The great Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross became a Carmelite monk in 1563 and helped St. Teresa of Avila to reform the Carmelite order -- enduring persecution and imprisonment for his efforts. Both in his writing and in his life, he demonstrated eloquently his love for God. His written thoughts on man's relationship with God were literacy endeavors that placed him on an intellectual and philosophical level with such great writers as St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.In this work -- a spiritual masterpiece and classic of Christian literature and mysticism -- he addresses several subjects, a... View More...
John of Avila (1499-1569) was a major figure in the ecclesial reform and spiritual renewal that finally came to pass in 16th-century Spain. In spite of discrimination because of his Jewish background, John had an excellent education at the Universities of Salamanca and Alcala, centers of Christian humanistic studies in Spain. As a diocesan priest in Andalusia, he labored as a preacher, confessor, spiritual director, catechist, evangelist, educator, and theologian. He knew and helped many saints including Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and John of God. Master Avila, as he was called, cent... View More...
Mar a Baranda and Paul Hoover present revitalized translations of some of the most beloved poems of the Golden Age of Spanish literature. In 1578, during months of imprisonment for his reformist beliefs, San Juan de la Cruz composed a series of narrative poems inspired by the Biblical Song of Songs--and, the story goes, a popular love song overheard from his cramped cell--that take God as the beloved. Erotically charged, initially scandalous, his mystical poetry engages with the journey of the soul through the darkest trenches of suffering and despair toward an enlightened spiritual connectio... View More...
Mar a Baranda and Paul Hoover present revitalized translations of some of the most beloved poems of the Golden Age of Spanish literature. In 1578, during months of imprisonment for his reformist beliefs, San Juan de la Cruz composed a series of narrative poems inspired by the Biblical Song of Songs--and, the story goes, a popular love song overheard from his cramped cell--that take God as the beloved. Erotically charged, initially scandalous, his mystical poetry engages with the journey of the soul through the darkest trenches of suffering and despair toward an enlightened spiritual connectio... View More...
The life and mystical experiences of an intelligent and artistic thirteenth-century flemish nun are described in this contemporary biography, drawn from almost autobiography. Her own Seven Manieren van Minne is incorporated into the text and given in translation from two redactions: the Latin of her biographer and her own vernacular.
Written in 1565 at the request of her confessor, St. Teresa's autobiography is at once an extraordinary chronicle of a life governed by the desire to draw closer to God and a literary masterpiece that brings to life a woman of candor, humor, and great spiritual strength. Teresa writes of her early life, the conflicts and crises she faced, and her decision to enter a life of prayer. Her lyrical, almost erotic descriptions of ecstatic experiences call to mind the senuous language of the Song of Songs.
This collection tells the story of Thomas Becket's turbulent life, violent death and extraordinary posthumous acclaim in the words of his contemporaries. The only modern collection from the twelfth-century Lives of Thomas Becket in English and features all his major biographers, including many previously untranslated extracts. Providing both a valuable glimpse of the late twelfth-century world, and an insight into the minds of those who witnessed the events. By using contemporary sources, this book is the most accessible way to study this central episode in medieval history. Thomas Becket feat... View More...
The only tragedy is not to be a saint, wrote the French novelist Leon Bloy. And St. Francis de Sales said that A sad saint would be a sorry saint. But what is a saint? One way to answer is to analyze sanctity, theologically and psychologically. Another way, which is the path Frank Sheed chose in creating this volume, is to show you a saint--or rather, since no two saints are alike--to show you a number of saints. In this book, you are shown forty saints. The saints Sheed chose for this collection are from various time periods: six before A.D. 500, seventeen from then to the Reformation, and se... View More...
As the first saint to be canonized who was born in the United States, Elizabeth Seton holds a special place in the history of the Catholic Church in America. A wife and widow, mother of five children, founder of a new community of religious women, teacher and administrator, Elizabeth Seton was remarkable by any standard. Most importantly, Elizabeth Seton was a holy person who brought other people to a greater love of God and of their sisters and brothers. View More...
As the first saint to be canonized who was born in the United States, Elizabeth Seton holds a special place in the history of the Catholic Church in America. A wife and widow, mother of five children, founder of a new community of religious women, teacher and administrator, Elizabeth Seton was remarkable by any standard. Most importantly, Elizabeth Seton was a holy person who brought other people to a greater love of God and of their sisters and brothers. View More...
