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Classic Catholic Meditations
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
478 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1915
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82 people want to read
About the author
Bede Jarrett
63 books7 followersBorn in England in 1881, Jarrett entered the Dominican order in 1898. He then studied at Oxford and at Louvain, where he received an additional degree in theology. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1904, he was stationed at St. Dominic’s Priory in London. He was elected Provincial of the order and opened a new church and priory in London. He established an ongoing series of Thomistic lectures in London.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 19, 2024
Although I did not read this book as individual meditations for the most part (as the book recommends) the short catechetical chapters do lend themselves to be read that way, and I often found myself led to deep prayer. Dom Bede, the author, is nothing short of a genius and his writing is profound across the spectrum of spiritual wisdom and church knowledge. Reading this I can well understand why he was named Prior of his English priory at age 33 and then just two years later elected Provincial – an office he would hold for the rest of his life, being re-elected an unprecedented four times. In addition to those duties, he traveled all over England and abroad preaching and giving lectures, including a series on Thomistic theology. But to do his life credit you must read the full biography in the back of the book. I just mention these few things to assert that I know I have encountered a truly superior mind and one I want to know better and read more.
I read these reflections one per day (approximately) from the first of August until yesterday and I hope to return to this book again. I’ve also marked a few of the chapters which I hope to use for reflections for my own Carmelite community, one in particular about the prophet, Elijah and the Holy Eucharist.
As a catechetical text, this work would overwhelm most beginners but was an excellent review for me and I think it would be for anyone serious about his/her Catholic faith. It is organized in 15 parts as follows:
1. The Holy Trinity
2. The Blessed Mother
3. The unity of God’s creatures
4. Human life and its reward
5. The Christian life
6. The ages of man
7. Dealing with others
8. Faith
9. The Church
10. Prayer
11. Studying your Faith
12. Self-discipline
13. Forming yourself
Some parts had more chapters than others. The Holy Trinity being the longest with 21 chapters and Self-discipline the shortest with only 3. Obviously, some chapters were more interesting than others, but I can honestly say I did not skim one thing in this book. I read every bit of it with intense interest! This is certainly one of the most important and may well also be one of the best books I have read this year.
HIGHLY recommended!
On December 4th, in a meditation, Living the Faith calls for Strength, I read this quote by Hilaire Belloc: "To be a good Catholic, one must be a strong man; this is why so many women are good Catholics." 😉 Hey, it was a quote by a man, included in a book by a man. I'm just sayin'... And I DO know some incredibly HOLY Catholic women ... AND men!
Today November 6th*, I was playing catch-up in this book. It’s supposed to be meditations and sometimes I read/use them as such but lately I’ve fallen behind, so I was just reading them. They are excellent catechesis as well. I’ve learned so much from them as well. For example, I loved this: ‘In the kingdom of the pen there are no “idle rich.”’p.327
And, ‘My reason, then, because of my dignity as a human soul, must be put it to its highest use. I cannot let it run idly, but I need not read much. It will be enough if I think, especially if I think of God.’ p.331
My problem here is that I DO think, even more than I read (yes! believe it or not!) My mother used to say to me very exasperatedly, “Cathy, you think too much!” when I would ask her questions like where did Cain’s wife come from? And I do think of God most of the time and I want to talk of Him all the time but many of the people I know, don’t want to hear about Him! Even those who you might think would. So, I must keep mum or raise the wrath of those I love. 🥺
Then I came across this chapter and I felt like Jesus was speaking to my heart, ‘To educate is, as the Latin origin of the word implies, to draw out; it does not mean to pour in. Education and information are not the same things, nor should they ever be confused. … Thus, people are often described as well-educated when they are merely well-informed. To have read enormously and to be able to quote bits of classical authors may or may not be helps to education; in themselves these things are certainly not education.
I never was good at remembering, quoting or ‘being informed’. That’s never been why I read. When I was younger, I don’t think I knew why I read except that I loved it. As I grew older and my tastes became more and more selective, I began to question more and came to realize that my reading was much more than a habit, hobby, way of life or even a passion. It was a Quest. A Mission. I was seeking Him. Every single thing I read, from an article to a short story, to a novel; whether it is sacred or profane doesn’t matter. I am always looking for Him, His Footprints, Fingerprints, clues, anything He has left behind. That is why I race read.
Here's more from that same chapter: ‘Education, then to be worthy of the name, means that I have found in my soul all sorts of unexplored regions, tendencies, principles, yearnings, instincts and desires, hitherto unrealized and undeveloped. They lay there, dumbly felt, beating vainly against the bars of my soul, but utterly unable to give an account of themselves or to express of themselves intelligently. They had found no language, were obscure; but by dint of training, I find the meaning of myself and so of all the world. …but a true religious education must be discovered in the heart and developed, not poured into it from the outside.’ There’s so much more but I would be here all day typing and then I would feel the need to comment on it. I read this in Adoration, and it had me in tears. Maybe it does not seem so profound to those reading it now as it was for me then. Yet, I came out of Adoration changed. Completely, at Peace. It was as if I suddenly knew that Everything, EVERYTHING was going to be okay, but better than okay. It was going to be GOOD. SO GOOD! Thank you, Jesus! I know, I am not making sense. But, everything is GOOD! He is GOOD!
*It is also the 33rd anniversary of my brother's death and I am also at peace about him.
August 1, 2024: I am enjoying these very much. They are short, just three pages for the most part. They remind me of meditations on the Catechism. Fr. Jarrett is walking us through the tenets of our faith in a loving way. Reading one per day...
I read these reflections one per day (approximately) from the first of August until yesterday and I hope to return to this book again. I’ve also marked a few of the chapters which I hope to use for reflections for my own Carmelite community, one in particular about the prophet, Elijah and the Holy Eucharist.
As a catechetical text, this work would overwhelm most beginners but was an excellent review for me and I think it would be for anyone serious about his/her Catholic faith. It is organized in 15 parts as follows:
1. The Holy Trinity
2. The Blessed Mother
3. The unity of God’s creatures
4. Human life and its reward
5. The Christian life
6. The ages of man
7. Dealing with others
8. Faith
9. The Church
10. Prayer
11. Studying your Faith
12. Self-discipline
13. Forming yourself
Some parts had more chapters than others. The Holy Trinity being the longest with 21 chapters and Self-discipline the shortest with only 3. Obviously, some chapters were more interesting than others, but I can honestly say I did not skim one thing in this book. I read every bit of it with intense interest! This is certainly one of the most important and may well also be one of the best books I have read this year.
HIGHLY recommended!
On December 4th, in a meditation, Living the Faith calls for Strength, I read this quote by Hilaire Belloc: "To be a good Catholic, one must be a strong man; this is why so many women are good Catholics." 😉 Hey, it was a quote by a man, included in a book by a man. I'm just sayin'... And I DO know some incredibly HOLY Catholic women ... AND men!
Today November 6th*, I was playing catch-up in this book. It’s supposed to be meditations and sometimes I read/use them as such but lately I’ve fallen behind, so I was just reading them. They are excellent catechesis as well. I’ve learned so much from them as well. For example, I loved this: ‘In the kingdom of the pen there are no “idle rich.”’p.327
And, ‘My reason, then, because of my dignity as a human soul, must be put it to its highest use. I cannot let it run idly, but I need not read much. It will be enough if I think, especially if I think of God.’ p.331
My problem here is that I DO think, even more than I read (yes! believe it or not!) My mother used to say to me very exasperatedly, “Cathy, you think too much!” when I would ask her questions like where did Cain’s wife come from? And I do think of God most of the time and I want to talk of Him all the time but many of the people I know, don’t want to hear about Him! Even those who you might think would. So, I must keep mum or raise the wrath of those I love. 🥺
Then I came across this chapter and I felt like Jesus was speaking to my heart, ‘To educate is, as the Latin origin of the word implies, to draw out; it does not mean to pour in. Education and information are not the same things, nor should they ever be confused. … Thus, people are often described as well-educated when they are merely well-informed. To have read enormously and to be able to quote bits of classical authors may or may not be helps to education; in themselves these things are certainly not education.
I never was good at remembering, quoting or ‘being informed’. That’s never been why I read. When I was younger, I don’t think I knew why I read except that I loved it. As I grew older and my tastes became more and more selective, I began to question more and came to realize that my reading was much more than a habit, hobby, way of life or even a passion. It was a Quest. A Mission. I was seeking Him. Every single thing I read, from an article to a short story, to a novel; whether it is sacred or profane doesn’t matter. I am always looking for Him, His Footprints, Fingerprints, clues, anything He has left behind. That is why I race read.
Here's more from that same chapter: ‘Education, then to be worthy of the name, means that I have found in my soul all sorts of unexplored regions, tendencies, principles, yearnings, instincts and desires, hitherto unrealized and undeveloped. They lay there, dumbly felt, beating vainly against the bars of my soul, but utterly unable to give an account of themselves or to express of themselves intelligently. They had found no language, were obscure; but by dint of training, I find the meaning of myself and so of all the world. …but a true religious education must be discovered in the heart and developed, not poured into it from the outside.’ There’s so much more but I would be here all day typing and then I would feel the need to comment on it. I read this in Adoration, and it had me in tears. Maybe it does not seem so profound to those reading it now as it was for me then. Yet, I came out of Adoration changed. Completely, at Peace. It was as if I suddenly knew that Everything, EVERYTHING was going to be okay, but better than okay. It was going to be GOOD. SO GOOD! Thank you, Jesus! I know, I am not making sense. But, everything is GOOD! He is GOOD!
*It is also the 33rd anniversary of my brother's death and I am also at peace about him.
August 1, 2024: I am enjoying these very much. They are short, just three pages for the most part. They remind me of meditations on the Catechism. Fr. Jarrett is walking us through the tenets of our faith in a loving way. Reading one per day...
April 26, 2021
I picked up this book after enjoying several excerpts from it in a daily email to which I subscribe. As a person in formation to be a Lay Dominican, that the great Bede Jarrett wrote it was a major bonus.
I highly recommend this book. I used it as a daily spiritual devotional. Each meditation is about three pages long and the book clocks in at 476 pages so this offered nearly four months of wonderful reflections. Eminently quotable, there is not a dud in the entire work. Written over one hundred years ago (in 1915), the truths conveyed here are entirely relevant for today.
This book will stay in my collection and will be worth working through again and again.
I highly recommend this book. I used it as a daily spiritual devotional. Each meditation is about three pages long and the book clocks in at 476 pages so this offered nearly four months of wonderful reflections. Eminently quotable, there is not a dud in the entire work. Written over one hundred years ago (in 1915), the truths conveyed here are entirely relevant for today.
This book will stay in my collection and will be worth working through again and again.
May 17, 2025
This is my new favorite resource for daily meditations in my morning prayer time. I providentially came across this book at the Clear Creek Abbey bookstore in Oklahoma while I was staying there with my son. I had never heard of it or the author but was drawn to it because of the short daily meditations - each is only about 2 pages - that are arranged thematically. Also it is a somewhat older work so I felt I could trust it. It has transformed my prayer life and helped me contemplate the important things from different aspects. Beautiful writing and clear theology. I think this would make a great addition to our homeschool morning times with my high schoolers.
February 20, 2015
The Meditations found in this book are worthwhile, if you sat down to read them in the morning and re-consider them in evening of the day, you might be able to get the fullest appreciation of what these Meditations seek to convey. The wisdom contained in a each short and succinct chapter is in a sense a "daily bread" for edifying your Faith. I would recommend this book to all, beginner to advance along the Spiritual Way, I would also recommend reading this prayerfully, not rushed nor in a dry intellectual way.
October 18, 2023
Father Bede OP, give easy to read 3-4 page practical with tons of great theories and premises.
Highly recommend to people on the go who are getting started on doing a morning meditation. Easy, fast, life changing. What else do you want?
Highly recommend to people on the go who are getting started on doing a morning meditation. Easy, fast, life changing. What else do you want?
December 25, 2023
This is an excellent explanation of various teachings of the Catholic Faith. Apart from the deeper knowledge one can gain from reading this systematic theological work, their is a spirituality that will increase one’s own prayer life.
November 15, 2025
These, short discourses on various aspects of the Catholic faith and the spiritual life are perfect as part of a daily prayer practice. I imagine this would make a great gift for a high school or college student who is still growing in their faith and seeking to make it their own, but really works for any age. Can be read cover to cover or just dipped into at random although subject matter is organized thematically, which I appreciated.
March 9, 2020
73/100 (= 3.6/6) ≈ 3 Stars
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews