only one Eucharistic prayer is included - and of course ...
935584
only one Eucharistic prayer is included - and of course it's the one our church never uses. My daughter was very frustrated by this.
639971
This latest edition of the distinguished series of "Short Breviaries" ( a sort of oxymoron if you think of it) by St. John's Abbey is in some ways an answer to a need. The need for clerics, religious, and liturgically-interested laity to have at last an English language breviary with good English and a repect for Catholic and monastic tradition. Not here do we find that godawful "Morning; Mid-Morning; Noon; Afternoon;Evening;Night Prayers" but the traditional and already acceptably "Englished" Lauds;Terce;Sext;None;Vespers and Compline. We also find decent and pleasing translations of the actual liturgical hymns in the "Liturgia Horarum" NOT the gleanings of the 70's vintage LH which is still the only official English LH in the US. The Collects are also freshly translated in a more literal and beautiful English than we currently find in the official liturgical books. (On this, more anon.)

In short, is this the ( in my opinion) long-awaited death-blow to ICEL and its monopoly?

The book itself is literally and figuratively "handsome": it is pleasant to look at and fits rather nicely in one's hand.

It is in my view amazing for the richness of content that it manages to pack into one volume in comparison with the cumbersome and bulky 4-volume LH.

However...

For those (like your servant here writing) of a more traditional RC bent there are the occasional shocks. The new Grail Psalter with its "horizontal inclusive" language can almost make one laugh with its dextrous acrobatics to avoid at all costs the use of the dreaded word "man" ( a fault shared in other places in the Book); the "litanies" of the ferial office composed by members of the Abbey community that ( in my opinion) are at times a little too psychological and individualistic for a liturgical book; not to mention political ( are "we" REALLY fostering intolerance and violence? ); and the occasional "howler" of a Collect. A prime example is the Collect for the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6th, which is more more about Hiroshima than Tabor.

There is also of course the question (forthrightly addressed in the introduction) of its non-canonical status for RC clerics and religious bound to the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours.

So, why do I use it, as dubious as I am?

Well, I suppose, just the sheer joy of finding an English Breviary that I can hold in my hand, can pray and not be ashamed of; with none of the sadly time-worn gimmicks and dishonesties of the 70's ICEL 4-volume "jumbos". Also, the traditional Compline, the daily use of the Gradual Psalms in the "little hours"; and reasonably sized readings in "Vigils".

I make up the defects for myself from the Latin LH and the "old Breviary" ( the "Preces feriales" cover all the territory nicely) when necessary; and leave the question of my "obligation to say the Office" to God and my confessor.

Since I got this Book I've almost never missed a day; more than I could say before.
2513028
Russian guy wanders into the light on the theme of 9 words--the Jesus Prayer.

Many credit this man's hobo like travels without Charlie and without the comfort of the rails or a pickup truck and camper or a dog...with making the nine word Jesus mantra a household deal in Russia.  Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me.  That's the nine word version.  Then there's the 11 word full on version: Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner.  And the three-word short one: Lord have mercy.  For slackers we have the one word capper: mercy.  Or the two word one sound combo in Greek: Kyrie, eleison.

And then the overly folksy, too familiar spinoff: mercy be.

Monks of all Christian stripes say this prayer, using a prayer rope or beaded bracelet to count the renditions, some thousands of times a day.  This book will take you down your own road of trying to keep things simple, get out of your head and focus on God.

A man told me last week in Egypt that he could tell that the guide touring us around at St. Catherine's Monastery was a Muslim and not a Christian--though he knew a lot about St. Catherine's--because of the rug burn on his forehead from hitting the mat five times a day in prayer over the years.  Well, you can tell a Christian monk by a similar callous I suppose, on his thumb and forefinger, from saying the Jesus Prayer, some do it 3,000 times a day or more.

This was what our man and his journal here records as he walks across what is today the 11 time zones of Russia.  We studied this in our Orthodox Book Club.  Certainly a classic and a must read for all Eastern Christians.  This a simple book about a simple man and a simple spirituality and the folks he meets along the way...from robbers to the faithful.  Yes, it should be on your shelf at home as you'll hear it referenced in literature all time.  I enjoyed it, even if the Jesus Prayer still mystifies me.
2160864
The strength of the St. Helena psalter is that it's an inclusive revision of the widely-admired translation of the psalms in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. That has been the "gold standard" for many years for psalm translations designed for liturgical use. The inclusive psalters in the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (1992) and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2005) likewise are based on the 1979 BCP. The Order of St. Helena developed this revision through their daily practice of monastic prayer. It would be ideal for anyone who wants to incorporate the psalms into their discipline of daily prayer except that the book lacks a lectionary or any other materials (canticles, prayers, etc.) that would allow the reader to pray the Daily Office. It is a mystery to me that while Church Publishing Incorporated has already published excellent resources for an inclusive Daily Office--this psalter, plus alternative canticles and other texts in "Enriching Our Worship"--it has declined to put this all together into one inclusive office book with attractive layout and binding. I think there would be a sizable ecumenical market for such a resource. The closest I've been able to find to a usable inclusive office are "Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer" (Westminster John Knox Press, 1995) and "Work of God: Benedictine Prayer" (Liturgical Press, 1994). The latter is what I now use for daily prayer. I wish Church Publishing would get into the act.
449927
I have finally finished the book The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life - The Ancient Practices Series  by Joan Chittister.  I must confess that I started it last year and just couldn't get through it until recently.  There is something missing in it and I am unable to put my finger on it at the moment.

Joan covers various topics that are second nature to Catholic's such as components of the liturgical year, why it is important to your spiritual life and the significance of Sundays.  Then she goes through the whole of the liturgical year (Advent, Christmastide, Ordinary Time, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Paschaltide, Ordinary Time) and explains different aspects of their importance in our spiritual lives.  She also includes a little information on the saints and Marian feasts.

Like I mentioned earlier, I had a hard time getting into this book.  When I read the description, I thought I would get more out of it.  I thought it would be more of a how-to book or at least have some concrete things to note or meditate on during the year.  It felt very new-age to me.  It's really more of an airy "if you don't follow the liturgical year, this is where it MIGHT take you, should you want to try it."  I suppose it might be useful to a Christian whose church doesn't really have the foundation that Catholic's (and a handful of other Protestants) do as far as set readings and other things.  It might help them gain a little understanding of how we worship and function, but if that was her aim, I think she fell short.

That's not to say that I got NOTHING out of this book.  She did discuss how the dates for Christmas & Easter were selected, which was an interesting lesson in calendars and priorities of the early Christians.  It was especially interesting to see how Easter was chosen as it relates to the Jewish feast of Pentacost.  Overall, though, I would have to say that I can't think of anyone I would recommend this book TO since I can't quite pinpoint what her overall message or goal was.
4360219
Since the product description is null, I thought I would note that this is the 1928 Church of England Book of Common Prayer, approved by strong majorities in York and Canterbury and widely hailed as a triumph of the (Anglo-Catholic) liturgical movement but rejected by the House of Commons and hence never made official.  This is *not* the US Episcopal Church's 1928 Book of Common Prayer.
129325
A Missal for Little Ones is a little book designed for little hands. The book is a hardcover with a dust jacket, which means that the book is carefully crafted and designed to last. The book attempts to make the Mass as approachable as possible for young readers. The title of each section tells the child what is going on in the Mass, and the text in the chapter contains a portion of the specific prayer or a summary of what is occurring at the specific time in Mass. In the very middle of the book is a section on the Apostles' Creed. Unfortunately, it is only snippets of the Creed, which is my biggest complaint with this book. The Creed is a vital part of the Catholic faith, and the snippets in the book omit key parts, like Jesus being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Incarnation is one of the great mysteries of the Faith and should not be omitted in my opinion. The book closes with prayers for children to learn and instructing your children in the method of spontaneous prayer. Overall this was a good book, but it could have been better. It is recommended for ages 3+, but if that is the case there should be even fewer words. Also, for that age, it should probably be in the format of a board book. I guess what I am saying is that I feel like there should be two different books, one for ages 3 to 5, and one for ages 5 and up.
662742
Exactly what I was looking for. But there are only a few hymns in it.  Bought for my father.
2491544
Although I had to return these rosaries (they did not have the Divino Nino in color), I would encourage others to purchase them if they need a basic, no frill rosary and need to purchase in bulk.
2452509
I returned this product because it does NOT teach the true meaning of the Eucharist or the Christian gospel.  This book was clearly written for the progressive, more liberal portion of the Episcopal Church.  I found some of the passages actually offensive.  For example, about the eucharistic prayers, "In this prayer we especially remember that Jesus gave his life freely...This made it possible for God to enter into any trouble or evil in the world so that God could bring good out of evil or trouble."  What a load of garbage!  God has always been able to intervene to bring good out of evil. Jesus, the Son of God, suffered a horrible death so that OUR sinful nature could be crushed and we could be reconciled to God.

Another example?  "When we eat at God's table we share bread and wine.  This reminds us that God wants human beings to share what we have on earth...this reminds us that God wants everyone to have enough to eat, and God wants everyone to be able to share a meal in peace with one another."  While this may sound nice, it's not even close to the truth.  The bread and wine are a symbol of Christ's death, a sacrifice that was required because all of us and this world are broken, broken, broken.  We have no life or goodness, food or peace, without God.  Our joy and freedom come from the acceptance of this fact.  I want my child to think upon God's sacrifice to bring her back to Him and the call to spread this news of redemption, not about world peace or any other watered-down U.N. version of Christianity.
4922449
The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher is a personal reflection of Communion. Part of The Ancient Practices Series, which examines seven ancient practices of the Christian faith, The Sacred Meal examines how central communion is to both the church as a whole, as well as the spiritual journey of the individual believer. Though each tradition handles Communion differently, and even calls it different things - Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper - it is one of the most ancient and central sacraments of the church.

The Sacred Meal evoked conflicting emotions within me. On one hand, as one who comes from a tradition that does the Lord's Supper infrequently, it was both encouraging and convicting to read the journey of someone who takes the Eucharist as seriously, and who has woven the practice so deeply into one's personal spiritual life as Gallagher has. The weight of the practice, and the fact that it is a practice in her life and not just a "once every quarter" event resonates within me.

At the same time, some of the theological leaps Gallagher makes were a bit hard to swallow. Its safe to say that her personal theology is much more open than, and to the left of, what is considered a biblical worldview. It was hard to tell whether Gallagher believes in the divinity of Christ, or merely reveres him as someone somewhere between God and a great teacher. Seeing as how Communion is so closely tied to who Christ is and His sacrifice on the cross, it was hard to reconcile her beliefs about Christ, and the weight with which she approaches the Eucharist.

While it would have probably been beneficial to have a bit more history and concrete examples of the various beliefs about and practices of Communion throughout the Church, Gallagher's personal story is good for all to hear, if for nothing more than a jumping off point for a conversation about Communion - which would be beneficial for all. Anyone who is interested in the Lord's Supper, or anyone who would like to expand the conversation about it, should read this book.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
4617319
This is a great little- emphasis little booklet. It is not much bigger than a religious tract one might receive and I was a bit shocked at the size when I received it. It is only 4x6 20 small pages of prayer. So, love the prayers but sadly this should be around 3.99 with free shipping.
2792647
I must tell you exactly why I gave that book only one star: Religion is mans way of worshipping his god or gods, or the God and Father of Jesus of Nazareth, who became the Christ of God, the Lamb of God, and was judged in our stead, for our sins. The author of that book over-stretches  Bible verses, to try and convince the unlearned that certain doctrines and traditions of the Catholic Church are biblical.  One example of that is where he said the rich man prayed to Abraham, which shows that we can pray to dead believers,  called saints. However, Christ Jesus warns us that we must pray in this manner: Our Father Also, Christ warns us that we can successfully worship God, only when we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. God is Spirit, and is Life. Therefore, we must worship Him within that Spirit of Life, which means that we must worship God, not by obeying ten of the 630 Old Covenant Commandments, but by obeying every one of  those New Testament Commandments mediated by God, to us, through Christ, His apostles, and the prophets of the New Testament. Never, shall we ever learn about the Kingdom of God, through religious teachings. Only by every word spoken from the mouth of God, can we learn of Him. Jesus of Nazareth joined, belonged to, and  started, no religion. He was sent to obey the Law, not Judaism. Because Christ rescued me from out of witchcraft and addiction, I owe Him everything. Therefore, I become angered when people lightly hold the Gospel in their hearts, because I see them robbing God, and themselves, of great things. It's like the sibling, who is angry with the drug-abuser in the family, who is killing himself and grieving the family. However, I have been made to realize that God gave Adam free will; to love God, or to merely take what God gave him. Likewise, Gospel believers: In Matthew 11: 28 - 30, Christ commands us to learn about Him, not religion. Some people have no desire to learn the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God in Christ, and so sit back and let others tell them what to believe. That is okay though, because it is their own choice. However, without a full knowledge of Christ, we have no power over terror, terrorists, or those demons that drive those hateful people. Some Christians do not even believe that demons exist. But should they venture into the realm of genuine witchcraft, such as HooDoo and VooDoo,  they will see that the angelic enemies of the Gospel of Christ are real, and are deadly serious about frustrating the power of God, in the lives of believers. By the way: For those who believe not, that demons are real, I ask: Do you believe Christ was crazy, when He spoke to demons, and they answered Him?
624611
Prayer is not a simple matter: it is costly. It is not about acquisition or good 'feelings' or a guarantee of 'getting' what I 'want'. It is emptying oneself of ego, to find one's soul in God. As God intends. There is no 'quick' method...only fidelity
140452
Not sure why they call this "being Catholic". There is nothing "Catholic" about it except the front cover. This inside is just a bunch of blank calendar pages. Very misleading
2484423
This collection of prayers purports to be an introduction to "traditional" Catholic prayers.  Then why does it include the so-called "Luminous" mysteries?  These mysteries were invented by the late Pope John Paul II, who with his huge ego, decided to remake every aspect of the Catholic Church in his own image.  The fifteen decade Rosary, given to St. Domenic by Mary, the Queen of Heaven, remained as she had given it for many centuries.  Then along comes the wanna-be actor Pope John Paul II and he thinks that he should be the one to revise Our Lady's Rosary.  What gall he had!  Incidentally, the full traditional fifteen mysteries of the Rosary use 150 Hail Marys for completion.  Those 150 Hail Marys correspond to the 150 Psalms in the Bible.  John Paul's perversion destroys that beautiful symbolism, just as he destroyed so many good things in the Church.
247169
Each time I've played it, the anointing comes into the room.  The Bishop does not play!  No one there is playing.  It is what it says it is.  It's the Bishop's worship experience, and we are invited to join in!