What do you think?
Rate this book
Spiritual Excellence: How to Make Progress in Prayer and Love
It s a fact that many Catholics don t like to if you don t take regular, active steps to improve your spiritual life, you re certain to regress. When a crisis comes, you may even lose your Faith. That s why Spiritual Excellence could be the most important book you read this year or any year! It s Archbishop Alban Goodier s compendium of practical and pastoral guidance on how to move beyond the beginner s stage into deeper, more fruitful prayer and more thoroughgoing, consistent acts of charity. Archbishop Goodier, beloved author of The Meaning of The Catholic Answer, here helps you in innumerable ways to make real progress in your moral, spiritual, and even emotional life. He explains how you can clear away common hindrances to better prayer, learn from your sorrows and falls, and perfect your love for God and His creatures. He teaches you how to speak to God from your heart, not just from your lips, and to clear away distractions that keep you from turning to Christ as your truest and dearest friend. With unusual insight, Archbishop Goodier also maps out some of the particular temptations that befall people who are especially devoted to pleasing God. He helps you avoid the dangers that are inherent in the enthusiasm of beginners, and to develop a wise and mature faith that is attractive to others and can stand during the most furious trials. Each chapter of Spiritual Excellence gives you the help you need to cope with the all-too-common challenges and obstacles on the road to holiness. Don t order this book today, and begin the difficult but rewarding work you must do in order to prepare your soul for the delights of Heaven! "The very effective spiritual writings of Archbishop Goodier were part of my life growing up, especially this book. It introduced me to real devotion to Jesus Christ when I was a boy. I am delighted to see them republished so that they will help the people of our times." -Fr. Benedict Groeschel
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
8 people want to read
About the author
Alban Goodier
109 books7 followersArchbishop Alban Goodier was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus on September 20, 1903. In December 15, 1919 he was appointed Archbishop of Bombay, India, and ordained on December 22. He served as Archbishop until October 1, 1926.
He was also a well-respected writer who contributed many articles to the magazine The Messenger of the Sacred Heart and wrote over a dozen books.
He was also a well-respected writer who contributed many articles to the magazine The Messenger of the Sacred Heart and wrote over a dozen books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 21, 2018
This book has seventeen short essays of practical advice to improve one's spiritual life. Goodier covers a wide range of topics, from our attitudes towards God and others to how best to pray and act in daily life.
Even though it was written a century ago, the advice is surprisingly timely and fresh. At one point, he talks about the need to judge others in truth rather than assumptions. Often we judge others by appearances which don't always reflect the whole person. Goodier describes how we often fear strangers but when we get to know them, nine times out of ten they are much better than we imagined. The much worse assumption is thinking someone is saintly just judging by their outward appearance. A more close examination often brings disappointment. "When, then, we make up our minds about a person, let us give both ourselves and our victim a fair start. The chances are that every man we meet is a human being and not a portent; and every human being has his weaknesses as well as his good points. No one is wholly bad; very few are wholly good." [p. 161] It's an attitude that is sorely needed in our political realm. Probably in our personal realms as well.
The advice on prayer is also eye-opening. Rather than focus solely on lots of rote prayer or solely on spontaneous, "from the heart" prayer, Goodier teaches the value of balancing the two in order to make progress. Both are required for attaining a rich spiritual life. Each has its problems, which he describes and gives guidance on how to handle such situations.
Highly recommended--it's a quick read and has lots of profound and useful insights.
Even though it was written a century ago, the advice is surprisingly timely and fresh. At one point, he talks about the need to judge others in truth rather than assumptions. Often we judge others by appearances which don't always reflect the whole person. Goodier describes how we often fear strangers but when we get to know them, nine times out of ten they are much better than we imagined. The much worse assumption is thinking someone is saintly just judging by their outward appearance. A more close examination often brings disappointment. "When, then, we make up our minds about a person, let us give both ourselves and our victim a fair start. The chances are that every man we meet is a human being and not a portent; and every human being has his weaknesses as well as his good points. No one is wholly bad; very few are wholly good." [p. 161] It's an attitude that is sorely needed in our political realm. Probably in our personal realms as well.
The advice on prayer is also eye-opening. Rather than focus solely on lots of rote prayer or solely on spontaneous, "from the heart" prayer, Goodier teaches the value of balancing the two in order to make progress. Both are required for attaining a rich spiritual life. Each has its problems, which he describes and gives guidance on how to handle such situations.
Highly recommended--it's a quick read and has lots of profound and useful insights.
Displaying 1 of 1 review