Books on the Spiritual Life

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.

Meet a modern-day Joan of Arc. Whether in scrubs, camouflage, or a religious habit, Sr. Dede Byrne, in her threefold calling as a professed religious sister, renowned surgeon, and U.S. Army colonel, inspire us to both virtue and action.If the apostles had remained hidden in the Upper Room, we would never have a Church today. Similarly, Sister's inspirational life serves as a call to emerge from the safety of the Upper Room and enter the public square to courageously infuse culture with an una...

Carthusian spirituality and wisdom have a great attraction for our age. The goal of Carthusian life is union with God in Love. A union as profound and continual as is possible in this life. It has its source in God who is the first to call us to intimacy with Him. The Carthusian's life, the Carthusian's love, is a response to that Love - cultivating solitude, silence, poverty, chastity, obedience, fraternal charity, spiritual reading, study, work and, above all, prayer. Prayer of adoration, p...

Prayer 101 serves both as an introduction to prayer and a full guide for anyone seeking a deeper, more intentional life of communion with God. Teresa A. Jones begins with fundamental questions—What is prayer? Why do we pray?—and gradually leads readers into a richer understanding of how and why we seek God’s mercy, strength, love, and guidance. Drawing on real-life examples, Jones connects biblical teaching with the practical challenges of daily prayer. She examines familiar prayers often rep...

"In this book, Deacon James Keating provides an opportunity for one spiritual director to introduce his mind to the minds of other directors with the hope that his ideas may season their own already developed method of direction. The book does not attend to all the possible realities a director may encounter within his or her training or within the daily execution of this ministry. The author wishes to share his approach to directing seminarians by reflecting upon themes and experiences which...

This workbook invites readers to enter deeply into their personal history, thoughts, and emotions in order to encounter Christ in a living and transformative way. Through its guided reflections, structured exercises, and prayerful invitations, it leads believers toward a more intimate, honest, and healing communion with Jesus. Its purpose is simple but profound: to help Christians discover the truth of who they are, to surrender fully to Christ, and to embrace the joy He desires for His follo...

Carlo Acutis, born May 3, 1991, fully embraced the gift of life. Known as a computer whiz, he also liked to play soccer, video games, and the saxophone. He enjoyed watching his favorite police dramas and making short films with his star cast of cats and dogs. He had many friends and enjoyed spending time with them.Yet Carlo was a little "different" at school, in the pizzerias, and on the soccer field. What set Carlo apart was his constant pursuit of holiness. In addition to his fun hobbies, h...

"My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials(Sirach, 2)Most American Catholics who came to call themselves Traditionalists were totally unprepared for the assault on the Roman Rite manifesting itself at the Second Vatican Council and in its aftermath. Their reactions to the Liturgical Revolution were, therefore, those of a shocked incredulity, such a nightmare seeming impossible in a Church that they had considered so well-protected from error by the Papacy. There w...

We are made to be happy, to experience eternal beatitude, the face-to-face vision of God. And we attain to this happiness through our actions here below. The cardinal virtues are the key to ordering our acts to this end according to correct reasoning. Fortitude and temperance strengthen our will so that we will not succumb to fear or disordered passions. Justice regulates our relations with others. Yet, as all human acts are the fruit of the intellect and will, we need a virtue which directs ...

Among the most beautiful prayers ever composed, the 'O' Antiphons have for twelve centuries voiced the Church's longing for Christ's Coming at Christmas. In this remarkable book Oliver Treanor explores the rich biblical background to each Antiphon and, drawing on the spiritual tradition of the Fathers and the teachings of Vatican II as well, leads us to the deep sources of meditation that lie within the texts. Here is an ideal Advent companion for individuals or groups seeking to recharge the...

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...

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...

"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...

Decisions, decisions ... life presents us with so many, big and small. How can we confidently make choices that bring us true happiness? The life of the virtues holds the key, and among those virtues, prudence holds the reins. No, this isn't your grandmother's definition of prudence. This virtue actually inspires practical wisdom, allowing us to choose well and to bring order into our lives. In Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly, Fr. Gregory Pine, OP, aims to work prudence back into th...

We are all called to reject sin, to grow in virtue, and, above all else, to love God with all that we are. But some souls suffer from anxiety and feelings of guilt because they see sin where there is none and struggle to embrace God's love and mercy - a psychological and spiritual condition known as scrupulosity. In Scrupulosity: Heal Your Mind, Unbind Your Soul, and Let God Work, clinical psychologist Dr. Kevin Vost provides a comprehensive overview of the ancient and current psychological a...

"The Sacred Heart of Jesus" by Monsignor Louis Gaston de Ségur, translated by Ryan P. Plummer, is a profound work of devotion offering over thirty lessons and meditations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Inspired by the revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the teachings of St. John Eudes, this book aims to deepen the reader's love and worship of the Sacred Heart. With an apostolic letter from Pope Pius IX commending Mgr. de Ségur's zeal, this work seeks to be a refuge for souls, alignin...

Christ desires to be our Friend. But how can we respond? Taking up themes from great mystical writers, Benson gives a prophetic corrective for those in the Church who mistake "Christ's gifts for Christ, religiosity for religion, and the joys possible on earth for the joys awaiting us in heaven." Benson steers the soul away from temptations to despair and from presumption upon Christ's friendship, pointing to the consoling truth: "I am in all things His debtor, but He bids me call Him Friend....

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...

Reflections on the Sacred Priesthood This book identifies sinful hindrances and spiritual resources for a fruitful and rewarding priestly life in the twenty-first century. These reflections are drawn from the author's traditional priestly formation and from his twenty years of experience as retreat master for clergy and laity, and as vocations promoter.

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 Little Way to Jesus The prayer of the heart is one of the dearest treasures of Christianity. It transforms any prayer by the fire of God's love, allowing for an immersion in Christ whereby He is able to communicate to us the Holy Spirit. In his new book Praying with the Heart: The Little Way to Jesus, Jean Khoury entrusts to us the secret of the sustainable and successful way of practicing prayer of the heart. While remaining rooted in the living Tradition, the book offers new and abundan...

Thinking on death is the most profitable meditation we can make.Indeed, Our Lord's most holy passion and death offers us the greatest meditation, but pondering our own imminent death can bring us great fruit as it prepares us for the most important thing we will do: enter into eternity."Remember man that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."By meditating on their deaths, many have renounced this fleeting world for the monastery and cloister. By meditating on their deaths, many have con...

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 ...

The Sacred Scripture Journal is a handsome companion for your daily time with the Word of God. Designed to match TAN's Douay-Rheims Reader's Bible, it gives you a dedicated place to record what the Lord shows you in prayer. Finished with a leather-style cover, gilded page edges, and a satin ribbon marker, the journal's simple pages leave room for reflections, resolutions, and favorite passages without clutter or distraction. At 8.5 by 5.5 inches it is easy to carry to the chapel or keep besid...

"Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape." C.S. Lewis Lorene Duquin, an experienced grief counselor was no stranger to understanding and explaining grief, and had helped many people work through it. But when she lost her mother she found herself living in an entirely new space. Grieving the Loss of a Loved One contains 52 powerful, one-page meditations that will help you work through the various aspects of grieving as they did for Lorene...

Lectio Divina with the Spiritual Masters guides you step by step through the ancient practice of prayerfully reading Scripture, with a great teacher of the Church at your side. In this volume you pray through the Gospel of Luke in the company of Origen of Alexandria, the third-century scholar whose commentary opens up the depth and richness of the evangelist's account of Christ. Each passage is paired with Origen's insights and simple prompts for reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation...

Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It's a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth. All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord -- those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happe...

What can the lay person learn from the life of a monk? Solitude and Silence are two pillars of monastic life that many people quickly point to as the hardest and most confusing parts of this kind of religious consecration. However, the great spiritual writer Thomas à Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, helps us to understand that all Christians are called to some solitude and silence in our lives while not taking on a complete eremitical life. He recommends the systematic and intention...

The sermons of Ronald Knox, in Evelyn Waugh's estimation, contain the very best of his literary talent and pastoral sensibility. "Prepared, revised and rehearsed with every refinement of taste and skill," the sermons convey their instruction simply and directly: refreshingly conversational in tone, faithfully and knowledgably reliant on Sacred Scripture, and profoundly powerful in content, allusion, and spiritual consolation. Pastoral Sermons presents one hundred and eight superb examples of ...

The Mass is a central and essential part of the Christian life, the very source and summit of our devotion and piety. Instituted by Jesus Himself at the Last Supper and faithfully passed on by the apostles and their successors, it is not merely a memorial of the passion, death, and resurrection of our Savior, but a true participation in His one redeeming sacrifice. It does not merely praise and invoke God, but causes Him to be really, truly, and substantially present. It is through the Mass t...

Lent with the Saints is a simple daily devotional that walks you through the forty days of Lent with the readings of each day's Mass and the example of the saints. Franciscan Fr. Gregory Friedman offers a short reflection and prayer for each day, helping you pray, fast, and give alms with purpose and prepare your heart for Easter. Affordable and pocket-sized, it is ideal for individuals and for parish-wide distribution.

"We become like that which we gaze upon." Draw closer to Jesus in the company of one of the Church's greatest evangelists with this pocket-sized collection of prayers. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen Novena and Prayers gathers a novena to the newly beatified archbishop, prayers in his own words, and the devotions he loved and recommended, including his World Mission Rosary. Simple, inexpensive, and perfect for parishes, gifts, and personal prayer.

The laity-in the words of Lumen gentium-live in "the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of existence is woven." Where in that web is there room for anything resembling a retreat? Is a retreat for lay people practical, let alone possible? In these two dozen conferences, Monsignor Ronald Knox answers these questions resoundingly in the affirmative, addressing the foundations of the Christian life, the sacraments, and the virtues; the life and death of our ...

In The Power of Love, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen turns his gift for clear, warm teaching to the subject closest to the heart of the Gospel. In a series of short meditations he asks what love really is, where it comes from, and why it matters so much in ordinary life. Drawing on theology and a keen understanding of human nature, Sheen shows how divine love and human love belong together: God is the source of every true love, and it is only in Him that our loves are healed, purified, and made c...

Spanning nearly 500 miles across the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Trail is an epic, arduous route through some of America's most breathtaking natural grandeur. In the summer of 2022, Fr. John Nepil, priest-theologian and mountaineer, set out to traverse the entire trail as a "thru-hike" with a trio of companions, accompanied along the way by an eclectic rotating cast of priests and young people. This memoir, which is simultaneously a theological reflection on life, Christianity, and the moun...

"There are some people whom God takes and sets apart," observes Venerable Madeleine Delbrêl (1904-1964), but "there are others whom he leaves in the masses and whom he does not withdraw from the world. These are people who do ordinary jobs, who have an ordinary household or an ordinary single life. . . . We, the ordinary people of the streets, believe with all our might that this street, that this world where God has placed us, is, for us, the site of our holiness."French poet, social worker,...

The Church is a city set on a hill and on that hill there is a lighthouse. The Church directs her light this way and that as occasion warrants. That we might not make a shipwreck of our faith (see 1 Tm 1:19), she illuminates dangerous crags and reefs when all the world would tell us the water is clear. Each age has its heresies, and ours is a hatred of origin, of fatherhood. But if we come from somewhere and someone, we cannot be self-made. As an anchor against the wave of patricide, a light ...

Catholic theologian Paul Chaloux's follow-up to Why All People Suffer focuses on the natural and spiritual concerns encountered in dying and death. Theologically rich yet easy to read, this book is emotionally charged and will speak to the needs of your heart, whether you are facing terminal illness, caring for a dying loved one, or grieving a loss. Dr. Chaloux uses his own experiences in dealing with Parkinson's disease and the dying and death experiences of his family members going back fou...

Christmas gives us wonderful moments, the candles, the carols, the warmth of Christmas morning, and then they fade as ordinary life returns. But the joy Christ came to bring is meant to last. In 9 Days to Christmas Joy, Fr. Rich Conlin, a priest of the Archdiocese of Vancouver and former college athlete, leads you through nine days of prayer and reflection to discover a joy deeper than feelings and stronger than circumstances: the joy of knowing that God has come to dwell with us. Perfect as ...

The Forgotten Virtue: Why Meekness May Be the Secret Weapon in the Spiritual Life Meekness is not weakness, and it is not passivity. As Fr. Lawrence Carney shows, it is a fruit of charity closely bound to humility, and a powerful weapon in the spiritual life that we often overlook. Drawing on the saints, including St. Louis de Montfort, Fr. Carney explains how meekness can win souls for Christ and bring peace to a troubled heart. For anyone who struggles with ego, impatience, or lingering res...

Each of us has the potential to become a saint. We're especially reminded of this when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, usually as a teenager, and choose a saint as our patron and inspiration. Who better than the saints and blesseds to inspire us in the battle of life? In The Saint I Knew! Exciting "Encounters" with Holiness, Kevin Wilson places you, the reader, in a fictional story of a holy man, woman, or child before their recognition by the Roman Catholic Church. Ever wonder what...

The Recovery Rosary teaches you how to pray and meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary as a source of strength, healing, and renewal for Catholics walking the Twelve Steps of recovery—or accompanying loved ones who are. Designed for individuals or small groups, this devotional unites the rich spiritual tradition of the Rosary with the transformative power of recovery. Each meditation connects the mysteries of Jesus and Mary’s lives with real stories from those overcoming addiction, compulsio...

My Days Are in Your Hands: Men and Women in the Footsteps of Jesus What story will you write with the remaining pages of your life? Cardinal Fernando Filoni places that question at the heart of this reflective book. Walking through the lives of great saints and biblical figures, the Cardinal shows men and women who faced fear, doubt, and failure, yet gave everything to God and found the deepest consolation in surrender to Him. They are not distant figures in stained glass but friends and witn...

The Lament of the Dove: On the Value of Tears Here for the first time in English is St. Robert Bellarmine's De Gemitu Columbae, translated by Ryan Grant with a foreword by Msgr. Charles Pope. The great Doctor of the Church calls every member of the faithful, lay, religious, and clergy alike, to weep for sin and to rejoice with Christ and the saints. Grounding penance in Scripture, Bellarmine explores the sources of holy tears in twelve chapters, from the fall of the angels and the failings of...

Sanctify Your Day: A Structure to Live an Intentional, Healthy, and Holy Life Many of us want to grow in holiness, but our days feel scattered between work, family, fatigue, and constant distraction. Chase Crouse offers a clear, practical plan for ordering an ordinary day toward God. Rooted in the Church's ascetical tradition and its wisdom on virtue, the book covers prayer, work, rest, health, and relationships, showing how each part of daily routine can become an offering to the Lord. A pra...

Ineffable: Learning to Love the God Beyond Words When faith starts to feel routine, faithful but distant, God is inviting us deeper. Allison Auth writes for those who long for real intimacy with the Lord but quietly doubt that they are worthy of His love. Speaking simply and openly from her own life, and especially to busy mothers and fathers, Auth shows that union with God is not only for saints and mystics. It is the calling of every Christian, chosen and loved by God from all eternity. A h...

The Way of a Pilgrim First published in Russia in 1884, The Way of a Pilgrim is a much-loved classic of Christian prayer. Its anonymous narrator, a wandering pilgrim, hears St. Paul's command to "pray without ceasing" and sets out across Russia to learn how it can be done. Through his conversations along the road, the book opens up the tradition of the Jesus Prayer and the life of interior, continual prayer. The true identity of its author remains a mystery, which only adds to the book's quie...