Spiritual Classics (Reading List)

Augustine of Hippo. Confessions.
The greatest of the Church fathers, Augustine, traces his life from living with a concubine to faith in Christ.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. The Practice of the Presence of God.
How to remain recollected or “mindful” during day-to-day work.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Abandonment to Divine Providence.
Classic on how to “let go and let God.”

Francis de Sales. Introduction to the Devout Life.
Basics on how to live life as a layperson

John of the Cross. Complete Works.
Poetry and writings from the most important mystic in the Church. John of the Cross was hired by Theresa of Avila to help her reform their monastic order.

Thomas Kempis. Imitation of Christ.
Perhaps a bit heavy going today, the book has been extremely popular since it was first published in 1418.
John Henry Newman. Apologia Pro Vita Sua.
A famous English convert to Catholicism, Cardinal Newman, tells his life story – in exquisite Victorian prose.

Teresa of Avila. The Way of Perfection.
Teresa was a major reformer of the Carmelite order and is a Doctor of the Church. She is also one of the Church’s most prominent mystics. In this more accessible book, Teresa gives advice to her nuns on prayer.

Therese of Lisieux. Story of a Soul.
Therese, a young woman from a bourgeois French family, attains perfection in ordinary circumstances. Enormously popular since it was published in the 19^th century.

John XXIII. Journal of a Soul.
Pope John XXIII tells his story of growing up in a poor Italian family and his road to perfection. May be a bit dry at times, but shows a glimpse of the style and rigor of his spiritual practice.

William Thomas Walsh. Our Lady of Fatima.
Supposedly one of the best books on Fatima. While belief in apparitions of Mary is not required by the Church, Fatima and Lourdes along with other sites have a major impact on devotion.

C.S Lewis. Mere Christianity.
Lewis was on the faculty at Oxford University and an Anglican layman. He is perennially popular with both Catholics and Protestants.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Meditations from a Simple Path.
Nice overview of Mother Teresa’s approach to spirituality and the poor.