For almost five hundred years, the little book The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola has been an important source for Christian prayer-life. However, many Church ministers (priests, deacons, religious, and laypersons) do not have the time to make the full thirty-day Ignatian retreat with a spiritual director. This helpful resource seeks to lead a retreatant prayerfully into the heart of an Ignatian retreat by using contemplations and themes from the Spiritual Exercises as well as other meditations on the life of Jesus-but within an eight-day time frame. With a particular focus on ministry, both ordained and nonordained, the short chapters present mysteries from the life of Jesus and considerations that correspond to the dynamics of the Exercises. They represent a preparation for prayer, not to instruct but to move the imagination and hopefully the heart. An appendix offers additional scriptural texts. An 8 Day Ignatian Retreat for Priests, Religious, Deacons, and Lay Ministers enables busy and hardworking Church ministers to apply the Ignatian insights to their own interior life, which will result in rejuvenation and growth in their pastoral ministry.

Pray40Days is a 40 days prayer program for people of any age who want to set their prayer life on fire! Whether a beginner in prayer or more advanced, everyone can benefit from the 6 different ways of praying presented in this book.

Revised & Updated and Includes a New Preface from the Author Embark on the spiritual ADVENTURE of a lifetime. There's no better guide than St. Ignatius of Loyola for people who want to enliven their faith, discover their purpose, and make better decisions in their life. In this revised edition of The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O'Brien, SJ, offers a unique way of experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in daily life. With O'Brien as our navigator, we adventure through 32 weeks of prayer and meditations that draw us into a deeper encounter with God. What sets this book apart from other Ignatian retreats is how O'Brien incorporates the timeless counsel of wisdom figures throughout the ages and personal stories about living the Exercises in everyday life. O'Brien makes it easy to see how these teachings intersect with the real world. The Ignatian Adventure is an ideal resource for spiritual directors. Its user-friendly style also makes it the perfect book for anyone seeking a better understanding of Ignatian spirituality and a richer prayer life.

With warmth, understanding, and pastoral skill, Fr. Timothy Gallagher provides here a hopeful invitation to all who struggle to overcome the greatest obstacle of all in the spiritual life — discouragement. Our enemy actively exploits our vulnerabilities, shrewdly leading us time and again into an overwhelming sense of disturbance. But Fr. Gallagher pulls the curtain back on the wiles of the devil, offering gentle reflections that are remarkably effective in lightening the burdens of your day-to-day spiritual life. You'll learn practical ways to find peace amid your spiritual struggles, and patience in the face of even the most intense trials. Best of all, you'll learn how to profit spiritually from the afflictions that beset you. Each reflection in these pages begins with a quotation by Venerable Bruno Lanteri, the holy founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, whose wisdom has guided the uncommonly insightful spirituality of Fr. Gallagher. In these pages, you will learn: What to do when you have reached the point of despair How to evade sadness, melancholy, and temptation Ways you can be joyful even when you do not feel mirth How to leave the sins, weaknesses, and failures of your past to God's mercy How to recognize the enemy, even when he presents himself under the appearance of good What is holy presumption, why you want it, and how to get it The five benefits you'll derive from regular Confession How each part of the Mass corresponds to an affection of the heart Proven techniques for waging warfare against negative moods There is no shame in spiritual desolation. Fr. Gallagher reminds us that the greatest of saints suffered from this affliction. The key is to learn how to draw closer to God in life's darkest moments. Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement is a call to hope . . . a call to solace in time of suffering . . . and a call to stand tall in times of affliction. Read this book, and you'll learn how to enter into the sublime peace and joy that our Lord promises.

The international Catholic weekly.

Kingdom Calling offers a compelling theological grounding for the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God. Building creatively on previous studies, it challenges all of us to change so that the whole church can serve the whole mission of God in the whole of life. Kingdom Calling provides a thorough diagnosis of the theological factors that have prevented such a vision being realised over previous decades. These factors are embedded in the social realities of our everyday life and in the sometimes hidden assumptions that shape our thinking in the church. By setting out a sustained proposal for the renewal of our theological imagination, the report points the way to address some deep running fault lines in our common life. Written in an accessible style, Kingdom Calling looks in turn at the vocation, ministry and discipleship of all God’s people, asking what kind of theological thinking and imagining might most help us to flourish together. It affirms and celebrates the vital lay and ordained ministry roles that support the church in God’s mission, and it identifies changes in practice that can better foster the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God.

Drawing from the timeless methods of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, this thoughtful meditation is enriched with examples and stories that offer practical and profound wisdom for aligning personal desires and goals with God's will.