Stephen Cherry's Michael Ramsey Prize shortlisted Healing Agony argues that one of the most profound challenges a human being can ever face is how to forgive in the aftermath of injury, hurt or violation. This book explores the theology of forgiveness alongside a number of contemporary forgiveness stories in order to glean insights for those facing just this challenge. While God's forgiveness is revealed to be a simpler matter than is sometimes imagined, forgiveness between human beings is shown to be far more difficult, enigmatic and open-ended. This book offers a map of the rugged terrain that victims of serious harm, or those who seek to accompany them, will need to navigate if they embark on the venture of trust we call forgiveness. A Group Study guide for this title is available at http://religion.cherry.continuumbooks.com

How can we access the energy and wisdom needed to embark on the generous and healing venture of trust that we call forgiveness?

Topics of 18th century medical history covered include prenatal care, child care, epidemics, hospital care, surgery, venereal disease, spas and watering-places, psychiatric care (including "Bedlam"), quacks and quakery, medical care for the armed forces, seniors health, and death.

Participating in God claims that a doctrine of the Trinity cannot be developed in isolation from pastoral experience. It is not sufficient to view the persons of the Trinity as offering a mere example for human relationships; actual participation in this triune communication shapes both our knowledge of God and the pastoral practices that flow from it. Paul S. Fiddes develops a radical understanding of the "persons" in God as nothing other than relations, or as movements of divine relationship into which we are drawn. This important new book engages in conversation with recent thought about the Trinity in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox theology. But it does so always through theological reflection on pastoral concerns. Fiddes brings the doctrine of the Trinity into dialogue with key issues, including the relation of the individual to community, the nature of power and authority, the effect of intercessory prayer, the problems of suffering, the power of forgiveness, the threat of death, the use of spiritual gifts, and the living of a sacramental life. Participating in God is essential reading for all those interested in Christian doctrine and pastoral care.

Nothing destroys trust like sexual betrayal. Beyond broken vows, a woman who discovers that the man she loves has been viewing pornography or having an affair must deal with devastating blows to her self-image and self-worth. She must grapple with the fact that the man she thought she knew has lied and deceived her. She may even bear the brunt of shame and judgment when the people around her find out. Drawing from her experience both as a marriage and family therapist and a woman who personally experienced the devastation of sexual betrayal, Dr. Sheri Keffer walks women impacted by betrayal through the pain and toward recovery. She explains how the trauma of betrayal affects our minds, bodies, spirits, and sexuality. She offers practical tools for dealing with emotional triggers and helps women understand the realities of sexual addiction. And she shows women how to practice self-care, develop healthy boundaries, protect themselves from abuse or manipulation, and find freedom from the burden of shame and guilt.

Time doesn’t heal—love heals When Vonnie Woodrick lost her husband Rob to suicide in 2003, she was faced with a series of decisions. How would she move on? How would she support and raise her three children as a young widow? How would she talk about Rob and honor his memory? These questions had no easy answers, but Vonnie found herself longing for one thing in particular: understanding. The stigma of mental illness loomed large over Rob’s death and made healing difficult. But Vonnie found the common assumptions surrounding suicide to be false. Rob was not “crazy.” He did not choose to take his own life. He was in agony and only wanted the pain to end. His death was a direct result of his mental illness. Why didn’t more people understand this? Over a decade later, Vonnie and her children created the nonprofit organization i understand to help others enduring this same grief and loneliness. Since its founding in 2014, i understand has become a haven of compassionate comfort and a powerful voice in the movement to change the way we talk about suicide so that it can be seen for what it truly is: a terminal effect of mental illness, rather than a deliberate choice. This is the story of how love transformed Vonnie’s brokenness into hope—not only for herself and her family, but for anyone struggling to emerge from the darkness of suicide.

In a very practical way, Fr. Dwight Longenecker invites you to consider how each of the events in the lives of Jesus and Mary, represented by the mysteries of the Rosary, corresponds to an event or stage in your own life. Through stories, reflections, and prayerful meditations, you will uncover areas where you may need Christ’s healing touch, and learn how to take them to him in prayer through Our Lady. Learn to pray the Rosary for inner healing and discover a new life in Christ that is radiant, abundant, and free.