Paraclete Press: 276 books

"The older I get, the more difficult I find it to take the world seriously. At close quarters it can appear merciless, almost threatening, but with increasing distance it looks more and more comical." — From the Introduction Notker Wolf takes a lighthearted, refreshing approach to life...

I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. — Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916) Charles de Foucauld, desert hermit and writer of "The Prayer of Abandonment," was torn between his ambition to do great things...

People from all faiths and none at all find in the prayers of the mystical traditions expressions that speak to their deepest needs. Whether appealing for knowledge, seeking a sense of the love of God, or about asceticism, questions and doubts, or contemplation and action, each of these prayers (from...

By the fourth century, many ordinary men and women with a strong spiritual awareness retreated to the desert following Christ’s example. These early Christians around the Mediterranean became known as Desert Fathers and Mothers. They preferred long hours of solitude and quiet but they still accepted...

This easy-to-use guide provides essential tools for raising well-nourished, active children who will make lifelong healthy choices. Engaging, practical, and filled with quick tips, this is a must-read for the busy parent trying to navigate the challenging world of kids and food. An ideal book for parents, schools, churches, and community groups. Recipes are included.

In an arrogant age that asks, "Why are Muslims so violent", this book asks from an unlikely perspective why Christians also are. This work is important because it takes an age-old question, religious violence, and makes it new again. In times like the ones of 2016, this intellectual material...

This clear guide will help you understand what is distinctive about Protestant perspectives on who the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit does in our lives. After an introduction that broadly compares Protestant views on the Holy Spirit with Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox models, the understandings...

The Bible is ancient, enigmatic, and from a culture vastly different from our own. That’s why most of us find it hard to read. So how can we understand its importance in the church, and how can it enrich our lives? Central to lectio divina is the conviction that to read the Bible faithfully and...

“Abba, give me a word!” So young monks and visitors to desert monasteries would address an elder at the beginning of the 4th century. These seekers believed that a word originating outside oneself would descend into the heart and give direction to one’s inner life. Enzo Bianchi has tried to...

“Where is God?” “Is God real?” These have been the cries of humankind since time began. Searching for the answer involves exploring what is profoundly human, which is to be found in the figure of Christ. That is why we cannot think of God without turning our minds to Jesus. Enzo Bianchi helps...

"What is all this contemplative prayer people are talking about these days? I never heard anything about that back in my parish. Is this really part of the Christian tradition or some New Age import from Buddhism or some other -ism?" The question came from a young man in college seriously...

This joint biography illuminates the lives of Francis and Clare and their way of life. It shows how they were bound together by devotion to God as well as the violent objections of their families to religious life. It explores a variety of issues they faced, including the treatment of lepers in medieval...

“Why do you look so happy?” people have been asking Notker Wolf for years, now. So he set out to answer them in this lively book. A relationship with God, he explains, can feel like falling in love, when it seems that butterflies are fluttering around in your stomach. Then, beauty, joy, belief,...

Still Pilgrim is a collection of poems that chronicles the universal journey of life as seen through the eyes of a keenly-observant friend and fellow traveler. The reader accompanies the Still Pilgrim as she navigates the experiences that constitute her private history yet also serve to remind us...