Books on the Spiritual Life

The history of mysticism has always been accompanied by reports of otherworldly bodily phenomena such as levitation and luminosity. While many may be inclined to relegate such accounts to the realm of rumor and superstition, Patricia Treece here argues that the physical phenomena of mysticism are reflective of the body's participation in extraordinary holiness. Treece spent over ten years thoroughly investigating nineteenth- and twentieth-century occurrences of these mystical experiences, the...

Discover the Seraphic Doctor's Profound Reflections on Our Blessed Mother In Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Bonaventure, the "Seraphic Doctor," offers a profound investigation into the Blessed Virgin Mary's distinctive role in humanity's redemption. Originally penned as a humble tribute to Mary's virtues and divine favor, this work illuminates the depths of her sanctity and her pivotal role in the salvation of souls. Beginning with meditations on the angelic salutation, this endurin...

Experience the profound wisdom of Venerable Louis of Granada in The Book of Prayer and Meditation. Journey into the depths of your soul and discover the transformative power of prayer and meditation as you explore the pages of this timeless masterpiece. The Book of Prayer and Meditation was first published in Spanish in 1554, translated into English in 1584, and transliterated from Middle English for the first time into a more readable form in 2023. Before Granada guides the reader through fo...

This long-awaited book from New York Times best-selling author Immaculée Ilibagiza teaches readers how to pray the rosary of the seven sorrows for greater wisdom, strength, and forgiveness. In this new book by New York Times best-selling author Immaculée Ilibagiza, readers will rediscover this important message from Mary. Mary wanted the whole world to know the seven sorrows rosary, and Immaculée not only shares it but explains Mary's specific teachings for how to pray it, as well as offers t...

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ is based on the detailed visions of Our Lord's passion and death as seen by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), a German Augustinian nun, and recorded by Clemens Brentano, a prominent literary figure of the day. This book has been inspiring thousands since it first appeared in 1833; it is one of the most used texts for Lenten devotion, and most notably, it was the inspiration for Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. This newly-bou...

You have a very big problem. Not a hundred, not dozens, not ten, but one--and it's a big one. Most of us put out fires on a daily basis, whether they be dirty diapers, bills to pay, car trouble, fractured familial relationships, or the dramas of your social circle. Our self-centeredness pulls us into these struggles and blinds our perspective to the greater truth that all of these stem from one core problem. Perhaps the greatest misconception you carry in your mind and heart is that your suff...

This book examines how thirteen extraordinary men and women from apostolic times to the present--most of them canonized saints--came to see how God wanted them to organize their lives and, seeing that, set out to shape their lives accordingly. It adopts a new and illuminating approach to a familiar literary genre--the lives of the saints and what the turning points were in their dedicating themselves to God. Instead of concentrating on the question of vocation, the book situates the thirteen ...

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...

Joy: we look for it, long for it, and spend our lives chasing it. Yet do we really know what it is? Is it a feeling, a state of mind, or a reward for success? Do we know where to find it? The more we seek it, the more it eludes us. Yet joy is real. "Joy", writes philosopher Peter Kreeft, "is a mystery. It is bigger than we are." Joy's secret, however, is that it cannot be reached or found but only given. True joy is God Himself, who, giving Himself, takes us outside ourselves, across valleys ...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

Hope for the World, a book by Cardinal Raymond Burke, examines pressing issues of our times in an engaging and thoroughly researched discussion. Presenting his thoughts and insights on relevant topics such as the role of the Catholic Church in today’s world, spiritual renewal, marriage and family, respect for human life, and more, Cardinal Burke puts forth deep faith perspectives grounded in sound reasoning. Using his personal upbringing in a devout Catholic family and early years as a priest...

A Catholic Guide to Finding Mental and Emotional Well-Being Winner of a first-place award in the healing and self-help category from the Catholic Media Association and a third-place award in general interest from the Association of Catholic Publishers. Are you or someone you love struggling with depression, anxiety, grief, or other mental health concerns? Tommy Tighe, a licensed marriage and family therapist, wants to help you take steps toward reaching and maintaining mental and emotional we...

A vocation is an extremely mysterious reality. The call of God is not something extrinsic; it penetrates to the most intimate centre of the heart. We are what we are on account of this call. The Call of Silent Love is a profound and eloquent examination of the twin themes of vocation and discernment in which the father-master speaks about the nature of a calling, and the internal and external struggles, the discernment of spirits and the overall framework in which we live our lives. 'The read...

Edith Stein admitted that there was time when she 'consciously and deliberately lost the habit of praying'. She tells us this because she re-discovered it during the journey which brought her to Carmel. We all need to make our own spiritual way through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, with guides who help us to see the pitfalls and inspire us to persevere. The journey of prayer is one of the great adventures which we should all undertake because it leads us to the mountain which is God himse...

The Twenty-Four Conferences or Collations of St. John Cassian, written in the early fifth century, were to have a tremendous impact in the West on the spirituality of monastics and other Religious. A classic of spirituality, they were compulsory reading for St. Benedict's monks, the favourite spiritual reading of St. Dominic in the late twelfth century and were treasured by St. Philip Neri in the sixteenth. The Collations were likened by St. John Cassian himself to the twenty-four elders of t...

What is Carthusian life really like? What actually goes on in a Charterhouse? Is the Order's ancient mixture of carefully regulated solitary and community life a hopeless harking back to the Middle Ages, or is it relevant to modern lifestyles and problems? If any book can answer these questions, it is The Wound of Love. It provides background information on the Carthusian Order, including letters from St Bruno, its founder, and a reflection on Bruno's continuing significance today. The many c...

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...

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 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...

Imagine the best conversation you've ever had -- one that set your heart on fire, challenged your thinking, brought you closer to God, and inspired you to act. Recall how that conversation made you feel and how it changed your heart and your life. Such interactions rise to the level of the sacred -- sacred conversations -- dialogues that transform hearts, strengthen relationships, and make the world a better place by converting compassionate love into action. Conversations like this are rare ...

How to Master 12 Essential Virtues in 12 Months On every page Cultivating Virtue imparts the true spirit of the Catholic Faith. This book takes 12 Christian virtues one for each month, with a reading for each day of the year and shows you how to master each one. Featuring episodes and sayings from the lives of the Saints, it covers Perfection, Humility, Mortification, Patience, Meekness, Confidence, Charity, among others. Master the virtues and set out on your road to becoming a saint by lear...

To mature as a man is to grow in virtue. And yet, year after year, many of us regress in our fundamental calling for a host of reasons: poor catechesis, modernism, isolation, self-absorption, and, to sum it up, the chains of vice. But God calls us to a life of virtue--that is, a life of faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These theological and cardinal virtues, the "traditional virtues," which this book walks through, are at the heart and soul of the spiritual ...

A Summary of the Spiritual Life: Simplified and Arranged for Daily Reading, Reflection and Prayer Written with loving care by Father Anthony Paone, as a dialogue with Christ himself, this devotional will strengthen your love for Christ and his teachings. Father Paone leads the reader through the three ways of the spiritual life: Purification, Imitation, and Union. My Daily Bread overflows with reflections and prayers specifically designed to help you grow in the spiritual life and overcome fa...

Do you feel as though you're in the midst of a storm? Your life, your children's lives, and your country--they may cause you to feel like a storm is raging. In this powerful new book, Fr. John Riccardo breaks open the Scriptures to give us tangible hope for our lives. Discover how you can live with unshakable hope today!

The Vision of God by Nicholas of Cusa is one of the foundational texts of late medieval Christian mysticism. Known for his negative theology, particularly as displayed in the seminal work De Docta Ignorantia (Of Learned Ignorance), Nicholas shows how accepting the limits of man's rational understanding leads to a fuller experience of the divine. Man, he believed, is capable of comprehending God's inner being, an experience he characterized as a "coincidence of opposites." Unlike his previous ...

The Blessed Mother and the Twelve Apostles remained in the Upper Room in prayer for nine days after the Lord's ascension. From those nine days of prayer, the tradition of novenas -- praying for a specific period of time for a special intention -- was born. The word novena is derived from the Latin novem, meaning nine. The Handy Little Guide to Novenas is your easy-to-read, down-to-earth introduction to this beautiful devotion. In this brief booklet, author and novena enthusiast Allison Gingra...

The Hippo Lectures is a book of essays that were first given as live audience, public talks. Catholicism being a "both/and" faith, this work is both fiction and non-fiction; speech and story; serious and absurd; broadly maximal and microscopically focused. It's singular glue, however, is the Catholic Faith. All the essays-whether about the environment, beauty, athletics, beer, sex, economics, film, or American politics, to name but a few-are viewed through a Catholic lens. Now nearly past the...

Based on his study of great theologians and philosophers dating back to Aristotle, eminent philosopher and physicist Rev. Dr. Robert Spitzer devised his Four Levels of Happiness, asserting that whichever level dominates our lives will dictate our actions and determine the depth and endurance of our happiness. Incorporating examples from science, philosophy, psychology, and everyday life, Spitzer engagingly lays out achievable ways to ascend the ladder of happiness and find the fulfillment of ...

Many devotional books present different ways to participate in the Mass, but relatively few preseor which there are no fixed prayers. An excellent help in this domain is a short work, Seven Ways of the Cross (1958), by Jesuit Father Jean (John) Galot (1919-2008), who was to become a prolific writer and professor of theology, first at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, then at the Angelicum in Rome, where he regularly contributed to the Vatican newspaper l'Osservatore Romano. Father ...

In this insightful guide, Archbishop Luis M. Martínez delves into the depths of the spiritual life. He explores the balance between active and contemplative prayer, offering practical advice on cultivating a deeper relationship with God. Drawing on the wisdom of spiritual masters like St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Ávila, Martínez reveals the secrets to a truly fulfilling and transformative spiritual journey.

This book addresses important moral questions people commonly face when they or their loved ones experience life-threatening injuries, end-stage illnesses, or advanced old age. Due to modern medical technology, patients and their family members often confront such questions as: What medical procedures are morally required, and what procedures are optional? Is providing food and water to a patient an optional medical treatment, or is it basic care necessary for all human beings? What roles do ...

In concise, straightforward prose, author Dan Burke here provides an invaluable road map for spiritual growth, complete with signposts to help ensure that you remain on the right path. He guides you through the hazardous terrain that can threaten your spiritual health and shows you how to discern God's will daily and follow it in a meaningful way. Through intensive study of the major Catholic mystics, Dan has acquired the keys to developing a more meaningful relationship with Christ, which he...

In his Confessions, Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote to God, "Allow me to speak: for I am addressing your Mercy, not a man who would laugh at me." The Confessions have been read by countless readers, but Augustine wrote to communicate with God about his childhood, his gratitude to his mother, his friends, his triumphs and tragedies, and his hope for eternal life. Like Augustine, we can pray in a similar way, writing to God and sharing our innermost thoughts, feelings, dreams, despairs, and hope...

A translator, comments Monsignor Ronald Knox in his On Englishing the Bible, has two methods at his disposal: the literal and the literary. In translating Sacred Scripture "for the benefit of a person who wants to be able to read the word of God for ten minutes on end without laying it aside in sheer boredom or bewilderment," then only a literary translation will suffice. And such is the "Knox Bible," the fruit of nine years' solitary labor to craft a fresh translation of the sacred texts. Th...

From the same council that issued the Baltimore Catechism, Manual of Prayers: For the Use of the Catholic Laity will be the constant reference for any Catholic seeking to increase his devotion to God and to cultivate a deeper prayer life. This latest leatherette edition has a new typeset to provide editorial notes, increase readability, and maintain the traditional aspects of the original.You will also find: 1. Prayers and Psalms in both Latin and English,2. Both the traditional (old) and the...

The words of Jesus form the very heart of St. Faustinas Diary, as the Merciful Savior calls her and each of us to an intimacy with Him and the mission of bringing mercy to the whole world. Jesus tells her, I see your efforts to please Me, and they delight My Heart (Diary, 1061). He also instructs her, My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart and I will fill it with ...

Only Jesus, first published in English in 1962, is the last of Luis M. Martínez's writings, and widely hailed as his magnum opus. Combining robust doctrine and authentic mysticism, Martínez leads his readers through a quadripartite meditation on the person of Jesus Christ. In Part One, he considers the unfolding of revelation through the Incarnation, public ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Parts Two and Three reflect on the union between Jesus and the Christian faithful,...

At the beginning of every Mass, the priest-celebrant says, "Let us pray" and then offers a prayer to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit. This Opening Prayer is called the Collect. During Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, this prayer is specific to the day; in the season of Ordinary Time, the Collect for each Sunday is repeated during the following weekday Masses. In Praying with the Church through Advent, Fr. Edward Looney offers a short daily meditation an...

One of the most wonderful images I thought I received from Jesus in the 8th decade of my life was this: "Stop dog-paddling in the waves of life and let Me float you to the shore of eternity." Gradually I have slowed down on speaking at conferences or for parish groups. This year, my 86th, I stopped writing big books and wrote, instead, lots of small booklets, as well as a compendium of my best thoughts under the title of 77 Soundbytes of Love. Now I sensed, in prayer, that the Holy Spirit wan...

A proper examination of conscience is surely one of the most challenging tasks of the Christian life. For the laity, charged with the work of sanctifying the world "from within as a leaven" (in the words of Lumen gentium), this task is made especially difficult by the clamorous distractions which come simply from being in the world, even if not of the world. To ease the difficulty of this task, Monsignor Knox offers in The Layman and His Conscience a retreat specifically for lay people to "re...

"When I was a child," Saint Paul writes, "I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways" (1 Cor 13:11). This distinction, and the transition from boyhood to manhood, does not seem as easy for us today. Our society, with its increasingly grotesque masculine identity crisis, cannot define "the things of a man."In this revised and expanded edition, author Jason Craig, cofounder of Fraternus, a Catholic mentoring program for bo...

Inspirations & Lamentations: Literary Devotions of an Unusual Sort is a unique devotional book, combining a depth of spirituality, devotion, and desire for Him with a fresh, realistic, faith-filled contemporary assessment of modern life. 

Perfect love casts out fear, and God is love (see 1 Jn 4:16-19). So let us allow His Word to find a home in our hearts each day with these 366 Scriptural exhortations to fear not, as we journey through the books of the Bible using verses drawn from the Divine Mercy Catholic Bible (Revised Standard Version--Catholic Edition 2). At the beginning of his pontificate, the Great Mercy Pope, St. John Paul II, told the world, "Do not be afraid!" That wasn't just an exhortation to be stoic, tough, and...

As Ronald Knox was preparing to enter the Catholic Church, he took with him, as a spiritual-reading traveling companion, Virgil's Aeneid. The physical journey of Aeneas toward Rome provided a well-polished mirror to the spiritual voyage of Knox to that other, perfect Rome-the Eternal City of Christendom. "Ingeniously constructed on the Virgillian frame," as Evelyn Waugh writes in his Foreword, A Spiritual Aeneid is Knox's account of his conversion from the Anglican Church to the one, holy, Ca...

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 ...

Thought-provoking words from renowned spiritual writer, Henri J. M. Nouwen, lead readers along a journey of conversion during Lent and Easter week. These periods of penance and celebration, lavish with rituals, help us become more sensitive to our own weaknesses and Christ's victory over sin. Through it all, Father Nouwen comforts and reassures us with reminders that God loves and accepts us even in our human state. Each daily reflection--from Ash Wednesday through the Second Sunday of Easter...