Ordinary Time - A Time When We are Open to Change
Right now the world feels anything but ordinary, but deep within the Christian tradition lies an ancient rhythm of life that offers peace, stability, and strength for whatever faces us. This time of the year, known as Ordinary Time, takes place between Pentecost and Advent—a time of simplicity, growth, and awakening. Let us journey together toward something new.
In the words of Sarah Arthur, author of At the Still Point, “to this day I associate good books with ordinary summer days: bumblebees buzzing in the crypt windows; nothing much to do except crack open the cover of a library book (one that smells new, and you know you are the first to read it) and enter another world. Ordinary Time is reading time. It is otherworldly time, a time when strange things happen, when tantalizing sounds waft to us from beyond the fields we know. It is a time when we are open to adventures, which is another way of saying that we are open to change.”
Lovers of literature will delight in this journey of the imagination guided by poets and authors, both classic and contemporary, who have known the things of God but speak in metaphor. These are writers who tell the truth, as Emily Dickinson put it, but they “tell it slant.”
“What a delight to find so extraordinary a collection meant for use in ordinary time! Any book that includes passages from The Wind in the Willows and Moby Dick, as well as poems by George Herbert and Christina Rossetti, is all right with me. Especially because each of the works chosen is meant to awaken me to the movement of the spirit in daily life.” —Kathleen Norris, author of Dakota and CloisterWalk
Drawing on her commitment as a Benedictine oblate, and known around the world for her virtual retreats in Ireland, Christine Valters Paintner writes from her practice of sitting in silence and lectio divina, in which life becomes the holy text.
In this bestselling volume of poetry, Christine writes with a contemplative heart about kinship with nature, ancestral connections, intimacy, the landscape, the unfolding nature of time, and Christian mystics. It can be read for reflection to spark the heart and to offer solace and inspiration in difficult times.
Expertly sung by the world-renowned monastic choir of Solesmes, France, the peaceful, meditative music of Gregorian chant enables us to participate in a rich experience of the church's liturgical year.
The Complete Prayers of St. Francis and St. Clare, with Selections from Brother Juniper, St. Anthony of Padua, and Other Early Franciscans
This treasure of a prayer book gathers the stories and words of the prayer life of these remarkable Christians whose courage and passion continues to inspire us hundreds of years later. This beautiful book is for anyone wanting to bring the Franciscan message of peace more deeply into the heart.
This unique “Book of Hours” is modeled on the spiritual life and prayer practices of one of the twentieth century’s most beloved writers.
“Flannery O’Connor’s stories help us see grace in the most difficult of circumstances. O’Donnell artfully combines selections from her writings with daily prayers and readings for something wonderful: a prayer book that is old and new, timely and timeless, comforting and provocative.” –James Martin, SJ, author of Between Heaven and Mirth
Learn to pray along with the woman who famously said, “It is love alone that gives worth to all things.” Pray the psalms and confessions Teresa prayed. Use her words for meditation, and discover the wisdom of the saints who made such an impact on Teresa's spiritual growth and practice. Each day of the week includes morning and evening prayer, and there is a topic for every day, based on themes that emerge from her life and work.
Breathe guides children to wonder about and watch for the presence and work of the Spirit here and now, in practices of prayer and mindfulness, and through acts of justice, generosity, and the sweet taste of kindness.
This book teaches kids that whenever we choose the way of love, Jesus is there. Always.