Works by two Saint Vincent Benedictine monks have been published recently by Archabbey Publications. The Passion of the Lamb: God’s Love Poured Out in Jesus by Father Thomas Acklin, O.S.B., was previously published by Servant Books, an imprint of Saint Anthony Messenger Press, and has now been republished. Brother Bruno Heisey, O.S.B., has published a baker’s dozen of reflections, coupled with art from the Saint Vincent Collection, in Over the Bent World: Reflections for Lent and Easter.

THE PASSION OF THE LAMB

“In my life I have read thousands of books, but few that burn with the passion of this one,” writes Scott Hahn in his introduction. “These pages shimmer with clarity and burn with passion. They are the words of a monk and a psychotherapist, but preeminently of a disciple who through great love, has become a master—a spiritual master—a director of souls. How blessed we are to have Father Thomas Acklin for a guide. For he leads where every heart yearns to go.”

Description: Many today fear that we hover on the brink of global collapse. War, terrorism, poverty and disease provoke a sense of despair. Yet in our midst stands Jesus Christ, undaunted by the brutal realities of a world that rejects him. And as he looks at each of us, he asks directly and personally, “Will you have faith in me?”

In this powerful book, Father Thomas Acklin, O.S.B., reveals the passionate love of God for every person that will not be denied or defeated. God is for us in spite of our indifference. God has not been eclipsed by the world’s agenda. God will never abandon us. God will always seek out the wounded and lost. We have his guarantee that this is so because the suffering and death—the passion—of Jesus clinched the deal confirming God’s commitment to his creation.

The Passion of the Lamb helps us answer the only question that ultimately matters: Will we have faith in Jesus?

The author: Father Tom is professor of theology at Saint Vincent Seminary and earned his doctorate in theology and psychgology of religion from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He trained in psychoanalysis at the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute. He is a spiritual director, psychoanalyst and author. His books include The Unchanging Heart of the Priesthood and, with co-author Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., Spiritual Direction: A Guide to Sharing the Father’s Love and Personal Prayer: A Guide to Receiving the Father’s Love.

OVER THE BENT WORLD

Description: The Lenten and Easter seasons are the perfect time for reflection. Many readers have good intentions when it comes to taking part in a daily reflection. Truth be told, writes Daniel J. Heisey, also known as Brother Bruno, a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey. most of us are no good with books of daily readings. Before long, he notes, we miss a day, and then another day, and then suddenly we are so far behind we put the book back on the shelf with dim hopes we might do better next year. Rather than offer forty readings for each day of Lent, Brother Bruno recognizes this all-too-human tendency and instead provides a baker’s dozen of brief reflections to accompany artwork primarily from the collection of Saint Vincent Archabbey. Thus, the artwork and essays can truly become points for meditation, as the author intends, rather than a Lenten penance.

The author: Brother Bruno’s other works include Prayer Study and Work: Renewing the Benedictine Ideal, and Yet All Shall Be Well, both published by Sacred Winds Press; Saint Vincent Seminary: From Its Origins to the Present, published by Archabbey Publications; the introduction to the book Forward, Always Forward: The History and Construction of the Wimmer Monument, published by Archabbey Publications. He has published widely in such publications as The American Benedictine Review, Cistercian Studies Quarterly, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. In 2023, he was asked to join the editorial board of American Benedictine Review.

Both books are available online at www.stvincentstore.com, at the Basilica Gift shop and at the College bookstore.