Dermot O'Brien invites the reader into a world of beauty through the delicate medium of haiku. A humble form of poetry, haiku, although short in length, are sublime in content. For a poetic form that is so often exclusively associated with Japan, Dermot O'Brien guides the reader effortlessly to a more familiar territory - Ireland.

Written for those who are affected by the addiction of a loved one, this book sets out the complex realities of dependency by looking at how addiction can become the whole family's illness. It is a no-nonsense guide to where your responsibilities lie when a partner, parent, or child is dependent, detailing the emotional and practical dilemmas these situations can demand. Relatives will find knowledge, understanding, reassurance, and practical advice throughout this book, regardless of their loved one's stage of addiction or recovery.

This enchanting book is a boost and a tonic for the faith we celebrate at Christmas time. Christopher Hayden shows us how immensely relevant, practical and challenging our Christmas faith is. Carefully setting the stage for the birth of the Saviour, he gradually populates the crib with all its different characters, explaining the significance of each one. Each chapter concludes with some points to ponder, making this an ideal book for preachers, as well as for prayers. The book combines sensitivity to the concerns of biblical scholarship with a popular approach style. It is intended to help people enter prayerfully and reflectively into the spirit of Christmas.

This book provides a rich understanding of school bullying and the many forms it takes. The reader will be left in no doubt as to the serious consequences of bullying for the victims, the bullies, and, indeed, society. Crucial and practical steps are provided, especially for parents and teachers, as to how they can make a real difference in reducing the widespread and serious level of victimization and bullying in our schools today.

This book is the second part of a comprehensive work of classification and identification of the Maronite manuscripts of Aleppo, offering the first detailed record and description of the 250 Arabic-Karshuni manuscripts. The material is helpfully categorized according to the area of particular concern to each work: Bible, Biblical Commentaries, Patristic works, Theology and Spirituality, Philosophy, Sciences and History, Controversies and Apologies, Councils and Law, Hagiographies, Synaxaries, Homilies and Rituals. The book includes also 100 images and full indices of titles, personal names, subjects and places.

Linked by a common geography and claim to the true religion, Christians and Muslims had a long history of interreligious discourse up to the Crusades. These faith communities composed texts in the form of dialogues in light of their encounters with one another. This book surveys the development of the genre and how dialogues determined he patterns of conversation. Each chapter highlights a thematic feature of the literary form, demonstrating that Christian and Muslim authors did not part ways in the first century of Islamic rule, but rather continued a dialogue commending God’s faithful believers.

Cover Up: Understanding Self-Harm is a guide for parents, teachers, therapists or anyone who lives with, supports or provides therapy for people who self-harm. This book blows away the stigma and myths that are attached to this distressing behaviour. It explains fully and comprehensively what self-harm is really about and includes a step-by-step section on how people who self-harm should and can be supported and helped.

This book is an introduction to the main elements of the Catholic Church for those who would like to better understand their own faith and to participate in the Church’s life of faith more fully. Using the lived experience of well-known individuals, from St Thomas Aquinas to St Joan of Arc to Blessed John XXIII, it explores the many different aspects of the faith that we share. The main chapters of the book correspond to the four sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (concerning prayer, the sacraments, the commandments and the Creed), further illuminating our discovery of what we believe.

Has the Old Testament Psalter been purposefully arranged? Does this arrangement convey an overall message? This book enters into the growing discussion regarding the canonical arrangement of the Psalms by examining Book IV (Pss 90-106) and considering the book's overall theological and thematic message within the literary context of the Psalter. This volume argues that Psalms 90-106 have been purposely arranged as a rejoinder to the previous three books, in response to the rise and fall of Davidic kingship. This hypothesis is tested by examining how Psalms 90-106 may have been purposely organized as a collection.

A collection of studies on the Syriac sixth century writer Jacob of Sarug by a team of international scholars, including Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Sebastian P. Brock, Sharbil Iskandar Bcheiry, Khalid Dinno, Sidney Griffith, Mary Hansbury, Amir Harrak, George A. Kiraz, Edward Matthews, Aho Shemunkasho, and Lucas Van Rompay.

Jacob of Serugh’s vision of ‘Salvation in Christ’, in its exegetical, theological, catechetical, liturgical and pastoral aspects, is reviewed in this monograph. Jacob’s mode of symbolic-mystical-silence approach to the mystery of Christ is explained. This treatise gathers up Jacob’s typological and symbolic thought-patterns, in his own language, categories, terminologies, and imageries.

This little book on the Celtic Saints was first written as a guidebook for the pilgrim visiting the Celtic Saints Garden in Co. Donegal. This guidebook has now been adapted to comprise a short selection of favorite Celtic saints - at home and abroad - along with prayers inspired by them; their spirituality, endeavors for the faith, and personal expressions of Christianity during the Golden Age of Celtic spirituality and missionary outreach.

In the Ottoman Empire, Syriac communities kept their own baptismal books, marriage, funeral and other records and many of these can be found in various libraries, churches, monasteries in the West and East. The Syriac Garšūnī manuscript found in the Church of the Forty Martyrs in Mardin contains several lists of different subjects that go back to the late period of the Ottoman Empire. These lists, published here for the first time with annotations, are an important historical source for the social, economic, cultural and religious history of the Near East during the 19th century.

Encountering God in the Margins takes the reader into the world of the marginalized - the slums, villages and other abandoned spaces in the undeveloped world - and allows their story to be told through the incidents, images, sounds and smells that the author has encountered and experienced. The book is an attempt to restore a voice to the voiceless through allowing them to share their life, their hopes, fears and struggles. ""This challenging and important book is sure to ignite debate. ""-Booklist, Starred Review Sept. 1, 2010

This revised version is written for men and women of faith who may need a compass to keep themselves on track when things go wrong in the workplace. What is offered in this book will work best if absorbed in quiet moments alone, at times when there is a distance from the inevitable stress, worry and pressure that are part of everyday life and are certainly predictable parts of workplace life. The reader will find a down-to-earth spirituality that can close the gap between the material world and the spirit of the realm. ""As always, .Father Byron's wisdom and experience are appreciated and applauded.""-Catholic Library World

Among the earliest known sources from the Persian Church, the 4th-century Demonstrations of Aphrahat reflect a form of Christianity much closer to its Jewish roots than contemporary Western forms. Their mix of ascetic instruction, polemic against Judaism, and theological reflection provides an invaluable glimpse into this otherwise poorly documented period.