"Be Mindful of your dignity, O Christian." - St. Leo

God was made man that man might be made god (St. Augustine, Serm. 13 de Temp.).





Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (Genesis 1:26).





"Show me a penny. Whose image and inscription hath it?" They answering, said to him, "Caesar's." And he said to them: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's: and to God the things that are God's" (Luke 20: 24-25).





Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19).





Few there are who know the privilege of such a dignity; fewer still who ponder it with the gravity it deserves. We are living temples of God, we carry God Himself in their hearts, and that therefore we should walk divinely with God and converse in a manner befitting such a guest (Cornelius a Lapide, In Os. 1:10).





"Contemplate Me in the core of your heart and you will see that I am your Creator and you will be happy" (Said by Jesus Christ to St. Catherine of Siena, recorded in her Life, I, chap. 10).





If God humbled Himself to become man, it was in order to exalt men and to make them gods (St. Augustine, Serm. 166).





We are called gods, not only because we have been raised to supernatural glory, but because we now possess God dwelling and abiding in us. Otherwise, how are we temples of God, according to Paul, possessing the Spirit dwelling within us, unless the Spirit be God by nature? (St. Cyril, In Joan., I, 9).





Only the indwelling of God makes a soul a temple of God (St. Thomas, In 1 Cor., 3:16, lec. 3).





That which the most exalted creatures never could have been able to say, that which would fill the loftiest heavenly powers with terror and consternation, we say confidently every day: "Our Father, who art in heaven." A marvelous fellowship. (St. Peter Chrysologus, Serm. 72).





"Ah, daughter, how few are they who love Me in truth! If people loved Me, I should not hide My secrets from them" (Said by Jesus Christ to St. Teresa of Avila, recorded in her Life, chap. 40).





To unite us to God Himself; to establish a vital relationship between our soul and the inner life of God, such is in very deed the the love of God as manifested. It was to make possible this union, these vital relations with God Himself, that [Jesus Christ] desired to unite Himself to human nature (Sauve, Le culte du Coeur de Jesus, 24).





The profound submission of a holy humility, the disdain of self, and the awareness of our own baseness do not debase us, but rather they enable us to fly to the height of perfect union with God (Blessed Henry Suso, Union).





By simple attention in watching our own interior, we perform excellent acts of virtue and make prodigious advances in perfection; whereas, on the contrary, by neglecting our interior we incur incalculable losses (Lallemant, Spiritual Doctrine, V, chap. 3; art. 1).










Likewise the great supernatural facts, such as the fact of Lourdes, are rather easily grasped by the clean of heart. They quickly see the supernatural origin, meaning, and import of these facts. Then, while learned men discourse endlessly without being able to reach a conclusion, God does His work in the clean of heart. Finally, [after humbly engaging in more profound learning,] the soul delights in returning to the simplicity of faith of the patriarchs, to the words of the psalms, to the parables of the Gospel (Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, The Three Ages of the Interior Life).








When we do everything wholeheartedly, love increases continually (St. Therese of Lisieux).








Once we are convinced that God dwells within us, we abandon ourselves with sweet truth into His hands, we confide all our interests to His care, and thus we enjoy perfect peace and serenity: "Thou makest a tranquil heart, great peace, and festive joy" (The Imitation). Now, there is no disposition more favorable for spiritual growth than inward peace: "In silence and in solitude the devout soul maketh progress" (The Imitation) (A. Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life, no. 1223).

22 May 2010

List of Books

This list certainly isn't exhaustive. We list these books here as reference for others if they would like to look them up or purchase them. We also highly recommend these books for spiritual reading, growing in the spiritual life, and for education in the Faith.

On the Spiritual (Interior) Life:

-Classics-

The Douay-Rheims Bible - St. Benedict Press
The Second Edition Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible - Ignatius Press
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis - Misc. Publishers
The Interior Castle, The Way of Perfection, and other works by St. Teresa of Avila - Misc. P.
The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross by St. John of the Cross - ICS Publications
Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux - ICS Publications
Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales - Misc. P.
The Spiritual Combat by Dom Scupoli - TAN Books
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Louis de Montfort - Montfort Publications

-Contemporary-

The Mystical Evolution by Fr. John G. Arintero, O.P. - TAN Books
The Three Conversions in the Spiritual Life by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
The Three Ages of the Interior Life by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
Christian Perfection and Contemplation by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
Life Everlasting and the Immensity of the Soul by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
Mother of the Saviour And Our Interior Life by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
Providence by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
Predestination by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
Our Savior and His Love For Us by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
The Theological Virtues: Vol. 1 - On Faith by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - TAN Books
Transformation in Christ by Dietrich von Hildebrand - Ignatius Press
The Spiritual Life by Very Rev. A. Tanquerey - TAN Books
Life, Science, And Art: Being Leaves from Ernest Hello (1912) by Ernest Hello (Trans. by E.M. Walker) - Kessinger Publishing
Anger and Forgiveness by Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D. - TradeMark Publishing
Take My Hand by James H. Dobbins, Ph.D. - Infinity Publishing
Jesus-Shock by Peter Kreeft, Ph.D. - St. Augustine's Press
The Life of St. Gemma Galgani by Ven. Fr. Germanus, C.P. - TAN Books

-Prayer-

The Ways of Mental Prayer by Rt. Rev. Dom Vitalis Lehody, O.C.R. - TAN Books
Prayer for Beginners by Peter Kreeft, Ph.D. - Ignatius Press
The Catechism of Mental Prayer by Very Rev. Joseph Simler - TAN Books
A Little Catechism on the Life of Prayer by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. - Carmel of Maria Regina (We recommend this catechism on mental prayer over the Catechism of Mental Prayer by the Very Rev. Joseph Simler because of its readability and profound holiness)
Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. - TAN Books, Baronius Press
Master of the Spiritual Life (A Biography of Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.) by the Carmelite Nuns of the Carmel of St. Joseph, Rome - Carmel of Maria Regina
Union With God by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. - Carmel of Maria Regina
The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort - TAN Books, Rosary Center
The Rosary: The John Paul II Method by Robert Feeney - Rosary Center
Catholic Prayers compiled by Thomas A. Nelson - TAN Books
The Aquinas Prayer Book by St. Thomas Aquinas (Edited by Robert Anderson & Johann Moser) - Sophia Institute Press
My Daily Life by Anthony J. Paone, S.J. - Confraternity of the Precious Blood
My Daily Bread by Anthony J. Paone, S.J. - Confraternity of the Precious Blood

-Miscellaneous-

The Catechism of the Catholic Church by The Catholic Church - Doubleday Publishing
Companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church - Ignatius Press [Be sure to purchase the 1997, revised edition that has an Addendum with all referential changes made in the 2nd Edition to the CCC.]
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church by The Catholic Church - Misc. P.; available online for free here: http://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html.
The Baltimore Catechism by The Third Council of Baltimore - TAN Books (available from various publishers and online for free, but we recommend the editions from TAN Books)
The Catechism of the Council of Trent by Pope St. Pius V - TAN Books
The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent (Translated by Rev. H.J. Schroeder, O.P.) - TAN Books
The Catechism Explained by Spirago-Clarke - TAN Books
Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft, Ph.D. - Ignatius Press
The Four Cardinal Virtues by Josef Pieper - University of Notre Dame Press
My Way of Life (Pocket Edition of St. Thomas) by Walter Farrell, O.P., S.T.M. and Martin J. Healy, S.T.D. - Confraternity of the Precious Blood
Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aquinas - Baronius Press
Liturgy of the Hours - Catholic Book Publishing Corp.
G.K. Chesterton, Vol. 2 - St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, Everlasting Man - Ignatius Press
All About the Angels by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. - TAN Books
An Easy Way To Become a Saint by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. - TAN Books
How To Be Happy, How To Be Holy by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. - TAN Books
Wonders of the Holy Name by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. - TAN Books
The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ by St. Alphonsus Liguori - Liguori Publications
12 Steps to Holiness by St. Alphonsus Liguori - TAN Books
A General Introduction to Holy Scripture by A.E. Breen, Ph.D., D.D. - Roman Catholic Books
Socratic Logic by Peter Kreeft, Ph.D. - St. Augustine's Press
Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths by Dave Armstrong - Sophia Institute Press
The Little Catechism of the Cure of Ars by St. John Vianney - TAN Books
God: His Existence and His Nature by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - LPR
Reality by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. - Ex Fontibus Co.

Last Updated: February 26, 2011.

To be updated...
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)