If You Want Peace in This Life: The Spiritual Letters of Venerable Bruno Lanteri

Natalie Hanemann reviews a new compilation of spiritual communications from a witness to the terrors of the French Revolution.

If You Want Peace in This Life, The Spiritual Letters of Venerable Bruno Lanteri

By Father Timothy Gallagher, OMV

Published by EWTN Publishing/Sophia Institute Press

If a person sat down for spiritual direction with Venerable Bruno Lanteri today, he would likely say to them, “Do not be troubled,” or “Dismiss every doubt,” or “Be patient with yourself.” 

These are words we all need to hear, no matter what century into which we’ve been born. Bruno Lanteri was known for his heartfelt communications — a tender touch from a gentle, unassuming man living in an era fraught with conflict. Born in the middle of the 18th century, Lanteri witnessed the chaos and bloodshed of the French Revolution and watched as Napolean blazed across Europe, conquering land and establishing his empire. Meanwhile, Jansenism was breeding scrupulosity and forcing the faithful to focus on God’s law, not God’s love.  

In the book If You Want Peace in This Life, Father Timothy Gallagher has compiled a selection of 19 letters written by Lanteri, over the course of four decades to a variety of recipients, where he offers spiritual direction. From consoling a woman near death to encouraging a nun forced out of her convent by the French police, he knew how to offer hope during a dark period of human history.  

Father Gallagher structured each letter to include an introduction which explains the situation that compelled the person to write to Lanteri for guidance. At the end of each letter is a section with questions and thoughts for reflection. We are encouraged to not only read the book, but to pray with it, letting the words of this beloved guide and intercessor dispel discouragement amid trials.  

Spiritual Direction x 2  

The reader of this book might sense the Venerable Lanteri offering spiritual direction not only to the recipient of the letter, but directly to them through the pages of the book. The reading experience is made all the richer by having Father Gallagher’s additional insights before and after each letter. I appreciated being led along the best ways to approach the text as well as what I should specifically pay attention to. 

After one letter, Father Gallagher tells readers, “Reread the following sentence slowly, attentively, and ponder each phrase.” Not only do the words we read instill greater hope, but the guidance offered for prayerfully engaging with it a second time brings gifts that may have otherwise been overlooked and remained unopened. 

A Reminder of the Beauty of Letter-Writing 

A surprising gift of this book is how it reminds readers of the beautiful artform of letter-writing — an exercise all but forgotten today. At the start and end of each letter, based on the salutation and opening lines, we are given a glimpse into the sort of relationship Lanteri had with the recipient.  

In one letter to his directee Leopoldo Ricasoli, Lanteri begins by writing,  

Monsieur and very dear Christian Friend in Jesus Christ,  

Your letter consoled me greatly, as I had been unhappy not to have heard from you for so long! I thank you sincerely because, by writing, you have lifted no small worry from my heart. Forgive me now if my reply comes later than I would have wished, as I had hardly received your letter when some special business took all my time. (p 24)  

What struck me, reading these words, was the stark contrast we have today in communication style. Technology has quickened how we communicate (no small blessing there!) but along with a fast pace has gone the thoughtful regard we can offer to one another through handwritten prose. We have lost the gift this slower pace offers — lost the comfort and affection that comes when telling a person just what it meant to us to hear from them.  

It was nice to be reminded of the kindnesses found in old letters. 

We learn a great deal in this compact book, both about the Venerable Bruno Lanteri through his letters, and Father Timothy Gallagher, as the curator of the material. Both fatherly guides desire our sanctification through the frequent reception of the sacraments as well as engagement with spiritual reading, done unhurriedly.  

I hadn’t read too many pages before coming upon a line that warranted underlining. From page 8: “We need to learn,” Lanteri wrote to a woman struggling with temptations, “when we fall, to rise at once, though we fall a thousand times. If a child would not rise again and walk because he falls often or out of fear of falling at every step, he would never learn to walk.”  

Only a man who knows how real the human struggle is against sin can speak such wisdom and hope, acknowledging we don’t just fall a time or two and then learn. Our lives consist of a thousand falls. But the message here is this: The difference in a saint and a sinner is not in how many times they fall, but in how many times they get back up.  

If You Want Peace in This Life would make a great addition to any collection of spiritual books. Ideal for anyone who is stalled, distracted, or in need of encouragement in their spiritual efforts. 

Ask for If You Want Peace in This Life at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Sophia Institute Press.

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Copyright 2025 Natalie Hanemann
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