A Young Man's Guide to The Spiritual Life

About the Book

We are all conscious of the importance exercise plays in keeping a young man healthy. Doctors remind us of this and television exposes us to its importance. Physical exercise and sports are an integral part of the school curriculum. A healthy body means all his parts are functioning smoothly. It can ward off disease, he has a genuine sense of well being, and is, “happy to be alive.”

However, we must also make him aware that he is made up of more than just a body. There are spiritual parts to him as well. There is the intellect where thoughts, ideas, ideals and ambitions originate. There is that part of his spiritual being that has contact with divinity. It is called the soul.

A soul too must be exercised in order to maintain health. The exercises for the soul are prayer, the study of theology, receiving the Sacraments, and learning truths about the spiritual life taught by Jesus Christ.

I have put together thirty such truths presented in this little book. These are not just lessons to be read once and then put on a shelf to gather dust. They are exercises to be studied and reflected upon, until they become part of the boy’s psyche.

I hope to approach the supernatural through his eyes, and with his comprehension. I hope to introduce him to concepts he has never quite understood before. My desire is to help him taste and see how sweet is the goodness of the Lord.

I wish to help a young man get through the pitfalls of adolescence so that he will arrive at adulthood armed with the weapons he received at Confirmation; to do battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. My hope is that when speaking about him others will say , “His was a life worth living. He was a person worth knowing.”

About the Author

Rev. Msgr. Edward D. Strano is a retired priest from the Diocese of Trenton, N.J. He served the people of Trenton in various parishes as pastor, and other positions including: member of the Priest’s personnel Board, Associate Director of Religious Education for the Diocese, Chaplain at Rider University, Trenton, N.J., Vicar of Educational Services for the Trenton Diocese.

For most of his priestly career he was involved in the youth apostolate teaching at a number of Catholic Parochial schools in the Diocese. Since retiring to Florida he has been associated with three Catholic schools, assisting youngsters to prepare for Confirmation.

After forty- nine years dealing with the adolescent Msgr. Strano reorganized, updated and published his classroom notes into a book entitled, “A Young Man’s Guide to a Spiritual Life.” It can be used by a teacher, or read on its own, as a guide to youngsters through adolescence. There is also a female edition of the book entitled, “a Young Ladies Guide to the Spiritual Life.

Msgr. Strano has been using this book in manuscript form to his eighth grade students who have testified to its relevance and acceptance to the adolescent of the twenty-first century. Several of these testimonies are included.