Two new books from Circle Press to help you live a more spiritual Lent.

February 2, 2010. As Lent draws near, it’s time to find ways to seize the days! Two practical guides from Circle Press offer just the right mix of inspiration and down-to-earth guidance for those who are looking for some concrete ways to boost their spiritual life.

A GUIDE TO CHRISTIAN MEDITATION
John Bartunek, LC
80 pages
$6.95

St. Alphonsus Liguori, one of the Church´s all-time great prayer masters, believed that sin could not survive in the soul of a person who practiced mental prayer. "He will either give up meditation," wrote Alphonsus, "or renounce sin." And a strong aversion to committing offenses against God is just the beginning of the benefits that flow from an even modest dedication to Christian meditation.

Join Father John Bartunek on an enlightening how-to journey into this time-tested method whose ultimate aim is intimacy with God, the Author not only of life but also of the life of the mind. Taken from The Better Part; also includes "The History of Christian Meditation."

The perfect way to deepen the Lenten experience - for yourself and for your friends and loved ones. Great for group study!

ENCOUNTER WITH MERCY
Foreword by Cardinal Justin Rigali
60 pages
$4.95

Chances are, you know someone who wants to return to confession after being away from it for awhile. They´re just not sure how. So they don´t talk about it. Or you may be wishing that you yourself could get more from your experiences with this great sacrament. You´re in need of direct guidance, too.

Here it is.

In just 60 pages, sized to slip into a purse or back pocket, Encounter with Mercy delivers the depths of life-changing confession - by the numbers:      
• 7 testimonies of transformation
• 10 reasons to go to confession
• 10 things you can expect from confession
• 7 things expected from you in confession
• 7 common objections to confession (and how the Bible answers them)
• 1 ten-minute catechism (also known as Catholicism 101)
• 7 ways to examine your conscience
• 6 steps to making a good confession
• 7 ways to promote confession

All this plus a Foreword by Justin Cardinal Rigali. Start with two - one for yourself and another for a friend or loved one. You´ll be back to confession in a whole new way. And so will they.

Discover more resources for prayer and spiritual growth at the Circle Press web site.