Traditional Christian virtue and vices like abstinence, gluttony, and sloth make many of us bored or uncomfortable. At their best, these words sound dead or confusing, like incomplete fossils that belong to a distant past awkwardly enshrined in a museum. At worst, they signify a prejudiced past, when these words were wielded like weapons.Yet in medieval writing, the language of the virtues and vices was powerful, lively, and delightfully weird. Patience is described as a peppercorn...

Jesus through Medieval Eyes will take you on an exploration of medieval representations of Jesus in theology and literature.Who is Jesus? What is he like? And who am I, encountering Jesus? These questions were just as important to Christians in the Middle Ages as they are today.And yet—as C.S. Lewis noted—the modern church tends to forget that people of different cultures and times also thought carefully about who Jesus was; and so...

In pursuing how fourteenth-century English texts engage with philosophical, intellectual, and theological questions, the work of Denise N. Baker has powerfully shaped the field of medieval studies. This collection honors Baker’s legacy as a scholar and teacher by taking a fresh approach to the most salient literary, mystical, and devotional works written in late medieval England. The contributors examine a variety of foundational texts ranging from Piers Plowman and The Canterbury Tales to...

Who is the Pearl-poet? How do ideas about his life and interpretations of his poems shape our understanding of his work in late-medieval England—and beyond? In Becoming the Pearl-Poet: Perceptions, Connections, Receptions, readers can explore the world of this extraordinary, fourteenth-century writer. In Part I, “Perceptions,” five scholars give insightful literary analyses of the narrative poems attributed to the poet: Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, Sir Gawain and the Green Knig...

Spring: Renew Your Thoughts, Spirit, and FeelingsThis Spring-themed anthology collects poems from a variety of different authors, all exploring the themes of renewal, awakening, and growth. The wide range of topics covered in these verses includes life, friendship, love, memories, and more. Whether you are looking for something to read to celebrate the arrival of the new season or simply to reflect on your own journey thus far, this anthology has something for everyone.Here...

Read by the author.Traditional Christian virtue and vices like abstinence, gluttony, and sloth make many of us bored or uncomfortable. At their best, these words sound dead or confusing, like incomplete fossils that belong to a distant past awkwardly enshrined in a museum. At worst, they signify a prejudiced past, when these words were wielded like weapons.Yet in medieval writing, the language of the virtues and vices was powerful, lively, and delightfully weird. Patience i...

Read by the author.Jesus through Medieval Eyes will take you on an exploration of medieval representations of Jesus in theology and literature.Who is Jesus? What is he like? And who am I, encountering Jesus? These questions were just as important to Christians in the Middle Ages as they are today.And yet—as C.S. Lewis noted—the modern church tends to forget that people of different cultures and times also t...

Awake My Soul introduces the practice of devotions to a new generation of the faithful. The essays in this enlightening collection celebrate the traditional Catholic devotions those sensual, physical, time-honored forms of piety that have sustained generations of believers. Contemporary men and women are finding in the devotions what earlier generations found comfort in times of trial, models of discipleship, encouragement to care for others, and ways to draw closer to Jesus in prayer and ...

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Weve all heard the familiar description. But what does it really mean? And what difference does it make?

In Your Grown-Up Faith: Blending the Three Elements of Belief, Kenneth L. Parker outlines a way of reflecting on religious experience that is all at once simple and profound. Originally created by Friedrich von Hügel in his work “The Mystical Element of Religion,” the three elements of belief are known as the Child’s Way, the Youth Way, and the Adult’s Way. Through our lived experience, these elements become more understandable as they help us become aware of, and develop, a mature faith.

What is happiness? Does life have a meaning? If so, is that meaning available in an ordinary life? The philosopher Zena Hitz confronted these questions head-on when she spent several years living in a Christian religious community. Religious life -- the communal life chosen by monks, nuns, friars, and hermits -- has been a part of global Christianity since earliest times, but many of us struggle to understand what could drive a person to renounce wealth, sex, children, and ambition to live...

Women historically have been denigrated as lower than men or viewed as privileged. Dr. Alice von Hildebrand characterizes the difference between such views as based on whether man's vision is secularistic or steeped in the supernatural. She shows that feminism's attempts to gain equality with men by imitation of men is unnatural, foolish, destructive, and self-defeating. The Blessed Mother's role in the Incarnation points to the true privilege of being a woman. Both virginity and maternity...