Suggestions on Spiritual Theology Books

Many people look for excellent books on prayer and the spiritual life in a sea of popular writing. A classic book known to us oldies is Spiritual Theology by Fr. Jordan Aumann.  Some of my Gen-X and Millennial friends have re-discovered this gem, and I pass the hint on to you.

As most of you know, and as indicated in the introduction before the author begins in earnest, spiritual theology is both speculative and practical. In this day and age of many siren voices singing songs on how to become holy, Aumann's approach, from a more traditional base, provides the wanderer with some clear guidelines. As some of you know, I have done an extensive unpacking of Garrigou-Lagrange on my website, but for newbies, this book gives a foundation.

It has always been the duty and joy of the laity to take responsibility for spirituality and prayer. One cannot merely depend on sermons, or confessional advice. In these days, this duty seems more urgent than ever. That this author is used in spiritual theology courses 101 indicates that the level is introductory. However, if one is not familiar with some of the basic teachings of the Catholic Church on the virtues, for example, or prayer, this book can easily be understood side-by-side with the CCC.

One can also check and see if these downloads are still working at this site, which gives a good list of Fr. Aumann's works. http://domcentral.org/blog/jordan-aumann-o-p-introduction/

One can also check out this link.
http://archive.org/stream/SpiritualTheologyByFr.JordanAumannO.p/AumannO.p.SpiritualTheologyall_djvu.txt

Sadly, the book is out of print, but some of my younger friends have found copies recently.

Another decent book is this one below for starters. Every time I go online to Amazon, I am shocked at the price of these out-of-print classics.

I have these books in Illinois, which does not help me in Dublin, but I can recommend the Dominican writers as a rule on spirituality.

Happy Update: I just got back from Holy Mass and the subject of the sermon from the Prior of the Whitefriar's Carmelites was on the laity taking personal responsibility for their salvation and holiness. Bravo, Prior. Adults must appropriate the Faith at a mature level. This is part of our baptismal duty and we have the graces necessary to do so.