"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, 1918 Padre Pio was celebrated for his understanding of the spiritual life and the struggles we all face. The letters he wrote to his spiritual directors and to the many people who sought his advice are a profound source of direction and encouragement. This collection of 365 reflections drawn from those letters offers inspiration for every day of the year. Let Padre Pio share his wisdom with you and become your guide to holiness.
This rare glimpse into the heart and soul of Padre Pio reveals the profound spirituality and humanity of the beloved Capuchin friar canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Beyond the extraordinary events that accompanied Padre Pio's life--such as receiving the stigmata--these intimate letters attest to his personal struggles, concerns, temptations, and fears. The book consists of two parts, each with an introduction by a member of the Capuchins.
C. S. Lewis spent a good portion of each day corresponding with people via handwritten letters. Over his lifetime he wrote thousands of letters in which he offered his friends and acquaintances advice on the Christian life, giving away a bit of himself to each of these correspondents as he signed his notes with a heartfelt and familiar, "yours, Jack." Most of these letters are currently only available in their entirety—a collection consisting of three hefty tomes. Yours, Jack features the best inspirational readings and sage counsel culled from C. S. Lewis's letters, offering an accessible look at this great author's personal vision for the spiritual life. This thematic selection from his letters offers the freshest presentation of Lewis's writings since his death in 1963. Yours, Jack will showcase Lewis's remarkable teachings and vision for a new generation.
As the third volume in the series including The Hidden Ground of Love (1985) and The Road to Joy (1989), this collection features Thomas Merton's letters to members of religious communities around the world. Merton's questions about the monastic life, sometimes radical and disturbing, either arose from what was happening in his own experience or reflected the extraordinary changes that followed Vatican Council II.
The Abbe de Tourville's Letters of Directionare full of profound wisdom and insight. This is why they are also very practical and remain permanently contemporary. H.A. Williams CR The charm strength and appealing guidance given by the Abbe de Tourville can be summed up as his 'Sanctified Common Sense'- the measure of care, caution,boldness and acceptance signified in 'Behave just as naturally as if you were coming downstairs'- which is a clear picture of Incarnation and the ordinary following of Christ. Michael Hollings The Abbe de Tourville is one of those writers, of sound spirituality and sanctified common sense, whose works become minor classics with something to say for all ages. He knows that while the road to God is demanding, something has gone wrong if we feel anxious or fearfulk as we trewad along it. It is a book to be pondered over, rather than to be read at one sitting. Dom Adhelm Cameron-Brown Abbot of Prinknash>
Many books have already been written on spiritual counselling, especially in the Ignatian tradition. But very few consider how Ignatius gave spiritual advice in his letters, directed to various and specific situations. If God really leads us in our spiritual journey, as Ignatius believed, what is the role of the spiritual adviser? What part is played by the numerous rules given in the Spiritual Exercises? The letters show that Ignatius really wanted to give scope to his correspondents and to their awareness of the work of the Holy Spirit within them. Ignatius deployed a “Pedagogy of Consolation” in which his correspondents were trained to exercise their own spiritual agency by discovering God’s abundant gifts. It was clear to Ignatius that a counselling relationship was first grounded in God’s freedom but also in the freedom of the person who asks for assistance. In six chapters, Patrick C. Goujon focuses on eight letters. He offers a careful reading which emphasizes what makes giving spiritual help possible in a conversation. We are shown how Ignatius deals with decision-making and with obstacles in the spiritual life. He is also revealed giving encouragement and correction and advising about how to offer these to others. His aim is to help people grow in freedom which, in turn, permits them to live according to God’s will. Through his letters, we are allowed to enter not only Ignatius’s study, the famous camerata in Rome, but also into his heart. “This volume is an excellent introduction to the letters of Ignatius of Loyola (…) making it an important scholarly contribution not only for those interested in Ignatian spirituality, but also for those interested in the history of spirituality more broadly”, Mark Rotsaert, ARSI
