My Daily Bread by Rev. Fr. Anthony J. Paone, S.J. (Premium UltraSoft)

My Daily Bread 

by Rev. Fr. Anthony J. Paone, S.J. 

Hear Christ speak to you like never before.

My Daily Bread is a series of short, daily reflections on the spiritual life. Written with loving care by Father Anthony Paone, this devotional will strengthen your love for Christ and his teachings.

Written as a dialogue with Christ himself, Father Paone leads the reader through the three ways of the spiritual life: Purification, Imitation, and Union.

Arranged for daily reflection, this pocket-sized book is an indispensable guide to the spiritual life. My Daily Bread overflows with reflections and prayers specifically designed to help you grow in the spiritual life and overcome failings, including:

• How to cultivate, recognize, and follow your conscience (p. 18)
• A contemplation of the Four Last Things that will help keep our focus on the eternal (p.25)
• The power of prayer as the first remedy to temptation (p. 99)
• A detailed guide on how to conquer a host of bad habits (p. 153)
• How to overcome our fear of suffering and instead embrace it as Christ embraced it (p. 203)
• How to live for Christ daily through spiritual reading, prayer, overcoming distractions, and cultivating devotions
• Achieving union with Christ through the Eucharist (p. 382)
• And much more…

Each daily reflection begins with Jesus speaking directly to you, kindly, patiently, and with great love. The next part of the reflection asks you to consider the truths presented in the words of Jesus. The final part consists of a prayer asking for God for the help to receive His wisdom and use it fruitfully in your life.

With more than one million copies sold, My Daily Bread is a true Christian classic. It's simple, yet carefully crafted daily reflections have led thousands to a drastically improved interior life and a deeper love for Christ.                                      

About the Author:
Father Anthony Paone, S.J. was a priest with the Confraternity of the Precious Blood and a beloved teacher at the renowned Brooklyn Preparatory Academy. He wrote two of the most remarkable Christian books in the modern era:
My Daily Bread and My Daily Life.

Product Details:
Item No: PE7721
Pages: 340
ISBN: 9781618907721
Publisher: Saint Benedict Press, LLC
Imprint: Confraternity of the Precious Blood
Publication Year: 2017
Binding:   Premium UltraSoft
Dimensions:   5.5" x 7.25" x 1"

Excerpts from this Book:
 "A man must go through a long and great conflict in himself before he can learn fully to overcome himself and to draw his whole affection towards God. When a man stands upon himself he is easily drawn aside after human comforts. But a true lover of Christ, and a diligent pursuer of virtue, does not hunt after comforts, nor seek such sensible sweetnesses, but is rather willing to bear strong trials and hard labors for Christ."
— Thomas a' Kempis, p. 64

"Therefore, when God gives spiritual comfort, receive it with thanksgiving, but know that it is the bounty of God, not thy merit. Be not puffed up, be not overjoyed, nor vainly presume, but rather be the more humble for this gift and the more cautious and fearful in all thine actions; for this hour will pass away and temptation will follow. When comfort shall be taken away from thee, do not presently despair; but wait with humility and patience for the heavenly visit, for God is able to restore thee a greater consolation. This is no new thing, nor strange to those who have experienced the ways of God: for the great saints and ancient prophets have often felt this kind of variety."
— Thomas à Kempis, p. 64

No one who follows Me will ever walk in darkness (Jn 8:12). These words of our Lord counsel all to walk in His footsteps. If you want to see clearly and avoid blindness of heart, it is His virtues you must imitate. Make it your aim to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. Christ's teachings surpass that of all the Saints. But to find this spiritual nourishment you must seek to have the Spirit of Christ. It is because we lack this Spirit that so often we listen to the Gospel without really hearing it. Those who fully understand Christ's words must labor to make their lives conform to His."
— Thomas á Kempis, p.15

"The glory of a good person is the evidence of a good conscience. Have a good conscience and you will always be happy. A good conscience can bear a great deal and still remain serene in the midst of adversity, while a bad conscience is fearful and easily ruffled. Only be glad when you have done well. Evil persons are never really happy, nor do they feel peace within them; for 'there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord' (Isa. 48:22). Even though the wicked may protest that peace is theirs and that no evil shall harm them, do not believe them. For God's wrath will suddenly overtake them, and all they have done will be brought to nothing and their plans destroyed."
— Thomas á Kempis, p.76

"We will never be free of trials and temptations as long as our earthly life lasts. For Job has said: 'Is not the life of human beings on earth a drudgery?' (Job 7:1). Therefore, we should always be on our guard against temptations, always praying that our enemy, the devil, 'who never sleeps but constantly looks for someone to devour.' (1 Pet 5:8), will not catch us off guard. No one in this world is so perfect or holy as not to have temptations sometimes. We can never be entirely free from them. Sometimes these temptations can be very severe and troublesome, but if we resist them, they will be very useful to us; for by experiencing them, we are humbled, cleansed, and instructed. All the Saints endured tribulations and temptations and profited by them, while those who did not resist and overcome them fell away and were lost. There is no place so holy or remote where you will not meet with temptation, nor is there anyone completely free from it in this life; for in our body we bear the wounds of sin—the weakness of our human nature in which we are born."
— Thomas á Kempis, p. 31

"Many try to fly away from temptations only to fall more deeply into them; for you cannot win a battle by mere flight. It is only by patience and humility that you will be strengthened against the enemy. Those who shun them outwardly and do not pull them out by the roots will make no progress; for temptations will soon return to harass them and they will be in a worse state. It is only gradually—with patience and endurance and with God's grace—that you will overcome temptations sooner than by your own efforts and anxieties . . . Gold is tried by fire and the upright person by temptation. Often we do not know what we can do until temptation shows us what we are . . . This is how temptation is: first we have a thought, followed by strong imaginings, then the pleasure and evil emotions, and finally consent. This is how the enemy gains full

admittance

because he was not resisted at the outset. The slower we are to resist, the weaker we daily become and the stronger the enemy
is against us."
— Thomas à Kempis, p. 32-33

 "Wait a little while, my soul, await the promise of God, and you will have the fullness of all that is good in heaven. If you yearn inordinately for the good things of this life, you will lose those which are heavenly and eternal. Use temporal things properly, but always desire what is eternal. Temporal things can never fully satisfy you, for you were not created to enjoy them alone . . . for your blessedness and happiness lie only in God, who has made all things from nothing."
— Thomas a' Kempis, p. 133-34

"Love is a strong force — a great good in every way; it alone can make our burdens light, and alone it bears in equal balance what is pleasing and displeasing. It carries a burden and does not feel it; it makes all that is bitter taste sweet. ... Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing higher, nothing stronger, nothing larger, nothing more joyful, nothing fuller, nothing better in heaven or on earth; for love is born of God and can find its rest only in God above all He has created. Such lovers fly high, run swiftly and rejoice. Their souls are free; they give all for all and have all in all. For

they

rest in One supreme Goodness above all things, from Whom all other good flows and proceeds. They look not only at the

gifts but at the Giver, Who is above all gifts."

— Thomas à Kempis, p. 108  
"Nothing is sweeter than love; nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing more generous, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in Heaven or on earth; for love proceeds from God and can rest but in God above all things created."
— Thomas a' Kempis, p. 87