Books by "Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen"
7 books found
Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love
by Fr. Boniface Hicks, Fr. Thomas Acklin
2017 · Emmaus Road Publishing
The need for spiritual direction—or the accompaniment of a spiritual guide—is becoming more prominent in a world where so many are suffering from so many wounds. With a harmonious integration of both timeless spiritual wisdom from the Catholic Church’s tradition of prayer and direction, and the insight of the psychological sciences, Fathers Thomas Acklin and Boniface Hicks offer a comprehensive guide for all who provide or seek spiritual direction. Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love fortifies priests, religious, and lay faithful who embrace the ministry of spiritual direction and accompany the wounded, assist men and women in hearing the voice of God, and model the love and mercy of the Father for the many who are seeking Him but do not know Him or have false images of Him. This book also shows how various aspects of the spiritual life can emerge from and be fostered by a one-on-one relationship with a spiritual director. Together with concrete guidelines and numerous examples from personal experience, this book refers extensively to Sacred Scripture as the foundation for spiritual direction. Furthermore, since the practice of spiritual direction goes back to the first centuries of the Church, the authors turn for guidance to the Doctors of the Church, the writings of the saints, and the papal magisterium in developing and supporting their insights. Spiritual Direction will call spiritual directors to deeper holiness even as they assist others in growing closer to the Father through His loving gaze of mercy.
Priests are called to be worthy spiritual fathers to the souls entrusted to their care. Years of seminary formation ideally forge them into faithful, generous, healthy priests, ready to serve the needs of the Church. But priests are not immune to the busyness, pressures, and distractions of a life of ministry. Over time, the lessons from their formation can fade into the background. Forming Fathers: Seminary Wisdom for Every Priest seeks to remind priests of the lessons so greatly needed to fulfill their calling faithfully. Originally delivered by Fr. Carter Griffin as talks to seminarians, this series of short, inspiring vignettes can help rekindle a priest’s first love and awaken the aspirations that brought him into the seminary in the first place. Much of what is contained in these pages is also applicable to Catholic laymen, themselves called to the virtues of Christian manhood, the responsibilities of discipleship, and the dignity of spiritual fatherhood. Fr. Griffin covers such central topics as the life of prayer, offering Holy Mass well, the importance of priestly friendships, and the need for fortitude. He addresses challenging issues, such as chaste celibacy, loving the Church, and living material simplicity, with simple truth. Priests may benefit most, however, from some of the themes that might have been overlooked in their seminary days: the importance of courtesy, the vital role of order and daily exposure to beauty, the virtue of magnanimity and its impact on priestly happiness, and exercising priestly leadership.
Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love
by Fr. Thomas Acklin, OSB, Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB
2020 · Emmaus Road Publishing
Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life. Given that we are weak and even sinful human beings, how can it be that God has anything to do with us? What does it mean to have a personal relationship with God? Why is God so silent and hidden? How do we grow in prayer? Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love brings the depth of human experience together with the Catholic tradition of prayer to present the path to an intimate and vulnerable relationship with God. Experienced spiritual directors Fr. Thomas Acklin, OSB, and Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, explore the many forms of Catholic prayer and demonstrate that vulnerability is essential to growing in relationship with God. Rich with the wisdom of Scripture, Catholic teaching, and the writings of the saints, Personal Prayer is an exhaustive guide for priests, religious, and laity desiring to receive the Father’s love in a profoundly personal way.
Faith, simply put, places us in real contact with God. Faith is our strength as Christians because it teaches us to rely on Him in all things. Often lived most fervently when experiencing spiritual desolation, faith bears the fruit of peace, hope, and love. This book will cover different ways to strengthen your faith and bring you spiritually closer to God. Take nine days with Fr. Jacques to meditate. Take nine days with Fr. Jacques to meditate on your faith and learn how to deepen and strengthen it, so that through both times of ease and times of burden, your faith can keep you focused on God, as he faithfully keeps his focus on you.
Once we have encountered the Lord Jesus, how do we keep growing in Christ? How do we let the Lord mold us and make us into missionary disciples capable of spreading the gospel? Instead of just trying to get into heaven, how do we live the life of heaven now so that we can become saints? In this book, Michigan pastor Fr. John Riccardo helps us dive into the Scriptures so that we can apply them to our daily lives. In his inspiring and incisive way, Fr. Riccardo addresses the obstacles we all face in becoming mature disciples. How do we learn to forgive? How do we combat fear and understand suffering? How do we worship the Lord, love others as Christ loves us, and fully surrender our lives to God? If you’ve enjoyed Fr. Riccardo’s gifts of teaching and preaching through his broadcasts and podcasts, this book is for you!
How do we raise children to be saints? How do we become saints? From those two questions we draw our mission. As parents, our primary purpose is to raise children fit for eternal life—while we pursue the same for ourselves. If we succeed, it will be our greatest success. If we fail, there is no greater failure imaginable. Fr. Carter Griffin treats the family mission with the gravity it demands. He considers it a work of deep formation, as crucial and as intentional as the formation of future priests. In practical chapters, Fr. Griffin, a seminary rector, adapts the four pillars of priestly formation and applies them to family life. He highlights the key virtues that are essential for our children’s human, intellectual, spiritual, and apostolic growth. These pages are rich with testimonies from Catholic parents, examples from the lives of the saints, and other helpful resources to address specific challenges. Forming Families, Forming Saints offers a framework for children and parents alike to reach the heights of humanity and the heights of holiness.
Saying the prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You,” is easy. Living this prayer as Mary did is not so easy. Mary has learned, though, and as a good Mother, teaches us how to trust, take a step along the path to life, and step upon the serpent who brings distrust and death. Stemming from years of personal prayer and lived experience, Fr. Thaddaeus Lancton, MIC, hopes to encourage the reader to take the next step in their own journey with the Lord.