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Growth In Holiness
Growth in Holiness probes deeply into every important aspect of the spiritual life. Addresses the ruling passion, human respect, the right view of our faults, abiding sorrow for sin, scruples, spiritual idleness, and more --- 27 chapters in all.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1854
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196 people want to read
About the author
Frederick William Faber
325 books39 followersFrederick William Faber, C.O., was a noted English hymn writer and theologian, who converted from Anglicanism to the Catholic priesthood. His best known work is Faith of Our Fathers. Though he was a Roman Catholic writing for fellow Catholics at that point, many of his hymns today are sung by Protestant congregations.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 30, 2023
Amazing, amazing book! It’s been a while since a book on the spiritual life has humbled and taught me so much. Even reviewing these chapters to put them in correct order has been worthwhile. The following has finally been revised and rearranged in chronological order, though it was originally posted in reverse.
April 25, 2016:
Chapter 1, Progress in the Spiritual Life; Five signs we are making progress:
1. Discontent with present state
2. Always making new beginnings
3. Have something definite in view
4. *Most important – strong impression God wants something from us
5. Increased desire for perfection, which is inconsistent with lukewarmness
Chapter 2, Presumption and Discouragement; persons trying to be spiritual are peculiarly liable to discouragement because their attention is riveted on two things: minute duties and observances and exterior motives; and both of these renders them uncommonly sensitive.
May 1, 2016:
Chapter 3, How to make the Most of Our Signs of Progress; Recollection and fidelity are the aides or means to answer presumption and discouragement. Five things we can do to cultivate signs of progress:
1. Do more than we are presently doing
2. Put a more interior spirit on what we are all already doing
3. Pray for a greater desire of perfection
4. Rest in nothing except the service of God
5. Forget not our sins and give ourselves up to the exclusive consideration of the immensity of God’s love
May 2, 2016:
Chapter 4, The Spirit in which we Serve God; Five truths about our service to God:
1. His service is our most important, if not our sole, work
2. The spirit in which we serve Him should be entirely without reserve
3. Our ruling passion should be horror of sin
4. We should avoid, as if it were a sacrilege, any slovenliness in our dealings toward God
5. Only fact of any especial importance to us is whether we are honestly serving God or not
God is to us what we are to Him. With the innocent He is innocent, and with the perverse, He is perverse. Liberty of spirit consists not at all in being freer with God or less anxious in the discharge of our spiritual duties, but in this single thing, detachment from creatures.
May 5, 2016:
Chapter 5, What Holds us Back; Examines the three mistakes in the interior life:
1. Lack of conformity to the Will of God
2. Wanting of devotion to the Sacred Humanity of Jesus and His Mysteries
3. A want of filial feeling toward God
May 6, 2016:
Chapter 6, External Conduct; to attack another man’s faults is to do the devil’s work for him; to do God’s work is to attack our own. When we practice the Particular Examine, St. Ignatius would have us attack our fault which most annoys our neighbor v. the one which troubles us most or even that which seems of the greatest magnitude. If we would edify our neighbor, this is best accomplished by imitating/taking on the mortification and/or sweetness of Jesus.
May 7, 2016:
Chapter 7, Ruling Passion; discusses of how this is discovered, our natural inclinations to resist this effort and the absolute necessity of persistence nevertheless.
Chapter 8, Our Normal State; consists in perpetual interchange among three dispositions: struggle, fatigue and rest. Discusses five components of struggle, seven principal enemies we are battling, seven causes of fatigue and five characteristics of rest. Depressing chapter! If this is ‘normal’ I lament the abnormal! :(((((
May 10, 2016:
Chapter 9, Patience; the four exercises of patience, with: 1.) others; 2.) self; 3.) our director and 4.) God. The English (and American) spirit of always standing up for our rights is fatal to perfection. It is the opposite of that charity of which the Apostle says seeks not its own. 1 Cor 13:5 To be patient with self is an almost incalculable blessing, and the shortest road to improvement, as well as the quickest means by which an interior spirit can be formed within us short of that immediate touch of God which makes some souls interior all at once.
May 16, 2016:
The whole time I have been reading this book I kept thinking I recognized this author but could not think where I knew his name from and then it came to me, from our hymnal. He is the author of many popular hymns including Faith of Our Fathers. Bet you didn't know, I know I didn't, it was written about Catholic martyrs under Henry VIII. Faber was ordained in the Church of England in 1839 and after prolonged mental struggle, he left his congregation to follow his hero Newman and joined the Catholic Church in 1845. He had gathered eleven like-minded men into a small community around him in Elton. They eventually settled in Birmingham, where they informally organized themselves in a religious community,
May 17, 2016:
Chapter 10, Human Respect; Nothing can be more stupid than our submission to it. When it is in our favor it can do us no good; unless it is true, can it afford us any rational pleasure? Indeed, its power is altogether in the prospect, and not in the present possession. Few are aware until they honestly turn to God, how completely they are slaves of this vice. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” ~Mark 8:36 Certainly the most enlightening chapter thus far yet not readily reducible to a list of maxims. Must be read for oneself to be fully appreciated.
May 18, 2016:
Chapter 11, Mortification—Our True Perseverance; It is both interior and exterior. Excellence of the interior is beyond question, yet exterior must come first. ‘Suffering’ is the more familiar term. Its uses:
1. Tame the body and bring rebellious passions under control of grace and our will
2. Increase the range of our spiritual vision
3. Obtain power with God
4. Intensify our love
5. Make us unworldly to inundate us with spiritual joy
6. Strengthen us to hinder our quitting the Via Purgativa too soon (the great mistake!)
7. Found in its connection with prayer
8. Give depth and strength to our sanctity
9. Without exterior mortification we shall not reach higher graces of interior mortification
10. Excellent school for queenly virtue of discretion
May 22, 2016:
Chapter 12, The Human Spirit; the greatest enemy of persons advanced in spirituality is neither the devil, nor the world, nor the flesh; for these three adversaries have either already been overcome, or are actually being combatted. The greatest enemy is the human spirit, which is the ally of self-love; and it cannot be overcome except by an incessant mortification of the will.
May 23, 2016:
Chapter 13, the Human Spirit Defeated; most helpful chapter for me so far—Teresa of Ávila seems to make similar points in The Way of Perfection, although she meanders whereas Fr. Faber takes the express
Touchiness about our reputation is a disease most fatal to our spiritual life and one of the more prolific causes of lukewarmness. Three remedies:
1. Special prayer
2. Making it subject of our particular examen
3. Most important: keep our eye steadily fixed on the beautiful and potent example of our Blessed Lord; resolve to have no reserves with God and then leave all else to Him
Two spirits which effectively hinder all advance in the spiritual life:
1. spirit of taking scandal and
2. fidgety desire to give edification.
Weapons to combat the enemy:
1) Spirit of captivity – submission to proper authority; cautions are discussed at length which I very much appreciated as well-intentioned souls have the bad habit of becoming blindly obedient
2) Repose of the soul in its present grace and state
3) Frequent meditation on our true nature, condition, and status
May 24, 2016:
Chapter 14, Spiritual Idleness; If perseverance is most precious of graces—because it makes all the others of most lasting value—then idleness must be one of the chief vices. There are seven developments/types:
1. Dissipation—excellent description of what it is and how it affects our spiritual life
2. Sadness and low spirits—are we looking for God or self-improvement?
3. Sloth or general languor
4. Useless industry
5. Not managing our recreations well
6. General indifference to the use of time
7. Loquacity
Another excellent chapter; many fine suggestions and much room for improvement, booklady... Are you paying attention?!
May 25, 2016:
Chapter 15, Prayer; covers Our Lord’s command to ‘pray always’, what is mental prayer and two preparations for it:
1. Remote—removing obstacles (i.e., a good opinion of oneself etc.)
2. Proximate—reading, hearing getting ready for meditation
Examines Ignatian plan and Sulpician method of prayer which is most like that handed down by the ancient Fathers. Discusses four kinds of vocal prayer: 1.) with a (prayer) book, 2.) without book, 3.) intercessory and 4.) short phrases of heart-felt praise and petition commonly called, ejaculatory prayer. Three gifts from God when we pray humbly:
1. Gift of prayer itself
2. Increase of our merits by persevering in unanswered prayer
3. By this perseverance we prepare ourselves to receive grace with much greater fruit than if it were given all at once.
May 26, 2016:
Chapter 16, Temptations; their nature, times, kinds, and uses. There are seven permanent blessings associated with our temptations: 1.) Merit, 2.) Love, 3.) Humility, 4.) Solidity, 5.) Self-knowledge, 6.) Self-love is killed, and 7.) we are thrown upon God.
Four mistakes made about temptations:
1. Thinking time spent battling them is wasted
2. Lack of due vigilance by negligent souls
3. Misuse of periods of relative calm
4. Giving way in some of the circumstances of the temptation itself short of sin
Means to overcome? Cheerfulness; Confidence in God combined with diffidence of self; prayer especially ejaculatory (short phrases of heart-felt praise and petition); examination of conscience; exercise ourselves in acts contrary to our peculiar infirmities
May 27, 2016:
Chapter 17, Scruples; defined as a vain fear of sin where there is no reason or reasonable ground for suspecting sin. There are three main causes for scruples, two additional and five minor ones, as well as seven signs of scruples, three effects and most important their eight remedies:
1. Develop prayer life
2. Meditate on cheerful subjects
3. Cultivate a filial devotion to Our Lady
4. Avoid idleness
5. Accept moderate bodily mortifications
6. Never reflect on one’s own scruples!
7. Act as we see other good souls act
8. Take the mild side in moral questions
This chapter bears very careful reading.
May 31, 2016:
Chapter 18, the Office of Spiritual Director; speaks to importance; meaning; choice/changing; true idea of intercourse and suffering caused by one’s director. Having a director gives to the life of a person in the world the similitude of a monastic life. Whenever a real attraction to a devout life becomes manifest in our souls that is time God is calling us to choose a director, if we have not already got one. When we have lost our liberty and ease with him, he has lost his grace for us and that without fault on either side.
June 3, 2016:
Chapter 19, Abiding Sorrow for Sin; there are two classes of persons trying to serve God: those who do not feel this abiding sorrow for sin, and those who do, or at least want to have it. Those who have sorrow need have an abiding ‘sorrow unto life’ which is lifelong, quiet, supernatural and a fountain of love. It is affectionate not reproachful. It deals gently with self without being indulgent. It is humble and never downcast at falls but delivers the soul from many spiritual dangers. Leads into next chapter…
Jun 4, 2016:
Chapter 20, the Right view of Our Faults; what do we most abound in? Faults! Keeping our eye firmly on God rather than our own shortcomings, we choose his Will rather than a program of self-improvement. The person who chooses to be his/her own sculptor will get more out of proportion and can never be spiritual and hardly be moral. The one who follows God’s lead models himself in measure and degree on Jesus and seeks to please God acting out of love. His inconsistencies do not astonish him; his imperfections grieve him because they grieve the Holy Spirit.
June 5, 2016
Chapter 21, the Irreligious and the Elect; we are given five states of the world’s wickedness but really who needs to hear those?! Fr. Faber writes, “A melancholy world! No wonder we look to ourselves so good in the middle of it.” To avoid presumption, however, we need see things aright—as God sees them. Those called ‘saints’ by the church point to seven symptoms present in a state of grace, certainly not infallibly true but supernaturally hopeful and typically found in the elect: the imitation of Christ, devotion to Our Blessed Lady, works of mercy, love of prayer, self-distrust, the gift of faith, and past mercies from God. And it is not so much the possession of these which counts with God so much as the earnest desire for and the sincere endeavor after them.
June 8, 2016
Chapter 25, Lukewarmness; God declares tepidity to be more loathsome even than coldness; reason enough to be concerned with this condition. We learn to identify lukewarmness and also the causes, results and symptoms of this blindness. Meditation on eternal truths, limiting our activities, the practice of silence in keeping with our state of life, perseverance in our spiritual exercises despite dryness and distractions and the habit of mortification, again in keeping with one’s age, health and state of life. Fr. Faber never advocates severity of any kind, only perseverance.
Chapter 26, Fervor; we learn what it is and what it isn’t. Fervor is above all a state, not a passing phase or a conversion experience. It is moderate, hidden like God yet escaping to be seen through irrepressible excellence, silent, not anxious about results, disinterested in praise, a stable vital force in the soul, always augmenting and increasing visibly yet tranquilly up till death. It is not contemptible of others, self-sufficient, hyper-active, changeable, superficial, loud, brittle, judgmental, critical, or inconstant.
Chapter 27, Discretion; moderates all the other virtues and may be defined as ‘persevering love’. Here are five things about discretion to impress on one’s memory:
1.) Discretion acts slowly and after prayer, doubts impulses and takes counsel.
2.) Discretion does little, one thing at a time, and calculates its own strength.
3.) Discretion does its work very carefully, perseveres in its little, is on the lookout to add, and prognosticates nothing.
4.) Discretion gently forces itself to work, and insists on an interior spirit, pure motives, and the practice of God’s presence.
5.) Discretion does all its work for God supremely.
June 6, 2016
Chapter 22, the True Idea of Devotion; by devotion we mean practical commitment and total dedication of the soul to God, to His honor, worship and service, not some sweet tender ardor which is often taken for ‘devotion’ but is really nothing of the sort. Further we learn about false devotions, the fountains of inspiration and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 23, the Right Use of Spiritual Favors; author stresses these pertain to persons living in the world and are not limited to priests/religious. Discusses two divisions of spiritual gifts only: spiritual sweetnesses and spiritual consolations which are the ordinary gifts of every soul honestly striving after perfection. Distinguishes between them, establishes how they assist us in devotion, details their fruits, highlights their signs, draws from the writings of the saints in explaining their manifestations and offers suggestions for how to obtain such favors. Much more besides!
June 7, 2016
Chapter 24, Distractions and Their Remedies; the good news is that although they look like our fault, distractions are actually most often our greatest mortification and not entirely our fault. The bad news is we will most likely never be entirely free of them in this life. We learn of our faults which increase and frustrate distractions and then are given methods which aid us in reducing them, my personal favorite being, the practice of the presence of God. As a bonus, we learn six ways of doing this powerful spiritual exercise!
When I downloaded the e-book, Growth In Holiness, the quality was so poor, it was almost impossible to read. From what I could discern, it seemed worth purchasing, so I did and have not regretted it.
Interesting insight today from St. Bede's commentary on why Jesus told the leper to remain silent about his cure. Have always wondered about this as it seemed a confusing injunction. Bede wrote that Our Lord gave us an example for our own lives. When we do good, we should also do everything with a view to anonymity as this is best for our own humility and yet if our good should come out anyway, then it is because it is God's Will that others see how God works in and through us.
April 25, 2016:
Chapter 1, Progress in the Spiritual Life; Five signs we are making progress:
1. Discontent with present state
2. Always making new beginnings
3. Have something definite in view
4. *Most important – strong impression God wants something from us
5. Increased desire for perfection, which is inconsistent with lukewarmness
Chapter 2, Presumption and Discouragement; persons trying to be spiritual are peculiarly liable to discouragement because their attention is riveted on two things: minute duties and observances and exterior motives; and both of these renders them uncommonly sensitive.
May 1, 2016:
Chapter 3, How to make the Most of Our Signs of Progress; Recollection and fidelity are the aides or means to answer presumption and discouragement. Five things we can do to cultivate signs of progress:
1. Do more than we are presently doing
2. Put a more interior spirit on what we are all already doing
3. Pray for a greater desire of perfection
4. Rest in nothing except the service of God
5. Forget not our sins and give ourselves up to the exclusive consideration of the immensity of God’s love
May 2, 2016:
Chapter 4, The Spirit in which we Serve God; Five truths about our service to God:
1. His service is our most important, if not our sole, work
2. The spirit in which we serve Him should be entirely without reserve
3. Our ruling passion should be horror of sin
4. We should avoid, as if it were a sacrilege, any slovenliness in our dealings toward God
5. Only fact of any especial importance to us is whether we are honestly serving God or not
God is to us what we are to Him. With the innocent He is innocent, and with the perverse, He is perverse. Liberty of spirit consists not at all in being freer with God or less anxious in the discharge of our spiritual duties, but in this single thing, detachment from creatures.
May 5, 2016:
Chapter 5, What Holds us Back; Examines the three mistakes in the interior life:
1. Lack of conformity to the Will of God
2. Wanting of devotion to the Sacred Humanity of Jesus and His Mysteries
3. A want of filial feeling toward God
May 6, 2016:
Chapter 6, External Conduct; to attack another man’s faults is to do the devil’s work for him; to do God’s work is to attack our own. When we practice the Particular Examine, St. Ignatius would have us attack our fault which most annoys our neighbor v. the one which troubles us most or even that which seems of the greatest magnitude. If we would edify our neighbor, this is best accomplished by imitating/taking on the mortification and/or sweetness of Jesus.
May 7, 2016:
Chapter 7, Ruling Passion; discusses of how this is discovered, our natural inclinations to resist this effort and the absolute necessity of persistence nevertheless.
Chapter 8, Our Normal State; consists in perpetual interchange among three dispositions: struggle, fatigue and rest. Discusses five components of struggle, seven principal enemies we are battling, seven causes of fatigue and five characteristics of rest. Depressing chapter! If this is ‘normal’ I lament the abnormal! :(((((
May 10, 2016:
Chapter 9, Patience; the four exercises of patience, with: 1.) others; 2.) self; 3.) our director and 4.) God. The English (and American) spirit of always standing up for our rights is fatal to perfection. It is the opposite of that charity of which the Apostle says seeks not its own. 1 Cor 13:5 To be patient with self is an almost incalculable blessing, and the shortest road to improvement, as well as the quickest means by which an interior spirit can be formed within us short of that immediate touch of God which makes some souls interior all at once.
May 16, 2016:
The whole time I have been reading this book I kept thinking I recognized this author but could not think where I knew his name from and then it came to me, from our hymnal. He is the author of many popular hymns including Faith of Our Fathers. Bet you didn't know, I know I didn't, it was written about Catholic martyrs under Henry VIII. Faber was ordained in the Church of England in 1839 and after prolonged mental struggle, he left his congregation to follow his hero Newman and joined the Catholic Church in 1845. He had gathered eleven like-minded men into a small community around him in Elton. They eventually settled in Birmingham, where they informally organized themselves in a religious community,
May 17, 2016:
Chapter 10, Human Respect; Nothing can be more stupid than our submission to it. When it is in our favor it can do us no good; unless it is true, can it afford us any rational pleasure? Indeed, its power is altogether in the prospect, and not in the present possession. Few are aware until they honestly turn to God, how completely they are slaves of this vice. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” ~Mark 8:36 Certainly the most enlightening chapter thus far yet not readily reducible to a list of maxims. Must be read for oneself to be fully appreciated.
May 18, 2016:
Chapter 11, Mortification—Our True Perseverance; It is both interior and exterior. Excellence of the interior is beyond question, yet exterior must come first. ‘Suffering’ is the more familiar term. Its uses:
1. Tame the body and bring rebellious passions under control of grace and our will
2. Increase the range of our spiritual vision
3. Obtain power with God
4. Intensify our love
5. Make us unworldly to inundate us with spiritual joy
6. Strengthen us to hinder our quitting the Via Purgativa too soon (the great mistake!)
7. Found in its connection with prayer
8. Give depth and strength to our sanctity
9. Without exterior mortification we shall not reach higher graces of interior mortification
10. Excellent school for queenly virtue of discretion
May 22, 2016:
Chapter 12, The Human Spirit; the greatest enemy of persons advanced in spirituality is neither the devil, nor the world, nor the flesh; for these three adversaries have either already been overcome, or are actually being combatted. The greatest enemy is the human spirit, which is the ally of self-love; and it cannot be overcome except by an incessant mortification of the will.
May 23, 2016:
Chapter 13, the Human Spirit Defeated; most helpful chapter for me so far—Teresa of Ávila seems to make similar points in The Way of Perfection, although she meanders whereas Fr. Faber takes the express
Touchiness about our reputation is a disease most fatal to our spiritual life and one of the more prolific causes of lukewarmness. Three remedies:
1. Special prayer
2. Making it subject of our particular examen
3. Most important: keep our eye steadily fixed on the beautiful and potent example of our Blessed Lord; resolve to have no reserves with God and then leave all else to Him
Two spirits which effectively hinder all advance in the spiritual life:
1. spirit of taking scandal and
2. fidgety desire to give edification.
Weapons to combat the enemy:
1) Spirit of captivity – submission to proper authority; cautions are discussed at length which I very much appreciated as well-intentioned souls have the bad habit of becoming blindly obedient
2) Repose of the soul in its present grace and state
3) Frequent meditation on our true nature, condition, and status
May 24, 2016:
Chapter 14, Spiritual Idleness; If perseverance is most precious of graces—because it makes all the others of most lasting value—then idleness must be one of the chief vices. There are seven developments/types:
1. Dissipation—excellent description of what it is and how it affects our spiritual life
2. Sadness and low spirits—are we looking for God or self-improvement?
3. Sloth or general languor
4. Useless industry
5. Not managing our recreations well
6. General indifference to the use of time
7. Loquacity
Another excellent chapter; many fine suggestions and much room for improvement, booklady... Are you paying attention?!
May 25, 2016:
Chapter 15, Prayer; covers Our Lord’s command to ‘pray always’, what is mental prayer and two preparations for it:
1. Remote—removing obstacles (i.e., a good opinion of oneself etc.)
2. Proximate—reading, hearing getting ready for meditation
Examines Ignatian plan and Sulpician method of prayer which is most like that handed down by the ancient Fathers. Discusses four kinds of vocal prayer: 1.) with a (prayer) book, 2.) without book, 3.) intercessory and 4.) short phrases of heart-felt praise and petition commonly called, ejaculatory prayer. Three gifts from God when we pray humbly:
1. Gift of prayer itself
2. Increase of our merits by persevering in unanswered prayer
3. By this perseverance we prepare ourselves to receive grace with much greater fruit than if it were given all at once.
May 26, 2016:
Chapter 16, Temptations; their nature, times, kinds, and uses. There are seven permanent blessings associated with our temptations: 1.) Merit, 2.) Love, 3.) Humility, 4.) Solidity, 5.) Self-knowledge, 6.) Self-love is killed, and 7.) we are thrown upon God.
Four mistakes made about temptations:
1. Thinking time spent battling them is wasted
2. Lack of due vigilance by negligent souls
3. Misuse of periods of relative calm
4. Giving way in some of the circumstances of the temptation itself short of sin
Means to overcome? Cheerfulness; Confidence in God combined with diffidence of self; prayer especially ejaculatory (short phrases of heart-felt praise and petition); examination of conscience; exercise ourselves in acts contrary to our peculiar infirmities
May 27, 2016:
Chapter 17, Scruples; defined as a vain fear of sin where there is no reason or reasonable ground for suspecting sin. There are three main causes for scruples, two additional and five minor ones, as well as seven signs of scruples, three effects and most important their eight remedies:
1. Develop prayer life
2. Meditate on cheerful subjects
3. Cultivate a filial devotion to Our Lady
4. Avoid idleness
5. Accept moderate bodily mortifications
6. Never reflect on one’s own scruples!
7. Act as we see other good souls act
8. Take the mild side in moral questions
This chapter bears very careful reading.
May 31, 2016:
Chapter 18, the Office of Spiritual Director; speaks to importance; meaning; choice/changing; true idea of intercourse and suffering caused by one’s director. Having a director gives to the life of a person in the world the similitude of a monastic life. Whenever a real attraction to a devout life becomes manifest in our souls that is time God is calling us to choose a director, if we have not already got one. When we have lost our liberty and ease with him, he has lost his grace for us and that without fault on either side.
June 3, 2016:
Chapter 19, Abiding Sorrow for Sin; there are two classes of persons trying to serve God: those who do not feel this abiding sorrow for sin, and those who do, or at least want to have it. Those who have sorrow need have an abiding ‘sorrow unto life’ which is lifelong, quiet, supernatural and a fountain of love. It is affectionate not reproachful. It deals gently with self without being indulgent. It is humble and never downcast at falls but delivers the soul from many spiritual dangers. Leads into next chapter…
Jun 4, 2016:
Chapter 20, the Right view of Our Faults; what do we most abound in? Faults! Keeping our eye firmly on God rather than our own shortcomings, we choose his Will rather than a program of self-improvement. The person who chooses to be his/her own sculptor will get more out of proportion and can never be spiritual and hardly be moral. The one who follows God’s lead models himself in measure and degree on Jesus and seeks to please God acting out of love. His inconsistencies do not astonish him; his imperfections grieve him because they grieve the Holy Spirit.
June 5, 2016
Chapter 21, the Irreligious and the Elect; we are given five states of the world’s wickedness but really who needs to hear those?! Fr. Faber writes, “A melancholy world! No wonder we look to ourselves so good in the middle of it.” To avoid presumption, however, we need see things aright—as God sees them. Those called ‘saints’ by the church point to seven symptoms present in a state of grace, certainly not infallibly true but supernaturally hopeful and typically found in the elect: the imitation of Christ, devotion to Our Blessed Lady, works of mercy, love of prayer, self-distrust, the gift of faith, and past mercies from God. And it is not so much the possession of these which counts with God so much as the earnest desire for and the sincere endeavor after them.
June 8, 2016
Chapter 25, Lukewarmness; God declares tepidity to be more loathsome even than coldness; reason enough to be concerned with this condition. We learn to identify lukewarmness and also the causes, results and symptoms of this blindness. Meditation on eternal truths, limiting our activities, the practice of silence in keeping with our state of life, perseverance in our spiritual exercises despite dryness and distractions and the habit of mortification, again in keeping with one’s age, health and state of life. Fr. Faber never advocates severity of any kind, only perseverance.
Chapter 26, Fervor; we learn what it is and what it isn’t. Fervor is above all a state, not a passing phase or a conversion experience. It is moderate, hidden like God yet escaping to be seen through irrepressible excellence, silent, not anxious about results, disinterested in praise, a stable vital force in the soul, always augmenting and increasing visibly yet tranquilly up till death. It is not contemptible of others, self-sufficient, hyper-active, changeable, superficial, loud, brittle, judgmental, critical, or inconstant.
Chapter 27, Discretion; moderates all the other virtues and may be defined as ‘persevering love’. Here are five things about discretion to impress on one’s memory:
1.) Discretion acts slowly and after prayer, doubts impulses and takes counsel.
2.) Discretion does little, one thing at a time, and calculates its own strength.
3.) Discretion does its work very carefully, perseveres in its little, is on the lookout to add, and prognosticates nothing.
4.) Discretion gently forces itself to work, and insists on an interior spirit, pure motives, and the practice of God’s presence.
5.) Discretion does all its work for God supremely.
June 6, 2016
Chapter 22, the True Idea of Devotion; by devotion we mean practical commitment and total dedication of the soul to God, to His honor, worship and service, not some sweet tender ardor which is often taken for ‘devotion’ but is really nothing of the sort. Further we learn about false devotions, the fountains of inspiration and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 23, the Right Use of Spiritual Favors; author stresses these pertain to persons living in the world and are not limited to priests/religious. Discusses two divisions of spiritual gifts only: spiritual sweetnesses and spiritual consolations which are the ordinary gifts of every soul honestly striving after perfection. Distinguishes between them, establishes how they assist us in devotion, details their fruits, highlights their signs, draws from the writings of the saints in explaining their manifestations and offers suggestions for how to obtain such favors. Much more besides!
June 7, 2016
Chapter 24, Distractions and Their Remedies; the good news is that although they look like our fault, distractions are actually most often our greatest mortification and not entirely our fault. The bad news is we will most likely never be entirely free of them in this life. We learn of our faults which increase and frustrate distractions and then are given methods which aid us in reducing them, my personal favorite being, the practice of the presence of God. As a bonus, we learn six ways of doing this powerful spiritual exercise!
When I downloaded the e-book, Growth In Holiness, the quality was so poor, it was almost impossible to read. From what I could discern, it seemed worth purchasing, so I did and have not regretted it.
Interesting insight today from St. Bede's commentary on why Jesus told the leper to remain silent about his cure. Have always wondered about this as it seemed a confusing injunction. Bede wrote that Our Lord gave us an example for our own lives. When we do good, we should also do everything with a view to anonymity as this is best for our own humility and yet if our good should come out anyway, then it is because it is God's Will that others see how God works in and through us.
September 23, 2016
Wow. Now, when I look for spiritual reading, I'm looking for books like this. This book is a masterpiece. It is full of the wisdom born of experience - you can tell that Fr. Faber speaks of what he knows. I appreciated that because sometimes when I read spiritual books I feel like the author is expounding a theory and idealism rather than giving practical advice. With Growth in Holiness I felt like an anxious penitent receiving her director's reassurance and reply to all the difficulties she has poured out to him; and not only is the advice sound and practical, it is also written in a very readable way. This is not heavy prose. The language is beautiful, yes, but it is not difficult and certainly not dry. At certain points Fr. Faber even waxes humourous, and I chuckled to myself more than once in reading this book. There are numerous epigrams I'd like to keep in mind --- in addition to the all the warnings I must heed and the plans of attack and recovery I ought to follow!
I definitely recommend this to all who have been practicing the spiritual life for a little time now and need something to help keep them straight and warn them of their dangers. Read it slowly and prayerfully and I don't see how you could fail to benefit!
I definitely recommend this to all who have been practicing the spiritual life for a little time now and need something to help keep them straight and warn them of their dangers. Read it slowly and prayerfully and I don't see how you could fail to benefit!
September 16, 2022
Livro com diversas práticas e meditações para alcançarmos a santidade, verificando como estamos interiormente.
Mostra como o silêncio e ignorar as notícias do mundo são importantes para olharmos para nós mesmos, e como nunca podemos botar ressalvas na posição de Deus na nossa vida, devemos viver graça após graça, aceitando todas as abnegações cotidianas.
Coloca 3 possíveis obstáculos no progresso da vida interior: a falta de devoção à Nossa Senhora, a falta de devoção à Humanidade de Jesus, a falta de sentimento filial por Deus.
Diz que não devemos focar na correção fraterna até estarmos preparados para isso, e não devemos inicialmente também focar demais na introspecção, sob pena de desenvolvermos enfermidades espirituais ou físicas, devendo inicialmente focar no externo, no próximo, em obras.
O autor foca na importância de descobrirmos e nos atentarmos à nossa paixão dominante, que muitas vezes é a fonte dos nossos pecados veniais. Diz que a paciência é para o leigo o que a obediência é para o religioso, fonte de santificação.
Fala sobre o perniciosíssimo respeito humano, que nos desvia de Deus, para agradar aos homens. Mostra como a preocupação com o futuro, fazendo a vida ser um eterno desejo de passar logo para as próximas coisas, é um golpe duro na vida interior e exterior, já que devemos na verdade é aquiescer à graça do momento.
Alerta sobre a perda de tempo, péssimo hábito, citando Santo Afonso de Ligório, que fez voto de nunca perder um momento do seu tempo.
Sobre a oração, delineia dois métodos de exercícios espirituais, o de Santo Inácio e o de São Sulpício, dizendo que os dois formaram muitos santos, mas que deve-se optar por aquele que você tenha mais vocação/aptidão. Diz para recorrermos a orações vocais indulgenciadas, já que há grande número delas.
Sobre as tentações, diz que devemos sempre nos cuidar para combatê-las, e até desejá-las, e aproveitar os intervalos de paz para se mortificar mais e traçar planos para evitar ocasiões de pecado. É mais difícil fazermos as pequenas coisas, obscuras e que só aparecem para Deus, do que fazer as grandes.
Excelente capítulo sobre os escrúpulos, muitas das conclusões, causas e remédios são muito bem colocados pelo padre Leonardo Wagner em seu curso sobre os escrúpulos. Trata-se de um problema de orgulho e falta de confiança na misericórdia de Deus, para curar isso o principal é a obediência cega ao diretor espiritual.
Ressalta a importância de sentirmos as dores pelos pecados passados, sempre levantar após as quedas do pecado e especialmente nunca desanimar.
Muito bom capítulo sobre os ímpios e os eleitos, onde conclui dizendo para termos esperança e confiar na misericórdia de Deus, ter bom humor e em tudo agir por amor a Deus, dando exemplos de santos que afirmaram que muitos se salvarão, para não cairmos na tentação do desespero.
Excelente parte também sobre as distrações, onde descreve as distrações sem culpa e as distrações com culpa, como as por conta da tibieza, curiosidade de saber notícias o tempo todo, o que se passa no mundo, e pela falta de vigilância sobre os sentidos e em negligenciar as jaculatórias. Lembro de um vídeo do padre Paulo Ricardo, com o mesmo tema, em que ele, assim como o autor deste livro, indica que precisamos combater as distrações mesmo fora das orações, traçando um paralelo com as distrações trazidas pela ansiedade e agitação dos tempos modernos.
Tem alguns outros capítulos que não me chamaram tanta atenção. O livro é muito bom, recomendo, embora talvez um pouco prolixo em determinadas partes.
Tempo estimado de leitura: 12 horas
Mostra como o silêncio e ignorar as notícias do mundo são importantes para olharmos para nós mesmos, e como nunca podemos botar ressalvas na posição de Deus na nossa vida, devemos viver graça após graça, aceitando todas as abnegações cotidianas.
Coloca 3 possíveis obstáculos no progresso da vida interior: a falta de devoção à Nossa Senhora, a falta de devoção à Humanidade de Jesus, a falta de sentimento filial por Deus.
Diz que não devemos focar na correção fraterna até estarmos preparados para isso, e não devemos inicialmente também focar demais na introspecção, sob pena de desenvolvermos enfermidades espirituais ou físicas, devendo inicialmente focar no externo, no próximo, em obras.
O autor foca na importância de descobrirmos e nos atentarmos à nossa paixão dominante, que muitas vezes é a fonte dos nossos pecados veniais. Diz que a paciência é para o leigo o que a obediência é para o religioso, fonte de santificação.
Fala sobre o perniciosíssimo respeito humano, que nos desvia de Deus, para agradar aos homens. Mostra como a preocupação com o futuro, fazendo a vida ser um eterno desejo de passar logo para as próximas coisas, é um golpe duro na vida interior e exterior, já que devemos na verdade é aquiescer à graça do momento.
Alerta sobre a perda de tempo, péssimo hábito, citando Santo Afonso de Ligório, que fez voto de nunca perder um momento do seu tempo.
Sobre a oração, delineia dois métodos de exercícios espirituais, o de Santo Inácio e o de São Sulpício, dizendo que os dois formaram muitos santos, mas que deve-se optar por aquele que você tenha mais vocação/aptidão. Diz para recorrermos a orações vocais indulgenciadas, já que há grande número delas.
Sobre as tentações, diz que devemos sempre nos cuidar para combatê-las, e até desejá-las, e aproveitar os intervalos de paz para se mortificar mais e traçar planos para evitar ocasiões de pecado. É mais difícil fazermos as pequenas coisas, obscuras e que só aparecem para Deus, do que fazer as grandes.
Excelente capítulo sobre os escrúpulos, muitas das conclusões, causas e remédios são muito bem colocados pelo padre Leonardo Wagner em seu curso sobre os escrúpulos. Trata-se de um problema de orgulho e falta de confiança na misericórdia de Deus, para curar isso o principal é a obediência cega ao diretor espiritual.
Ressalta a importância de sentirmos as dores pelos pecados passados, sempre levantar após as quedas do pecado e especialmente nunca desanimar.
Muito bom capítulo sobre os ímpios e os eleitos, onde conclui dizendo para termos esperança e confiar na misericórdia de Deus, ter bom humor e em tudo agir por amor a Deus, dando exemplos de santos que afirmaram que muitos se salvarão, para não cairmos na tentação do desespero.
Excelente parte também sobre as distrações, onde descreve as distrações sem culpa e as distrações com culpa, como as por conta da tibieza, curiosidade de saber notícias o tempo todo, o que se passa no mundo, e pela falta de vigilância sobre os sentidos e em negligenciar as jaculatórias. Lembro de um vídeo do padre Paulo Ricardo, com o mesmo tema, em que ele, assim como o autor deste livro, indica que precisamos combater as distrações mesmo fora das orações, traçando um paralelo com as distrações trazidas pela ansiedade e agitação dos tempos modernos.
Tem alguns outros capítulos que não me chamaram tanta atenção. O livro é muito bom, recomendo, embora talvez um pouco prolixo em determinadas partes.
Tempo estimado de leitura: 12 horas
March 23, 2018
This is one of the best books on the spiritual life I have ever read. Fr. Faber is spot on not only in identifying and describing the difficulties in the journey toward holiness, but also in providing concrete, practical advice on how to overcome them. He covers an impressive breadth of topics with just the right amount of depth. His writing is direct and sharp, yet optimistic and encouraging. There were several chapters that I read twice because they were just that good. It amazed me how many times that Fr. Faber spoke so directly to especially modern issues even though this book first appeared in 1855. For example, where he speaks of the dangers of being consumed and distracted by reading newspapers, just sub in "social media" or "the Internet" for "newspapers," and he's hitting the nail on the head. I also appreciated his approach to lay spirituality reminded me of ideas more often associated with Vatican II, even though it appeared over a century before that council. I wouldn't recommend this book for a complete beginner, but if you've gone a little ways into the spiritual life and find yourself stalling or struggling to get out of a rut, it's just what you need. I will most definitely be coming back to it as a reference whenever my spiritual life gets out of sorts.
2018-05-may
July 14, 2015Came highly recommended
March 22, 2025
Este livro é uma joia para aqueles que realmente desejam avançar na vida espiritual, mas deve ser abordado com paciência. Seu estilo detalhado e poético torna a leitura mais exigente, mas também mais recompensadora. Para quem busca um guia sólido e bem estruturado para crescer na fé, Progresso na Vida Espiritual é um excelente companheiro, desde que se tenha a disposição de ler com calma e revisitar seus ensinamentos sempre que necessário.
January 5, 2026
Incredible and Thoughtful analysis
Oh that I could internalize this whole work. Breaking down by steps the way to increase our spiritual life and grow in holiness. Especially may I break down lukewarmness and grow in in discretion. I will personally recommend this book to our men's group.
Oh that I could internalize this whole work. Breaking down by steps the way to increase our spiritual life and grow in holiness. Especially may I break down lukewarmness and grow in in discretion. I will personally recommend this book to our men's group.
June 2, 2017
Evangelicals have much to learn from our Catholic forefathers/foremothers. Read the book with a distinctive evangelical framework and you will be astounded how spiritual growth was thought of and how we might appropriate certain ideas to our "Protestant practice".
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