Jon M. Sweeney

What if prayer could be simple rather than strenuous? Anxious, results-driven Christians can never pray enough, serve enough, or study enough. But what if God is calling us not to frenzied activity but to a simple spiritual encounter? What if we must merely receive what God has already given us? In Flee, Be Silent, Pray, writer and contemplative retreat leader Ed Cyzewski guides readers out of the anxiety factory of contemporary Christianity and toward a God whose love astounds those quiet long enough to receive it. With helpful guidance into solitude, contemplative prayer, and practices such as lectio divina and the Examen, Cyzewski guides readers toward the Christ whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. Ready to shed the fear of the false self and the exhaustion of a duty-driven faith? Flee. Be silent. Pray.

The story of Margaret and her friend the Pope continues with Book 3 in The Pope’s Cat series. This adventure has Margaret experiencing the prayers, penitence, liturgy, and excitement of Holy Week in the Vatican and Rome—from the joy of Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square, to foot-washing in a Roman prison, the solemnity of Good Friday, and the expectation of Easter. She learns about Jesus and the meaning of his Passion, visits important new places such as The Sistine Chapel, where she seems to pray beside the Pope, and the Roman Colosseum, where she learns that many early Christians were martyrs for their faith. Margaret's friends, the Swiss Guards, are watching over her, and she manages to eat (she still loves to eat!) some interesting foods, even though it's Holy Week. Oh yes, and she sleeps a lot.

How do we live the Christian life? April Love-Fordham and her husband contemplated this as they retraced the footsteps of Saint Francis across the Italian wilderness. Did they need to renounce materialism and live more simply? Did they need to do more work serving those in need? Was more Bible study or a stronger prayer life needed? What made their commitment to Christ different than those committed to other faiths? How could their lives make a difference? Love-Fordham was planning a lecture series on Galatians, written by the Apostle Paul, when she and her husband began their pilgrimage. As they journeyed into the life and legends of Saint Francis, a playful old-school Franciscan monk befriended them. Together, the three named the parallels and divergences in the lives of Saint Francis and Paul. In doing so, they discovered an entirely new--but ancient--way of following Jesus. This book teaches Galatians the way Jesus taught: through parables. In this case, the parables are about Saint Francis. Each section ends with a spiritual practice designed to help readers discover their own unique way of living the Christian life. ""April Love-Fordham's Disorderly Parables Series resonates with the women's lives in our Bible study group. She stretches us beyond our comfort zone to prayerfully consider our fellow humankind. . . . We highly recommend her books for your next study."" --Stephanie Yuicus, St. Catherine's Women's Bible Study Leader ""This installment in Love-Fordham's Disorderly Parables Series is a winsome account of pilgrimage, framed within an accessible study of Paul's letter to the Galatians. The book's four sections explore what it means to follow the way of Jesus, with a chance to stop and reflect at the end of each section. Try using the photographs for visual meditation (visio divina). Another plus: the lesson plans, while intended for group study, work well as personal journaling prompts, too."" --Sarah Erickson, Director, Lifelong Learning, Columbia Theological Seminary ""April Love-Fordham's St. Francis and the Christian Life continues her Disorderly Parable Series in which she has woven together narrative and biblical exegesis to create a brilliant book on Christian spiritual formation. . . . The book is replete with wonderful advice for individual and group spiritual disciplines. St. Francis and the Christian Life is a must for any Christian who wants to grow in faith, or enable others so to do."" --Kenneth Swanson, Rector, St. David's Episcopal Church; Adjunct Professor, Candler School of Theology, Emory University With two degrees from Georgia Tech, April Love-Fordham (aprillovefordham.com) rose to the executive suite, left the corporate world, earned an MDiv and DMin, and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Today she is an Episcopalian and is writing a series called Disorderly Parable Bible Studies, including James in the Suburbs on James (2014) and Dismantling Injustice on the Song of Solomon (2016). She lives with her husband and Great Dane in Atlanta, GA.

How do we live the Christian life? April Love-Fordham and her husband contemplated this as they retraced the footsteps of Saint Francis across the Italian wilderness. Did they need to renounce materialism and live more simply? Did they need to do more work serving those in need? Was more Bible study or a stronger prayer life needed? What made their commitment to Christ different than those committed to other faiths? How could their lives make a difference? Love-Fordham was planning a lecture series on Galatians, written by the Apostle Paul, when she and her husband began their pilgrimage. As they journeyed into the life and legends of Saint Francis, a playful old-school Franciscan monk befriended them. Together, the three named the parallels and divergences in the lives of Saint Francis and Paul. In doing so, they discovered an entirely new--but ancient--way of following Jesus. This book teaches Galatians the way Jesus taught: through parables. In this case, the parables are about Saint Francis. Each section ends with a spiritual practice designed to help readers discover their own unique way of living the Christian life. ""April Love-Fordham's Disorderly Parables Series resonates with the women's lives in our Bible study group. She stretches us beyond our comfort zone to prayerfully consider our fellow humankind. . . . We highly recommend her books for your next study."" --Stephanie Yuicus, St. Catherine's Women's Bible Study Leader ""This installment in Love-Fordham's Disorderly Parables Series is a winsome account of pilgrimage, framed within an accessible study of Paul's letter to the Galatians. The book's four sections explore what it means to follow the way of Jesus, with a chance to stop and reflect at the end of each section. Try using the photographs for visual meditation (visio divina). Another plus: the lesson plans, while intended for group study, work well as personal journaling prompts, too."" --Sarah Erickson, Director, Lifelong Learning, Columbia Theological Seminary ""April Love-Fordham's St. Francis and the Christian Life continues her Disorderly Parable Series in which she has woven together narrative and biblical exegesis to create a brilliant book on Christian spiritual formation. . . . The book is replete with wonderful advice for individual and group spiritual disciplines. St. Francis and the Christian Life is a must for any Christian who wants to grow in faith, or enable others so to do."" --Kenneth Swanson, Rector, St. David's Episcopal Church; Adjunct Professor, Candler School of Theology, Emory University With two degrees from Georgia Tech, April Love-Fordham (aprillovefordham.com) rose to the executive suite, left the corporate world, earned an MDiv and DMin, and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Today she is an Episcopalian and is writing a series called Disorderly Parable Bible Studies, including James in the Suburbs on James (2014) and Dismantling Injustice on the Song of Solomon (2016). She lives with her husband and Great Dane in Atlanta, GA.

Margaret — The Pope's Cat — is back! Illustrated in full color. Bang! Slam! Boom! Loud sounds in St. Peter's Square had been going on for nearly an hour already. Margaret was annoyed, because as you may know, cats like to sleep. A lot. The apartment where Margaret lives with the Pope, ever since he adopted her off the streets of Rome, looks out onto St. Peter’s Square. And the noises down there kept waking Margaret up. She rolled over, covering her ears with her paws. A few minutes later, the sounds began again, as more trucks arrived to unload even more chairs. Beep, beep, beep, beep went the trucks as they backed up to where men in yellow jackets were waiting to unload them. Then came Bang! Slam! Boom! all over again, as the men arranged the chairs in rows facing the portico of St. Peter’s Basilica. All of this was in preparation for a special event to take place the following day, Christmas. ____________ In this delightful new story from their lives, the Pope takes Margaret on a tour of St. Peter's. But when he's called away to work, Margaret gets lost in the world's largest church. She meets saints, children, tourists, and the artist Michelangelo's famous statue, The Pieta, before being reunited with the Pope as Midnight Mass is about to begin.

“A heartwarming tale, which gives the papacy a human touch.” –Christopher Lamb, Rome correspondent, The Tablet "I give it one million stars!" —Luca, Mrs. Gilman's class, St. Margaret Mary School (Omaha, NE) Meet Margaret — the Pope's cat — in the very first book in this best-selling series by Jon M. Sweeney! This is the story of a stray born on the Via della Conciliazione in Rome, how she’s adopted by the Pope, and then “rules” the Vatican from museum to floorboard! First in a new series. No one has a closer view of what’s happening in the world’s tiniest nation, Vatican City, than Margaret, the Pope’s new cat. But she wasn’t always Margaret, and she wasn’t always the Pope’s cat. She started out as a stray on the streets of Rome, and there are those in the Vatican who wish she’d never been allowed inside. This fun, adorable new character will appeal to all kids! Here is a cat who does what she likes regardless of what others, even someone like the Pope, expects of her—even when the Queen of England comes on a state visit! This new fiction series is intended for Catholic schools, elementary school teachers, Catholic librarians, superintendents of schools, reading specialists, educators, catechists, school principals, Catholic homeschoolers, and parents.

The definitive biography of one of the most beloved and respected figures in American religious life. In this comprehensive biography, Jon Sweeney, official biographer of Tickle’s literary estate, explores every aspect of her life, a more than 50-year legacy of poetry; plays; literary, spiritual, and historical/theological work; and advocacy. Sweeney examines Tickle’s personal and professional roots, from her family, long marriage, and life on The Farm in Lucy, Tennessee, to early academic career and move into book publishing, where her role as founding editor of the Religion Department at Publishers Weekly influenced the growth of spiritual writing and interfaith understanding during the 1990s. Sweeney also looks at pivotal relationships with John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg, and Brian McLaren, as well as her great influence on the increasing number who adopted fixed-hour prayer, the Episcopal Church as a whole, and the Emerging Church, for which she served as historian, forecaster, and champion. A look at her early, passionate advocacy for the LGBT community, lecture circuit controversies, and projects left unfinished completes the picture.

Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) was a priest, a mystic, and nearly a heretic (he died before the Church court's verdict). In the 20th century, the Roman Catholic Church rehabilitated him and the late Pope John Paul II spoke of his work with fondness. However, what makes him of particular interest is the fact that he has influenced a wide range of spiritual teachers and mystics both inside and outside the Christian tradition. Erich Fromm, Eckhart Tolle, Richard Rohr, D. T. Suzuki, and Rudolf Steiner have all credited Eckhart as being an important influence on their thought. In addition, his work has influenced the development of 20th century American Buddhism and the Theosophical tradition. Eckhart wrote at a time--much like our own--when society appeared to be coming apart at the seams. In the midst of all that chaos and uncertainty, he captured the many forms and stages of the love of God, the mystic path, and the journey of transformation--in language so startling that he, too, was often accused of heresy. Now, seven centuries later, this fresh, stunning rendering of his work translates the essence of one of Christianity's greatest poetic and spiritual voices. Here is a book that conveys the heart of Eckhart's teaching on what it means to love God and embark on an authentic spiritual journey--a journey that is characterized by mystery, paradox, and an embrace of the unknown.

In the tradition of The St. Francis Prayer Book, Jon Sweeney offers an ancient-medieval way of understanding and experiencing the Gospel: the Holy Fool. This countercultural approach is exemplified in the life and teachings of Francis of Assisi, the most popular Saint in history, and his good friend, Brother Juniper. What does it mean to be a fool for Christ? It meant to St. Francis: being small not strong, valuing joy over pleasure, avoiding positions of power, and enjoying rather than avoiding moments of insecurity, fear, and awkwardness. These practices revealed to the first Franciscans how being foolish in the eyes of the world is a sure way to discover a renewed sense of the presence of God. Includes a week of daily offices focused on the concept of the Holy Fool and spiritual practices for countercultural living.

These stories of St. Francis and his first followers have inspired millions of people over the centuries. Since they were first committed to paper, they were told to inspire people to become better followers of Jesus (not St. Francis). For that reason, they have endured unlike any other early Franciscan literature. This new paperback edition edition of The Little Flowers is unique in its physical beauty as well as its editorial arrangement. For the first time, the stories have been arranged in the most likely chronological ordering of when they happened—rather than following the traditional ordering of them handed down for centuries. As a result, today’s reader is now able to read The Little Flowers as a biographical narrative of the life of St. Francis and the world-transforming movement that he founded.

Popular historian and award-winning author Jon M. Sweeney relates the untold story of St. Francis's friendship with Elias of Cortona, the man who helped him build the Franciscan movement. Sweeney uses the complexities of their relationship in a gripping narrative of how their efforts changed the world and how Elias's enthusiasm betrayed the ideals of his friend. Few biographies of St. Francis have examined his complicated relationship with close friend Elias of Cortona. In The Enthusiast, award-winning author and historian Jon M. Sweeney delves into this little-known partnership that defined and then almost destroyed Francis's ideals. Blending history and biography, Sweeney reveals how Francis and Elias rebuilt churches, aided lepers, and entertained as "God's troubadours" to the delight of everyday people who had grown tired of a remote and tumultuous Church.

Phyllis Tickle is a prolific author, lecturer, founding religion editor for Publishers Weekly, and commentator on religious matters, whose writing has appealed to readers for six decades. She is especially known for her series, The Divine Hours, popularizing the observance of fixed-hour prayer, and for her analysis of Emergence Christianity, its precedents, history, and challenges. At every stage of her career-reflected here in essays and poems, sermons, lectures, reflections on the words of Jesus and the future of faith-her vocation has been to assist in the human struggle to come to terms with what it means to live a life with and for God. This collection of her "essential spiritual writings" will be a revelation to her newer readers, a treasury for those who have long admired and followed her work.

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 society, corruption in the church, and attitudes toward the created world. You will learn how Clare's spirituality influenced that of other prominent women, how Francis lost control of his own movement, and why Francis's body was secretly buried after his death.

The riveting story of Pope St. Celestine V, the pope who retired from the papacy. At the close of the tumultuous Middle Ages, there lived a man who seemed destined from birth to save the world. His name was Peter Morrone, a hermit, a founder of a religious order, and, depending on whom you talk to, a reformer, an instigator, a prophet, a coward, a saint, and possibly the victim of murder. A stroke of fate would, practically overnight, transform this humble servant of God into the most powerful man in the Catholic Church. Half a year later, he would be the only pope in history to abdicate the chair of St. Peter, an act that nearly brought the papacy to its knees. What led him to make that decision and what happened afterward would be shrouded in mystery for centuries. The Pope Who Quit pulls back the veil of secrecy on this dramatic time in history and showcases a story that involves deadly dealings, apocalyptic maneuverings, and papal intrigue.

For all who love St. Francis and his spirit of passionate creativity and devotion to God, this prayer book is an invitation to experience the spiritual gifts of one of his closest companions. Clare was a deep, ready source of wisdom—a well to Francis's river. Discover the spirituality of St. Clare and how it complements that of St. Francis. Enter into a week of morning and evening prayer centered on themes from Clare's life. Pray with Clare's own words in a variety of occasions. And enjoy a special appendix that dramatizes what it might have been like to be there on that first night when Clare fled to the little chapel called Portiuncula to become a brother, and much more.

This warm-hearted little book is a window into the soul of St. Francis, one of the most passionate and inspiring followers of Jesus. "Prayer was to Francis as play is to a child: natural, easy, creative, and joyful," author Jon Sweeney tells us. "Before it became common to speak in personal terms of a relationship with God, Francis did so and made it seem natural." With this guide, readers will:Pray the words that Francis taught his spiritual brothers and sisters to pray. Explore Francis's time and place and feel the joy and earnestness of the first Franciscans. Experience how it is possible to live a contemplative and active life, at the same time.

A spiritual guidebook for bringing prayer into our bodies The power of words is nowhere more evident than when we use them to pray, but prayer is also the place where we most often come up against the limitations of words. In this intriguing book of reflections and accompanying photographs, we see how our bodies, in particular our hands, can give meaning to our prayers in a way that words alone cannot. Here are twenty-one simple ways of using our hands to speak to God, presented in word and image. These spiritual practices are from a broad range of religious traditions—from Anglican to Sufi, from Buddhist to Shaker. Some may be familiar, some new; all demonstrate the universal importance people of all faith traditions have given to embodied prayer. They teach us to experience the unique spiritual enrichment that can be found when we pray with our hands.