Charles Miller

Fr. Charles Miller's wonderful little book, "Together in Prayer” is highly recommended for the layman who would like to appreciate the psalms better, but have had trouble connecting to them in a meaningful way. Fr. Miller speaks, with great love, about the beauty and timelessness of the psalms by relating them to everyday situations. Fr. Miller shows how our everyday situations have a voice in these ancient poetic expressions. Although there are many Psalm scholars who will appeal to individuals involved in more serious study (such as Walter Bruggermann), Fr. Miller's "Together in Prayer" offers an accessable entrance point for the neophite. Anyone who reads this book will come away with a new appreciation for the Psalms.

This clearly written manual reflects the practice, style and expertise of an author internationally known as a preacher and writer of many books on homilies. Never losing sight of the expectations of the average American audience, Father Miller insists that the best homilies always grow out of everyday human experience reflected on in the light of the Gospel. Preaching is always a reflection of one's spirituality. It is both prophetic and incarnational, a lived experience in faith for both the preacher and his listeners. In this work, Father Miller focuses on all aspects of the art with the goal of helping preachers not only to preach what Jesus preached but to do it in the way he did it. He draws extensively on the example of Jesus as a practical and universal model, never forgetting that authentic preaching is not words about God, but the word of God itself. Priests and ministers, deacons and seminarians and all who are pursuing a curriculum in homiletics will find much in this volume to aid them in the preparation of homilies for Sundays and other liturgical celebrations. Each of its twenty-one chapters ends with a summary of the contents and an exercise for practical application.