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Both Rohr and D'Arcy believe that much personal and church confusion could be helped by clearly distinguishing the tasks of the two halves of life. Much of institutional religion is concerned with the tasks of the first half of life. The need for adults is to move onto the tasks of the second half of life, which are much closer to the concerns of Jesus, Buddha and the mystics of all religions.

Canonized on June 16, 2002, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) was a Capuchin monk and mystic whose life was marked with miracles and wonders, but who said that his only desire was “to be a poor friar who prays.” In this intimate biography, you will see the results of this humble Capuchin's prayers and discover for yourself the source of his great hope. This updated edition contains five new chapters covering the years between beatification and canonization, St. Pio’s continued work in people’s lives, and the devotion of St. John Paul II to this extraordinary saint.

Gratitude and Grit tells the startling story of the simple friar whose loving concern for everyday people dramatically transformed thousands of lives. A warm, straightforward account of Casey’s life from someone who knew him personally, this book is a testament to the fact that God is present in even the most unlikely places.

The Desert Monastics, thousands of monks and nuns who lived in the Egyptian wastelands between the third and fifth centuries, have come to be seen as the Olympians of the spiritual life. Renowned spiritual writer Joan Chittister explores the sayings of the Desert Mothers and Fathers, finding wisdom from that ancient tradition that speaks to your life today. With a selection for every week of the year, this popular introduction to a powerful source of Christian wisdom can be a companion to your own spiritual journey.

Rohr reprises his best-selling talks on scripture in this powerful new series. He describes the Bible as a text in travail, containing not just conclusions, but a process that mirrors our own journey (three steps forward, two steps backward). In the three steps forward, Scripture always reveals that we are related to something infinite and that ours is an enchanted and trustworthy universe.

This is Merton at his best, applying ancient wisdom to the longings of our age through thoughtful commentary on Scripture and writers of the Western spiritual tradition. This book distills Merton's own reading and long experience with contemplation.

In this retreat experience, Richard Rohr explores the role of men in society and religion. Father Rohr focuses on the yearning to rediscover passion in masculine identity and in the purpose of life. He uses archetypes (symbolic images) to transmit his powerful message about male spirituality and integration. He challenges listeners to encounter their archetype (king, warrior, magician, or lover), recognize its dark side, and empower their journey through drumming, dialogue, and discovery.

Centering Prayer is a practical guide to the interior experience of being in God's presence. It offers Christians an approach that brings together Eastern traditions of the early Church and the spirituality of the world today. Fr. Pennington offers guidance on how to pray, meditate, and overcome personal obstacles to prayer.

The Way of Silence draws heavily on Buddhist teachings to cultivate the practice of "deep" listening: turning away from noise and distraction, paying attention, and embracing quiet. The Way of Silence embraces paradox: absence versus presence in silence. Dynamic tranquility. The all-oneness of aloneness. Humbly, trusting in God, you'll practice emptying your mind in order to receive wisdom, insight, and understanding.

In our culture, the “good life” means getting more. This series of retreat talks challenges listeners to subtract--to release whatever hinders us from siding with the cosmic Christ, whether that be in our inner world or our outer world. Father Rohr offers a daring vision which calls us to surrender, to liberation, to making room for real freedom.

Love, Henri consists of over 100 letters that stretch from the earliest years of Henri's career up through his last 10 years at L'Arche Daybreak. Rich in spiritual insights, the letters highlight a number themes that emerged in both Henri's work over the years, including vocation, solitude, prayer, suffering, and perseverance in difficult times. These deeply spiritual letters, sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, ulimately demonstrate the rich value of communicating with God through others.

Here are four of Richard Rohr's classics on the life of the Church! Talk 1 is "Catholicism: More Than a Head Trip". Rohr fears that many Catholics are not getting a healthy, integrated and holistic teaching but simply a head trip. Many are missing the richness of our tradition. He addresses the current struggles of a Catholicism that Robert Barron says, "is in some ways bland, abstract and culturally accommodating."

Sharing memories from early childhood through her life as a Carmelite nun, Therese opens her heart to us. This bride of Christ reveals her passion and longing for union with God. Her simplicity is charming and we begin to believe that we can travel the path to salvation that she points out to us.

Nouwen uses the cup as a metaphor to articulate the basic postures of the spiritual life: holding, lifting and drinking. The cup is a powerful image in our human experience. We use cups in our celebrations of a variety of events. Nouwen reminds us that we also use the cup as a symbolic vessel—for sorrow, joy, blessings, salvation.

The first work of its kind to be written in the English language, The Cloud of Unknowing is a spiritual guide to contemplation from an anonymous English monk of the 14th century. The author explains that ordinary thoughts and earthly concepts must be buried beneath a "cloud of forgetting" while our love must rise toward a God hidden in the "cloud of unknowing".

A master theologian offers inspiring insights into the mystery of Christ's presence in our lives. As festive as the film Babette's Feast and as profound as the work of Ronald Knox, this fresh look at the Eucharist brings to light the spiritual meaning of meal, sacrifice, and real presence in our lives.

A universal pattern can be found in all societies and in fact in all of creation. We see it in the seasons of the year; the stories of Scripture; the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; the rise and fall of civilizations; and even in our own lives. In this new version of one of his earlier books, Father Richard Rohr illuminates the way understanding and embracing this pattern can give us hope in difficult times and the courage to push through messiness and even great chaos to find a new way of being in the world.

Listeners will be fully engaged in a unique and altogether fascinating discussion of Christian spirituality. Rolheiser seeks to reconcile the rift between a smorgasbord of spiritual voices and an authentic Christian discipleship by the use of anecdotes, personal examples and a wide range of literary and cultural references. His starting point is the desire within us that longs irresistibly for fulfillment.

Western civilization is undergoing a crisis of meaning, and the Christian community needs to find new value, identity, and purpose through hope, says Franciscan Father Richard Rohr. In lectures and homilies he describes both the crisis and cure. In the 13th century, he tells us, St. Francis was called by the Lord to “rebuild my Church.” Anguished by the fragmentation in the Church today, Rohr invites us to rebuild the Church in the 21st century.

This user-friendly book blends theory and practice, gently and concretely taking the listener through the first steps of contemplative prayer. Armchair Mystic begins with the necessary details of time and place to pray, then presents the maturation of the prayer life in four stages.