Virtues

The 12 Steps to Holiness is compiled from the writings of St. Alphonsus Liguori and is rated as one of the most beautiful and inspiring books by numerous TAN readers. St. Alphonsus develops, in the most simple language, yet with the greatest learning, the 12 key virtues necessary for salvation: faith, hope, love of God, love of neighbor, poverty, chastity, obedience, meekness or humility, mortification, recollection, prayer and self-denial or love of the cross. This book is written with such an encompassing view that its message is for all—religious or layman, the young or the old, the pious or the wayward. The reader will marvel at the balance, the simplicity, the learning, the interest, the calm and the holy unction that penetrate this work. And he will find himself repeatedly marking significant passage and returning to them again and again for instruction and edification. Here is a book, quite simply, for everyone who would save his soul.

Helping young people to form their character is an exciting endeavor that God has entrusted first of all to parents. It requires delicacy and strength, patience and joy, and is not lacking in challenges. It means helping children develop a concern for others, teaching them to form relationships that are truly human, and overcoming the fear of commitment. Educating children involves preparing them for the future—a future that will always involve difficulties, but also joys. In the end, it means preparing each child to respond fully to God’s plan for his or her life.

The twenty-one essays contained in this book will help parents in this great task. Whether dealing with adolescent development issues, discipline, modesty, passing on the faith, or other parenting matters, this book covers it all with supernatural outlook and common sense. Written in an open-ended style that empowers parents to find their own solutions, it can be read straight through from beginning to end, or by skipping to specific chapters, according to one’s interests and needs. Both young parents and those with more experience will benefit from the insights found here.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are often called spiritual disciplines. The term highlights their similarity to physical disciplines. But like a physical fitness program, we can go through the motions of these practices without deriving much benefit from them.