To Live for God Alone

The Life and Spirit of Saint Rafael Arnaiz

Mark O�Keefe, OSB, Mar�a Gonzalo-Garc�a, OCSO

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English

Liturgical Press
17 December 2022

Biography: religious & spiritual; Christianity; Christian leaders & leadership; Christian communities & monasticism

Series: Monastic Wisdom Series

What does it mean to live for God alone? “Prefer nothing to the love of Christ”; “My God and my all”; “God alone suffices”—these statements from the saints express the single desire that unified their hearts and gave direction to their lives. “God alone” was the constant theme of Saint Rafael Arnaiz (1911–1938), the expression of the search for God that informs any monastic vocation. Saint Rafael was profoundly and thoroughly a monk, even though ill health repeatedly forced him to leave the monastery, and he was never formally professed. With his single-hearted love for Christ and for the Blessed Virgin, he faithfully walked a path of trials and suffering that matured his faith, sharpened his longing, taught him to wait and to hope in God, and opened his heart to love. To Live for God Alone invites the reader into the compelling story of Rafael’s personal journey and into his penetrating insight into the cross and the Christian vocation.

By: Mark O�Keefe OSB, Mar�a Gonzalo-Garc�a, OCSO
Imprint: Liturgical Press
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 68
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9780879072919
ISBN 10: 0879072911
Series: Monastic Wisdom Series
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 17 December 2022
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Contents Abbreviations vii Introduction ix Chapter 1. Life 1 Chapter 2. Rafael: Writer and Writings 51 Chapter 3. “God Alone” and Purity of Heart 75 Chapter 4. The Gift of Discernment 95 Chapter 5. Rafael, the Monk 125 Chapter 6. A Spirituality of Desire 165 Chapter 7. The Cross and Suffering 183 Conclusion 219 Appendix: Excerpts from Rafael’s Writings 225 Bibliography 265

Fr. Mark O'Keefe, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, is professor of moral theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, where he served as president-rector from 1996 to 2008. He is also currently resident chaplain for Carmelite nuns in Terre Haute, Indiana. His most recent books are Learned, Experienced, and Discerning: St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross on Spiritual Direction (Liturgical Press, 2020) and In Context: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Their World (ICS, 2020). María Gonzalo-García, OCSO, is the novice director at the Trappist-Cistercian monastery of Our Lady of the Angels in Crozet, Virginia. She is originally from Madrid, Spain, where she completed degrees in social work and theology. She has benefited from Saint Rafael Arnaiz´s spiritual message since the beginning of her monastic journey. She is the editor of the English translation of Saint Rafael Arnaiz´s Collected Works (Cistercian Publications and Liturgical Press, 2022).

Reviews for To Live for God Alone: The Life and Spirit of Saint Rafael Arnaiz

"""An inspiring work, full of insights on the life of a beloved of God. It reveals his pursuit of the divine will through his spirit of purity of heart, simplicity, humility, and perseverance. He knows that God loves him and all he wants to do is to love Jesus. This is a spiritual treasury for our faith journey."" Brother William Chng, OCSO, New Clairvaux Abbey ""Is it possible to produce saints in the mold of the desert fathers in the midst of a modern secular culture? Rafael Arnaiz Barón, a Cistercian oblate living in the middle of the twentieth century during Spain’s civil war, proves that it is. O’Keefe and Gonzalo-García distill materials from sources that confirm the authenticity of Brother Rafael’s spiritual life, including letters and journal entries. A few full sources allow us to see that the cited portions are consistent with his entire body of writings."" Martha Fessler Krieg, lay Cistercian associate and independent scholar ""This work is important for the spiritual formation of Christians everywhere."" Catholic Books Review"