God Alone: A Spiritual Biography of Blessed Rafael Arnaiz Baron (Monastic Wisdom) [Paperback]

Gonzalo Maria Fernandez (Author), Patricio Peman (Author), Hugh Mccaffery (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2008 | Series: Monastic Wisdom (Book 14)

Set amid the tumult of the Spanish Civil War, this spiritual biography recounts the efforts of a fervent young Spanish aristocrat to come to grips with his artistic talent, his intense personality and, above all, his unquenchable passion for God. Trained in art and architecture, Rafael longed to be a Trappist, but was obliged repeatedly by war and illness to withdraw, and then try again. His intensively personal reflections form the basis of this biography of a man intent on giving his life to God despite all obstacles.

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About the Author

Gonzalo Maria Fernández is a monk of Rafael's abbey of St Isidro. Hugh McCaffery is a monk of Mont Melleray Abbey in Ireland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Cistercian Publications; Reprint Edition edition (June 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879070145
• ISBN-13: 978-0879070144
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable and lovely, October 14, 2009

By 

Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: God Alone: A Spiritual Biography of Blessed Rafael Arnaiz Baron (Monastic Wisdom) (Paperback)

When I was very young, years upon years ago, a Carmelite nun I knew lent me a book of sayings by Rafael Arnaiz Baron. I loved that little book, and have searched for it, and information about Brother Rafael without any luck ever since that time.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that Brother Rafael was canonized recently. I searched again, and see that now there are a number of books about him! So I ordered this book immediately and read it yesterday. I plan to reread it as lectio, hoping to absorb Brother Rafael's devotion, perserverence and love.

Because that is what his life, and this book, is about. Not Brother Rafael, per se, although his life provides the framework. But instead it is a story of a love affair between God and a human soul. This young man had a love for God, and that love was expressed by an attraction to a trappist monastery during the Spanish Civil War. Brother Rafael entered and left the monastery a number of times: because of illness (he developed diabetes), and also for military service. Finally, he entered as an oblate (a sort of devotee that doesn't take vows). During his final few months in the monastery, he died at the age of 27.

My first thought is that it was not very prudent for the superiors to accept him, and that it had cost him his life. But on further thought, it seems clear that this was an exceptional case. He was filled with an attraction to the trappist way of life and a total commitment and love for God. This was the place for him.

This is a marvelous book, the kind that confounds modern prejudices and goals. What a man Brother Rafael was. I hope that many people read and profit from this lovely book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Stepping toward righteousness, May 4, 2010

By 

Michael W. Hawkins (Murrayville, Ga., USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: God Alone: A Spiritual Biography of Blessed Rafael Arnaiz Baron (Monastic Wisdom) (Paperback)

I am always amazed at stories on the lives of those who seek the path toward righteousness in spite of all obstacles. Saint Rafael sought that path not once, not twice, but three times in his short life and I believe he found it at the end. His story is uplifting to all believers and brings to our view one of the attributes scarce in our "modern" life, that of obedience to the call. He found that the monastic life brought peace & freedom. This small book allows us a peek into that blessed life which remains a light ahead of each one here to show the path out of the darkness of this world.