In the course of a teaching and writing career cut too short, Mark Searle (1941-1992) provided a worthy contribution to the study of liturgy. The breadth of his liturgical interests and his desire to integrate a wide range of academic areas with the study of liturgy mark this scholar as a gifted thinker and author, arguably a pioneer. In Rehearsing God's Just Kingdom, Stephen S. Wilbricht explores Searle's basic conviction that liturgy represents, rehearses, and forms in its participants the essential commitments of the Christian community. Searle called for the church's liturgy to be embraced as a rehearsal that is performed over and over, again and again, until it is practiced perfectly in the kingdom of heaven. In an age when so much depends on instant gratification and in which institutional commitment is often held in contempt, Searle's thinking provides an avenue for liturgical renewal that hinges upon a respect for and trust in ritual forms and behavior.

With the dominance of psychotherapeutic theories and methods in the field of pastoral theology, the typical pastoral encounter has been understood to be a private conference in which a pastor addresses a sufferer’s thoughts and emotions. What results is a kind of dualism that is contrary to a historically Christian affirmation of—and concern for—the body. The phenomenon of moral injury further problematizes this model of pastoral care in part due to a greater awareness that trauma is imprinted as much in the body as in the mind. Re-embodying Pastoral Theology uses the problem of moral injury in veterans to propose a pastoral theology that recognizes ritual as the means by which the Christian community addresses the body in pastoral care. In advancing this new approach to “ritual care,” the author draws from the fields of psychology, ritual studies, liturgical studies, and historical theology, as well as the experiences of veterans throughout history. This book endeavors to re-think the Christian approach to moral injury and re-embody the field of pastoral theology.

This book has a target audience of scholars working in Practical Theology, especially scholars interested in the functioning of attitudes, cognition, and remembrance. In understanding this book, it will be vital to realize that the author is connecting liturgy's face, interface, and outlook to the concepts of attitude, cognition, and remembrance. The book embarks on the importance of a liturgy that should connect with everyday life and a liturgy that enables its participants to make divulgences that can enhance its meaningfulness to its participants. This book is directed to an audience interested in an interdisciplinary approach to liturgics, liturgists in congregations and people concerned with liturgy's meaningfulness.

Whether the issue of the day on Twitter, Facebook, or cable news is our sexuality, political divides, or the perceived conflict between faith and science, today’s media pushes each one of us into a frustrating clash between two opposing sides. Polarizing, us-against-them discussions divide us and distract us from thinking clearly and communicating lovingly with others. Scott Sauls, like many of us, is weary of the bickering and is seeking a way of truth and beauty through the conflicts. Jesus Outside the Lines presents Jesus as this way. Scott shows us how the words and actions of Jesus reveal a response that does not perpetuate the destructive fray. Jesus offers us a way forward—away from harshness, caricatures, and stereotypes. In Jesus Outside the Lines, you will experience a fresh perspective of Jesus, who will not (and should not) fit into the sides.

As leaders in the faith community, the parish staff are to guide the faithful to embrace their baptismal call to make Christ tangibly present in the world. To support parish administrative staff, this resource presents an examination of the communal nature of baptism by author Stephen S. Wilbricht, CSC, concrete examples from pastoral ministers of ways discipleship is lived out, and seven short prayer services that reflect on aspects of baptism.

Throughout this e-book, Fr. Stephen S. Wilbricht, csc, emphasizes the link between Baptism and death, assisting Christians in grasping who we are called to be in this life as disciples and who we are promised to become in eternal life as saints. As the author points out the centrality of baptismal identity to the funeral liturgy, he makes apparent that the union established at Baptism continues until all reach Christ. Such an appreciation for life in the Body of Christ will help the community recognize both their responsibilities at the death of a member and the union that remains with that member as all journey to the divine. Wilbricht explores the Church’s theology of Baptism and death, and provides pastoral suggestions that will encourage communities to carry out their commitment to care for the grieving and bury the dead.

How does the Bible form our worship practices? How does liturgy incorporate the Bible? The Liturgy and Life Study Bible explores these questions and provides answers for today’s church. This indispensable guide includes essays from the world’s top liturgical and biblical scholars on a variety of subjects, including Jewish liturgical traditions, Psalms as liturgical prayer, early church worship, social justice, sacraments, the Last Supper, and more. Throughout the biblical text, brief comments flag passages that contain something of liturgical or personal prayer interest. A correlation chart highlights the intersection between biblical passages and the Catholic liturgy, listing every place where a verse of the Bible appears in any liturgical book: the Missal, the orders of sacramental rites, even the Roman Gradual and the Martyrology. This one-of-a-kind tool will serve researchers, catechists, preachers, and anyone studying the Bible for the purposes of prayer and meditation. Uses the New American Bible, Revised Edition. Cover art by Jan Richardson. Includes eight full color map images.