Meditations

"O my soul, contemplate the surpassing beauty of these citizens of paradise! They shine like a vast constellation of radiant stars, or even like the sun itself, in the splendid city of God."--St. Aloysius Gonzaga In the history of the Church, there are few saints who wrote with such angelic purity and devotion on the subject of angels as Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Much has been written on this Jesuit novice who died at the young age of twenty-three while caring for plague victims, but little has...

First published in 1944 and now a spiritual classic for Catholics across the globe, The Reed of God contains meditations on the humanity of Mary, Mother of God. British Catholic writer and artist Caryll Houselander lovingly explores Mary's intimately human side, depicting Our Lady as a musical instrument who makes divine love known to the world. This refreshed edition is rich and rewarding reading for all Christians who wonder what Mary was really like. While the Second Vatican Council led t...

These meditations and devotions by St. John Henry Newman, spanning poetry from his Anglican period (including his most famous and well-beloved poem, "Pillar of Cloud"/"Lead, Kindly Light"), to reflections on God’s Divine Providence from his later period as a Catholic and founder of the Oratory in England, expresses a profoundly confident but deeply human faith that resonates with the very real experiences of modern Christians from all walks of life. These poems intimately show a personal side...

Venerable Louis of Granada was the favorite author of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John on the Cross, St. Francis de Sales and many others. Among the hundreds of eminent ascetical writers of Spain, Louis of Granada remains unsurpassed in the beauty and purity of his style, the solidity of his doctrine, and the popularity and influence of his writings. Besides ascetical theology, his published works treat of Scripture, dogma, ethics, biography, and history. He is best known, however, for his ascet...

At the beginning of every Mass, the priest-celebrant says, "Let us pray" and then offers a prayer to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit. This Opening Prayer is called the Collect. During Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, this prayer is specific to the day; in the season of Ordinary Time, the Collect for each Sunday is repeated during the following weekday Masses. In Praying with the Church through Advent, Fr. Edward Looney offers a short daily meditation an...

Does your mind often wander when you recite the Holy Rosary? Spiritual master Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo― called “a saint” by Padre Pio― will teach you to deepen your powers of recollection as you reflect upon the sacred mysteries. Here is the Rosary companion that will help you develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by entering into the events of His life through the prism of your own. These brief, compelling reflections― written as conversations between Jesus and the soul― will move you...

A daily offering of one's life to God is an indispensable practice for every serious Catholic. In this book, Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., a longtime spiritual guide on Relevant Radio, presents a 366-day experience of morning offerings for busy laypeople. This rich array of reflections, based on the liturgical calendar and inspired by Ignatian spirituality, will help you develop--or reinvigorate--the habit of beginning each day by sincerely offering it to Christ. For each day of the year, Fr. Kubi...

Thought-provoking words from renowned spiritual writer, Henri J. M. Nouwen, lead readers along a journey of conversion during Lent and Easter week. These periods of penance and celebration, lavish with rituals, help us become more sensitive to our own weaknesses and Christ's victory over sin. Through it all, Father Nouwen comforts and reassures us with reminders that God loves and accepts us even in our human state. Each daily reflection--from Ash Wednesday through the Second Sunday of Easter...

Make Lent and Holy Week even more meaningful with brief daily meditations that will help you focus on Our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection. Scripture readings, personal reflection, a question to ponder or an act to consider, and a short prayer to Saint Joseph are sure to lead you to a deeper relationship with Jesus and his foster father, Joseph.

Reorient your mind and heart this Lent so you can more fully experience the joy of Easter--Christ's victory over sin and death. In this beautiful guided journal for prayer and meditation, Fr. John Burns--author of the bestselling and award-winning book Adore--invites you to strip away your confusion, attachments, and sin so you can return to the Lord and undergo real and lasting conversion. In the liturgy's first reading on Ash Wednesday, the prophet Joel call us to wholehearted conversion: "...

"Take concern to have your heart be more pleasing to our Master day by day." --Padre Pio in a letter to Antonietta Vona, January 2, 1918Padre Pio is many different things to different people. This Italian saint, also known as Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, was an Italian Franciscan Capuchin, Catholic priest, friar, teacher, mystic, and maybe most famously, a stigmatist. In August of 1918, he began to bear the wounds of Christ that would come and go over a period of weeks and to this day cannot be...

This Spiritual Life Series title offers minute meditations for each day of the year. Each daily entry provides a quote on the life and legacy of St. Francis from the writings of either the Saint himself or one of his early brothers or from the Papal Bull Mira Circa Nos of Pope Gregory IX, which proclaimed the canonization of St. Francis; a reflection; and a scriptural prayer.

"Many of us give up on prayer when we don't get the answer we want WHEN we want it." For nearly two decades, Saint Monica prayed for her wayward son. Years and years of prayers, seemingly unanswered. Countless tears shed with no relief. Yet she would not give up. That very act of persistent prayer blessed the entire Church, for we have all benefitted from the conversion of her son, Augustine, who became one of the most revered saints of all time. Parents of any age or at any stage can cultiva...

This book consists of a series of daily meditations written by the eminent Latinist Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1885-1971) who served as the Vatican's chief Latinist for over 40 years. The English edition has been out-of-print since 1965. In it, Cardinal Bacci explores vast areas of Catholic principles on the spiritual life using such sources as: Sacred Scripture, the writings of the Saints with particular emphasis on St. Thomas Aquinas, the Church Fathers, many passages from Thomas a Kempis' "Th...