In The Works of Mercy: The Heart of Catholicism, Father James Keenan, S.J., reveals mercy as God's principle way of loving us and our way of loving one another. A masterful guide, Keenan invites us to journey with him through Scripture, tradition, and lived witness to better understand why and how mercy is the heart of Catholicism. Like other Christian traditions, Catholic moral theology is rooted in natural law, Scripture, the Ten Commandments, and ethical principles. But what distinguishes Catholicism is its emphasis on the virtue of mercy as the center of moral living. In the first two of...

To see the Ten Commandments with fresh eyes, Father Keenan examines them through the lens of the First showing us that above all, our God is a God of compassion. With essays on the contemporary distinction between goodness and rightness, Commandments of Compassion also emphasizes the importance of compassionate listening in moral direction.

Calling for accountability, Practice What You Preach discusses ethical questions that arise in congregations and pastoral leadership. Formation of pastors, empowering leaders, resolving power struggles between clergy and laity--these and other critical pastoral issues are addressed by an ecumenical group of contributors.