Seventeen Steps to Heaven

Rating:
Summary: Catholic spirituality for real life - one of the best
Review: I first read Fr. Trese years ago when I came across his autobiographical account of a day in the life of a priest, "Vessel of Clay." It was good enough to recommend his other books to me. Sophia Institute's edition of "Seventeen Steps to Heaven" is a reprint of Trese's book titled "Everyman's Road to Heaven" (originally published in the early 1960s). It is a volume of orthodox yet sensitive spirituality, with plenty of real-life applications. Having worked for years as a parish priest, he was aware of the flaws and temptations that exist in others and ourselves. Yet his guidance is always encouraging and never platitudinous, even as it aims at Christlike holiness. Fr. Trese once called himself a "book meditator" and people who appreciate the assistance of a good book as spiritual guide will enjoy the short, but rewarding, chapters on different aspects of Christian life. "Seventeen Steps" is an excellent campanion to prayer and meditation.