Liturgy, which tries to foster the unity of the body of Christ, can be a countercultural experience since trends in modern American society emphasize individualism. In John 17, Jesus prays that all may be one, a theme which appears in other ways in other parts of scripture (such as the image of one bread-one body ) and in writings throughout Christian history. In contrast, U.S. society is characterized by individualism and, according to various recent scholarly publications, is becoming more individualistic. Americans are less likely now to participate in social groups than they were a couple of decades ago. As a result, some aspects of good liturgy, for example, common posture or communal singing, are increasingly countercultural. This book looks at the various ways the call to unity of the followers of Christ appears in scripture and in Christian tradition up to the present. It also looks at the works of secular authors such as Alexi de Tocqueville, Robert Bellah, Robert Putnam, and Jean Twenge, among others, and how they evaluate the challenges of American life, especially in the contemporary era, regarding the more and more individualistic behavioral aspects. It then goes through the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and shows how liturgy tries to bring about the unity Christ prayed for. Finally, the book tries to address the problems faced in making unity a reality in contemporary American culture.

Eucharist and American Culture: Liturgy, Unity, and Individualism

Religion & Spirituality

Dennis C. Smolarski

Christian Books & Bibles

Paulist Press

Now in Spanish, this book provides a new vision of the passion and resurrection of Jesus as a tool that we can use to respond differently to the violence and hatred that our culture teaches.

Jesus, El Prisionero Resucitado: Una invitación para vivir en libertad (Spanish Edition)

Michael E. Kennedy

The roles of the Holy See and papal diplomacy vis-à-vis international organizations have a long and intricate story that spans centuries. Papal Diplomacy and the Quest for Peace explores the encounter between the Holy See and the international order, from the establishment of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 through the pontificate of Pope Paul VI (1963-78). Both Araujo and Lucal have worked for and represented the Holy See in the environment of the UN and, to a lesser extent, other international organizations. Consequently, their investigation is based on not only academic study of papal diplomacy and its relations with international organizations, but also participation in the activities of the Holy See within some of these organizations. They contend that while the Church and international organizations have distinctive goals and interests which can introduce strong differences on particular issues, they nonetheless share other perspectives such as the maintenance of international peace and security. The Holy See has expressed general approval of the UN, especially its initiatives aimed at "peaceful coexistence and collaboration between nations." At the same time the Holy See has not hesitated to state its morally grounded positions on pressing contemporary issues (e.g., family planning, abortion, human embryonic cloning, and family life) that have not always been congruent with those of temporal sovereigns and international organizations, including the UN. To date, Pope Pius XII's initial aspiration to join the UN has not been fulfilled, but the Holy See formalized its participation in the General Assembly of the United Nations in summer of 2004. In spite of occasional criticism by some segments of secular society, the interaction between the Holy See and the UN continues to exist and to be fruitful in a variety of contexts. Papal Diplomacy and the Quest for Peace seeks to elucidate this encounter and dynamic by examining congruence and divergence on vital issues of great importance to both institutions, most especially the quest for peace and the protection of the dignity and legitimate interests of humanity.

Papal Diplomacy and the Quest for Peace

Politics & Social Sciences

Robert John Araujo

John A. Lucal

Politics & Government

Saint Josephs University Press

The autobiography of Rev. Frank Coco, SJ (1920-2006), a Jesuit priest who served for more than 50 years in south Louisiana as a retreat director, high school teacher and jazz musician. Using his clarinet, he performed extensively in New Orleans nightclubs, sitting in with some of the best-known jazz musicians of his time, including Ronnie Kole, Al Hirt and Pete Fountain.

Blessed Be Jazz: The Story of My Life as a Clarinet-Playing Jesuit Priest in the French Quarter of New Orleans

Biographies & Memoirs

Fr. Frank Coco

Memoirs

Acadian House Publishing

Heart Speaks to Heart is a dynamic and challenging tool for all Catholics desiring a deeper and more sustained intimacy with Jesus Christ. In this workbook, Father John Horn, SJ, invites his readers into the depths of their life history, thoughts, and feelings, so that they can be led into prayerful communion with Christ. Through the tools found in this workbook, all believers will find the truth about themselves and their calling to give all and surrender to Christ who desires only the happiness of his followers.

Heart Speaks to Heart

Fr. John Horn

Institute For Priestly Formation

An international meeting in Trento in July 2010 brought together some 500 theological ethicists from nearly 75 countries. This volume represents the state of the art in mural theology from around the globe, with contributors from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Divided into three main parts (the past, the present, and the future), contributors include John W. O Malley (foreword); Monsignor Luigi Bressan, Archbishop of Trento; James F. Keenan; Archbishop Bruno Forte; Mercy Amba Oduyoye (Ghana); Ahmad Syafii Ma'arif, Ma'arif Institut (Indonesia), Paolo Prodi (Italy), Laurenti Magesa (Kenya), Regina Ammicht-Quinn Germany, Alberto Bondolfi (Switzerland), Diego Alonso-Lasheras (Italy), Roger Burggraeve (Belgium), Anne Nasimiyu (Kenya), Bryan Massingale (US), Antonio Moser (Brazil). Éric Gaziaux (Belgium), Margaret Farley (US), Benezet Bujo (Switzerland), Brian Johnstone (US), Miguel Ángel Sánchez Carlos (Mexico), David Kaulem (Zimbabwe), Leo Pessini (Brazil), Pushpa Joseph (India), Margaret Ogala (Kenya), Julie Hanlon Rubio (US), Aloysius Cartagenas (Philippines), Christa Schnabl (Austria), Simone Morandini (Italy), Myroslav Marynovych (Ukraine), Peter Henriot (Zambia), Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich-Freising (Germany), Julie Clague (Scotland), Shaji George Kochuthara (India), and María Teresa Dávila (US).

Catholic Theological Ethics, Past, Present, and Future: The Trento Conference (Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church)

James F. Keenan

Orbis Books

This unique reference book provides concise definitions for words, names, and titles that practitioners and students of contemporary Roman Catholic liturgy may encounter. Father Dennis Smolarski, SJ, and Monsignor Joseph DeGrocco have expanded and updated the dictionary from Father Smolarski s classic work Liturgical Literacy: Anamnesis to Worship (Paulist Press, 1990) to provide an invaluable resource for clergy, pastoral ministers, liturgy directors, liturgical musicians, seminarians, students, and others having an interest in or responsibility for the liturgy.

A Glossary of Liturgical Terms

Monsignor Joseph DeGrocco

Liturgy Training Publications

Daily Bread of the Word: Reflections on the Weekday Lectionary Readings

Albert VanHoye

Many of us are familiar with the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. But what do they really mean for us? How can bearing wrongs patiently or comforting the afflicted be relevant in our modern world? Fr. Max Oliva shares stories and insights from decades of ministry around the globe with people whose lives are enriched by giving and accepting mercy. From a First Nations community in Canada to an inner city parish in California, he discovers moving examples of mercy at work and humbly shares his own conversion to compassion experiences. Steeped in scriptural insights and enhanced with the words and deeds of champions of mercy from Pope Francis to Jackie Robinson this profound book is part practical guide, part spiritual refreshment, and part small-group handbook. Each chapter contains questions for reflection and discussion to help us discern how God, the source of mercy, calls us to extend mercy to others, to his own creation, and especially to ourselves. Even the smallest works of mercy, says Fr. Oliva, are graced experiences of God alive within us.

Becoming a Person of Mercy: Personal Reflections on the Works of Mercy

Max Oliva

Twenty-Third Publications

How can we find joy, hope, and peace in ourselves and in the world? It s a question we all ask, and in seeking the answer, theologian and famed composer Roc O Connor invites us into the Gospel of Mark to sit by the side of the road with blind Bartimaeus. 
 In his inspiring and lucid exploration of the gospel, O Connor shows us how Bartimaeus sits not only at the roadside but at the center of everything Mark wants us to know about being a disciple of Jesus. Bartimaeus knows he is blind and living in poverty and despair. And in knowing this, he cries out for help and ends up following Jesus on the Path to Life. 
 In the same way, says O Connor, Mark tells us that we too are at a crossroads and it is only by recognizing our own inner blindness, our own fear, anger, and shame, our own need for healing, that we become willing to look up and call to Jesus. 
 This powerful, insightful, prayerful, and very hopeful book invites us to see that the parts of ourselves we most want to hide from are the very things that open to us the Path to Life, to joyous life in Christ.

I Want to See: What the Story of Blind Bartimaeus Teaches Us about Fear, Surrender and Walking the Path to Joy

Roc O'Connor

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