When enjoying this page-turner, the reader has to remind themselves from time to time that they are reading a non-fiction account. Father Mark's journey, which he unselfishly invites us to participate, is enthralling. The sights, sounds and personalities of the monastic subculture he describes are unknown to most of us, but are truly worthy of exploration. What begins as an academic pursuit evolves into a mission, sanctified in the most austere and remote corners of the Egyptian desert. Yet, the intensely sacrificial life of the desert monks, does not subjugate the reader. Instead, Father Mark's account brings to life the divine richness of their existence. To delight in this gem of a book, one does not need to be deeply religious. However, it is hard to imagine that a reader could participate in this expedition with Father Mark without being transformed spiritually, as he was. -Sally Anne Novak(Amazon.com) $20.00

The Copts are usually just forgotten by the academic world, of if they're remembered it's for their early medieval florescence of Alexandrian theologians and desert fathers. Ecclesiastical historians hold the subject in a death grip and use their philological expertise to mute all nonspecialist's commentaries (how many of us speak Coptic, after all). Finally a social scientist, an anthropologist, no less, investigates the contemporary Coptic experience and shows that its culture is still rooted in its special monastic heritage. This book is a fabulous ethnographic account of monasticism itself as well as a penetrating synthesis of the anthropology of religion applied to a nonwestern variant of Christianity. Before an ecclesiastical historian attacks it as an intrusion into their turf I want to applaud it as a beautifully crafted and carefully considered study that supplies a great resource for a subject scarcely ever treated in this way. $64.15

Acclaimed as a "spiritual masterpiece," these conferences center around the themes of prayer, faith, and the Paschal Mystery. Formatted in blank verse, they present "a landscape of ideas and inspirations which capture Fr. Mark's command of language and his emphasis of key ideas... Reading a few pages of this work can transport one back to his retreat and allow the reader sit at the feet of a master of the spiritual life." $21.00

As I read the pages of this book, I felt once again the fire of the early Fathers of the Church. Yet I cannot call Fr. Mark's meditations "old-fashioned", for he is clearly a contemporary of this millennium. Like the ancient Fathers, he has taken all that is good in his native culture-- in its literature, arts and sciences-- and placed them on the altar... He is a genuine Father of our Church, presenting a Gospel that is ever fresh, a Faith that is worth dying for. "Foreword," Mike Aquilina $21.00

In its Scriptural reflections on Advent, Waiting for Dawn presents a dialogue with God 'which is, perhaps, more art and music than words.' God is always arriving, but we are not always waiting for him. This book will help you to live your life more fully in Christ. 'Angels don't appear to us if life is going to continue as before.''' "Foreword," Fr. Ron Lengwin $21.00

The whole book, but especially the second chapter, is an extended meditation on a phrase adapted from Gabriel Marcel and applied by the author to the Resurrection. In his Mystery of Being (vol. 2), Marcel discusses the existential meaning of love and friendship. "To love a person," he says, "is to say to him, 'Thou at least shall not die.' " He explains that this is not to be understood as a piece of information, but as a word of affirmation which proclaims that the beloved, as beloved, is exempt from the common lot of things that are born and die. Lovers vow that their love is everlasting. In the mouth of God, such a declaration has the power of really annihilating death and affirming undying life for the beloved. When the Father said to Jesus, "Thou at least shall not die forever," the power of his Spirit did more than bring Jesus back into his former life: it raised him to a new dimension of life which can never diminish or fade. $21.00

Just like the five books that have preceded this one, Athirst for the Presence of God is a transcription of a weekend retreat and several selected conferences which have subsequently been transcribed and formatted to reproduce the cadence of the spoken word. To obtain the greatest benefit of these meditations, the reqader is advised to slowly read the text aloud, and to slowly "listen" to the words, rather than attempt to hastily read the book in a few hours. $19.00

The value of this book lies in the fact that it turns back to the living biblical record, and asks it to seek out the meaning of the text in the contemporary life of the reader. One text often illuminates another, e.g., the dictionary is often consulted to read (and write) another text. The Bible is a written text which proclaims a theological mystery (God's word) that is infinitely greater than the paper and ink on which it is recorded. In that sense, the Bible "reads" us, i.e., God's word is a light ("a lamp," says the Psalmist) which at once reveals who we are and also illuminates our way. $19.95

The impulse to textually compile these accounts of God's generous blessing came from the beneficiaries of these stories, when we verbally heard them with delight and wanted others to share their benefits. The world-weary reader will find in them refreshment of soul and inspiration to rise up and follow the Lord with greater hope than before. Mr. Gruber was urged by so many grateful listeners for so many years to pen his testimonies that finally, as an act of obedience to the God who cloaks Himself in the voice of His people, he wrote them down in this book. "Foreword," Fr. Mark Gruber, OSB $15.75