Christ Our Morning Star

The Church's ancient hymn of Easter praise addresses Christ as the Morning Star-an image that heralds the hope of a new day. Sr Magdalen Lawler has presented a moving reflection on the Scriptural and artistic depth within 16 of Sieger Köder's paintings. This book offers a wealth of scriptural and artistic insight into the work of a contemporary iconic painter. When the Church's ancient hymn of Easter praise addresses Christ as the Morning Star, it refers to a natural phenomenon that occurs when the planet Venus appears in the east before sunrise. Sometimes it seems to be the sun as it rises in the sky. This image of the morning star brings hope of a new day and a new dawn. The morning star sheds a peaceful and gentle light which heralds the sun's rays. In this image we see Christ, himself, First-born of the Father, who brings his peace and hope to our darkened world. He shelters us from the rays of the sun and introduces us to the light in a gentle and tender manner through his simple birth of a mother chosen from our midst.

Today, creation is in distress, human beings hurt one another with increasing violence, and church communities use numbers—head counts and dollars—to measure faithfulness. Yet the health of soul, community, and creation are so intricately interwoven that we cannot have one healthy without the others. Rising with the Morning Star invites us to move out of the depths of ashes to the heights of Easter, where we can experience the heart and wholeness of all. In this journey, we travel with and toward Christ, the Morning Star, and so participate in God's abundant healing of soul, community, and creation. Includes a complete leader's study guide.

Since February 22, 1991, the Virgin Mary has blessed the authors with almost daily intercessions. This edition is the first half of a 1,600-page diary kept by the authors of their supernatural experiences and prophetic messages.