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Religion

Bearing False Witness

Bearing False Witness

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As we all know and as many of our well established textbooks have argued for decades, the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history, Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and rightfully called "Hitler's Pope," the Dark Ages were a stunting of the progress of knowledge to be redeemed only by the secular spirit of the Enlightenment, and the religious Crusades were an early example of the rapacious Western thirst for riches and power. But what if these long held beliefs were all wrong?
In this stunning, powerful, and ultimately persuasive book, Rodney Stark, one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion and bestselling author of The Rise of Christianity (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history, ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light are, in fact, fiction. Why have we held these wrongheaded ideas so strongly and for so long? And if our beliefs are wrong, what, in fact, is the truth?
In each chapter, Stark takes on a well-established anti-Catholic myth, gives a fascinating history of how each myth became the conventional wisdom, and presents a startling picture of the real truth. For example,
  • Instead of the Spanish Inquisition being an anomaly of torture and murder of innocent people persecuted for "imaginary" crimes such as witchcraft and blasphemy, Stark argues that not only did the Spanish Inquisition spill very little blood, but it was a major force in support of moderation and justice.
  • Instead of Pope Pius XII being apathetic or even helpful to the Nazi movement, such as to merit the title, "Hitler's Pope," Stark shows that the campaign to link Pope Pius XII to Hitler was initiated by the Soviet Union, presumably in hopes of neutralizing the Vatican in post-World War II affairs. Pope Pius XII was widely praised for his vigorous and devoted efforts to saving Jewish lives during the war.
  • Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church's power, Stark argues that the whole notion of the "Dark Ages" was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of "Enlightenment."
  • In the end, readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church, they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give us a false truth.
    Beating the Cloth Drum

    Beating the Cloth Drum

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    Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1769) is one of the most influential figures in Zen Buddhism. He revitalized the Rinzai Zen tradition (which emphasizes the use of koans, or unanswerable questions, in meditation practice), and all masters of that school today trace their lineage back through him. He is responsible for the most famous of all koans: What is the sound of one hand clapping? He is also famous for his striking and humorous art, which he also regarded as teaching. This book provides a rare, intimate look at Hakuin the man, through his personal correspondence. Beating the Cloth Drum contains twenty-eight of Hakuin's letters to students, political figures, fellow teachers, laypeople, and friends. Each letter is accompanied by extensive commentary and notes. They showcase Hakuin's formidable, thoughtful, and sometimes playful personality--and they show that the great master used every activity, including letter-writing, as an opportunity to impart the teachings that were so close to his heart.
    Become A Better You

    Become A Better You

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    Updated for its tenth anniversary, this #1 New York Times bestseller is an inspiring and motivating guide to help you uncover your God-given strengths and live with more joy, hope, and peace every day.

    Joel Osteen, pastor of America's largest church, has inspired millions to live to their fullest potential. His practical insights in Become a Better You have helped people look within themselves to find their authentic soul and become a better person.

    Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Become a Better You has been updated for a whole new generation of readers with a new foreword and new chapter--inside Osteen offers seven simple yet profound steps to help you discover your purpose and destiny, and includes key biblical principles, devotions, and personal testimonies that will uplift and enlighten. As you incorporate these key principles into your life, you will be amazed by how much more God has in store for you.

    Become a Better You encourages you to reach your full, unique, God-given potential and helps you enjoy every day of life, no matter your circumstances.

    Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day

    Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day

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    Incorporating biblical lessons with personal stories, the bestselling author of Your Best Life Now offers seven action steps to help readers discover the better things they were born for: their individual purpose and destiny.
    Become What You Are: Expanded Edition (Expanded)

    Become What You Are: Expanded Edition (Expanded)

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    The prominent Zen Buddhist scholar and author of The Wisdom of Insecurity draws on Taoism, Christianity, and other world religions to explore the dilemma of seeking your true self

    In this collection of writings, including nine new chapters never before available in book form, Alan Watts displays the intelligence, playfulness of thought, and simplicity of language that has made him so perennially popular as an interpreter of Eastern thought for Westerners. He draws on a variety of religious traditions, and covers topics such as the challenge of seeing one's life "just as it is," the Taoist approach to harmonious living, the limits of language in the face of ineffable spiritual truth, and the psychological symbolism of Christian thought.

    Becoming Bodhisattvas

    Becoming Bodhisattvas

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    Best-selling American Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön presents a friendly and encouraging guide to spiritual practice for all those who want to take up the path of the bodhisattva--one who aspires to live life with courage, generosity, patience, fearlessness, and compassion.


    The Way of the Bodhisattva has long been treasured as an indispensable guide to enlightened living, offering a window into the greatest potential within us all. Written in the eighth century by the scholar and saint Shantideva, it presents a comprehensive view of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition's highest ideal--to commit oneself to the life of a bodhisattva warrior, a person who is wholeheartedly dedicated to the freedom and common good of all beings. And it has inspired many of the tradition's greatest teachers, providing a remarkable source of insight on the means by which we may heal ourselves and our troubled world. These essential teachings present the core of the Buddhist path, from cultivating deep-seated confidence to infusing one's life with selflessness, joyfulness, kindness, and compassion. Pema Chödrön here invites you to journey more deeply into this liberating way of life, presenting Shantideva's text verse-by-verse and offering both illuminating stories and practical exercises to enrich the text and bring its timeless teachings to life in our world today.

    Previously published under the title No Time to Lose.

    Becoming Kuan Yin: The Evolution of Compassion

    Becoming Kuan Yin: The Evolution of Compassion

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    In his long career as a poet, Buddhist teacher, spiritual advisor, and writer, Stephen Levine has changed our understanding of death and dying. In Becoming Kuan Yin, Levine's first new book in many years, he turns to the legend of Kuan Yin, the Bbodhistitva venerated by East Asian Buddhists for her compassion.

    In Becoming Kuan Yin, Levine shares the tale of Miao Shan, born centuries ago to a cruel king who wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man. This is the story of how Miao Shan refused to follow the path her father had in mind and, instead, became Kuan Yin, the first acknowledged female Buddha who watches over the dying and those who work with them.

    Levine weaves together story and practice and helps readers discover their own infinite capacity for mercy and compassion under difficult circumstances. This book will have resonance for Kuan Yin's millions of followers.

    Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints

    Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints

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    This engaging book will help readers along to the path to discovering who they are meant to be--what Trappist writer and spiritual master Thomas Merton called your true self. By meditating on personal examples from the author's life, as well as reflecting on Merton's inspirational life and writings, as well as stories from the Gospels, and the lives of other holy men and women (among them, Henri Nouwen, Therese of Lisieux and Pope John XXIII) the reader will see how becoming who you are--the person that God created--is a simple path to happiness, peace of mind, and even sanctity. As Merton put it, For me to be a saint means to be myself. Written in an accessible and engaging style by a distinguished author, Becoming Who You Are is very much a how-to book that will give the reader a grounded way to self-discovery within a Christian context. The text turns on James Martin's personal experiences of realizing that all God wants me to be is who I am. The author tells of a period, early in his Jesuit novitiate, when he tried to be like the other Jesuit novices who I knew.... Finally, my spiritual director gave me some good advice: 'Compare and despair'.'' In other words, don't worry about being anyone other than who you are. Becoming Who You Are will appeal to seekers from all sorts of backgrounds, even those who may not know much about the saints, including Catholic readers; people interested in saints; and those interested in spirituality, prayer and personal growth. This book would be perfect for Catholic high school and university students, not only because it addresses the central issue of adolescence (Who am I meant to be? What am I supposed to do with my life?), but also because it is firmly grounded in Catholic thought, is written in a popular style, and provides the reader with an introduction to some of the great Catholics of our time. +
    Becoming Wise

    Becoming Wise

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    A New York Times bestseller!

    "We need Krista Tippett's voice and wisdom now more than ever. She has elevated the art of listening and the practice of being present in a way that is both accessible and soulful. Becoming Wise is what I've been waiting for . . . This is brilliant thinking, beautiful storytelling, and practical insight." --Brené Brown, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of Rising Strong

    "A thoughtful chronicle of spiritual discovery. A hopeful consideration of the human potential for enlightenment." --Kirkus Reviews

    "I'm not sure there's such a thing as the cultural 'center, ' nor that it's very interesting if it exists. But left of center and right of center, in the expansive middle and heart of our life together, most of us have some questions left alongside our answers, some curiosity alongside our convictions. This book is for people who want to take up the great questions of our time with imagination and courage, to nurture new realities in the spaces we inhabit, and to do so expectantly and with joy."

    In Becoming Wise, Krista Tippett has created a master class in living for a fractured world. Fracture, she says, is not the whole story of our time. The enduring question of what it means to be human has become inextricable from the challenge of who we are to one another. She insists on the possibility of personal depth and common life for this century, nurtured by science and "spiritual technologies," with civility and love as muscular public practice. And, accompanied by a cross-disciplinary dream team of a teaching faculty, she shows us how.

    Becoming Wise

    Becoming Wise

    $28.00
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    A New York Times bestseller!

    "We need Krista Tippett's voice and wisdom now more than ever. She has elevated the art of listening and the practice of being present in a way that is both accessible and soulful. Becoming Wise is what I've been waiting for . . . This is brilliant thinking, beautiful storytelling, and practical insight." --Brené Brown, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of Rising Strong

    "A thoughtful chronicle of spiritual discovery. A hopeful consideration of the human potential for enlightenment." --Kirkus Reviews

    I'm not sure there's such a thing as the cultural 'center, ' nor that it's very interesting if it exists. But left of center and right of center, in the expansive middle and heart of our life together, most of us have some questions left alongside our answers, some curiosity alongside our convictions. This book is for people who want to take up the great questions of our time with imagination and courage, to nurture new realities in the spaces we inhabit, and to do so expectantly and with joy.

    In Becoming Wise, Krista Tippett has created a master class in living for a fractured world. Fracture, she says, is not the whole story of our time. The enduring question of what it means to be human has become inextricable from the challenge of who we are to one another. She insists on the possibility of personal depth and common life for this century, nurtured by science and "spiritual technologies," with civility and love as muscular public practice. And, accompanied by a cross-disciplinary dream team of a teaching faculty, she shows us how.

    Becoming Women of the Word: How to Answer God's Call with Purpose and Joy

    Becoming Women of the Word: How to Answer God's Call with Purpose and Joy

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    Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (third place, scripture-popular studies).


    The women God called to bring his chosen people into the world were ordinary women who struggled with emptiness, oppression, infertility, and loss--yet who found strength and hope in God. In her first book, Sarah Christmyer--codeveloper of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible study program--pairs the stories of key Old Testament women with stories of women she has known to show us how we can hear God, say yes to his call, and share him with the world just as they did.

    Breaking open the scriptures to reveal the historical, cultural, and biblical context in which Old Testament women lived, Sarah Christmyer breathes new life into their stories and makes their lives surprisingly relatable. In the process, she shares stories from her own faith journey and the lives of family and friends to show how the same principles that turned ordinary women into heroines of the faith are true for our lives today.

    Each chapter of Becoming Women of the Word highlights the spiritual legacy of one or more women in the Old Testament. Their world was vastly different from ours, yet they faced the same questions we do: when we can't feel God's presence, where do we find help? When our world is collapsing, where is God? Why should we trust him? How can we trust him? Christmyer simply and clearly draws from the lives of these women important principles that help us to trust--even as we struggle with doubt. For example:

  • Through Eve, we learn to hold on to God's promise even when we fail.
  • Sarah reminds us to wait on God's timing to make us fruitful.
  • Miriam, the sister of Moses, shows how to lead by example.
  • Ruth and Esther challenge us to see womanhood as a gift.
  • Hannah and Judith inspire us to trust God even in matters of life and death.
  • These unforgettable portraits create a colorful mosaic of faith, encouraging us to mine God's Word for spiritual treasure and to pass on the gift.

    Before You Say "I Do"

    Before You Say "I Do"

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    Is marriage on your mind? Have you found "the one"? This popular and helpful interactive workbook is designed to strengthen your love relationship and deepen your bond. You'll find all you need for fun and thoughtful discussions as you explore vital areas, including: What does the Bible teach about marriage?What makes you feel loved?How do you handle conflicts?Do you plan to have children? Why or why not?What are your priorities when it comes to money?

    Drawn from years of marriage preparation seminars and counseling sessions, these insightful questions will help you build a solid future together. With Jesus as your cornerstone, your partner and you can create a loving, successful marriage.More than 500,000 couples helped!

    Beginner's Grace Bringing Prayer to Life

    Beginner's Grace Bringing Prayer to Life

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    Prayer is an ancient and simple way to prepare yourself for grace, or love, and to learn to recognize it when it comes. Even the briefest "grace" spoken before dinner offers its time-honored wisdom. Yet in spite of hundreds of traditions and teachings and books about prayer, millions of Americans have become ambivalent about it. They are unsure how, when, where, and even why they might pray, afraid they'll do it wrong, or worried that they won't be heard.

    Writing in the beautiful, funny, honest narrative style that moved and inspired readers of her first book, "Here If You Need Me, "Kate Braestrup explains what prayer is and the many ways we can pray. With an approach that is both personal and inclusive, "Beginner's Grace "is a new kind of prayer book. Even if you don't pray and don't consider yourself religious, there's room in this book for you. In these pages, Braestrup explains how and why the practice of prayer can open a space in our busy lives for mindfulness, gratitude, contentment, and a wider compassion toward others.

    Inspired by her work as a chaplain, Braestrup includes many examples of prayers to draw from--beginning with grace, a brief prayer of thanks. She provides clear models and practical suggestions for making your own and your family's prayers meaningful and satisfying, and offers prayers for situations in which words might fail: times of anxiety, helplessness, or grief. And she invites you to explore forms of prayer that extend into the wider community, including prayer with and for people we don't like or with whom we disagree.

    A welcoming modern guide to the simplest, most effective way to satisfy a universal spiritual hunger, "Beginner's Grace "is for the religious and nonreligious and even irreligious in its generous, good-humored approach to spirituality. With its insight and warmth, "Beginner's Grace "is sure to become a spiritual touchstone for people of all faiths

    Beginners Guide to Meditation

    Beginners Guide to Meditation

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    A practical, accessible guide to the fundamentals of Buddhist meditation, with pointers from some of today's most respected Buddhist teachers, including Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, Cyndi Lee, and Sharon Salzberg.

    As countless meditators have learned firsthand, meditation practice can positively transform the way we see and experience our lives. This practical, accessible guide to the fundamentals of Buddhist meditation introduces you to the practice, explains how it is approached in the main schools of Buddhism, and offers advice and inspiration from Buddhism's most renowned and effective meditation teachers, including Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Sharon Salzberg, Norman Fischer, Ajahn Chah, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Sylvia Boorstein, Noah Levine, Matthieu Ricard, Judy Lief, and many others.

    Topics include how to build excitement and energy to start a meditation routine and keep it going, setting up a meditation space, working with and through boredom, what to look for when seeking others to meditate with, how to know when it's time to try doing a formal meditation retreat, how to bring the practice "off the cushion" with walking meditation and other practices, and much more.

    Being Both

    Being Both

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    A book on the growing number of interfaith families raising children in two religions

    Susan Katz Miller grew up with a Jewish father and Christian mother, and was raised Jewish. Now in an interfaith marriage herself, she is one of the growing number of Americans who are boldly electing to raise children with both faiths, rather than in one religion or the other (or without religion). In Being Both, Miller draws on original surveys and interviews with parents, students, teachers, and clergy, as well as on her own journey, to chronicle this controversial grassroots movement.

    Almost a third of all married Americans have a spouse from another religion, and there are now more children in Christian-Jewish interfaith families than in families with two Jewish parents. Across the country, many of these families are challenging the traditional idea that they must choose one religion. In some cities, more interfaith couples are raising children with "both" than Jewish-only. What does this mean for these families, for these children, and for religious institutions?

    Miller argues that there are distinct benefits for families who reject the false choice of "either/or" and instead embrace the synergy of being both. Reporting on hundreds of parents and children who celebrate two religions, she documents why couples make this choice, and how children appreciate dual-faith education. But often families who choose both have trouble finding supportive clergy and community. To that end, Miller includes advice and resources for interfaith families planning baby-welcoming and coming-of-age ceremonies, and seeking to find or form interfaith education programs. She also addresses the difficulties that interfaith families can encounter, wrestling with spiritual questions ("Will our children believe in God?") and challenges ("How do we talk about Jesus?"). And finally, looking beyond Judaism and Christianity, Being Both provides the first glimpse of the next interfaith wave: intermarried Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist couples raising children in two religions.

    Being Both is at once a rousing declaration of the benefits of celebrating two religions, and a blueprint for interfaith families who are seeking guidance and community support.

    Being Catholic Now

    Being Catholic Now

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    For Kerry Kennedy, who grew up in a devoutly Catholic household coping with great loss, her family's faith was a constant source of strength and solace. As an adult, she came to question some of the attitudes and teachings of the Catholic Church while remaining an impassioned believer in its role as a defender of the poor and oppressed. Generations ago, says Kennedy, the search for spirituality came predefined and prepackaged. The Church] not only gave us all the answers, it even gave us the questions to ask. Now many of the old certainties are being reexamined. In an attempt to convey this sea change, Kennedy asked thirty-seven American Catholics to speak candidly about their own faith--whether lost, recovered, or deepened--and about their feelings regarding the way the Church hierarchy is moving forward. The voices included here range from respectful to reproachful and from appreciative to angry. Speaking their minds are businesspeople, actors and entertainers, educators, journalists, politicians, union leaders, nuns, priests--even a cardinal. Some love the Church; some feel intensely that the Church wronged them. All have an illuminating insight or perspective. Kerry Kennedy herself speaks of the joy of growing up as one of Robert and Ethel Kennedy's eleven children, of the tragedies that eventually befell her family, and of how religion was deeply woven through good times and bad. Journalist Andrew Sullivan talks about reconciling his devout Catholicism with the Church's condemnation of his identity as a gay man. TV newswoman Cokie Roberts recalls the nuns who taught her and took girls seriously when nobody else did. Comedian Bill Maher declares, I hate religion.It's the worst thing in the world--and goes on to defend his bold assertion. Writer Anna Quindlen depicts a common parental challenge: passing along traditions and values to a younger generation sometimes deaf to spiritual messages. Through these and many other voices that speak not only to Catholics but to all of us, Being Catholic Now redefines an ancient institution in the most contemporary of terms. From Being Catholic Now When my mom asked if I wanted to be a nun, I said I'd rather be a priest. . . . The nuns were always wonderful, but the power was with the priest. --Nancy Pelosi There are aspects of studying the saints, with the candles, incense, and Latin Masses and some of the pageantry of the Church that, as an American historian, make me feel part of a larger wave of history. That it's not a newfangled religion, which some people get great solace from. I feel that I'm connected to places. --Douglas Brinkley Faith isn't like picking courses off a menu. It's a journey, and it's a path. If your path and journey have been within one structure your entire life, then simply leaving isn't an option. --Andrew Sullivan Why stay Catholic? Because the hierarchy is not the Church. . . .We the people of God] are the Church. They can't take that away from us. --Cokie Roberts I was told very early on by the nuns that I had an 'overabundance of original sin.' I was a quiet kid, but I was curious. I asked the wrong questions. --Susan Sarandon I don't believe you can be authentically Catholic without being committed to the social doctrine of the Church. When I was in grammar school, we had these little boxes to help the poor. That was good, but that is half of it. The other half is to find out why there are so many poor people and how we can do something to help them. --Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick I am reconciled to the oblivion that is coming. I see no proof of anything else, if it is a matter of faith. I admire people who have faith in God. It must be a great comfort to them, but I had to get out from under the fear and the guilt. --Frank McCourt I went to church and the door was locked. I was knocking and ringing the bell. I waited and waited and nobody came. The priest thought] there was an emergency, because of all the banging and ringing. He looked down at me and said, 'What is it?' I said, 'I'm sorry to bother you, Father, but I've been away from the Church many, many years and I'd like to come back. I'd like to go to confession.' He looked at me and something behind his eyes said, 'You came to the right place.' He knew that it was an important moment for me; he got it instantly. --Martin Sheen
    Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the

    Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the

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    Some of America's most extraordinary celebrities, artists, and thinkers reveal what they believe Catholicism is-and what it should be

    In this illuminating collection that redefines an ancient institution in the most contemporary of terms, human-rights activist Kerry Kennedy asks thirty-seven American Catholics to speak candidly about their own faith-whether lost, recovered, or deepened-and about their feelings regarding the way the Church hierarchy is moving forward.

    "Has something to say to almost every Catholic, or even one-time Catholic, who cracks open its pages. . . . One finishes the book feeling grateful for [Kennedy's] subjects' honesty and moved in a hundred different ways by what they reveal of their aspirations and struggles."-National Catholic Reporter

    "Revealing . . . offers an unusually intimate view of how much being raised Catholic shapes the identity of many prominent Americans, but also how much tension many feel with the institutional church."-Boston Globe

    Being Here: Prayers for Curiosity, Justice, and Love

    Being Here: Prayers for Curiosity, Justice, and Love

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    "What is prayer? It's not a passport to heaven. If anything, it's a way of seeing here, a way of being here."

    In Being Here, acclaimed poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama offers a thoughtful collection of prayers and essays to focus attention in a world full of distractions. Featuring thirty-one collects--an ancient five-fold form of prayer--this unconventional devotional invites readers into a daily rhythm of connection and creativity.

    "The hope is that you can turn to a prayer with the story of your life, and in the little emptiness you create there, hear something, discern something, feel something that's connecting you to other things seeking out connection with you."

    Each day's prayers are presented alongside Scripture and illuminating literary texts. The book concludes with four incisive essays on politics, community, and the contours of contemporary life as seen through biblical literature. Pádraig also teaches readers how they can embrace poetic form to expand their practice of prayer. In these pages, spiritual wayfarers will find a place both to rest and to grow their capacity for curiosity, justice, and love.

    This is a way of living / That's worth living daily.