"One of the most important devotional works of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, this book provided a major source for both visual and literary artists, as well as for preachers, contemplatives, and believes. The amazing number of manuscript sources attests to its far-reaching influence. Gospel accounts of Christ's life are supplemented by apocryphal material from a variety of sources, to provide in an inviting style a highly readable biography. The translation brings to life the pathos, humor, and wisdom of Caulibu's book while maintaining impeccable scholarship. The volume is further enhanced by eight full-color plates selected from the miniatures in MS 410, Corpus Christi College, Oxford."

McNamer offers a critical edition of The Meditations on the Life of Christ, the most popular and influential devotional work of the later Middle Ages, including a new English translation, commentary, and previously unpublished Italian text.

These pages don’t tell you what Jesus did — you know that already! Instead, they take you into the mind and heart of the Son of God in a way you may not have thought possible. You’ll come to understand the inner logic of Jesus’ ministry: why Jesus’ life had to take the course it took, why He couldn’t have been the earthly king many were expecting, and why He couldn’t have conformed to the conventional ideas of a warrior, a hero, or even just a successful man. You’ll even see why He had to be abandoned by everyone — including His disciples — yet His Father remained close to Him then, just as He remains close to you now. Your new insight into why Jesus chose His own particular paths will illuminate the paths He is choosing for your now — and will help you stay on those paths with gratitude and joy. Let your newfound knowledge of Jesus blossom into joy as — directed by these pages — you open yourself to the One whose whole being will resound in your heart and will nourish your soul.

"...A book destined to work wonders with the human soul." -Franciscan Herald Caught up in the turmoil and problems that arise daily in our contemporary society, the man who would know Christ today must seek Him in all available ways and means. MY LIFE WITH CHRIST is one such way. It is a basic book of spiritual meditations designed to guide readers toward that mental, emotional, and moral growth which is indispensable to a solid religious development. In it each of the 183 meditations is presented in a 4-R format: Read, Reflect, Review, Respond. A reading of a brief passage from the Gospel is followed by a short reflection on the incident described. This observation is then expanded and applied to daily life. The final R is a colloquy which draws the reader into deep personal union with Christ. The meditations themselves are concerned with problems of spiritual anxiety, confused ideals, impatience with oneself or others, lack of charity, envy, anger, humility, hope, interior peace, and many other perplexing human emotions and states of mind. The hallmark of Father Paone's spiritual direction is the sound common sense he uses; he manages to "hit the nail on the head" every time. His style is lucid, concise and to the point, and, perhaps most important of all, it is geared to the age in which we live. MY LIFE WITH CHRIST is an indispensable daily guide for all Catholics in search of a way to Christian perfection.

These Advent reflections by the abbess of a Poor Clare monastery and accomplished spiritual writer focus our attention on the coming of Jesus into our lives. There is a double movement to this coming: our active preparation to be ready for him, on one hand, and our patient waiting for the Lord to arrive in his own good time, on the other. There is an art to this simultaneous preparing and waiting, and who knows better than the late and beloved Mother Mary Francis how to encourage us in our attempts to master this art. The joyful yet challenging teaching that we have come to expect from Mother Mary Francis is on display in these Advent conferences written for her spiritual daughters at the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Meditating on passages from Scripture about the coming of the Messiah into both our world and our hearts, Mother challenges us to persevere in overcoming our faults, while keeping our eyes on the Lord who has called us to himself, for it is he who, through the gifts of his grace, will complete in us the work of sanctification which he has begun. Although written for Advent, the wisdom of Mother Mary Francis collected by her sisters for this volume is profitable at any time, because a Christian life is one of constant growth into the very likeness of God.