St. John of the Cross described the stanzas of his poem, The Living Flame of Love, as the “songs of the soul in the intimate communication of the union of love with God.” The verses capture the mystical vistas from the summit of the saint’s spiritual journey, describing the mystery and powerful experience of divine transformation as the soul encounters and unites with the pure love of God. After the poem’s composition and at the request of his friend, the laywoman Doña Ana de Peñalosa, St. John of the Cross wrote the prose commentary that represents his final word on the journey of the soul’s transformation toward union with God. In these verses and commentary, our saintly guide teaches us as the “Mystical Doctor of the Church,” but also as a gentle pastor. Readers can aptly place themselves in the position of Doña Ana—a fellow soul on this journey of transformation in God’s grace—following this holy shepherd along the narrow paths of purification toward our eternal dwelling place in God and union with him. In this study edition, Father Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., offers important context and contemporary interpretive notes concerning the teaching of St. John of the Cross in The Living Flame of Love. This edition includes: Study guides provided throughout the book, which provide helpful guidance and explanation; A glossary of terms offering definitions as they pertain to John’s specific usage throughout the work; Comprehensive indexes of key themes and biblical references, which make this edition an indispensable reference resource. With the combination of a modern scholarly translation of St. John of the Cross’s text and a contemporary commentary, The Living Flame of Love: Study Edition affords readers the opportunity to gain a much deeper appreciation for the beauty and richness of St. John’s perennial teaching on the experience and science of love.

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St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) was a Carmelite friar. The Living Flame of Love is one of his most famous works, and was published around 1585.

New in the Spiritual Legacy Series, this accessible book, written by today's foremost translator and interpreter, introduces readers to the life, works, and spiritual insights of one of the great mystics.

From New York Times Bestselling Author Maria V. Snyder The apprenticeship is over—now the real test has begun. When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, she faces mistrust and fear in Sitia. What’s more, she keeps discovering new, unusual sides of her abilities. As the Council debates Yelena’s fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before… The road to Ixia is fraught with peril, and sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills. But the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Along the way, she’ll encounter allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty, and be forced to confront an impossible choice as whispers of war emerge. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the lands she holds dear. Previously published. The Chronicles of Ixia Series by Maria V Snyder Book One: Poison Study Book Two: Magic Study Book Three: Fire Study Book Four: Storm Glass Book Five: Sea Glass Book Six: Spy Glass Book Seven: Shadow Study Book Eight: Night Study Book Nine: Dawn Study

This book Practicing the Presence of the Living God intends to be a guide for a spiritual journey. It can be used in a retreat center, at home, or at work when you are able to secure a few moments of quiet solitude and silence. It is structured around seven days - the number of days normally used for a spiritual retreat. However, the seven days can be reduced to a weekend if this is all the time you can afford. It can also be spread to a much longer time if your circumstances do not allow you to have this amount of hours at the same time. All that you need is your total self. God is totally present to you and you should be totally present to God also. It is based on Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection's little book The Practice of the Presence of God. More Information The content of Brother Lawrence's book encompasses a lifelong application that is life-changing. Its message is transformative in its utmost clarity and simplicity because it reveals the heart and soul of everyone's life purpose and work - to live joyfully in the presence of God no matter what our circumstances are. In his book, Brother Lawrence reveals a very ordinary life that most of us would not really desire, and yet as he fulfilled his everyday duties in the midst of the most mundane and tedious tasks, he learned to live the happiest and most rewarding life. With his gracious humility, "he thought...only of doing little things for the love of God since he was not capable of doing great things." Indeed, he modeled a life lived in the glory of God's love, peace, and joy. No wonder his book was called a "little spiritual classic," a "devotional masterpiece," an "unparalleled classic," and a book "relevant and timeless." Jean Maalouf in his thorough knowledge of Brother Lawrence's teachings becomes an exceptional guide for a retreat with Brother Lawrence. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jean Maalouf has two doctorates from Paris-Sorbonne University and L'Institut Catholique de Paris. He is the author and editor of more than twenty-five books that include the bestseller, Experiencing Jesus with Mother Teresa, and the three books on prayer: The Healing Power of Prayer, I Can Tell God Anything: Living Prayer, and Bold Prayers from the Heart. He also wrote numerous articles on spiritual, educational, psychological, philosophical, cultural, and social issues, as well as contributed to the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy. He is a member of several associations that include the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Christian Philosophers, and Contemplative Outreach: Centering Prayer.

"Starting with the grim Britain of the Civil War era, with its punishing sense of the body as a corrupt vessel for the soul, Roy Porter charts how, through figures as diverse as Locke, Swift, Johnson, and Gibbon, ideas about medicine, politics, and religion fundamentally changed notions of self. He shows how the Enlightenment (with its explosion or rational thinking and scientific invention of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries) provided a lens through which we can best see the profound shift from the theocentric, otherwordly, Dark Ages to the modern, earthly, body-centered world we live in today. As man made in God's image gave way to the Enlightenment's notion of the Self-made man, the body moved center stage. Porter writes brilliantly on the ways in which men and women flaunted, decorated, tanned, and dieted themselves: activities that we find familiar but that a Puritan divine would have considered satanic. And he explores how, at the end of the century, the human soul took on a new significance in the works of Godwin, Blake, and Byron."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In what may be regarded as his magnum opus, Clark Pinnock explores the vital Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit, restoring the Spirit to centrality in the life and witness of the church. For this second edition, theologian Daniel Castelo draws from his experience using this book in the classroom to add helpful commentary and brief reflections on each chapter.