Union with God: Letters of Spiritual Direction by Blessed Columba Marmion
Item Number: 58853
Praise for Union With God
"This book is pure gold. I started highlighting parts of the book when I came upon profound spiritual passages, but soon determined I would save time by simply dying the pages of the book yellow. So much of the book truly resounded with me and stayed with me throughout the day as I used this book as spiritual reading in the morning. Marmion is able to put things so well that they really broke through to me even when I was pretty much aware of basic idea of what he was saying before. As always there is a great distance from head knowledge and truly understanding something with your heart.
Regardless of where somebody was in the spiritual life Marmion was able to provide direction. His advice was always soaked with scripture and the obvious experience of a contemplative who knew the deep things of God. Marmion would advise and sometimes chastise those he corresponded with and even when he had to tell them he thought they were on the wrong path - the way he wrote it is doubtful if anybody could become angry from the loving way he wrote them.
Included in the book is a letter he wrote to the Pope in 1911 to add to the request for the cause of Servant of God for Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, now of course St. Therese. He obviously immediately recognized the greatness of the Little Way that was the basis for her becoming a Doctor of the Church. Another of his letters of spiritual direction was one written to a young man under his charge as abbot of Maredsous Abbey. The person was considering leaving the Benedictines to join the Carthusians. In it you are certain that if Blessed Marmion had thought that this person had a vocation to the Carthusians he would have blessed him on his way, though in this case he thought it was a temptation that must be rejected and he forthrightly told him so, but with much love.
Even though the advice in this book was largely aimed at priests and religious the usefulness of his advice is suited to everybody regardless of their state of life. I could not recommend this book more highly."
–Jeff Miller, The Curt Jester weblog
Union With God
Book Description
One of Mother Teresa's favorite books, Union with God is a collection of letters written by Blessed Columba Marmion to the many persons who sought his spiritual counsel with questions about prayer, faith, temptation, suffering, and the struggles of daily life. Marmion excelled in the art of letter-writing his advice was always simple and direct, yet profound. In his letters we see him bringing to bear his great depth of theological knowledge in a practical and human way. Union with God offers warm, practical counsel from a spiritual master whom Popes and Bishops looked to for inspiration.
"God’s mercy is infinite like God Himself. If we lay open our soul to Him with all its infirmities and sins, His Divine gaze penetrates this abyss of which we cannot see the bottom. His gaze goes into the most hidden recesses and brings us strength and light."
— Blessed Columba Marmion, writing in Union with God
About the Author: Born in Ireland, Blessed Columba Marmion served for several years as a priest in Dublin before finding a vocation to monastic life in the Benedictine tradition. One of the great Catholic authors of the 20th century, his books, acclaimed by Popes and lay faithful alike, have sold some 1.5 million copies.
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