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Catechism of the Spiritual Life
In this dynamic and authoritative book on the spiritual life, Cardinal Robert Sarah shows us how to enter into and progress through the spiritual life. He notes that the goal of this book is “to accompany all those who have set their hearts on responding to God’s love with a full, happy, fruitful life that will culminate in the eternal happiness of contemplating Him.”
Written as a catechism of the spiritual life, this book is organized around the sacraments, prayer, asceticism, and the liturgy and infused with a single to make us all aware that our Baptism is the beginning of a great conversion — the great return to the Father.
Cardinal Sarah invites you to journey with him through the Gospels and discover the origin and meaning of each of the sacraments and how they are essential to helping you grow in your personal relationship with Jesus, foster your contemplative life, and flourish in communion with the Holy Trinity.
You will learn about the mysteries of our Faith — from the importance of being baptized shortly after birth, and thereby “plunged into the paschal mystery,” to receiving Confirmation as a child so as to be open to the liberating action of the Holy Spirit.
You will also learn about how the baptized are to prepare for spiritual priesthood — through docility and offering to God all the love, works, joys, prayers, and sufferings of their lives. In like manner, Cardinal Sarah explains how to renew the ordained priesthood, married life, and much more.
In chapter after chapter, the cardinal provides wise counsel
How loss of faith in the Real Presence causes a decline in Christian communities
Our need to restore the sacredness of the liturgy and silent Eucharistic adoration
The power of the Holy Spirit at work through the sacraments of the Church
The dangers of revisionist doctrines on morality based on sociology and science
Why laws prohibiting our freedom of worship are more deadly than any virus
Why the sacrament of Penance is essential for the daily spiritual combat
You will marvel at how the Old Covenant is fulfilled in the New and how we are called to the marriage banquet of the Lamb. “Without the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the world is doomed to barbarity, decadence, and death,” Cardinal Sarah asserts. “No government, no ecclesiastical authority can legitimately forbid the celebration of the Eucharist.”
Cardinal Sarah reminds us that from the earliest centuries, Christians were willing to die in order to receive our Lord and celebrate the sacred mysteries and that God is always with us in His Sacrament of Love, waiting for us to receive Him with affection and dwell in His Presence. The sacraments, Cardinal Sarah makes clear, provide our itinerary to Heaven.
Written as a catechism of the spiritual life, this book is organized around the sacraments, prayer, asceticism, and the liturgy and infused with a single to make us all aware that our Baptism is the beginning of a great conversion — the great return to the Father.
Cardinal Sarah invites you to journey with him through the Gospels and discover the origin and meaning of each of the sacraments and how they are essential to helping you grow in your personal relationship with Jesus, foster your contemplative life, and flourish in communion with the Holy Trinity.
You will learn about the mysteries of our Faith — from the importance of being baptized shortly after birth, and thereby “plunged into the paschal mystery,” to receiving Confirmation as a child so as to be open to the liberating action of the Holy Spirit.
You will also learn about how the baptized are to prepare for spiritual priesthood — through docility and offering to God all the love, works, joys, prayers, and sufferings of their lives. In like manner, Cardinal Sarah explains how to renew the ordained priesthood, married life, and much more.
In chapter after chapter, the cardinal provides wise counsel
How loss of faith in the Real Presence causes a decline in Christian communities
Our need to restore the sacredness of the liturgy and silent Eucharistic adoration
The power of the Holy Spirit at work through the sacraments of the Church
The dangers of revisionist doctrines on morality based on sociology and science
Why laws prohibiting our freedom of worship are more deadly than any virus
Why the sacrament of Penance is essential for the daily spiritual combat
You will marvel at how the Old Covenant is fulfilled in the New and how we are called to the marriage banquet of the Lamb. “Without the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the world is doomed to barbarity, decadence, and death,” Cardinal Sarah asserts. “No government, no ecclesiastical authority can legitimately forbid the celebration of the Eucharist.”
Cardinal Sarah reminds us that from the earliest centuries, Christians were willing to die in order to receive our Lord and celebrate the sacred mysteries and that God is always with us in His Sacrament of Love, waiting for us to receive Him with affection and dwell in His Presence. The sacraments, Cardinal Sarah makes clear, provide our itinerary to Heaven.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2022
123 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Robert Sarah
68 books275 followersRobert Cardinal Sarah was born in Guinea, West Africa. Made an Archbishop by Pope John Paul II and a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, he was named the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Francis in 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 7, 2023
Inspirational.
The book flows so well. I was totally absorbed whilst reading it. Cardinal Sarah is a man of profound faith. His love of Christ is present throughout and he inspires a desire for holiness.
The book flows so well. I was totally absorbed whilst reading it. Cardinal Sarah is a man of profound faith. His love of Christ is present throughout and he inspires a desire for holiness.
August 15, 2023
Best book I've read in a while. Every Catholic should read this
June 28, 2023
It seemed to me that the eclipse of God in our postmodern societies, the crisis of fundamental human and moral values, and its repercussions even in the Church, where we observe confusion on the subject of divinely revealed truth, the loss of the authentic meaning of the liturgy and a diminished understanding of priestly identity, forcefully demanded that a genuine catechism of the spiritual life be offered to all the faithful. ... This book is a catechism of the interior life. It intends to indicate the principal means of entering into the spiritual life; its purpose if practical, not academic.This is a meditative, deep look at the sacraments and how they help to form and develop our spiritual lives. Cardinal Sarah's premise is that by following Jesus in the sacraments, like the Hebrews followed Moses in the desert, we will find the path out of our own interior wilderness to true closeness and joy in the Lord.
There's a chapter on each of the sacraments plus one on prayer. Sarah draws on the writings of theologians, saints, and popes (especially Pope Benedict XVI) in a way which is often reflective rather than instructive. This allows for slow, deep reading which opens up our own thoughts.
I was most intrigued when Sarah would comment on the modern world and the Church today. These were used not only as a reflection on the need for the sacraments but also on how to live our lives as Catholics in current culture. The answer, he tells us, is always personal conversion and a return to holiness, a return to a close relationship with Jesus.
Above all, Sarah's hope is that this spiritual catechism will help us reorient ourselves to see the beauty of God's plan for our lives. At the conclusion of the book, Sarah says of the interior wilderness:
In the wilderness, we understood that it is nor our job to take our interior life in hand. We have to let ourselves be formed. We have to let God form us. We have to let ourselves be led and instructed by God. Of course, we are not entirely passive. We have our part in the work. But our labor consists primarily in our willingness to be soft clay in God's hands, suited to be modeled according to his merciful plan.Amen.
July 7, 2024
This book by Cardinal Sarah is worth reading. There are topics that concern today's real situations. One has to stand firm. It is the world who needs to follow the Word, not the other way around. So much sin, confusion, and deception have infiltrated the Catholic Church, it's reaching to a point that one no longer sees Christ in many priests nowadays.
This is a hard pill to swallow for the laity and even for the clergy. But having read the book has given me hope that there are still great priests out there- priests who take their role seriously because they understand their place (they are not social workers), they understand their mission (they lead everyone to Christ), and they have a strong understanding between good and evil (a sin is still a sin).
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
This is a hard pill to swallow for the laity and even for the clergy. But having read the book has given me hope that there are still great priests out there- priests who take their role seriously because they understand their place (they are not social workers), they understand their mission (they lead everyone to Christ), and they have a strong understanding between good and evil (a sin is still a sin).
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
December 10, 2023
What can I say about this book? Cardinal Sarah is awesome! Highly recommended!
April 5, 2023
The Catechism of the Spiritual Life is a profound meditation and guide through the means of sanctifying grace that God gives us through the Church: the sacraments. The invitation of Christ to follow Him is where the spiritual life begins and it is then fostered and developed through the sacraments which are special gifts of grace throughout our lives. Each sacrament is explored, not so much in terms of concise definitions as in the Catechism of the Catholic Church but rather in meditations on their impact on the spiritual life. Texts from scripture, saints, popes, and theologians are often provided in these meditations which give a collection of insights and perspectives that would not be gained through the musings of one man. While Cardinal Sarah certainly gives his own thoughts and musings, his sharing of writings from so many others shows a certain humility since it is clear that their writings impacted him and he wants to give that experience to the reader as well. The emphasis on evangelization is spot on: it is important but comes after the meditations on the sacraments and living in imitation of Christ – only after possessing Christ can we give him to others. All in all, this is a beautiful text that possesses much spiritual wisdom that many will gain from. I would certainly recommend it to anyone for their spiritual reading. Also, I would recommend this other review if you want to learn more about it before committing to read it yourself: https://www.ncregister.com/features/a...
May 8, 2023
Un bellissimo percorso offerto dal Cardinale e che consiglierei soprattutto per il periodo di Quaresima o quello successivo di Pasqua. Scritto in un linguaggio semplice, offre una panoramica esaustiva ed essenziale sui Sacramenti, sulla preghiera e sul significato delle sofferenze e delle croci nella vita di un cristiano. Il tutto accompagnato da citazioni di santi e di pontefici.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews