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 stirring sequel to Father Michael Gaitley's 33 Days to Morning Glory -- published just in time for the Jubilee Year of Mercy!

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.
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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.

For more than 250 years, this simple classic of inspiration has guided readers of all faiths to the open-hearted acceptance of God's will that is the sure path to serenity, happiness, and spiritual peace.

A spiritual classic of the first order... a book for all those who truly seek God. --Dom David Knowles

Father de Caussade has a wonderful way of encouraging the doubtful, of nurturing the personal surrender that is so much a part of the development of faith. The book is a mystery of its own -- and is definitely not for Christians only. --Rabbi Joshua Chasan

Abandonment to Divine Providence is a classic perhaps more necessary now than ever before. It's a little book that rightly rejects the spirituality of fear and trembling (and the modern preoccupation with dreary self-absorption) in favor of an abiding trust in God's active benevolence. This is a work one reads again and again, always with gratitude and astonishment. --Donald Spoto, Author of Blue Angel and The Dark Side of Genius

With simplicity and grace, these pages illuminate for you the wisdom in Saint Thƒrƒse's Little Way, showing how it can enable you, too, to abide in the serenity of the children of God.

The extraordinary New York Times bestselling masterpiece from "one of the most eloquent yet earthbound spiritual writers of our time" (San Francisco Chronicle).

Kathleen Norris had written several much loved books, yet she couldn't drag herself out of bed in the morning, couldn't summon the energy for her daily tasks. Even as she struggled, Norris recognized her familiar battle with acedia, a word she had discovered in early Church text years earlier. Fascinated by this "noonday demon", so familiar to those in the early and medieval Church, Norris knew she must restore this forgotten but important concept to the modern world's vernacular. An examination of acedia in the light of psychology, spirituality, the healing powers of religious practice, and Norris's own experience, Acedia & Me is both intimate and historically sweeping, brimming with exasperation and reverence, sometimes funny, often provocative, and always insightful.

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.

These meditations on the famous prayer of St. Ignatius by a Poor Clare nun and well-regarded spiritual writer will help every reader deepen his prayer life and draw closer to the Person of Christ. Popes, saints, and common folk have made this their daily prayer for centuries. Let the Abbess of cloistered nuns help you reflect deeper on the profound thoughts of this prayer that are needed to shape a devout life in Christ.

Beneath the surface verbal expressions of this familiar prayer lie depths of meaning for which each unfolding petition prepares the next until arrival at the final all-comprehensive plea that God should call us to Himself and admit us into the eternal choir singing His praises. The unending joyous cry of the blessed taught by the ageless cry of the angels: Holy! Holy! Holy! is rehearsed on earth in the haunting reaches of this so simple and so profound prayer: "Anima Christi."

Those who sincerely seek to know God (and themselves) better often struggle to find answers to thoughtful and sometimes troubling questions about the spiritual life, including:

Who is God?

How can I know God's will in my life?

Does God really hear me when I pray?

Why is there so much suffering in the world today?

What makes Catholicism different than other religions?

Father John Bartunek has spent much of his priesthood helping others understand what it means to have an authentic, personal relationship with God. A master communicator, he is able to make difficult truths understandable, while at the same time issuing a call to action. For those seeking real answers about prayer, spiritual growth, living in the world today, overcoming sin, and the distinctiveness of the Catholic faith, Fr. John's advice will speak to their souls and touch their heart.

Since the beginning of time, a fierce spiritual battle has raged between the forces of good and evil. Today the spiritual entities of wickedness are winning, burdening countless souls in a world lacerated by evil.

To claim victory, God is calling us to engage in spiritual warfare as the only way to save the world from the desolation that is sure to come.

In these pages, theologian Venatius Oforka explains that we are part of a spiritual web through which God acts to save souls. No longer does God create out of nothing. Instead, He achieves His purposes through the prayers and actions we pour in.

To win such a sophisticated war, Oforka introduces us to the supernatural weapons of war and how we can shape the events that affect our earthly and eternal destiny.