Spiritual Life

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

The Glories of Divine Grace is a critical book in anyone's spiritual formation. For; as the subtitle indicates; it is A Fervent Exhortation to All to Preserve and to Grow in Sanctifying Grace. We know that through Baptism we become children of God and heirs of Heaven; that we receive thereby Sanctifying Grace and thus have a share in the life of God Himself. But how many Catholics think little more about the nature of Sanctifying Grace and what it means? Not after this book! Impr. 447 pgs; PB 447pp

Without regular reminders of God and a sure routine of prayer and meditation, your inner life shrivels up, your prayers grow listless, the sacraments become habits, and even the Mass seems routine. Daily meditation is a proven remedy for such dangerous spiritual lethargy, and in our day it's more important than ever before. That's why the wise Dominican priest Bede Jarrett penned for busy Catholics like you the more than 120 meditations collected here \xe2\x80\x94 none longer than 1,000 words \xe2\x80\x94 to ensure that each of your days contains at least one brief, thoughtful encounter with God. Each meditation calls to your attention some truth of revelation to help you keep in mind that God wants you to be a saint and to help you attain that lofty goal, no matter how secular your circumstances may be or how dry your spirits. You don't know how to meditate? No problem. Meditation is simply prayer of the mind and heart, a kind of prayer that Fr. Jarrett teaches you here in a page or two. Once you learn it, you'll find yourself reaping the rich spiritual harvest that regular meditation brings. In fact, within days of taking up these pages, you'll be surprised to find yourself habitually addressing yourself to God \xe2\x80\x94 and not merely during crises, but also in the ordinary course of your day, regularly calling on Him for strength and quietly speaking to Him out of the fullness of your heart. Classic Catholic Meditations will calm your soul, enrich your faith, and help you pray. Why not begin today? 477pp

The Interior Castle
Or The Mansions
by St Teresa of Avila

What does the life of our soul look like?

In The Interior Castle, St. Teresa imagines the soul as a magnificent castle full of spacious and elaborate rooms. And, as St. Teresa describes, at the heart of this castle stands the seat of the King Himself.  

“I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions. If we reflect, sisters, we shall see that the souls of the just man is but a paradise, in which, God tells us, He takes His delight.” (Page 7)

This book provides a remarkable description of the spiritual life of the soul. From the first release of the soul from mortal sin into sanctifying grace, to the mystical marriage of the soul to Christ, Interior Castle describes the spiritual life as a journey through the imagery of a mysterious and beautiful castle. 

Using her image of a castle, Saint Teresa writes about numerous essential aspects of our spiritual journey in this book, including:

• Practical advice to those beginning their spiritual journey, especially regarding the early struggles and temptations to turn back
• Descriptions of the seven mansions and what they mean for the soul
• How and why we should love and serve the Divine Majesty 
• The value of our progress towards God 

Leatherette Deluxe Hardcover, size 8.9" x 5.9", 288 pages, Impr.

The Story of a Soul
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

Confessions of St Augustine
by St Augustine of Hippo

“For you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” — Saint Augustine of Hippo

Of all the autobiographies ever written by mere mortals, Confessions by Saint Augustine of Hippo is the greatest. In this masterpiece, you will find a doctor of the Church longing for the true Doctor of the soul, Christ. Taking us from Augustine’s roots in Africa to his encounters with his spiritual father Saint Ambrose in Milan, from his battle against his concupiscence to his famed conversion, Confessions is itself a veritable pilgrimage to the threshold of the new Jerusalem. Indeed, its end is not biography but a breathtaking meditation on time and memory, on the human soul and the material world, and on the creative and redemptive power of God himself.

In Dr. Anthony Esolen’s new translation, the esteemed translator and author seeks to retain and reveal the figurative by hewing as closely as possible to the literal, both in the significance of individual words and in the manner of the author’s expression. Confessions is a work of literary art, “one of the most stupendous ever wrought,” he says, immensely rich in insights, and intricate in its returning, again and again, to the questions of a soul in search of truth and of answers ready to be found, if we will only seek, and ask, and knock.

Confessions is like no other book you will ever read. According to Dr. Esolen, “The Confessions is one continued and coherent prayer, a profound profession of faith, and a plea for more, ever more wisdom, ever more love. It is artistic in its whole conception, in its parts and their arrangement down to the merest sentence. It is closer to the Gothic cathedrals that would grace Europe eight hundred years later than to anything that you or I might write about ourselves and our lives.”

In Confessions, the reader does more than encounter Augustine, the boy, the promising youth, the sinner, the teacher, the intellectual wanderer, the hesitant catechumen, and the Christian man set free at last. Through this book, the reader enters into his own spiritual journey, as we cry out to the living God in the depths of our hearts, “Let me know you, O Lord, who know me; let me know you even as I am known.”

Also available in a deluxe version

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 392 pages

Lift Up Your Heart
by Bishop Fulton Sheen

"The search for pleasure is a sign of emptiness which the Divine alone can fill." - Bishop Fulton Sheen

In one of his most popular and best-selling books, the beloved Catholic prelate deftly strikes at the very heart and soul of humanity's universal predicament: overcoming roadblocks to genuine spiritual peace and union with God.

Lift Up Your Heart was written to help all those who struggle to ascend beyond the mere human (ego) level and I-level of existence to reach the supernatural or Divine-level. With clarity, logic, and unshakable faith, Sheen provides guidance in solving the problems caused by the tensions and stresses of living in a troubled modern world. 

This treasured classic contains simple, practical advice on identifying and overcoming conflicts associated with empty pleasure, character weakness, self-discipline, false beliefs, and the fear of "letting go."

Above all, the book offers enduring words of wisdom on grace, prayer and meditation, sanctifying the present moment, and making up for the past.

Paperback, 280 pages

The Life of Christ in the Mass
by St. Vincent Ferrer, O.P.

“And I find that the Son of God, descending from heaven and assuming human flesh in the virginal womb of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, up to the day on which He ascended to heaven, did thirty principal deeds, which are comprehended and reprised in the Mass.” —Saint Vincent Ferrer

Saint Vincent Ferrer (1350–1419) was a devout preacher of penance, a precursor of the Last Judgment, filled with zeal. In his twenty-year commission, he brought countless souls into the one true Catholic Faith.

In this brief yet powerful booklet, The Life of Christ in the Mass, St. Vincent Ferrer clearly explains how thirty key events from Jesus’s life are represented in the Mass. This is the perfect meditation for any Catholic who wants to draw near to Our Lord in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Walk with Christ throughout the parts of the Mass with St. Vincent as your guide.

Booklet, size 6" x 3.75", 40 pages

A Treatise on Perfection
Saintly Counsel on Obtaining Salvation
by Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu

“Could there be anyone who does not realize just how perilous it is to give one’s loyalty to this passing and inconstant world—which, sooner or later, casts down all those whom it raises up, and eventually takes away all that it gives?” — Cardinal Richelieu

Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (1585–1642), was a prelate of great sanctity, learning and wisdom, and an ardent devotee of the Mother of God. He lived in a profoundly turbulent era, when all of Europe (including France) was shaken by religious and political unrest. This man of God and servant of the people laboured tirelessly to ensure the flourishing of the Catholic Church and the Kingdom of France, both of which he loved dearly.

Cardinal Richelieu, who was a close friend of Pope Urban VIII and a key proponent of the reforms of the Council of Trent, was also an extremely popular spiritual author in his day. His timeless but long-forgotten masterpiece the Treatise on Perfection, presented here in English for the first time, overflows with wise insights and helpful guidance for nourishing a fruitful and sustainable spiritual life, particularly for those who are trying to balance prayer and devotion with complex and demanding secular responsibilities (as he himself did so successfully.) Cardinal Richelieu believed that the humble and diligent fulfillment of one’s proper and legitimate duties in society is the single most important moral responsibility of the Christian, and also often the most effective form of prayer.

This work also outlines the nine tortures of hell according to Saint Augustine, the joys of heaven, distractions at prayer, twenty spiritual counsels, and much more. Here is a book that will stir your heart to love God above everything by cultivating piety, virtue, and moderation in whatever state of life you are called to. Here is a book that pulls wisdom from some of the greatest saints to help you become a saint.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 120 pages

Abandonment to Divine Providence Deluxe
by Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade

“Let go and let God.” This familiar phrase captures the heart of Abandonment to Divine Providence, Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade’s enduring spiritual classic on trust, surrender, and peace of soul. In a world marked by anxiety, uncertainty, and constant striving, this beloved work offers a clear and liberating path, abandon yourself entirely to God and embrace with confidence the duties of your state in life.

With wisdom, gentleness, and deep spiritual insight, Fr. de Caussade teaches that true holiness is found not in extraordinary experiences, but in faithful surrender to God’s will in the present moment. Whether you are burdened by suffering, tempted by doubt, or simply longing for greater peace, this classic shows how to entrust every trial, duty, and circumstance to divine grace. His message is as simple as it is demanding, sanctity grows through a trusting, childlike acceptance of God’s providence in all things.

This deluxe edition honours the lasting value of this spiritual masterpiece. Bound in a premium leatherette hardcover with gold foil stamping, gilded edges, satin ribbon marker, reinforced sides, and Smyth-sewn binding, this edition is crafted for durability and beauty, making it a worthy addition to any Catholic home library.

• Learn how to surrender your anxieties and trials to God with confidence
• Discover how holiness is found in the duties of your state in life
• Receive practical spiritual guidance for trust, humility, and peace
• Grow in childlike abandonment to divine grace in every circumstance
• Own a beautifully crafted deluxe edition designed for lifelong spiritual reading

Leatherette Deluxe Hardcover, size 8.9" x 5.9", 328 pages

The Hidden Power of Kindness
A Practical Handbook for Souls, Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time
by Fr Lawrence G. Lovasik

Transform yourself — and the world — through kindness!

Kindness counts. If you have trouble acting with the consistent kindness our Lord expects, your relationships with God and those you love may be suffering.

Probably you just can’t find the time — and can’t ever seem to develop the patience — that you need in order to be consistently kind amid the irritations that afflict you daily. That’s why this book is such a godsend.

You’ll learn how to be kinder, even in difficult circumstances.

There’s nothing complicated or magical about learning to be kinder; it just takes greater attention to the things that you do and how you do them. The Hidden Power of Kindness shows you how to become more aware of even your most offhand daily actions. You’ll find simple, step-by-step, and spiritually crucial directions for how to overcome the habitual unkindnesses that creep — undetected — into the behavior of even the most careful souls.

If you want to make progress in the spiritual life, you can’t afford to miss the bracing insights in this handbook for souls who yearn to be kinder. They’ll give you years of solid help in overcoming sin so that you’ll live more fully with others — and truly transform your corner of the world!

You’ll learn:

• Four ways you can become more considerate . . . immediately!
• Sympathy: why it’s your spiritual responsibility to show it to others — and five ways you can start doing so
• Three things to do — and three things you must not do — in order to grow kinder quickly
• Four surprising reasons why it’s spiritually dangerous to criticize others
• Three sure-fire remedies to eliminate sinful anger from your life
• Seven ways you can turn to your own spiritual benefit the wrongs that others do to you
• Six ways you can find and root out the hidden envy that may be choking your spirit right now
• And much more to help you grow kinder — and holier!
• Practical step-by-step instructions for overcoming all forms of unkindness and meanness
• Also includes a 67-question self-examination you can use to monitor your progress in growing kinder and holier!

Paperback, size 9" x 6", 250 pages

The Interior Castle
Or The Mansions
by St Teresa of Avila

What does the life of our soul look like?

In The Interior Castle, St. Teresa imagines the soul as a magnificent castle full of spacious and elaborate rooms. And, as St. Teresa describes, at the heart of this castle stands the seat of the King Himself.  

“I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions. If we reflect, sisters, we shall see that the souls of the just man is but a paradise, in which, God tells us, He takes His delight.” (Page 7)

This book provides a remarkable description of the spiritual life of the soul. From the first release of the soul from mortal sin into sanctifying grace, to the mystical marriage of the soul to Christ, Interior Castle describes the spiritual life as a journey through the imagery of a mysterious and beautiful castle. 

Using her image of a castle, Saint Teresa writes about numerous essential aspects of our spiritual journey in this book, including:

• Practical advice to those beginning their spiritual journey, especially regarding the early struggles and temptations to turn back
• Descriptions of the seven mansions and what they mean for the soul
• How and why we should love and serve the Divine Majesty 
• The value of our progress towards God 

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 254 pages, Impr.

The Four Gospels in One
by Canon Alfred Weber

“His Holiness Pope Pius X desires me to send you His thanks … for having raised an outstanding monument of sacred literature on the foundation of the Holy Gospels.” (Letter of Cardinal Merry del Val to Canon Weber.)

Have you ever wished you could read all four Gospels in one single, unbroken narrative? Canon Alfred Weber allows you to do just that thanks to his outstanding work The Four Gospels in One.

Using the words of the Evangelists themselves and relying on the harmonization of the best Scriptural scholars, Weber weaves the four Gospel texts into one seamless account, allowing us to accompany Our Lord Jesus Christ at every step of His earthly life, from the Incarnation right through to the Ascension.

Illustrated by the beautiful engravings of Gustave Doré, supplemented by copious and informative notes from the Fathers and great Ecclesiastical writers, as well as by maps and plans of Palestine and Jerusalem in the first century, this wonderful book deserves a place in every Catholic home.

Features of this book:

• Douay-Rheims text
• Detailed introduction on the importance of the Gospels in the mind of the Church
• Reader’s layout (no columns or verse numbers)
• Comprehensive notes giving important doctrinal, historical and geographical explanations
• Special sections on Our Lord’s journeys during His Public Life, the layout of the Temple, the city of Jerusalem
• Appendix on the foretold destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
• Maps of Palestine and Galilee, model of the Temple of Herod and plan of the city of Jerusalem
• Synoptic table of the main events of Our Lord’s life and the places and times they occurred
• Table referencing Gospel excerpts for every Sunday and major feast days
• Beautiful illustrations by Gustave Doré

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 490 pages

Growth in Holiness
The Progress of the Spiritual Life
by Fr Frederick W. Faber

Perhaps one of his best books, Growth in Holiness presents Fr. Faber's thoughts on the spiritual journey of the Christian soul as she yearns for God. No slouch in the spiritual life, Fr. Faber experienced intense suffering both physical and emotional as he struggled to be Catholic in anti-Catholic England; his keenest insights are gathered here, including such topics as:

• Ruling Passion,
• Human Respect,
• Right View of Faults,
• Abiding Sorrow for Sin,
• Scruples,
• Spiritual Idleness, and
• True Signs of Progress in the Spiritual Life.

Let Fr. Faber's deep wisdom guide you through growth in holiness—the true goal of each of our lives, far more than our natural welfare!

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 380 pages

Fashionable Sin
A Modern Discussion of an Unpopular Subject
by Fr. Daniel A Lord, S.J.

Father explains that in older days the same sins could be found as we have today, but the sinner would accuse himself of the sin and confess it; now, the same sin is not recognized as such, but is seen as a virtue! The sinner is not happy and receives no comfort from the world; it is left for the merciful, sin-crucified Christ to clasp the penitent sinner to His heart.

Booklet, size 8.5" x 4.8", 28 pages, Impr. 1929

Way to Inner Peace
by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Way to Inner Peace, was first published in 1954, in this book Bishop Sheen describes the path to inner peace. He begins with humility, then goodness, happiness, virtue, learning, wisdom, and faith. Along the way he expounds on the essential truths that guide the path and help bring about the inner peace many of us seek. A useful guide for those seeking change in their life.

Paperback, size 9.25" x 6.15", 100 pages

Uniformity with God's Will
by St Alphonsus de Liguori

Every Catholic wants to achieve the happiness of eternal life with God. But how can we practically live out the will of God in our daily lives? How can we be perfect? How can we become saints?

The way to perfection is simple—unite your will with God’s and put into action the prayer “Thy will be done.”

“A single act of uniformity with the divine will suffices to make a saint.” (Page 6)

St. Alphonsus lays out the steps to conforming our will with God’s in 7 short and easy-to-read sections. He explains how anyone can achieve uniformity with God and why it leads to authentic happiness.

Whether you are looking to have a pocket-sized prayerbook to improve your prayer life while on the go or for a lesson that you can repeatedly return to and gain more each time, this 32-page best-seller is a necessity for every Catholic.

Booklet, size 7" x 4.25", 32 pages, Impr.

The Seven Last Words of Christ
by St Bonaventure and Arnold of Bonneval

From the pulpit of the cross, Christ gave His final and most riveting sermon: His seven last words. In times past, Christ frequently spoke in parables, but no more. No, Christ penned these words with His royal blood like a calligrapher using the most delicate of strokes. Christʼs seven last words are the greatest utterances ever recorded in the history of the world—greater than the words of any esteemed orator, heroic leader, or even saint, because they were the last words of God to mankind. They are the “mystical compendium of the entire Gospel,” the perfection of the Beatitudes. Yes, Christ saved the best for last, just like at the wedding feast of Cana—only this time, it was the blood and water from His side that were offered freely to His own bride, the Church.

In this engrossing work, the seraphic doctor, Saint Bonaventure, and Arnold of Bonneval, a Benedictine abbot, offer some of the most profound insights into the seven last words of Christ. Arnold, a friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, is believed to be the first person to write on the seven last words, inspiring Bonaventure. While the seven last words have been glossed over for centuries by Christians, it is now time to uncover their hidden and powerful meaning—for there is no greater meditation than pondering the Teacher’s last lecture. In Christ’s seven last words, we find the necessary direction to reach the heights of perfection.

Hardcover, size 7.25" x 5.25", 136 pages

Quest for Happiness
Finding the Meaning of Life Within God's Plan
by Venerable Louis of Grenada

What is the meaning of life? What is love? How can I be happy?

These are questions that people today often ask rhetorically, as though there were no answer. Others hunt down answers in self-help books, guides from experts, or television.

The great Dominican, Venerable Louis of Granada, best known for his work The Sinner’s Guide, penned this treatise—The Quest for Happiness—to help us see that we cannot trust in man’s own work to bring about happiness.What is the meaning of life? It is not a rhetorical question, rather, the Church has the answer! To know, love and serve almighty God. This book gives the answer of how to proceed on such a quest out of the unhappiness of the world and toward the happiness of God.

This new edition of Venerable Louis’ work, lightly edited and adjusted for the problems that modern man faces today, is a map to navigate the wasteland of modernity and discover true happiness.

Paperback, size 7" x 5", 96 pages