Spiritual Direction Archives

Meditation on the Vestments of the Mass

Fr. Michael Mueller

You may ask, dear Reader, if Our Lord also ordained the ceremonies of Mass. I answer, “No.” He instituted only the essential arts of the

Inspiration from St. Stephen of Hungary and His Crown

Paul Kengor

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Pope Francis by phone on Friday and thanked him for his prayers. The phone call came the day after

Sins of Habit

The Soul Sanctified

“Let not sin reign in your mortal body.” -Romans 6:12 It is a great evil to accustom ourselves to evil. A habit of sinning is

Discourse on the Feast of the Assumption

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Meditation on the Death of Mary On this day the Church celebrates, in honour of Mary, two solemn festivals; the first is that of her

Uncover the beautiful narrative of St. Joachim and St. Ann, the chosen couple destined to be the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Learn how their lives in Nazareth paved the way for the coming of Jesus, the Sun of Justice.

The Importance Of Mary In The Spiritual Order (PART II)

Ven. Mary of Agreda

In fine, the appointed time approaching, God sent into the world two brilliant flambeaux, to announce the coming dawn of the Sun of Justice, Jesus, our Saviour. These were St. Joachim and St. Ann, whom the Divine Will had prepared and created to be the parents of the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God. Joachim, with his parents and friends, lived in Nazareth, a small town of Galilee.

Resignation to the Divine Will

The Soul Sanctified

“My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.” -John 4:34 So said Jesus Christ, speaking of Himself. In this mortal life,

Remedies Against Gluttony

Venerable Louis of Granada

Gluttony is an inordinate love of eating and drinking. Our Savior warns us against this vice, saying, “Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be

The Glories of Heaven: The Supernatural Gifts that Await Body & Soul in Paradise

Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB

The newest addition to the TAN Resurrection collection, The Glories of Heaven was written by Saint Anselm of Canterbury and has been translated into English

The Mercy of God on the Return of a Sinner

St. Francis de Sales

“If sin abounds in malice to destroy, grace superabounds to repair.” -St. Francis de Sales The entrance of sin takes away life from the heart

God Controls All Events, Whether Good or Bad

Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, S.J.

Nothing happens in the the universe without God willing and allowing it. This statement must be taken absolutely of everything with the exception of sin.

Introduction To The Dark Night Of The Soul

St. John of the Cross

The following is an Introduction penned by Fr. Benedict Zimmerman for Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross.

The Devotion of St. Aloysius to His Guardian Angel

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

From Speculum Innocentiae: Sive Vita Angelici Juvenis B. Aloysii Gonzagae (The Mirror of Innocence: or The Life of the Angelic Youth, Aloysius Gonzaga) by Babriel

The Shortness of Life

The Soul Sanctified

“What is your life? It is a vapour, which appeareth for a little while.” -James 4:15 What is your life? It is like a vapor,

Explore the eternal counsels and sublime rank of the Mother of God. Learn about the extraordinary moments of her existence on our website.

The Importance Of Mary In The Spiritual Order (PART I)

Ven. Mary of Agreda

Before we begin to write the admirable life of the Mother of God, it is necessary to make known the sublime rank which, from all eternity, she held in the divine counsels. Although the Divine Intelligence, one, indivisible and very simple, conceives and decides on an act in an infinitely simple manner, without relation to time, either past or future, nevertheless, according to our manner of understanding, we distinguish different moments.

The Vast Life of God and the Precious Blood

Fr. Frederick Faber

The Empire of the Precious Blood The life of God is very vast. It is a thing to be thought rather than to be spoken

Humility is the Remedy for Evil

Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo

It may be said that humility is the most efficacious remedy for all evil and a most potent antidote to preserve the soul from that

Why Pray in Latin?

John Paul Sonnen

“For the Church, precisely because it embraces all nations and is destined to endure until the end of time…of its very nature requires a language

It is Sweet to Serve God

Thomas à Kempis

Disciple: Now will I speak, O Lord, and will not be silent; I will say in the hearing of my God, my Lord and my

What is the Interior Life (PART II)

Fr. Jean-Baptiste Chautard

EIGHTH TRUTH: My interior life will be no better than my custody of my heart. “Before all things keep a guard over thy heart, for

What is the Interior Life (PART I)

Fr. Jean-Baptiste Chautard

In this book the words life of prayer, contemplative life will be applied, as they are in the Imitation of Christ to the state of

On Preparation for Communion

Fr. Michael Mueller

In order to receive the abundant fruits of the Holy Eucharist, a certain cooperation is required on the part of the receiver – not indeed

Mary is the Hope of All (PART II)

St. Alphonsus Liguori

In the Book of Proverbs Mary herself tells us that she possesses all the riches of God, that is to say, His mercies, that she

Sundays and Holydays in the Spiritual Life

R. P. Quadrupani, Barnabite

“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” -Mark 2: 27 Every day of our life should be employed in glorifying

St. Gerard Majella’s Devotion to the Saints and Angels and Particularly to St. Michael

Fr. Edward Saint-Omer, C.SS.R.

A child of Heaven rather than of earth, Gerard had chosen his intimate friends from among the Angels and the Saints. Besides the Twelve Apostles,

Mary is the Hope of All (PART I)

St. Alphonsus Liguori

OUR HOPE Modern heretics cannot endure that we should salute and call Mary our Hope: ‘Hail, our Hope!’ They say that God alone is our

Distrust of Ourselves Under Temptation

The Soul Sanctified

“The Lord is the protector of all that trust in Him.” -Psalm 17:31 One of the best means of overcoming temptations is to distrust ourselves

We Should Abandon Ourselves to God in Life and in Death

St. Francis de Sales

Among the praises given by the saints to Abraham, St. Paul mentions this above every other, that he believed, hoping against all hope. God has

Embrace the virtue of humility as taught in the Holy Scripture. Our website offers insights and guidance on how to lead a humble life, free from the trappings of pride, for a truly fulfilled and serene existence.

St. Benedict On Humility

St. Benedict of Nursia

Brothers, the Holy Scripture cries to us, saying: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11). By these words it declares to us that all exaltation is a kind of pride, which the Prophet shows must carefully be avoided when he says: “LORD, my heart is not proud; nor are my eyes haughty. I do not busy myself with great matters, with things too sublime for me” (Ps 131:1). But why? “Rather, I have stilled my soul, hushed it like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me” (Ps 131:2).

The Mystery of the Precious Blood

Fr. Frederick Faber

Salvation! What music is there in that word – music that never tires but is always new, that always rouses yet always rests us! It

The Martyrdom of St. Maria Goretti

Fr. Godfrey Poage, C.P.

CHAPTER 8: EVEN TO BLOOD It is once more high noon. The sun from its zenith beats down on the Ferriere farm. A burning wind,

The Mortification of the Passions

Venerable Louis of Granada

Having thus regulated the body and all it senses, the most important reformation still remains to be effected, which is that of the soul with

Freedom of Heart According to My Imitation of Christ

Thomas à Kempis

A Pure and Entire Resignation of Ourselves for Obtaining Freedom of Heart Christ: Son, leave thyself and thou shalt find Me. Stand without choice or

Remembering Leo XIII’s Arcanum—On Christian Marriage

Paul Kengor

Few popes in the history of the Church had the impact of Pope Leo XIII. Born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci on March 2, 1810,

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus According to St. Gertrude

Fr. André Prévot

Invitation of the Heart of Jesus Part I The Devotion to the Sacred Heart is the Last Effort in These Latter Ages of the Love

Practice of Conformity to God (PART II)

Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, S.J.

In Reverses of Fortune We should accept with the same conformity to the will of God the loss of employment or money and all other

Christ,Crowned,With,Thorns,,By,Gerard,Van,Honthorst

Remedies Against Pride (PART II)

Venerable Louis of Granada

Consider also the danger of vainglory, the daughter of pride, which St. Bernard says, enters lightly but wounds deeply. Therefore, when men praise you, think

The Seven Sorrows of Mary by unknown artist. 1800s, oil on canvas, Museo de Artes Universidad de los Andes / Wikimedia Common

Exercise Great Care in the Selection of Your Spiritual Reading

R. P. Quadrupani, Barnabite

“Blessed is the man whom Thou shalt instruct, O Lord, and shalt teach him out of Thy Law.” –Ps. 93:12 “All scripture divinely inspired, is

Motives Impelling Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Fr. Lukas Etlin, OSB

By Original Sin man lost Sanctifying Grace and thereby forfeited the right to Heaven. But God, in His merciful love, had decreed from eternity to

Embrace the spirit of evangelic poverty by leaving all things for God's sake. Possess only life's necessities and be willing to go without for the love of God.

How We Are to Fight Against Impurity

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

In encountering this vice we must use special tactics and greater resolution. In order to do this we must distinguish three phases of the operation

The Assault on the Holy Eucharist

Fr. Kevin Drew

“I am not allowed in these columns to discuss politics or religion, which is inconvenient; as they are the only two subjects which seem to

Consolations and Dryness in Prayer

Rt. Rev. Dom Vitalis Lehodey

One of the most common and deplorable illusions consists in judging of our prayer by the consolation or dryness we meet with therein. In thinking

Practice of Conformity to God (PART I)

Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, S.J.

The Practice of Conformity to the Will of God To the question, “In what things should we practice conformity to the will of God?” there

The Archconfraternity of the Holy Face: Why Should One Join?

Fr. Lawrence Carney

Is Reparation Destined to Save Society? In the nineteenth century Blessed Pope Pius IX stated, “Reparation is destined to save society!” One addresses God by

Effects of Holy Communion

Fr. William Rock, FSSP

There is a correspondence between the natural uses of the matter of the Sacraments and at least some of the effects they produce. For example,

God Deserves to be Supremely Loved

The Soul Sanctified

“Let us therefore love God because He first hath loved us.” -1 John 4:19 St. Teresa said that it was a great favor that God

From the Imitation of Christ: Amendment of Life

Thomas à Kempis

The Fervent Amendment of Our Whole Life Be vigilant and diligent in God’s service, and often consider to what end thou camest hither, and why

Remedies Against Pride (PART I)

Venerable Louis of Granada

We have generally called the deadly or capital sins the sources of all iniquity. They are the roots of the mighty tree of vice, and

Love of Jesus for Sinners

St. Francis de Sales

Our Lord, the great and excellent physician of our infirmities, announced everywhere, before coming into this world, both His arrival and the maladies He would

Pentecost Meditation on the Holy Spirit (PART II)

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.

Even in Church history, this problem of not appreciating the Holy Spirit’s presence and importance in daily Christian life existed! St. Augustine (A.D. 354-430) recognized the lack of theological study regarding the Holy Spirit and His mission even in his own day.

Pentecost Meditation on the Holy Spirit (PART I)

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.

The Gift of God “It is the gift of the Holy Spirit Who makes us like the Son and puts us in a filial relationship

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