Books on the Spiritual Life

Dominican Life, by the French Dominican Joret, is a masterful treatise for Dominican Tertiaries or anyone who with an affinity for St. Dominic and his sons to seek union with the Divine Will through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Children of this family of St. Dominic, forming themselves on the traditions and examples of seven centuries, are bound together within God's Church by ties that transcend differences of race and language and are more enduring than the bonds of earthly kinship. This book...

Alive to the role of material beauty in strengthening our perception of the invisible, Dom Perrin assists us in our understanding of Mary’s role in the divine plan. Those who already rejoice in fervent devotion to Mary will find their love for her here nourished and refreshed. For those who have not yet turned to Mary, these pages may prove truly liberating, inviting entry into a prayer life that is deeper, more confident, and more effective. A contemplative gaze at Mary Immaculate has the po...

In a world that is ever-changing and increasingly full of challenges, it is more important than ever to have a strong foundation on which to build our lives. For centuries, the Rule of Saint Benedict has been a source of wisdom and guidance for those seeking to live a joy-filled and meaningful life.André Gushurst-Moore's book, Glory in All Things: St Benedict & Catholic Education Today, shows us how even in the 21st century, the ancient wisdom of Saint Benedict can be applied to our lives...

Preliminaries to a Spirituality of Work In what way can human beings attain that Harmony whereby they become mediators between Heaven and Earth? In the mysterious language of symbols we can rediscover the sense of vocation that reflects Divine Activity. For God is, in reality, the sole Artisan. All the traditional crafts strive to imitate within their limitations the work of God, Who unceasingly creates and maintains the world. And in the end it is this that constitutes the sole foundation of...

These meditations and devotions by St. John Henry Newman, spanning poetry from his Anglican period (including his most famous and well-beloved poem, "Pillar of Cloud"/"Lead, Kindly Light"), to reflections on God’s Divine Providence from his later period as a Catholic and founder of the Oratory in England, expresses a profoundly confident but deeply human faith that resonates with the very real experiences of modern Christians from all walks of life. These poems intimately show a personal side...

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES'S APPROACH TO HOLINESS Live Today Well is an essential guide for Christians looking for spiritual guidance to apply the teachings of St. Francis de Sales in their everyday lives. The book offers insights and practical advice on living a life of sanctity and holiness, even while managing commitments and tasks. Through this book, readers will be able to find balance between prayer and action with respect to their daily tasks.In Live Today Well, Fr. Thomas Dailey (an Oblate ...

Are you ready to embark on a hero's adventure in pursuit of God? This novelized account of the spiritual life tells the story of Austin, a young man guided on his spiritual quest by Father Lawrence, a tough inner-city priest, and Fr. Aelred, a Benedictine hermit. Through a fictional dialogue, Fr. Dwight Longenecker unveils a twelve-part plan for union with God, paralleling the classic purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages of the spiritual life. Discover how our wounds and weaknesses can...

Like all this contemplative's writings, the collection of meditations gathered here was never intended as a book. They began life as short meditations, only written down because he found it helpful to commit his thoughts to paper while they were fresh in his mind. The sermons which follow, although delivered as such to the lay-brothers of the Grande Chartreuse, were really meditations made aloud. Those who assisted at these never forgot them, not so much for what they said but for what they r...

Julian of Norwich is one of the subtlest writers and profoundest thinkers of the Middle Ages, and the earliest woman writer in English. Her Revelations describe a loving and merciful God and a positive vision of humanity. This sensitive new translation conveys the poise and serenity of her style, and includes the two versions of her text.

Love, Peace and Joy: Devotion to the Sacred Heart is an insightful book inspired by the very words of Our Lord to Saint Gertrude as recorded in her famous Revelations. Based on Gertrude’s teachings, this book outlines ways to quickly receive great graces and attain divine love; methods that are simple and accessible for everyone. Learning how to offer up your own prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can bring about powerful transformation. This empowering guide helps readers understand the ex...

The Practical Spirituality of St. Josemaria Escriva In this spiritual powerhouse of a book, Eric Sammons organizes the wisdom of St. Josemaría Escrivá into an action plan for living out holiness in your everyday life. The goal: to foster God's grace within you so that you can be transformed into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Declared "the saint of ordinary life" by Pope John Paul II, St. Josemaría Escrivá -- a twentieth-century Spanish saint and founder of Opus Dei -- did more than a...

In A Year with the Church Fathers, popular Patristics expert Mike Aquilina gathers the wisest, most practical teachings and exhortations from the Fathers of the Church, and presents them in a format perfect for daily meditation and inspiration. The Fathers were the immediate inheritors of the riches of the Apostolic Age, and their intimacy with the revelation of Jesus Christ is beautifully evident throughout their theological and pastoral writings: a profound patrimony that is ours to read an...

If God is so good and so powerful, why is there suffering in our world? Why do good people suffer so much? How can we find value and meaning in the midst of the fallenness of the world? These questions--and many others--call for answers. The responses will determine our worldview and way of life. In the Manual for Suffering, the revealed, time-tested, and holistic answer from the depths of the Catholic faith is presented in all its beauty and power.  This manual will also provide spiritual ai...

"The Road to Bethlehem" offers a daily prayerful pilgrimage from Advent through the birth of our Lord to the Epiphany, guided by St. Alphonsus Liguori. Drawing from Sacred Scripture and his saintly counsel, it presents a reflection that places readers at the feet of the infant Lord, focusing on the incarnation and nativity of Christ with a blend of joy for His birth and sorrow for the salvation He will bring. This work, taken from the original book "The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy or the ...

"Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance." -Saint Augustine Developing the virtue of humility and faithfully endeavoring to practice it is necessary for our salvation. Many times in Sacred Scripture, Our Lord admonishes the proud, elevates the humble, and reminds us that we must become like children to enter into the kingdom of God. Pope Leo XIII, the oldest reigning p...

The Marian Fathers and, more importantly, the magisterium of the Catholic Church teach that there is no contradiction or competition between the message of the Sacred Heart as revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Divine Mercy message and devotion as revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska. Devout Catholics know this. After all, it's the same Jesus who revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and, centuries later, revealed the Divine Mercy message and devotion to St. Faustin...

The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary is often overlooked and underutilized. Now is the time to respond to Our Lady's call to pray this chaplet fervently. In these pages, you will discover how your own pierced heart can become a portal of grace that opens and transforms you into all that God wants you to be, allowing you to share in the mercy and love of Christ's Sacred Heart by uniting your sufferings to His. Equipped with an enriched understanding of redemptive suffering, Dr. Joseph Holl...

God's love is the subject of Peter Kreeft's imaginative and thoughtful book (a revised and updated version of his book Knowing the Truth of God's Love). With unusual clarity, Kreeft points out that the man or woman who begins to glimpse the God who is Creator, Redeemer, and Lover of our souls, will never be the same. He describes Scripture as God's love story and then tells why divine love is the answer to our deepest problems and the fulfillment of our deepest desires. Posing the hard questi...

"A Treatise on Perfection" by Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu, offers profound insights into nourishing a fruitful and sustainable spiritual life. This masterpiece, overflowing with wisdom for balancing prayer and devotion with secular responsibilities, is presented in English for the first time. It covers topics such as the tortures of hell according to Saint Augustine, the joys of heaven, distractions at prayer, and twenty spiritual counsels, aiming to stir readers' heart...

Learning to Let Go with the Little Flower Do your possessions “spark joy”? In our materialistic society, we are often plagued with the slow torture of accumulated stuff, which creates disharmony, prevents us from living in the present moment, and keeps us from setting our eyes upon Heaven. The Little Way of Living with Less is a spiritual journey guided by St. Thérèse of Lisieux toward a “less is more” manner of living. It shares one couple’s effort to downsize, declutter, and detach― and the...

Make Better Decisions with the Desert Fathers Father Augustine Wetta reaches back into monastic history to answer one of the most critical questions facing young people today: "How do I make up my mind?" With his characteristic wit and novel approach to classical art, Father Augustine looks to the wisdom of the Desert Fathers to unearth an ancient and highly efficient method for resolving life's most pressing dilemmas--even in the midst of distractions, temptations, and disruptions. Profoundl...

Short Sermons For the Sundays of the Year on Texts from the Epistles This book consists of a series of short sermons based on the epistles throughout the Liturgical Year. Originally published in 1927, it was written by Fr. Michael Andrew Chapman, a former Episcopalian minister. Newly typeset, with new cover art, and featuring a foreword by Fr. John Hunwicke (priest of the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham). Here is an excerpt from his foreword: Because the Bible is the Church's book, the ...

In the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries It is hoped with the second edition of the English translation of Petit's classic masterpiece that this hidden jewel of a book will become less hidden. That the people of our day might find inspiration in the amazing story and spirit of the Norbertine Order in its first centuries - the story which Fr. Petit so lovingly unpacks in these pages. And that it may contribute to keeping the Premonstratensian fire burning brightly— nine centuries after it was f...

Venerable Louis of Granada was the favorite author of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John on the Cross, St. Francis de Sales and many others. Among the hundreds of eminent ascetical writers of Spain, Louis of Granada remains unsurpassed in the beauty and purity of his style, the solidity of his doctrine, and the popularity and influence of his writings. Besides ascetical theology, his published works treat of Scripture, dogma, ethics, biography, and history. He is best known, however, for his ascet...

A Guided Reading of Pope Pius XI's Encyclical Casti Connubii (On Chaste Marriage) - 2nd Edition In 1930, Pius XI published a letter to the world to answer a fundamental question— "What is Marriage?" As even Christians began to accept divorce and remarriage, contraception, and abortion, the Pope eloquently and beautifully defended the ancient understanding of marriage as grounded in Scripture and natural law. This guided reading of the encyclical Casti Connubii will help you, your friends, and...

Mostly written between 1070 and 1080, before he became Archbishop of Canterbury, the prayers and meditations of Anselm of Aosta created a tradition of intimate, intensely personal devotional works written in subtle and theologically daring prose. While the "Prayer to God" is based on the Lord's Prayer, the "Prayer to Christ" is inspired by ardent private emotion and other prayers invest saints with individual attributes, with John the Baptist as the friend, Peter as the shepherd and Mary Magd...

The English Dominican Gerald Vann, author of many beloved works of spirituality, offers in this compact volume a key to bearing the sorrows, tribulations, and trials that enter our lives as we walk our path from birth to death. This key is found in the life, indeed, in the heart, of the Virgin Mary, she who responded with unfailing faith, courage, and compassion to all God asked of her—an unexpected pregnancy; a flight into Egypt; an uneventful life in the backwaters; separation from her son ...

St. Maximus the Confessor (c. 580–662), saint and martyr, might well be called the Saint of Synthesis. His thought, no less than his geographical wanderings, place him between Rome and Byzantium, between the theologies of East and West, and between the early Middle Ages and the ancient Church, whose representatives and traditions (which during his day had suffered much at the hands of imperial and ecclesial censure) he salvaged and brought back to the attention of his contemporaries. In this,...

Why is it, asks Bishop Fulton Sheen, that one hears so often the expression "Go to hell!" and almost never the expression "Go to heaven!" Here, at his most penetrating, challenging, and illuminating best is Bishop Sheen with his answer, in a book that breathes new meaning into the truths about heaven and hell, and new life into the concepts of faith, tolerance, love, prayer, suffering, and death. Beginning with "The First Faint Summons to Heaven," Sheen shows how unpopular it is today to be a...

Reorient your mind and heart this Lent so you can more fully experience the joy of Easter--Christ's victory over sin and death. In this beautiful guided journal for prayer and meditation, Fr. John Burns--author of the bestselling and award-winning book Adore--invites you to strip away your confusion, attachments, and sin so you can return to the Lord and undergo real and lasting conversion. In the liturgy's first reading on Ash Wednesday, the prophet Joel call us to wholehearted conversion: "...

This book introduces the reader to thirteen Christian spiritual classics that illustrate the ordinary steps we can take toward living the Gospel life more fully.Drawing on the rich teaching of a particular saint or mystic, each chapter helps us grow in a different aspect of holiness, of intimacy with God. Archbishop Hughes offers an itinerary for becoming a good disciple of the Lord, giving the reader access to an impressive spiritual library that can support and strengthen progress in discip...

"The world will be saved when we have a sufficient number of souls devoted to reparation and not before." -- Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J The great Jesuit Fr. Raoul Plus lived and wrote in an era of immense suffering -- war, early death, religious indifference -- that coexisted, not surprisingly, with robust Catholic faith and practice. He called for spiritual maturity before greater scientific advancements. In this spiritual masterpiece, Fr. Plus explains every facet of reparation for individual peni...

With charming rhyming verses, the Benedictine Sisters present glimpses of their everyday life of joy, work, praise -- and fun! Experience the excitement of entering the unknown mystery and beginning a new life inside the hallowed walls of the convent. You will experience the Sisters' excitement about first receiving their habits, their delight in caring for the elderly Sisters (with wheelchair races!), and their joy in tending the frisky farm animals, singing for the Lord, and recording their...

Here’s the motivational book that provides a comprehensive approach to true healing—not cheap gimmicks masquerading as inner peace. Ian Murphy shares the story of his healing from obesity, a journey not about weight loss but about transformation, showcasing the life-changing truths of the Christian faith in action. Unsatisfied with typical “self-help” books, Murphy demonstrates through his own quest for well-being that there is a path to true betterment—one that recognizes and celebrates a pe...

Sometimes it is difficult to understand God's will for our lives, especially when times are tough or when something happens that disturbs us. Mother Angelica counsels us in these pages to stop simply existing and start living. "You are called to be holy!" Beloved by many, the practical wisdom of Mother Mary Angelica radiates from this book as she guides you through Scripture and the writings of St. John, St. James, and St. Paul. Replete with stirring real-life examples, Mother Angelica both c...

How do I handle difficult family members? What do I do if I can't control my emotions? When do I correct others, and when do I hold my tongue? Too often we are late in realizing that we mishandled a situation, causing both resentment and frustration. But what if you could approach every situation with the mind of Christ? Distilled from his decades of experience as a clinical psychologist and a practicing Catholic, Dr. Ray Guarendi, popular radio and TV host, offers here dozens of bite-sized r...

Sexual abuse is not the only mistreatment that can happen in the Church. There is also spiritual abuse. Fr. Dysmas de Lassus, superior general of the Carthusian Order, comes out of his silence to denounce the unacceptable behavior of some religious superiors and founders of communities. Rooted in the monastic tradition and the robust theology of religious life, Fr. Dysmas presents elements that will assist everyone in evaluating the dangers of certain spiritual practices and methods of govern...

Saint Benedict is the incarnation of western monastic life. Abbot Xavier shows us the heart of Benedictine wisdom through the saint's life and that of the most distinguished members of his order. He presents the great insights of his Rule, full of realism and astonishingly contemporary. The treasures of praise, communion, fraternity and humility can be ours. This is an authoritative guide for those who wish, without leaving the world, to follow Christ in the spirit of Saint Benedict: 'Dare to...

Miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss happen more often than we realize, leaving many to suffer in isolation. This unique companion will help those grieving from child loss as they search for comfort and meaning. Couples will encounter the experiences of holy people who suffered loss, such as Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Gianna Molla, and Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo. Parents will also receive hope and consolation from firsthand stories of modern-day parents who have experie...

Dr. Ray Guarendi directs us to the root of all healthy counseling: the words of the Redeemer. Rightly regarded as America's leading Catholic psychologist and family counselor, EWTN's Dr. Ray Guarendi details here the fundamentals of Christian psychology in his incomparable down-to-earth style. In some teachings, Jesus is two millennia ahead of what psychology is only now coming to understand. In others, He directly contradicts what today's psychology preaches. In these pages, Dr. Ray explores...

In this game-changing book, Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., reveals how you can actively listen and open yourself to receive God's personal love for you in the Mass, where our Lord waits to quench your deepest longing and heal your wounds. Drawing from the wisdom of the saints, modern-day spiritual giants, and his own penetrating reflections, you will learn how to quiet your mind, stretch your heart, and become childlike in the sense of experiencing the sacred mysteries with wonder and awe. The M...

Many Catholics view fasting as hard, burdensome, weird, or only for Lent. This little book demonstrates that fasting can be so much more than that! It's an opportunity for prayer, reflection, and solidarity with the suffering of the world. The Handy Little Guide to Fasting is your easy-to-read, down-to-earth introduction to this ancient practice. Author, speaker, and award-winning journalist Deacon Greg Kandra presents a way to blend faith and fortitude to make fasting more spiritually fulfil...

Many of us fail to recognize that obtaining the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to getting to heaven. We often block their reception through our own faults. We fail to see how they are passed on or strengthened in the sacraments. And, sadly, we forget to petition God in prayer to bestow these gifts upon us.In these pages, Dr. Kevin Vost best-selling author of The One-Minute Aquinas provides us with a substantive yet readable introduction to the seven gifts and how we ca...

In this second volume of the Called Out of Darkness trilogy, Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., draws together some of the best advice given by Catholic spiritual masters across the ages and brings it into harmony with modern scientific research, offering practical ways to live out the gospel in our busy days. It is a roadmap to a deeper relationship with the Lord and to authentic transformation through the imitation of Christ.Giving evidence that Jesus established just one Church, with Peter as it...