Gemma Simmonds – författare

This is a popular introduction, aimed at general readers, to prayer and the spiritual life in the tradition of Ignatius Loyola.A deep prayer life is not just something for mystics or religious specialists. It’s for everyone, and everyone has a capacity for it. There is a great thirst for spiritual depth among Christians and seekers. This is a popular introduction to prayer and the spiritual life – a guide for Lent and the rest of the year – in the tradition of Ignatius Loyola. Simmonds also explores Ignatian influence on the life of the seventeenth-century Yorkshire woman, Mary Ward.The Ignatian tradition is hugely adaptable to different approaches. At its heart is personal encounter with Jesus, so The Way of Ignatius will help people to pray with the Scriptures in an imaginative way. It includes questions to aid reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter, and also looks at the way in which the Passion and resurrection of Jesus are woven into the patterns of human life.

Retreats give us a space for contemplation and developing our relationship with God, but they aren't always possible. So can we still appreciate and detect the everyday God, even without special 'holy' places and spiritual practices?Dancing at the Still Point is a book for those who can't or aren't ready to go away for a residential Christian retreat, but who want to be in daily relationship and connect with God in a satisfying way.In sessions that you can work through at your own pace, Gemma Simmonds guides us through the practices and disciplines of retreats, such as being still physically and spiritually, developing a habit of prayer and learning some basic discernment skills. With insights from the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, she explores how we can fold these practices into every day and shows that a rich life of prayer, in which we have time and space to let God be present, is achievable even in a busy working or family life. Practical and flexible, Dancing at the Still Point will help you find a richer and more balanced life, where the spiritual takes its rightful place amid all the other calls on time and attention.

A Time to Reflect - Year B is a rich and accessible resource designed to help readers engage more deeply with the Sunday Gospel readings throughout the liturgical year.Written by Gemma Simmonds, this collection of reflections and prayers follows the Roman Catholic lectionary, covering Sundays and major feast days including Christmas, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, the Annunciation, Ascension, and Corpus Christi.Each section begins with a Gospel reading - from the Gospel of Mark - followed by a thought-provoking meditation that draws out points of connection between all the readings for the day. A short prayer and carefully crafted questions for reflection or group discussion help readers apply Scripture to daily life.Ideal for individuals, small groups, and worship leaders, A Time to Reflect - Year B offers a uniquely practical and spiritually enriching way to prepare for Sunday worship, deepen biblical understanding, and sustain a rhythm of prayer throughout the year.

Keeping Faith in Practice is an addition to SCM's growing Practical and Pastoral Theology list. Most books in this field are written by authors from various Protestant backgrounds. Catholic teachers in this field are frequently asked by colleagues for suggestions of Catholic resources, and find themselves at a loss. The central subject of this book is an exploration of how theology engages with the dimension of practice in the life of the Church and contemporary society and culture. The book covers the main focal points of a Catholic view of pastoral/practical theology - its foundations and different fields.

Religious life is vitally necessary to the Catholic church today. But it will exist in new and varied forms which speak to the spiritual hungers of different societies, ethnic cultures, and generations. God’s Call Is Everywhere is the first comparative analysis of research in six countries investigating women who have entered vowed religious life in Catholicism in the twenty-first century. The data include survey responses from institute leaders, formation directors, and the women themselves, conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia, and France, along with focus groups and interviews in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France. Through a careful summary of these studies and comparing differences, readers of this book will have a better understanding of the hopes and concerns of those discerning a vocation to religious life and learn how to move forward in the future.  God’s Call Is Everywhere includes six major points of comparison: Demographic characteristics of the women entering religious life and their personal and familial backgrounds What attracted them to religious life and to their specific religious institute What they find most satisfying and most challenging about religious life Their hopes and concerns for the future Experiences and programs that were helpful in their vocational discernment Aspects of the larger society, of the Church, and of the religious institutes which make vocational discernment difficult for women today The analysis is followed by six reflective essays, two of which discuss the implications of the findings for future vocational discernment programs and four of which compare the findings to religious life in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

God’s Church in the World: The Gift of Catholic Mission presents a confident and joyful assertion of the Catholic character of Christian mission and its sacramental nature, exploring the transforming role the Catholic tradition can play in evangelism. A range of outstanding contributors explore the gifts that the Catholic tradition - formed by a conviction that the presence of Christ in the Eucharist intensifies and motivates an awareness of the sacramental presence of Christ in the world – can bring to the church’s engagement with the world.Chapters include:• Mission and the Life of Prayer • Mission and the Sacraments • Catholic Mission in Practice • The Virgin Mary and Mission • Vocation and Mission • The Sacraments as Converting Ordinances• Social Justice and Growth in Anglo-Catholic Churches • Reflections on Scripture and Catholic Mission • Catholic Mission: Historical PerspectivesThe contributors represent the breadth of Catholic traditions and identities in the Church of England today.

It’s never been more important to understand how much God loves us and how much he wants us to love each other. Loving My Neighbour takes us on a journey through the challenging terrain of how we can truly love one another, individually and in our communities. Daily Bible readings and reflections from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day explore how we can love in truth, love the vulnerable and the suffering, embrace difference, care for our world, and love ourselves as God loves us. Holy Week brings us back to reflect on Christ on the cross, who loved us to the very end.