When he loses his son and his wife in childbirth James is totally bereft. An introduction to a hermit gradually changes his life irrevocably. Although the Hermit turns out to be a Roman Catholic, James finds he can completely identify with his profound spirituality, precisely because it is so scriptural and drawn from the same Christian Masters who had originally inspired him.
When Quietism was condemned in 1687 it resulted in an antipathy, if not an open hostility to authentic mystical theology. This situation has lasted down to the present day and has been aggravated by many forms of counterfeit mysticism that are self-centred, not God-centred. The consequences have been disastrous. To restore the balance lost to Christian spirituality, the author returns to the profound mystical teaching that Jesus himself lived and handed on to the early Church through his disciples. His research has resulted in a book that details a practical daily spirituality for all, that mirrors that which was lived by our earliest Christian forebears. It emphasises the original balance between personal and communal prayer in such a way that our whole lives become the place where we continually offer our lives through Christ to the Father.
From the time Jesus first taught his disciples how to pray to the present day, the Church has pointed out a variety of ways in which a person can fruitfully communicate with God and grow in the spiritual life. Lectio divina, meditation, contemplation, the recitation of the rosary and prayer in action are all covered in these forty brief reflections which encourage us to pray as you can, not as you can't. Taking a quote from the Gospels or a thought from a saintly expert in the art of prayer as a springboard for the suggestions made in these pages the author draws on his own experience as a spiritual director and retreat master to show how the advice given can be put into practice in one's daily life. He concludes with a series of brief prayers with which one can begin and end each day in the presence of God in whose Spirit we are called to pray.
David Torkington tells the story of a small group of secular Franciscans on pilgrimage in Franciscan Italy led by the hermit Peter Calvay. The book shows how the essence of Christian spirituality is restored by Francis and details the implications of the revelation of the Primacy of Love received by Francis moments before he received the Stigmata. It then explains how this is the starting point for St Bonaventure's spirituality and John Duns Scotus? Mystical Theology of love. This profound theology is detailed with consummate clarity and made practical in the lives of two of the pilgrims who commit themselves to each other for life.
Mairi Hedderwick embarks on a six-month-long journey to 40 islands from Arran to Lewis, recounting her pilgrimage around the archipelago of the Western Isles with which she has had a lifelong love affair. Filled with wit and wisdom that is matched by her spell-binding illustrations, Mairi Hedderwick portrays the islands in all their diversity, with swift and perceptive cameos of everyday life drawn with humour and affection alongside gorgeous landscapes which capture the truly magical beauty of the Hebrides.
A leading spiritual teacher reveals how Celtic spirituality—listening to the sacred around us and inside of us—can help us heal the earth, overcome our conflicts, and reconnect with ourselves. John Philip Newell shares the long, hidden tradition of Celtic Christianity, explaining how this earth-based spirituality can help us rediscover the natural rhythms of life and deepen our spiritual connection with God, with each other, and with the earth. Newell introduces some of Celtic Christianity’s leading practitioners, both saints and pioneers of faith, whose timeless wisdom is more necessary than ever, including: Pelagius, who shows us how to look beyond sin to affirm our sacredness as part of all God’s creation, and courageously stand up for our principles in the face of oppression. Brigid of Kildare, who illuminates the interrelationship of all things and reminds us of the power of the sacred feminine to overcome those seeking to control us. John Muir, who encourages us to see the holiness and beauty of wilderness and what we must do to protect these gifts. Teilhard de Chardin, who inspires us to see how science, faith, and our future tell one universal story that begins with sacredness. By embracing the wisdom of Celtic Christianity, we can learn how to listen to the sacred and see the divine in all of creation and within each of us. Human beings are inherently spiritual creatures who intuitively see the sacred in nature and within one another, but our cultures—and at times even our faiths—have made us forget what each of us already know deep in our souls but have learned to suppress. Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul offers a new spiritual foundation for our lives, once centered on encouragement, guidance, and hope for creating a better world.
The customs and spirituality of the traditional communities of the highlands and islands of Scotland were preserved in a way that has been lost to most people today. Jones describes the vital roles of women in those communities, with their customary powers of "seeing," healing, blessing, and cursing. Their hospitality, conviviality, and deep wisdom, together with their celebration of the tasks of daily life, have much to teach us today in our modern way of life.
Dare to imagine a new birth from deep within Christianity, a fresh stirring of the Spirit. “The walls of Western Christianity are collapsing. In many parts of the West that collapse can only be described as seismic.... There are three main responses or reactions to this collapse. The first is to deny that it is happening. The second is to frantically try to shore up the foundations of the old thing. The third, which I invite us into, is to ask what is trying to be born that requires a radical reorientation of our vision. What is the new thing that is trying to emerge from deep within us and from deep within the collective soul of Christianity?” —from the Introduction In the midst of dramatic changes in Western Christianity, internationally respected spiritual leader, peacemaker and scholar John Philip Newell offers the hope of a fresh stirring of the Spirit among us. He invites us to be part of a new holy birth of sacred living. Speaking directly to the heart of Christians—those within the well-defined bounds of Christian practice and those on the disenchanted edges—as well as to the faithful and seekers of other traditions, he explores eight major features of a new birthing of Christianity: Coming back into relationship with the Earth as sacred Reconnecting with compassion as the ground of true relationship Celebrating the Light that is at the heart of all life Reverencing the wisdom of other religious traditions Rediscovering spiritual practice as the basis for transformation Living the way of nonviolence among nations Looking to the unconscious as the wellspring of new vision Following love as the seed-force of new birth in our lives and world
THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE ENZO FILES AND THE CHINA THRILLERS AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021 'One of the best regarded crime series of recent years.' Independent 'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of Books PETER MAY: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT MURDER TO THE OUTER HEBRIDES A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith. A MURDER Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past. A SECRET Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister. A TRAP As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted. LOVED THE BLACKHOUSE? Read book 2 in the Lewis trilogy, THE LEWIS MAN LOVE PETER MAY? Buy his latest frontlist thriller, THE NIGHT GATE
THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY, THE ENZO FILES AND THE CHINA THRILLERS AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021 'Peter May is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today' Undiscovered Scotland 'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May' New York Journal of Books PETER MAY MIXES MURDER, MYSTERY and MEMORY . . . AND MARKS HIS RETURN TO THE OUTER HEBRIDES A man stands bewildered on a deserted beach on the Hebridean Isle of Harris. He cannot remember who he is. The only clue to his identity is a folded map of a path named the Coffin Road. He does not know where this search will take him. A detective from Lewis sits aboard a boat, filled with doubt. DS George Gunn knows that a bludgeoned corpse has been discovered on a remote rock twenty miles offshore. He does not know if he has what it takes to uncover how and why. A teenage girl lies in her Edinburgh bedroom, desperate to discover the truth about her scientist father's suicide. Two years on, Karen Fleming still cannot accept that he would wilfully abandon her. She does not yet know his secret. Coffin Road follows three perilous journeys towards one shocking truth - and the realisation that ignorance can kill us. LOVED COFFIN ROAD? Read the first book in Peter May's acclaimed China thrillers series, THE FIREMAKER LOVE PETER MAY? Buy his new thriller, THE BLACK LOCH
