The third volume of Thomas Merton's journals chronicles Merton's attempts to reconcile his desire for solitude and contemplation with the demands of his new-found celebrity status within the strictures of conventional monastic life.

The Vatican. The Inquisition. Contraception. Celibacy. Apparitions and miracles. Plots and scandals. The Catholic Church is seldom out of the news. But what do its one billion adherents really believe, and how do they put their beliefs into practice in worship, the family, and society? This down-to-earth account goes back to the early Christian creeds to uncover the roots of modern Catholic thinking. It avoids getting bogged down in theological technicalities, and throws light on aspects of the Church's institutional structure and liturgical practice that even Catholics can find baffling: why go to confession? How are people made saints? What is 'infallible' about the Pope? Topics addressed include: * scripture and tradition * sacraments and prayer * popular piety * personal and social morality * reform, mission, and interreligious dialogue Lawrence Cunningham, a theologian, prize-winning writer and university teacher, provides an overview of Catholicism today which will be indispensable for undergraduates and lay study groups.

This magisterial Norton Anthology, edited by world-renowned scholars under the direction of Pulitzer Prize winner Jack Miles, offers a portable library of more than 1,000 primary texts from the world s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism (Volume 1); and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Volume 2). The anthology brings together foundational works the Bhagavad Gita, the Daode jing, the Bible, the Qur an with the writings of scholars, seekers, believers, and skeptics whose voices over centuries have kept these religions vital. Beginning with the provocative question, Can religion be defined?, Miles s dazzling introduction tells a new story: traveling from prehistory to the present day, he illuminates how world religions came to be acknowledged and studied, absorbed and altered, understood and misunderstood. To help readers encounter strikingly unfamiliar texts with pleasure, this Norton Anthology provides accessible introductions, headnotes, annotations, pronouncing glossaries, maps, illustrations, and chronologies.

For readers of any religion or none, The Norton Anthology of World Religions opens new worlds that, as Miles writes, invite us all to see others with a measure of openness, empathy, and good will. . . . In that capacity lies the foundation of human sympathy and cultural wisdom. "

The Vatican. The Inquisition. Contraception. Celibacy. Apparitions and miracles. Plots and scandals. The Catholic Church is seldom out of the news. But what do its one billion adherents really believe, and how do they put their beliefs into practice in worship, the family, and society? This down-to-earth account goes back to the early Christian creeds to uncover the roots of modern Catholic thinking. It avoids getting bogged down in theological technicalities, and throws light on aspects of the Church's institutional structure and liturgical practice that even Catholics can find baffling: why go to confession? How are people made saints? What is 'infallible' about the Pope? Topics addressed include: * scripture and tradition * sacraments and prayer * popular piety * personal and social morality * reform, mission, and interreligious dialogue Lawrence Cunningham, a theologian, prize-winning writer and university teacher, provides an overview of Catholicism today which will be indispensable for undergraduates and lay study groups.

Andre Llouf's probing essay on the nature of humility reVisions this fundamental Christian virtue away from the misunderstandings of both the scholastic tradition and its modern counterparts to locate humility in the ancient sources of the monastic tradition. His incisive study prefaces a collection of primary texts which range from the early desert fathers to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. The translator has added further information about the author and his other writings as well as a bibliography for further reading.

"Andre Louf served as abbot Cistercian Abbey of Mont des Cats in northern France until his retirement in 1997 and now lives as a solitary. Previous books in English include "Teach Us To Pray, Tuning into Grace, Grace Can Do More: Spiritual Accompaniment, "and "Mercy in Weakness: Meditations on the Word.

"Lawrence S. Cunningham is Professor of Theology at Notre Dame and book notes columnist for "Commonweal.

Since the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431), orthodox Christianity has confessed Mary as "Theotokos, "Mother of God." Yet neither this title nor Mary's significance has fared well in Protestant Christianity. In the wake of new interest in Mary following Vatican II and recent ecumenical dialogues, this volume seeks to makes clear that Mariology is properly related to Christ and his church in ways that can and should be meaningful for all Christians.

Written with insight and sensitivity by Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant scholars, these seven studies inquire into Mary's place in the story of salvation, in personal devotion, and in public worship.

Contributors: Carl E. Braaten
Lawrence S. Cunningham
Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald
Beverly Roberts Gaventa
Timothy George
Robert W. Jenson
Jaroslav Pelikan
David S. Yeago

Saint Francis of Assisi continues to be counted among the most important personalities of history. The life and ideals of this humble, semiliterate medieval figure have had a shaping influence on the Christian church that has spilled over into Western culture at large. This biography by Lawrence Cunningham looks anew at St. Francis's life and legacy, seeking to counter efforts to romanticize him yet without diminishing his deep piety or abiding significance.

Drawing on peerless scholarship, Cunningham argues against common stereotypes that sentimentalize Francis as a "blesser of animals," as a church rebel, or as the precursor of the "spirituality" movement. According to Cunningham, Francis was a devotedly orthodox Catholic whose life must be understood as a response to reforming elements abroad in the church of his day. Francis's originality derived from his success in articulating the "ideal gospel life": his message and actions were a kind of "acting out" of the scriptures. Really seeing Francis requires the lens of theology rather than the lens of quaint spirituality so often used.

In constructing his portrait of Francis, Cunningham follows the saint's life in chronological order, placing him within his culture, exploring official developments within the Catholic Church, and highlighting the many conversions of Francis as his life played out. Cunningham also reflects on the modern rediscovery of the Franciscan charism, including its relevance to contemporary Christian social action.

Taking up where Merton's own Seven Storey Mountain ends, this penetrating biography by Lawrence Cunningham explores Merton's monastic life and his subsequent growth into a modern-day spiritual master. Though the basic story of Thomas Merton's life may be well known, the details of his spiritual development are less familiar. Cunningham shows that Merton's prolific writings and his continuing influence can only be understood against the background of his contemplative experience as a Trappist monk. "If one does not understand Merton as a monk," writes Cunningham, "one does not understand Merton at all." Merton emerges from this balanced and reliable account as an extraordinary Christian seeker and pioneer whose faith in the power of the contemplative life remains highly relevant today.

The Chapels of Notre Dame celebrates the university's unique identity as a Catholic academic community where faith is treasured and diverse traditions shared and respected. This stunning large-format collection of over two hundred full-color photographs brings to life the sixty chapels located throughout Notre Dame's beloved campus, many of which are tucked away in little-known settings waiting to be discovered by readers of this volume for the first time. At Notre Dame, chapels are found in a number of academic buildings and in every residence hall. Mass is celebrated daily in some of these halls during term, and it is not uncommon to see students and staff stopping in them for moments of quiet meditation and prayer. The Chapels of Notre Dame captures these sanctuaries, as well as the older chapels, the apsidal chapels of the Basilica, and the Congregation of Holy Cross chapels. The text, by well-known Notre Dame professor Lawrence S. Cunningham, provides a picture of the worship in these chapels along with reflections on the traditions, history, architecture, and art works that adorn them. His brief descriptions evoke a powerful sense of presence, worship, and prayer. Matt Cashore's dramatic photographs include the campus landscape, interiors and exteriors of the chapels, and people worshipping in varied seasons, lighting, and moods. His photographs offer fresh ways to view the charming sloped roof of All Souls Chapel, the large collection of relics assembled from the days of Father Sorin in the Reliquary Chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Holy Cross Chapel in the new Stinson-Remick Engineering Hall, the striking stained-glass windows in the Moreau Seminary Chapel of the Sacred Heart, and the unique chapels in each of the residence halls. For alumni who have participated in baptisms, weddings, anniversary celebrations, prayer services, and other liturgical rites on campus, The Chapels of Notre Dame will not disappoint. Prospective students, members of the Notre Dame family, and friends and supporters who have seen the university only from a distance will get an inside view of one of the most beautiful campuses in the world and a unique contemplative side of Notre Dame.

In Ecological Ethics and the Human Soul: Aquinas, Whitehead, and the Metaphysics of Value, Francisco J. Benzoni addresses the pervasive and destructive view that there is a moral gulf between human beings and other creatures. Thomas Aquinas, whose metaphysics entails such a moral gulf, holds that human beings are ultimately separate from nature. Alfred North Whitehead, in contrast, maintains that human beings are continuous with the rest of nature. These different metaphysical systems demand different ethical stances toward creation. Benzoni analyzes and challenges Thomas's understanding of the human soul, his primary justification for the moral separation, arguing that it is finally philosophically untenable. The author finds promising the alternative metaphysics of Whitehead, for whom human beings are a part of nature-even if the highest part; all creatures have a degree of subjectivity and creativity, and thus all have intrinsic value and moral worth, independent of subjective human valuation. Further, though there is difference, there is no moral gulf between God and the world. God is truly affected by the experience of creatures. Benzoni argues that if this vision of moral worth is articulated with sufficient force and clarity, it could help heal the human relation to our planet. "Eminently clear in concept and analysis, profound in insight, and precise in reasoning, this book not only contributes a distinguished study of Aquinas but also reshapes contemporary ecological ethics by relating it to basic issues of metaphysics. Both subsequent moral theory attentive to Aquinas and subsequent formulations of ecological ethics will be incomplete without taking account of Benzoni's argument."-Franklin I. Gamwell, Shailer Mathews Distinguished Service Professor of Religious Ethics, the Philosophy of Religion, and Theology, The University of Chicago Divinity School "In the introduction and conclusion, Francisco Benzoni makes clear the broader significance of this work for the field of ecological ethics and the future well-being of the human species on this earth. One can learn a great deal about the philosophy of both Aquinas and Whitehead in working through these pages."-Joseph Bracken, Xavier University

Both as cardinal and as Pope Benedict XVI, one of Josef Ratzinger's consistent concerns has been the foundational moral imperatives of the natural law. In 2004, then Cardinal Ratzinger requested that the University of Notre Dame study the complex issues embedded in discussions about "natural rights" and "natural law" in the context of Catholic thinking. To that end, Alasdair MacIntyre provided a substantive essay on the foundational problem of moral disagreements concerning natural law, and eight scholars were invited to respond to MacIntyre's essay, either by addressing his work directly or by amplifying his argument along other yet similar paths. The contributors to this volume are theologians, philosophers, civil and canon lawyers, and political scientists, who reflect on these issues from different disciplinary perspectives. Once the contributors' essays were completed, MacIntyre responded with a closing essay.

Throughout the book, the contributors ask: Can a persuasive case for a foundational morality be made etsi Deus daretur (as if God did not exist)? And, of course, persuasive to whom? The exchanges that take place between MacIntyre and his interlocutors result, not in answers, but in rigorous attempts at clarification. "Intractable Disputes about the Natural Law" will interest ethicists, moral theologians, and students and scholars of moral philosophy.

"Lawrence Cunningham has assembled an esteemed group of scholars to provide incisive analyses of the contemporary state of natural law theory, particularly in light of Alasdair MacIntyre's groundbreaking work. The essays are lucid, engaging, and intellectually sophisticated. "Intractable Disputes about the Natural Law"is a must-read not only for moral theologians, but for anyone concerned about the conceptual foundations of human rights, human dignity, and moral dialogue in pluralistic societies." --Stephen J. Pope, Boston College

"MacIntyre's first essay, on its own, would make this book an important scholarly contribution. But the ensuing contributions enable the book to flourish further, with contributions on subjects both readily associated with natural law and moral disagreement (for example, common morality, human rights, and rival visions of virtue) as well as those more creatively connected to the genesis of the text (sacramental life, interreligious dialogue, and modes of moral discourse). Cunningham's volume both broadens and deepens contemporary thinking on a perennial topic, and will richly reward its readers." --William C. Mattison III, The Catholic University of America