This collection will both enrich your soul and beautify your home,
with its deluxe leatherette hardcover, a satin ribbon, golden gilded
edges, reinforced sides for longevity, smyth-sewn binding, and gold
foil. There are certain books in the Catholic intellectual tradition
that outlast the life of the authors and exemplify the qualities of the
saints. These five titles have been renowned as Spiritual Classics which
form a foundation of the interior life of the Christian:
- The Imitation of Christ
- The Story of a Soul
- Abandonment to Divine Providence
- The Interior Castle
- An Introduction to the Devout Life
- Confessions
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis This book speaks to
the soul of every true Christian, reminding us of the fleeting nature
of earthly joy as opposed to the eternity of happiness with God. The
guide of the saints since it first appeared in 1418, it was the sole
spiritual reading of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who loved it and knew it
by heart.
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux Only
written under holy obedience by the command of her superior, Saint
Thérèse’s autobiography conveys the secrets of her great holiness, which
she achieved through her simple and ordinary life. It teaches her
“Little Way of Spiritual Childhood,” which she called her “elevator to
Heaven."
Abandonment to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean-Pierre de
Caussade Father de Caussade offers the one sure solution to any
spiritual difficulty: abandon yourself entirely to God by embracing the
duties of your station in life. With wisdom and gentleness he teaches
how to practice complete submission to the will of God in every
situation, whether we are beginners or seasoned travelers on the way to
perfection. True abandonment, he explains, is a trusting, peaceful, and
childlike surrender to the guidance of grace.
The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Ávila Saint Teresa
imagines the soul as a magnificent castle full of spacious and elaborate
rooms. And, as Saint Teresa describes, at the heart of this castle
stands the seat of the King Himself.
An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales guides us to the knowledge that we are all called
to the devout life. True devotion to God, as Saint Francis de Sales
points out, adorns every vocation. Additionally, Saint Francis will
explain that the devout life is a choice worthy for its own sake: “And
our blessed Lord Himself assure[s] us that a devout life is a lovely, a
pleasant, and a happy life.” The wisdom contained in these pages have
inspired the spiritual lives of saints throughout time and will inspire
the saints of the future.
Confessions by Saint Augustine of Hippo
is the greatest autobiographies ever written by mere mortals. In this
masterpiece, you will find a doctor of the Church longing for the true
Doctor of the soul, Christ. Taking us from Augustine’s roots in Africa
to his encounters with his spiritual father Saint Ambrose in Milan, from
his battle against his concupiscence to his famed conversion, Confessions is
itself a veritable pilgrimage to the threshold of the new Jerusalem.
Indeed, its end is not biography but a breathtaking meditation on time
and memory, on the human soul and the material world, and on the
creative and redemptive power of God himself.
In the chaos of modern commentaries and questionable spiritual
advice from the internet, these classics are a firm source of spiritual
wisdom that we can trust wholeheartedly to guide our love and fidelity
to Christ and His Church. To match the eternal wisdom contained in these
volumes, we have now made a beautiful and timeless edition of these
books.