St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross are among the greatest teachers of prayer in the Christian tradition. For nearly five centuries, their writings on the spiritual life have guided those seeking greater union with God. Beyond the written corpus of these saints, the lived experiences of these reformers of the Carmelite Order also draws fascination. Living in sixteenth-century Spain among kings, prelates, explorers, inquisitors, and reformers, these two saints were formed and sanctified by the context and circumstances of their historical time and place. In Context: Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, and Their World explores the social, cultural, intellectual, and religious themes that prevailed during the time in which St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross lived and breathed. This book is not only a thematic overview but also visits particular situations in the lives of these saints: the events that shaped their writings, their lives, and the Carmelite Reform they initiated. Offering for the first time in English a comprehensive contextual overview of the Carmelite reformers, Father O’Keefe draws upon pivotal scholarly sources not available to many beginner-to-intermediate students of spirituality. The extensive bibliographies point readers toward the next steps in diving deeper into Carmelite studies. Also including: + A fully linked comprehensive index + 16 pages of color photos. This book is an excellent resource for any earnest student of St. Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross.

This book contains Book of Her Foundations and Minor Works. Includes general and biblical index. In 1573, while staying in Salamanca to assist her nuns in the task of establishing one of her seventeen monasteries, Teresa began composing the story of their foundation. The Book of Her Foundations comprises the major portion of Volume Three. This book not only tells the story of the establishment of her monasteries but, characteristic of Teresa, digresses into counsels on prayer, love, melancholy, virtuous living and dying, plus other teachings of the Mother Foundress. This book also has an excellent introduction, chronology, and map of Teresa's foundations and journeys. Five of her brief works, including her poetry, complete ICS Publications' third volume of her Collected Works. Includes general and biblical index.

"The Book of Her Life" is the spiritual autobiography of a Counter Reformation mystic and monastic reformer of sixteenth century Spain. Introduction by Jodi Bilinkoff.

The Christian life is a grand journey. And like any pilgrimage along unfamiliar roads, we can benefit from having experienced guides and trustworthy companions along the way. Through their classic spiritual texts, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross offer valuable maps of tried paths along the way. At the same time, they were both experienced and sought-after spiritual companions for many others. Their timeless insights into the qualities that should mark a good spiritual director—earned, experienced, and discerning—are the fruit of their own prayer, reflection, and rich personal experience as guides and as people guided by others.

This book offers one of the most fruitful and popular practices of Christian devotion: the Way of the Cross, or Stations of the Cross, from a Carmelite perspective. The reader has the opportunity to make the Way of the Cross with five inspiring Carmelite saints: John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Thérèse of Lisieux, Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) and Elizabeth of the Trinity. In effect, the book provides five different Ways of the Cross which the reader can use for prayer. A complete set of reflections from each saint includes a brief Scripture passage, followed by a selection from the saint’s writings; footnotes identify the source document for each. These saints have a perennial message for us, helping us to mine, as St. John of the Cross described it, the deep, inexhaustible love and riches of Christ, especially demonstrated in his Passion, death and resurrection. The Way of the Cross with the Carmelite Saints is an ideal prayer resource for the Lenten season, or for personal prayer and reflection at any time throughout the year.

An outstanding book on prayer and the spiritual life written by one of the best spiritual directors of our time. Dubay synthesizes the teachings on prayer of the two great Doctors of the Church--St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila--and the teaching of Sacred Scripture.

A skilled moral theologian, Benedictine Father Mark O’Keefe leads God-seekers to focus attention on St. John of the Cross’s teaching in The Ascent of Mount Carmel: The essence of the spiritual journey is union with God through the practice of the virtues, especially faith, hope, and love. It‘s virtuous living that enables us to truly love God and be conformed to God in divine union. For St. John, religious “experiences” are not the essence of the spiritual journey at all, nor is asceticism for its own sake. John’s emphasis on the nada is to lead us to liberating emptiness -- authentic human freedom-- that equips us to be filled with the divine life. At the journey’s summit, we find the God who is Love. This book is an insightful companion to The Ascent of Mount Carmel. Ideal for personal and group study, Carmelite formation, college courses, and a must for every library.