The Spiritual Life of the Priest

To a man living an interior life, all things can work together for good; and no failure in the ministry is for him really a failure. Apart from sin, his worst failures will be his greatest success, for it is by abiding in Christ that His apostles are to bring forth fruit, and there is no better way of abiding in Christ than by doing the will of God. Dom Eugene Boylan OCSO First published in 1949, The Spiritual Life of the Priest was written as a guide for busy priests working in the U.S., specifically with American conditions in mind. It reads easily in a way that can only come from the pen of a true spiritual master. It focuses on the practical aspects of the priest’s interior life such as mental prayer, the prayerful recitation of the Office, the devout celebration of the Mass, Marian devotion and consecration, recreation and the exercise of self-denial. The book concludes with chapters that provide theological foundations for the interior life, so that priests can truly live their priesthood as friends of Christ. This book remains a “must-have” for priests who, due to heavier workloads, are challenged more than ever in maintaining their lives of prayer and the exercise of virtue. Laypersons who want to develop deeper lives of prayer and virtue will also have much to learn from this short but meticulously detailed book.

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