Prayer Theology

As much as any of the saints, Saint Francis of Assisi - born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone - is known for his profound piety. He is especially remembered for how he renounced worldly possessions in order to focus on spiritual things. At great personal risk, he attempted to convert the Sultan in Egypt to end the Crusades. His Franciscan Order grew quickly in his time and has since birthed several other orders that persist to this day.

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591) was a major reformer of the Carmelite Order. He was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. What he accomplished in the monasteries paralleled what Saint Theresa of Avila did in the convents. Together, these two saints are considered the founders of the Discalced Carmelites. In fact, the two saints were friends and corresponded regularly.

Pope Francis celebrates women in the Church and the world, seen through the lens of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in this enlightening new work.

Few Christians in history are more revered when it comes to prayer and contemplation than St. Teresa of Ávila. Known for her piety and rapturous mystical experiences, many have sought to pursue her path or a path like it. While some have done this formally in the Carmelite orders she established, countless others have grown in their faith and experiences of intimacy with God through her writings and prayers.

Stories of Jesus provides a portrait of Our Lord in a day-by-day reflection format, based on the Gospel accounts of his life and teachings. Through these reflections, Girzone introduces Jesus and his adult ministry - from his baptism by John the Baptist through his public life and work, to his death and resurrection - pausing along the way to focus on the important people and events of Jesus s world.