Spiritual Life
With the Church, Volume 1
Advent to the Ascension
by Mother Mary Loyola
Now for the first time in nearly a century, this classic set of meditations on the Liturgical Year are back in print! Written while Mother Loyola was bedridden with a hip fracture, these devotions bring us the urgency of living our life With the Church, for we "know not the day nor the hour."
The Irish Monthly back in 1924 had this to say about With the Church: “Father Thurston tells us that forty years ago Mother Loyola, when bringing out anonymously her first book on Holy Communion, and being anxious to get ecclesiastical recommendation for it, asked him to write a short preface. The favourable reception accorded by the Catholic public to the numerous books which she has brought out since that time has amply justified Fr. Thurston’s judgment in recommending the authoress’s work. This latest book of hers consists of a series of reflections on the feasts of the year from Advent to the Ascension. Her thoughts are always well-grounded and ingenious, and their expression is clear and graceful, with a strong personal charm. They are musings jotted down just as they occur to her devotional spirit and not simply as dictated by a resolution to follow a certain line.”
Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 380 pages
Conversations With Modern Man About Christ and His Church
by Msgr Robert Hugh Benson
A curious thing happened between the time Fr. Benson lived and where mankind finds itself today. The atheistic ideologies that were then only beginning to take hold in mainstream society have now metastasized throughout the contemporary world. The subtle and conversational presentation of this book is addressed to the modern man in that context. Fr. Benson gently exposes the whispered attacks, the implied ridicule, and anti-Catholic invective of his time and answers them with the patience of a friend, a father, and a priest. This apologetic approach is interwoven with the main conversation of the book: Christ’s Life and the parallels between it and His Church.
The genius of Fr. Benson’s book Christ in the Church is that he speaks to the reader with one goal in mind. Fr. Benson wishes for the atheist, the fallen away Catholic, and the poorly catechized to simply listen to a rational explanation of the world with Christ at its center.
Fr. Robert Hugh Benson is renowned for his contributions to Catholic literature. This recently rediscovered title is a fantastic example of why his books inspire people to come to Christ and His Church. Get this book for your family and friends and help them better defend themselves and the Faith against the modern errors.
Hardcover, size 9.25" x 6.25", 231 pages
Toward Easter
Daily Readings and Meditations to Pray Alone or as a Family
by Fr Patrick Troadec
“O God, who desirest not the death, but the repentance of sinners, in Thy goodness vouchsafe to bless these ashes which we purpose to put upon our heads in token of our lowliness and to obtain forgiveness: so that we who know that we are but ashes…may deserve to obtain from Thy mercy the pardon of all our sins, and the rewards promised to the penitent.” – Meditation on Ash Wednesday.
Fr. Troadec’s best-selling series continues in this third book Toward Easter. Father uses the liturgy of the Lenten season to assist us in our daily prayer, meditation and spiritual growth.
Each of the daily meditations covered in this book includes a:Quote: Taken from Scripture, the Mass, or the Spiritual Fathers.
Meditation: A particular truth of the Faith and how it applies to us.
Prayer: Two short daily prayers for the reader to choose from.
Thoughts: Daily recollections that illustrate a profound point
Resolution: Three simple and practical resolutions.
Anyone looking to draw closer to God through the liturgy of His Church while developing the habit of daily spiritual reading and meditation needs to read this series! It continues to be a wonderful and trusted aid for Catholics of any age or walk of life. A profoundly Catholic and truly practical guide to daily growth in holiness.
The series includes:
From Advent to Epiphany
From Epiphany to Lent
Toward Easter
Eastertide Day by Day
From Trinity Sunday to the Assumption
From the Assumption to Advent
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 218 pages
by St. Francis de Sales
In Consoling Thoughts on Eternity, St. Francis de Sales, the beloved Doctor of the Church, speaks to us of the Christian manner in which we should mourn those whom we have lost.
Taken mostly from the letters of the saint, this masterful work gives us the consolation he offered to parents on the deaths of their sons, to a lady on the death of her father, a wife on the death of her husband, and others mourning their loved ones. Throughout he gives reason to hope, and explains how much the thought of Heaven should console us, and how agreeable it will be to parents and friends to meet again and converse together in Heaven.
Readers of Consoling Thoughts on Eternity will experience firsthand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 96 pages
by Fr. Christopher Rengers, O.F.M.Cap.
Christ is the greatest preacher of all time; as He is the Eternal High Priest, so He is the Eternal Preacher of His own Gospel. And the greatest sermon He ever spoke was only seven short phrases, uttered from the pulpit of the Cross, as He hung dying the most agonizing Death in the history of the world.
In The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, Fr. Christopher Rengers, O.F.M.Cap., dissects the extraordinary wisdom that only the God-Man Himself could imbue in each of these words, parting instructions for His Church to be founded:
- "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Luke 23:34
- "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Luke 23:43
- "Woman, here is your son . . . Here is your mother." John 19:26-27
- "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46
- "I thirst." John 19:28
- "It is finished." John 19:30
- "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Luke 23:46
Within this seven-sentence sermon, Our Lord has given us a pattern for our entire lives, united with Him in His Eternal Sacrifice of the Cross for us. Here are seven pieces of advice inconceivable not to heed—since they come from the Founder of preaching Himself. Let Fr. Rengers guide you through the Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, and come to glimpse fathomless wisdom of God.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 96 pages
by Bishop Francois Le Courtier
Practical, honest discourses for women by the Bishop of Montpellier.
Chapters include:
- The Love of God;
- The Flight of the Love of the World;
- The Pleasures of the World;
- Duties of the Rich;
- Portrait of the Christian Woman;
- Woman's Sunday;
- The Useful Life;
- Woman's Conversation;
- The Life of Union With God;
- The Exercise of Prayer and Meditation;
- The Life of Self-Denial;
- The Christian Mission of Women.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 240 pages
by Matthew R. Plese
This book explains fasting and how it has changed over the centuries in one of the most complete compilations yet written. Unfortunately, most summaries of fasting are either inaccurate or incomplete. However, rather than being a mere academic exercise, the purpose of studying the history of fasting is ultimately to help us rediscover these more ancient practices in an attempt to better observe Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother’s call for penance and reparation for sins.
As Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once remarked, “It is a long-established principle of the Church never to completely drop from her public worship any ceremony, object or prayer which once occupied a place in that worship.” The same may be said for matters concerning either Holy Days of Obligation or fast days. What our forefathers held sacred should remain sacred to us in an effort to preserve our catholicity not only with ourselves but with our ancestors who see God now in Heaven.
The 2nd edition features the following topics which were not covered (or covered only briefly) in the first edition, including detailed explanations of how fasting changed in other countries besides America, including Spain and the Philippines, a detailed explanation of who was exempt from fasting and/or abstinence and how those changes were documented and taught in various catechisms over the centuries. Mr. Plese also cover Easter Week food traditions, highlighting their connection with the Lenten fast, Armenian fasting and abstinence rigors, Maronite fasting guidelines, the heroic example of St. John of the Cross and the Primitive Rule of Pope Innocent IV vs. the mitigated rule approved by Pope Eugenius IV, how the time of the meal on fasting days differed (e.g., sunset for Ember Days but 3 PM for the weekly devotional fasts), and so much more.
Even priests have said that 95% of the book's content is new and was not taught to them!
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 197 pages
All for Jesus
The Easy Ways of Divine Love
by Fr. Frederick William Faber
In All for Jesus, Fr. Faber provides one of his most tender and encouraging spiritual treatises, because the subject of his discourse is Divine Love. He urges us to save our souls by "serving Jesus out of love," for "everything comes easy to love." In addition to powerful motives for the love of God (something we have been preached since youth and can take for granted without stopping to contemplate), Fr. Faber shows how Christian perfection is not nearly so difficult as it seems, because true love will transform all of our actions. For the yoke of the Lord is easy, and His burden is light.
In short, Fr. Faber shows that, if we love God, it will be with us as it was with Jacob working to earn the hand of Rachel: "Years would seem but days; for the greatness of our love." This is Fr. Faber at his finest. Let his rare wisdom, characteristic of a more ancient Christian sage, guide you through the "easy ways of Divine Love."
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 328 pages
A Handbook for Christians
by Fr William Ullathorne
Find lasting happiness through the two virtues that lead to all others: patience and humility.
Heroism, self-denial, and even martyrdom are worthless without humility and patience. This book shows you how to develop these two key virtues, no matter how difficult your circumstances may be.
You’ll learn why Jesus said that to save your life, you must first lose it, and you’ll come to see how the self-surrender in humility and patience is guaranteed to bring you lasting peace and happiness.
From this simple book you’ll learn many things:
- Ten ways you can start acquiring patience today
- Why God’s patience is the guarantee of your salvation
- Humility: why it’s the foundation of our Christian Faith
- The startling reason why God rejects the proud
- The four ways that patience heals the soul
- Easily hurt or disappointed? Learn the Lord’s antidote!
- How to avoid all spiritual injury – forever!
- Why humility is the very core of holiness
- The battle for your soul: do you know who’s winning?
- God’s own humility: it’s a searing lesson for the proud
- Minor troubles: how to keep them from overwhelming you
- The secret rewards of humility that only the humble know
- Five obstacles to virtue: how to overcome them
- Why troubles may be your most valuable possessions
- How faith depends on the virtue of humility
- Three obstacles to prayer: a simple way to wipe them out
- Six conditions for making your prayer more effective
- Spiritual problems: how to gain strength to overcome them
- And many other truths to make your life happier and holier
Paperback, size 7" x 5", 144 pages
The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux
“If the little flower could talk, it seems to me it would say what God has done for it quite simply and without concealment . . . This flower, in telling her story, is happy to make known all the gifts Jesus has given her.” — St. Therese of Lisieux
The beautiful style of St. Therese’s writing will capture your heart, but it will be the power and efficacy of her lessons that will keep you returning day after day.
Only written under holy obedience by the command of her superior, St. Therese’s autobiography conveys the secrets of her great holiness, which she achieved through her simple and ordinary life. It teaches her “Little Way of Spiritual Childhood,” which she called her “elevator to Heaven.” An important lesson for all Catholics, her “little way of love and confidence” is drawn directly from Scripture and has been approved by Pope Pius XI as a way to holiness for all.
Although she died at the age of 24, St. Therese was and is known for her great wisdom, and this magnum opus demonstrates the young Carmelite’s holiness and dependance on God.
St. Therese’s autobiography has become a classic of Catholic literature, and it has been translated into numerous languages. The Story of a Soul continues to grow in popularity and millions of copies are distributed worldwide.
No Catholic should be ignorant of the spiritual power of “little way” of St. Therese. This beautiful edition, which is printed in the beautiful style of all the TAN Books Catholic Classics Series, belongs on the shelf of every Catholic.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 190 pages
Courage To Be Afraid
by Fr. Marie-Dominique Molinié, O.P.
“Fr. Molinié brings us back to the essentials of the Gospel: the simplicity of following Christ and the grandeur of God’s plan for us. Every Catholic will find in this book clarity, rejuvenation, and wisdom.” —Fr. Alexander Wiseman, SSPX
The Courage to Be Afraid is remarkably different from other spiritual books. It is a tour de force that examines many aspects of the Christian life, yet always returning to a simple, powerful theme: we have to let God act. Fr. Molinié addresses himself to us, children of the modern world, in order to recall us forcefully to what never changes, no matter the state of things: the divine life is in us, and will transform us if we surrender to it. “God’s love is a consuming fire...”
Some of the themes in the book include:
• Nature and grace
• Combat between pride and humility
• Development and stages of the spiritual life
• Suffering and the Mystery of God
“If, in the face of this world whose values are crumbling, you look feverishly and anxiously for what must be done, you have not understood that God wants to be the only One who saves us: His glory is at stake. When we rely on action or on natural qualities, we attack the glory of God....This secret is the Trinitarian life, and to enter into it, we must live a life where we lose our footing... this is the whole savor of the mystical life.”
—Fr. Marie-Dominique Molinié, O.P.
Available for the first time English.
Paperback, size 9" x 5.8", 226 pages
And Other Working Women
by Hubert Van Zeller
This unique spiritual guide will help you grow holier and more prayerful as you perform the most menial household chores -- not in spite of those chores, but in the midst of them.
Written especially for women in charge of households, Holiness for Housewives will help you better understand and respect your vocation as a housewife -- and discover in it your own God-given path to sanctity.
This handy guide will show you how to:
- Find meaning in even the most boring work
- Pray in the midst of a bustling household
- Bear the stress of those long days in which the work never seems to end
- Develop a greater awareness of God's presence -- even amid the diapers and the dirty dishes
- Learn to rely more on your will and less on emotions, when life seems to be an endless round of drudgery
- Handle your burdens and sorrows with prayers that are especially fashioned for housewives
Let Holiness for Housewives show you how to find and savor the lasting pleasures that await you in your noble, God-given vocation as a housewife!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 104 pages
Self –abandonment, is itself the work of God: While he strips of everything the souls who give themselves absolutely to him, God gives them something which takes the place of all; of light, wisdom, life and force: this gift is his love
Fr. Caussade’s Self Abandonment to Divine Providence is a book for all those who in the words of St. Benedict, “Truly seek God”. Fr. Caussades’s spiritual teaching was derived from two extremely pure sources, St. Francis de Sales and St. John of the Cross. Another source of influence on Caussade were his penitents, the Nuns of the Visitation.
Fr. Caussade effectively synthesizes both Salesian and Carmelite traditions in this book, which is comprised of his letters and dialogues on prayer. Fr. Caussade refers to the Salesian teaching of self-abandonment and simplicity, and the Carmelite emphasis on grace as a dynamic force that enlightens and cleanses the soul. When speaking of death to self, he refers to “abandonment” “trust” and “acquiescence”. He impresses upon the reader, that abandonment may be taught and practiced by repeated acts. It is the duty of every Christian to acquire this virtue.
| Binding: | Leather Hardback |
| Pages: | 152 |
| Size: | 5½" x 8⅓" |
by St Francis de Sales
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 gaze.
The God who writes his thoughts in the Book of Nature is the same who writes in the Book of Scripture. And those whom He sent to expound to mankind the teachings of the latter have ever loved to illustrate its heavenly doctrine from the pages of the former.
The Mystical Flora of St. Francis de Sales is an attractive anthology of his writings drawn from the saint’s collected works using allusions to plant-life to explain the Christian life. Ordered into seven sections, it presents a heartfelt address to the men and women of the world, using comparisons drawn from nature to illustrate the operation of grace in the spiritual life. The writings of the saint have not been drawn at random, but carefully arranged in such a way as to form a perfect little treatise on the devout life, from its first principles to its consummation, according to the plan of St. Francis himself in his works.
The Mediatrix Press edition has been retypeset in conformity with the original, and contains the original illustrations. It is not a facsimile reprint.
Paperback, 158 pages
Also available in Hardback with dust jacket on request (additional cost)
A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life from St Catherine of Siena
compiled by John McClernon
This deluxe book contains a collection of hundreds of direct quotes and short sayings of St. Catherine of Siena, carefully arranged by the major virtues of the Christian life. The quotes are arranged and classified by the virtues represented in the 15 decades of the Rosary. The Rosary mysteries provide us a mosaic of virtues for the spiritual life, a ladder for advancing in holiness and in the love of God.
Hardcover, size 6.75" x 4.7", 188 pages
Confident that the Church teaches us rightly but knowing as well that each of us must walk closely with God — hearing His voice not only through the Church but in the depths of our own hearts — Newman here shows us how to look to Our Lord and declare:
I need you to teach me day by day, according to each day's opportunities and needs. Teach me . . . to sit at your feet and to hear your word. Give me that true wisdom which seeks your will by prayer and meditation. . . . Give me the discernment to know your voice from the voice of strangers, to rest upon it, and to seek it in the first place.
This was Newman's greatest desire. It awakened in him ceaseless prayer, countless good works, a profound love of the sacraments, and the habit of daily meditation which strengthened his will, deepened his understanding, and enkindled in him an ever greater love of God.
Roses Among Thorns
Simple Advice for Renewing Your Spiritual Journey
by St Francis de Sales
From the thousands of personal letters by St. Francis de Sales comes this short, practical guide that will develop in you the soul-nourishing habits that lead to sanctity.
St. Francis de Sales is widely regarded as one of the greatest spiritual advisors in the history of the Church, and we have drawn from his letters the wisest advice for those prepared to take the next step on their spiritual journey.
As he did for saints and sinners in his own time, St. Francis de Sales will strengthen your resolve, help you gain small victories over unruly passions, and restore in you a trusting confidence in Jesus Christ. Soon you’ll find yourself delivered from the chains of self-love as your soul opens to divine goodness and your heart shaped into a fitting place for Christ to dwell and reign eternally.
If you find it difficult to live amid the clamour of the world with your eyes fixed on Christ alone, let St. Francis de Sales teach you how to live as a true rose among thorns as you learn . . .
- What to do when you stop finding consolation during prayer
- How to place yourself in the presence of God
- How busy people should pray
- Do you fear vice more than you love virtue? A guide to discernment
- How to be patient with your family
- The dangers of too many devotions
- How to know when your feelings are from God or the devil
- What to do about repeated spiritual dryness
- The three things you must do to be at peace
- How to avoid thoughts that give us anxious and restless minds
Absorb the wisdom in these holy pages, and you’ll soon make true progress on your spiritual journey and navigate with confidence the treacherous waters of our secular world.
Paperback, size 7" x 5", 128 pages