What does it mean to be a holy person? The answer might surprise you. This delightful yet challenging book from spiritual director Albert Haase provides practical wisdom for becoming holy--right in the midst of "ordinary" life. "Any and every situation holds the grace for the transformation called holiness. . . . By] imitating Christ and emptying myself for the benefit of another," Haase writes, "I can become holy right where I am." Haase guides us in this new way of living, offering practices that help us discern what God is calling us to in each moment, as well as clear direction for living in the Spirit, the source of our holiness. With brief, engaging chapters that share real stories of people who are living out holy transformation and short reflection questions, this book is designed to fit realistically into our already full lives. "I believe that holiness is not as elusive or impossible as most of us think," Haase says. "That's not to say it's easy; it certainly is not. But I think there are many people in the world . . . who know that God calls them right where they are. Living in and guided by the Spirit, they imitate Jesus: they selflessly respond to God's call in this sacred moment for the enrichment of others." You can too. Here's how.

"God is at home. It is we who have gone out for a walk." --Meister Eckhart In Coming Home to Your True Self, Albert Haase invites you to return home--and shows you the way to get there. "Home," he writes, "is the sacrament of the present moment. It is only living right now, right here, that we discover our lives and this world awash in the grace of God." Using the story of the prodigal son to illustrate the far country of our false self and the way back home to our true self in Christ, Haase introduces us to the spiritual disciplines that can help us find the path home to the Father. Rich with insights from Haase's experience as a spiritual director, this is a book for the weary, the lost, the regretful and guilty--essentially, a book for us all. No matter how long you've walked, God is still home.

I should be further along on the spiritual journey. Why don't I see any progress? What am I doing wrong? Do you ever feel like you are walking in spiritual circles? While we might think it would be different for a Franciscan priest, Father Albert Haase shares the same struggles. And yet he also affirms that we are all called to be ordinary mystics, who, in the words of his own spiritual director, are "ordinary Christians who do what we are all called to do: respond to grace." Learning to be a mystic is about cultivating a life with God in which we draw close, listen, and respond moment to moment. We know we will fail at times, but we can also be certain that we follow a God who never stops reaching out to us. This book offers a daily path to making the connection.