Catechism of the Spiritual Life
In this dynamic and authoritative book on the spiritual life, Cardinal Sarah shows us how to enter into and progress through the spiritual life. He notes that the goal of this work 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.”
Organized around the sacraments, prayer, asceticism, and the liturgy, this book is infused with a single goal: to make us all aware that our Baptism is the beginning of a great conversion — the 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 each one is 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.
In chapter after chapter, His Eminence provides wise counsel regarding:
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 our 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 he encourages us to remember that God is always with us in His Sacrament of Love, waiting for us to receive Him with affection and dwell in His Presence. Cardinal Sarah makes it clear that the sacraments provide our itinerary to Heaven.