Simplicity: the sure path to God The saints assure us that simplicity is the virtue most likely to draw us closer to God and make us more like Him. Relying on the words of Jesus and the lives of the saints, Fr. Plus maps out a sure path to the simplicity which Jesus praised, a simplicity that bestows on all of us who seek it: happiness, courage, and inner peace, no matter how complicated our circumstances may be or how crowded our days.

"Embrace the present moment as an ever-flowing source of holiness." --Jean Pierre de Caussade, from Chapter Three Seeing God in every moment--is it possible? Does God really "walk among the pots and pans," as Saint Teresa of Avila once said? Do we ignore the seemingly forgettable moments of life to our own spiritual peril? Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, and Therese of Lisieux started small and stayed small, even though their works and heroism have since earned them worldwide acclaim. Holy Simplicity reveals how these three modern Catholic women found holiness in letting God's love flow into the most ordinary tasks--Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day among the poor and Therese within the confines of the cloister. Their stories will inspire you to seek God in the challenges of ordinary life, a little way to holiness that, as Dorothy Day pointed out, unleashes forces "that help to overcome evil in the world."

In the twenty years since its publication, Celebration of Discipline has helped over a million seekers discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of God. For this special twentieth anniversary edition, Richard J. Foster has added an introduction, in which he shares the story of how this beloved and enduring spiritual guidebook came to be. Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found. Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study, offer avenues of personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service, help prepare us to make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration, bring us nearer to one another and to God. Foster provides a wealth of examples demonstrating how these Disciplines can become part of our daily activities-and how they can help us shed our superficial habits and "bring the abundance of God into our lives." He offers crucial new insights on simplicity, demonstrating how the biblical view of simplicity, properly understood and applied, brings joy and balance to our inward and outward lives and "sets us free to enjoy the provision of God as a gift that can be shared with others." The discussion of celebration, often the most neglected of the Disciplines, shows its critical importance, for it stands at the heart of the way to Christ. Celebration of Discipline will help motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.

Everybody talks spirituality. Here's how you can do something real and practical about achieving it.

A Fresh Articulation of the Unity of God This volume critiques various ways divine simplicity--which suggests God's being is identical to God's attributes--has shaped Christian theology and offers a fresh articulation of the unity of God. The author proposes that the concept of divine simplicity, carried over from the Greek metaphysical tradition, was heedlessly incorporated into the language of Christian trinitarian theology during the patristic period. He identifies numerous problems that have resulted from its retention in postpatristic Christian dogmatics, arguing that uncritical use of the concept renders the biblical God inexpressible and unknowable. This major contribution to contemporary trinitarian dogmatics also contains a unique approach to the problem of Christian-Muslim relations.

At last — a spiritual book for Catholics who have to devote more time to making dinner and picking up the kids than to meditation and prayer! Essential (and easy) reading for busy Catholics, Strength in Simplicity shows you how to grow closer to God in the things you already do every day, without burdening you with numerous devotions or complicated methods. Author Emmanuel de Gibergues explores the virtue of simplicity — that is, having the single intention of pleasing God in all that you do. You'll learn what a difference simplicity can make for you — as it did for our Lord and our Lady. You'll come to recognize the signs of true simplicity and find out how to practice simplicity toward God and in your life's activities. Even better, you'll find the secrets of practicing simplicity within yourself — a deceptively difficult spiritual discipline that de Gibergues makes easy here. As this book helps you bring the calming and transforming virtue of simplicity into every part of your life, you'll become better able to direct all things to God and learn new ways to be attentive to His presence in your life. Don't rush through life without this saving message! “Readers will be richly rewarded with spiritual insight.” Publishers Weekly Strength in Simplicity reveals to you: True simplicity: how it isn’t willful ignorance or simple-mindednessYour intentions: are they pure? Why this could be the most important question you’ll ever answerTwo advantages of simplicity: what you’ll gain by clearing your life of complicationsHow simplicity can make you generous, courageous, and more lovingFailure: your attitude toward it may be crippling your spiritual life. Find out howThe most dreaded enemy of your soul’s progress: is it keeping you from deepening your happiness and love for God?Two indispensable qualities for beginners in the spiritual life: do you have them?And much more to help you simplify your life and come closer to God!

Wilson uses John 4:24 to explain in detail how Christ instituted worship in a simple manner, in spirit and truth. He will show, with all the power and effect of a biblical sledgehammer, that anything outside of what Christ has instituted should be considered idolatry, and should be cast out of the church. Wilson covers what worship is, what it means to worship God in both spirit and truth, and how this is the Christian’s duty to do so. He gives various cautions against false worship, or worshiping God as an idolater, the application of worshipping in spirit and truth, as well as obstacles that often hinder Christians when they should be worshipping God in such a holy and simple manner. In opposition to such God-centered worship, he says that carnal men with carnal minds cannot, and do not, worship God as God prescribes. God would have us to stand in a close union to him in worship, and with one another, so he would also have us to stand at the utmost distance from idolaters. It is not for us to set down ways of worship, but to observe the way that God, in his word, has already set down on our behalf. Wilson pushes the professing Christian to comply with what God has set down and instructed in his word. Worship is not about taste or preference. It is about bowing to Christ and kissing the Son, rendering to him the worship that should be answerable to his being and glory, lest he becomes angry and we perish in the way. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.