“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” Gerard Manley Hopkins Wisdom from the greatest spiritual writers of the two-thousand-year Catholic tradition  The Grandeur of God collects classic readings that give readers a sense of the depth, beauty, and richness of Catholic spiritual writing. These selections resonate with the truth expressed famously by the great Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, "The world is charged with the grandeur of God." They resonate with the sacramental, Catholic vision that sees God in all things. While not comprehensive or exhaustive, the book does offer readers a starting point on their journey into the vast storehouse of Catholic writing. The Grandeur of God is organized chronologically, beginning with St. Paul and ending with writings from Pope John Paul II, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, and Henri Nouwen. Also included are selections from Thomas Aquinas, Dorothy Day, Hildegard of Bingen, Ignatius Loyola, John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, Thomas Merton, Oscar Romero, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Mother Teresa, and Thérèse of Lisieux. The Grandeur of God collects classic readings that give readers a sense of the depth, beauty, and richness of Catholic spiritual writing. These selections resonate with the truth expressed famously by the great Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” They resonate with the sacramental, Catholic vision that sees God in all things. While not comprehensive or exhaustive, the book does offer readers a starting point on their journey into the vast storehouse of Catholic writing. The Grandeur of God is organized chronologically, beginning with St. Paul and ending with writings from Pope John Paul II, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, and Henri Nouwen. Also included are selections from Thomas Aquinas, Dorothy Day, Hildegard of Bingen, Ignatius Loyola, John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, Thomas Merton, Oscar Romero, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Mother Teresa, and Thérèse of Lisieux. The Grandeur of God collects many of the richest and most beautiful selections from the history of Catholic spiritual writing -- passages saturated with the truth famously expressed by the great Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hokins: The world is charged with the grandeur of God." these reading resonate with the sacramental Catholic version that sees God in all things. The book is a starting point on a journey into the vast storehouse of Catholic writing. The Grandeur of God is organized chronologically, beginning with St. paul and ending with writings from Pope John Paul I,. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, and Henri Nouwen. Also included are selections from Thomas Aquinas, Dorothy Day, Hildegard of Bingern, Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, Thomas Merton, Oscar Romero, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa, and Therese of Lisieux. "The world is charged with the grandeur of God." Joseph Durepos has served as the editor on three books: No Greater Love , Go in Peace , and John Paul II's Lessons for Living . He is the author of A Still More Excellent Way: How St. Paul Points Us to Jesus . He is the executive editor of acquisitions at Loyola Press. A Note to the Reader I put some strict editorial constraints on myself when preparing this book. My task was to select readings that would give you a sense of the depth, beauty, and richness of Catholic spiritual writing. I decided to limit myself to one hundred readings, and I also tried to keep the readings relatively brief. Obviously, this meant that I had to leave out more great writing than could possibly be included. It also limited what this book can accomplish. It is a humble invitation. I hope it will be your starting point on a journey into the great splendor of Catholic writing. But these constraints also had their advantages. Since I didn’t have to be comprehensive, I could be highly selective. From the vast library of two thousand years of Catholic writing, I was able to pick some of the most succinct and memorable passages. I preferred those that I thought spoke most directly to modern readers and those that address matters that we need to hear about now. The rules also permitted me to pick some readings simply because I like them. The readings begin with St. Paul and proceed chronologically to Pope John Paul II and other writers of the present. My choices are weighted toward more recent centuries (though all eras of the church are represented), and a discerning eye will detect a liking for Jesuits and others inspired by Ignatian spirituality. All these readings have been tested by time. They are classics. They speak from the heart of the church. They all resonate with the truth expressed famously by the great Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” This sacramental, Catholic vision sees God in all things. I hope you will find God in these pages. —Joseph Durepos The Grandeur of God 1 J