Spirituality

"It's not how you start that matters, but how you finish"

Nowhere is this more true than in our Christian faith. The ultimate goal of reaching Heaven should be the driving force in our lives. But yet, how many times do we get stuck in the minutia of daily life? How many times do we give into self-pity or a feeling of unworthiness? How many times do we simply feel like we are spinning our wheels, perhaps not going backwards, but definitely not moving forward?

Momentum makes all the difference.

By building momentum, it doesn't matter if you stumble. It doesn't matter if you fall. By building momentum, it you see the process instead of the promises. You make the important connections instead of being sidetracked by life's random events.

Here is the practical guide for developing a momentum mindset that connects your faith with real life in a way that supports, motivates, encourages and enhances your efforts along the way.

30 Days with Teresa of Avila is the third book of Dan Burke's Navigating series that brings the wisdom of the saints into your hands. These unedited letters of Teresa of Avila to her friends offer a rare window from which to gaze upon the Saint's genuine witness and pragmatic advice on pursuing an intimate friendship with God. Dan Burke and Anthony Lilles provide rich reflections to encourage a deeper and more prayerful reading of these fascinating letters to those who want to sit at the feet of this great doctor of the interior life. About the series: Dan Burke's Navigating series brings the wisdom of the saints into your hands. This series is a goldmine for Catholics to deepen your relationship with God and to grow into a deeper union with Jesus Christ. Endorsements: One of the best people to spend 30 days with is Teresa of Avila. Thanks to Dan Burke for making this possible in this valuable book for spiritual reading. -Ralph Martin, Author of The Fulfillment of All Desire Dan Burke's devotional book, 30 Days with Teresa of Avila, is a most timely resource as the Church celebrates the 500th anniversary of her birth. The selections chosen from the Saint's extensive correspondence provide spiritual and practical insight in order to love God at a deeper level, which results in a burning desire to truly love others. As Pope Francis has noted, what St. Teresa has to say through her writings has "perennial relevance" for us today, and 30 Days will help unpack previously unfamiliar writings that provide an abundant feast to nourish hungry souls. -Michael D. Wick, Executive Director for the Institute on Religious Life The Church recognizes St. Teresa as a doctor of the Church, which means that all Christians should learn from her. Thanks to Dan Burke for making such learning simple, practical, and pleasurable. Every page of this book provides profound spiritual direction. -Mike Aquilina, Author of Faith of Our Fathers and EWTN host

The declaration that a saint is a Doctor of the Universal Church implies the recognition of a charism of wisdom bestowed by the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church . . .
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

The 35 Doctors of the Church presents the most comprehensive and fasci-nating collection available anywhere on the lives and labors of the saints who have been declared the Church s Doctors.
From St. Athanasius (c. 297 373) to St. Therese of Lisieux (1873 1897), you ll find the amazing stories of 35 extraordinary men and women
who are honored both for their holiness and for the eminence of their teachings about the Faith.

Their work and witness are truly timeless; their lives and wisdom show us how to be holy in our own lives, how to confront the challenges of today,
and how to proclaim the Gospel to a modern world hungering for Jesus Christ.

Originally published as The 33 Doctors of the Church by Father Christopher Rengers, O.F.M. Cap., The 35 Doctors of the Church has been updated by Dr. Matthew E. Bunson, K.H.S.,
to include two new chapters about recently pro-claimed Doctors, St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen.The revised edition also includes a new Introduction
with a detailed explanation of how the Church proclaims Doctors and their meaning for today.
"

Continuing the tradition of 5 Minutes with Christ and 5 Minutes with the Saints, this uplifting book of meditations by members of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame draws on inspiration from the Psalms, Proverbs, and the books of Wisdom in the Bible. These timeless insights of scripture can provide inspiration and encouragement for all of those on the front lines of Catholic education.

Written by teachers for teachers, this book is a valuable resource not only for teachers, but also for pastors, principals, administrators, and school board members as they seek to motivate others and to reflect on their own role in education. More than seventy meditations will help you get back in touch with Jesus, the source of all wisdom who gives meaning and coherence to your life as a teacher.

With contributions from teachers who work in a variety of subject areas at all levels of elementary and high school, 5 Minutes with the Psalmsand the Wisdom Books will be a welcome reminder of the dignity of the teaching vocation and a gentle source of encouragement for educators struggling to meet the needs of their students each day.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized the great 20th century visionary of Divine Mercy, Sister Faustina Kowalska, and proclaimed the Sunday after Easter to be celebrated annually as Divine Mercy Sunday. In 2006, Pope Benedict stressed that "Divine Mercy is not a secondary devotion, but an integral dimension of Christian faith and prayer." Now Pope Francis has proclaimed an extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, which will begin on December 8, 2015. These three Popes have made it very clear that Divine Mercy is a major part of the Christian faith, and now this powerful new book reveals why.

Best-selling author Vinny Flynn continues his popular "7 Secrets" series with a book that brings him back to his roots. Vinny was one of the original editors of the official English edition of the actual Diary of St. Faustina, and he has written and edited a vast number of the Divine Mercy materials that are used today.

Through his "secrets" of Divine Mercy, Vinny shows how Divine Mercy is not just another worthy "private devotion"; it is the key devotion, the umbrella devotion over everything else. Every other devotion in the Church, every ritual, every activity, every teaching is under that umbrella of Divine Mercy. It's all there to help us understand and enter into Divine Mercy. He shows us how everything in our lives can become more meaningful, more powerful, more life-changing once we really embrace the gift of Divine Mercy -- the overflow of love from the Holy Trinity.

In this compelling and timely book, Flynn draws from Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the Diary of St. Faustina to not only reveal the heart of Divine Mercy, but to offer you an invitation and a road map so that this mercy can transform your life.

If you're not yet convinced of the impact Divine Mercy can have on your life, if you've never heard of this message and devotion, or if you're curious to learn more about it, this book is perfect for you. It shows us all how to respond to the call of Pope Francis "to live lives shaped by mercy," and benefit greatly from the "Year of Mercy."

Four women--Hildegard of Bingen, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Thérèse of Lisieux--have been honored with the title "Doctor of the Church." But what does that title mean and what do these women mean for us today?

Elizabeth Dreyer examines the history-changing effect each of their unique theologies have had on our Church and our world. She explains how our understanding of the cross, the incarnation of the Holy Spirit, and the human person have been enhanced by the work of these women. They may not have planned to be thought of as theologians, but reading about their lives, teaching, and writings will have a profound effect on how you live your faith.

While the term acedia may be unfamiliar, the vice, usually translated as sloth, is all too common. Sloth is not mere laziness, however, but a disgust with reality, a loathing of our call to be friends with God, and a spiteful hatred of place and life itself. As described by Josef Pieper, the slothful person does not "want to be as God wants him to be, and that ultimately means he does not wish to be what he really, fundamentally is." Sloth is a hellish despair.

Our own culture is deeply infected, choosing a destructive freedom rather than the good work for which God created us. Acedia and Its Discontents resists despair, calling us to reconfigure our imaginations and practices in deep love of the life and work given by God. By feasting, keeping sabbath, and working well, we learn to see the world as enchanting, beautiful, and good--just as God sees it.

"In the arid wasteland that is academic writing, amid the wider desert that is modern secular thought, R. J. Snell's book on acedia is an oasis of flowers and fruit and fresh water. Professor Snell reminds us that man must never be made subordinate to work, nor even to the empty 'vacations' that are but interruptions in work. Like his great predecessors Josef Pieper, Jacques Maritain, Max Picard, Romano Guardini, and Pope John Paul II, he diagnoses the besetting disease of our time--spiritual torpor--and prescribes as a remedy the joyful celebration of the Sabbath. A stupendous book, filled with the happiness of wonder."--ANTHONY ESOLEN, author of Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child

"A whole book about just one vice, 'sloth'? Ah, but this book is different-and devastating. It exposes a deeply hidden and deeply destructive fundamental attitude that pervades our culture, an attitude that comes not just from the flesh (laziness) or from the world (world-weariness, cynicism), but from the Devil: disgust and rebellion toward Being itself, natural as well as supernatural. This is the 'noonday devil' that great saints have labelled 'sloth.' Know your enemy. Read this book!"--PETER KREEFT, author of Practical Theology: Spiritual Direction from St. Thomas Aquinas

"Acedia--the sin of sloth, so often confused with laziness--is the most overlooked but widespread illness of the modern age; the emptiness under the mask of the world's frantic activity. R.J. Snell helps us see why this is so and what Christians can do about it with elegant, penetrating insight. This is a terrific book about a badly misunderstood 'deadly sin' and its antidotes."--CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia

"Our modern Empire of Desire manufactures endless appetite while simultaneously denying that anything is objectively good, beautiful, or desirable. The result is not great yearning or passion, but acedia or sloth, a pervasive 'noonday demon' which prowls about our culture like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. In this learned study, R.J. Snell draws on the vast spiritual and intellectual resources of the Christian tradition to diagnose the deep structure of our contemporary nihilism, exposing this demon and its far-reaching effects with elegance and profundity and thereby providing the weapons necessary to slay it. This is a timely and important book."--MICHAEL HANBY, author of No God, No Science: Theology, Cosmology, Biology

R. J. SNELL is professor of philosophy at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA, and executive director of the Agora Institute for Civic Virtue and the Common Good. His recent books include Authentic Cosmopolitanism (with Steve Cone) and The Perspective of Love: Natural Law in a New Mode. He and his wife have four young children.

Notker Wolf takes a lighthearted, refreshing approach to life that any reader will find delightful! Each of his anecdotes and stories has a nugget of wisdom that will resonate especially with anyone who has struggled against the outward signs of aging. As Wolf says, the soul doesn't age; it's timeless and measures itself by a different standard than the body.
If we focused on the state of our soul--a soul which is resolutely vibrant, cheerful, and full of zest for life--we wouldn't resist aging at all. We would speak of growing fulfillment and joy. A wonderful collection of food for thought on a topic that each of us will face in the second half of life!

Angels and saints. Catholics tend to think of them as different from the rest of us. They're cast in plaster or simpering on a holy card, performing miracles with superhero strength, or playing a harp in highest heaven.

Yet they are very near to us in every way. In this lively book, Scott Hahn dispels the false notions and urban legends people use to keep the saints at a safe distance. The truth is that Jesus Christ has united heaven and earth in a close communion. Drawing deeply from Scripture, Dr. Hahn shows that the hosts of heaven surround the earthly Church as a "great cloud of witnesses." The martyrs cry out from heaven's altar begging for justice on the earth. The prayers of the saints and angels rise to God, in the Book of Revelation, like the sweet aroma of incense.

Dr. Hahn tells the stories of several saints (and several angels too) in a way that's fresh and new. The saints are spiritual giants but with flesh-and-blood reality. They have strong, holy ambitions--and powerful temptations and opposition that must be overcome. Their stories are amazing and yet familiar enough to motivate us to live more beautiful lives. In this telling of their story, the saints are neither otherworldly nor this-worldly. They exemplify the integrated life that every Christian is called to live.

Still, their lives are as different from one another as human lives can be. Dr. Hahn shows the heavenly Church in all its kaleidoscopic diversity--from Moses to Mary, Augustine to Therese, and the first century to the last century.

Only saints will live in heaven. We need to be more like the saints if we want to live in heaven someday. Dr. Hahn shows us that our heavenly life can begin now.

It must.

This book shows how Christians can be good and be angry at the same time. That's possible if we let the Holy Spirit strengthen us to get angry for the right reasons and to keep anger under control.

If we are seeking a secret that will simply eliminate anger, we're pursuing a vain hope. Anger will surely be with us until we die. It may even go with us to heaven, where the Lord may allow us to share his anger at the evils that afflict his creation. But we can learn to increase good anger and to minimize the bad. That's the Christian approach summed up by Paul when he admonished the Ephesians to "Be angry, but do not sin" (Eph 4:26). If used constructively, anger can even help us live a more Christian life.

This is not a psychology or self-help book. It presents a Bible-based strategy for caring for and disciplining a valuable emotion. It describes a method that helps us use anger successfully to overcome the obstacles strewn across the path of our Christian journey. The book contains questions for discussion, personal reflection and application which make it ideal for either individual or group use.

In these pages, EWTN host and Franciscan Friar Fr Andrew Apostoli reflects on each of the questions asked by Jesus and gently guides you into a deeper understanding of the wisdom of who He is and what He is asking of you. Among the many questions you'll explore are . . .

Why were you looking for me? Learn what this answer says about the presence of Jesus in your spiritual life.

What do you seek? Discover why Holy Mass is the key to knowing this answer.

O woman, what have you to do with me? How this question tests your faith, and why the salvation of your soul may depend on how you answer it.

Why are you afraid? Have you no faith? Learn how prayer is the key to fully knowing this answer.

Who do you say the Son of Man is? Discover how this question was crucial in granting authority to Peter and the Apostles.

Who do you say that I am? Why recognizing Jesus as your Lord is in itself insufficient.

Everything you need to know about prayer. Perfect as an introduction to prayer or as a guidebook for those who already pray this book offers down-to-earth guidance on every aspect of prayer. Learn to overcome distractions, meditate well, and much more!

In As I Have Loved You: An Interview With Mother Teresa, John Scally discovers a woman behind the blessed face of Mother Teresa. Emerging from her strong faith and good deeds for the poor, we discover a woman whose interior life was also marked with a deep, painful, and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever-increasing longing for His love. This interior, "the darkness," show us the moments that reveal her true heroism. No pilgrimage is without doubt, and no love is without God. Learn the unique spirituality of Mother Teresa and see truth in the hearts of the poor through Mother Teresa's experience.

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In another 'Benedict Option' the author shares about her hunger for a deeper spiritual life, how Benedictine spirituality has shaped her practice, and the ways she has learned to embody Christian spirituality in everyday life. --James Matichuk

Foreword by Shauna Niequist

In the midst of beauty and mess, chaos and monotony, celebrations and mourning, Jerusalem Greer tells her story of finding redemption in what is rather than what could be, by practicing the presence of God through rediscovering ancient contemplative teachings and practices (solitude, study, work, prayer, and service) and pairing them with domestic arts (baking, gardening, sewing). Jerusalem writes with a raw honesty that reassures readers they are not alone in feeling not good enough, not wise enough, not Christian enough to figure out God's plans. Jerusalem is active on Facebook and Pinterest and regularly posts on her blog 'Slow Living in a Fast World' where she records what she calls her "beautymess" attempts at living a sacramental life.