From the book: Dubay, Thomas. Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel—On Prayer. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989. Print. St. Teresa of Avila “If a person does not think Whom he is addressing, and what he is … [Read more...]

My notes from the book: Dubay, Thomas. Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel—On Prayer. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989. Print. Chapter 1: A Question of Relevance “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and … [Read more...]

Ideas taken from Dubay, Thomas. Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel—On Prayer. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989. Print. For St. Teresa of Avila, vocal prayer is verbalized mental prayer. This is poles apart … [Read more...]

(Click here for free PDF copy of the study guide) Preface Ratzinger states that the intention of this book is “to encourage in a new way, something like a “liturgical movement”, a movement toward the liturgy and toward the right way of celebrating … [Read more...]

The Spirit of the Liturgy by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Translated by John Saward, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2000. Print.  (Click here for free PDF copy of the study guide) Preface Ratzinger states that the intention of this book is "to … [Read more...]

Summary of the Book 1. The Spirit of Monastic Lectio The ancient practice of lectio divina is deeply rooted in Western monasticism, where monks approached sacred reading as a disciple comes to a master—receptive, docile, and willing to be … [Read more...]

Introduction: The Problem of Prayer C.S. Lewis once wrote, "Well, let's now at any rate come clean. Prayer is irksome. An excuse to omit it is never unwelcome. When it is over, this casts a feeling of relief and holiday over the rest of the day. We … [Read more...]

Preparing Yourself for Mass by Romano Guardini, Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 1997 Reprinted (1939 original). Romano Guardini held these discourses to help us prepare for Holy Mass... to reveal what the Mass demands of us and how those … [Read more...]

My summary notes: 1: Let us Drink the Sober Intoxication of the Spirit with Joy! "Laeti bibamus sobriam profusionem Spiritus" ~ St. Ambrose In 1975, addressing the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Pope Paul VI recommended this motto (above) as a way … [Read more...]

The Action of the Holy Spirit: The Lord and Giver of Life by Frank J. Sheed, Reprint Edition: Frederick, Maryland: The Word Among Us Press, 2006. Prologue "The daily conduct of the Church and of the individual Christian is the affair of the Holy … [Read more...]