Second Edition Available February 2008! "The Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has found this catechetical textbook, Living Justice and Peace, copyright 2002, to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church." "What is justice? How can I respond to the call of justice in my daily life?" Living Justice and Peace is a one-semester course for eleventh and twelfth graders that gives students practical ways to respond to the call to justice in their daily lives. The Living Justice and Peace course fosters students' sense of compassion for those who suffer from injustice and enables students to examine society critically, using the values of the Scriptures and Catholic teaching. Specific topics are addressed, including abortion, capital punishment, racism, poverty, the environment, violence, and peace. Colorful graphs, charts, student artwork, and illustrations engage students with the text. True stories of people transforming the world through justice and peace and "what you can do" sidebars give teens practical applications for the teachings. This course encourages teens to imagine ways to work toward justice and peace--and to act on their beliefs.

For over a decade Living Justice has introduced readers to Catholic social teaching. The second classroom edition has been revised and updated throughout to better meet the needs of students today. Key updates include further reflection on the use of the just-war theory in light of events in Iraq and Afghanistan, the revival of terrorist threats, the papacy of Benedict XVI, the social encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the recent financial crisis, business ethics today, and ongoing environmental concerns.

"The Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has found this catechetical text, copyright 2008, to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The second edition of this text has the same sound theology with updated stories, images, and statistics! The Living Justice and Peace course empowers students to examine society critically based on values from the Scriptures and on the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching. The text addresses specific topics including abortion, capital punishment, racism, poverty, the environment, and peace. What's New in the Second Edition... Chapter 2: Removed story about malformed frogs. Updated list of "Major Documents of Catholic Social Teaching." Added story about endangered sea turtles. Chapter 4: Updated statistics about pregnancy, abortion, and capital punishment. Chapter 5: Removed opening story about religious discrimination in Montana, replaced with opening story about "Mix It Up at Lunch Day" in an Albuquerque high school. Mention of immigration and prejudice against Muslims. Chapter 6: Included more recent material about Craig Kiehlburger's Free the Children organization. Updated statistics about child labor internationally. Chapter 7: Many updated statistics about poverty and related issues in the U.S. and internationally. Chapter 8: Removed sidebar of "Lifestyles: Comparing Poverty, Simplicity, and Excess." Updated statistics. New sidebar about the UN Millennium Development Goals Chapter 9: Removed opening story about the young president of the Sierra club, old information about environmental threats, and inspiring story of Chico Mendes. Added new opening story about two teen girls who alert others about the health of salmon in their community. Updated content about environmental threats with information from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007). Added inspiring story of Sr. Dorothy Stang. Provide new examples of businesses, governments, and teens making positive change. Chapter 10: Some nuclear arms race content removed as well as sidebar called "A general rethinks nuclear weapons." Updated research about the causes of youth violence. Terrorism content added as well as sidebar called "Responding to Terrorism." New stories about innovative ways to curb violence.

Longtime labor and immigration rights activist Victor Narro believes it's time to bring spirituality into social justice work. To that end, his book Living Peace provokes dialogue for the sharing and integration of spirituality among those working for peace and justice. Narro reveals how the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi shape his work, teaching him the way of peace, love, and service, and how through interaction with other activists, his Franciscan spirituality has also been enriched by that of others, such as Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. As he shares his reflections on various ways spirituality can nourish social activism, Narro invites readers to contemplate and then express what's inside their own hearts as they awaken to the power of shared spirituality as a force for social justice. The book's simple, elegant structure presents each reflection along with several questions and the space to write responses. Each book will become a personal spiritual tool for activists, providing guidance that can make the struggle for justice more compassionate, more fulfilling, and healthier for everyone.

This book offers a thorough and accessible analysis of Catholic teaching on war and warmaking from its earliest stages to the present. Moral theologians Thomas Massaro and Thomas A. Shannon begin with a survey of the teachings on war in various religions and denominations and then trace the development of Just War theory and application, review the perspective of several Catholic bishops, comment on the bishops' pastoral letter The Challenge of Peace, address contemporary developments in light of 9-11 and the United States war with Iraq, and conclude with theological reflections. Complete with recommended readings, Catholic Perspectives on Peace and War offers an informative and thoughtful moral analysis that helps readers navigate the rapidly changing terrain of war, warmaking, and peace initiatives.

"To take care of each other should be our primary concern in this 21st century and Father Dear is steady on this course." --Thich Nhat Hanh For John Dear, a Jesuit priest and respected leader of the ecumenical peace movement, the spiritual life is a combination of contemplation and action, of maintaining inner peace and projecting that peace into the greater world. It is the spirituality exemplified by the lives of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and others throughout history who remained true to the highest ideals while addressing the most difficult problems and conflicts of the real world. As a tireless advocate for social justice and human rights, Dear has followed that path in his own life, and in Living Peace he describes his journey. Breaking down the life of peace into three parts an inner journey, a public journey, and the journey of all humanity he shares the spiritual practices that have sustained him and teaches readers how to integrate these practices into their own lives. From the Hardcover edition.