The Collected Works (Volume 61)

by Rafael Arnaiz Barón, Catherine Addington (Translation), María Gonzalo-García (Introduction)

Saint Rafael Arnáiz was born in Burgos, Spain, on April 9, 1911. When he was twenty-one years old, he left behind the comforts of his wealthy family and an unfinished degree in architecture to join the Trappist-Cistercian abbey of San Isidro de Dueñas. A sudden onset of diabetes and the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) turned his monastic journey into an unusual one. 

In these unfavorable circumstances and despite the shortness of his life (he died soon after his twenty-seventh birthday), Rafael developed a solid spirituality, which in its simplicity is a straight path to holiness. He has been compared to mystics like Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, whose writings inspired him, and his theology of the cross, born from his prayer, places him in continuity with the best of the monastic tradition. In his letters and journals, compiled in this volume, his heart speaks of the joys and struggles of striving to live for God alone.  

792 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2022

Reviews

[Camila Pinheiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un hombre con un gran sentido de humor, que en sus luchas contra la diabetes y su gran de deseo de convertirse en monje, ha sido transfigurado por el amor de Dios. Más de una vez me hizo reír con su buen sentido de humor ante las dificultades de la vida.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps a 700-page translation of the collected letters and journal entries of a sick young Trappist monk living and dying during the Spanish Civil War isn’t for everyone, but it should be.

[Ana Cristina Villa B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buena edición para conocer a fondo a este gran santo, inflamado de amor por Dios