The Way of Beatitude: Living Radical Hope in a World of Division and Despair

What if we looked at the things we see wrong in the world with empathy, dug below the surface of people’s disappointing actions to experience their pain, and understood hurtful words as a cry for consolation? What if we responded with sorrow instead of outrage, and love instead of hate?

If we could do all that, we’d be living as Jesus taught us in the Beatitudes. Fr. Casey Cole, OFM—host of YouTube’s Breaking the Habit—wants you to embrace the pain caused by anger and division in the world and then look to Jesus for hope through the Beatitudes.

“The only thing that evangelizes is love,” Cole writes. “The only thing that will ever change someone’s mind, cause them to turn from their evil ways, accept Jesus into their lives, and become a peacemaker themselves is love. If we want to make peace in our world, we must put down our weapons and take up the cross.”

In The Way of Beatitude, Cole explores the meaning of the words Jesus preached at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 3–12) and shows you how to get beyond apathy and despair and help Christ bring about the Kingdom of Heaven in the here and now. The Beatitudes, he says, offer a path toward radical change.

You will learn how to:

• surrender to the mercy of God;
• face with courage the heartache caused by division and animosity;
• be patient and lean into God’s providence;
• hunger always for justice;
• commit to solidarity with the powerless and the broken;
• be liberators of the oppressed; and
• lay down your life for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

By sharing his own stories of striving toward supreme blessedness, Cole shows you how to surrender power and move beyond the harmful divisiveness of our world.

Chapters include reflection questions and practical ideas for living the Beatitudes. A free small-group guide is available to download from AveMariaPress.com.

Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship

“What must I do to gain eternal life?” The rich man who asked this of Jesus was told to sell all he had and give to the poor. But, more importantly, he was told, “Come, follow me!” Franciscan Casey Cole challenges us to let go of something more difficult than material wealth: expectations, anxiety, comfort, wounds, enemies, power—and our very selves. Speaking from both personal and pastoral experience, he outlines the stumbling blocks that turn us away from following Jesus as true disciples.

The response to “What must I do?” is simple but not easy: Let go. Now.

Called: What Happens After Saying Yes to God?

Whether you’re considering a religious vocation or simply trying to lead a Christ-centered life, Franciscan friar Casey Cole has news: Christian life doesn’t end with a profession of faith or hearing of God’s call. That’s when it begins.

While the trappings of a professed Franciscan’s life may be different from that of a layperson, the inspiration and foundation are exactly the same: We are disciples of Christ called to live the Gospel in our world. Casey may wear brown while you wear red; he may work at a Church while you work in a school; and he may profess vows of poverty, chastity and obedience while you have yet to make any formal commitments in your life. The expressions may be different, but the life is the same.

Based on a series of contagiously enthusiastic blog posts Casey wrote while he was in formation, Called: What Happens After Saying Yes to God reflects on realities that are common to anyone who is serious about living a sincere Christian life and trying to follow the message of Jesus in the Gospels.

• All Christians must discern God’s call for them.
• All Christians struggle at times knowing how to pray.
• All Christians work to be in intimate relationships with others.
• All Christians are challenged to give of themselves so to rely more on God.
• All Christians have a mission of building up the kingdom.
• And all Christians, like it or not, fail along the way.

In his own path of discernment and discipleship, Casey has found a life that brings him amazement and wonder, sorrow and joy, encouragement and challenges, and he’s eager to share it all with everyone he can. Called offers inspiration and guidance to all those pursuing a life in Christ, in whatever form that may take. What you wonder, what you struggle with, what you experience in your daily life—you’re not alone.