{"title":"Catholic Spiritual Classics","description":"\u003ch2\u003eBooks For Reflection, Study And Growth\u003c\/h2\u003e\nChristian writing that has lasted: Augustine’s Confessions and City of God, The Imitation of Christ, The Practice of the Presence of God, Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, Chesterton and Pilgrim’s Progress. Short, re-readable books that suit Lent or Advent. See also \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/spirituality\"\u003espirituality\u003c\/a\u003e. Shipped NZ wide.","products":[{"product_id":"the-confessions-of-st-augustine","title":"The Confessions of St Augustine","description":"\u003cp\u003eHeartfelt, incisive, and timeless, The Confessions of Saint Augustine has captivated readers for more than fifteen hundred years. Retelling the story of his long struggle with faith and ultimate conversion -- the first such spiritual memoir ever recorded -- Saint Augustine traces a story of sin, regret, and redemption that is both deeply personal and, at the same time, universal.\u003cbr\u003eStarting with his early life, education, and youthful indiscretions, and following his ascent to influence as a teacher of rhetoric in Hippo, Rome, and Milan, Augustine is brutally honest about his proud and ambitious youth. In time, his early loves grow cold and the luster of worldly success fades, leaving him filled with a sense of inner absence, until a movement toward Christian faith takes hold, eventually leading to conversion and the flourishing of a new life. Philosophically and theologically brilliant, sincere in its feeling, and both grounded in history and strikingly contemporary in its resonance, The Confessions of Saint Augustine is a timeless classic that will persist as long as humanity continues to long for meaning in life and peace of soul.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pleroma Christian Supplies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42074385154125,"sku":"218933","price":39.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_eda98c2b-c961-425c-a6c4-e7d2b5ad79f4.png?v=1757405979"},{"product_id":"city-of-god","title":"City of God","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo book except the Bible itself had a greater influence on the Middle Ages than \"City of God\". Since medieval Europe was the cradle of today’s Western civilization, this work by consequence is vital for understanding our world and how it came into being.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaint Augustine is often regarded as the most influential Christian thinker after Saint Paul, and City of God is his masterpiece, a cast synthesis of religious and secular knowledge. It began as a reply to the charge that Christian other-worldliness was causing the decline of the Roman Empire. Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. Then he proceeded to his larger theme, a cosmic interpretation of the struggle between good and evil; the City of God in conflict with the Earthly City. This, the first serious attempt at a philosophy of history, was to have incalculable influence in forming the Western mind on the relations of church and state, and on the Christian’s place in the temporal order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original City of God contained twenty-two books and fills three regular-sized volumes. This edition has been skillfully abridged for the intelligent general reader by Vernon J. Bourke, author of Augustine’s Quest for Wisdom, making the heart of this monumental work available to a wide audience.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pleroma Christian Supplies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42074442203213,"sku":"234090","price":41.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_c09a9eb2-41d4-438d-8f09-66031f2638bc.png?v=1757405979"},{"product_id":"9780870612343","title":"The Imitation of Christ","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the best-loved spiritual classics of all time is now more accessible than ever. While many contemporary readers seek the richness of classical spirituality, some find the language and thought patterns of The Imitation of Christ distant and difficult to understand. Fr. Dennis Billy, noted teacher and spiritual guide, helps today's readers interpret The Imitation by raising their awareness of how the world of Thomas à Kempis coloured and shaped his presentation of the spiritual life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing the accessible translation of The Imitation of Christ by William Creasy, Fr. Billy highlights how today's Christians can interpret and apply The Imitation to their own spiritual journeys. Each chapter is preceded by a brief introduction and followed by a set of thoughtful reflection questions that help readers understand and apply the text.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pleroma Christian Supplies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42074449969229,"sku":"186305","price":47.5,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_547cc84d-76ff-4b2f-a376-73872ee47a52.png?v=1757405979"},{"product_id":"the-autobiography-of-saint-therese-of-lisieux-the-story-of-a-soul","title":"The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul","description":"\u003cp\u003eFew spiritual figures have touched as many readers in the past century as Saint Therese of Lisieux, the saint popularly known as the Little Flower. Though she was only twenty-four years old when she died, her writings have had tremendous impact, making her one of the most popular spiritual writers in the twentieth century. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, has been a source of priceless inspiration ever since it was written, and has become the great spiritual bestseller of our time. A hundred years after her death in 1897, millions of copies have spread throughout the world and it has been translated into more than fifty languages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pleroma Christian Supplies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42082734112845,"sku":"162017","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_a8904605-0e60-412e-9c62-c673f855331a.png?v=1757673852"},{"product_id":"interior-castle","title":"Interior Castle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA cornerstone book on mystical theology, \u003cem\u003eInterior Castle \u003c\/em\u003e describes the seven stages of union with God. Using everyday language to explain difficult theological concepts, Teresa of Avila compares the contemplative life to a castle with seven chambers. This is Teresa's masterpiece of Mystical literature in its most celebrated English translation. NZ wide fast shipping throughout New Zealand.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pleroma Christian Supplies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42096648945741,"sku":"283476","price":35.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_db752f30-4161-4d4f-a6a3-95d680384823.png?v=1758011201"},{"product_id":"searching-for-and-maintaining-peace-a-small-treatise-on-peace-of-heart","title":"Searching for and Maintaining Peace - Jacques Philippe","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Small Treatise on Peace of Heart\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe live in a day and age characterized by an extraordinary amount of agitation and lack of peace. This tendency manifests itself in our spiritual as well as our secular life. In our search for God and holiness, in our service to our neighbor, a kind of restlessness and anxiety take the place of the confidence and peace which ought to be ours. What must we do to overcome the moments of fear and distress which assail us all too often in our lives? How can we learn to place all our confidence in God and abandon ourselves into his loving care? This is what is taught in this simple, yet profound little treatise on peace of heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaking concrete examples from our everyday life, the author invites us to respond in a Gospel fashion to the upsetting situations we must all confront. Since peace of heart is a pure gift of God, it is something we should seek, pursue and ask him for without cease. This book is here to help us in that pursuit.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Pauls Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42096738402381,"sku":"293521","price":24.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_d00c9f2e-140e-4829-b7be-c4bc8ee1364d.png?v=1758011201"},{"product_id":"interior-freedom","title":"Interior Freedom","description":"\u003cp\u003eInterior Freedom leads one to discover that even in the most unfavorable outward circumstances we possess within ourselves a space of freedom that nobody can take away, because God is its source and guarantee. Without this discovery we will always be restricted in some way and will never taste true happiness. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Scepter","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42096738664525,"sku":"295689","price":40.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_6b47cbe2-3fa3-4e9e-bcc5-96f1e2a6a320.png?v=1758011201"},{"product_id":"the-practice-of-the-presence-of-god","title":"The Practice of the Presence of God","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a guide for all Christians aspiring to union with God, which, according to Brother Lawrence, is the ultimate goal of every soul. The new Image edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Practice of the Presence of God\u003c\/em\u003e is a reissue of the 1977 translation that was the first to appear in decades. It features an in-depth Introduction by John J. Delaney that examines what is known about Lawrence's life, how the book came to be, and its ongoing relevance throughout the ages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the words of this humble seventeenth-century lay Carmelite, \"we must trust God once and for all and abandon ourselves to Him alone.\" This difficult task necessarily requires perseverance and continual conversation with God in all activities great and small: \"speaking humbly and talking lovingly with Him at all times, at every moment, without rule or system...\" In reading these conversations, letters, and spiritual maxims, we learn the key to endless joy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn short, this little spiritual classic -- in its fresh, contemporary English translation -- renders the simple wisdom of Brother Lawrence accessible to every Christian who yearns for the fullness of life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pleroma Christian Supplies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42096795189325,"sku":"293995","price":19.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_e3ef29ef-59a8-4a44-8aef-c28a244fc66e.png?v=1758011201"},{"product_id":"transformation-in-christ","title":"Transformation in Christ: On the Christian Attitude","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecognized as a modern spiritual classic and perhaps Dietrich von Hildebrand's greatest work, this sublime and practical study gives a penetrating analysis of the true path to holiness for those who love Christ. The first requisite is the person's desire for change, and with that fundamental attitude in mind, von Hildebrand devotes a chapter to each of the successive spiritual attitudes necessary for those who strive for Christian perfection. The Beatitudes are treated with beauty and depth in an uncompromising challenge to every serious Christian to put into practice these teachings of Christ.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Freedom Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42096820158541,"sku":"296318","price":49.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_25bdd37a-f27b-4378-8bdf-b63912493341.png?v=1758011201"},{"product_id":"pilgrims-progress","title":"Pilgrim's Progress","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is not a devotional classic.  It is a dangerous tale : a call to the high stakes of every Christian’s journey.  Do not pick up expecting quaint amusement – It is a story woven through with undeniable truth, great cost, and overwhelming joy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most widely read books of all time, this adventure reveals John Bunyan’s intense grasp of the Scriptures. Penned while in prison for refusing to compromise the gospel.  The Pilgrim’s Progress is a guide for the journey from death to life. The times have changed, but the landmarks and adversaries are very much the same.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Living Word Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42120764227661,"sku":"296480","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_f25b07fd-7787-4079-85e4-ad61a4269b22.png?v=1758362873"},{"product_id":"utopia","title":"Utopia","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn Utopia , Thomas More gives us a traveller's account of a newly discovered island where the inhabitants enjoy a social order based on natural reason and justice, and human fulfilment is open to all. As the traveller, Raphael, describes the island to More, a bitter contrast is drawn between this rational society and the custom-driven practices of Europe. So how can the philosopher try to reform his society? In his fictional discussion, More takes up a question first raised by Plato and which is still a challenge in the contemporary world. In the history of political thought few works have been more influential than Utopia , and few more misunderstood.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"???","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42120765472845,"sku":"296122","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_c2892fe7-02f8-4945-8fd0-a5ac5ab4e8b3.png?v=1758362873"},{"product_id":"the-story-of-a-soul","title":"The Story of a Soul","description":"\u003cp\u003eSt Therese wrote this book under obedience to her superior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt conveys her secrets of holiness achieved in ordinary life, teaching the “Little Way of Spiritual Childhood” – her “elevator” to Heaven, as she called it.  Within its pages, she continually shows us how her “Little Way of love and confidence” comes straight from Sacred Scripture.  This method has since been approved and promulgated by Pope Pius XI as a way of holiness for all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Story of a Soul\u003c\/em\u003e, belongs in every Catholic home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tan Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42848902479949,"sku":"300636","price":32.5,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/download_1d15b984-1a8f-4f45-948a-98944462efd4.jpg?v=1775612859"},{"product_id":"confessions-saint-augustine","title":"Confessions - Saint Augustine","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn a remarkably honest and revealing spiritual autobiography, Saint Augustine addresses fundamental issues of doctrine that remain integral parts of modern Christianity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine spent his early years torn between conflicting faiths and world views. His\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eConfessions\u003c\/i\u003e, written when he was in his forties, recount how he came to turn away from his youthful ideas and licentious lifestyle to become a staunch advocate of Christianity and one of its most influential thinkers. Many of the prayers and meditations in\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eConfessions\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eare still fundamental parts of modern religion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePenguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42848902676557,"sku":"300637","price":37.5,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/9781440699764.jpg?v=1775613320"},{"product_id":"the-imitation-of-christ","title":"The Imitation of Christ","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWritten five centuries ago by a humble monk, \u003cem\u003eThe Imitation of Christ\u003c\/em\u003e serves as an instruction manual for spiritual life and stands as the most widely read Christian book next to the Holy Bible. It emerged directly out of the \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eDevotio Moderna\u003c!--TgQPHd|[]--\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e movement, focusing heavily on interior piety, humility, and a quiet withdrawal from worldly vanities.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Pauls Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43048442396749,"sku":"300853","price":24.5,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/TheImitaionofCHrist.png?v=1782259178"},{"product_id":"the-everlasting-man-g-k-chesterton","title":"The Everlasting Man - G.K. Chesterton (Paperback)","description":"\u003cp\u003eConsidered by many to be Chesterton's greatest masterpiece of all his writings, this is his whole view of world history as informed by the Incarnation. Beginning with the origin of man and the various religious attitudes throughout history, Chesterton shows how the fulfillment of all of man's desires takes place in the person of Christ and in Christ's Church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChesterton propounds the thesis that \"those who say that Christ stands side by side with similar myths, and his religion side by side with similar religions, are only repeating a very stale formula contradicted by a very striking fact.\" And with all the brilliance and devastating irony, so characteristic of his best writing, Chesterton gleefully and tempestuously tears to shreds that \"very stale formula\" and triumphantly proclaims in vivid language the glory and unanswerable logic of that very striking fact. Here is the genius of Chesterton at its delightful best.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Pauls Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43467597021261,"sku":"301001","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/TheEverlastingMan.jpg?v=1786750391"},{"product_id":"city-of-god-saint-augustine","title":"City of God | Saint Augustine","description":"St. Augustine's monumental work City of God stands as one of Christianity's most influential theological texts. Written during the Roman Empire's decline, this eloquent defence of the faith examines ancient pagan religions, Greek philosophy, and Biblical revelation with remarkable depth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAugustine masterfully addresses the spiritual crisis of his era, pointing believers toward a citizenship transcending worldly politics—one anchored in eternal truth. His exploration of divine providence, human nature, and the contrast between the City of God and the City of Man remains profoundly relevant to Christian thought.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis edition features a contemporary introduction situating Augustine's work within Greek and Roman intellectual traditions, illuminating the religious and literary influences that shaped this Christian thinker's vision. Includes chronology and bibliography for deeper study.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA cornerstone text for anyone seeking to understand Christian theology, philosophy, and the enduring power of faith amid cultural upheaval.","brand":"St Pauls Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50518976593997,"sku":"301223","price":39.5,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/city_of_god.jpg?v=1790120660"},{"product_id":"the-secret-of-the-rosary-st-louis-de-montfort","title":"The Secret of the Rosary - St. Louis De Montfort","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover one of the finest spiritual classics ever written on the Rosary. St. Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort's timeless work reveals the profound spiritual power of the prayer of the Rosary, often under-appreciated and misunderstood. This essential guide explains why the Rosary stands as the most important private devotion, offering deep instruction on its true worth, content, form, and proper use.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDe Montfort, canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947, was a legendary apostle of Marian devotion whose simple yet divinely inspired language speaks to readers of all ages. His words, rooted in constant prayer and love for the poor, transform how you understand and pray the Rosary. A masterpiece that goes far beyond mere research—it contains everything worth knowing about this sacred prayer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerfect for both devoted practitioners and those seeking to deepen their faith journey.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Pauls Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50519365943373,"sku":"301227","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/0423\/2013\/files\/TheSecretoftheRosaryTAN.jpg?v=1790124794"}],"url":"https:\/\/stjosephscentre.co.nz\/collections\/spiritual-classics.oembed?page=2","provider":"St Joseph's Gift Shop \u0026 Christian Supplies Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}