Spiritual Formation Library Archives

Holy Spirit, Make Your Home In Me – In Conversation with Fr. George Montague

Fr. George Montague is an exceptional biblical scholar, as well as a humble pastor. His experience with the gifts given by the Holy Spirit are extraordinary and he shares those with us, but he also encourages us to seek the deepening of our own prayer lives so that we too may discover what the Father desires to give his beloved children. Through Scripture and the practice of prayer, Fr. Montague helps to encounter the Holy Spirit who is eager for our response. Bruce and I loved our conversation with him. Highly recommended!!

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IP#213 Joan Wester Anderson – An Angel to Watch Over Me and Angelic Tales on Inside the Pages

What a delight to talk once again to Joan Wester Anderson. It would be hard to find a more gracious soul than Joan’s, and to have a chance to have a conversation about the angels…well it doesn’t get much better! Joan is the author of a dozen or more books (many bestsellers!), and her work making known the angelic relam are always a delight. It was difficult to choose which one to discuss first, but we gave it go. I’ve never been disappointed in her writing, and I highly recommended any of the titles found in this post (and yes, I’ve read them all…over and over again).

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IP#212 Fr. Joseph Fessio – Married Priests? on Inside the Pages

“Married Priests? 30 Crucial Questions about Celibacy” is the go to book when seeking answers to just about everything related to the Church’s teaching and exprience in regards to priestly celibacy. With Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., editor and founder of Ignatius Press the publisher of this work, we discuss several of those questions. Why do Catholic priests not marry? How can celibacy possibly be so important to the Church, if Jesus did not even require it of his apostles? How does this discipline play into the discernment for this particular vocation? We also discuss the vocation of Marriage, and the state of Church in America from Fr. Fessio’s prespective. It is always a joy to have the opportunity to talk with Fr. Fessio.

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From the book description:

In recent years the arguments in favor of openness to married priests seem to be multiplying. Some object that celibacy is not a dogma but only a discipline that originated in the Middle Ages; that it is contrary to nature and hence harmful for a man’s psycho-physical equilibrium and the maturation of the human personality. And then, if priests could marry, there would be an increase in vocations.

In this book, seventeen various experts make contributions, responding to these and other burning objections, allowing the reader to discover the value that celibacy has today in the lives of thousands of priests and seminarians.

Among the key topics this book discusses are: History of Priestly Celibacy, What Theology Says on the Celibacy, Emotions and Sexuality, Discerning and Fostering a Vocation, Celibacy in the Life of a Priest, Celibacy and Inculturation, Papal teachings on Celibacy from Pius XI to Benedict XVI.

IP#207 Sr. Janice McGrane – Saints for Healing On on Inside the Pages

Sr.-Janice-McGrane It was a delight to once again talk with Sr. Janice McGrane S. S. J., this time about her book “Saints for Healing: Stories of Courage and Hope”. In this, her second book, she offers a short biography of the lives of 11 saints, their background on relevant cultural issues, and a reflection. Each saint has a special connection to “healing”…some are expected, some are a wonderful surprise. Sr. Janice has introduced us to special companions who can walk with us on the journey to our ultimate destination….an encounter with the Divine Physician. Marvelous, simply marvelous.

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From the book description:

With grace and insight, McGrane tells us also about healing that occurs on a larger scale: Joan of Arc healed the morale of France in its most dire hour, Edith Stein and Maximilian Kolbe offered comfort and consolation in the midst of the horror of Auschwitz, Henriette DeLille transceneded the racism of her time to minister with slaves, Hildegard of Bingen shared her knowledge of herbs to heal others, Catherine of Siena helped repair a divided and corrupt church, Damien ministered to the lepers of Molokai. These stories and those about Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Archbishop Romero, and Fr. Mychal Judge lead us to these healing saints for compaionship and inspiration when we, too, hurt.

IP#205 Christopher West – Fill These Hearts on Inside the Pages

Christopher West continues to offer to us work that is compelling, as well as challenging, in regards to our deepest desires…the yearning in our hearts that can only find rest in God. Through the Scriptures, the writings of the Saints, and the teachings of the Church, Christopher West helps us to understand that so much of what we seek and how we seek it, especially expressed through our bodies, cannot be authentically found in what our culture offers. The only place where true peace, joy, and fulfillment can be found is in the abundant love and grace which resides in the Heart of God who longs for us…it is up to us to respond.

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“Christopher West is a gifted and effective evangelist with a passion for tackling one of the greatest obstacles to belief today: the heresy that Christianity is a joyless, rule-bound religion. Not so, argues West, in this timely, powerful book. Drawing upon Scripture, the saints and the glimmers of truth in pop culture, West reminds us that Christianity is essentially a love story, and Christian sexual ethics exist to help us fulfill, not repress, our deepest desires. For anyone who has ever doubted that Christ’s call to purity of heart is good news, Fill These Hearts will prove a surprising and consoling read, one with the potential to change your life as well as your mind.”
–Colleen Carroll Campbell, author of My Sisters the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir

IP#201 Dr. Lawrence Cunningham – The 7 Deadly Sins on Inside the Pages

I so enjoyed my conversation with Dr. Lawrence Cunningham. In his book, “The Seven Deadly Sins: A Visitor’s Guide“, Dr. Cunningham draws from the wisdom of the mystical desert fathers. He offers us insight on sloth, envy, gluttony, greed, anger, lust and pride – how they were first identified as the “deadly”sins, what they might look like in today’s world, and how corresponding virtues can counter their destructive tendencies. A fascinating read!

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“At a time when invective poses as ‘straight talk,’ and the rant replaces reasoned discourse, Lawrence Cunningham’s brilliant new meditation on the Seven Deadly Sins is pure gift. Moral confusion may be the defining weakness of our era, but here is a book that can lead us back to the light.”–Paula Huston, Author of Simplifying the Soul

IP#198 Msgr. Charles Murphy – Eucharistic Adoration on Inside the Pages

“Eucharistic Adoration: Holy Hour Meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ” is a marvelous book for enhancing your experience of one of the Church’s richest devotions. Msgr. Charles Murphy pours into this work over 50 years of priestly life and pastoral experience in spreading the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. He ties together reflections on the seven last words of Jesus with the profiles of seven modern Christians known for their devotion to the Eucharist, including Simone Weil, Edith Stein, Dorothy Day, Blessed John XXIII, Blessed John Paul II, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. In this conversation, we also discuss his book “The Spirituality of Fasting”

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Monsignor Charles M. Murphy is currently the director of the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Portland, Maine. He is the author of a number of scholarly articles and several books, including The Spirituality of Fasting, At Home on the Earth, Wallace Stevens: A Spiritual Poet in a Secular Age, and Belonging to God. Murphy is the former academic dean and rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome and served as part of the editorial group working in Italy under Cardinal Ratzinger on the third draft of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which became the fourth and final version.

Murphy currently serves as consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops committee on catechetics, reviewing materials for conformity with the Catechism. He served as chair of the editorial committee that produced the pastoral letter on environmental issues by the Bishops of the Boston Province and he served as a consultant to the USCCB for their statement on global warming. He has been the pastor of four parishes in Maine and has served his diocese in ecumenical and educational capacities. Murphy holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University, a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree in classics from the College of the Holy Cross.

IP#193 Paula Huston – Seasons of Mystery on Inside the Pages

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Paula Huston is one of the finest spiritual writers alive today. Her books speak to the human heart in such a beautiful, gentle way. She inspires us to climb higher the spiritual mountain, even when the times are treacherous and rocky. In “A Season of Mystery: 10 Spiritual Practices for Embracing a Happier Second Half of Life”, she encourages us to slow down, in order to nurture the relationship God is offering us today. For many of us, it may involve a paradigm shift, but one that is well worth the effort if we choose to enter into it. Paula breaks open each practice found in her book with moments from her own experience. She then gives us practical helps which can transform our everyday lives. Those practices include listening, delighting, lightening, settling, confronting, accepting, appreciating, befriending, generating, blessing. Filled with questions and reflections, this book is perfect for either individual or group study.

[powepress]

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From the book description:

We live in a culture that tells us there are few things worse than aging, that we should avoid aging at all costs, and that we must shun death. And yet, no matter how much money we spend on health supplements, no matter how many gurus we consult, the fact remains unchanged: We will grow old.

A Season of Mystery is not intended to be a selection of self-improvement secrets; the goal of Huston’s work is to encourage people in the second half of life to become “ordinary mystics” who are no longer bound by the world’s false ideas on aging but instead be freed by God’s grace to embrace the riches that come only with growing older.

Check out more from Paula – IP#139 Paula Huston – Simplifying Your Soul on Inside the Pages