A work intended to uncover the basis of a pessimistic Christianity based on the concept of "original sin" and to recover a spirituality based on the original goodness or "original blessing" of creation.

"Getting the keys to the family car has been a symbol of independence ever since there were cars. You're not a kid anymore, and you can make your own choices - speed, route, direction, destination. It's a fantastic journey that can take you nearly anywhere, as long as you follow the signs. That's a lot like your spiritual life. You can take the wheel of your faith, get out there, and go. And just like a good road trip, your spiritual life can be full...

There are few works on the spiritual life in the West that can match the insight and sheer beauty of those of the sixteenth-century Spanish Carmelite, St. John of the Cross. A collaborator with St. Teresa of Avila in the reform movement that attempted to forge a new style of religious life, dedicated to recollection yet distinct from both the enthusiasm of the alumbrados and the sterility of the conventual Carmelites, John was no stranger to suffering....

They're cast in plaster or simpering on a holy card, performing miracles with superhero strength, or playing a harp in highest heaven. Yet they are very near to us in every way. Hahn dispels the false notions and urban legends people use to keep the saints at a safe distance. The truth is that Jesus Christ has united heaven and earth in a close communion. Drawing deeply from Scripture, Hahn shows that the hosts of heaven surround the earthly Church...

Following his critically acclaimed The Great Reformer, Austen Ivereigh's colorful, clear-eyed portrait of Pope Francis takes us inside the Vatican's urgent debate over the future of the church in Wounded Shepherd. This deeply contextual biography centers on the tensions generated by the pope's attempt to turn the Church away from power and tradition and outwards to engage humanity with God's mercy. Through battles with corrupt bankers and worldly...

"The activist, nun, and esteemed spiritual voice who has twice appeared on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday sounds the call to create a monastery within ourselves -- to cultivate wisdom and resilience so that we may join God in the work of renewal, restoration, and justice right where we are. "In every beating heart is a silent undercurrent that calls each of us to a place unknown, to the vision of a wiser life, to become what we feel we must be -- but cannot...

Visionary, mystic, poet, musician, naturalist, healer, theologian--the Rhineland nun Hildegard of Bingen (1078-1179) was a renaissance woman long before there was a Renaissance. Coming at a time when interest in Hildegard has never been greater, this book offers the finest representations of her writings in English available. Includes a brief biography. Illustrations.