The words and actions of Mary revealed. In The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Raoul Plus helps us to open the book of the heart of Mary in the simplest yet most vivid ways. We must ponder not only her words, but also the events of her life her attitudes, her actions, and even her silence. By imitating Our Lady, our lives like hers may also come to be full of grace.
In these fascinating pages, author Luanne Zurlo shows that, contrary to popular opinion, single life is often a holy, joyful vocation lived out, sometimes in a hidden way, by souls who have had an authentic encounter with Christ. Here she sheds light on this little-understood vocation discerned and embraced by a growing number of single persons who neither marry nor enter religious life. These souls are joyfully single for a greater purpose, nourishing both the world and the Church with the unique spiritual strengths and graces that God gives to souls who deliberately remain single for Him — in the world but not of it. Read these pages to learn: Why dedicated single life is uniquely suited to our times How it builds on our baptismal vocations The special role that dedicated singles have in the Church How the dedicated-single vocation complements marriage and religious life How celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom yields a fruitful spousal relationship with Christ How dedicated singles can follow the evangelical counsels of obedience and poverty without the structured life of a religious community The vows that singles can take to dedicate themselves to such service of God within the world In the face of mounting difficulties within our world and our Church, God is now calling for an army of dedicated singles — laymen for the Kingdom of God — nourished from within and empowered by an authentic, personal encounter with Him alone.
Devotion and spiritual practices are an essential component of the Gnostic tradition. Therefore, in the tradition of little offices, daily cycles of prayer in imitation of the Divine Office, The Little Office of the Blessed Sophia is offered to Gnostics in the hope that it will help them develop a personal practice of regular prayer. Sanctifying the hours of the day with meditative prayer is a time-honored Christian tradition, and these five daily offices, centered around the mystic Odes of Solomon, are designed to both elevate our consciousness to the Divine Light, and increase our reverence and love of the Most Holy Sophia: Divine Wisdom. This book of hours consists of the Ordinary of the Little Office, the regular prayers to be said at each hour (or time) of prayer for the day; the Book of Odes, with the Odes of Solomon organized according to a 3-day cycle; a book of commemorations for the feasts of over 100 saints and various other holy days; and finally, an Office of the Dead, for prayer in honor of the departed. Small enough to carry around, may this book become an important part of your prayer life, leading you to a deeper knowledge and love of the Ineffable Father, of Christ His Son, of the Holy Sophia, and of all the blessed saints of the Light.
“I can't walk; I can't sit up straight; I can't feed myself. If you and I meet, the first thing you notice will be my body crumpled in a wheelchair. Once I could at least sit up, but now my weak neck is bent over and my spine bent so much that my head falls heavily upon my left shoulder and my hunched back.” So writes Christina Chase, the twenty-first century Thérèse of Lisieux whose “littleness” is as humble as that of the Little Flower, and whose spiritual power is, by every discernible measure, of comparable intensity. Crippled though she is, Christina's fearful disabilities have led her not into anger, bitterness, or despair, but rather into a profound and exceptional encounter with God's love itself—an encounter that you, too, can experience through the gentle allure of Christina's witness. Locked now for decades within her own fragile, helpless body, Christina has been graced with extraordinary insights into the similar helplessness of Jesus, the majestic King of the Universe, who, when born of the Virgin Mary, became just like Christina today—unable to feed Himself or even lift His head. From that littleness – hers and His – Christina here draws forth a marvelous wisdom that shows that as creatures, we are all, in one sense or another, paralyzed. None of us can exist apart from limitations and boundaries. None of us can walk through this life unaided. In the presence of God, not a single one of us can even stand. But no matter! For out of infinite love for us and to save us, Jesus chose to join us in our littleness, exposing Himself to the limitations of time and space and circumstance, even unto His death on the Cross. The sweet sufferer Christina has assimilated this saving truth, which shines forth from these consoling pages for all of humanity to feel. Read these pages by wheelchair-bound Christina to discover how much Jesus loves you, no matter how little and crippled you are, spiritually or otherwise. Yes, He loves you! Meditating on this stunning fact yields a joy that transcends the greatest physical or mental suffering – a joy that is Christina's, despite her abject physical state, and a joy that can, with the help of these pages, be yours as well.
In a first-ever publishing event, the remarkable photography and writings of Countess Sophia Tolstoy reveal the unfolding of her life with her famous husband--and evocatively portray a glittering world that soon would fade away. 120 photographs.
Fr. Raoul Plus's no-nonsense prayer manual dispels the false notions of prayer that we all have and shows how we can, in fact, pray without ceasing even at times when exhaustion cripples us and cares threaten to sweep us away.
Presented here are the Books of "The Sophia of Jesus Christ" (also called "The Wisdom of Jesus Christ") and "Eugnostos the Blessed" with extensive commentary on the ancient texts, Gnosticism, and the Divine Feminine. Gnosticism holds a special and unique place in the formation of Christianity. The theology presented by the Gnostics demands a balance of male and female "energies." In this book we will explore Gnosticism and the Divine Feminine through the lens of two great Gnostic texts. We will see the influence of Gnosticism and how their idea of the Divine Feminine effected orthodox or mainline Christianity. The treatise of "Eugnostos the Blessed" (50-150 A.D.) and the gospel called, "The Sophia of Jesus Christ," (50-200 A.D.) are presented together in a single volume, due to their close and undeniable connection. In fact, one borrowed heavily from the other. "The Sophia of Jesus Christ," also called "The Wisdom of Jesus Christ," seems to be a later and Christianized version of "Eugnostos the Blessed," a non-Christian Gnostic text. Gnosticism is complex and deserves explanation in order to better understand the texts. Extensive history, background and commentary are provided in order to reveal the inner working of Gnosticism, the place of women in their theology, and how Gnosticism influenced the Christianity of today.
