Growth in Holiness: The Progress of the Spiritual Life

Typical of Father Faber's keen and probing insight into all matters bearing on true religion, Growth in Holiness is probably his greatest book. Here he digs deeply into every important aspect of the spiritual life and the development of the human soul.

Covering such topics as What Holds Us Back, The Signs of Progress, The Ruling Passion, and Spiritual Idleness, he examines in detail all the problems we encounter in our efforts to attain perfection -- and ultimately salvation.

Though comprehensive in his treatment of the great task of spiritual development and salvation, Fr. Faber nonetheless displays in this book a completely optimistic attitude about success -- with that optimism that arises from a thorough knowledge of the job at hand.

Growth in Holiness concerns itself with the issue of life, for upon it depends our eternal salvation. Referring to lukewarmness -- which merely typifies man's resistance to perfection -- he says: "Alas! here are verified the dread words of the Prince of the Apostles: 'The time is, that judgment should begin at the house of God; and if first at us, what shall be the end of those who believe not the gospel of God? And if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?' " (1 Peter 4:17-18).