Spiritual Life
by Vicki Burbach
The Lost Art of Sacrifice leaves behind the soft sentimentalism that many today wrongly associate with Christianity, calling readers to remember – and to embrace – Christ’s unambiguous challenge in Matthew 16: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
In these powerful pages, author Vicki Burbach contrasts – as Jesus did – our selfish worldly culture with the way Christians are called to live, illuminating the essential role that sacrifice must play in every worthy human life. Not content with explaining the importance of sacrifice and singing its praises, Burbach ends each chapter with practical, down-to-earth suggestions to help readers cultivate the art of sacrifice in their lives, so that each may find a way to follow Christ as He commands us.
Best of all, she shows that not only is it critical that we each undertake ever more sacrifices, large and small, as we go about our daily lives but that doing so is the path to joy: great joy today and immeasurably greater joy hereafter.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 320 pages
by Fr. Karl Stehlin
One side of the attack finds its origin in Protestantism, in which women are sub-par creatures, not helpmates but slaves to men, never to develop the immense talents given by God. On the other side, far more common in our age, women are to remake themselves entirely into the strict imitation of men, breaking down all of the distinctions and differences which are the glory of woman. But what is the solution? Are we stuck in one or the other?
Find the soluntion in this excellent work The Nature, Dignity, and Mission of Woman is a resounding cry by Fr. Karl Stehlin against both of these errors. Fr. Stehlin, a priest with over 25 years of pastoral experience, takes up his pen to examine, explain, and defend real femininity. This book, the fruit of a series of talks given to young ladies at a Catholic boarding school, will help all Catholics, but especially the young, rediscover the immense dignity of being a woman, as lived out in accord with the plan of God's creation.
Topics covered include:
- The Human Being as the Image of God
- Union of Opposites
- The Essential Vocation of Woman: Virgo, Sponsa, Mater, Icona Immaculata
- Woman as Home-Maker
- Woman's Mission in Serving, Suffering, and Hoping
- Today's Problems
- Preserving Her Beauty
- Finding Her Vocation
- The Specific Choice of a Husband
- Much more!
This book is perfect for any woman or young lady who wishes to understand her important role as a Catholic woman created in the image of God and given a beautiful nature, dignity, and mission!
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 106 pages
by J.E. Moffatt, S.J.
Now, at last, 135 of the most popular and most inspiring meditations have been selected from Fr. Moffatt's classic Minute Meditations Series and combined into one complete volume. Each meditation presents a practical application of spirituality for those who seek to acquire the art of prayerful reflection.
This is a book that will be welcomed not only by a new generation of Catholics, but also will be re-welcomed by old friends of the Series. Here, indeed, is a practical step-by-step program for spiritual progress.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 146 pages
Or Jealousy in Womas's Life
by Monseigneur Landriot, Archbishop of Rheims
This book consists of fifteen discourses (four on Sins of the Tongue, three on Envy and Jealousy, two on Rash Judgments, two on Christian Patience, and four on Grace) that were originally talks given to laywomen of his diocese in the late 19th century.
At the beginning the good Archbishop says, "I propose, my children, to give you some instructions on the tongue, and the faults which it causes us to commit. I shall commence today by speaking of the power and beauty of that organ, of the noble use which ought to be made of it, and of the many advantages we may derive from it."
There is precious little teaching on the topics covered in these instructions which is accessible to the average man and woman of today.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 262 pages
by Fr John Nicholas Grou, S.J.
This timely monograph, composed by Jesuit Father Nicholas Grou, contains precious gems of holy wisdom. They are the fruit of a pastor of souls well acquainted with the latter-day stratagems of an experienced adversary determined to get the focus of persecuted and battle-weary Catholics off the straight and narrow course leading to Boromirpersonal sanctity.
The Gift of Self to God, which is the heart of the composition, is an extremely provoking and healing meditation dealing with the necessity and salutary advantage of giving our all to God. It is a perfect compliment to the spirit of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary.
Not as well known as he should be, the work of this great doctor of the interior life is reprinted here, together with two of his other essays, all of which confirm the virtue of filial trust in God.
Booklet, size 8.5" x 5.5", 44 pages
by Rev. Edward Leen, C.S.Sp.
This book aims at furnishing a theory of life which makes life worth living. It starts with a fact. The fact is Christ’s historical message to mankind. Dr. Leen analyses the implications of that message, tracing in a few fine strokes the features of Our Lord’s philosophy of life. That this philosophy is connected with holiness is sufficiently realised, but not all men actively desire happiness. And the essential connection between His philosophy and happiness is scarcely as much as suspected. Yet it contains a promise of true happiness and the conditions on which that happiness can be gained.
The author explores the reason why human happiness should be dependent on these conditions, in appearance so harsh. Discovering the cause in the complication that man, by his disobedience, brought into God’s plan for his happiness, it goes to show how the Son of God, taking flesh undertook to rectify the disorder. The life of God on earth is analyzed as tracing a pattern which man must follow if he is to achieve happiness in the actual order of things. This book closes with the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus. That sacrifice won for men incorporation with the Redeemer and furnished them with the means to lead the life that vies happiness here and hereafter. Jesus, by theory and example, showed them how to apply these means practically to the ordering of their individual lives. Those who follow the Saviour’s philosophy of existence learn by experience that it satisfies not merely adequately but abundantly the fundamental aspirations of the human heart.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 368 pages, Impr 1938
by St. Francis de Sales
These sayings from St. Francis de Sales have been gleaned from his collected letters, homilies, conferences and publications. While almost always taken from within a larger context, these quotes provide convenient distillations of his rich insights on the love of God, self, others and the created order.
The foundation for all of DeSales' writings is the imitation of what Jesus called the "greatest commandment:" to grow in the love of God and neighbor. This love is strengthened through the celebration of sacraments, the practice of prayer, and a union of our will with God's will in even the most ordinary aspects of life. Love of God must deepen our love of neighbor, best expressed in the practice of gentleness; love of neighbor must deepen our love for God, best expressed in the practice of humility.
Booklet, size 8.5" x 5.5", 26 pages
by Rev. Jos. Aloysius Kreb, C.SS.R.
From the Preface:
Manuals for the sick, containing instructions on the best way of tending and assisting the sick and dying, and of helping them to sanctify sickness and death in a truly Christian manner, are certainly not wanting. But I know of no book expressly destined for sick-nurses, and in particular for religious who devote themselves to the care of the sick. And yet it is of great importance that they should clearly discern what a sublime and blessed, but at the same time difficult, task they have to fulfill, and how they should accomplish it. With this view the present work has been undertaken. It deals in detail with the care of the sick as a vocation, and gives instructions on the best way to render spiritual assistance to the sick and dying. The books treats only of the spiritual care of the sick and in the sense of the Catholic Church; the care of the body is not included, because it is supposed that the sick-nurses already possess all necessary knowledge of this.
Originally published in 1898 by Benziger Brothers.
Paperback, size 7.75" x 5.3", 305 pages
by Archbishop Alban Goodier
Archbishop Goodier published these 50 Meditations in 1925. In his author's preface he wrote, "These notes were written a long time ago in Lent, 1909. At the time a certain religious, now dead, used often to speak with me about prayer, and about the labor she had experienced in prayer. I used to notice how easily she would fly along a line of contemplation if the tiniest suggestion were made to her, and several times I ventured to make such suggestions in the shape of points for meditation. The points here collected were written for this purpose. They were written for two only; but others who have seen them have found them useful and have asked that they may be printed. If they are a help to any in prayer, I can only be grateful to our Lord."
The publisher hopes that the modern reader will find in this little volume as much useful material for initiating meditation as did the original readers.
Booklet, size 8.5" x 5.5", 58 pages
The Gospel of Peace
by Fr John J. Hugo
Fr. John Hugo (1911 1985) was a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburg who spent much of his life giving retreats based upon those that he had participated in while still a young priest in the 1930s. Those retreats were given by Fr. Onesimus Lacouture S. J. and Fr. Hugo was one of over 6000 priests to whom the retreat was given over a course of several years. The Retreat, as it was affectionately called by its devoteés was an electrifying and life-changing experience for many of them. It was nothing more nor less than the Spiritual Excercises of Saint Ignatius. But these retreats given by Fr. Lacouture were, as the saying goes the real deal. They were given as St. Ignatius intended, for the proper length of time and according to the true Ignatian spirit. They got to the real roots of Christian living. They were, in short, radical.
Fr. Hugo became a disciple of Fr. Lacouture in the sense that he experienced the fruits and saw the necessity of the retreat for Catholic Americans. He determined to continue that work as part of his priestly vocation. Fr. Hugo became the spiritual advisor of Dorothy Day (and the Catholic Worker Movement) who took the retreat more than twenty times during her life. This book, The Gospel of Peace, is one fruit of that work, and it was very controversial at the time of its publication in 1943. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is always controversial because it is out of step with the world.
Fr. Hugo's other works include Applied Christianity and A Sign of Contradiction.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 176 pages
The Christian Life in the Works of
Dom Prosper Gueranger
Abbess Cecile Bruyere
Dom Paul Delatte
selected and edited by Sr Mary David Totan, O.S.B.
The French Abbey of Solesmes was one of the centers of monastic life and culture, famed for its Gregorian chant and its contributions to liturgical renewal. Here is a generous sampling of the writings of its three most important figures on major aspects of spirituality.
This book contains a selection from the writings, sermons and personal correspondence of Dom Gueranger, his successor, Dom Paul Delatte, and Abbess Cecile Bruyere who founded the Abbey of St. Cecelia near the monastery at Solesmes. Most of the writings appear in English for the first time.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 266 pages
The Collected Letters of St. Teresa of Avila, Volume 1
by St Teresa of Avila
Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD
This book contains Letters from 1546 to 1577.
Includes Introductions, Endnotes, Biographical Sketches and Index.
St. Teresa of Avila wrote candidly the story of both her life and her work as foundress in two books: the Life and the Foundations. Despite her openness in them, she wrote with the knowledge they would be read by her censors. Her letters, then, exhibit even more striking candor, offering many details that were not meant for the public. In these letters we walk with Teresa year by year, day by day -- even hour by hour sometimes. Her worries, her troubles and triumphs, her expressions of sadness and joy pervade these pages. Without question we have before us a rich collection, showing a heart magnanimously open to others, communicating with them on many levels, pouring itself out to family members and religious, to friends, theologians, advisors, and to the nobility and business people.
Difficult as writing a book was for Teresa, she preferred it to letter-writing, a drudgery that cost her more than all the pitiful roads and sorry weather experienced on her journey through Spain. What proved painful for her has proved a treasure for us, a collection of letters that scholars consider unparalleled in Spanish literature.
Letters in the years of 1578-1582 are in the second volume.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 702 pages
by St Teresa of Avila
This second and final volume of St. Teresa's correspondence begins with the year 1578, a most troubling time for Teresa. A keen observer of the reality around her as well as within, Teresa in these letters focuses light on many of the struggles in both the Carmelite order and the church of sixteenth-century Spain. She introduces us to major personalities who have left their mark on history.
Through her letters historians gain a better knowledge of the chronology of events in Teresa's life and how she related to the diverse people she had dealings with. A number of everyday particulars that compilers and editors of those times considered unimportant are today prized. Her worries, her troubles and triumphs, her expressions of sadness and joy, are all present here. With a compelling spontaneity, these letters disclose a Teresa in a complex variety of circumstances. The extraordinary gifts of grace bestowed by God on this Spanish Madre fortified her for a demanding ministry of service which entailed heavy responsibilities and that drew her contemplative soul into a whirl of activities. Because of the limited means of travel and communication in the sixteenth century, the organization of a reform like hers, with its unavoidable business matters, had to be dealt with chiefly through correspondence, a chafing duty that became one of Teresa's greatest trials. She often repeated that letter-writing was her biggest burden, a wearisome task that cost her more than all the miserable roads and bad weather experienced on her journeys through Spain.
With its endnotes, biographical sketches, and above all, fresh translation, this second volume, like the first volume of Teresa's Collected Letters opens again another door into the fascinating world of this saint, one of the greatest women history has known.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 661 pages
The Maxims of St Philip Neri
by Fr Faber
St Philip Neri (1515-1595) is known as the Apostle of Rome and the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory. This translation of his maxims and sayings is the work of Fr Faber, first published in 1847. His Maxims emphasise the constant teaching of the masters of the spiritual life, going back to the Desert Fathers (themselves always the favourite reading of St Philip). Full of good sense, they present us with an essential spirituality, presented as easily accessible reflections for each month of the year.
Paperback, size 7.5" x 4.25", 80 Pages
by St Thomas More
Awaiting execution in 1535 for refusing to betray his faith, Thomas More opens the door on his own interior life by creating a fictional dialogue. It takes place in 16th century Hungary between a young man, Vincent, and his dying but wise old unle, Anthony.
Vincent is paralyzed by fear of an impending Turkish invasion which could force hime to betray his faith or die a martyr. As he pours out his fears, Anthony responds as only the calm and clear-headed St Thomas More could do: on the comfort of God in difficulties, the benefits of suffering, atonement for evil acts, faintheartedness and the temptations to suicide, and scrupulosity.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 318 pages
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
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 Fr Charles Arminjon
It's one of those books that come out of nowhere - almost literally - just when the world needs it most.
Is it all correct - what it reveals about the future, both for the world and the soul? From the vantage point of earth, who can say? It is written by a human.
But a great saint - Thérèse of Lisieux - was so taken by this book that it spurred her entry into the convent. "Reading this book was one of the greatest graces of my life," she says in her autobiography. "The impression I received from it is too sweet to express. All the great truths of religion and the mysteries of eternity plunged into my soul a happiness not of this earth."
Completed in 1881 by an aged French priest, this remarkable book surfaced long enough to draw Thérèse into the convent and then, for more than a century, plunged back into obscurity.
Now we offer you the very first English translation of this hope-filled, chilling work.
In it, Fr. Arminjon gets right to the point: "The end of the world, Christ says, will come when the human race, sunk in the depths of indifference, is far from thinking about punishment and justice. It will be as in the days of Noah, when men lived without a care, built luxurious homes, and mocked Noah as he built his ark."
"Civilization will be at its zenith, markets overflowing with money, and stocks will never have been higher. Mankind, wallowing in unprecedented material prosperity, will have ceased to hope for heaven. Crudely attached to pleasures, man will say 'My soul, you have goods to last for many years. Eat, drink and be merry.' "
Doesn't that sound eerily like America just a year or so ago?
Fr. Arminjon insists that we "steer clear of every perilous opinion and make no assertion that is not justified by Tradition and the doctrine of the Fathers." Yet it's precisely his sober reliance on Scripture and Tradition that makes this book so convincing . . . and so chilling!
But Fr. Arminjon doesn't merely sketch the darkness ahead; he also shows how Jesus will fill that darkness with light; and he details the rich bounty Christ has in store for all who stay faithful.
That's what caught Thérèse up in such fervent love of God, nourished her impatience for Heaven, and confirmed her decision to choose a life wholly consecrated to Divine Love.
The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life: let it show you how to read the signs of the times and prepare you to bear yourself as a Christian (as it did Thérèse) . . . no matter what the future holds!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 310 pages
A guide for those who follow the single vocation in the World
by Fr Dominic J Unger, O.F.M., Cap
Few realize that a person can pursue a truly supernatural vocation by consecrating himself or herself to perpetual celibacy while yet living in the world. Here Fr. Unger describes the main guidelines for such a religious vocation, showing the nature and the manner of dedicating oneself to it. The author gives the history in the Church of consecrated celibate living, plus some basic helps in safeguarding purity in such a life. Based on the Pope Pius XII encyclical On Holy Virginity, this book shows that the consecrated life in the world is just one more example of the rich Tradition of the Church in providing for the needs of all her children.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 200 pages
by Fr. Nicholas A. Norman
Tells better and in less space the principal reasons and motives for consecrating ourselves to Mary, using St. Louis De Montfort's True Devotion to Mary method. Also, summarizes the Fatima message, relating it to True Devotion. Beautiful!
Paperback, size 6" x 3.75", 68 pages