A resource to inform, inspire and challenge, Word in Our Time is written for all who take part in worship to help them engage more deeply with the Scripture readings of the day. Preachers will find it an invaluable resource which enables them to make links between the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel texts, bring out their essential message and relate them to the experience and needs of the congregation. In addition to pithy and informed commentary on the principal service readings for each Sunday and major holy day in Year C, the year of Luke, many practical preaching' helps are also included: information on biblical or historical background, variations in interpretation, illustrative quotes and points for application. Those who read in church will be helped by a better understanding what the biblical writers were saying, and for all who prepare for worship by prayerful reading of the lessons for the day, Word in Our Time provides many thoughtful and stimulating insights which will encourage fuller integration between our worship, celebration, learning, spiritual formation and daily living.

Presents the complete Common Worship lectionary readings, printed out in full from the NRSV translation of the Bible. Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel readings are provided for the Principle, Second and Third Services, making this an essential resource for worship. The Bible texts are clearly laid out with introductions and closing responses included as appropriate, making this an ideal volume for reading aloud.

Feminist liturgy began in the midst of a broad human quest for justice in the late twentieth century. The Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-Vietnam War movement added momentum for women's struggle for justice. Within this ferment, women addressed the limits placed on them in secular and religious institutions as well. Feminist liturgies developed as one of a number of attempts to discover and claim a more truthful telling and embodying of the stories that shape our religious consciousness. In Feminist Liturgy: A Matter of Justice, Walton offers a partial account" of feminist liturgies to encourage both discussion and action so that our liturgies will be "true" for all of us. Walton explains that liturgies typically described as "feminist" emerged in the late 1960s when women and some men realized that what they were experiencing in the liturgies not only wasn't *enough - but, in fact, wasn't *true. - a liturgical process that centers on an encounter - an engaged, embodied dialogue with God - cannot be true when females are left out of the dialogue. To make the liturgies more accurate, people joined together to discover how to use symbols, texts, and forms that expressed relationships with God more authentically. Walton examines four aspects of feminist liturgies: the historical context in which they developed, the tasks and principles that guide them, the possibilities they offer, and application to regular institutional liturgies. In examining these aspects, Walton responds to questions, clarifies hunches, alleviates doubts, and encourages more people to contribute to the development of feminist liturgies. Janet R. Walton is professor of worship at Union Theological Seminary in New York. She is the author of Art and Worship: A Vital Connection published by The Liturgical Press.

Applying theology to worship and to the practice of liturgy, this innovative work reclaims the importance of word and sacrament as the center for the church's life and witnesses. Drawing connections between liturgy and life, this collection of essays deepens worship-life by helping congregations "to talk with each other about the ways we encounter the living God in worship;" and by strengthening "skills that enhance worship." Inside Out: Worship in an Age of Mission addresses pastoral liturgical and sacramental issues at work in congregations today and offers a comprehensive vision for congregational life centered around word and sacrament.

Praying the Stations of the Cross enables us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ himself. Evidence dating as far back as the second century AD acknowledges the fact that Christians began this holy practice from the very earliest times in the Church. The Stations of the Cross recall the passion and death of the savior. They help us remember the great price that Jesus paid for our salvation. In this book, Father Haney provides three additional features to the traditional stations that help the reader become even more enriched by this practice: a fresh emphasis on God's compassion through Scipture, a series of new virtues associated with each station, and a strong mediation applying each virtue to our contemporary society.

The richness of recent research on women's worship gives witness to the scholarly interest in its"contemporary" practice, reflection, and construction. On the other hand, feminist scholarship has had little impact on liturgical "historiography." In "Women's Ways of Worship" Teresa Berger reconstructs liturgical history from the perspectives of women. She shows that the invisibility of women in the traditional liturgical narrative draws into question the credibility of that narrative, especially at a time when research into women's history has unearthed much material relevant to women's liturgical lives.

Berger focuses on thirteen key interpretative principles that guide the reconstruction of women at worship - from a re-configuration of the canon of sources and a re-Visioning of liturgical periodization to re-interpretation of anthropological basics and of liturgical texts. On the basis of these principles, she analyzes liturgical dynamics in two time periods crucial to the history of women at worship: the early centuries of the Christian Church and the twentieth-century liturgical renewal. Within the twentieth-century liturgical renewal, Berger focuses on two specific foci of renewal: the classical liturgical movement of the first half of the century, and - as a case of history-in-the- making" - the women's liturgical movement of the present day.

"Women's Ways of Worship" narrates both past and present liturgical developments from the perspectives of women's lives, heeding such dynamics as the genderization of liturgical space, women- specific liturgical taboos, gender-specific devotional practices, and the emergence of feminist liturgies. An epilogue confronts the question of a future liturgy "beyond gender."

Convinced that reconstructing the history of women at worship will offer a new Vision of the place of the women's liturgical movement within liturgical history as a whole, Berger puts this movement on a continuum of women at worship, which is a continuum of struggle against the historic marginalization of women in most liturgical contexts. As this struggle has come to the forefront today, "Women's Ways of Worship" provides a context for change, with women themselves being agents of both the questioning and the transformation.

Chapters are "Reconstructing Women's Ways of Worship: In Search of Methodological Principles," "Liturgical History Re-Constructed (I): Early Christian Women at Worship," "Liturgical History Re- Constructed (II): Women in the Twentieth-Century Liturgical Movement," and "Liturgical History in the Making: The Women's Liturgical Movement."

"Teresa Berger is associate professor of Ecumenical Theology at the Divinity School of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. She is the author of numerous books and contributor to a variety of journals including "Worship," published by The Liturgical Press.""

Eucharistic liturgy has differed through the centuries and in different Churches. Because of these differences, it is essential that eucharistic liturgy be studied from ahistorical perspective. In The Celebration of the Eucharist, Enrico Mazza offers a thorough account of the theology of the Eucharist and presents a historical analysis of the origin and variety of eucharistic liturgies and their development in the Church. Beginning with the Last Supper, Father Mazza weaves his way through interpretations elaborated by the Fathers of the Church and medieval writers to provide the rich tapestry of concepts and categories adopted by Vatican Council II. Complete with an appendix including Jewish texts and early Eucharistic Prayers, abbreviations, bibliography, and notes, The Celebration of the Eucharist is a comprehensive source for those who have an interest in the theology of the Eucharist in the course of history. Chapters are Old Testament Sacrifices and Ritual Meal," "The Origin of the Christian Eucharist," "From the Jewish Liturgy to the Christian Eucharist," "Primitive Anaphoras: From the Didache to the Mystical Eucharist," "Primitive Anaphoras: Developments of the Eucharistic Liturgy," "Thematic Developments in the Eucharistic Liturgy," "The Early Patristic Period," "Tertullian and Cyprian," "The Fourth Century," "The Early Middle Ages," "The Scholastic High Middle Ages," "The Eucharist and the Relics of the Saints," "The Reformation and the Council of Trent," "The Liturgical Reform of Vatican Council II," "The Implementation of the Liturgical Reform," "The Parts of the Eucharistic Prayer," and "The Last Supper and the Church's Eucharist." Enrico Mazza is professor of liturgical history at the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He is the author of Mystagogy: A Theology of Liturgy in the Patristic Ages, Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite, and The Origins of the Eucharistic Prayer published by The Liturgical Press. "

2000 Catholic Press Association Award Winner! Throughout this century the Epistle of James has been viewed consistently as a disjointed set of instructions. In A Spirituality of Perfection Patrick Hartin differs from this approach by showing that the call for perfection" provides a unifying meaning for the epistle. Examining the concept of perfection against the background of the Graeco-Roman world, the Old Testament, and the Septuagint, Father Hartin shows that perfection provides a key to defining the spirituality of the Epistle of James. Father Hartin shows how the notion of perfection plays a key role in the definition of God, as well as the way one is called *to be in the world. - He adopts a fresh approach toward understanding the categories of wisdom, eschatology, and apocalyptic as they illuminate the epistle's advice. He allows James to be read in its own right, instead of through the eyes of other traditions, such asPaul, and shows that what James intends by perfection is different from our modern understanding - that the concept of perfection unlocks an important self-understanding in Christianity. Just as every generation of believers aims at putting its faith into action, A Spirituality of Perfection culminates with the question: *What direction does the Epistle of James give Christians of the twenty-first century for putting their faith into action? - Chapters are *A Cal to Perfection, - *An Overview of the Concept of Perfection in the Ancient World as a Background to the Letter of James, - *The Nature and Purpose of the Letter of James, - *Faith Perfected Through Works: A Context for the Moral Instructions in the Letter of James, - *A Spirituality of Authentic Perfection, - *Perfection in the Letter of James and the Sermon on the Mount, - and *On Reading James Today. - Patrick J. Hartin, DTh, teaches New Testament in the religious studies department at Gonzaga University in Spokane. "

Patricia Wilson-Kastner's wonderfully crafted work views the liturgy as a cosmic drama, enacting a sacred meal that grounds us in the universe, draws us into God's creation and redemption, and poses stiff ethical challenges "deep in our bones" to Christians in community. "Liturgy reconnects us with God and with all creation, rekindles in us the vision of the restoration of all in God, and clarifies and nourishes again in us the hope in which we can live now in justice, peace, and love with each other," she says. Though we don't have all the details of this script, we are deeply implicated in the plot. A gifted preacher and writer, and no stranger to church battles, Wilson-Kastner brings a confident faith in the transforming power of worship. Her rich, ecumenically oriented introduction to the liturgy leverages people's great hunger for spirituality and community into deep commitment to justice within church and society.

"Praying with Benedict "explores the spirituality of the monastic tradition and draws out the essence of a way of praying that embraces the whole of the Christian's life.

Korneel Vermeiren begins by examining the spirituality of the early monastic tradition from the fourth to the sixth centuries. He looks at the central place of prayer in the Rule of St Benedict and the tradition of continuous prayer, exploring the teaching of such formative figures as Basil the Great. He then reflects on the Benedictine precept: 'nothing is to be preferred to the work of God'.

"Praying with Benedict" looks in practical terms at the how, when, and where of prayer; at bodily postures, various types of prayer, and the importance of emotional and spiritual readiness. Finally, the place of the Eucharist in the life of prayer is discussed with reference to Benedict's teaching and the Eucharistic practices of pre-Benedictine monasticism.

This book offers a clear presentation of monastic spirituality and opens it to persons outside monastery walls. It links St Benedict's teaching to earlier spiritual traditions and shows how various elements of monastic life complement each other. Common prayer, reading, personal prayer, and the Eucharist are not isolated from one another or from daily life, but are integral and essential elements of living in the spirit of St Benedict.

In "Christ in the Gospels of the Ordinary Sundays," Father Brown discusses the Gospels as they are used in the Ordinary Time." It is the time the Church treats the Gospels consecutively and in detail, with Year A of the three-year cycle taking its readings from Matthew; Year B from Mark; and Year C from Luke.

Father Brown discusses how a Gospel was formed and explains what is distinctive about each of the four Gospels. Then he fits the Sunday readings, one by one, into an overall picture of each Gospel, showing how the Gospel shapes the narrative, its theological emphases, and what it says to readers. With such an overview, the Sunday selections may be read in context and interpreted in their original sequence.

During Ordinary time people turn from reflecting on the mystery of Christ to considering how that mystery affects their lives. In "Christ in the Gospels of the Ordinary Sundays," Father Brown provides an overview of the meaning of the Gospels during the many weeks of Ordinary Time.

Chapters are "Understanding How Gospels Were Written and Their Use in the Sunday Liturgy," "The Gospel According to Matthew," "The Gospel According to Mark," "The Gospel According to Luke," and "The Gospel According to John."

The late Raymond E. Brown, SS, was Auburn Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He wrote over twenty-five books on the Bible and was past president of three of the most important biblical societies in the world by appointment of two popes (Pope Paul VI and John Paul II), he was also a member of the Roman Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Liturgical Press has published his "A Coming Christ in Advent, An Adult Christ at Christmas, A Crucified Christ in Holy Week, A Risen Christ in Eastertime, A Once-and-Coming Spirit at Pentecost, The Gospels and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary, Recent Discoveries and the Biblical World," and "The New Jerome Bible Handbook.""

A major evaluation of the new Reformed American Presbyterian and Church of Scotland liturgies.
These specially commissioned studies by international experts examine the background and theology of the two recent liturgical compilations in the English-speaking Reformed tradition. They explore a wide range of topics from the doctrine of God, the Atonement, and language, to the merits of the respective marriage and funeral rites.
They also demonstrate the major contributions that the liturgies have made to the renewal of worship in the late twentieth-century church.

In his letter to liturgists meeting in Mainz, Germany, in 1964, theologian Romano Guardini asked: Is ritual a forgotten way of doing things?" That question challenged Catholics to reevaluate the roots and roles of ritual. In an ongoing response to that challenge, liturgists have sought to reinterpret the multiple meanings of ritual using insights from the social sciences. In "Liturgy and the Social Sciences," Nathan Mitchell examines the responses of liturgists to Guardini's famous question.

In the first chapter Mitchell focuses on Aidan Kavanagh, OSB, a noted U.S. liturgist that undertook the challenge of answering Guardini's question. He explains how Father Kavanagh's innovative call for a new discipline - a "political science" of behavior - was taken up by American liturgists in a "classical" or "high church" mode that emphasized ritual action as "traditional, authoritative, repetitive, conservative," and ""canonical.""

The second chapter examines how the "high church consensus" began to unravel as a result of critical work done on "emerging ritual" by Ronald Grimes and David Kertzer. These scholars argued that new categories were needed to understand how ritual connects with social life and explained the characteristics of "emerging ritual" as "innovative, untraditional, unpredictable, playful," and "short term."

In the third chapter Mitchell explores some of the proposals that a new generation of anthropologists have made for interpreting ritual. He gives attention to the research of Talal Asad, who suggests that rituals are a "technology" aimed at producing "virtuous selves." Michel Foucalt's "technologies of the self" is also discussed in this chapter.

Although written for directors of liturgy, "Liturgy and the Social Sciences" will also appeal to DREs, clergy and religious, directors of adult formation, persons working with candidates in RCIA, and students and teachers of liturgy who want to look beyond "what" we do to understand "why" we do it.

Nathan D. Mitchell, PhD, is Associate Director for Research at the Center for Pastoral Liturgy, University of Notre Dame. Six times a year, he writes "The Amen Corner" for "Worship." In 1998, the North American Academy of Liturgy presented him with its Berakah Award. Other books by Mitchell that have been published by The Liturgical Press include "Cult and Controversy, Mission and Ministry," and "Rule of Prayer, Rule of Faith." He also contributed to "The Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology.""

Reveals the true occult meaning behind church ceremonies. Contents: A New Idea of Church Worship; The Holy Eucharist; Holy Baptism and Confirmation; Holy Orders; The Lesser Sacraments; The Altar and its Appurtenances; The Vestments; Most Holy Sacrament; The Soul and its Vestures.

Originally written in 1918, this profound reflection on the nature of liturgical worship still stands as a guiding light for today's renewel or worship and prayer. In limpid, even poetic terms, it clarifies the underlying principles and existential implications of the belief that when Christians join in the Eucharist and other liturgical celebrations, they do so not as discrete individuals but as interconnected members of the one People of God.

The history of liturgy and liturgical books is of interest not only for theologians and liturgists but also for historians, art historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, and researchers in religious sciences. This work meets the interdisciplinary need for a history and a typology of liturgical books.

"A History of Liturgical Books from the Beginning to the Thirteenth Century" is an introduction to Western liturgical sources and a synthesis of their history for more than a millennium. It provides a historiographic summary, examines the relationship between medieval history and liturgy, suggests new methods of research, and underscores the fruitfulness of an interdisciplinary approach.

Focusing on the history of liturgical books, rather than the history of liturgy, "A History of Liturgical Books from the Beginning to the Thirteenth Century" devotes a detailed chapter to each type of book intended for a specific celebration - Mass, Office, rites - and a specific presider - pope, bishop, deacon, monastic, etc. The crucial transition from oral practice to the use of the written document is discussed in every case, as is the illustration of liturgical books.

Chapters are History of the Research on Liturgical Books," "The Books of the Mass," "The Office Books," and "The Books of Sacraments and Rites."

"Eric Palazzo, Ph.D., is head of research at Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes and a lecturer at the Institut superieur de Liturgie of the Institut catholique of Paris, in charge of the introductory course in liturgical sources.""

The history of the three-year lectionaries tells a tale of an evolving hermeneutic. Originating in the Roman Lectionary, this hermeneutic was developed in subsequent denominational and ecumenical versions. An amalgam of the historical hermeneutics of the two western traditions, it uses both the memory of the Church to interpret the Bible and the Bible to structure the memory of the Church.

After an examination of the hermeneutic, West lays out the memory patterns of the two most widely used versions of this lectionary: the Roman Lectionary and the "Revised Common Lectionary." A knowledge of these memory patterns can help preachers create sermons in keeping with the lectionary's interpretative intent, because a Church's memory plays a large part in the interpretation of Scripture, and a lectionary text is interpreted before it is preached.

"Scripture and Memory" moves from the general to the particular. It develops a hermeneutic of the liturgical reading of Scripture which it then applies to the "Lectionary for Mass and the Revised Common Lectionary." The hermeneutical reflections in the first three chapters make lections their starting point. Since lectionaries are the liturgical form of Scripture lectionaries, they provide insight into the liturgical hermeneutic at work in the selection of Scripture for reading in worship. Focusing on the "Lectionary for Mass" and the "Revised Common Lectionary, " chapters four through seven describe this hermeneutic at work in each segment of the liturgical year. The last chapter gives an overview of these lectionaries; the postscript addresses the challenges of preaching them. A thorough index, organized as a comparative tale, references the readings in the "Lectionary for Mass" and the "Revised Common Lectionary." With this format, readers can note those instances when the discussion of readings in one lectionary pertains to readings in the other.

Chapters are: Introduction," "From Bible to Liturgy: The Hermeneutical Trajectory of Lections," "Language and Lections," "The Christmas Cycle," "The Easter Cycle," "Ordinary Time (1)," "Ordinary Time (2)," and "The Two Lectionaries."

This book will interest Roman Catholic and Protestant scholars, clergy, and students interested in liturgy or preaching in English-speaking countries that use the "Lectionary for Mass (Ordo Lectionum Missae)" or the "Revised Common Lectionary."

"Fritz S. West, PhD, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. aliturgical scholar, he is also the author of "The Comparative Liturgy of Anton Baumstark."

Originally published in 1988, this practical resource has become a basic text in the study of church music, as well as a handbook for church music leaders, pastors, music committee members, and others. Westermeyer has updated and expanded the volume to reflect the current challenges of contemporary culture, musical and worship styles, and integrity to the gospel.

Besides offering practical suggestions, Westermeyer discusses music in the worship life of a congregation and introduces the concept of cantor as leader of the people's song. More than a "how-to" manual for musicians, this book is an interdisciplinary study of worship, music, and theology accessible to everyone.

Wise and informed commentary on the lectionary readings for the principal service in Year C. The authors represent a wide spectrum of theology but their shared concern for excellence in preaching have combined to produce an inspirational volume.

Because the Eucharist is the Lord's Supper given to his Church for a remembrance of me," it gives life to the world. A Holy and Living Sacrifice, a spiritual theology, explores the rich insights of recent ecumenical, theological, and liturgical studies on the Eucharist. Contested during the Reformation, the Eucharist as sacrifice - Christ's, the Church's, and ours - is seen today by many faiths as a central and vital symbol. Father Falardeau studies the notion of Eucharist as sacrifice in Scripture and theology and its ecumenical insights and implications for spirituality. He examines the Eucharist as it relates to the forgiveness of sins, eschatology, and the priesthood and in its role as memorial and communion. Father Falardeau directs current Catholic devotion more deeply into the present solid, ecumenical theological consensus among the Churches. He shows other denominations how such devotion concurs with the universal approach and how it can lead to a more fruitful living of the Gospel. By inviting readers to come together and live the Christian life through the Eucharist, this book encourages all Christians to deepen their faith in the Eucharist and their understanding of its nature and power. "

"What today is Holy Saturday on the Church's calendar was certainly not Holy Saturday for those early followers of Jesus. It was a day of despair, truly a Black Saturday." (from the Foreword)
This liturgical drama provides a stark contrast to the joy and celebration of Easter morning. This service captures the reality of that Friday when our Lord was crucified. The cast includes people who were present on that final Friday -- each sharing their emotions, from the sneering soldiers, to the heart-wrenching sobs and pleas of his mother, to Christ himself.
C. Alton Robertson is Associate Professor at Alfred North Whitehead College for Lifelong Learning, University of Redlands, where he has received the Outstanding Teacher Award and the Academic Excellence Award. Robertson has served as Director of the Commission on World Mission, Acting Director of Research for the Division of Overseas Ministries of the National Council of Churches and Director of Overseas Personnel Recruitment Office in New York City. Author of many publications, Robertson earned the degrees of M.Div. (Berkeley Baptist Divinity School), M.I.A. in International Affairs and M.Phil. from Columbia University. He served five years on the staff of the National Student Christian Federation and five years as a campus minister on the staff of the Waseda Hoshien Student Center in Tokyo.

The Sunday Lectionary examines a key aspect of the liturgical use of the Bible: how the Lectionary puts biblical flesh on the bones of the liturgical calendar and gives paschal shape to the Christian year. Although the current Lectionary has been in use since 1969, its history, purpose, and structure remains relatively unknown to the many who proclaim or hear its readings. The Sunday Lectionary contributes to a theology of proclamation by explaining the principles that underlie the Lectionary's selection of biblical passages and its patterns of reading distribution that structure the Sundays, feast days, and seasons of the liturgical year. The book is divided into two parts. The first lays the groundwork by surveying the history of the Lectionaries (chapter 1), chronicling the highlights of the Vatican II Lectionary reform (chapter 2), and examining the characteristic traits of the revised Sunday and feast day Lectionary and its ecumenical import (chapter 3). The second part analyzes the Lectionary's architecture for each of the liturgical seasons (chapters 4-9). Liturgical proclamation breathes life into the ancient inscribed words, transforming them from words into the Word, thus bringing the transforming, nourishing presence of the risen Christ into the world. The Sunday Lectionary not only helps enrich theological conversation but helps pastors, homilists, worship leaders, rectors, cantors, and students of liturgy foster a deeper appreciation of the Lectionary and, through the Lectionary, the liturgy. Normand Bonneau, OMI, ThD, is Associate Professor of New Testament at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. His special interests are the letters of Paul and the Sunday Lectionary, in which he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses, and on which he has published a number of articles.

A practical handbook, Contemporary Worship contains everything that a congregation needs to plan, launch, and stabilize contemporary worship services. The writers in this volume discuss three formats for contemporary worship: (1) Spirited-Traditional, (2) Contemporary Praise, and (3) Contemporary Outreach-oriented services.

Brief, defining articles--which work well as reproducible handouts with worship teams-- precede each Resource Kit. The resources include sample formats, sample messages that are appropriate for the format, sample skits or dramas, and a database of worship choruses that are appropriate to each of the three contemporary formats. Brief articles from pastors, actors, script writers, and church consultants offer tips on recruiting and hiring musicians, developing a praise band, reshaping the worship space, creating worship bulletins, choosing the right times, and preaching to the unchurched.

Introduces the sacraments and then examines each one in turn, giving their historical background and assessing their value and importance.