Defending Hope is an inspiring collection of first-hand accounts by Palestinians and Israelis who movingly describe how their lives have been shaped by conflict and who are united by a common goal: to bring about a just peace for the land they call home. Time and again these human rights defenders choose love, non-violence and human connection over division and fear. Their stories will transport you to the olive groves near Bethlehem, the rubble of Gaza and into the law courts in Jerusalem. This book offers a hopeful counter-narrative in an otherwise bleak political landscape and celebrates the indomitable power of the human spirit in the midst of grave adversity. "These essays are voices of conscience which remind us that, in spite of so much suffering, the darkness is often pierced by the light of courageous Palestinian and Israeli human rights defenders. We take hope when we hear the voices of these extraordinary people." - Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and co-founder of the Community of Peace People "This inspirational work provides a much-needed reservoir of sanity, humanity and positivity to counter the forces of oppression and disrespect for the rule of law being displayed by major states on the world stage." Michael Mansfield QC, human rights barrister and member of the jury for the Russell Tribunal on Palestine and the judicial panel for the People's Tribunal on Iran "If there is to be peace in the Middle East it will be because human rights defenders have found hope in the face of the great adversity they face in their everyday work. This work gives us a glimpse of how that hope can be unearthed in these challenging times." - Michel Forst, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

"It was easy to love God in all that was beautiful. The lessons of deeper knowledge, though, instructed me to embrace God in all things."St Francis of Assisi In Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting Laura Kelly Fanucci sees the Catholic sacraments through the smudged and sticky lens of life with little ones. From dinner-time chaos to bath-time giggles to never-ending loads of laundry, Laura stumbles into the surprising truth of what the seven sacraments really mean: that God is present always, even in the messes of parenthood. A spiritual memoir of parenting’s early years and a sacramental theology rooted in family life, Everyday Sacrament offers an honest, humorous and hopeful look at ordinary moments as full of grace.

Daughter Zion's Trauma offers a new critical reading of the Book of Lamentations through the lens of trauma studies. Through structural analysis and use of the concept of non-referential history as a heuristic lens, Yansen yields fresh insights into the book’s form, language, and larger "historical" significance. Utilizing insights from study of the rhetorical dimensions of the trauma process in cultural trauma, this study asserts that Lamentations strategically adapts certain religious traditions to ensure the survival of those whose voices it echoes.

A study of a homily in praise of Saint Thomas, written in Syriac by a Catholic missionary. The homily, which is preserved in two manuscripts, is an important witness to the interaction between the Indian Syrian Christians and the Western Catholic missionaries.

‘Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God.’ St Faustina Mercy In All Things is a series of prayerful reflections based on the Diary of St Faustina, the Saint of Divine Mercy. Drawing on selected quotations from her Diary, these thoughtful and topical reflections provide an introduction to the prayer of this great saint, who dedicated her life to spreading the message of God’s love through devotion to the Merciful Jesus.

The official directory of the Church's hierarchy, this publication is a must for all who are actively involved in the Catholic Church in Ireland in 2018.A complete address and telephone guide to all Catholic parishes, convents and religious houses in the thirty-two counties of Ireland; Full details of the Irish Episcopate and its various commissions; Details of Catholic societies: addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and websites; Names and addresses of chaplains in universities, hospitals and prison; Information on retreat and pastoral centres; National Church statistics.

Biblical theology is confronted with tensions between love and justice. There are sometimes attempts to avoid these tensions by dissolving one side of the opposing concept. One such attempt is to identify love and mercy as the essence of Christian theology, overcoming law and reciprocal justice. However, such a dissolution is irresponsible not only ethically, but also theologically—as the discussion in a number of the studies collected in the present volume will demonstrate.

‘How beautiful to have the church always open, so that every tired wayfaring man may come in and be soothed by all that art can suggest of a better world when he is weary with this.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals, 1833 The history of Dublin is written in the bricks of its churches. In this book, readers will discover the churches that are part of the very fabric of the city and testify to its rich spiritual and architectural heritage. From grand medieval structures to modest edifices built down back alleys during penal times, A Walking Tour of Dublin Churches takes in such iconic Dublin landmarks as Christ Church Cathedral and St Patrick’s Cathedral, alongside lesser known gems like the Church of Adam & Eve and the Rotunda Chapel. The stories of these churches tell of invasion, repression, persecution and, above all, the enduring faith of the citizens of Dublin. This beautiful illustrated book, which includes a numbered map of Dublin, is an invaluable reference guide for locals and tourists seeking a better understanding of the city and its rich Christian heritage. ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR Artist Liam C. Martin (1934-98) was a respected visual chronicler of Dublin city’s changing face. A student of Harry Kernoff and Seán Keating, Martin’s distinctive pen and ink drawings were a regular feature in the Irish Times, the Irish Independent and the Dublin Evening Mail. His column ‘Know Your Dublin’ appeared in the Evening Herald from 1967 until his death in 1998.

Saint Francis, like Pope Francis today, believed love is the most important quality in life, especially love of God, of others and of the world around us. The Story of St Francis is a charmingly illustrated account of the beloved Italian saint who founded the Franciscan Friars and was renowned for showing kindness to all God’s creatures. We learn how illness and his time spent in prison affected Francis deeply and strengthened his relationship with God. We also discover how Francis devoted his life to helping the poor, his taming of the wolf of Gubbio and his great friendship with a noblewoman named Clare. The Story of St Francis teaches us to follow Francis by carrying out small acts of kindness every day to help our friends, our family, our neighbours and the natural world.

From Jael’s tent peg to Judith’s sword, biblical interpreters have long recognized the power of the "lethal women" stories of the Hebrew Bible and related literature. The tales of Jael and Judith, female characters who assassinate enemy commanders, have fascinated artists, writers, and scholars for centuries, no doubt partly because of the gender of the characters doing the killing. Tamber-Rosenau presents the first systematic study, both text-centered and deeply engaged with a variety of queer-theoretical frameworks, of the motif of the woman-turned-warrior in ancient Jewish literature. Through analysis from queer-theoretical perspectives and comparison with Ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman literature, Women in Drag shines new light on three strong female characters from the Hebrew Bible and the early days of Jewish literature.

Many people like to anchor their daily time of quiet prayer in a Scripture passage. One way of doing this is to reflect prayerfully on the Gospel reading for the following Sunday. In Journeying with Luke, Martin Hogan provides a series of engaging and thought-provoking reflections designed to help those who wish to study the Gospel reading during the liturgical year. These reflections examine the relevance of Luke’s Gospel for Christians today, and will appeal to both clergy and laity wishing to explore the Word of God in greater depth. The author is particularly interested in Luke’s unique handling of subjects that form the bedrock of Christianity, including the representation of Christ as a ‘compassionate saviour’ who champions the rights of the marginalised and dispossessed; the special place of women; the importance of prayer; and the role of the Holy Spirit.

"Father Peyton’s sense of his own mission led him to make a total commitment to his work, and he pursued that with a holy passion every moment of his life, even when he was resting and not working. He was totally engrossed in fulfilling his mission. It was his reason for being. " Mary Jane McQueen Mayo-born Fr Patrick Peyton became famous in the mid-twentieth century for championing the power of prayer with his mantra ‘the family that prays together stays together’ and for travelling the world with Family Rosary Crusades that attracted thousands of devotees. The Rosary Priest brings to life this devout and charismatic figure who became a household America where he produced hit radio shows and films that captivated tens of millions and starred such Hollywood luminaries as Bing Crosby, James Dean, Grace Kelly and Loretta Young. This wonderful biography explores Fr Peyton’s mission to share the gift of the Rosary with the world, a decision largely inspired by his astonishing recovery from tuberculosis as a young man, which he attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. This book celebrates a remarkable figure in Irish Catholicism who, from humble beginnings in a poor west of Ireland family, criss-crossed the globe converting millions to his simple message of family prayer.

Inspired by the publication of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ celebrated document exploring the joys and challenges of modern family life, 55 Ways to Connect with Families in your Parish is a timely guidebook for clergy and laypeople that provides thoughtful and practical ideas for involving families in the Church throughout the liturgical year. These imaginative yet accessible suggestions take in key events in the Christian calendar, from Advent and Christmas through to Lent and Easter, and also cover selected feast days and secular dates, as well as periods of particular relevance to children and families. The ideas included here, which incorporate prayers, scripture passages and thought-provoking excerpts from Amoris Laetitia, will inspire all those who help make parish life so spiritually rich and rewarding.

The Mindfulness Workout is a practical and fun guide to building emotional and mental fitness through the practice of mindfulness, meditation and self-care. This conversational, information-packed book will help teenagers to manage their emotions, escape negative loops of self-criticism, build on their strengths and learn to like themselves no matter what pressures they face. Psychotherapist Iseult White demystifies mindfulness through integrating the latest neuroscience research with easy-to-learn mindfulness practices. The book includes specific exercises for coping with exam anxiety, social media, relationship stress, social anxiety, and peer pressure, and provides case studies that show how teenagers have successfully adopted these practices in real life. It is an ideal resource for teachers, mental health practitioners and anyone in the helping professions who works with teenagers, but is written in a clear, user-friendly format that will engage teenagers who are interested in learning how to navigate the inevitable stresses of adolescence.

As an Assumptionist priest and chaplain working in the Hautepierre Hospital in Strasbourg, Denis Ledogar has spent much of his life comforting, consoling and learning from those in the last stages of life and from their families. In Only Love Breaks Open the Tombs, he brings together the testimonies of patients he has encountered who candidly share their thoughts on life, loss and family as they contend with failing health and the spectre of mortality. The goal of this book is to address ‘the delicate subject of the accompaniment of the human being at the end of life’ and is centred on ‘seven stages’ which the author has witnessed in those approaching death. This moving account of one man’s experience offering pastoral care to the terminally ill not only demonstrates how a patient’s final days can be lived with dignity and meaning but how, in ministering to those who are ill, we demonstrate that it is only love that ‘breaks open the tombs’.

This volume explores storm-/warrior-god motif as found in non-biblical ANE texts, followed by an analysis of the language and imagery in several noteworthy theophanic passages in the Hebrew Bible. These characteristics and vocabulary are used in later chapters to identify and analyze similar motifs in the Twelve Prophets, especially focusing on Mic 7:7-20; Habakkuk 3; and Zech 9:9-16 as test cases. By tracing the use of the storm-/warrior-god motif and language associated with it, a detectable shift is apparent in the use of the motif in the HB that corresponds with the development of monotheism within Ancient Israelite religion.