Miscellaneous

The stirring sequel to Father Michael Gaitley's 33 Days to Morning Glory -- published just in time for the Jubilee Year of Mercy!

In the world of work, the single greatest asset of successful individuals, teams, and organizations is their mindset--what happens in between their ears. It's not the corporate strategy, the sales compensation plan, or the market segments they're pursuing. It is what each leader, team member, and employee chooses to focus on, believe, and create for themselves and others.

7 Principles of Transformational Leadership presents the fundamental concepts whose implementation will result in dramatic revenue, performance, and relationship growth. Specifically, leaders will learn to:

Live their professional and personal lives with unbridled purpose and passion.

Execute strategic priorities more effectively and with accelerated results.

Retain the brightest and best talent.

Have employees, key stakeholders, and managers enthusiastically follow them.

Be exemplars of innovation, growth, and positive mindsets.

Cascade excellence throughout their organizations.

You may have employees with all the talent in the world, but you'll never achieve remarkable results until you change your employees' mindset. 7 Principles of Transformational Leadership will help you convert your human potential into accelerated business results.

Many have called the psalms a 'school of prayer' and indeed St. Augustine in his Confessions wrote that the psalms could be a stepping stone to deeper conversation with God. These ancient words from Scripture mirror our own thoughts and emotions--celebration and praise, suffering and lament, gratitude and asking for help--as relevant today as when they were first sung in the Temple.

Fr. Martin Shannon brings deep teaching as well as the personal encounter of someone who has chanted and studied the Psalms for years. Each reflection is on one psalm, offering a meditation on its meaning and how it connects to our lives, followed by a word from one of the ancient church fathers and a prayer. There is a reflection for each of the forty-seven days from Ash Wednesday to Easter that reflect the various twists and turns on the Lenten journey.

Readers will discover the power of the psalms to inspire their own Lenten journey towards Easter.

A true treasure of spiritual insights, this little booklet contains the remarkable meditations on the Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane by Blessed Padre Pio, the stigmatist priest. One of his few writings, the booklet also includes many pictures of Blessed Padre Pio from throughout his ministry. Padre Pio's beautiful and descriptive manner of writing provide a wonderful spiritual insight into that last night of Jesus' human life.

Excerpt:

"Jesus has returned to His place of prayer, and another picture, more terrible than the first, presents itself to Him. All our sins with their entire ugliness parade before Him in every detail. He must clothe Himself with this entire unclean mass of human corruption and present Himself before the sanctity of His Father, to expiate everything with individual pains, to render Him all that glory of which they have robbed Him, to cleanse that human cesspool in which man wallows with contemptible indifference.

And all this does not make Him retreat. As a raging sea this mass inundates Him, enfolds Him, oppresses Him. Behold Him before His Father the God of Justice, facing the full penalty of divine justice. He, the essence of purity, sanctity by nature, in contact with sin, indeed, as if He Himself had become a sinner! Who can fathom the disgust that He feels in His innermost spirit? The horror He feels? The nausea, the contempt He senses so vividly? And having taken all upon Himself, nothing excepted, He is crushed by this immense weight, oppressed, thrown down, prostrated. Exhausted, He groans beneath the weight of Divine Justice, before His Father, Who has permitted His Son to offer Himself as a Victim for sin, as one accursed."

Stories sell products. But why? More importantly, how can you construct a story that captures a customer's emotions, gets them to ignore your competition, and keeps them riveted to your storyline for a lifetime?

The answer is centuries old, and author Joseph G. Burke details how these stories began and how he applied them as a marketing executive at two of Forbes Top 25 Most Inspiring Companies in America.

Angels are all around us. They are not fairy-tale creatures or New Age sprites but powerful beings created by God to reflect his light. And while we often are not aware of them, the angels are deeply interested in us. In Angels: Our Guardians in Spiritual Battle, moral theologian, author, and speaker Msgr. Brian Bransfield teaches us how to recognize the angels present in our lives.

Drawing on Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Msgr. Bransfield shows how the angels -- the good angels who serve God and the evil angels who fell with Lucifer -- influence us in powerful ways. The evil angels are insidious as they seek to lure us into sin and away from God. The good and holy angels help us combat the wiles of the demons and accompany us on our mission of sharing Christ with the world. They serve as God's humble yet powerful messengers and our guardians in the wilderness of this life, strengthening us against temptation. Ultimately, they lead us to the glory of the Resurrection so that we might share the victory of Jesus over sin and death.

-Too many books are published today with too little rigor. This is a book that has been rigorously researched and written. In a world that often seems full of the shallow and superficial, it is deep and filled with important insights. It is not for everyone, but those that make the effort will be richly rewarded. Matthew Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Rediscover Catholicism -Mark Kyriakos has written a book on Bible prophecy that is most unique among Catholic scholars today. It is thoroughly biblical and Catholic. It is both scholarly and approachable to read for a serious student of Scripture. I welcome it as a fresh offering at a time when we usually read treatments of this topic from a predominantly non-Catholic perspective. John Michael Talbot, Founder and Minister General of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity -It's impossible to understand the whole range of God's plan - and indeed, the Gospel message itself - without an understanding of the Second Coming and Final Judgment. I am grateful for the immense work that Mark Kyriakos has put into this book and for his effort to make these valuable resources available to a wider audience. Ralph Martin, S.T.D. President, Renewal Ministries

What does it mean in practice to be a values-based leader? When faced with real situations, how can you be your best self and create best teams--while also being a best partner with customers and vendors, a best investment for your stakeholders, and a best citizen making a difference in the world? It's a tall order, but these are the expectations for world-class organizations today.

In his bestselling book From Values to Action, Harry Kraemer showed how self-reflection, balance, true self-confidence, and genuine humility are the traits of today's most effective leaders. In Becoming the Best, his highly anticipated follow-up, Kraemer reveals how, in practical terms, anyone can apply these principles to become a values-based leader and to help create values-based organizations.

Drawing on his own experiences as the former CEO and chairman of Baxter International, as well as those of other notable leaders and organizations, Kraemer lays out a pathway for understanding the principles and putting them into practice, showing specifically, how to:

Use self-reflection to become your best self as you lead yourself and others more effectively

Create a best team that understands and appreciates what they're doing, and why

Forge best partnerships through win/win collaboration with vendors and customers that enhance the end user's experience Support the mission, vision, and values of the organization to generate returns that distinguish a best investment

Make a difference in the world beyond the organization by becoming a best citizen

Powerful case studies from Campbell's Soup, Ernst & Young, Target, Northern Trust, and many others demonstrate the four principles of values-based leadership in action and show how thinking beyond the corporation can trigger positive outcomes for both the company and the world.

Regardless of level or job title, individuals can make a difference in their organization and beyond by embodying the essential traits of a great leader. Becoming the Best offers a definitive, actionable guide to show anyone how to apply in practice the principles of values-based leadership personally and professionally, making it an indispensable manual for the new wave of better leaders.

All of Harry's proceeds from the book sales are donated to the One Acre Fund in Africa.

This complete translation, approved by the Episcopal Conference in Mexico and with the authority of the Episcopal Conferences in Columbia and Chile, is from the original text and offers ample introductions, useful notes, maps, chronological events, and a Bible Dictionary. It's pastoral character makes it an excellent choice for lay people.

Celebrate A Season of Renewal and Reflection

The theme of bitterness runs through the Bible as a sour reminder of sin's presence in our world--yet it's because of this bitterness that Jesus' grace is so sweet and satisfying. As we learn to turn from our vices and crave real beauty, goodness, and truth through the pursuit of virtues, we grow nearer to God and become more like who He made us to be.

From Tsh Oxenreider, bestselling author of Shadow and Light: A Journey into Advent, arrives a devotional to help you meditate and rejoice in the transcendent miracle of Easter. You will...

uncover what it means to participate in the liturgical traditions of Lent, from fasting to almsgiving

experience artwork and music that illuminate the impact--both personal and global--of Jesus's death and resurrection

contemplate the wonder of Christ's redemption of all humankind, especially as this time of introspection reveals your human limitations

Starting on Ash Wednesday and leading you all the way through Holy Week, Bitter and Sweet is an invitation to better understand Jesus's sacrifice as you delight in His ultimate love for you.

In this third book in the Old and New series, author Maura Roan McKeegan recounts how all the world spoke one language--until the people of Shinar became too proud, and the Lord came down from heaven and confused their words. What can undo the chaos? And how will Pentecost help God's children understand one another again? Building the Way to Heaven helps young readers to see God's plan of salvation unfold within the stories of the Tower of Babel and Pentecost.

See biblical typology--the Old Testament people, symbols, and events that foreshadow the New Testament--come to life in Building the Way to Heaven. Recommended for ages 7 and up.

About the Author
Maura Roan McKeegan grew up in Potomac, Maryland, and now lives in Steubenville, Ohio, with her husband Shaun and their four children. Her articles have appeared in publications such as Franciscan Way, Guideposts, Lay Witness, and My Daily Visitor. She is the author of the award-winning Old and New Series.

About the Illustrator
Ted Schluenderfritz is the illustrator of several books including A Life of Our Lord for Children, The Book of Angels, and Darby O'Gill and the Good People. He is a freelance graphic designer and the art director for Catholic Digest and Gilbert Magazine. He lives in Littleton, Colorado with his wife Rachel and their six children. You can view more of his work at www.5sparrows.com.

About the Series

What do the Old and New Testaments have in common? To answer this question, Maura Roan McKeegan presents biblical typology for children. Taking familiar stories from the Old and New Testaments and placing them side by side, children can easily understand at an early age what St. Augustine meant when he said that "the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New."