SAN FRANCISCO – Do you understand holiness? Does friendship lead to holiness? Reflecting on Scripture, writings of the saints and his own experience, Redemptorist Father Gary Lauenstein demonstrates that the heart of holiness lies in an intimate relationship with God in his new book, THE HEART OF HOLINESS: Friendship With God and Others.

With simplicity and grace, Lauenstein shows us how to meditate on our understanding of ourselves, others and God, and to look at each relationship in the light of their purpose — to give and receive the love of God.

Lauenstein, an experienced and certified spiritual director, examines the importance, in any relationship, of attentiveness, communication, disinterestedness and joy. He shows how our path to God passes through and encompasses our friendships with one another.

Lauenstein bases THE HEART OF HOLINESS on his own life’s journey. From an anxious period as a Redemptorist novice in 1965, when the Second Vatican Council was changing the face of Catholicism, to years of seminary studies and pastoral experiences, he began to understand holiness as a friendship with God. And to understand friendship with God, he began to examine his own friendships with other people, which led him to write THE HEART OF HOLINESS, a call to unity and love.

“Filled with wisdom and anecdotes, this is a wonderful and unique book on holiness,” Vinny Flynn, author of 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy, says of THE HEART OF HOLINESS. “With quotes from Aristotle, G.K. Chesterton, John Paul II and many others, this profound yet readable and practical work presents beautiful reflections on the invitation to deep friendship with God.”

For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Fr. Gary Lauenstein, please contact Kevin Wandra of Carmel Communications.

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