The Spirituality Of Bread

This book is about bread -- why we make it, how we make it, what it has to teach us, the memories it gives us. Bread offers connections -- as Jesus connected with is friends; as we connect with our children; as Demeter, the goddess of grain, bound herself to her daughter. People of every culture are tied together by the breads they bake. Bread helps us to remember who we are and whom we love. Bread gives us calm. It is the opposite of fast food. You cannot make bread in ten minutes and the slow work of kneading and shaping and meditating heals our over-schedules lives. In this beautifully and lavishly illustrated book -- you can almost smell the aroma of fresh-baked bread -- Donna Sinclair shares recipes and memories, stories and ideas about precious loaves that stir memory and bring pleasure. You can make your own bread (and memories) with this book; or simply contemplate the wisdom of the stories found within as you visit your local baker or make morning toast.

By examining the Biblical customs connected with food, Juengst discovers new meaning in familiar passages and presents six theological themes related to food and feasting. Palmer says that Juengst shows "how food is woven as intricately as faith into the entire fabric of our lives".

The Linns' simplification of the Ignatian examination of conscience is a way to find daily direction, experience emotional and spiritual growth and grow closer to both God and one's inner self.

A riveting memoir about one woman's journey into Syria under the Baathist regime and an unexpected love story between two strangers searching for meaning. When Stephanie Saldaña arrives in Damascus, she is running away from a broken heart and a haunted family history that she has crossed the world to escape. Yet as she moves into a tumbling Ottoman house in the heart of the Old City, she is unprepared for the complex world that awaits her: an ancient capital where Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians, Alawites, Kurds, and Palestinian and Iraqi refugees share a fragile co-existence. Soon she is stumbling through the Arabic language, fielding interviews from the secret police, and struggling to make the city her own. But as the political climate darkens and the war in neighboring Iraq threatens to spill over, she flees to an ancient Christian monastery carved into the desert cliffs, where she is forced to confront the life she left behind. Soon she will meet a series of improbable teachers: an iconoclastic Italian priest, a famous female Muslim sheikh, a wounded Iraqi refugee, and Frédéric, a young French novice monk who becomes her best friend. What follows is a tender story of a woman falling in love: with God, with her own life, with a country on the brink of chaos, and with a man she knows she can never have. Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, The Bread of Angels celebrates the hope that appears even in war, the surprising places we can call home, and the possibility of true love.

When beloved author Henri Nouwen set out to record this daybook of totally new reflections, he suddenly found himself on "a true spiritual adventure." For in these 366 original, interlocking morsels of daily wisdom, Nouwen provides both sustenance and a trail for us to follow, as he unveils, to his own surprise, his personal map of faith. From the delicate interplay of human experience to the surrender to Christ and the embrace of Christian community, that journey of Christian spirituality is explored and celebrated here in each eloquent, thought–provoking passage, "The table is one of the most intimate places in our lives. It is there that we give ourselves to one another. When we say, 'Take some more, let me serve you another plate, let me pour you another glass, don't be shy, enjoy it,' we say a lot more than our words express. We invite our friends to become part of our lives. We want them to be nurtured by the same food and drink that nurture us. We desire communion.... Every breakfast, lunch, or dinner can become a time of growing communion with one another." Intimately personal and inspiring, Bread for the Journey is a daily feast of fresh insight into the challenges and deep joys of a life lived in close communion with God. Nouwen is a wise, loving companion who invites us along as he finds joy in the community of loss, true freedom in forgiveness of others, and hope in surprising places. Each daily meditation is a stepping–stone along a path of private discovery, offering Nouwen's seasoned yet fresh ideas on kindness, love, suffering, and prayer, the Church as God's people, and the importance of Jesus in one's life–reflecting, as a whole, Nouwen's own 'personal creed.' Bread for the Journey brims with daily nourishment and guidance for devoted followers and new friends alike –– food for thought on a yearlong journey of discovery and faith.

Food plays a remarkable role in the daily routine of our lives. Whether we make time to eat with our families, or hit the drive-through on the way to doing something else, food and how we approach it has the extraordinary power to unite us with others and nurture our connection to the Divine.

Hear Christ speak to you like never before. My Daily Bread is a series of short, daily reflections on the spiritual life. Written with loving care by Father Anthony Paone, this devotional will strengthen your love for Christ and his teachings. Written as a dialogue with Christ himself, Father Paone leads the reader through the three ways of the spiritual life: Purification, Imitation, and Union. Arranged for daily reflection, this pocket-sized book is an indispensible guide to the spiritual life. My Daily Bread overflows with reflections and prayers specifically designed to help you grow in the spiritual life and overcome failings, including: • How to cultivate, recognize, and follow your conscience (p. 18) • A contemplation of the Four Last Things that will help keep our focus on the eternal (p.25) • The power of prayer as the first remedy to temptation (p. 99) • A detailed guide on how to conquer a host of bad habits (p. 153) • How to overcome our fear of suffering and instead embrace it as Christ embraced it (p. 203) • How to live for Christ daily through spiritual reading, prayer, overcoming distractions, and cultivating devotions • Achieving union with Christ through the Eucharist (p. 382) • And much more… Each daily reflection begins with Jesus speaking directly to you, kindly, patiently, and with great love. The next part of the reflection asks you to consider the truths presented in the words of Jesus. The final part consists of a prayer asking for God for the help to receive His wisdom and use it fruitfully in your life. With more than one million copies sold, My Daily Bread is a true Christian classic. It's simple, yet carefully crafted daily reflections have led thousands to a drastically improved interior life and a deeper love for Christ. A portion of the proceeds from every purchase of this Confraternity of the Precious Blood title go directly to The Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood in Brooklyn, NY to support them in their vocation.