Jesus and the First Century
of Christianity in Jerusalem
Elizabeth McNamer and Bargil Pixner
Paperback, 100 pp., $19.95
Paulist Press (May 28, 2008)

Beautifully illustrated with maps and photos, this book focuses on the first century in Jerusalem after the death of Jesus. Its thesis is that the Jerusalem community remained true to their Jewish heritage and had a connection with the Essenes. After the Bar Kohaba rebellion a gentile bishop was appointed. The Jewish church was inundated by gentiles and eventually integrated into the Byzantine church. The purpose of the book is to bring to light our Jewish connections, and, as the state of Israel is being threatened, an appreciation of our Jewish heritage.

A Persistent Peace
John Dear SJ, Martin Sheen
Hardcover, 440 pp., $22.95
Loyola Press (August 1, 2008)

In A Persistent Peace, follow John Dear’s journey of social activism and spiritual growth as a nationally known peace activist. His incredible story of social activism will touch anyone who believes in the power of peace.

Behold Your Mother
Heidi Hess Saxton
Paperback, 80 pp., $9.99
Bezalel Books (February 20, 2008)

When she converted to Catholicism, Saxton found it difficult to “get close to Mary.” This difficulty resolved itself over time, but she never completely understood her own reluctance until she became a foster parent and experienced the children’s resistance to her parenting efforts. Behold Your Mother contains three short stories from the author’s life that illustrate Mary’s “spiritual motherhood”; then a series of forty-eight short reflections based on Scripture. This is a second, expanded edition of Saxton’s book With Mary in Prayer.

Heroic Living
Chris Lowney
Hardcover, 248 pp., $22.95
Loyola Press (February 1, 2009)

Best-selling author and former investment banker Chris Lowney combines the proven practices of Ignatian spirituality with his business expertise to help each of us discover our own mighty purpose and develop a personal life strategy, incorporating Ignatian Spirituality, that helps us achieve it. By merging astute business knowledge and Ignatian Spirituality, Lowney provides the tools and strategies needed to make practical, long-term life changes that move us away from our fractured, compartmentalized lives and toward the satisfaction and wholeness that each of us desires so deeply.

Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire
Joseph Langford
Hardcover, 320 pp., $19.95
Our Sunday Visitor (October 15, 2008)

This is the book that Mother Teresa wanted written. Thirty years after her Nobel Peace Prize, five years since her beatification, and one year since the media-generated controversy regarding her dark night, Mother Teresa continues to be a symbol of the nobility of the human spirit and every person’s capacity to do extraordinary things. What was it that caused this transformation? What was it in her that touched so many so deeply? Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire provides the answers and what they mean for you.