The Three Ages of the Interior Life


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Volume One of the spiritual classic by the man who taught John Paul II theology at the Angelicum in Rome







The Three Ways of the Spiritual Life


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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




The Three Ages of the Interior Life


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A masterpiece of possibly the 20th Century s greatest theologian.




Navigating the Interior Life


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Most of us have questions about spiritual direction. What is it? What if I cant find a spiritual director? These questions and more are well answered in Dan Burkes book. The Lord is clearly calling all Catholics into a deeper union with him. This book, in a style which is both inspiring and practical, provides some of the Churchs most important wisdom about how to respond to this call.




The Three Conversions in the Spiritual Life


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In this compact book; the famous Thomist; Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange; sets forth the classic Catholic traditions on the spiritual life as the full flowering of Sanctifying Grace in the soul. He explains the three stages of the spiritual life-the Purgative Way; the Illuminative Way; and the Unitive Way-showing the transitions or conversions from one period to another. How can one become a saint without knowing the way -- the pitfalls; common mistakes; and experience of Saints who have gone before. Friar Réginald Marie Garrigou-Lagrange OP., was a worldwide known Catholic Theologian and, among Thomists of the scholastic tradition, is generally thought to be the greatest Catholic Thomist of the Twentieth Century. He taught at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, commonly known as the Angelicum, in Rome from 1909 until 1960.Gontran-Marie Garrigou-Lagrange was born in Auch, Midi-Pyrénées, France, on February 21, 1877, into a solid Catholic family living in the south-west of France. In 1896, he began studies in medicine at the University of Bordeaux, but whilst there he read a book by the Catholic philosopher Ernest Hello which changed the direction of his life.Medical studies abandoned, Gontran-Marie entered the French Dominicans at the age of twenty, and received the Religious Name of Reginald, after Blessed Reginald of Orleans, a contemporary of St Dominic, to whom Our Lady appeared in a vision, curing him of a mortal sickness and gaving him a white scapular that thereupon became part of the Dominican habit. Friar Reginald had the good fortune to receive his initial training from Dominicans committed to implementing Pope Leo XIII's encyclical letter "Aeterni Patris", the document that insisted upon the unique place of St. Thomas Aquinas in Philosophy and Theology. It was by studying the Angelic Doctor that the young Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange nourished the conviction that had brought him to the cloister: the unchangeableness of revealed truth.




The Mother of the Saviour and Our Interior Life


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




Introduction to the Spiritual Life


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A compelling exploration of the biblical foundations, contemplative practices, and spiritual path of Jesus himself—from the bestselling author of The Case for Jesus “What happens when a biblical theologian explores classic spirituality? This book. Pitre’s students have asked, Why have we never heard this before? The reader wonders the same.”—Dr. David Fagerberg, author of Liturgical Mysticism The path of following Jesus is an ancient and storied spiritual tradition. Yet many believers are not familiar with the three major forms of prayer and the three stages of spiritual growth that exist to bring them closer to God. In his most personal book yet, Brant Pitre, PhD, draws on the riches of the Bible, the words of Jesus, and the writings of mystics across the centuries to shed light on the mystery—and wonder—of the spiritual life. Starting with the age-old belief that the path of prayer is not only informative but transformative, Dr. Pitre explores • the scriptural roots of the major forms of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplation • the purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages of spiritual growth • the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving • the Jewish roots of the Lord’s Prayer • Lectio Divina: how to pray with the Bible • seven vices and their seven opposing virtues • the battle of prayer: how to deal with difficulty and distractions • the “dark night of the soul” in the Scriptures Full of sacred truths, contemplative insights, and practical steps, Introduction to the Spiritual Life is a biblical road map of the spiritual landscape that enables us to follow Jesus as our primary guide.




Life Everlasting


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The Three Ages of the Interior Life


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The Three Ages of the Interior Life is one of the greatest works ever written on the spiritual life, and it is the masterpiece of Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. (1877-1964), whom many consider the greatest theologian of the 20th century. First published in English in 1948, The Three Ages of the Interior Life has been out of print for many years, yet it is widely known and highly esteemed by those fortunate enough to own a set. In this classic work Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange has given a complete and systematic explanation of ascetical and mystical theology, and in the process he has explained all aspects of the supernatural life of grace in the soul and shown how Sanctifying Grace, along with the Supernatural Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost, are meant to grow and develop as a "supernatural organism" in every Christian soul. Basing his teaching squarely on the principles of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John of the Cross, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange also draws freely from Sacred Scripture and Tradition, as well as from the teachings of the great Saints, Doctors of the Church and other Catholic mystical writers. Composed of 95 chapters, this two-volume work covers a myriad of topics, yet it is no mere random collection of doctrinal subjects. Rather it is a work of unity, structure and purpose, and it is extremely valuable as a roadmap for understanding the rich but often disorganized writings of the Saints and other mystical writers. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange explains precisely in what sanctity consists and clearly expounds and defends the ancient Christian tradition that all Christians are called to holiness. The title of this work refers to the classic division of the spiritual life into three successive states: The Purgative Way, the Illuminative Way and the Unitive Way. Showing that the faithful Christian's life of ascetical practices is meant to flower into the mystical life, he clearly distinguishes between, on the one hand, those graces of the mystical life that are in themselves extraordinary (such as visions and ecstasies), and on the other hand, that grace which is often considered extraordinary (not common among souls) but which is in fact in the normal way of sanctity, namely, infused contemplation. In particular, he propounds the thesis that infused contemplation of the mysteries of Faith-and the resulting union with God-are in the normal way of sanctity and are also morally necessary for holiness. Infused contemplation is thus clearly presented, not as a peripheral phenomenon in the spiritual life, nor as something reserved for those in the cloister, but rather as a gift which any Christian may well desire and beseech of God, since it is the usual way of reaching eminent sanctity.




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