"How do we work out our salvation? What are we to expect, and anticipate, on this journey through life? When our earthly sojourn has ended, what will we have to account for before God? If we know the goal of our life, is there a map to guide us around the obstacles and pitfalls we may encounter? Centuries of following Jesus - who is the Way, the Truth and the Life have provided the Church with a number of tried-and-true routes to our ultimate goal. This work provides an overview of this traditional Catholic spirituality which has been tested and proven in the crucible of the lives of the saints. Our spiritual life develops and grows in a way not unlike our physical, emotional and intellectual lives. Certain stages are common to all. Our spiritual life develops in three stages: the beginning, or purgative stage; the proficient, or illuminative stage; and the perfect, or unitive stage. Understanding this traditional Catholic spirituality will give the reader powerful insights into his or her personal pilgrimage. It needs to be rediscovered, respected and put into practice by members of the Church today."--BOOK JACKET.

New - 3rd Edition!There is an ordinary path to holiness. Not common! Not usual. But simple, and true.It is not easy to hear whispers in a chaos of noise - and Truth comes in whispers.It is not easy to see Truth right before one's eyes, while looking for figments of imagination.It is not easy to grasp the firm anchor, racing with the crowd in stampede for escape.Bright, clear, unmoving and eternal - Truth exists! And He calls us into the holy, into the beauty, into the True - but we have to learn to listen so as to hear. We have to learn to walk all over again, as a learner - a disciple - following the true Teacher, no matter the cost. Jesus brought Truth, and it is here, and it is free and it alone is freeing. Why then is there so much confusion? Why so many "opinions" and so little certainty, or lasting happiness, or deep peace? Why? Many are too busy to really listen and be surprised by Truth! And learn, and follow His way to holiness.How do we work out our salvation? What ought we anticipate, and likely meet, on this journey through - and to - life? If we know the purpose of our life, do we have the wisdom we need to attain that purpose, even through the trials and temptations we are sure to encounter? We are called to holiness, and Jesus is the Way!Many holy saints have found in Him, the ways of His way. There is an "ordinary path" - many have walked it, and their wisdom has been treasured in His Church for centuries. Many seekers, however, have yet to find this path, and many contemporary teachers and spiritual guides have failed to teach this path, even to today. This ought not be.There are today many new attempts to renew, awaken, invigorate and vivify the Church and her members! There are many program packages, including guides, books, videos, training manuals, leaders, and so on. Many of these new programs promise much, but deliver little that is lasting, because they lack the depth, the wisdom and the unction that is needed for this task! They look for new insights, but fail to see what is there already, in the traditional wisdom of the Church.Persons sincerely seeking holy Truth, eternal Truth, no matter the cost, need God Himself to guide them. The wisdom, depth and unction that is needed was found by the holy saints, and embraced by the holy saints, and lived by them. Their examples, their writings and experiences are the foundations of the "renewal program" that the Church needs, and that you and I need personally, to grow in the life of Christ. He the Lord will guide us, in His Holy Spirit, if we will avoid the latest innovations that come and go, and receive instead, and cling tenaciously to all that is proven, trustworthy and true.This book presents the traditional Catholic spirituality that has been tested and proven in the lives of the saints. Our spiritual life develops and grows in a way not unlike our physical, emotional and intellectual lives. There are stages of human growth, stages common to our growth both in natural human life and in supernatural spiritual life. We have an "interior" life ordered to our calling to true, personal communion with God the Holy Trinity. That interior life is intended to grow, develop and mature. And if we will follow Truth, we will find all that we seek. This book is offered to help the sincere seeker find, and grow, toward the "all" He created us for: beatitude in Him.Author:R. Thomas Richard, Ph.D., has earned degrees in ministry and theology, as well as in physics. He has taught at the college and high school levels, has served as a Protestant pastor, and in missionary work among migrant farmworkers. After returning to the Catholic Church and earning a graduate degree in Catholic theology and ministry, he began work in religious education and especially the formation of adults. He is author of the book, The Interior Liturgy of the Our Father, and serves the Church today with his wife Deborah in adult faith formation.

His friends called him an explosion of joy. Mountain climbing, music, practical jokes, and political debates were among his many passions. With film-star looks, commonsense intelligence, and amazing athleticism, Pier Giorgio Frassati had every reason to pursue worldly success. He chose to focus on higher goals instead. Identified as "the man of the eight beatitudes" and recognized as one of the most fascinating and relatable saintly examples of the twentieth century, he was devoted to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother and led a mostly hidden life of charity that ultimately cost him his life at the age of twenty-four. When his body was exhumed in 1981, it was found to be perfectly incorrupt. He was beatified in 1990. All three popes since then have commended this dynamic young Italian's life to the Church - and especially to younger Catholics. Book jacket.

God is to be found in the simplest of our daily activities and especially through total surrender to whatever is His will for each of us. That is the message of this 18th-century inspirational classic by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Its encouragement to ""live in the present moment,"" accepting everyday obstacles with faith, humility and love, has guided generations of believers to holiness and spiritual peace. This special volume of the famous spiritual treatise also includes the many insightful letters of Father de Caussade on the practice of self-abandonment. These numerous letters provide a great additional source of wisdom and practical guidance for how to grow in abandonment and to deepen our union with God in our daily lives. De Caussade shows that this practice of self-abandonment to God's will is the key to attaining true peace and virtue, and that it is readily available to all people - from beginners to those well advanced in the spiritual life. He also shows how to determine what God's will is for us. He reveals that it is not extraordinary feats that God expects for our growth in holiness, but rather heroic attention to every detail in our lives and humble acceptance of our daily lot in life as coming from His hand. The rich spiritual lessons in this book have stood the test of time, offering real and practical assistance to all people because its message is simple and clear, one that the reader will find to be a rare treasure of inspiration and direction to be referred to again and again.

Jesus told us to be perfect, and the Second Vatican Council highlighted this command by speaking of the universal call to holiness for all Christians. How do we answer this call? One great way is to learn from and pray with the saints, the ordinary men and women who fought the good fight to be holy until the end of their lives – and won. The saints have inspired Christians for more than two thousand years because they show us what it looks like to follow Jesus Christ despite countless challenges and obstacles. This unique book contains short biographies of several saints, along with prayers to each one, for every day of the year. It also provides definitions of Church terms and other helpful back - ground information. The saints in this collection come from every period of Church history and all walks of life. They represent numerous countries, cultures, age groups, and vocations. They show us that holiness truly is a path open to anyone, and by their example and prayers they help us to follow it.