Spiritual Life
by Fr Raymond J Miller C.SS.P.
This is a summarized account of the five scapulars, usually worn as a unit, and of the promises made to those who wear the scapulars. Red - white - black - blue - brown: these are the five scapulars, five little pieces of wool, each about an inch square, worn by Catholics as an act of devotion to the Mother of God.
Booklet, size 8" x 5.3", 29 pages, Impr 1957.
by Fr Francis X. Weiser, S.J.
If you enjoyed learning about holiday traditions in The Christmas Book, you are sure to love its sequel, The Easter Book. Father Weiser has here applied his winning formula to an explanation of the fasts and feasts of the Lenten and Easter seasons with equally fascinating results.
Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 226 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
In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
by Fr. Ludovic-Marie Barrielle
Since 1533, the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius have been used by millions to deepen their Christian life. This booklet distills the wisdom of the 30-day retreat into 20 principles so you can discern the spiritual influences in your life that are from God from those that are from the devil. Father writes from 40 years of experience as a retreat master.
Booklet, size 8.5" x 5.5", 60 pages
Reflections from the Interior Castle
Edited by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD
This devotional book is made up of her sayings from Teresa's masterpiece The Interior Castle. It is the perfect pocket/purse sized gift book for those who have a devotion to St. Teresa and to Carmelite spirituality in general.
Paperback, 92 pages
edited by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD
A thought for each day of the year from selected writings of St. John of the Cross.
Paperback, 94 pages
Our Daily Struggle with Satan
by Fr Livio Fanzaga
Fr. Livio Fanzaga, the Rome-educated, Vatican-endorsed writer and director of Europe's largest Catholic radio network, warns: Efforts to soft-pedal the reality and continuous threat of the devil have left many Catholics "unarmed and unprepared" to resist him. But the question is: How does Satan tempt and deceive us? And how can we see through and resist him?
In The Deceiver: Our Daily Struggle with Satan, Fr. Fanzaga confidently guides you through everything the Catechism, Sacred Scripture, and the wisdom of the saints tell us about the wiles and antics of the devil. You'll come to understand why evil exists, and you'll explore real-life examples of how the enemy tempts and ensnares us. The Deceiver masterfully unmasks the devil's seductive plan to create a kingdom of his own in your heart, ruled by pride, sensuality, greed, anger, fear, violence, and destruction.
Most importantly, Fr. Fanzaga provides you with the weapons you need to combat the darkness of the enemy and the seven capital vices. "Satan wants to buy you at a cheap price, but Jesus has poured out His blood in order to obtain your soul," reflects the author.
These pages correct many of the most common misconceptions about Satan while shedding important light on the end times. They also reveal:
- The strategy of the evil one in attacking our minds and hearts
- Why sin is so alluring
- How we can help - and harm - others on their way to salvation
- How you can use the light of God to expose evil
- How to be on constant guard against temptation and Satan's traps
- The proper roles of repentance and mortification
- The keys to opening your soul to grace and discernment
Fr. Fanzaga warns us in this stunning book: "In a cultural climate that excludes the supernatural, the devil acts without being noticed. In a context of life in which God and His moral law are denied, Satan moves like a fish in water. Souls without light and deprived of the weapons of the holy battle are doomed."
The Deceiver; will equip you with the weapons you need to defeat Satan while opening your eyes to the miracles of God's healing love as you prepare for eternity.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 288 pages
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
For all the Sundays of the Year
by St Alphonsus Liguori
St. Alphonsus Liguori, the Prince of Moral Theologians, was one of the greatest preachers in Church history. A religious founder, consummate theologian, and holy man of God, Saint Alphonsus never fails to utter a stirring word that draws out a lively penitence and redoubled dedication to the work of God from his audience. The Sermons of Saint Alphonsus Liguori contains sermons tailored to the traditional liturgy of the Roman Church for each Sunday in the year. Here, then, is the complete collection of St. Alphonsus's holy words of admonition.
Resonating throughout these sermons is the profound sense of sin and its awfulness that St. Alphonsus undoubtedly feels and from which he longs to save his flock. He dwells repeatedly on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven, bringing the reader to consider his own eternal destiny. Above all, St. Alphonsus's sermons are permeated by what seems a prolonged meditation on the words of Our Lord: "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?"
And yet, though St. Alphonsus can be a terrible and grave man to hear, it is only from the most unique tenderness and subtlety of his heart that such words can spring. For "out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaketh," and St. Alphonsus's heart is filled to the brim only with genuine desire for innocence and purity of heart in all his spiritual children. It is worth noting he never refused absolution to anyone in his life.
There is no better teacher on moral theology to ever grace the Church than St. Alphonsus Liguori. Let The Sermons of Saint Alphonsus Liguori guide you away from the mortal error of indifference to sin and into the joyful light and beatitude of holy suffering.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 416 pages
by Mother Mary Loyola
This beautiful, newly illustrated hardcover edition of the classic 1911 title by Mother Mary Loyola is the perfect gift for a First Communicant!
This little 4" x 6" pocket gem contains more than just daily prayers: Two different sets of meditations for the Mass are accompanied by illustrations showing what the priest is doing at each stage. Add Mother Loyola's excellent examination of conscience, geared especially for children, devotional stories that foster a loving obedience, and the gorgeous full-color illustrations, and you'll be wishing you had such a book as a child!
Hardcover, size 6.25" x 4.5", 144 pages
The Way of Divine Love
by Sister Josefa Menendez
Sister Josefa Menéndez was born into a devoutly Catholic family in Madrid, Spain on February 4, 1890. Endowed with an aptitude for prayer and drawn to the religious life from childhood, she first had to support her povertystricken family as a dressmaker. In spite of many hardships her desire to completely offer herself to God never wavered. She left Spain in 1920 to enter a French monastery of the Society of the Sacred Heart, where she became a Coadjutrix Sister. In the convent she received numerous private revelations that gave her a distinguished place among visionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She died a holy death on December 29, 1923.
The Way of Divine Love is the definitive record of Sister Menéndez’s life and the heavenly messages that she received. It is one of the most complete chronicles of an individual’s extraordinary mystical experiences in the history of the Church. Despite many trials in her daily life, she recorded everything that she received from heaven as faithfully as possible, including her incredibly detailed visions of the Passion of Christ.
Everything in Josefa’s life is grace giving and profoundly moving. Her writings and her life confirm each other, as evidence that all that took place in her was divine in origin. Even the most extraordinary happenings have an aim and significance. There are no unessential details, no record of revelations that do not bring out in clearer light and force some dogmatic truth, giving us deeper insight into the Heart of Our Lord, His love, the value of souls, the happiness of heaven, the irreparable loss of the damned.
Leather hardcover, size 8.5" x 5.5", 584 pages
Its Place in the Spiritual Life
by Fr Benedict Baur
In this exceptional book, Fr. Baur shows you how to develop a well-formed conscience, properly confess your sins, and develop a firm, practical purpose of amendment. He also shares how to make a meticulous examination of conscience and daily examen, and offers methods for compiling a detailed inventory of your sins. Moreover, Father provides a reflection on the most common sins of omission that lead many to fall into dangerous self-righteous dispositions.
Most importantly of all, Fr. Baur reveals what is really meant by "Christian perfection" and how to attain it in this life. He describes concrete ways to grow in knowledge of self, acquire the strength to uproot sins, and conquer self-love. You’ll deepen your spiritual life measurably as you learn how to:
- Focus on the root causes of sin and surmount sins that you habitually commit
- Overcome thoughts and impulses that are occasions of sin
- Detect when you are becoming lukewarm and promptly revive your love for God
- Grow in reverential love for God and conform your life to His will
- Atone for the temporal punishment due to sin - now, before Purgatory
With clarity and wisdom, Fr. Baur explains why your conscience is holy and must therefore be obeyed. He conveys how frequent Confession increases sanctifying grace in your soul, gives glory to God, and brings healing, joy, and fulfillment. An invaluable resource, this book will enrich your sacramental life and inspire you to greater charity for your neighbor. It will also move you to more frequent and fervent reception of Holy Communion.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5, 256 pages
How to Win Your Spiritual Battles and Attain Inner Peace
by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli
First published in 1589. St. Francis de Sales carried a copy of this book in his pocket for 18 years!
Its wisdom formed his soul; it inspired him to a life of the deepest devotion, and ultimately it helped him become one of the Church's greatest saints. Now this book can do the same thing for you.
It's no longer fashionable to speak of the Christian life as a "battle," but there's actually no better way to describe the tug-of-war for your soul that's raging right now between the forces of light and darkness.
Here, Dom Lorenzo Scupoli helps you take your proper part in this spiritual battle so that you can win - decisively - the war for your soul.
This book has been loved by saints and sinners alike ever since it was written four hundred years ago. Why? Because it offers sensible advice to help you overcome spiritual obstacles and achieve spiritual perfection.
Not only what, but how!
Best of all, Spiritual Combat doesn't just tell you what you ought to be doing in order to live a truly Christian life - it also shows you how to do it.
These directions include:
- Seven reflections to help you be sorry for sinning
- Twelve ways to think about death - they'll help you live better today!
- Prayer: seven ways to achieve its full benefits
- What to do when prayer is dry and burdensome . . . or simply impossible
- With wise spiritual guidance like this and much more, you'll soon be winning all your spiritual battles - battles that most people concede without a fight!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 224 pages
Not As the World Gives
by Fr Francis X. Lasance
This uplifting book by Father Lasance contains many reflections and instructions on peace of heart. Including prayers, poems, and scriptural quotations, this work will encourage you to realize the importance of peace and to practice a quality that is so dear to the Heart of Our Lord.
Original 1938 reprint with improved format and large print.
Flexi leather cover, size 7.4" x 5.3", 109 pages, Impr 1936
The Interior Castle leather hardcover
by St Teresa of Avila
"I began to think of the soul as a castle made of a single diamond […] in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions."
St. Teresa of Jesus, also known as St. Teresa of Avila, is one of the most popular Doctors of the Church. Her teaching on prayer has continued to inspire and guide Christians in their spiritual journeys for over four hundred years.
In The Interior Castle St. Teresa describes the road by which she was led, well aware that the others may be led in a different way. In the heavenly Father’s house, there are many mansions; not only seven, and many paths lead to them. What gives the work such high value is, that it is the result of a most searching inquiry into the various phases whereby a soul is gradually transformed into the likeness of God Himself. Here St. Teresa is at her best. She takes nothing for granted, her own personal experiences are admitted only after having been fully investigated and found to be consistent one with the other, and conformable to the teaching of the Church and the words of Holy Scripture.
Leather Hardcover, size 8.5" x 5.5", 256 pages
This book is an attempt to outline that love story of God and man, which achieves its consummation in the unity of the whole Christ; and to show that the spiritual life is a partnership of love between God and man which can be summed up in one word: Christ.
- Dom Eugene Boylan OCSO
Can married couples become holy? Can anyone who is not a priest or a member of a religious institute reach the heights of mystical union with Christ? In this book, Dom Eugene Boylan, Trappist abbot and spiritual writer, shows how the faithful are invited into this intimate union with Him, regardless of their state in life.
Few works can match the completeness of Dom Eugene’s treatment of God’s loving plan for mankind in This Tremendous Lover. He explains how the doctrines of the Redemption and of the Mystical Body form us in holiness through our membership in His Church. A chapter on the Blessed Virgin Mary outlines her essential role in the spiritual life, while a chapter on Marriage and Holiness explains just how exalted and yet attainable, is the ideal of holiness for married couples.
First published in 1946, This Tremendous Lover sold more than a million copies. Decades after it was written, it remains a sure guide to understanding what the love of God for man truly entails.
by St Francis de Sales
translated by Allan Ross
Written for the layman surrounded by worldliness, this is a masterpiece of mystical and devotional literature, by a great and much loved Doctor of the Church. This book does what many similar books fail to do, teach the reader to grow in holiness, step by simple step.
Since its first publication in 1609 this book has never gone out of print. It has always occupied a privileged position in the Church: no guide ever written provides so complete, so balanced and so practical an approach to the spiritual life.
St. Francis de Sales was a master psychologist, with a special gift for teaching practical morality. His writings are characterized by sublime common sense. Even non-Christians have admired his prose. Above all, he is a spiritual genius, and thus was made a Doctor of the Church. This book is truly medicine for the soul.
Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis De Sales, edited and translated by Allan Ross. This edition has been re-typeset using the text of the 1943 edition originally published by Burns Oates and Washbourne, London, under the imprimatur of Edm. Canon Surmont, Vicar General, Westminster, 20th November 1924.
Leather Hardcover, size 8.3" x 5.5", 332 pages
by Caryll Houselander
First published over half a century ago, The Reed of God is a spiritual classic that deserves to be rediscovered by a whole new generation of readers. Houselander's beautiful and profound mediation depicts the intimately human side of Mary, Mother of God, as an empty reed waiting for God's music to be played through her. She shares her insightful and beautiful vision of Mary on earth, Mary among us, Mary as a confused but trusting teenager whose holiness flowered with her eternal "Yes."
Confronting the static, surreal “Madonna of the Christmas card,” Houselander provides instead an intuitive, warmly human, and approachable image of the Mother of God. Through the central image of a reed that is played for music, Houselander demonstrates how Mary chose to make herself an instrument for the divine plan, giving her inmost being to the proclamation of God’s greatness. In sharing her distinctive vision of Mary, Houselander offers the Mother of God as a model for all people seeking to be instruments of the Divine.
The essays and poems in The Reed of God also reflect on the mysteries of Mary’s life and her impact on salvation history. In the book’s four parts, Houselander explores key events of Mary’s life, including her fiat, finding Jesus in the Temple, and the Assumption, as well as the themes of fruitful emptiness and the eternal search for union with God.
Paperback, size 7" x 5", 187 pages