Books on the Spiritual Life

This book explores the deep and often surprising ways humor and metaphor shape communication, spirituality, and human connection. Drawing from Scripture, cultural stories, and theological insight, Fr. Azorji shows how humor is more than entertainment—it is a gift that reveals truth, fosters healing, and helps us face life’s difficulties with renewed perspective. Through an engaging and reflective narrative, the author invites readers to see laughter as a language of grace and a doorway to wis...

Monastic Tradition invites readers—especially those new to the spiritual life—into a deeper search for God through three classic monastic “books”: the book of nature, the book of Scripture, and the book of one’s own lived experience. Drawing from thirty years of monastic life, Sr. Laurentia weaves these strands together in a series of meditative poems that resonate with the rhythms of both the natural and liturgical seasons. Beginning with Advent, the poems unfold through the year, reflecting...

Reflecting daily on the completely updated writings of St. John Henry Newman, surrounded by a Scripture verse and brief prayer, will give readers a good deal to ponder and appreciate about the Catholic faith and God's enormous love. This contemporary version of convert, Catholic priest, and recently-canonized Saint's classic and timeless thoughts is for every reader who desires deeper faith and a closer walk with the Lord.

Doctors and nurses have a unique view into suffering and pain. Day after day, they see people at their most vulnerable, not only physically but often emotionally. By taking responsibility for the lives of others, they are blessed with the privilege of comforting and healing, but they also carry a burden that can be overwhelming--unless they are strengthened by the Divine Physician. Adrienne von Speyr, one of the freshest and most original spiritual writers of the twentieth century, draws from...

Does your mind often wander when you recite the Holy Rosary? Spiritual master Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo― called “a saint” by Padre Pio― will teach you to deepen your powers of recollection as you reflect upon the sacred mysteries. Here is the Rosary companion that will help you develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by entering into the events of His life through the prism of your own. These brief, compelling reflections― written as conversations between Jesus and the soul― will move you...

There has been no greater promoter of the family Rosary than Venerable Patrick Peyton. Known around the world as “the Rosary Priest,” he dedicated his life to the Blessed Mother and to the prayer that most powerfully unites families in faith. In The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, readers are invited to pray the Rosary along with Peyton, entering into the rhythms and mysteries of this devotion to deepen their relationship with Mary and strengthen their bond with her Son, Jesus Chri...

Here is the book you need to discover and develop the twelve virtues that St. John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719) -- patron of teachers, education reformer, and founder of the congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools -- determined were most important for teachers. Br. Luke Grande, F.S.C., fleshes out the essence of each virtue as it relates to teaching and how educators can cooperate with God's grace to actualize the potentialities of students in their charge. In page after page...

Remember when prayer felt peaceful? You'd find a quiet corner, light a candle, and take your time with God. Now, as a mom, life looks a little different. Your prayers might sound more like “Lord, please just get me through dinner!” Between carpools, snack requests, temper tantrums, nonstop Nerf battles—the list goes on—finding time for intentional prayer feels impossible. In Sacred Chaos, Ablaze Families missionary Jennifer Stavinoha invites you to rediscover intimacy with God right where you...

Praying with the Saints invites you to embark on a spiritual journey through the words and prayers of one hundred beloved saints. Spanning two millennia, this beautifully curated anthology offers encouragement, solace, and inspiration from holy men and women whose lives continue to illuminate the path to God. Through their heartfelt prayers and reflections, you’ll discover a bridge to the divine and a companion for every season of life—times of joy, suffering, and contemplation alike. Prais...

With Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s motto Verso l’alto (“To the Heights”) as its inspiration, The Frassati Field Guide challenges you to rise above mediocrity and live your Catholic faith with courage, joy, and action. Are you ready to take your faith to new heights? In this eight-day journey, author and retreat leader Bobby Angel invites you to walk in the footsteps of Pier Giorgio Frassati—a passionate mountain climber, servant to the poor, and fearless witness to Christ. Each day focuses ...

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...

Are you ready to stop suffering from fear and unworthiness? To heal the pain in your closest relationships? To finally love and be loved as God intended? For more than a decade, “Scripture Evangelista” Sonja Corbitt has helped Catholics encounter the transforming power of God’s Word. In Love Heals, she draws on her years of biblical study and ministry to reveal how the commandment to love God, neighbor, and self (Mark 12:30) holds the key to total healing—emotional, spiritual, and even physic...

When Tara McMullen said “yes” to marrying an Air Force fighter pilot, she knew she was entering a life defined by unpredictability, sacrifice, and separation. Between constant relocations, long deployments, and raising children far from family, military life quickly became more than a job—it was a calling that demanded faith, resilience, and trust in God. In The Homefront Devotional: Navigate Military Life with Courage, Hope, and Faith, McMullen offers heartfelt reflections and spiritual enco...

Winner of a 2025 CMA Book Award from the Catholic Media Association: Healing and Self Help (First Place). The wounds we carry from childhood—whether from trauma, neglect, or unmet needs—often remain hidden, yet they continue to affect how we relate to ourselves, others, and God. No matter how much time has passed, our “inner child” remembers. In Befriending Your Inner Child: A Catholic Approach to Inner Healing, licensed marriage and family therapist Brya Hanan offers a gentle and faith-cente...

Winner of a 2025 Excellence in Publishing Award from the Association of Catholic Publishers: Inspirational (Second Place). Every educator needs encouragement and support when facing the challenges of teaching—whether it’s managing a noisy classroom, handling a tough parent conference, or navigating staff meetings and lesson planning. In A Saint Squad for Teachers, veteran teacher Amy Cattapan introduces forty-five saints ready to accompany and intercede for educators through every season of t...

As life enters a new rhythm in later years, many Catholics find themselves with more time for reflection and spiritual growth. The responsibilities of work, parenting, and daily obligations give way to new opportunities to focus on what truly matters: preparing for eternal life and growing closer to God. In Reaching for Heaven, Michael Amodei, a lifelong Catholic and seasoned editor at Ave Maria Press, offers fourteen practical ways to enrich your faith as you strive for heaven. Blending humo...

The Notre Dame Book of Prayer is a treasured collection of prayers and reflections created for alumni, parents, and friends of the University of Notre Dame. First published in 2010 and now expanded with dozens of new prayers, it captures the university’s vibrant Catholic spiritual life. Arranged around twelve stunning full-color photographs of beloved campus landmarks—including the Grotto, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph and St. Mary’s Lakes, Touchdown Jesus, and Notre Dame Stadi...

Winner of a second-place award in the contemporary spirituality category from the Catholic Media Association. Eight modern saints invite you to follow their example and live the Beatitudes—the heart of Jesus’s teaching—in your own life. Through her beautiful full-color art, scripture passages, journaling prompts, and original prayers inspired by the Our Father, Catholic artist Jen Norton guides readers to put the Beatitudes into practice, challenging them to examine the state of their hearts ...

At a time in which stress, depression, anxiety, and suicide are all on the rise, Peace Be with You will guide you and your loved ones on how to overcome negative thoughts, be freed -- externally and internally -- from sinful habits, access supernatural grace, and grow in happiness and holiness. You will learn concrete strategies for coping with emotions such as anger, sadness, doubt, worry, inferiority, and fear. The renowned missionary and psychologist Fr. Narciso Irala explains the secret t...

In his masterful 12th-century work, The Twelve Degrees of Humility and Pride, St. Bernard of Clairvaux--the "Doctor Mellifluus" or "Honey-Sweet Doctor"-- eloquently crafts a soul's guide to spiritual ascent and descent. With his deep understanding of human nature and his own monastic experience, St. Bernard outlines a path that leads away from the self-deception of pride towards the liberating embrace of humility.St. Bernard illustrates humility as the foundation of a life anchored in truth, ...

For years, Mother Angelica blessed viewers with her timeless wit and wisdom. Now, this beautiful collection provides highlights of her trademark compassion and down-to-earth advice.Mother teaches how to truly love and forgive amidst life's many challenges. She provides guidance on how to live Catholicism in the modern world and grow in your personal relationship with God. With this candid and inspired expression of the Faith, you will feel your devotion to our Eucharistic Lord and the Blessed...

Since he was beatified in 2020, Carlo Acutis has been the subject of widespread interest across the globe. This typical Italian teenager, who lived a life of extraordinary virtue, has captivated countless millions. And yet we're left wondering and wanting to learn more about this millennial saint. What was Carlo really like? How did he interact with those closest to him in daily life? What was it like to live in the same home with him?In My Son Carlo, Antonia Salzano Acutis shares, in vivid d...

Aquinas's Practical Principles for Reaching Heaven and Avoiding Hell Are we truly striving for heaven or merely avoiding hell?The human heart's greatest longing is to see God as He is. And yet, many people simply want to escape hell's pain, or even worse, they follow our disordered fallen nature in choosing sinful pleasures. Our Lord said the road to heaven is narrow, but the road to hell is wide (see Matt. 7:13). Is choosing the road to heaven merely to avoid pain, or is it actively pursuing...

A Psychospiritual Exploration of Grace and Virtue: Vol. 1: Pride and Humility In a world clouded by illusion and self-justification, The Essence of Eden invites readers on a profound journey through the sacred interplay of grace and virtue. With theological depth and psychological insight, this series examines the forces that shape human character, calling the soul toward truth, transformation, and spiritual renewal. Volume I: Pride and Humility unveils the delicate balance between self-worth...

Learned and filled with holiness, he not only organized the constitutions, and established the Salve Regina after compline but was instrumental guiding the work of others to establish the Dominican Liturgy.Though master-general of the order, Bl. Jordan's humility prevented him from attributing himself as a director of any human authority. He was not and did not wish to be anything but a docile instrument of grace. As a director of conscience in his breadth and delicacy, Jordan had the Catholi...

That after seven hundred years his life is still the subject of historians' endeavors is a clear proof of the deep significance of St. Dominic's personality for his Order, for the clergy, and the entire Church. He lived in the late Middle Ages, when the Chair of Peter was occupied by popes like Innocent III, whose prudence and firmness were active factors in shaping Europe's history. The spirit of faith still had at least a little influence in political matters, and enthusiasm for the reclaim...

The love of nature in our days has gone so far apart from Christian feeling. Men have forgotten that God's thoughts find expression in the visible, as well as in the invisible, world, and that inner and secret harmonies bind the natural and the supernatural together. The things of beauty which God has bidden arise on the earth lose half their grace, because men do not mount by them to the better understanding of the supernal beauty of the operations of that world which Faith reveals to our ga...

The contribution of women in the history of the Church is often overlooked. In modern times it is customary to look for all the wrong things, who is powerful, who became the first woman to work in this place, or who started a movement. The women who are the subject of this book, however, were greater than any of these mundane accomplishments; they were Heroines of Christ.Married and religious, Roman martyrs and Cristeros, the 15 women whose biographies are found in this book exemplified true ...

The Ascent of the Mind to God stands apart from St. Robert Bellarmine’s apologetical writings as a deeply personal spiritual work. Composed after a retreat in 1614, Bellarmine affectionately called it his “Benjamin,” the child of his old age, and the first of a series of spiritual reflections that have nourished Christians for centuries. Structured around fifteen steps of a spiritual ladder, the book begins with the human person—man as a “microcosm” of creation—inspired by the foundational pr...

Mystical Theology: A Layman's Guide brings together four classic treatises by the French Benedictine Dom Savinien Louismet, one of the great spiritual masters of the early twentieth century. Drawing deeply from Scripture and the full breadth of Catholic tradition, Louismet offers a clear, practical, and compelling account of true mysticism—what it is, how it works, and how ordinary Catholics can grow toward contemplative union with God. Louismet begins by asking a piercing question: Why are t...

The Ascent of the Mind to God stands apart from St. Robert Bellarmine’s apologetical writings as a deeply personal spiritual work. Composed after a retreat in 1614, Bellarmine affectionately called it his “Benjamin,” the child of his old age, and the first of a series of spiritual reflections that have nourished Christians for centuries. Structured around fifteen steps of a spiritual ladder, the book begins with the human person—man as a “microcosm” of creation—inspired by the foundational pr...

The eighteenth century is often called an age of “Enlightenment,” a period marked by skepticism, worldliness, and a turning away from God in favor of constructing a purely human society. Yet long before this crisis emerged, God had already prepared an apostle to confront it: St. Alphonsus Liguori. Renouncing prestige, legal success, and worldly advantage, he placed Christ at the center of his heart and devoted his life to setting souls ablaze with love for the Redeemer. But the roots of St. A...

The two great commandments are to love God above all things and one’s neighbor as oneself. One of the highest acts of charity toward our neighbor is to remember him after death—especially the poor souls in Purgatory, who rely on our prayers and sacrifices. For this reason, the Church gives us the liturgical month of November. As autumn’s harvest is gathered and stored, the faithful are invited to draw from a different harvest: the graces and indulgences God offers for the relief of the souls ...

What happened to the Apostles? How did the early Christians live? Why did the Romans and other peoples try to destroy them with such brutality? Those answers are all provided in Fr. Pedro de Ribadeneyra, SJ's Flores Sanctorum, carefully translated by Mrs. Anne Hope.Lives of the Early Martyrs not only traces the most ancient testimony to where the Apostles went, and where they won their crowns of martyrdom, but their disciples as well. It carefully elucidates the lives that the early Christian...

St. Leonard was born in 1676 at Port Maurice, near Genoa. He went to Rome to study, and there took on the Franciscan habit at the friary of St. Bonaventure. St. Leonard was zealous for souls, and wanted to be a missionary to foreign lands; instead he was called by God to give missions to the Christians of his own country.For twenty-four years, amid great hardships and dangers, he preached missions in every corner of Italy. The power of his words, which flowed from his strict life converted co...

In the Workshop of St. Joseph, by the Rev. Heuser, presents the reader with a fictional account taking place at the time of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt, and later return to Nazareth.It follows several fictional characters, Eliab, his daughter Zelah who becomes a servant for the Holy Family, and his son Ahijah, all of whom are Jews living in Egypt. Zelah accompanies the Holy Family back to Nazareth, and Eliab and Ahijah follow them, ultimately taking up residence in Nazareth itself. The ...

"... All possible means are resorted to in an effort to discredit the phenomena of Konnersreuth, to silence the voices which speak of a Divine Hand at work there. Despite all of this, the phenomena continue to take place as hitherto."Therese Neumann was a simple girl born to good Catholic parents in an obscure village of Catholic Bavaria. Yet God would call her to make known the sacred passion of Christ in her person. After an accident that should have killed her, she was miraculously healed,...

The amazing life of Blessed Nicholas Factor tells of a miracle working saint from the 16th century. As a child of five, Nicholas already manifested signs of his future sanctity. He fasted three times a week and gave the food he did not touch to the poor. With cheerful words he comforted the sick, and on visiting the leper hospital, he would at times kiss the wounds of the afflicted persons. A Moorish maid in his home was so affected at the conduct of the holy child that she was attracted to t...

"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...

Enthusiasm, in the religious sense, is more akin to fanaticism than fervor. As Monsignor Ronald Knox describes, it is that recurring situation in Church history in which men and women, seek to be less and less "of the world" and more and more attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Their assumption is audacious yet simple: grace does not perfect nature; it destroys and replaces it. The inevitable result: separation, secession, schism. In twenty-three informative and entertaining chapter...

"Let us all ask the Lord to call us into a time of Eucharistic renewal, a time of prayer and reflection, of acts of charity and sincere repentance. The Lord is with us in the Eucharistic Mystery celebrated in our parishes and missions, in our beautiful cathedrals and in our poorest chapels. He is present and he draws near to us, so that we can draw nearer to him." -- Catholic bishops of the United States, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church, no. 58

The saints in heaven are powerful intercessors, praying for our needs before the face of God. As part of the communion of saints, we on earth pray with power when we ask the saints to pray with and for us, especially on their feast days.Pray with Us invites us to connect with 365 saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God -- one for each day of the year. Each day's entry includes a brief biography of the saint and a prayer. This book provides a concise, approachable format for individu...

What characterizes, in a singular way, Jesus's teaching on prayer is the recourse to parables. Jesus did not invent a new system for praying. Jesus was not a hermit, a Buddhist monk, or a yogi. He instead chose the daily life of his people to teach prayer with parables. This book explores the parables in the Gospels explicitly related to prayer, with Jesus as your guide.In preparation for the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, the Exploring Prayer series delves into various dimensions of prayer in the...

We retrace Our Lord's final steps in praying the Stations of the Cross. But this prayer is more than a casual recollection. Through the stations, we can experience a tremendous and intimate union with him.The Stations of the Cross help us to better understand the Eucharistic mystery. Given for You reflects on Jesus' passion and death and points us back to the present reality of the Eucharist, where we encounter his self-gift in a close, personal way. In praying these stations, may we come to ...

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the revelation of God's love for man, made flesh. The heart is a symbol of our passions, desires, and will. Meditating upon Jesus' heart can transform our own hearts so we might be one with him.Make Our Hearts Like Yours is a comprehensive collection of meditations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, drawn from saints and scholars of every age of Church history. Arranged according to the liturgical calendar, this daily devotional highlights the centrality of the Incarna...

Are you trying to be your best but just can't seem to get past your own shortfalls? Fear not. Your unique and beautiful temperament may hold the key to becoming the saint God made you to be. And just as he did with the saints before us, God will build upon your temperament to bring you to perfection.Whether you already know your temperament -- some combination of deep Melancholy, peaceful Phlegmatic, take-charge Choleric, or playful Sanguine -- or you have never been introduced to the four cl...

To become a better Christian, you need to form your emotions aright. It might also surprise you to know that Catholic teaching doesn't disparage the emotions. Rather, the traditional Catholic view -- supported by giants in the Catholic tradition such as Saint Augustine, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and Saint Thomas Aquinas -- is that ongoing conversion does not mean suppressing, ignoring, or eradicating the emotions, but reforming them.In Emotional Holiness, Abbot Austin Murphy, OSB, shows how...

Devotional writer Lisa Livezey understands the challenges of full-time caregiving atop an already-full life. Following her father's sudden death, Lisa was plunged headlong into caring for her mother who was battling Alzheimer's. With wisdom and candor, Lisa pairs every day and extraordinary caregiving moments with scriptures, prayers, and reflections. Caregivers will: