All too often, a married person may find himself or herself in the following scenario: “When one person wants God at the center of life and the other is ambivalent, a self-proclaimed agnostic or atheist, a conflict exists that can make communication challenging. Unfortunately, many couples allow these tensions to tear them apart.”

Rather than losing hope and communication in your marriage and falling into divorce, try following the sage advice given in Donna Erickson Couch’s new book, Together But Alone: When God Means Something Different to Your Spouse. Couch, a veteran of such a situation, offers wise, practical help for those who do not want their own spiritual quest to become a divisive factor in their marriages. She points out that people “must renegotiate the ‘rules’ of intimate relationships when a calling for God echoes within....”

Chapters deal with such issues as: • Growth and Stagnation • Longing, Loneliness and Love • Solitude and Community • Mystery and Relationships • Children and Family • Friends and Guides • The Journey Ahead

Gentle words and advice on following one’s own spiritual path form the heart of this book. Ronald Rolheiser writes, “Together But Alone is a needed book, balm and guidance for anyone suffering from moral loneliness....I heartily recommend this book.”

Is there a spirituality inherent in our relationship with the earth? Is our planet more than a commodity, to be used and abused and discarded by human beings? How can we develop a holy relationship with the earth and its creatures? How does our view of our planet home relate to our Christian faith? What can Francis teach us about personally responding to the earth?

These are the questions addressed by Care for Creation: A Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth by Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Keith Douglass Warner, O.F.M., and Pamela Wood. Care for Creation provides a comprehensive view of creation and the environment and the Christian place within creation through the lens of Franciscan spiritual values. The authors contribute from their areas of expertise: environmental science, Franciscan spirituality and reflective action. These three perspectives on care for creation show that living interdependently and cooperatively underlies a rich unfolding of life in unity and harmony.

If you are concerned about the survival of our ecosystem, Care for Creation can guide you on the Franciscan path toward caring for the earth. Combining good science with solid theology and practical applications, this book displays the genius of the Franciscan tradition in confronting today’s environmental crisis. The authors show how a contemporary Franciscan spirituality of creation, following the footprints of Jesus with the guidance of Saint Francis of Assisi, can help renew the face of the earth in our own time. Care for Creation includes steps for individuals and churches to take to reduce their impact on the environment.

Documentary filmmaker and award-winning author Gerard Thomas Straub (When Did I See You Hungry? and The Sun and Moon Over Assisi) now writes a daily blog that not only features his writings but also includes an inspiring “Quote of the Day.” Check out Gerry’s blog at http://gerrystraub.wordpress.com. A quotes archive section has been added for those who would like to browse the inspiring, spiritually uplifting material anytime.

Susan Saint Sing, Ph. D., author of Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul, was interviewed recently by the Columbia Missourian newspaper on the topic of spirituality of sport. Recognized as a leading authority on the subject, Susan explores the joy and impetus humans experience to play, dance and compete while focusing on the energy of a benevolent God, giving many personal anecdotes in her book and those of her fellow athletes and coaches. She also wrote Francis and the San Damiano Cross: Meditations on Spiritual Transformation.

Join author and Bible scholar Timothy Schehr for a “Day of Reflection on Healing Passages in the Bible” at the Transfiguration Center for Spiritual Renewal in Ludlow Falls, Ohio, on April 5 and again on April 12. The day will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will end around 2:00 p.m. For more information and event details, visit www.transfigurationcenter.com. 

     For more information on the Bible, check out Father Tim’s book, Finding Your Bible: A Catholic's Guide, in which he addresses many tough questions Catholics ask when dealing with the Bible, such as which Bible we should read and how are we to better understand its language, metaphors and allegories.

      He also introduces readers to the amazing literature of the Bible in The Bible Made Easy: A Book-by-Book Introduction, in which he highlights the main characters, central themes and the spiritual lessons of each book of the Bible in what can be called an “indispensable roadmap” for those setting out to discover God’s word.

"This book is highly recommended to those addicted to the Internet, those concerned about a person addicted and those who minister to them" writes Brother Benet S. Exton in his review of Breaking Free of the Web: Catholics and Internet Addiction in Catholic News Agency's online newletter. Read the review here.