The Secret to Dying Well – 3
Summary of the Course
Man is not like a closed island. He needs others to depend on and to have contact with. But when it comes to the soul, his instinct of sociability turns towards God, his Creator, who only can provide him true joy, peace and consolation. One has to enter into conversation with God which is what prayer is. Only if you ask God, He will give you the most necessary things – grace to love Him above all things and the salvation of one’s soul.
Prepared from the works of Saints, Doctors, Patriarchs, and Fathers of the Church, this course aims to change your life, to transform your existence and, above all, to prepare you for eternity. After all, the secret to dying well is living well in the first place — knowing how to care for our own soul.
In this video series of our third Module, you will discover that living in conformity with the will of God and keeping His Commandments is easier than you imagined. You will learn to distinguish between vocal prayer and mental prayer, and to pray in a manner pleasing to God. You will come to understand the importance of spiritual reading and meditation, and the need to live in God’s Grace, especially avoiding bad confessions and sacrilegious Communions.
We will all die one day, and preparation for death cannot be left to the last moment, especially since we have no way of knowing when that will be. So, before we begin, ask yourself: If I were to die today, what would my eternal destiny be?
Father Steven Frederick Schmieder is a Catholic priest and member of the Clerical Society of Apostolic Life, Virgo Flos Carmeli. Currently, he is a Professor of Canon Law at the International House of Studies of Virgo Flos Carmeli at the São Tomás de Aquino Theological Institute. Over the many years that he has been serving the Church, he has preached a number of Retreats and helped numerous people in their spiritual lives. Over the many years that he has been serving the Church, he has preached a number of Retreats and helped numerous people in their spiritual lives.
Course Lessons
Bibliography
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CHAUTARD, Dom Jean-Baptiste. The Soul of the Apostolate. Charlotte NC: Tan Books, 2012.
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RODRIGUES, Afonso, Fr. Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1929.
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BIBLE. Revised Standard Version, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006.
SAINT-LAURENT. Thomas de, Fr. O livro da confiança. [The Book of Confidence] São Paulo: Petrus, 2019.
SAINT THERESA Of AVILA. Way of Perfection. London: Sheed & Ward, 1999.
_____________________. The Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. Charlotte: TAN Books, 2011.
SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX. Story of a Soul. Charlotte: TAN Books, 2010.
SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI. Treatise on Prayer. West Monroe: St. Athanasius Press, 2009.
_____________________. The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. San Francisco: Blurb Incorporated, 2021.
_____________________. Selected Writings. New York: Paulist Press, 1999
_____________________. The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ. Amherst NY: Aeterna Press, 2010.
JOHN OF THE CROSS. Ascent of Mount Carmel.Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2010.
TANQUEREY, Adolphe. The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, 2000.
TISSOT, Joseph. How to Profit from your Faults. Strongsville: Scepter Publisher, 2004.