There are many misconceptions about prayer, ranging from what it is to how and why we pray. Dr. James Papandrea breaks open the wisdom of early Christians to transform and enrich your spiritual life and help you develop a daily rhythm for fruitful conversation with God. Here is the spiritual game plan you need to assist you in opening your heart to the Father's invitation, receiving His love, living virtuously in practical ways, and entering into deeper communion with Him.

Through the lives of early Church Fathers and Mothers, Dr. Papandrea emphasizes the centrality of the Mass and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in our lives of prayer, providing methods to help you benefit more at Mass and in daily life, and ways to grow in gratitude and devotion. You will learn how the sacraments were practiced in the early Church and their power in flooding us with God's graces today. Additionally, you will see why communal worship is vital and the role of pilgrimage in Christian life.

In these life-changing pages, you will find:

- Why the Eucharist was the most important prayer from the Church's inception
- How Our Lady shows us what prayer really is and ways we can imitate her
- Three meta-virtues in prayer and five characteristics of righteousness
- How to pray without ceasing and develop prayer attitudes
- Three tips on surrendering yourself to God's will
- Three things that block God's grace (Brace yourself!)

Dr. Papandrea also reveals the biblical roots of making the Sign of the Cross and what the early Christians taught about the layers of meaning in the Our Father. Moreover, he documents what early Christians believed regarding reading the Bible, praying for the dead, the role of the saints, repetition in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Included at the end of each chapter are sections on how to pray like an early Christian and resources on how to go deeper. An invaluable prayer plan, prayers from early Christians, and other helpful resources are also featured.

The teachings of the Fathers are permanently relevant. James Papandrea makes that clear in this profound and practical book. Drawing eight key insights from the ancient Church, he guides readers through Christianity's classic spirituality. This is something more than lessons to study. It's spiritual direction for life ahead. -- Michael Aquilina, Author, The Fathers of the Church, and EWTN Host

Heresies, schisms, culture of death, persecutions, excommunications ï 1/2ï 1/2ï 1/2 While reflective of headlines from today, these difficulties roiled Christians of the early Church as well. In fact, the earliest Church manual, the Didache, brought clarity to a range of moral issues that our culture continues to grapple with to this day.

Here is one of the most lucid and comprehensive overviews of the Patristic period ever written. With simplicity and clarity, Dr. James Papandrea introduces you to all the major theologians, philosophers, and martyrs of the early Christian church and explains the theological principles that guided the Church from the New Testament era through the apologists, and, ultimately, to the development of the major doctrines. Best of all, he uniquely situates the teachings of the early Church Fathers against the social and cultural context of the Roman Empire and its relationship to the Church.

Dr. Papandrea will introduce you to the gnostics and their influence on the early Church, as well as explain how Church mothers, such as Macrina the Younger, laid a foundation for the monastic life to come. You'll learn how our understanding of the sacraments developed and when devotion to Our Lady and the saints emerged. You'll also explore how the New Testament canon was formed as well as the criteria used to interpret early Christian writings.

A must-have resource, Reading the Church Fathers offers helpful charts, recommended texts, and summaries of important theological concepts and doctrines. It also reveals:

• How the early Church refuted heresies

• How catechesis was taught and shared

• The order of the liturgy in early Christianity

• The marks of the early Church and the role of tradition

• How apostolic succession was defined

• What is meant by the development of doctrine

Here professor of Church history Dr. James Papandrea gathers in one place all that is known about the afterlife -- drawn from the teachings of Jesus, the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and the Church's Magisterium -- affording, for the first time ever, a complete, authoritative, detailed portrait of the state of souls after death and the realms we enter. The following are among the many questions he answers:

• If, as St. Paul says, flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, how can our bodies enter Heaven?
• After death but before the final resurrection, are we simply unconscious?
• What is our resurrection like? (And does it differ from Jesus' Resurrection?)
• Are ghosts real? (You'll be surprised at what the Church Fathers have to say.)
• What is the difference between Heaven and Paradise?
• Which of our parts will accompany us to Heaven (and which must be left behind)?
• In Heaven, do we still eat and drink?
• If, as Jesus says, there's no marrying in heaven, are we still male and female there?
• After our resurrection, will we, like Jesus, be able to pass through matter?
• And many more fascinating questions answered!

Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (first place, best new religious book series).

Church history is a lot like the tale The Emperor's New Clothes, according to Catholic historian James L. Papandrea: No one wants to seem unenlightened, so they pretend to see what's not there.

In The Early Church (33-313): St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs, Papandrea refutes fourteen fashionable mythconceptions about early Christian history and enables believers to make sense of the Church's beginnings.

The first Apostles spread the message of Jesus Christ and were willing to suffer and die for their faith. The next generations of believers followed their example with zeal, producing inspiring martyrs including Sts. Justin and Perpetua, and great thinkers such as Irenaeus, and Tertullian.

In this book, you will learn:

• No money or power was attached to being a bishop or priest in the early Church.
• Christian holidays were not adaptations of pagan celebrations.
• Christians have never believed in an eternal life for souls without bodies.
• The doctrine of the Trinity was not forced upon the Church by Constantine, but rather was a belief from the beginning of Christianity.

Sometimes it's easy to simply say the words of the Psalms without really praying them. Our minds are so easily distracted by the many cares of the world. But what if you discovered that these sacred prayers relate directly to your concerns? Here is the book that will help you read the Scriptures with devotion even when you're struggling, pray with your heart, and find consolation in God's Word speaking into your life.

Dr. James Papandrea provides you with a new English translation of Psalms carefully selected as most conducive to worshipful prayer so that you can make them your own and pray them with the same relish and fruitfulness as did the early Christians and monastics. This book will help you to pray in the spirit, go deeper into contemplation, and speak to God in every circumstance of your life. As you enter into Divine worship through these prayers, your faith life will be renewed and you will be refreshed by the Lord's loving kindness and mercy.

In these enlightening pages, you will learn:

• The four stages of Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading) to apply in praying the Psalms
• How to speak to God with the ancient prayers of the Psalms
• Techniques to immerse yourself in the Psalms and hear God speaking to you
• Ways God fortifies you and helps you overcome temptations
• How to pray the Psalms to intercede for others and give thanks to God
• Breathing prayers with the Psalms to quiet your mind and rest in God's love

Praying the Psalms has the power to transform your prayer life and enhance your ability to worship and rest in the Lord. A handy mood index is included to help you quickly locate the psalms that relate best to the state of mind you're experiencing.

In this clear and concise introduction to second-century christologies, James Papandrea sets out five of the principal images of Christ that dominated the postapostolic age. Between varieties of adoptionism and brands of gnosticism, Papandrea helps us see how Logos Christology was forged as the beginning of the church's orthodox confession.

From the overcrowded apartment buildings of the poor to the halls of the emperors, this gripping tale of ambition, intrigue, and sacrifice is a compelling work of historical fiction that shows us the first-century Roman church as we've never seen it before. Illuminated with images and explanatory sidebars, we are invited into the daily struggles of the church at Rome just a few years before Paul wrote his famous epistle to them.

In this brief yet penetrating book, Dr. James Papandrea reveals what the early Church Fathers actually taught and believed about the Holy Scriptures as well as how they read, understood, and interpreted the Word of God. He explains the process by which the books of the Bible were selected and demonstrates the harmoniousness and complementarity of the Gospels.

With Dr. Papandrea's guidance, you will see how Scripture attests to the truth of the sacraments, Catholic doctrines, and the hierarchy of the Church founded by Christ. You will come to understand how the Church Fathers differentiated the literal and figurative interpretations of Scripture (it will likely surprise you!). You'll come to appreciate as never before the multiple layers of biblical meaning, from the historical and prophetic to the allegorical, apocalyptic, eschatological, and typological.Dr. Papandrea further explains:

• How Scripture was written and why the Bible is infallible and reliable
• What is meant by divine inspiration
• Why revelation is dynamic and why authentic scriptural interpretation cannot contradict doctrine
• How our approach to reading the Old Testament differs from that of reading the New
• The spiritual senses of Scripture and how the Old Testament is fulfilled in Christ
• The importance of understanding the fullness of Scripture and the dangers in taking passages out of context

In addition, Dr. Papandrea provides tips for biblical interpretation and advice on how to choose the most accurate Bible translation. Most significantly, you will recognize how reading Scripture is a relational exercise that helps you encounter our Lord in His divinity and His humanity and enter into the mystery of salvation.

The Rosary is one of the most recognizable of all Catholic devotions, yet many who love the Rosary have yet to discover the profound truths contained in its mysteries. In Praying a Christ-Centered Rosary, popular author and teacher James L. Papandrea brings together the devotional heart and the curious mind helping readers tap into the Church's rich heritage of theological reflection to ponder the mysteries of Christ hidden within the Rosary. With these meditations, Papandrea reveals that while the prayers of the Rosary seem to focus primarily on the Blessed Mother, she always points us back to her son Jesus.

As a revert to Catholicism, James L. Papandrea wasn't naturally drawn to the Rosary: Its simplicity and repetitiveness seemed to lack the depth he hoped to find in prayer. But over time, he began to understand how the Mysteries of the Rosary could unlock the deepest mysteries of Jesus Christ and foster a profound and personal encounter with God. He will help you do so as well.

Papandrea focuses on the mysteries beyond the Gospel events and taps into two millennia of theological reflection focusing especially on the early Church fathers. He connects each of the twenty Mysteries of the Rosary to one of the deepest truths of Catholic faith. Theological reflections are framed as paradoxes which reveal the profoundly Christological nature of this timeless devotion and empower Catholics to go deeper. Readers will ponder how

• the Visitation reveals an Almighty God who is helpless;
• the Institution of the Eucharist shows Christ as both priest and sacrificial victim;
• the Scourging at the Pillar reveals that our Savior is also a suffering servant; and
• the Descent of the Holy Spirit affirms the interaction between human will and divine grace.

Praying a Christ-Centered Rosary begins with a brief history of Marian devotion and the Rosary's central place in it. Each of the twenty brief chapters that follow guides readers through one of the Mysteries of the Rosary with three questions which lead to a deeper understanding of our faith: What is the Mystery? Where was Mary in the Mystery?What Does the Mystery Tell Us about Jesus? and closes with a brief prayer. The book concludes with instructions for praying the traditional Rosary along with new prayable theological meditations for each mystery based on the more completely developed content of the book.

When cultures such as ours toss Jesus out one door, He comes in - albeit disguised - through another. That's why author Jim Papandrea turned to Star Wars, Star Trek, The Matrix, Terminator, Spider-Man, Batman, Dr. Who, and half-a-dozen other modern shows, discovering in each one powerful images of Christ and salvation.

Nor is that surprising.

In stories of alternative universes, people always need rescuing; somebody needs to save the day; and sometimes the whole world cries out for a savior . . . which is just what a hero is.

About the heroes of some of the most popular sci-fi stories of all time, author Papandrea here answers questions that concern Christians who are also Trekkies, Whovians, Matrix Dwellers, or aficionados of popular science fiction: What kind of Christ-figure is the hero of this story, and what does that say about the show's vision of Christ, humanity and salvation?

In the interest of being scientific, Papandrea even gives each hero a Numerical Orthodoxy Score based on the description of Christ in the Nicene Creed, Christianity's common definition of orthodoxy.

Included herein are astute Christian analyses of:

Batman * Captain * America * Doctor Who * The Fifth Element * I, Robot * Iron Man * LOST * The Matrix * Planet of the Apes * Pleasantville * Spider-Man * Star Trek * Star Wars * Superman * The Terminator * The Time Machine * Tron * Wonder Woman

Here you'll read about:

• The pervasive Christian imagery in Doctor Who
• Star Trek's predicted death of God
• Free-will: the stumbling block in the first Matrix
• The crucifixion of Spider-Man
• Why Wonder Woman is an image of a gnostic savior
• The meaning of salvation in Star Wars (It masquerades as Christian)
• How Superman's life begins as a parallel of Moses.
• I, Robot: the religious reason why the robot is called Sonny
• Whether, in any Christian sense, Neo is The One?
• Captain American and Iron-Man: one defends the innocent, the other brings justice to the guilty
• The tomb scene in the Fifth Element: it's not the resurrection we need
• Matter vs. Spirit in Tron: gnostic to the core
• The anti-Christian bias of Planet of the Apes
• Why the Force in Star Wars is no analogy to Grace or the Holy Spirit
• The Star Wars Christ figure: Obi-Wan? Luke? Or even, ultimately, Darth Vader
• What Heaven is understood to be in the LOST universe
• Time travel as incarnation in The Terminator: a compelling analogy
• Regeneration as resurrection in Doctor Who: Is it Christ-like?
• How Pleasantville reverses the dynamism of the Fall
• The baptismal significance of the plane crash in LOST
• Pleasantville: a twisted version of Eden
• The incarnation of the Christ-figure in Planet of the Apes
• Tron's parallels between Christianity and the Roman Empire

. . . and much more about other science fiction and superhero shows!

Christians who enjoy popular culture will greet this fun book with interest and acclaim.