Romano Guardini
Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer
Where did you learn to pray?
At your mother's knee? From the nun or brother who taught your religion class? Has your understanding of prayer matured since then, or do you simply pray, year after year, as you were taught as a child?
No wonder most people have so many erroneous notions about prayer. No wonder our prayers are still far from what they should be!
This remarkable book offers practical ways you can improve your prayers today and grow closer to God. The topics include:
How to pray well even when your heart is empty
Determining the prayer schedule that's right for you
St. Francis of Assisi - the five words that gave this holy man an entire night of contemplation
The saints: why all Christians should pray to them - and with them!
Spontaneous prayer - why it can be less genuine than formal prayers
"Vague cosmic worship" - has it crept into your prayers?
The Rosary - just how much of it should you be saying?
The posture of prayer - should you pray sitting, standing, or kneeling? It makes a difference!
Family prayer: practical hints to make yours even better
The Psalms, adoration, liturgical prayer…and much more!
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Lord
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Meditations on the Christ: The Model of All Holiness
These pages don't tell you what Jesus did -- you know that already! Instead, they take you into the mind and heart of the Son of God in a way you may not have thought possible. You'll come to understand the inner logic of Jesus' ministry: why He did what He did, including puzzling aspects of His life -- ones that may trouble your mind and your faith.
You'll find out why Jesus' life had to take the course it took -- why He couldn't have been the earthly King many were expecting, and why He couldn't have conformed to the conventional ideas of a warrior, a hero, or even just a successful man.
You'll even see why He had to be abandoned by everyone -- including His disciples -- yet His Father remained close to Him then, just as He remains close to you now. Your new insight into why Jesus chose His particular paths then will illuminate the paths He is choosing for you now, for which you'll be filled with gratitude!
Let your newfound knowledge of Jesus blossom into joy as -- directed by these pages -- you open yourself to the One whose whole being will resound in your heart and will nourish your soul.
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Seven Gifts of the Spirit of the Liturgy: Centennial Perspectives on Romano Guardini's Landmark Work
Romano Guardini's The Spirit of the Liturgy "helped us to rediscover the liturgy in all its beauty, hidden wealth, and time-transcending grandeur, to see it as the animating center of the Church, the very center of Christian life.... We were now willing to see the liturgy as the prayer of the Church, a prayer moved and guided by the Holy Spirit himself, a prayer in which Christ unceasingly becomes contemporary with us, enters into our lives." -- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council wrote that liturgical reform and renewal must accord with what they called "the spirit of the liturgy". But what did they mean by this? Popes had written and spoken about this spirit in the decades before the council, but another important source is the 1918 book The Spirit of the Liturgy by Romano Guardini, which Pope Benedict XVI credits with sparking the liturgical movement in Germany.
The Seven Gifts of The Spirit of the Liturgy is a study of Guardini's watershed text. With contributions from Bishop Arthur Serratelli, Cassian Folsom, O.S.B., Michon Matthiesen, David Fagerberg, Daniel Cardó, Bishop James Conley, Emery de Gaál, and Susan Benofy, as well as Christopher Carstens, it analyzes each of the seven core features of the liturgical spirit as Guardini defined it: objective, corporate, universal, symbolic, meaningful, beautiful, and logical.
The Second Vatican Council saw each of these seven characteristics as integral to authentic liturgical reform. Too often they remain absent from liturgical celebrations even today, when subjectivism and individualism take the place of an objective, corporate spirit; when custom-made liturgies neglect the dimension of universality; when frivolous, anemic symbols stand in for a robust symbolism that truly manifests Christ; when beauty and seriousness fade into the background.
We hold back the spirit of the liturgy if we don't know what it is, if we don't desire it, and if we don't work to let it animate liturgical prayer and practice. For this reason, nine experts on the liturgy recall in this book Guardini's key spiritual insights, showing how these can deepen our liturgical understanding and practice today.
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Spirit of the Liturgy: Commemorative Edition (Special)
In honor of its fortieth anniversary (1978-2018), Ignatius Press presents a special Commemorative Edition of one of the most important works written by Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy.
This edition includes the earlier classic work with the same title by Servant of God Romano Guardini, a book that helped Ratzinger to "rediscover the liturgy in all its beauty, hidden wealth and time-transcending grandeur, to see it as the animating center of the Church, the very center of Christian life".
Considered by Ratzinger devotees as one of his greatest works, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the liturgy will help readers to deepen their understanding of the"great prayer of the Church". The cardinal discusses fundamental misunderstandings of the Second Vatican Council's intentions for liturgical renewal, especially about the priest's orientation of prayer to the Father, the placement of the tabernacle in churches, and the posture of kneeling.
Other important topics are the essence of worship, the Jewish roots of Christian prayer, the relationship of the liturgy to time and space, sacred art and music, and the active participation of the faithful in the Mass.
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Standing Strong: Good Discipline Makes Great Teens
With wit and wisdom, Dr. Ray Guarendi gives parents the tools they need not only to navigate the teen years but also to enjoy them. Teens are "full of life, enthusiasm, energy, and laughter," Dr. Ray asserts, in defiance of a culture that conditions us to expect a far gloomier reality. Too often, the world tells parents to be content with mediocrity instead of the prospect of raising respectful and responsible children with strong character.
In a lively question-and-answer format, Dr. Ray unpacks issues ranging from sibling relationships and peer pressure to curfews and chores to overcoming backtalk and teaching your kids to avoid drugs. He equips parents to give their teens a safer, more stable adolescence and help them develop virtues for a lifetime. If you feel as if you've been a weak disciplinarian, Dr. Ray explains that "there are . . . critical reasons to reverse your parenting, even if it seems late." He offers practical approaches such as:
You will also learn four key sayings for communicating more effectively with your teens. In addition, you will find out specific ways to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in your kids. Most significantly, you will learn how to help your children treat you with respect, so that they will develop this habit in their relationships with others as well. As you grow in becoming a stronger parent with calm, loving resolve, you will learn how to foster quality time with your teens and have real fun together.
This book is wise, perceptive, and laugh-out-loud funny. Dr. Ray uses his trademark humor-with-a-dash-of-sarcasm to give those parents who are barely treading water some good, sound, logical advice to change the tone and tenor of their households for the better.
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