"The prayer with power to touch the heart and shape the soul."The Our Father--For nearly two millennia, Christians the world over have learned it by heart, recite it frequently in the quiet of their hearts, in their private devotions, and when celebrating the Eucharist. Yet its immense popularity over the years has had the unwanted effect of weakening its hold over the Christian imagination and turning it into an unwelcome harbinger of the status quo. It has for many become a "toke...

Preaching was close to the heart of Saint Alphonsus because he knew that preachers could stir up in people a deep love for God. In Simple, Heartfelt Words, Father Billy uses letters and other writings from the doctor of the church to discuss Alphonsus's most important ideas on preaching. He also presents Alphonsus's critique of preachers in his day and the approach to preaching he intended for members of his order. Simple, Heartfelt Words is the third volume in Alphonsian spirituality ...

This book focuses on Jesus, the four last things, and their relevance for our lives. He has much to teach us about these things. Jesus faced death with courage and was raised to new life by the power of his heavenly Father. He descended into hell and reached out to those who had alienated themselves from God. He promised to return at the consummation of time to judge the living and the dead and to establish the fullness of his kingdom. He lives forever in the house of his Father, hoping to...

The Cloud of Unknowing is a fourteenth-century work of Christian mysticism that explores contemplative prayer and serves as a spiritual guide to those looking to explore these aspects of their faith. The text's unknown author has provided insight into the mystical life that has served as an inspiration to many, including the modern Centering Prayer Movement. The Cloud directs the reader to know God better not through knowledge but through a contemplation driven by love and devoid ...

This book retells the narrative of Christ's redemptive journey by looking at some of the Gospel's underlying assumptions and showing how they are both reasonable and credible. For Christians, faith is not contrary to reason, but presupposes and even builds on it. This faith asks us to put aside whatever preconceptions we may have regarding the Gospel message and listen with an open heart to the way it speaks to the universal human condition. The seed of hope buried deep within the mytholog...

Finding Our Way to God offers an approach to spiritual direction using mental prayer that can be used to create healing and peace when conducting guidance sessions with seekers. Based on the teachings of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists, Fr. Dennis Billy’s approach examines the moral life in the context of spiritual direction. While thoroughly Catholic, St. Alphonsus was so pastoral - focusing on the poor and marginalized - that the approach can be easily learned and...

This surprisingly modern, twelfth-century classic has long been popular with monks. Now this new edition opens up the riches of this spiritual masterpiece to a wide audience of contemporary readers who see the spiritual life not as a solitary enterprise, but one intimately connected to relationships. Written in dialogue form, Spiritual Friendship offers wise counsel on many aspects of friendship. Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R., editor of the innovative Classics with Commentary series, has ...

One of the best-loved spiritual classics of all time is now more accessible than ever. While many contemporary readers seek the richness of classical spirituality, some find the language and thought patterns of The Imitation of Christ distant and difficult to understand. Fr. Dennis Billy, noted teacher and spiritual guide, helps today's readers interpret The Imitation by raising their awareness of how the world of Thomas à Kempis colored and shaped his presentation of the...

This classic work of Christian spirituality emboldens modern readers to see God’s care and concern for them in the joys and challenges of everyday life.Jean-Pierre de Caussade, a French Jesuit spiritual director and writer born in the late seventeenth century, is best known for his belief in the sacredness of the present moment, or the "eternal now." His masterpiece, Abandonment to Divine Providence, has been celebrated by spiritual writers as diverse as Richard Foster and...

Discover The Imitation of Christ in a clear, contemporary translation designed for today’s reader. This timeless Christian classic by Thomas à Kempis has guided millions in humility, prayer, and discipleship for centuries.One of the most beloved spiritual classics of all time, The Imitation of Christ has guided readers for centuries in the pursuit of holiness and humility.In 114 short, practical chapters, ...

A manifesto for contemplative ethics that seeks to integrate spirituality and morality, contemplation and action, goodness and holiness in the lives of believers and the people they serve.

Discover the timeless spiritual counsel of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman Doctor of the Church, in an easily accessible format. In Let Nothing Disturb You, selections from Teresa's writings have been carefully chosen and arranged for morning and evening meditation.Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation draw...