Thomas a’ Kempis, Gratitude for the Grace of God April 27, 2017
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, catachesis, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Holy suffering, Interior Life, mortification, reading, sanctity, Spiritual Warfare, The Imitation of Christ, Victory, Virtue.comments closed
From Book II Chapter 10 of The Imitation of Christ, a reflection on having proper gratitude for the Grace we receive from God:
Why seekest thou rest, since thou art born to labor?
Dispose thyself to patience rather than consolation, and to bear the cross rather than to rejoice.
For who is there among worldly people that would not willingly receive comfort and spiritual joy, if he could always have it?
For spiritual consolation exceeds all the delights of the world and the pleasures of the flesh. [Would you agree? It’s been a long time, but I have felt I experienced transports of joy associated with sublime spiritual moments. I would say this is a true statement.]
For all worldly delights are either vain or base; but spiritual delights alone are pleasant and honorable, springing from virtue, and infused by God into pure minds.
But those divine consolations no man can always enjoy when he will, because the time of temptation is not long absent.
But what very much opposes these heavenly visits is a false liberty of mind and a great confidence in one’s self.
God doth well in giving the grace of consolation, but man doth ill in not returning it all to God with thanksgiving.
And this is the reason why the gifts of grace cannot flow in us, because we are ungrateful to the giver, nor do we return all to the fountainhead.
For Grace will always be given to him that duly returns thanks, and what is wont to be given to the humble will be taken away from the proud.
I would not have any such consolation as would rob me of compunction, nor do I wish to have any such contemplation as leads to pride.
For all that is high is not holy; nor all that pleasant good; nor every desire pure; nor is everything that is dear to us pleasing to God.
I willingly accept of that Grace which always makes me more humble and fearful, and more ready to forsake myself.
He that has been taught by the gift of Grace, and been instructed by the scourge of its withdrawal, will not dare to attribute anything of good to himself, but rather acknowledge himself to be poor and naked.
Give to God what is His (Matt xxii:21), and take to thyself what is thine; that is, give tanks to God for His Grace; but as to thyself, be sensible that nothing is to be attributed to thee but sin and the punishment due to sin.
Put thyself always in the lowest place, and the highest shall be given thee, for the highest stand snot without the lowest (Lk xiv:10).
The Saints that are highest in the sight of God are the least in their own eyes; and the more glorious they are the more humble they are in themselves.
Being full of the truth and heavenly glory they are not desirous of vainglory.
They that are grounded and establishes in God can by no means be proud.
And they that attribute to God whatsoever good they have received seek not glory from one another, but that glory which is from God alone (Jn v:44); they desire above all things that God may be praised in themselves, and in all the saints, and to this they always tend.
Be grateful then for the least and thou shalt be worthy to receive greater things.
Let the least be to thee as something very great, and the most contemptible as a special favor. [Am I the only one that has a very hard time with this? Driving a longish commute in heavy traffic quickly reveals how little patience and charity I have.]
If thou considerest the dignity of the Giver, no gift will seem to thee little which is given by so great a God.
Yea, though he give punishment and stripes, it ought to be acceptable; for whatever He suffers to befall us, He always does it for our salvation (Dan iii:28).
He that desires to retain the Grace of God let him be thankful for Grace when it is given, and patient when it is withdrawn; let him pray that it may return; let him be cautious and humble, lest he lost it.
———–End Quote———–
It is painful when that very special grace, perhaps necessary early in conversion to help establish one in the Faith, is taken away. Or no longer merited. Many Saints experienced the same. The Little Flower had years of incredible closeness to God, and then had it all taken away the last several years of her life, when her physical sufferings became immense and she needed it the most! But that is the way of our Lord, he tempers our faith in the fires of suffering. Truly, His ways are not our ways, and thank God for that.
Thomas a Kempis on interior conversation May 23, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, catachesis, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Interior Life, reading, sanctity, The Imitation of Christ, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
From The Imitation of Christ, Book II Chapter I interior conversation:
The kingdom of God is within you (Lk 17:21), saith the Lord. Converty thyself with thy whole heart to the Lord (Joel 2:12), and quit this miserable world, and thy soul shall find rest.
Learn to despise exterior things, and give thyself to the interior, and thou shalt see the Kingdom of God will come to thee.
For the Kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, which is not given to the wicked (Rom 14:17). 
Christ will come to thee, discovering to thee His consolation, if thou wilt prepare Him a fit dwelling within thee.
All His glory and beauty is in the interior (Ps 44:14), and there He pleaseth Himself.
Frequently doth He visit the internal man, sweet in His communication with him, delightful His consolation, much peace, and a familiarity to be admired.
O faithful soul, prepare thy heart for this thy Spouse, that He may vouchsafe to come to thee, and dwell in thee!
For so He saith: “If any man love me he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and We will make our abode with him” (Jn 14:23).
Make room then for Christ within thee and deny entrance to all others.
When thou hast Christ thou art rich and He is sufficient for thee; He will provide for thee, and will be thy faithful procurator in all things, so that thou needsdt not trust to men.
For men quickly change and presently fail; but Christ remains forever, and stands by us fimrly to the end.
There is no great confidence to be put in a frail mortal man, though he be profitable and beloved (Ps 145:2), nor much grief to be taken if sometimes he be against thee and cross thee.
They that are with thee today may be against thee tomorrow; and on the other hand often changed like the wind.
Place thy whole confidence in God and let Him be thy fear and thy love; He will answer for thee and do for thee what is for the best (Jn 17:7).
Thou hast not here a lasting city and wherever thou art thou art a stranger and a pilgrim (1 Pet 2:11), nor wilt thou ever have rest unless thou be interiorly united to Christ.
Why dost thou stand looking about thee here, since this is not thy resting place?
Thy dwelling must be in Heaven and all things of the earth are only to be looked up on as passing by.
All things pass away and thou along with them (Wis 5:9).
See that thou cleave not to them, lest thou be ensnared and be lost.
Let thy thought be with the Most High, and thy prayer directed to Christ without intermission. [pray without ceasing…….]
If thou knowest not how to meditate on high and heavenly things, rest on the passion of Christ, and willingly dwell in His Sacred wounds.
For if thou flee devoutly to the wounds and precious stigmas of Jesus, thou shalt feel great comfort in tribulation; neither wilt thou much regard being despised by men, but wilt easily bear up against detracting tongues.
Christ was also in this world despised by men, and in His greatest necessity foresaken by His acdqauintance and friends in the midst of reproaches.
Christ would suffer and be despised, and dost thou dare to complain of any one?
Christ had adversaries and backbiters, and wouldst thou have all to be thy friends and benefactors?
Whence shall thy patience be crowned if thou meet with no adversity? [Why can’t I keep to this! Why must I be so weak!]
If thou wilt suffer not opposition how wilt thou be a friend of Christ? [ditto]
Suffer with Christ and for Christ if thou desirest to reign with Christ (2 Tim 2:12). [I want to, Lord! Help my unbelief! Jesus, have mercy on me!]
————————–End Quote————————–
I pray you found this little meditation useful.
This meditation struck me as appropriate….. March 14, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Glory, Holy suffering, Interior Life, persecution, The Imitation of Christ, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
…..for what has occurred in the Church in the past few weeks. This is from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, but this particular version I am quoting from the March 14 meditation from Laudamus Te Latin Mass magazine:
O Father, righteous and ever to be praised, the hour cometh when Thy servant is to be tried. O beloved Father, it is well that in this hour Thy servant suffer somewhat for Thy sake. O Father, evermore to be adored, as the hour cometh which Thou foreknew from everlasting, when for a little while Thy wervant should outwardly bow down, but always live inwardly with Thee; when for a little while he should be little regarded, humbled, and fail in the eyes of men; should be wasted with sufferings and weakensses, to rise again with Thee in the dawn of the new light, and be glorified in the heavenly places. O Holy Father, thou hast ordained it so, and so hast willed it; and that is done which Thou Thyself hast commanded.
For this is Thy favor to Thy friend, that he should suffer and be troubled in the world for Thy love’s sake, howsoever often, and by whomseover and whosoever Thou hast suffered it to be done. Without Thy counsel and providence, and without cause, nothing cometh to pass on the earth. It is good for me, Lord, that I had been in trouble, that I may learn Thy statutes and may cast away all pride of heart and presumption. It is profitable for me that confusion hath covered my face, that I may seek Thee for consolation rather than men. By this also I have learned to dread Thine unsearchable judgment, who afflictest the just with the wicked, but not without equity and justice.
———————————-End Quote———————————-
The Grace of God is not communicated to the worldly minded January 15, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Interior Life, sanctity, The Imitation of Christ, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
From Thomas a Kempis The Imitation of Christ Book III Chapter 53:
Christ:
Son, My Grace is precious; it suffers not itself to be mingled with external things, or earthly consolations.
Thou must, therefore, cast away every obstacle to grace if thou desire to have it infused in thee.
Choose a secret place for thyself alone; seek not to be talking with any one; but rather pour forth devout prayers to God, that thou mayst keep thy mind in compunction, and thy conscience clean.
Esteem the whole world as nothing’ prefer the attendance on God before all external things.
For thou canst not both attend to Me and at the same time delight thyself in transitory things. [and, yet, I do this so very much. You might call me Mr. Attachment…. Mr. Abrasive Attachment]
Thou must withdraw from thy acqaintance, and those dear to thee, and keep thy mind disengaged from all temporal comfort.
So the blessed apostle Peter beseeches the faithful of Christ to keep themselves as strangers and pilgrims in this world (1 Pet 2:11)
Oh, what great confidence shall he have at the hour of his death who is not detained by an affection to anyting in the world.
But an infirm soul is not yet capable of having a heart thus prefectly disengaged from all things, neither doth the sensual man understand the liberty of an internal man (1 Cor 2:14).
But if he will be spiritual indeed he must renounce as well those that are near him as those that are afar off, and beware of none more than of himself. [Sadly, oftentimes those closest to us are most complicit in “bringing us down.” And we, in turn, do the same to others! St. Alphonsus Liguori claimed that married people are rarer in Heaven than white flies. Think about what that means…..]
If thou perfectly overcome thyself thou shalt with more ease subdue all things else.
The perfect victory is to triumph over one’s self. [and how hard it is!]
For he that keeps himself in subjection, so that his sensuality is ever subject to reason, and reason in all things obedient to me, he is indeed a conqueror of himself, and lord of all the world.
If thou desire to mount thus high, thou must begin manfully, and set the axe at the root (Matt 3:10), that thou mayst root out and destroy thy secret inordinate inclination to thyself, and to all selfish and earthly goods.
This vice, by which a man inordinately loves himself, is at the bottom of all that which is to be rooted out and overcome in thee; which evil, being once conquered and brought under, a great peace and tranquility will presently ensue.
But because there are few that labor to die perfectly to themselves and that fully aim beyond themselves, therefore do they remain entangled in themselves, nor can they be elevated in spirit above themselves.
But he that desires to walk freely with Me must mortify all his wicked and irregular affections, and must not cleave to anything created with any concupiscence or private love.
Great video on the Social Reign of Christ the King November 28, 2012
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, episcopate, General Catholic, Glory, secularism, Society, The Imitation of Christ, Virtue.comments closed
Many hear about the Social Kingship of Christ, or the Social Reign of Christ the King, but not many today know what this means. Many non-Catholics and even devout Catholics are baffled by some other faithful Catholics who have grave reservations about the nature of the government in the United States, and the entire concept of “rights” rising up from the freedom of the individual, instead of flowing down from Christ. And while the Declaration of Independence talks about the rights bestowed by a Creator, for the most part, the founding documents read as if they were written enlightenment deists, which, they were. They are often not well conformable to the belief of the Church.
So, here is a good video from Boniface at Unam Sanctam Catholicam blog that helps explain what this Social Kingship means, and why the republican form of government in the US is not ideal from the standpoint of traditional Catholic Dogma:
But, just because the form of government is inherently problematic and faithful Catholics would prefer something actually founded on Christ and His Church, doesn’t mean we just drop out and wish death upon it. Catholics are many things, but we’re also supposed to be practical and reasonable, and we have to deal with the systems of government we have, just as the Holy See has done so with unsavory governments throughout history.
Grace and Humility October 12, 2012
Posted by Tantumblogo in Abortion, awesomeness, error, General Catholic, Interior Life, religious, The Imitation of Christ, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have TV. We do have TVs, but no signal coming in other than VCR/DVD. But as I was reading analysis of the debate last night between two Catholics, neither of which seemed to be able to articulate Church Dogma on abortion very well (and one of which simply lied and obfuscated repeatedly, including about whether or not the Obama administration is persecuting the Church), I was reminded of Thomas a Kempis. The below is an excerpt of Book III Chapter 7 of The Imitation of Christ:
And if they will rather follow their own judgment than believe [the Church, their superior], their future is full of danger if they continue to refuse to be drawn from their own conceit.
They that are wise in their own eyes seldom humbly suffer themselves to be ruled by others. (Pr 3:7, Rom 11:25) [As we should all submit to the the Truth Christ has revealed through His Church]
It is better to have knowledge with humility and a weak understanding, than greater treasures of learning with self-conceit.
It is better for thee to have less than much, which may puff thee up with pride.
He is not so discreet as he ought to be who gives himself up wholly to joy, forgetting his former poverty and the chaste fear of God, which dreads the loss of that Grace which is offered.
…..
If thou couldst but always continue humble and little in thine own eyes and keep thy spirit in due order and subjection, thou wouldst not fall so easily into danger and offense.
It is a good counsel that when thou hast conceived the spirit of fervor thou shouldst meditate how it will be with thee when that light shall leave thee.
And, when it shall happen, remember that the light may return again, which, for thy instruction and My glory, I have withdrawn from thee for a time.
It is often far better for thy soul to suffer through trials, than if thou wert always to have prosperity according to thy will.
For a man’s merits are not to be estimated by his worldly acclaim, nor by what others say of him, but by his being grounded in true humility and replenished with Divine Charity; by his seeking always purely and entirely the honor of God; by his esteeming himself as nothing and sincerely despising himself, and being better pleased to be despised and humbled by others than to be the object of their esteem.
Thoughts of Death, part 2 August 10, 2012
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, Domestic Church, Four Last Things, General Catholic, Glory, Holy suffering, Interior Life, North Deanery, The Imitation of Christ, Virtue.comments closed
For your late Friday weekend uplift, part 2 of Chapter 23 of Book 1 of the The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. When we left off, Thomas was telling us that hoping that people will pray for us after our death may be a fool’s game:
Trust not in friends and relations, nor put off the welfare of thy soul to hereafter; for men will sooner forget thee than thou imaginest. It is better now to provide in time, and send some good before thee, than to trust to the help of others after thy death (Matt 6:20).
If thou art not now careful for thyself who will be careful for thee hereafter?
The present time is very precious; “now is an acceptable time: now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).
But it is greatly to be lamented that thou dost not spend this time more profitably in which thou mayst acquire wherewith to live forever. The time will come when thou wilt wish for one day or hour to amend and I know not whether thou shalt obtain it.
O my dearly beloved, from how great a danger mayst thou delivery thyself! from how great a fear mayst thou be freed if thou wilt but now be always fearful and looking for death!
Strive now so to live that in the hour of thy death thou mayst rather rejoice than fear! [Indeed!]
Learn how to die to the world that then thou mayst begin to live with Christ (Rom 6:8).
Learn now to despise all things that then thou mayst freely go to Christ. [by having no attachments to earthly things. What if our attachment to family or friends of something else is stronger than our love for Christ?]
Chastise thy body now by penance that thou mayst then have an assured confidence (1 Cor 9:27).
Ah fool! Why dost thou think to live long when thou art not sure of one day! (Lk 12:20)
How many thinking to live long have been deceived and unexpectedly snatched away!
Some have perished by fire; some by the sword; some by pestilence; some by robbers; and thus death is the end of all, and man’s life passeth suddenly like a shadow (Eccles 7:1).
Who will remember thee when thou art dead and who will pray for thee? Do now, beloved, do now all thou canst, because thou knowest not when thou shalt die; nor dost thou know what shall befall thee after death.
Whilst thou has the time heap to thyself riches that will never die! (Matt 6:20)
Think of nothing but thy salvation, care for nothing but the things of God. [But doing so is never selfish, since our we cannot love God if we do not perform our vocation and love those around us as Christ loved us]
Make now to thyself friends, by honoring the Saints of God, and imitating their actions, that when thou shalt fail in this life, they may receive thee into everlasting dwellings (Lk 16:9).
Keep thyself as a pilgrim and a stranger upon earth to whom the affairs of this world do not in the least belong (1 Pet 2:11).
Keep thy heart free and raised upwards to God, because thou hast not here a lasting abode.
Send thither thy daily prayers with sighs and tears that after death thy spirit may be worthy to pass happily to our Lord. Amen.
Thoughts of Death, Part 1 August 9, 2012
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, Four Last Things, General Catholic, Glory, Holy suffering, Interior Life, religious, The Imitation of Christ, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
I haven’t posted enough Thomas a Kempis of late. I have been remiss. I have been reading The Imitation of Christ for years now. I highly recommend it. Here is the first portion of Book 1 Chapter 23, Thoughts of Death. It is perhaps natural not to think of death, but it is to our spiritual detriment if we do not. We should follow a Kempis’ brilliant, inspired advice:
Very quickly must thou be gone from hence, see then how matters stand with thee; a man is here today and tomorrow he is 
vanished (1 Mach 2:63)
And when he is taken out of sight he is quickly also out of mind. [Will anyone pray for you when you are gone?]
Oh, the dullness and hardness of man’s heart, which only thinks of what is present, and looks not forward to things to come. [So true]
Thou oughtst in every action and thought so to order thyself as if thou wert immediately to die. [How differently would I lead my life were I always to have the thought in mind that each moment was my last? Is that too macabre? Is that focusing on the negative too much? Can we think too much of our eternal end?]
If thou hadst a good conscience thou wouldst not much fear death.
It were better for thee to fly sin than to be afraid of death (Dan 13:23).
If thou art not prepared today, how shalt thou be tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertain day; and how dost thou know that thou shalt be alive tomorrow (Jm 4:14)?
What benefit is it to live long when we advance so little? Ah! Long life does not always make us better, but often adds to our guilt!
Would to God we had behaved ourselves well in this world even for one day! [Yes, even for one measly day]
Many count the years of their conversion; but oftentimes the fruit of their amendment is small. If it be frightful to die, perhaps it will be more dangerous to live longer.
Blessed is he that has always the hour of death before his eyes and every day disposes himself to die (Eccles. 7:40)
If thou hast at any time seen a man die think that thou must also pass the same way. [It is a chilling experience to watch someone die, especially someone in the prime of life. I have. Would that I had used that experience to truly amend my life!]
In the morning imagine that thou shalt not live till night; and when evening comes presume not to promise thyself the next morning.
Be therefore always prepared, and live in such a manner that death may never find thee unprovided. Many die 
suddenly and when they little think of it: “Because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come” (Matt. 24:44).
When that last hour shall come thou wilt begin to have quite other thoughts of thy whole past life and thou wilt be exceedingly grieved that thou hast been so negligent and remiss (Wis 5:6).
How happy and prudent is he who strives to be such now in this life as he desires to be found at his death. For it will give a man a great confidence of dying happily if he has a perfect contempt of the world, a fervent desire of advancing in virtue, a love for discipline, the spirit of penance, a ready obedience, self-denial, and patience in bearing all adversities for the love of Christ.
Thou mayst do many good things whilst thou art well, but when thou art sick I know not what thou wilt be able to do. Few are improved by sickness; so too they that travel much abroad seldom become holy.
————————————–End Quote————————————–
I shall finish this excellent chapter tomorrow, God willing!
I’m getting too famous for you people July 11, 2012
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, awesomeness, Basics, blogfoolery, Dallas Diocese, fun, Glory, Latin Mass, The Imitation of Christ, Virtue.comments closed
I tell you, I’m going to have to start charging admission for you to even come and read my brilliant words, the wisdom of my thoughts, to bask in my electronic presence. That is how AWEsome I am becoming. Not only do I have a new radio gig in the works, but now I have hit the bigtime of Catholic publishing by having this post printed in the Oremus Newspaper, a monthly newspaper of the Catholic FSSP parishes of Okliehomey.
I am totally kidding. As a matter of fact, I am greatly honored that the publisher sought me out and asked permission to run one of my posts as an op-ed in their newspaper. That was extremely kind to him, and if my words have any value it is simply because I have managed, for once, to cooperate with Grace, at least for a bit of time. I am very thankful for the two copies I received in the mail. It’s a neat little newspaper! I need to figure out how to subscribe!
One other article that grabbed my attention immediately was about an FSSP parishioner at St. Damian of Molokai in Edmund who has developed a website of beautiful renderings of prayers in both Latin and English. That website is here. The prayers are written, electronically, as it were, as they might have appeared in a medieval transcription of Bible. Anyway, it’s always nice to have prayers in Latin!
Thanks to Mr. Ingle, the publisher of Oremus Press, for the coverage! The Oremus newspaper is actually more than just for FSSP parishes in Oklahoma, it is available to many Latin Mass parishes in 13 states.
Deo Gratias!
Neat little prayer book April 17, 2012
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, fun, General Catholic, Glory, Interior Life, The Imitation of Christ, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
One of my many attachments, dear reader, is to books. I love them. I have too many. St. Vincent Ferrerr counseled his religious not to own any, but simply to use what the community had, because of the pride that can be in it.
Knowing that, and then totally disregarding it! (have mercy on me, Lord), I finally started going through a tiny prayer book I bought a couple years back in Hanceville. It’s yet another book from the Confraternity of the Precious Blood, which turned out many books that are very popular with faithful Catholics, especially those with an attraction to tradition, perhaps. As an aside, after producing numerous books of great spiritual worth produced from the mid-40s to the early 60s – from My Imitation of Christ to a concise version of Summa Theologica to My Daily Bread – their final book, My Daily Life, was a departure into bizaare pseudo-psychology and was very much of it’s time – 1970. I find it unreadable and totally unhelpful. But the rest are great.
The book I’m all excited about now is called the Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Novena Manual, but it’s much more than that. When the Confraternity was going strong in the first half of the 20th Century and had many adherents, this book was produced to provide a spiritual resource for its members. It does have Novenas, of course, but much of it is devoted to prayers to say while in Adoration or Watching at the Tabernacle, while also having many others to say to consecrate one’s week to God, for special intentions, and especially for death and for the souls in Purgatory. There are also some litanies and some readings from various Psalms in the back. It’s a small book, perhaps 2 1/2 by 4 inches, only 160 pages, and could easily fit into a purse or pocket. It’s densely packed, however.
To give you a flavor for the prayers, here is a plea to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, waiting in the Tabernacle:
Jesus of the Eucharist! Come to us and be our Ruler. All that we have and are is Thine to command, for all that we have is Thine. If our hearts are poor, enrich them with Thy Grace. If they have been wretched and stained, accept them purged and cleansed through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Suffering Heart of Jesus! To Thee we confide all the trials of our souls.
Sweet Heart of Jesus! To Thy care we confide our weaknesses and ask Thee to accept our sincere repentance.
Compassionate Heart of Jesus! We confide our souls to Thee, tormented by our suffering conscience.
Gentle Heart of Jesus! We confide to Thee the peace and salvation of our families.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! The world, worried unto death, finds a refuge in Thy Heart, where the lance once opened for us the Source of Life.
Come, O Jesus! Be our Brother in the pure joy of Christian love!
Come, O Jesus! Be our Friend in the depths of the world’s sorrows!
It’s a pretty neat little book. All of the books from the Confraternity of the Precious Blood, are very worthwhile, save for the regrettable My Daily Life mentioned above. They would make a nice series of gifts for a God-child. Going through their books on the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Letters of St. Paul, in addition to the spiritual treatises of Thomas a Kempis, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Fr. Anthony Paone, would provide a really solid foundation in catechesis and the spiritual life for any young Catholic (I’d say, of 12 years and above).
I recommend them highly, for whatever that’s worth!
A Blog for Dallas Area Catholics 