Ascetic Lives Of Mothers

Annalisa Boyd knows motherhood--its challenges, its joys, and its potential for spiritual growth. In this prayer book she offers a wide selection of prayers mothers can use to intercede for their families as well as to grow in virtue themselves.

You're never too young to be one of God's "special agents"--the people He uses to accomplish His will in the world. In this prayer book written especially for middle-grade children, the author of the popular teen prayer book Hear Me uses the examples of special agents of the past--the saints--to encourage children to serve God here and now. In addition to morning and evening prayers, prayers for special needs, and psalms to pray, Special Agents of Christ includes "training drills" on preparing for confession, understanding the Liturgy and the clergy's vestments, and more.

In The Forgotten Desert Mothers, Laura Swan introduces readers to the sayings, lives, stories, and spirituality of women in the early Christian desert and monastic movement, from the third century on. In doing so, she finally sets the record straight that women played an important and influential role in early Christianity, indeed a role that has been long overshadowed by men. She begins with an exploration of the historical context and spirituality of the desert ascetics. Then she weaves together the sayings of the major desert ammas, or mothers, along with commentary that invites readers to reflect on their own spiritual journey as they share their wisdom. The book then journeys between desert, monastery and city to reveal the stories of ascetics and solitaries whose stories are rarely heard, organized in the author's own alphabetical collection. The Forgotten Desert Mothers demonstrates, like no other work, that women have long had a history of leadership in Christianity. This engaging, eye-opening, and insightful work targets all faith seekers looking to reclaim the history and spirituality of the women who came before them, as well as to understand their own inner journey. It will be a welcome addition to courses on early church history, women's studies, and religious studies.

The very popular prayerbook for Orthodox youth, Hear Me, has now been revised to include more prayers, answer more questions, and tackle additional difficult subject matter that our young people are constantly faced with. At 4" x 6" the prayerbook is designed to fit their lifestyles better, in a trim and smaller new volume that is both handsome to carry and easy to slip into a pocket, purse, or backpack. The mission of Hear Me remains the same: to inspire young people to pray, to challenge Orthodox youth in their walk with Christ, to offer encouragement, help answer questions, give direction, and ultimately be an added guide in finding one's own path toward theosis.

Many of the institutions fundamental to the role of men and women in society today were formed in late antiquity. This path-breaking study offers a comprehensive look at how Christian women of this time initiated alternative, ascetic ways of living, both with and without men. The author studies how these practices were institutionalized, and why later they were either eliminated or transformed by a new Christian Roman elite of men we now think of as the founding fathers of monasticism. - ;Situated in a period that witnessed the genesis of institutions fundamental to this day, this path-breaking study offers a comprehensive look at how ancient Christian women initiated ascetic ways of living, and how these practices were then institutionalized. Using the organization of female asceticism in Asia Minor and Egypt as a lever, the author demonstrates that - in direct contrast to later conceptions - asceticism began primarly as an urban movement. Crucially, it also originated with men and women living together, varying the model of the family. The book then traces how, in the course of the fourth century, these early organizational forms underwent a transformation. Concurrent with the doctrinal struggles to redefine the Trinity, and with the formation of a new Christian --eacute--;lite, men such as Basil of Caesarea changed the institutional configuration of ascetic life in common: they emphasized the segregation of the sexes, and the supremacy of the rural over urban models. At the same time, ascetics became clerics, who increasingly used female saints as symbols for the role of the new ecclesiastical elite. Earlier, more varied models of ascetic life were either silenced or condemned as heretical; and those who had been in fact their reformers became known as the founding fathers of monasticism. -

"Introduces the reader to the lives, sayings, and stories of the fourth- and fifth-century women who were foundational members of the early Christian community in the Mediterranean region; invites readers to explore their own spiritual journeys"--Provided by publisher.

This book provides a wide range of information, both theoretical and practical, about the Orthodox Christian priests wife as she shares her husbands ministry. It will be valuable to the wives of priests and seminarians a diverse group of women from different Orthodox jurisdictions as well as clergy, parishioners, and others interested in learning more about them.

While books about the lives of women in church history are abundant, in this book Simonetta Carr focuses on the important questions they asked—relevant both in the past and today. Throughout church history, women like you (single, married, mothers, and grandmothers, with careers both in and outside their homes) have carefully considered theological issues and asked intelligent and penetrating questions, faithfully seeking the answers in Scripture. You will be encouraged through “Food for Thought” sections at the end of each chapter to consider their questions, raise your own, and discuss them with others. Join your sisters from the church of all ages in taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ! Table of Contents: 1. Marcella of Rome (ca. 325–410): “How Do I Understand the Scriptures?” 2. Macrina the Younger (ca. 330–379): “Should a Christian Live Separate from the World?” 3. Monica of Tagaste (ca. 331−387): “Will My Son Be Lost?” 4. Dhuoda of Uzès (ca. 800–843): “How Can I Nurture a Distant Son?” 5. Kassia (ca. 810–865): “The Fullness of My Sin Who Can Explore?” 6. Christine de Pizan (1364–1430): “Is Woman a Defect of Creation?” 7. Argula Von Grumbach (1492–1554): “Should We Speak against Injustice?” 8. Elizabeth Aske Bowes (ca. 1505–1572): “How Can I Be Sure I Am Saved?” 9. Renée of France (1510–1575): “Should We Pray for God’s Enemies?” 10. Giulia Gonzaga (1513–1566): “How Can I Find Peace of Conscience?” 11. Olympia Morata (1526–1555): “What Can I Do if My Husband Neglects Me?” 12. Charlotte de Bourbon (1546–1582): “What Should I Consider in a Marriage Proposal?” 13. Charlotte Arbaleste Duplessis-Mornay (1550–1606): “Does God Care about Hairstyles?” 14. Dorothy Leigh (d. 1616): “What Should a Mother Teach Her Sons?” 15. Bathsua Makin (ca. 1600–1675): “Should Women Be Educated?” 16. Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672): “How Do I Know the True God Is the One Described in Scriptures?” 17. Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1618–1680): “Are Mind and Body Separate?” 18. Lucy Hutchinson (1620–1681): “How Can We Trust God’s Providence?” 19. Mary White Rowlandson (ca. 1637–1711): “Why Am I Troubled?” 20. Anne Dutton (ca. 1692–1765): “Can Women Write about Theology?” 21. Kata Bethlen (1700–1759): “Can I Marry a Nonbeliever?” 22. Marie Durand (1711–1776): “Can I Be a Secret Christian?” 23. Anne Steele (1717–1778): “Must I Forever Mourn?” 24. Isabella Marshall Graham (1742–1814): “How Can I Help Neglected Families?” 25. Phillis Wheatley (ca. 1753–1784): “How Can I Not Oppose Tyranny?” 26. Ann Griffiths (1776–1805): “What Have I to Do with Idols?” 27. Betsey Stockton (ca. 1798–1865): “Are These the Beings with Whom I Must Spend the Remainder of My Life?” 28. Lydia Mackenzie Falconer Miller (1812–1876): “Can True Science Disagree with the Bible?” 29. Sarah Miller (d. 1801): “Can Christians Have Disturbing Thoughts?” 30. Anne Ross Cundell Cousin (1824–1906): “Can We Sing in Heaven if Our Loved Ones Are Missing?” 31. Jeanette Li (1899–1968): “Can the Church of Christ Be Destroyed?”