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Vartaman Tirthankar Shree Simandhar Swami: वर्तमान तीर्थकर श्री सीमंधर स्वामी
by Dada Bhagwanइस काल में इस क्षेत्र से सीधे मोक्ष पाना संभव नहीं है, ऐसा शास्त्रों में कहा गया हैं। लेकिन लंबे अरसे से, महाविदेह क्षेत्र में श्री सीमंधर स्वामी के दर्शन से मोक्ष प्राप्ति का मार्ग खुला ही हैं। लेकिन परम पूज्य दादाश्री उसी मार्ग से मुमुक्षुओं को मोक्ष पहुँचानें में निमित्त हैं और इसकी प्राप्ति का विश्वास, मुमुक्षुओं को निश्चय से होता ही है। इस काल में, इस क्षेत्र में वर्तमान तीर्थंकर नहीं हैं। लेकिन महाविदेह क्षेत्र में वर्तमान तीर्थंकर श्री सीमंधर स्वामी विराजमान हैं। वे भरत क्षेत्र के मोक्षार्थी जीवों के लिए मोक्ष के परम निमित्त हैं। ज्ञानीपुरुष ने खुद उस मार्ग से प्राप्ति की और औरों को वह मार्ग दिखाया है। प्रत्यक्ष प्रकट तीर्थंकर की पहचान होना, उनके प्रति भक्ति जगाना और दिन-रात उनका अनुसंधान करके, अंत में, उनके प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन पाकर, केवलज्ञान को प्राप्त करना, यही मोक्ष की प्रथम और अंतिम पगडंडी है। ऐसा ज्ञानियों ने कहा हैं। श्री सीमंधर स्वामी की आराधना, जितनी ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा होगी, उतना उनके साथ अनुसंधान विशेष रहेगा। इससे उनके प्रति ऋणानुबंध प्रगाढ़ होगा। अंत में परम अवगाढ़ दशा तक पहुँचकर उनके चरणकमलों में ही स्थान प्राप्ति की मोहर लगती है।
Vartaman Tirthankar Shri Simandhar Swami: વર્તમાન તીર્થંકર શ્રી સીમંધર સ્વામી
by Dada Bhagwanશાસ્ત્રો કહે છે કે આજે આ કાળમાં આપણા આ જગત માંથી સીધા મોક્ષે જવું શક્ય નથી, છતાંપણ હંમેશને માટે લાંબા કાળથી વાયા મહાવિદેહ ક્ષેત્ર ( બીજા ક્ષેત્ર નું જગત ) રસ્તો ખુલ્લો જ છે. તે માટે મહાવિદેહ ક્ષેત્રે જઇ જીવતા તીર્થંકર શ્રી સીમંધર સ્વામીના દર્શન કરવાથી અંતિમ મોક્ષ મળે છે. દાદાશ્રીએ બધા મુક્તિના ઇચ્છુકોને (મુમુક્ષુઓને) પહેલાં આત્મજ્ઞાન આપ્યુંને પછી તેઓ બધા અંતરની પાક્કી ખાતરી સાથે મહાવિદેહના પંથે ચડ્યા છે. આ ધરતી પર આ કાળમાં કોઈ જીવતા તીર્થંકર નથી, પરંતુ અત્યારે મહાવિદેહ ક્ષેત્રમાં તીર્થંકર શ્રી સીમંધર સ્વામી જીવે છે. સીમંધર સ્વામી આ પૃથ્વીના મુમુક્ષુઓને મોક્ષ આપી શકે છે. જ્ઞાનીઓએ આ રસ્તો ફરી ખુલ્લો કર્યો છે અને તેઓ મુમુક્ષુઓને આ રસ્તે મોકલી રહ્યા છે. જીવતા તીર્થંકરને ઓળખી, તેમની પ્રત્યેનો સમર્પણ ભાવ જાગૃત કરી, દિવસ અને રાત તેમની ભક્તિ કરી, તેમની સાથે અનુસંધાન કરી અને અંતે તેમના પ્રત્યક્ષ દર્શન કરી, કેવળજ્ઞાન પ્રાપ્ત કરી મોક્ષે જવાય છે એમ જ્ઞાનીઓ કહે છે. જેમ જેમ સીમંધર સ્વામી પ્રત્યે સમર્પણભાવ વધશે, તેમ તેમ તેમની સાથેનું જોડાણ વધતું જશે અને આ જોડાણથી તેમની સાથે આવતા ભવનું ઋણાનુબંધ બંધાશે. અંતે આ ગાઢ બનેલું ઋણાનુબંધ ભગવાનના ચરણો સુધી પહોંચાડશે અને મોક્ષે લઇ જશે.
Vartman Tirthankar Shree Simandhar Swami (Small): वर्तमान तीर्थकर श्री सीमंधर स्वामी
by Dada Bhagwanइस काल में इस क्षेत्र से सीधे मोक्ष पाना संभव नहीं है, ऐसा शास्त्रों में कहा गया हैं। लेकिन लंबे अरसे से, महाविदेह क्षेत्र में श्री सीमंधर स्वामी के दर्शन से मोक्ष प्राप्ति का मार्ग खुला ही हैं। लेकिन परम पूज्य दादाश्री उसी मार्ग से मुमुक्षुओं को मोक्ष पहुँचानें में निमित्त हैं और इसकी प्राप्ति का विश्वास, मुमुक्षुओं को निश्चय से होता ही है। इस काल में, इस क्षेत्र में वर्तमान तीर्थंकर नहीं हैं। लेकिन महाविदेह क्षेत्र में वर्तमान तीर्थंकर श्री सीमंधर स्वामी विराजमान हैं। वे भरत क्षेत्र के मोक्षार्थी जीवों के लिए मोक्ष के परम निमित्त हैं। ज्ञानीपुरुष ने खुद उस मार्ग से प्राप्ति की और औरों को वह मार्ग दिखाया है। प्रत्यक्ष प्रकट तीर्थंकर की पहचान होना, उनके प्रति भक्ति जगाना और दिन-रात उनका अनुसंधान करके, अंत में, उनके प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन पाकर, केवलज्ञान को प्राप्त करना, यही मोक्ष की प्रथम और अंतिम पगडंडी है। ऐसा ज्ञानियों ने कहा हैं। श्री सीमंधर स्वामी की आराधना, जितनी ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा होगी, उतना उनके साथ अनुसंधान विशेष रहेगा। इससे उनके प्रति ऋणानुबंध प्रगाढ़ होगा। अंत में परम अवगाढ़ दशा तक पहुँचकर उनके चरणकमलों में ही स्थान प्राप्ति की मोहर लगती है।
Vasiṣṭha's Yoga
by Swami VenkatesanandaThis is Swami Venkatesananda's longer Yoga Vasiṣṭha. His two volume book is here offered between two covers. Its purpose is to provide a means to eliminate psychological conditioning and to attain liberation. Containing the instructions of the sage Vasiṣṭha to Lord Rama, this scripture is full of intricately woven tales, the kind a great teacher might tell to hold the interest of a student.
Vast and Gracious Tide
by Lisa CarterA wounded veteran and the police chief's daughter must work together to bring a killer to justiceCaden Wallis lost friends, his girlfriend, and even his leg to the ravages of war. He arrives on the Outer Banks broken and still reeling, struggling to make peace with his new life.McKenna Dockery has been stuck in limbo since her fiancé died three years ago. Now, when the handsome yet heartbroken Caden arrives at her doorstep, she starts to wonder if there may be hope for her heart after all . . .But no sooner do they meet than a man is found murdered on McKenna's property--and Caden is the prime suspect. The two must learn to trust each other, or no one will be safe in the tangled web of conspiracy, greed, and deceit lurking in the tidal marshlands of the Outer Banks.
Vast as the Heavens, Deep as the Sea
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Gareth Sparham Khunu RinpocheRevered by many--especially His Holiness the Dalai Lama--as the very embodiment of altruism, the late Khunu Rinpoche Tenzin Gyaltsen devoted his life to the development of bodhicitta--the aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Presented in both English and the original Tibetan, this modern classic is a collection of Khunu Rinpoche's inspirational verse.
A Vast Bundle of Opportunities: An Exploration of Creativity in Personal Life and Community (Routledge Revivals)
by Kenneth C. BarnesThe conventional view of religion is that the basic truths were settled long ago, that all we have to do is to accept them and behave accordingly. Essentially then, there is no room for originality. To be religious we have to be followers, adherents, to be convinced, addicted, to be in a position to say: we are right, you are wrong. In A Vast Bundle of Opportunities, originally published in 1975, Kenneth Barnes maintains that this is a sterile condition of mind. Religion is not a separate kind of experience; it includes our whole selves and all that we do. It follows that if art and science can be creative and originative, so also must religion be, if it is real. If it is the Christian religion we are thinking of, then to try to ‘imitate’ Jesus is to kill him stone dead. To make him an ideal is to put him away. But to respond to him is to come alive as creators and originators. The writer, as the founder of an unusual kind of boarding school – Wennington School, Wetherby – knows what it is like to live in the midst of incessant enterprising activity; in his own life he knows what it feels like to be a scientist, an artist, a craftsman. He asks if there are ways we can deliberately choose by which we can become originators. He takes the philosophy of John Macmurrray to show what freedom could mean to us, and the more recent writings of Arthur Koestler and Edouard de Bono to suggest that the obvious development of creativeness in science can be encouraged in the total approach to life and human problems. Life then becomes an experience of endless discovery, a continual opening up of possibilities.
Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space: What You Are Before You Became
by MoojiIn ever-growing gatherings worldwide, the revered teacher Mooji has opened the eyes of thousands through his rare ability to shine light on the ineffable with uncommon clarity, humor, and warmth. Now, with Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space, Mooji invites and inspires readers everywhere to discover the true essence from which we all arise. The Advaita Vedanta tradition teaches that through simple questioning and introspection, we can awaken to something far greater than the ego self, a nondual Oneness with the ground of Being. In Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space, Mooji guides us into the adventure of deep inquiry, sparking direct Self-realization through parables, insights, wisdom teachings, and responses to the common questions of readers. Through our own engagement and self-exploration, Mooji helps us to arrive at the answers, not from the limited perspective in which we've been conditioned, but from our own deepest Knowing--revealing the timeless, boundless love and freedom that is the natural perfume of the Absolute.
Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space
by MoojiIn ever-growing gatherings worldwide, the revered teacher Mooji has opened the eyes of thousands through his rare ability to shine light on the ineffable with uncommon clarity, humour and warmth. Now, in Vaster Than Sky, Greater Than Space, Mooji invites and inspires readers everywhere to discover the true essence from which we all arise. Throughout the book he addresses various questions that come up for seekers, such as: How do I find peace, joy, love and happiness?Is it really possible for an ordinary person with a job and family to attain enlightenment?Are intimate relationships a help or a hindrance to awakening? I don't believe in God, and I don't consider myself a devotional type of person, but the word Truth resonates with me - are your teachings relevant to me?You use the phrase 'timeless presence'. What does it mean? How can anything be timeless? How does one transcend personal conditioning and suppressed emotions, and so come to lasting freedom?If we are essentially free, why does it seem so difficult and distant, so remote or rare to realise the Truth? Through our own earnest search for truth, Mooji helps us arrive at the answers, not by offering concepts but by leading us back to our hidden yet inherent knowing.
Vasubandhu's "Three Natures": A Practitioner's Guide for Liberation
by Ben ConnellyIn this book, Ben Connelly shows the power of integrating early Buddhist psychology with the Mahayana emphasis on collective liberation. You&’ll discover how wisdom from fourth-century India can be harnessed to heal and transform systems of harm within ourselves and our communities. The three natures (svabhavas)—the imaginary, dependent, and complete, realized natures—are inherent aspects of all phenomena. The imaginary nature of things is what we think they are. Their dependent nature is that they appear to arise from countless conditions. The complete, realized nature is that they aren&’t as we imagine them to be: things that can be grasped or pushed away. The three natures form the backbone of Yogacara philosophy, and by showing us how to see beyond our preconceived notions of ourselves and others, beyond the things that we&’re convinced are &“true,&” they open up a path to personal and communal healing. Dive into this empowering approach to freedom from suffering, from harmful personal and social patterns, and to finding peace and joyfulness in the present.
The Vatican Connection: The True Story of a Billion-Dollar Conspiracy Between the Catholic Church and the Mafia
by Richard HammerWinner of the Edgar Award: The riveting account of an audacious fraud scheme that stretched from a Mafia hangout on the Lower East Side to the Vatican. With a round, open face and a penchant for tall tales, Matteo de Lorenzo resembled everyone&’s kindly uncle. But Uncle Marty, as he was known throughout the Genovese crime family, was one of the New York mob&’s top earners throughout the 1960s and &’70s, the mastermind of a billion-dollar trade in stolen and counterfeit securities. In the spring of 1972, de Lorenzo and his shrewd and ruthless business partner, Vincent Rizzo, traveled to Europe to discuss a plan to launder millions of dollars worth of phony securities. Shockingly, the plot involved Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the scandal-plagued president of the Vatican Bank. Unbeknownst to de Lorenzo and Rizzo, however, the NYPD was already on the case—thanks to the crusading work of Det. Joseph Coffey. Coffey, the legendary New York policeman who investigated the Lufthansa heist and took the Son of Sam&’s confession, first learned of the scheme in a wiretap related to the attempted mob takeover of the Playboy Club in Manhattan. From those unlikely beginnings, Detective Coffey worked tirelessly to trace the fraudulent stocks and bonds around the world and deep into the corridors of power in Washington, DC, and Rome. Meticulously researched and relentlessly gripping, The Vatican Connection is a true story of corruption and deceit, packed with &“all the ingredients of a thriller&” (San Francisco Chronicle).
The Vatican Diaries
by John ThavisThe Vatican Diaries is an inside look at one of the world's most powerful and mysterious institutions, by John Thavis. 'A humane and realistic and (yes) humorous picture of a mortal institution. To an old Prot like me, it's a tour of alien terrain and a bridge to old and dear friends' Garrison KeillorFor thirty years John Thavis worked for the Catholic News Service in Rome and reported on the inner workings of the Vatican. The Vatican Diaries is his insightful and often very funny account of exactly what goes on in this unique and secretive institution. It's a place where cardinals fight private wars, scandals are constantly threatening to undermine papal authority, and reverence for the past comes up painfully against the considerations of modern life. He describes the politics surrounding the election of a new pope and the beatification of an old one, the angst of dealing with the international issue of sexual abuse, the intricacies of arranging a Papal visit to India, the conflicts involved in trying to build a car park over an ancient Roman burial site - and above all the unfathomable personality of the conservative Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign for 600 years. At this extraordinary moment of crisis in the Church, Thavis's account of its inner workings is invaluable. 'One closes John Thavis' perceptive study reflecting on the Vatican's challenge: to persist in a secularizing world sometimes fascinated by the pomp and pageantry of St. Peter's-but often hostile or increasingly indifferent to the Church's determined mission to harmonize warring factions and bickering enemies, even if both are on the same Catholic side' New York Journal of BooksJohn Thavis recently retired as the prizewinning chief of the Rome bureau of Catholic News Service, where he had covered the Vatican since 1983. He is the past president of the International Association of Journalists Accredited to the Vatican, and in 2007 the Catholic Press Association awarded him the Saint Francis de Sales Award, the highest honour given by the Catholic press. He divides his time between Minnesota and Rome.
The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities, and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church
by John ThavisThe revealing "New York Times" bestseller examines the reign of Pope Benedict, the papal conclave process, and the history of one of the worlds oldest and most mysterious institutions For more than twenty-five years John Thavis held one of the most fascinating journalistic jobs in the world: reporting on the inner workings of the Vatican. His daily exposure to the power, politics, and personalities in the seat of Roman Catholicism gave him a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on an institution that is far less monolithic and unified than it first appears. Thavis takes readers from a bell tower high above St. Peters to the depths of the basilica and the saints burial place, from the politicking surrounding the election of a new pope and the ever-growing sexual abuse scandals around the world to controversies about the Vaticans stand on contraception, and more. Perceptive, sharply written, and witty, "The Vatican Diaries" will appeal not only to Catholics (lapsed as well as devout) but to any readers interested in international diplomacy and the role of religion in an increasingly secularized world.
The Vatican Exposed
by Paul L. WilliamsOver 50 billion dollars in securities. Gold reserves that exceed those of industrialized nations. Real estate holdings that equal the total area of many countries. Opulent palaces containing the world's greatest art treasures. These are some of the riches of the Roman Catholic Church. Yet in 1929 the Vatican was destitute. Pope Pius XI, living in a damaged, leaky, pigeon-infested Lateran Palace, could hear rats scurrying through the walls, and he worried about how he would pay for even basic repairs to unclog the overburdened sewer lines and update the antiquated heating system. How did the Church manage in less than seventy-five years such an incredible reversal of fortune? The story here told by Church historian Paul L. Williams is intriguing, shocking, and outrageous.The turnaround began on February 11, 1929, with the signing of the Lateran Treaty between the Vatican and fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Through this deal Mussolini gained the support of the staunchly Catholic Italian populace, who at the time followed the lead of the Church. In return, the Church received, among other benefits, a payment of $90 million, sovereign status for the Vatican, tax-free property rights, and guaranteed salaries for all priests throughout the country from the Italian government. With the stroke of a pen the pope had solved the Vatican's budgetary woes practically overnight, yet he also put a great religious institution in league with some of the darkest forces of the 20th century.Based on his years of experience as a consultant for the FBI, Williams produces explosive and never-before published evidence of the Church's morally questionable financial dealings with sinister organizations over seven decades through today. He examines the means by which the Vatican accrued enormous wealth during the Great Depression by investing in Mussolini's government, the connection between Nazi gold and the Vatican Bank, the vast range of Church holdings in the postwar boom period, Paul VI's appointment of Mafia chieftain Michele Sindona as the Vatican banker, a billion-dollar counterfeit stock fraud uncovered by Interpol and the FBI, the "Ambrosiano Affair" called "the greatest financial scandal of the 20th Century" by the New York Times, the mysterious death of John Paul I, profits from an international drug ring operating out of Gdansk, Poland, and revelations about current dealings.For both Catholics and non-Catholics this troubling expose of corruption in one of the most revered religious institutions in the world will serve as an urgent call for reform.
Vatican I: The Council and the Making of the Ultramontane Church
by John W. O'MalleyThe enduring influence of the Catholic Church has many sources—its spiritual and intellectual appeal, missionary achievements, wealth, diplomatic effectiveness, and stable hierarchy. But in the first half of the nineteenth century, the foundations upon which the church had rested for centuries were shaken. In the eyes of many thoughtful people, liberalism in the guise of liberty, equality, and fraternity was the quintessence of the evils that shook those foundations. At the Vatican Council of 1869–1870, the church made a dramatic effort to set things right by defining the doctrine of papal infallibility. In Vatican I: The Council and the Making of the Ultramontane Church, John W. O’Malley draws us into the bitter controversies over papal infallibility that at one point seemed destined to rend the church in two. Archbishop Henry Manning was the principal driving force for the definition, and Lord Acton was his brilliant counterpart on the other side. But they shrink in significance alongside Pope Pius IX, whose zeal for the definition was so notable that it raised questions about the very legitimacy of the council. Entering the fray were politicians such as Gladstone and Bismarck. The growing tension in the council played out within the larger drama of the seizure of the Papal States by Italian forces and its seemingly inevitable consequence, the conquest of Rome itself. Largely as a result of the council and its aftermath, the Catholic Church became more pope-centered than ever before. In the terminology of the period, it became ultramontane.
Vatican II: Expériences canadiennes – Canadian experiences (Religion and Beliefs Series #Vol. 69)
by Attridge, Michael, Clifford, Catherine E & Routhier, GillesLe deuxième concile du Vatican (1961-1965) fut l’un des événements religieux les plus importants du vingtième siècle. Au Canada, il coïncida avec une période de changements culturels et sociétaux sans précédent, entraînant chez les évêques catholiques canadiens un réexamen de la place et de la mission de l’Église dans le monde. Pendant quatre ans, les évêques catholiques canadiens se réunirent avec leurs collègues de partout dans le monde pour réfléchir aux questions urgentes qui se posaient à l’Église et en débattre. Ce livre bilingue étudie l’interprétation et la réception de Vatican II au Canada, analysant diverses questions, dont le rôle des médias, les réactions des autres chrétiens, les contributions des participants canadiens, l’impact du Concile sur la pratique religieuse et sa contribution à la progression du dialogue interreligieux.
Vatican II: The Essential Texts
by Norman TannerBy encouraging engagement with the modern world and a refocusing of traditional teaching, the Second Vatican Council brought new life into the practice of Catholicism. The council's impact on the Church is still playing out today, and with many current church issues finding their roots in differing interpretations of Vatican II it has never lost relevance. Vatican II: The Essential Texts brings together the key documents of the council. As the council is commemorated on its 50th Anniversary, readers will be returning to these source materials to understand the Church's developing positions on its relationship with the secular world and other religions, the role of lay people, human rights and the common good, the liturgy and other still highly relevant issues. In addition to the introductions from Pope Benedict and James Carroll, the documents will also be accompanied by brief historical prefaces from Professor Edward Hahnenberg.
Vatican II: The Essential Texts
by Norman TannerBy encouraging engagement with the modern world and a refocusing of traditional teaching, the Second Vatican Council brought new life into the practice of Catholicism. The council's impact on the Church is still playing out today, and with many current church issues finding their roots in differing interpretations of Vatican II it has never lost relevance. Vatican II: The Essential Texts brings together the key documents of the council. As the council is commemorated on its 50th Anniversary, readers will be returning to these source materials to understand the Church's developing positions on its relationship with the secular world and other religions, the role of lay people, human rights and the common good, the liturgy and other still highly relevant issues. In addition to the introductions from Pope Benedict and James Carroll, the documents will also be accompanied by brief historical prefaces from Professor Edward Hahnenberg.
Vatican II and Beyond: The Changing Mission and Identity of Canadian Women Religious
by Elizabeth M. Smyth Rosa Bruno-Jofré Heidi MacDonaldThe year 2015 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council, which aimed to align the Church with the modern world. Over the last five decades, women religious have engaged with the council’s reforms with unprecedented enthusiasm, far exceeding the expectations of the Church. Addressing how Canadian women religious envisioned and lived out the changes in religious life brought on by a pluralistic and secularizing world, Vatican II and Beyond analyzes the national organization of female and male congregations, the Canadian Religious Conference, and the lives of two individual sisters: visionary congregational leader Alice Trudeau and social justice activist Mary Alban. This book focuses on the new transnational networks, feminist concepts, professionalization of religious life, and complex political landscapes that emerged during this period of drastic transition as women religious sought to reconstruct identities, redefine roles, and signify vision and mission at both the personal and collective levels. Following women religious as they encountered new meanings of faith in their congregations, the Church, and society at large, Vatican II and Beyond demonstrates that the search for a renewed vision was not just a response to secularization, but a way to be reborn as Catholic women.
Vatican II and New Thinking about Catholic Education: The impact and legacy of Gravissimum Educationis
by Sean WhittleIt is only in the years since Vatican II that the new thinking about Catholic education has crystalised into shape. Vatican II and New Thinking about Catholic Education provides an opportune moment to take stock of the impact of Vatican II on Catholic education. This volume considers the various ways in which Vatican II and its teaching on education has been received and engages with the challenges and testing times that beset faith-based education in the twenty-first century. With insights from an international range of leading and influential advocates of Catholic education, the volume demonstrates the differing contexts of Catholic education and explores the ways in which Vatican II’s teaching on education has been received over the past four or five decades.
Vatican II on Church-State Relations: What Did the Council Teach, and What's Wrong With It?
by M. Y. CiftciShould religion and politics be kept apart? What should be the relationship between the church and the state? M.Y. Ciftci answers these questions by studying the most important event in the recent history of the Catholic Church: The Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The book provides a new interpretation of the Council’s teaching on church-state relations to better appreciate its flaws and need for reform. By paying attention to the (often overlooked) importance given by the Council to the lay apostolate, it reveals how the Council did not reform, as is often thought, but retained a flawed conception of the laity’s role in politics. It then proposes a new framework for understanding church-state relations using the ressourcement method of returning to scripture and tradition, and by a critical dialogue with Oliver O’Donovan and various Protestant biblical scholars of the Powers in the New Testament. Ciftci shows how fruitful an self-consciously ecumenical approach can be for political theology. As most ressourcement theologians have overlooked political issues, and since ecumenical theology rarely touches on issues of church-state relations, this work makes an original contribution to the ressourcement project and to ecumenism.
The Vatican Plot
by Raúl Sánchez Quintana“The Vatican Plot” is an adventure of intrigue, betrayal, power and against it the whole struggle for good. Patrizia, a young woman who works at the Vatican Library, finds herself in the middle of a storm after subwaying her nose where she doesn't belong and must navigate to safety. The pope, the mafia, the national governments, the jihadists all have their hands in the mix trying to push and pull events in their favor, but not all can win or escape with their lives.
The Vatican Prophecies
by John Thavis"The process by which these supernatural events are authenticated is expertly told by John Thavis, one of the world's leading Vaticanologists. In fact, that a book on so secretive and complex a topic is so deeply researched, beautifully written, and artfully told is something of a small miracle itself."--James Martin, S.J., author of Jesus: A PilgrimageFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Vatican Diaries, a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how the Vatican investigates claims of miraculous eventsApocalyptic prophecies and miraculous apparitions are headline-grabbing events that often put the Catholic Church's concept of "rational faith" at odds with the passion of its more zealous followers. To some, these claims teeter on the edge of absurdity. Others see them as evidence of a private connection with God. For the Vatican, the issue is much more nuanced as each supposed miraculous event could have serious theological and political consequences. In response, the Vatican has developed a highly secretive and complex evaluation system to judge the authenticity of supernatural phenomena. Former journalist John Thavis uses his thirty years' experience covering the Vatican to shed light on this little-known process, revealing deep internal debates on the power of religious relics, private revelations, exorcisms, and more. Enlightening and accessible to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, the book illustrates the Church's struggle to balance the tension between traditional beliefs and contemporary skepticism. From the Hardcover edition.
Vatican Waltz
by Roland MerulloThe new novel from the award-winning author of Breakfast with Buddha and Revere Beach Boulevard tells the story of a young Catholic woman jolted from a quietly devout life in pursuit of a mysterious calling. Cynthia Piantedosi lives a quiet, unassuming life outside of Boston, guided by her Catholic faith. When she loses her beloved grandmother, she begins experiencing "spells" of such intense spiritual intimacy that she wonders about her sanity. Devoted to her elderly father and not particularly interested in dating and socializing, she develops a deep friendship with her parish priest. His congregation sees him as provocative and radical, but he encourages Cynthia to explore her faith--however it presents itself. When he is killed in a mysterious accident, a message begins to emerge from Cynthia's prayers: God is calling her to be the first female Catholic priest. Her revelation is met with ridicule by certain of the more reactionary officials she reaches out to within the Church. Unable to tune out the divine messages, she lets the power of unswerving faith drive her all the way to the Vatican in pursuit of a destiny she doesn't fully understand--and a turn of events that will inevitably bring long overdue change to the Catholic Church.From the Hardcover edition.
The Vaticans Exorcists: Driving Out the Devil in the 21st Century
by Tracy WilkinsonJohn Paul II was the first pope since the early 1600s to view the devil and his minions not only as formidable foes, but as tangible, present forces which the Catholic church must battle on a daily basis. The priest charged with spearheading this mission is Father Gabriele Amorth and his Office of Exorcism. Revitalizing a long-dormant practice, Father Amorth has re-established exorcism as a common rite in the church with a series of seminars and training sessions during which priests from all over the world learn how to fight Satan here on Earth. The Rome bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, journalist Tracy Wilkinson has gained access to the Vatican's highest authorities, allowing her to cover this story from every angle, including "beneficiaries" and "victims" of exorcism alike, skeptical scientists and laity, devout believers, and even those priests within the church who question the revival of the practice. A riveting account of a provocative subject, this outstanding work of investigative journalism will enthrall readers from start to finish.