Gloria is a woman of great faith and many dreams. Her life has been full of pain and sadness from her early years in Puerto Rico when she loses her loving father at five years of age. Providence guides her to an orphanage where she finds love and a family. She grows into a humble woman full of ambitions, but is derailed as she meets the love of her life, an alcoholic. From then on her life becomes a struggle for survival as she becomes a single mother of three children and has no support from the father. She dreams of a better life for herself and the children who suffer from malnutrition and other ailments. She also becomes sick and on the verge of dying, recovers and is able to make her dreams of a better life a reality, as she comes to America.
A talented poet and a gifted dramatist, Antonia Pulci (1452-1501) pursued two vocations, first as a wife and later as founder of an Augustinian order. During and after her marriage, Pulci authored several sacre rappresentazioni—one-act plays on Christian subjects. Often written to be performed by nuns for female audiences, Pulci's plays focus closely on the concerns of women. Exploring the choice that Renaissance women had between marriage, the convent, or uncloistered religious life, Pulci's female characters do not merely glorify the religious life at the expense of the secular. Rather, these women consider and deal with the unwanted advances of men, negligent and abusive husbands and suitors, the dangers of childbearing, and the disappointments of child rearing. They manage households and kingdoms successfully. Pulci's heroines are thoughtful; their capacity for analysis and action regularly resolve the moral, filial, and religious crises of their husbands and admirers. Available in English for the first time, this volume recovers the long muted voice of an early and important female Italian poet and playwright.
The Gospel of Mark, the second book of the New Testament, serves as a profound narrative enriching Christian spirituality. At its heart, Mark’s Gospel is a vivid and concise account of Jesus’s ministry, focusing primarily on his actions and miracles. This briskly paced story propels us into the core of Jesus’s life, revealing him as the ultimate Servant and the Son of God. Its simplicity and directness make it an accessible yet profoundly thought-provoking text for daily devotion and reflection. This devotional is the fifth book in a series of devotional books and podcast episodes designed to guide you through the entire Bible, nourishing your soul, renewing your purpose, and deepening your theology, contemplation, and action. In the Daily Devotions with Jesus series, Graham Joseph Hill guides you through the entire Bible, moving chapter by chapter from Genesis to Revelation. This is a groundbreaking Bible podcast and devotional book series. See how each book of the Bible deepens your faith and inspires you to follow Jesus in life-changing ways! See the podcast at https://grahamjosephhill.com/devotions.
Word, Silence, and the Climate Emergency: God, Ekklesia, and Christian Doctrine is an exposition of Christian doctrine taking into account the current global emergency. Gorringe grounds our knowledge of God first in the revelation to the prophets and specifically in their political stance but above all in Jesus of Nazareth. God, or the NAME, Gorringe argues, is the antithesis of all the gods of projection, known in the silence of the cross and of the isolation cell. In a Triune format, the nature of God and the discourse of creation and providence are first considered before turning to the claim that “God was in Christ.” The final third of the book considers the nature and task of ekklesia, especially in the light of the global emergency which, Gorringe argues, is a confessional issue and the heart of ekklesia's present concern.
Saint Rafael Arnaiz was born in Burgos, Spain, on April 9, 1911. When he was twenty-one years old, he left behind the comforts of his wealthy family and an unfinished degree in architecture to join the Trappist-Cistercian abbey of San Isidro de Dueñas. A sudden onset of diabetes and the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) turned his monastic journey into an unusual one. In these unfavorable circumstances and despite the shortness of his life (he died soon after his twenty-seventh birthday), Rafael developed a solid spirituality, which in its simplicity is a straight path to holiness. He has been compared to mystics like Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross, whose writings inspired him, and his theology of the cross, born from his prayer, places him in continuity with the best of the monastic tradition. In his letters and journals, compiled in this volume, his heart speaks of the joys and struggles of striving to live for God alone.
In the sacred town of Vrindavan, where the air hums with divine melodies and the Yamuna flows with the grace of celestial rhythms, the legend of Lord Krishna, the Blue Prince, thrives in the hearts of His devotees. This book is a humble offering from Sudama, Krishna’s childhood friend and steadfast devotee, whose life was profoundly touched by the benevolence and divine play of the Lord. Hypothetically, as Janmashtami approaches this August, celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, Sudama, present this collection of letters as a token of his eternal gratitude and love for his dearest friend. These letters are more than just words on parchment; they are the echoes of Sudama’s heart, filled with the myriad emotions and bhavas that Krishna has inspired within him throughout their journey together. In their youth, Krishna and Sudama shared the pure, unblemished bond of friendship in the serene environs of gurukul. Those days were marked by simplicity and joy, where they learned, played, and shared meals, oblivious to the vast destinies that awaited them. Krishna’s laughter was like the chime of temple bells, and His wisdom was a guiding light even then. Years later, when Sudama found himself in dire poverty, it was Krishna’s boundless compassion that transformed his life. With a heart as vast as the cosmos, He welcomed him into His palace, not as a poor Brahmin seeking alms, but as a dear friend in need. The Lord’s grace not only filled his household with wealth but also enriched his soul with the divine nectar of love. Each letter in this collection encapsulates a facet of gratitude and devotion. They recount the days in the gurukul, the simple joys of shared meals, and the overwhelming grace that Krishna bestowed upon his family. Through these letters, I have tried to convey the profound impact of His divine play (leela) on Sudama’s life and the myriad emotions it has evoked within. This book is not merely a compilation of words; it is a heartfelt tribute to the divine friendship that transcends the mundane bounds of this world. It is my hope that as you read these letters, you too will feel the divine presence of Krishna, the Blue Prince of Vrindavan, and be inspired by the boundless love and compassion that He embodies. With utmost reverence and devotion, Sudama offer this humble gift to his beloved Krishna on the auspicious occasion of His birthday, Janmashtami. May these letters serve as a testament to the eternal bond of friendship and the divine grace that He showers upon us all.
Signposts to Silence provides a theoretical map of what it terms ‘metaphysical mysticism’: the search for the furthest, most inclusive horizon, the domain of silence, which underlies the religious and metaphysical urge of humankind in its finest forms. Tracing the footsteps of pioneers of this exploration, the investigation also documents a number of historical pilgrimages from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. Such mountaineers of the spirit, who created paths trodden by groups of followers over centuries and in some cases millennia, include Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu, Siddhattha and Jesus, Sankara and Fa-tsang, Plato and Plotinus, Isaac Luria and Ibn Arabi, Aquinas and Hegel. Such figures, teachings and traditions (including the religions of ‘Judaism’, ‘Christianity’ and ‘Islam’; ‘Hinduism’, ‘Buddhism’ and ‘Taoism’) are understood as, at their most sublime, not final destiny and the end of the road, but signposts to a horizon of ultimate silence. The hermeneutical method employed in tracking such pioneers involves four steps: • sound historical-critical understanding of the context of the various traditions and figures • reconstruction of the subjective intentional structure of such persons and their teachings • design, by the author, of a theoretical map of the overall terrain of ‘metaphysical mysticism’, on which all such journeys of the spirit are to be located, while providing a theoretical context for understanding them tendentionally (i.e. taking the ultimate drift of their thinking essentially to transcend their subjective intentions) • drawing out, within the space available, some political (taken in a wide sense) implications from the above, such as religio-political stances as well as ecological and gender implications. Continuing the general direction of thought within what the author endorses to be the best in metaphysical mysticism in its historical manifestations, the book aims to contribute to peace amongst religions in the contemporary global cultural situation. It relativizes all claims to exclusive, absolute truth that might be proclaimed by any religious or metaphysical, mystical position, while providing space for not only tolerating, but also affirming the unique value and dignity of each. This orientation moves beyond the stances of enmity or indifference or syncretism or homogenisation of all, as well as that of mere friendly toleration. It investigates the seemingly daunting and inhospitable yet immensely significant Antarctica of the Spirit, the ‘meta’-space of silence behind the various forms of wordy ‘inter’-relationships. It affirms pars pro toto, totum pro parte, and pars pro parte: that each religious, mystical and metaphysical orientation in its relative singularity represents or contains the whole and derives value from that, and that each represents or contains every other. This homoversal solidarity stimulating individual uniqueness is different from and in fact implies criticism of the process of globalisation. While not taking part in a scientific argument as such, Signposts to Silence aims at promoting an understanding of science and metaphysical mysticism as mutual context for each other, and it listens to a number of voices from the domain of science that understand this.
What does it mean to live for God alone? “Prefer nothing to the love of Christ”; “My God and my all”; “God alone suffices”—these statements from the saints express the single desire that unified their hearts and gave direction to their lives. “God alone” was the constant theme of Saint Rafael Arnaiz (1911–1938), the expression of the search for God that informs any monastic vocation. Saint Rafael was profoundly and thoroughly a monk, even though ill health repeatedly forced him to leave the monastery, and he was never formally professed. With his single-hearted love for Christ and for the Blessed Virgin, he faithfully walked a path of trials and suffering that matured his faith, sharpened his longing, taught him to wait and to hope in God, and opened his heart to love. To Live for God Alone invites the reader into the compelling story of Rafael’s personal journey and into his penetrating insight into the cross and the Christian vocation.
If you have always wanted to live more peacefully, love more fully, and discover a deeper, more meaningful spiritual life, yoga is the path. Heartfelt and deeply practical, Strong, Calm and Free brings alive the possibility of a life of inner peace, compassion and joy. Grounded in both modern science and ancient wisdom, this beautiful and inspiring book demystifies the philosophy and psychology of yoga, making the 4000-year old practice accessible for modern life. Whether you've never stepped foot on a yoga mat before or want to deepen your home practice, this beautifully-illustrated book is suitable for all abilities, gently guiding you through a ten-week journey of yoga sequences, meditations and mindful living practices that will build strength, bring insight and offer a path to healing and freedom. Written by holistic counsellor and international yoga and meditation teacher Nicola Jane Hobbs, Strong, Calm and Free shares the tools to help you navigate the peaks and valleys of modern life, to dispel the “I'm not good enough” myth that holds so many of us back and to experience the miracle of being yourself. By sharing her gentle wisdom alongside simple, practical exercises, Nicola invites you on a path of inner transformation. A mindful adventure of self-discovery. A journey towards health, happiness and wholeness. Towards strength, peace and freedom. Towards becoming fully and fearlessly who you are.
