traditions of Christian worship in Europe and Byzantium, but also gives space to lesser-known traditions in Armenia, India, Ethiopia and elsewhere. Offering a contribution to the ongoing debate that breaks away from a purely textual or theological study of Christian worship, this book provides a greater understanding of the place of worship in its social and cultural context.

We have all experienced hunger, whether it's a need for spiritual guidance or physical nutrition. Our hunger for God's Word can benefit those needing material sustenance. God's Word call us to nourish the physically hungry and poor, just as it nourishes our faith and sustains us in our struggle for justice. Hunger for the Word explores the Lectionary with a focus on anti-hunger advocacy, social activism, and political issues affecting marginalized people. Using insights, images, and stories from pastors, professors, and lay people who are active in anti-hunger campaigns, this ecumenical book offers devotional connections to inequality issues, as well as themes to help in our struggle to understand and eliminate injustice. Hunger for the Word: Year B, edited by Larry Hollar of Bread for the World, brings concern for hunger and fairness into our daily religious life. With weekly sermon/homily reflections, Hunger for the Word is an invaluable resource for pastors, liturgical ministers and those interested in justice-oriented Bible study and spiritual growth. Also includes suggestions for musical worship, and ideas for children's sermons to help spread God's Word of activism, compassion, and integrity throughout the congregation.

In an engaging style--characteristic of the author, Walter Brueggemann--this Essential Guide describes the leading motifs of ancient Israel s worship traditions in the Old Testament. The author guides the reader through the themes, central texts, prayers, festivals, and practices of that worship. He sees throughout the Old Testament a central emphasis on worship as a covenantal gesture and utterance by the community in the presence of God. In addition to being an essential guide to this subject, this book is intended to be in the service of current theological and practical issues concerning worship of the church in its ecumenical character."

"Catholic Press Association Award Winner "The commentaries on the Lectionary readings in "Hearing the Word of God" are an attempt not only to hear the Word of God in Scripture but also to suggest ways that the Sunday readings might continue to nurture faith and life. Inevitably, they reflect the time in which they were first written - as a popular weekly column in America from November 2000 to Advent 2001.

"Hearing the Word of God" includes Scripture readings for the Sunday, followed by a reflection on the reading, and concludes with Praying with Scripture," a series of questions and meditations to guide readers in making a personal application of the reflection.

"John R. Donahue, SJ, PhD, is the Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore. He is the coauthor, with Daniel Harrington, SJ, of the "Sacra Pagina" commentary on "The Gospel of Mark," published by the Liturgical Press.""

Ernest Gentile's book, Worship God!, has refreshed and inspired pastors, worship leaders, Bible colleges, and believers internationally. It is an appeal to return to biblical worship that allows a person's whole being to express its love and adoration for God and it's a must-read for all who mean business with God!

We have all experienced hunger, whether it's a need for spiritual guidance or physical nutrition. Our hunger for God's Word can benefit those needing material sustenance. God's Word calls us to nourish the physically hungry and poor just as it nourishes our faith and sustains us in our struggle for justice. "Hunger for the Word explores the Lectionary with a focus on anti-hunger advocacy, social activism, and political issues affecting marginalized people. Using insights, images and stories from pastors, professors and lay people who are active in anti-hunger campaigns, this ecumenical book offers devotional connections to inequality issues, as well as themes to help in our struggle to understand and eliminate injustice. "Hunger for the Word, edited by Larry Hollar of Bread for the World, brings concern for hunger and fairness into our daily religious life. With weekly sermon/homily reflections, "Hunger for the Word is an invaluable resource for pastors, liturgical ministers and those interested in justice-oriented Bible study and spiritual growth. Also includes suggestions for musical worship, and ideas for children's sermons to help spread God's Word of activism, compassion, and integrity throughout the congregation.

In studying the history of the vernacular in worship beginning with the Christian Scriptures, Dynamic Equivalence uncovers the power of a living language to transform communities of faith. How we pray when we come together for common worship has always been significant, but the issue of liturgical language received unprecedented attention in the twentieth century when Latin Rite Roman Catholic worship was opened to the vernacular at Vatican II. Worshiping in one's native tongue continues to be of issue as the churches debate over what type of vernacular should be employed. Dynamic Equivalence traces the history of liturgical language in the Western Christian tradition as a dynamic and living reality. Particular attention is paid to the twentieth century Vernacular Society within the United States and how the vernacular issue was treated at Vatican II, especially within an ecumenical context. The first chapter offers a short history of the vernacular from the first century through the twentieth. The second and third chapters contain a significant amount of archival material, much of which has never been published before. These chapters tell the story of a mixed group of Catholic laity and clergy dedicated to promoting the vernacular during the first half of the twentieth century. Chapter Four begins with a survey of vernacular promotion in the Reformation itself, explores the issue of vernacular worship as an instrument of ecumenical hospitality and concludes with some examples of ecumenical liturgical cooperation in the years immediately preceding the Council. The final chapter treats the vernacular debate at the Council with attention to the Vernacular Society's role in helping with theimplementation of the vernacular. Chapters are "A Brief History of the Vernacular," "The Origins of the Vernacular Society: 1946-1956," "Pressure for the Vernacular Mounts: 1956-1962," "Vernacular Worship and Ecumenical Exchange," "Vatican II and the Vindication of the Vernacular: 1962-1965" Keith F. Pecklers, SJ, SLD, is professor of liturgy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and professor of liturgical history at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Sant 'Anselmo. He is the author of The Unread Vision: The Liturgical Movement in the United States of America 1926-1955, and co-editor of Liturgy for the New Millennium: A Commentary on the Revised Sacramentary, published by The Liturgical Press.

Worship and Christian Identity argues that sacramental and liturgical practices are the central means by which a church shapes the faith, character, and consciousness of its members. Consequently, for any church to set aside such practices as outdated or irrelevant is to set aside the means by which the church nurtures and sustains its theological identity. From this perspective, Anderson explores the following questions: What is the relationship between worship and belief? What is the relationship between corporate worship and the formation of Christian persons and communities? What is the relationship between worship and our knowledge of ourselves, our world, and God? How might our attention to the reform and renewal of worship and sacramental practice provide a framework for theological, evangelical, and sacramental renewal? Questions of sacramental practice, inclusive or transformative language, and the renewal of congregational hymnody have been largely displaced by marketing questions and conflicts between "traditional" and "contemporary" worship. The hour of worship is subdivided now into increasingly specialized "target audiences" of singles, seekers, boomers, and "X-ers" with worship carefully packaged as "traditional" or "contemporary." What at various points has been understood as a "means of grace" is now seen primarily as a "means of numerical growth." Missing in the conflict between "traditional" and "contemporary" worship is significant discussion of what is at stake for the identity of Christian persons and communities in the shape and practice of worship. Perhaps more surprising, discussion of the theological shape and practice of worship also has been absent in discussions concerning theological standards. These absences suggest that for many in the church today, worship is a means for expressing a community's belief but has little to do with the shape and character of that belief. The assumption that worship is only or primarily a pragmatic means for expressing a community's belief stands in sharp contrast to the Christian tradition. This assumption also contrasts with the insights provided by recent work in ritual studies, psychology, and faith development. Worship and Christian Identity is an important book for faculty and students in seminary and graduate programs in liturgical studies and religious education, particularly those interested in the relationships between liturgical studies and practical theology, ritual studies and liturgical theology, as well as the role of worship in Christian formation. Chapters are "Making Claims About Worship," "Worship as Ritual Knowledge," "Worship as Ritual Practice," "Trinitarian Grammar and the Christian Self," "Trinitarian Grammar and Liturgical Practice," and "A Vision of Christian Life."

Catholic meditations for each day in the liturgical season of Advent

More Liturgies for Post-Primary Schools

This unique volume sets out the Principal Service Bible readings in full for all three years of the Church of Ireland calendar. Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle and Gospel readings are printed out in clear type for public reading, in the NRSV translation. Elegantly bound and with clear type, this is suitable for use at a lectern, but is also portable enough for those who like to follow the readings in the pew.

Readings for Weddings' is an inspirational collection of Bible quotations, poems, hymns and prose for secular weddings, church ceremonies and services of blessing. Mark Oakley includes such "wedding classics" as 1 Corinthians 13 and Khalil Gibran's 'The Prophet', the poetry of Shelley and Elizabeth Barret Browning, and verse by Wendy Cope and other witty, contemporary poets. Mark Oakley takes a fresh approach to preparing couples for their big day. He re-thinks the church wedding and puts humour, aspiration, poetry and love at the heart of the service. ""'Readings for Weddings' puts poetry where it should be: at the heart of a great defining moment. Mark Oakley's selection is exemplary: surprising but appropriate, tender but unsentimental, dignified but vivacious. Every happy couple, let alone their guests, will be grateful."" Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate

Season of Ash and Fire will help pastors and worship planners prepare for Lent and Easter. The author provides corporate prayers for each Sunday and Holy Day in the Easter Cycle, including: Ash Wednesday, 1st through 5th Sundays in Lent, Passion/Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday Morning, Easter Evening, 2nd through 7th Sundays of Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost.

Additional prayers and liturgies for use during the season by small groups and families help extend and unify the congregation s celebration.

"Blair Meeks, gifted with an evangelical heart, an emancipated imagination, and a life settled in liturgy, offers a first rate resource as the church learns again to pray. Meeks not only guides the prayer of the church through the depth of Lent and the wonder of Easter, she also interprets and instructs along the way. Out of her long reflection on the mystery of worship, this book will serve pastors and all those in the church who live by faith that is funded through prayer. -- Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus, Columbia Theological Seminary"

When Innocent III became pope in 1198 he announced that he had been elevated to a position between God and man. This audacious claim has often been quoted to characterize the papal monarchy over which he presided and the secular powers he wielded for the eighteen years of his controversial tenure. The sermons presented in this rich collection cast a clearer light on Innocent's concept of what his duties were as priest and bishop.
Innocent was renowned as a preacher, one who faithfully fulfilled that pastoral duty throughout his career. The group of sermons featured in this book represents only a small sample of his homiletic works. That they are almost exclusively devoted to spiritual concerns provides valuable insight into Innocent's papal priorities.
The six sermons included are: the inaugural sermon of Innocent's consecration, the opening sermon of Lateran Council IV, an anniversary sermon, two Roman Synod sermons, and another on the constitution of the priesthood. The major theme throughout the sermons is the responsibility of clergy to function as intermediaries between divinity and humanity, particularly in preaching and in administering the sacraments. Also included in the book is a translation of Innocent's treatise on preaching. In it Innocent gives practical advice to the preachers, whose office he believes to be the most important function of the priesthood.
The translators have done well in transmitting the clarity of Innocent's prose, which was often brilliant and sometimes poetic. They have provided an historical context for the sermons, as well as rhetorical analyses to enhance the sermons' relevance for the modern reader. As an example of Innocent's role asa pastor, spiritual director, and moral leader, this book is a valuable complement to the many studies of his secular and political achievements.
Corinne J. Vause is a former lecturer in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Frank C. Gardiner was Professor Emeritus of English at UCSB.

Each year on Good Friday, Christian congregations all over the world walk the Stations of the Cross, a commemoration of Jesus' walk to Calvary. In "Walking the Way of Sorrows," artist Noyes Capehart and writer/journalist Katerina Whitley provide a fresh resource for congregations and individuals who want to explore the meaning of these Stations more deeply. Capehart's stark and powerful block cuts of the fourteen Stations are accompanied by monologues from the point of view of someone at each station. These monologues, along with biblical references and a brief liturgy, are excellent for individual devotion, but can also be used by groups who walk the Stations together.

Daily Catholic meditations for the liturgical season of Lent.

From its inception the Christian Church thought of worship and prayer in Trinitarian terms. At the heart of this Trinitarian concept lay the doctrine of the priesthood of Christ, which in its liturgical expression, presented Christ not merely as the object of prayer, but also as its mediator - prayers were directed to the Father through Christ.;The author traces the idea of the priesthood of Christ, and its effects on Christian worship and prayer, to its origins with the earliest Christians and through the Arian and Apollinarian debates. He then focuses on the Reformed tradition, and the influences of John Calvin, John Knox, John Craig, John McLeod Campbell, William Milligan, Theodore Beza, William Perkins, federal theology and the Westminster tradition, through to the present day.;The book is a history of an important doctrine, but it also shows in a remarkable way how the doctrinal struggles within the church have been reflected in the actual worshipping life of the church and how they continue to be reflected today.;Redding concludes with a number of key affirmations for a reformed understanding of prayer and also a critique of some modern tendencies and practices in the church.

Whereas most scholarship has concentrated upon the synagogue, Margaret Barker's work on the Jerusalem temple contributes to our understanding of the meaning and importance of many elements of Christian liturgy which have hitherto remained obscure. This book opens up a new field of research.;The any subjects addressed include the roots of the Eucharist in various temple rituals and offerings other than Passover, the meaning of the holy of holies and the Christian sanctuary, the cosmology of temple and church, the significance of the Veil of the Temple for understanding priesthood and Incarnation, the Holy Wisdom and the Mother of God, angels and priesthood, the concept of unity, the high priestly tradition in the early church and evidence that Christianity was a conscious continuation of the temple.

Exploring fundamental ways in which verbal expression in worship relates to aesthetic expression, Clayton Schmit provides a vitally important book for all homiletics students and scholars. Schmit explains that worship isn't just a sequence of "holy" words, and he reflects theologically on the relationship between verbal and aesthetic expression, demonstrating the aesthetic significance of verbal liturgical expression and the aesthetic responsibility of those who preach, pray, and lead in public worship.

Is it ever appropriate for non-Catholic Christians to receive Holy Communion at a Catholic Mass? What should a pastor do to preserve the holiness and the purpose of Communion? What happens when a non-Catholic receives Holy Communion? How should a Catholic pastor respond to non-Catholics who wish to have communion without conveying harshness, scrupulosity, legalism, or rudeness? Intended to help Christians recognize the present provisional norms and to see new possibilities in eucharistic sharing, Communion with Non-Catholic Christians examines the risks, challenges, and opportunities involved in the admission of communion to non-Catholic Christians. Communion with Non-Catholic Christians begins by defining eucharistic sharing. It assists Catholics and non-Catholics in understanding the present discipline of eucharistic sharing or receiving Holy Communion outside of one's own church. Secondly, it looks at what caution should be taken in eucharistic sharing, the values at stake, and the reasons for more open eucharistic sharing for Christian unity. Finally, it looks at the opportunities in eucharistic sharing and the possibility of full communion. By focusing on liturgical law and pastoral practices, this book moves the discussion of the admission of communion forward to new possibilities for growth in communion. Chapters are: "What is Eucharistic Sharing?" ?Risks, or Some Reasons for Caution in Eucharistic Sharing,? ?Challenges, or Some Reasons for a More Open Eucharistic Sharing,? and ?Opportunities, or Sharing the Eucharist in Hope for Full Communion.?