Spiritual Direction and Practice Archives

IP#235 Fr. R. Scott Hurd – When Faith Feels Fragile on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

It’s a rare believer that doesn’t feel challenged at times in the area of faith. For those occasions, Fr. R. Scott Hurd provides wise counsel and encouragement in “When Faith Feels Fragile: Help for the Wary, Weak, and Wandering.” Fr. Scott has an engaging and pastorally sensitive approach to many of the common issues that cause us to stumble on the journey of faith. A great book even if you feel your faith is strong, and to passed on to those you may know who are struggling.

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You can find the book here

“At some point in our life, our faith is tested. It can feel like God is hidden and out of reach. We wonder if we can we count on God’s presence. When Faith Feels Fragile teaches us how to recognize the many ways that God touches us in the course of our daily routine. Drawing on the practical wisdom of life’s experience, Father Scott Hurd explores the deeper spiritual meaning by finding parallels in Scripture and Christian spirituality. We learn how to “open ourselves up to the gift of faith and hold it close to our hearts.”

-His Eminence Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington

IP#151 Joe Paprocki – The 7 Key to Spiritual Wellness on Inside the Pages

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In “7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness,” best-selling author Joe Paprocki provides a prescription for spiritual health based on the rich wisdom of Catholic Tradition.

The Saints have repeatedly taught us that our souls can get spiritually sick and die.

Joe’s new book focuses on the root causes of spiritual sickness. Each chapter identifies a specific threat to the health of our souls and offers strategies for beating that virus.

His keys to spiritual wellness are:

Seeing Yourself as You Really Are
Actively Seeking the Good of Others
Thinking Before Acting
Holding on Loosely
Recognizing and Setting Limits
Channeling, Not Repressing, Your Desires
Unleashing Your Imagination

You can find the book here

IP#141 Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC – 33 Days to Morning Glory on Inside the Pages

What is Marian Consecration? What is the role the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives? How can this bring us even more fully into the heart of Divine Mercy? What a joy to talk with Fr. Michael Gaitley, who serves as director of the Association of Marian Helpers, about “33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration”. He answers the above the questions above and so much more.

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The goal of the retreat contained in the book is to learn how to ponder more deeply in our hearts what it means to enter into Marian consecration. With the help of not only St. Louis de Montfort, but also St. Maximilian Kolbe, Bl. John Paul II, and Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Fr. Gaitley reveals to us the great connection between the heart of Mary and beautiful depth of Divine Mercy…and the key to it all is…TRUST.

Find the book here

To learn more about the “All Hearts A Fire” parish programs that Fr. Michael spoke of click here

IP#139 Paula Huston – Simplifying Your Soul on Inside the Pages

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Here is the book for Lent (and any other time of the year for that matter), “Simplifying Your Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit” is “simply” wonderful! Paula Huston has such a gentle way of helping us to penetrate into what our hearts so we can draw closer to what we truly long for…a deeper relationship with God…the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A Benedictine oblate, Paula, draws from the best of the monastic traditions and helps us to apply those practices in our modern day circumstances. I have to believe that Sts. Benedict and Scholastic would be overjoyed how this 21-century daughter of the church has responded to their initial teachings offered so a long ago. NOT TO BE MISSED…HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

You can find it here

From the book description:

Our temptation in this era of self-fulfillment is to dismiss humility as a relic of the unsophisticated past. Yet for centuries, Christians have considered it a key component of a healthy spiritual life, and the journey toward humility to be one and the same as the journey toward Christlikeness.

The beauty of the Lenten season is that it encourages the development of a humble heart. Structured as an individual Lenten retreat, Simplifying the Soul presents daily readings from Jesus and the desert fathers and mothers, along with a meditation focused on a specific activity that can be carried out that day. Many of these activities come straight out of Catholic tradition, but others are adaptations of old wisdom woven into contemporary life (cleaning out a junk drawer, walking instead of driving, etc.) All are designed to lead to conversion of heart and a transformed life.

IP#132 Kevin Lowry – Faith at Work on Inside the Pages

Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck is fantastic…a remedy for spirituality seekers in the workplace (and in the home as well)! You have to love a work that begins with conversion as a goal. Kevin Lowry offers concrete helps which assist all of us deepen our relationship with Christ and His Church, and live authentic lives as Catholics in the world. Great for individuals and for group study as well.

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“Too many Christians treat ambition and success as if they’re four-letter words…. For a Catholic in business, they can be touchstones of sanctification.”— Scott Hahn, Ph.D., professor of biblical theology, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Be sure to visit Kevin Lowry’s website at Grateful Convert

Check it out here

IP#56 Fr. Robert Spitzer – 5 Pillars of the Spiritual Life on Inside the Pages

Fr. Robert Spitzer is fantastic and his gift to us in this work is tremendous for those seeking to grow deeper in the spiritual life. These five dimensions of the spiritual life: (1) the Holy Eucharist, (2) spontaneous prayer, (3) the Beatitudes, (4) partnership with the Holy Spirit, and (5) the contemplative life itself, generally do not develop simultaneously or even in parallel ways. Some develop very quickly, but do not achieve significant depth; while others develop quite slowly, but seem to be almost unending in the depth of wisdom, trust, hope, virtue, and love they engender. The best way of explaining this is to look at each of the pillars individually.

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This is where you can find the book

IP#47 Deacon James Keating– A Deacon’s Retreat on Inside the Pages

No stranger to Discerning Hearts, Deacon James Keating once again takes us all into the depths of our interiority with “A Deacon’s Retreat”. Yes, written primarily for deacons of the Church, as usual, this work is a wonderful spiritual work that can touch us all. Deacon Keating uses the setting of our great prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to lead us on a retreat to encounter Christ. We can reflect on this “retreat” every time we participate in the Eucharist. Deacon Keating truly is one of best contemporary spiritual leaders of our present age.

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Check out Deacon Keating’s book here

Also don’t miss Deacon Keating’s Discerning Hearts page

IP#46 Mary DuTurris Poust – Walking Together on Inside the Pages

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This is the book for anyone who desires to cherish the beautiful gift of “spiritual friendship”. Mary DuTurris Poust exhorts us all to recognize this gift of friendship given to us by God and shows us how to nurture the special bond that helps us, ultimately, to grow in a deeper relationship with Him. “Walking Together: Discovering the Tradition of Spiritual Friendship”, with the help of biblical images and the lives of the saints, helps us with the connections we have made with others, those persons we trust with the matter of our souls.

Visit Mary DuTurris Poust’s website

Check out Mary’s book

IP#21 Gary Jansen – Exercising Your Soul on Inside the Pages

Gary Jansen’s book is a great way to help any and all who are seeking to “Exercise” their soul. As Fr. James Martin has said, “Jansen offers straightforward advice on how to begin, or deepen, your relationship with the One who loved us into being”. I couldn’t agree more…let the workout begin!

Gary’s book can be found at Amazon.com

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