This book is the fruit of Fr. Dubay's many years of study and experience in spiritual direction and in it he synthesizes the teachings on prayer of the two great doctors of the Church on prayer--St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila--and the teaching of Sacred Scripture. But the teaching that Fr. Dubay synthesized is not collected from Teresa and John for contemplatives alone. It is meant for every Christian and is based on the Gospel imperative of personal prayer and the call to holiness. All the major elements of these great teachers are ordered, commented on and put in the context of their scriptural foundations. Here is an outstanding book on prayer and the spiritual life written by one of the best spiritual directors and retreat masters of our time, and based on the writings of the Church's two greatest mystical doctors.
"This book is a gold mine for any Christian intent on making progress in prayer. Any reader who appreciates the relevance of the spiritual in these troubled times will find Fire Within difficult to put down. A work of art by a master of the spiritual life." - Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.
366 Pages; paperback. Quantity
The words of Jesus of Nazareth continue to amaze, confound and inspire listeners as they did two thousand years ago. They resonate down the centuries, poetic in their simplicity, challenging in their meaning, uncompromising in their authority. Whether Jesus was describing the kingdom of Heaven, stripping away worn-out conventions or defining love and forgiveness, he chose direct, down-to-earth language for the new age he heralded, clothing his stories in imagery from the everyday world.
Here, retold in the words of the Revised Standard Version Bible, are some of the most memorable sayings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels of his disciples Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They range from frank, compassionate advice to devastating reprimands; from new interpretations of ancient law to chilling prophecies; from the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Vineyard to the two great prose poems from his Sermon on the Mount ? the Lord?s Prayer and the Beatitudes. Illuminating Jesus? words are over 40 paintings by celebrated artists such as Raphael, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Poussin and Millet. In this beautiful hardcover keepsake with a silk ribbon marker, the words and paintings combine to create a treasury that will appeal not only to Christian but to everyone searching for spiritual truth. Hardcover 77 pages, Ignatius Press, Spring 2002. Quantity
Fr. Thomas Dubay, a renowned teacher and writer on prayer and the spiritual life, presents a simple, profound and practical book on the most important of all human activities, communion with God.
Prayer Primer is written for intelligent adults (and teenagers) who want God and a serious prayer life, but it does not presuppose that they need or have a theological background. It does take up many questions rarely answered adequately in the classroom or from the pulpit, often not mentioned at all: Why pray? (be ready for some surprises) ? Why vocal prayer is important and yet should be limited ? What contemplation is and is not ? Praying with Scripture ? Family prayer - even how to introduce children to group meditation ? Prayer in a busy life ? Pitfalls and problems - together with solutions ? Buddhism? New Age? Centering prayer? ? What should you do when dry and empty and not at all inclined to pray? How do you even get started? ? Where and how to begin? ? Assessing progress ? Growing in depth. All of these subjects, and more, are clearly and concisely explained for citizens of this 21st century. Quantity
Carmelite history and prayer begin with Elijah on Mount Carmel. From Elijah has descended a long line of saints who have heard the voice of the Lord calling them to leave everything and come "drink from the stream". This book is an invitation for you to come and pray with the holy men and women of the Carmelite order.
The prayers and meditations in this book will help the reader listen to and pray with the saints of Carmel throughout the ages, from Elijah through the twentieth century. In these prayers are stories of particular times, places, longings, sometimes suffering, at other times ecstatic joy. These prayers allow one to enter into the most intimate depths of the souls of Carmelite saints. How better to learn than from the masters themselves.
This book is made up of the prayers and meditations of more than twenty-five saints, along with a short biography of each saint, and numerous illustrations. In addition to helping one with prayer and meditation, it also provides prayer for specific topics. Whether one is a beginner or highly advanced in prayer, there is a prayer suitable for nearly every occasion. These magnificent prayers echo from prison cells, hospital beds, battlefields, and even treetops. It gives special emphasis to the prayers and meditations of the three great Carmelite mystics: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Thérèse of Lisieux. But the other twenty-two saints include a wonderful variety, with Elizabeth of the Trinity, Simon Stock, Titus Brandsma, Edith Stein, and many more. Illustrated, 364 pages. Ignatius Press Fall 2002 Quantity
The core of the teaching is developed in carefully-selected excerpts from John's own writings. The special gift of Ascent to Joy is that these excerpts are presented in a systematic order, so that the text can function both as a primer of John's teaching and as a profound introduction to the contemplative way.
Fr. Marc Foley is a Carmelite priest currently living in Chicago. Paperback. New City Press Fall 2002
The human need for friendship is raised to the supernatural level in Robert Hugh Benson's timeless illustration of the greatest friendship anyone could ever possess. In The Friendship of Christ, first published in 1912, the Catholic convert son of an Archbishop of Canterbury shows how anyone can achieve a deeper relationship with God the Son. The book shows how Christ works in the soul of those who seek him, in his public life, and in the historical examples given in the Gospels. "There is one supreme friendship to which all human friendship points," writes Benson, "one ideal friend in whom we find, perfect and complete, that for which we look in the faces of our human lovers. Scepter publishers, Paperback, 156 pages. A best seller in our store! Quantity
The popular spiritual writer Fr. Rawley Myers presents daily readings on the spiritual life according to the saints. Combining both the thoughts and writings of the saints along with interesting biographical facts and events in the saints lives, Father Myers allows the saints to instruct us on how to be like Christ. As Christ's closest friends, the saints knew Him best. They have the wisdom of Heaven, and are our tried and true guides to Heaven, for the saints take us to the feet of Christ. The saints in this book not only inform us about Christ, but they introduce us to Christ, whom they loved so much. To know Jesus is the heart of our faith. No one knew Him better than the saints.
And they’re all your teachers in this unique book. Father Nichols shows how each of eight great modern masters embodied a certain aspect of living a good spiritual life in our world. Then he synthesizes their contributions to help us find the spirituality that may be missing from our lives.
Maybe you can’t have them over for dinner. But you can still learn from the masters. Paper, 176 pages. Our Sunday Visitor Spring 2003 Quantity
Robinson has retained Scupoli’s appeal to the Catholic reader through a conversational style, short chapters, familiar examples from everyday life, and the pastoral bent which has marked his own outstanding career. Covering the basic difficulties of daily prayer and of obstacles to living the virtues, Scupoli and Robinson test the mettle of real Catholics by calling us to live an interior life for and with God. Softcover, 305 pages, Ignatius Press Spring 2003 Quantity
Always reticent about speaking of himself, Cardinal Van Thuan slowly began to realize that his prison experience of suffering and hope could help others in their journey of faith. The reflections he prepared for the 1997 World Youth Day in Paris became the framework for Five Loaves & Two Fish; the content is his personal Magnificat for the wonders God had worked in and through the small offering of his life--like the fish and loaves in the Gospel, which fed thousands. Paperback, 96 pages. Pauline Book & Media Winter 2004
Rev. Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. shows how God's Providence works in the Gospel, and he explains how Providence relates to prayer, to the duty of the present moment, to faithfulness in little things, to charity toward our neighbor, to the grace of a happy death, etc. TAN Books & Publishers.
Our times cry out for saints! But how can we grow holy? In these pages, the wise Jesuit priest Raoul Plus teaches us two ways to do so.
First, he explains how we must come to see ourselves as nothing, so we can practice a life of generosity — a life in which all we have and all we do is for God . . . without reservation.
Then he shows how, through recollection and complete devotion to prayer, we can achieve intimate union with God, even in the midst of troubles and distractions.
Does it take strong souls to attain such holy ends?
Certainly. But if you were not strong — and called by God already — you never would have begun reading these lines about a book that promises to teach you how to make “progress in divine union.” Clearly, union with God is something you desire. For souls like you these pages were written. 144 pages paperback Sophia Institute Press, Fall 2004.
One of Adrienne von Speyr's most cherished concerns was to rekindle Christians' desire for contemplation and thus to renew the Church's prayer. Light and Images is one of the most important of her works on the subject. She sets forth the deepest theological foundations of contemplative prayer according to the reciprocal relationship between "light" and "images".
Like the simple images that open up infinite depths to the eye of faith, this little book contains an overwhelming wealth of insight into contemplation. One comes away from it with a vastly transformed understanding of the nature of prayer and an appreciation for its irreplaceable role in Christian life. With its disarmingly simple language, Light and Images is immediately accessible; and yet the new perspectives it offers on prayer surprise and challenge at every turn. The book is therefore both an incomparable introduction for those who wish to learn what it means to pray, and excellent spiritual reading for those seeking to draw more deeply from the Church's great treasury of prayer. 156 pages Paperback Ignatius Press Spring 2005. Quantity
Just as the title indicates, this famous booklet of St. Alphonsus Liguori teaches us how to speak personally and with confidence in prayer to God, who, the Saint says, will not “speak” to us unless we first speak to Him. Covers every aspect of our personal relationship with God. St. Paul says of Our Lord, “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” ( Ephesians 3:12). Thus, we can approach God as His friends, with confidence and boldness—yes, we spiritual pygmies are to approach with boldness the Almighty and Infinite God! But that is how God wants us to be—familiar, confident, bold and constant! TAN Books & Publishers Spring 2005.
Holiness can change your life.
This intensely readable, profoundly reflective book is for individuals, parish groups, clergy—anyone who is drawn to seek and understand holiness. First published in 1981, incorporating the spirituality of many religions and cultures, Donald Nicholl’s modern classic is now available in this stunningly beautiful new edition.
“Donald Nicholl’s Holiness is for everyone: those inside our churches, and those outside, beginners and proficients alike. This profound work of disarming simplicity introduces us to what’s deep inside the wells of our ancient spiritual traditions, and to what’s deep inside our own hearts. Certain spiritual secrets are worth knowing. Holiness will surprise you with some you thought you knew—but didn’t.” — RONALD ROLHEISER, FROM THE FOREWORD Paperback, 272 pages, Pauline Books & Media Spring 2005.
"Experiencing visible results from the earth is immensely gratifying in the fragmentation of today's world…. This retreat, Your Spiritual Garden: Tending to the Presence of God, is designed to allow you, the retreatant, to discover the life-giving work that can go into daily living for six months or six years when you grow into a deeper relationship with the Master Gardener, God."—from the Introduction
The Old and New Testaments are rich with garden imagery—it is present in creation, the passion, the resurrection and many parts in between. In our daily lives gardens offer us beauty and respite in the hectic and chaotic world around us. Pegge Bernecker's Your Spiritual Garden: Tending to the Presence of God is a six-week retreat designed to release the inner gardener in all of us. Using Scripture, prayers, meditation, physical and communal activity, as well as participation in the Eucharist, Bernecker teaches us to tend our spiritual garden and ultimately cultivate our relationship with our "Master Gardener." Spring 2006 Quantity
by Fr. Jean C. J. d’Elbée, 304 pp. paperback
This spiritual classic has long been beloved by Catholics for its wondrous distillation of the teaching of St. Thérèse of Lisieux into a reader-friendly set of meditations. It’s perfect as a personal retreat when you have only a few moments to spare each day — and for spiritual reading anytime and anywhere. Fr. Jean C. J. d’Elbée, a French priest deeply imbued with St. Thérèse’s spirit, brings you St. Thérèse’s teachings on God’s love and the confidence in Him that it should inspire in your soul; humility, peace, and fraternal charity; the apostolate; the Cross; and what it means truly to abandon yourself to Divine Providence. Quantity
If you could ask Fr. Groeschel one question, what would it be?
*Should we have an established routine of daily prayer? *How can we judge whether we are growing in the spiritual life? *Are there danger signs to indicate we are moving in the wrong direction? *What is the dark night of the soul? *Can we be spiritual without being religious, without going to church? *How has psychology influenced the modern view of the spiritual life?
Discover the path God has intended for you with the guidance and support of Fr. Groeschel himself. Our Sunday Visitor 2007, 128 pages, Paperback.