Signs Of Devotion

Stories of familiar strangers with quiet yearnings for such things as a more meaningful vacation, greater intimacy, signs and symbols of acceptance, understanding, and love.

This volume is divided into four sections: late medieval devotion in the Netherlands; medieval Christian pilgrimage; the medieval cult of St. James the Great and Erasmiana. Variety and coherence sound the keynote in the title and the contents of the book. Religious concepts and expressions of religious faith such as pilgrimages and indulgences are representative of late-medieval Christianity. In this book they refer specifically to the medieval cult of St. James the Great, while for Erasmus they were an object of his critical consideration. The whole book can be read in the light of the debate about the tension between an appreciation for outward signs of faith, and the inward experience of religious belief, which Erasmus considered an absolute necessity.

Exploring the relation between popular religious participation and beliefs about God, human suffering, Jesus Christ and the church, this empirical-theological study offers the picture of a complementary relation between popular religiosity and official religion within Italian Catholicism.

Since 1968, Swami Paramatmananda Puri Has Lived The Life Of A Renunciate In India, Moving There At The Age Of Nineteen. It Has Been His Good Fortune To Have Kept The Company Of Many Saints And Sages Over The Years, Culminating In His Meeting With His Guru, Mata Amritanandamayi, Amma, In 1979. As One Of Her Senior Disciples, He Was Eventually Asked To Return To The U.S. To Serve As Head Of The First Ashram In The West, And Did So From 1990 To 2001. Many Of The Residents And Visitors To The Center Have Shared That One Of The High Points In Programs Were Swami’s Talks. With Wit And Humor, He Has Synthesized East And West And Created A Forum For Spiritual Learning. Contents: Divine Love, Part 2; Miracle Of Christ; Life And Death; Real Freedom; Path Of Knowledge; Who Crosses Maya; The Greatness Of Lord Shiva; Dispassion. Published By The Disciples Of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Affectionately Known As Mother, Or Amma The Hugging Saint.