By Bede Jarrett, O.P. Returning to the Lord is a collection of more than three dozen sermons by the renowned Dominican preacher Bede Jarrett. In Book I, originally published in 1932 as No Abiding City, Jarrett shows the special importance of “remembering we are pilgrims” in the season of Lent. “The Christian, he writes, “is building up no permanent achievement; he takes a journey to life eternal.” At the heart of Book II, originally published in 1945 as The House of Gold, are sermons on marriage, family, and the Christian home, and their unique role in developing and perfecting the virtues. Concluding the book is Jarrett’s masterful preaching for Holy Week, including the Good Friday Discourses, and a sermon for Easter Sunday with its glorious closing exclamation of hope: “The life he brought us shall never die.” Animated by a spirit of wisdom and understanding and replete with practicable guidance for the Christian life, Returning to the Lord is an invaluable companion for the Lenten pilgrimage. “Even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” (Joel 2:12–13) Bede Jarrett, O.P., (1881–1934) was an English Dominican friar and distinguished historian and author. In 1921, he founded Blackfriars Priory at the University of Oxford, and revitalized the Dominican magazine Blackfriars, now New Blackfriars. His numerous books include Mediaeval Socialism, Social Theories in the Middle Ages, and The Life of Saint Dominic. Paperback: 296pp. ISBN: 978-1950970681
