February 2024 MBR The Christian Studies Shelf

The Christian Studies Shelf

One Sunday at a Time
Mark Hart
Ave Maria Press
www.avemariapress.com
9781646802654, $24.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/One-Sunday-Time-Cycle-Preparing/dp/1646802659

Synopsis: With the publication of "One Sunday at a Time (Cycle B): Preparin=
g Your Heart for Weekly Mass", Mark Hart has created the essential companio=
n to the Sunday readings and an ideal resource for busy Catholics who want =
to get more out of Mass.

After almost thirty years in ministry, Hart hears two questions most often:=
 "How do I get more out of Mass?" and "Where do I start?"

His response? Begin with what you're already doing - going to Mass. You'll =
understand the Bible better, receive God's grace, and the liturgy will come=
 to life for you in a whole new way.

The extra features of each Sunday are designed to help you initiate faith-b=
ased conversations with your family and friends, form the habit of scriptur=
e study, and carve out time for God every week.

In "One Sunday at a Time" features: Color-coded sections that correspond to=
 the liturgical seasons; Brief summaries of the Mass readings for Sundays, =
major feasts, and solemnities in liturgical year Cycle B; Engaging reflecti=
ons that draw your attention to a primary theme and common threads among th=
e readings each week; Explanation of key Greek and Hebrew words in the bibl=
ical text; Fun facts and cultural context of the biblical world.

"One Sunday at a Time" also includes prayers and a weekly challenge to help=
 put into practice the message of each week's readings in your daily life. =
Wide margins are ideal for notetaking. Readers have identified this book as=
 the perfect companion to Every Sacred Sunday.

Critique: A beautiful, full-color book that is ideal for individuals, famil=
ies, RCIA classes, and small groups, "One Sunday at a Time" is inspired and=
 inspiring as it fulfills its implied promise to its readers that with just=
 ten minutes a week it can help them experience Sunday Mass more fully and =
deepen their love of the Word of God. While also readily available for the =
personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and all members of the=
 Catholic community, "One Sunday at a Time" is also available in a digital =
book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Mark Hart serves as Executive Vice President for Life Teen =
International. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a twenty-year=
 veteran of youth ministry, Mark Hart is one of the most sought-after speak=
ers serving in the Catholic Church, today. His latest DVD resources - "Alta=
ration" and "The 99" - are receiving praise across the globe as a revolutio=
nary and vital work for the young Catholic Church.

The author (or co-author) of over two dozen books, including best-sellers "=
Blessed are the Bored in Spirit", "Behold the Mystery", "Ask the Bible Geek=
", "100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know" and "The 99 Handbook". Mark=
's writing style is humorous yet deep, accessible to and enjoyed by readers=
 of all ages.

Mark is also a co-host of the wildly popular "The Catholic Guy Show" on Sir=
ius XM 129 and is a Research Fellow for the St. Paul Center for Biblical Th=
eology. Mark's sense of humor and his passion for Scripture - as experience=
d in his DVD Bible Study Series, "T3" and "Encounter" - are helping hundred=
s of thousands of young Catholics, begin to read and study the Bible in eng=
aging and relevant ways.

Pope Francis as Moral Leader
Thomas Massaro SJ
Paulist Press
www.paulistpress.com
9780809156634, $29.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pope-Francis-Moral-Leader-Communicator/dp/0809156636

Synopsis: With the publication of "Pope Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, =
Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate for Social Justice", Thomas Massaro, =
SJ deftly describes and analyzes the contribution of Pope Francis makes as =
an ethicist, a practitioner of discernment, a skilled communicator, and a s=
trong advocate for social justice on the global stage.

"Pope Francis as Moral Leader" also brilliantly highlights Francis's leader=
ship qualities and the ethical achievements of his papacy as he appeals to =
ethical values and proposes teachings and practices that embody mercy and j=
ustice for the church and world.

Critique: As informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "Pop=
e Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate =
for Social Justice" must be considered essential reading for all members of=
 the Roman Catholic community including clergy and seminary students. Excep=
tionally well written, organized and presented, "Pope Francis as Moral Lead=
er is unreservedly recommended as a key and core addition to personal, comm=
unity, seminary, and college/university library Papal Biography/History col=
lections.

Editorial Note: Thomas Massaro, S.J., is Professor of Moral Theology at For=
dham University. A Jesuit priest of the Northeast Province, he served as pr=
ofessor of moral theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge,=
 Massachusetts, at Boston College, and at Jesuit School of Theology of Sant=
a Clara University, where he also served as Dean.

Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family
T. C. Moore
Broadleaf Books
www.broadleafbooks.com
9781506486864, $18.99, PB, 181pp

https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Following-Jesus-into-Family/dp/150648686X

Synopsis: The Jesus Way calls us into community with others to form a new k=
ind of family -- a forged family. In an era when our relationships with our=
 families of origin are more complicated than ever, with the publication of=
 "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family" pastor T. C. Moore sho=
ws us how following the way of Jesus can lead us to forged families that ar=
e authentic and life-giving.

Our forged families are the ones who love us for who we are and show up for=
 us when we're in desperate need. Our forged families are the ones with who=
m we've worked through conflict. Our forged families make us who we are, st=
rengthen our faith, and sustain us through life's many challenges.

"Forged" also weaves together stories from the author's over twenty years o=
f experience with having an urban, multiethnic ministry all over the US, wi=
th principles from Scripture, and his own experience as an ex-gang member t=
urned church planter and pastor to propose a way of approaching faith in co=
mmunity that rejects hierarchical, bureaucratic structures in favor of form=
ative, inclusive friendships that last.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind =
of Family" is a fascinating, informative, and potentially life changing, li=
fe enhancing read from start to finish. While also available in a digital b=
ook format (Kindle, $13.49), "Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Fa=
mily" is especially and unreservedly recommended for church, community, sem=
inary, and college/university library Christian Studies/Social Issues, and =
Christian Spiritual Growth collections.

Editorial Note: Rev. T. C. Moore (https://tcmoore.net) is a pastor, graffit=
i artist, writer, and theology nerd. He serves as lead pastor of Roots, a M=
oravian community in St. Paul, Minnesota, and works with court-involved you=
th and young adults, applying restorative-justice practices. Since Jesus li=
berated him from gang life as a teenager, he has developed mentoring progra=
ms, planted churches, and served in community-based nonprofits for over two=
 decades. He is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Center =
for Urban Ministerial Education in Boston. He lives in St. Paul with his wi=
fe, Osheta, and their three teenage children.

The Prayers of Saint Sarapion
The Bishop of Thmuis
Maxwell E. Johnson, translator
SVS Press
www.svspress.com
9780881417524, $26.00, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Prayers-Saint-Sarapion-Bishop-Thmuis/dp/0881417521

Synopsis: St Sarapion was a friend of St Anthony the Great and St Athanasiu=
s, who first lived as a monk and abbot in the Egyptian desert before becomi=
ng bishop of Thmuis. "The Prayers of Saint Sarapion" is a translation of th=
e Euchologion (or prayer book) of St Sarapion by Maxwell E. Johnson, and is=
 comprised of thirty prayers for Baptism, the Liturgy, and several other ne=
eds and situations. This edition from SVS Press includes the original Greek=
 along with the translation.

Critique: A part of the outstanding Popular Patristics Series from SVS Pres=
s and unreservedly recommended to the attention of the Catholic and Orthodo=
x Christian communities, it should be noted that "The Prayers of Saint Sara=
pion" is also available for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary =
students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subjec=
t in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: There is an informative biography hand history of Saint Sar=
apion online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serapion_the_Sindonite

Knights and Ladies, Women and Men
C.J.S. Hayward
CJS Hayward Publications
https://cjshayward.com/klwm
9781731239594, $20.00 Hardcover/$15.00 Paperback/$5.00 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Knights-Ladies-Women-Men-Hayward/dp/B09L52B43C

Knights and Ladies, Women and Men comes from the pen and promising enlighte=
nment of C.J.S. Hayward, joining others in his 'Best Works' series that syn=
thesizes his thoughts and Orthodoxy approach to life and spirituality into =
digestible contemporary subjects that ordinary readers can easily absorb.

"Vive la difference!" -- C.J.S. Hayward outlines this sentiment in his intr=
oduction to the survey, then celebrates and supports it in chapters that ju=
xtapose seemingly disparate subjects, from archaeology and the works of C.S=
. Lewis to linguistic and moral discourses on inclusive and exclusive langu=
age, reading romance books, and devising fantasies about what life should b=
e. Orthodoxy thought connects these seemingly disparate dots into a unified=
 theory of spiritual reflection that will especially serve readers who seek=
 religious, philosophical, and moral examinations in writings about everyda=
y life events and experiences: "The idea of making plans for your life, and=
 then trying to make life conform to your dreams, is inside and outside of =
romance a recipe for not enjoying circumstances where you can be truly happ=
y. Part of the Orthodox understanding of Providence is that God gives his c=
hildren situations of happiness that we would never even have dreamed of."

From theological reflections on the subject of contraception to women's per=
ceptions, rights, and treatment, Hayward creates a wide-ranging inspection =
filled with thoughts both provocative and perhaps, among some circles, even=
 controversial. This, in turn, provides opportunities for not just personal=
 enlightenment, but group discussion and debate that also sheds important l=
ight on the connections between Orthodox thinking and daily living in gener=
al, and women and men in particular.

The result complements and elevates Hayward's writings as a whole, and is h=
ighly recommended for libraries seeing prior interest in Orthodoxy works in=
 general and Hayward's discourses in particular.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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