The Eucharist should not be limited to the congregation that gathers to hear the word of God and proclaim its faith. It is, first of all, the active presence of the sacrifice of Christ, who gathers us together and lets us partake of his divine life through his body and blood in Communion. Christians are always hoping to find helpful ways to contemplate the eucharistic mystery in all its fullness, and this set of meditations by Father Raniero Cantalamessa - presented by him in the presence of Pope John Paul II - is written in a simple and warm style and nourished by Scripture and the teachings of the Church Fathers from both the East and the West. These meditations answer the needs of all who hope to experience the radiant and radiating Eucharist that shines into their hearts and into the life of the Church.

"Sacrifice and presence are central aspects of the Church's faith in the eucharist. Both questions are complex in theology and have, over centuries, especially since the sixteenth century, been the occasion of much dispute. What is the Christian meaning of sacrifice? How is the eucharistic sacrifice related to the unique sacrifice of Christ? ..... [from back cover]

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, preacher to the papal household for over forty years, graciously accepted Pope Francis’s invitation to lead a six-day retreat for the bishops of the United States in January 2019. Shepherds and Fishermen contains the reflections and meditations that guided this gathering, presented in an accessible format for groups and individuals seeking spiritual and ministerial inspiration. Shepherds and Fishermen lifts up the words of Mark 3:14: “He appointed twelve . . . that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach.” Reflections and meditations offered in lectio divina, homilies, and liturgies focus on what it means to “be with Jesus” while also “going forth to preach.” Retreatants will reflect upon the ways their ministry is dependent upon both personal sanctification and pastoral activity. The twenty-six scripturally based and culturally relevant meditations make Shepherds and Fishermen an ideal companion for a self-directed retreat or a prolonged spiritual exercise. As Jesus’s call to be shepherds of sheep and fishers of men is addressed to every baptized person, the wisdom shared in this book will be treasured by bishops, priests, deacons, religious, candidates, and seminarians, as well as laity who wish to deepen their spiritual lives.

A child begs her father to take her to the baseball game, where she roots for the home team and eats peanuts and Cracker Jack.

Based firmly on Scripture and Church teachings, The Basic Book of the Eucharist will help you understand what means to receive Communion worthily.

Just outside the realm of visibility, the sacraments of the Church lie ready to effect real change in our lives. We need only to let them in. In Holiness and Living the Sacramental Life, Fr. Philip-Michael Tangorra lays out the mystical and invisible realities that are present during the celebration of the sacraments and explains how they can lead us to living ever more in tune with God. Read how the sacraments aren’t empty ceremonies, but rather powerful, effective signs that bring grace crashing through the cosmos and into our world. See how beauty—expressed in art, music, and architecture—can bring us deeper into the mysteries of God. Fr. Tangorra teaches the average Catholic how to abandon a lukewarm spirituality and start living a sacramental existence, allowing God to imbue life with a constant sense of union and communion with the divine.

These two moving studies by the eminent Orthodox theologian and sophiologist Father Sergei Bulgakov are remarkable in many ways. The first is a unique consideration--from the point of view of Eastern Christianity--of the Holy Grail, the chalice used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch the blood and water as it flowed from Jesus' side when it was pierced on the Cross by the spear of Longinus. This moment is described in John 19:34. Bulgakov's essay is a "dogmatic exegesis" of this passage in which, with astounding passion and precision, he reveals that the Earth itself and hence the human universe is the Grail wherein Christ lives forever. The second essay is also unique--the most important contribution to eucharistic theology by an Orthodox theologian. In the West, the meaning of the Communion bread and wine as the Christ's Body and Blood has been interpreted largely in philosophical terms deriving from Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. Bulgakov insists on a christological and Gospel-based interpretation, one with tremendous significance for our understanding of the supernatural and sophianic nature of a world interpenetrated by the divine. This little book is a priceless gift, enriching our understanding of the Christian mystery and two of its deepest aspects, the Grail and the Eucharist.