Need a good spiritual reading book

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Writer_for_God

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Hi everyone,
I am in need of some good spiritual reading and wanted to ask for suggestions to get my mind going on some possible books to read. Let me know if you have any good suggestions for spiritual reading, either classics or more modern authors.
Thank to all.
God bless. Amen.
 
Could you give us a little background? For starters, your approximate age and state of life? What have you read recently? Among books you’ve read, which ones did you feel were most beneficial to you in growing spiritually or gaining insights? Do you prefer a simpler writing style (e.g. Brother Lawrence) or something more intellectual (e.g. Edward Leen)?
 
May I suggest The Imitation of Christ, which to me my second bible. Along with this book, I would do my absolute best to learn Contemplative Prayer. The Cloud of Unknowing provides an excellent introduction. With just these two books in hand, I would suggest no more reading of other books, but instead, I would practice putting the above books into practice. Become a listener and doer, not a reader.
 
I’m going to second Robert’s suggestion of The Imitation of Christ, if you’ve not yet read read it. Next to the New Testament, it is the spiritual book par excellence. Also strongly to be suggested are The Introduction to the Devout Life of St Francis de Sales and The Spiritual Combat of Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, as well as, of course, the New Testament. These are all good spiritual books to revisit often.

As for more particular suggestion, I’d recommend asking your confessor, who can take into account your age, state in life, education, station in the world, and condition of your soul in order to suggest books that would target your soul most effectively.
 
Agree with all of the above and add:

The Perfect Joy of Saint Francis

Peace
 
My All time Favorite , Sergei Kourdakov

His Job was to seek and destroy Christians ,

This book had a huge impact on me many years ago
 
Confessions by Saint Augustine - autobiography of his life and how he converted. Filled with a multitude of beautiful prayers.
 
Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila.

I’ll also vouch for The Imitation of Christ as most everyone is doing. It has had a huge impact on me.
 
Story of a Soul, by St. Therese de Lisieux, Diary, by St. Faustina.
 
The Life of Mary (as seen by the Mystics) St. Elizabeth of Schoenau, St Bridget of Sweden, Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agreda, Blessed Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich

Very inspiring, motivational, REVEALING, book about Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Mary was a very, very, very, humble person. I have so much more love and respect for her after reading this revealing book.

By the way, she did go through the “dark night”.

One thing I did notice after reading the book…in our prayer, Hail Mary ,FULL OF GRACE… that right there tells me she can no longer take in or receive any MORE grace from God. So what, when why did her soul receive those graces??? This book reveals that and MUCH MORE!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

One other thing, in some of the events given in the book, I asked myself…how could THAT happen (speaking in general). I know it to be the truth butI am have a hard time accepting some of the facts revealed simply because I am so tied into my senses and how they perceive my world to be. Many times I caught myself “dead in my tracks” because the information was so profound, 🙂
 
This may be a long shot, and if so I apologize for bringing it up.

But in the 1970’s, Mother Angelica wrote a whole bunch of little booklets on various topics. I’ve found what I’ve read to be absolutely wonderful, and the simple and direct writing style is perfect for meditation.

Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure how to get these booklets at the moment. Up until a few weeks ago, Mother Angelica’s nuns had these booklets for sale at their shop, but they seem to have removed them. I don’t know if they sold out permanently, or if they’re just in the process of printing some more. They were only two dollars each.

But I would certainly recommend that you keep an eye out for them. Mother could explain things to a scholar just as well as she could to a child — and that’s a rare gift indeed.

Edit: come to think of it, you can read her booklets online here.
 
Thank you for this “Become a listener and doer, not a reader.”
 
Into the Silent Land: The Practice of Contemplation by Martin Laird.

New Seeds of Contemplation, by Thomas Merton

No Man Is an Island, by Thomas Merton

In fact, everything by Thomas Merton.

I enjoy everything by Fr Thomas Keating, but don’t want to start a debate over a banned
topic in this forum.

Jim
 
Red_James said:
Confessions by Saint Augustine - autobiography of his life and how he converted. Filled with a multitude of beautiful prayers.
Click to expand...
I’ll second this.

I read it in school as a non-Christian. Re-reading it now as a Catholic. Not sure how I ever understood what I was reading before.
 
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