Baptism and Beyond is a sacramental preparation resource for Catholic parishes. The Leader Guide contains everything a catechist needs to lead two parent sessions. The first session prepares parents for the celebration of baptism by breaking open the symbols and scriptures of the rite. The second session looks back on baptism and forward to first eucharist, with helps for parents to be the child's primary religious educators during the years in between. This book includes creative ways to link the church with the home to keep parents and their child connected to the parish between sacraments, not just for sacraments. You can use the Parent Guide to reinforce the material in the two parish sessions.

The issue of baptism has troubled Protestants for centuries. Should infants be baptized before their faith is conscious, or does God command the baptism of babies whose parents have been baptized? Popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight makes a biblical case for infant baptism, exploring its history, meaning, and practice and showing that infant baptism is the most historic Christian way of forming children into the faith. He explains that the church's practice of infant baptism developed straight from the Bible and argues that it must begin with the family and then extend to the church. Baptism is not just an individual profession of faith: it takes a family and a church community to nurture a child into faith over time. McKnight explains infant baptism for readers coming from a tradition that baptizes adults only, and he counters criticisms that fail to consider the role of families in the formation of faith. The book includes a foreword by Todd Hunter and an afterword by Gerald McDermott.

You've been baptized. But do you understand what it means? Baptism is the doorway into membership in the church. It's a public declaration of the washing away of our sin and the beginning of our new life in Christ. But the sacrament that is meant to unite us is often a spring of division instead. All Christians use water to baptize. All invoke the triune name. Beyond that, there's little consensus. Talk about baptism and you're immediately plunged into arguments. Whom should we baptize? What does baptism do? Why even do it at all? Peter Leithart reunifies a church divided by baptism. He recovers the baptismal imagination of the Bible, explaining how baptism works according to Scripture. Then, in conversation with Christian tradition, he shows why baptism is something worth recovering and worth agreeing on.

First Eucharist and Beyond is a resource for Catholic parishes. This Leader Guide contains everything a catechist needs to lead one parent's session and four children's sessions to prepare for celebrating the sacrament of the Eucharist. The emphasis is not just on "first communion" but on the ongoing experience of growing in communion with Christ in everyday life. The sessions focus on the presence of Christ in the assembly, the proclaimed word, the bread and wine, and in our world,. This book includes age appropriate activities and discussions for both younger children (ages 7-8) and older children (ages 9-11). Use with the Family Activity Book and Child's Book to complement and reinforce the material in the four parish sessions. The leader guide includes plans for both parents and children's sessions—including catechist background, goals, overviews and materials list; prayers, rituals and scripture stories; age-appropriate activities; explanation of what we do and say at Mass; and, ways to encourage parents to use the home.

A kaleidoscope of spiritual values in Catholicism that don't divide but bring people together and will instill peace and love in those who take the time to better understand them. Here are beautiful, simple, profound ideas that few people think about these days when they talk about the Catholic Church. Yet they are truths that make a positive difference in peoples' lives. They include: Catholicism is a community that remembers Jesus Catholics draw on a rich tradition of spirituality They always have something to celebrate The church is a family It has splendid heroes and heroines It takes staunch stands on peace and justice It has universality At a time when many Catholics have grown frustrated with their church, The Best of Catholicism reminds them of the positive values and practices that they will never read about in the daily news.

Sixteen full-color paintings of compassionate women combine with enchanting prose to inspire readers to see and become the embodiment of mercy.

40 Steps Toward Artful Living.