Abandonment to Divine Providence

by Jean Pierre de Caussade

Publishers:

B. Herder; The Catholic Records Press

, 1921

Overview

This favorite work of Catholic spirituality offers both theoretical and deeply practical reflection and guidance on the Christian life from the beloved Rev. Jean Pierre de Caussade. This classic work is “completely suited to the present time; Catholic spiritual life being ever the same, there is nothing in them which might require alteration or revision . . . The leading idea in the letters of Fr. de Caussade is abandonment, complete and absolute, to Divine Providence. This was the mainspring of his own spiritual life, and the key-note of his direction of souls. He promises peace and holiness to every soul, however simple, that follows his counsel, if it has an upright intention and a good will” (from the introduction).

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Key Features

• Classic Catholic spirituality
• First English translation from the original French

Contents

• Abandonment to Divine Providence
  • Book I
    • Chapter I: Sanctity Consists in Fidelity to the Order of God, and in Submission to All His Operations
    • Chapter II: The Divine Action Works Unceasingly for the Sanctification of Souls
  • Book II
    • Chapter I: On the Nature and Excellence of the State of Abandonment
    • Chapter II: The Duties of Those Souls Called by God to the State of Abandonment
    • Chapter III: The Trials Connected with the State of Abandonment
    • Chapter IV: Concerning the Assistance Rendered by the Fatherly Providence of God to Those Souls Who Have Abandoned Themselves to Him
• Spiritual Counsels of Pere de Caussade
  • Part I: Counsel
  • Part II: Letters on the Practice of Abandonment to Divine Providence
    • First Book: On the Esteem for, and Love of, this Virtue
    • Second Book: On the Excercise of the Virtue of Abandonment
    • Third Book: On the Obstacles to Abandonment
    • Fourth Book: The First Trials of Souls Called to the State of Abandonment—Aritides, Weaknesses, and Weariness
    • Fifth Book: Fresh Trials, Sufferings, and Privations
    • Sixth Book: On the Continuation of Trials and Fear of the Anger of God
    • Seventh Book: The Last Trials—Agony and Mystical Death, the Fruit Thereof

Top Highlights

“Perfection consists in doing the will of God, not in understanding His designs.” (Page 6)

“However, to decide the question in some way, I think that holiness can be measured by the love one has for God, and the desire to please Him, and that the more His will is the guiding principle, and His plans conformed to and loved, the greater will be the holiness, no matter what may be the means made use of.” (Page 13)

“The passive part of sanctity is still more easy since it only consists in accepting that which we very often have no power to prevent, and in suffering lovingly, that is to say with sweetness and consolation, those things that too often cause weariness and disgust.” (Page 5)

“No reading, nor any other exercise can sanctify us except in so far as they are the channels of the divine influence.” (Page 7)

“Our moments are made fruitful by our fulfilment of the will of God.” (Page 7)

Praise for the Print Edition

In his famous classic, Father de Caussade makes one point, and illustrates it in many different ways. That point is: do the will of God to the best of your ability and you will attain peace of soul here and life everlasting hereafter . . . The letters offer many concrete examples of how to find God’s will in your life and how to put it into practice. This classic belongs in every spiritual library.

—Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review

Product Details

• Title: Abandonment to Divine Providence
• Author: Jean Pierre de Caussade
• Editor: J. Ramiere
• Translator: E. J. Strickland
• Edition: 3rd English ed.
• Publisher: B. Herder
• Publication Date: 1921
• Pages: 337

About Jean Pierre de Caussade

Jean Pierre de Caussade was a French Jesuit priest and writer known for his work Abandonment to Divine Providence (also translated as The Sacrament of the Present Moment) and his posthumously-published letters of instruction to the Nuns of the Visitation at Nancy, where he was spiritual director from 1733–1740, although he continued to write the sisters after leaving Nancy.