Excerpts from letters written by a woman who was convinced that Heaven was her goal and that an ordinary life was her path to get there. In a simple and confiding way, Guadalupe Ortíz de Landázuri opens her heart and soul to Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei, whom she would always call “Father”.

Lydia -- who is about to leave for college and whose family has converted to Orthodox Christianity -- works through her own spiritual crisis by writing letters to an icon of St. Lydia.

The selections gathered in this volume are social and business letters written during the period of St. Augustine's monastic retirement, and reflect his multifaceted obligations and concerns as bishop, counselor, preacher, and judge. Of timeless interest, his ideas have had a lasting impact on theology, philosophy, and Western religion.

This book revolutionizes our understanding of the life and thought of the great anchorite father of the Egyptian desert. It is a signal contribution to our knowledge of Egyptian Christianity in the third and fourth centuries.—Birger Pearson, Institute for Antiquity and Christianity Samuel Rubenson, by means of a fresh analysis of the letters of St. Antony, exposes the distortion of the picture of early Christian monks as unlettered and primitive. Rubenson describes the desert monasteries as centers of theological reflection in Egypt, showing how they combined the speculative philosophy of the Greeks and the biblical tradition. Included in this volume is a new translation of the letters themselves, which are shown to be authentic and an important source for the study of the desert fathers and the early monastic tradition. The later image of Antony is demonstrated to be influenced by church politics of the latter part of the fourth century. Samuel Rubenson is Associate Professor at Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Popular Patristics Series Volume 56 "You may hear my living voice through my letters" (Letter 8.11.b) In these letters-available in English in their entirety for the first time-St John Chrysostom guides, comforts, and instructs his spiritual daughter, St Olympia. Written at the end of Chrysostom's life, while he was in his final exile, we see in these pages the unshaken faith of a saint who triumphed over persecution. We also find the words of a concerned spiritual father, who gives St Olympia the tools to overcome her temptation to despondency and despair. Chrysostom's Letters to St Olympia are an indispensable resource for those who are interested in the final days of his life, and they continue to be a source of consolation and edification for readers who seek instruction from St John's "golden mouth."

"Reading the Letters of Saint Paul is a clearly written introduction to the known writings of Saint Paul and their importance for the early church. It provides a very readable beginning to know the person and message of Saint Paul in the circumstances of his own time and concentrates on identifying the major themes and teachings of Paul that have been the foundation of the church's theology and spirituality ever since. Sister Carolyn, an experienced and dynamic teacher of the New Testament, has provided a wonderful resource for understanding the first and greatest of the church's teachers who followed Jesus. She has added to each section questions for reflection, and a prayer from the church's rich tradition gathered through the centuries. It can be an ideal introductory text to Saint Paul for parish study groups, schools and individual study."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A Place to Belong: Letters from Catholic Women explores what it means to be a woman of faith today. Edited by Corynne Staresinic, the founder of the nonprofit The Catholic Woman, this stunning anthology of twenty-five deeply personal letters, wisdom from women saints, reflection questions, art, photography, and prayers will inspire you to live your femininity along your own unique life path as you find--and provide for others--a place to belong.