Part poetic masterpiece, part mystic treatise, The Dark Night of the Soul by 16th century Carmelite monk St. John of the Cross, addresses the feeling of being forgotten by the Presence of the Almighty that every Christian desirous of walking more closely with God must pass through in order to learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

In The Interior Castle, Carmelite nun, mystic, and patron saint of Spain Teresa of Ávila uses the metaphor of a giant crystal castle to explain her theory of the soul and the various stages it passes through as it progresses towards God. Beginning in the outer rooms, where demons are fought and vices are purged, the soul must reach the inner chambers, where it will enter betrothal and intimate union with God. Prayer is central to the journey, as the soul is guided by its practice and each phase represents a different category of devotion.

The Venerable Louis of Granada, OP (1504-1588), was a Dominican friar who was a noted theologian, writer and preacher. He is best known for his ascetical writings of which The Sinner's Guide has achieved the greatest success. It was published in 1555 and quickly became a classic....

A beautiful piece of literature by a great saint of the church. St. John of the Cross was a man in search of Christ, a true follower of the ways of God. By only simple observation, it seems that his entire life was swallowed up in the glory and majesty of God, and we have the great privilege of peering into that relationship through his written works. This is a book describing the search of a lovesick soul for her wonderful bridegroom. A truly remarkable spring for anyone desiring a deeper life with God.

The Story of a Soul conveys St. Therese of Lisieux's "Little Way" of spiritual childhood - her "elevator" to Heaven, as she called it. This method was approved by Pope Pius XI as a way for all to grow in holiness through unfailing confidence and childlike delight in God's merciful love. Again and again in this audiobook, St. Therese shows us how her "Little Way" of love and trust comes straight from Sacred Scripture.

The 13th-century mystic Meister Eckhart was the most brilliant Christian scholar of his day, but he was also legendary for the way that he opened listeners to the direct experience of God during his public talks. Today, his written wisdom remains alive as ever, ready to illuminate us. With Meister Eckhart's Living Wisdom, James Finley, one of today's best-known teachers of the Christian contemplative tradition, invites us into Eckhart's insights in the same way that this luminary teacher delighted in sharing them.

St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, and theologian. He was the archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109 and was declared a saint soon after his death. Later, in 1720, he was pronounced a doctor of the church. These meditations were written before St. Anselm became Archbishop of Canterbury. They are personal devotional reflections with deep theological underpinnings. They are intended to draw the listener closer to God and motivate them to achieve a higher spiritual state.

When My only-begotten Son returned to Me, forty days after the resurrection, this Bridge, namely Himself, arose from the earth, that is, from among the conversation of men, and ascended into Heaven by virtue of the Divine Nature and sat at the right hand of Me, the Eternal Father, as the angels said, on the day of the Ascension, to the disciples, standing like dead men, their hearts lifted on high, and ascended into Heaven with the wisdom of My Son - 'Do not stand here any longer, for He is seated at the right hand of the Father!'

Drawing upon the teachings of seven spiritual doctors of the church, Ralph Martin presents an in-depth study of the journey to God. This book provides encouragement and direction for the pilgrim who desires to know, love, and serve our Lord.

In the COVID crisis, the beloved shepherd of over one billion Catholics saw the cruelty and inequity of our society exposed more vividly than ever before. He also saw, in the resilience, generosity and creativity of so many people, the means to rescue our society, our economy and our planet. In direct, powerful prose, Pope Francis urges us not to let the pain be in vain. He begins Let Us Dream by exploring what this crisis can teach us about how to handle upheaval of any kind in our own lives and the world at large. 

Two years before he died, St. Thomas Aquinas, probably the greatest teacher the Church has ever known, was asked by his assistant Brother Reginald to write a simple summary of the faith of the Catholic Church for those who lacked the time or the stamina to tackle his massive Summa Theologica. In response, the great saint quickly set down in language that non-scholars can understand his peerless insights into the major topics of theology: the Trinity, Divine Providence, the Incarnation of Christ, the Last Judgment, and much more.

As featured on Bible Gateway, the Revised Geneva Translation of the Holy Bible is a faithful 21st-century update to the Geneva Bible of the 1500s, the very first widely distributed Bible in English. It was borne of an actor's need to memorize and speak Scripture out loud with specific meanings and inflections.

Apocrypha is a Greek word that means "something hidden". The term is often used for writings of the church that are not generally accepted as authentic or inspired. It is unclear what the motivation was for writing many of these works. But often they fill in gaps of information where the Bible is silent.

On May 8, 1373, 30-year-old Julian of Norwich, sick and near death, had a series of visions of Christ. In these 16 visions she learnt about God's loving nature. God in Julian's visions was not angry and wrathful. Instead, the three properties of God were presented as life, love and light, and all of His creation was good, including his servant, man. In Julian's version, Man is not to blame for his sin; instead it is something that he must experience and overcome in his spiritual journey with God.

These are the words or sayings (Apophthegmata), of various monks (the abbas, i.e. fathers) who lived in the deserts of Egypt between 250 A.D. and 400 A.D. They cover topics such as love, poverty, fasting, humility, and prayer, and there is usually a short story that gives the context of the sayings. These sayings are one of the few surviving records of the first monks such as St. Anthony the Great and St. Pachomius, who followed a strict way of life. Their sole aim was to draw closer to God through their labours.