The meditations of St. Francis of Sales on the loving nature of God and the Holy Spirit contain abundant spiritual insight - this edition contains all twelve of his books, complete and unabridged with annotations. A superb compendium of thoughts which examine the multi-faceted nature of holiness in the Christian religion, the Treatise on the Love of God is lauded for its immense expressions of emotional and spiritual depth. The supreme will of God, acting in myriad ways, is shown to be the origination of all love on the Earth. The author discusses topics such as God's influence over his creations, the manner in which men often shun or repulse the love of God, and how such love - when accepted - can progress a living soul's fulfillment. Following the lessons of God will result in benevolence, yet such a following requires humbleness: we must concede to God being the source of all that is good, loving and worthy in the universe.

St. Francis de Sales, famous Doctor of the Church, is one of the four or five greatest masters of the spiritual life--a wise, learned and gentle teacher for all. In these 12 sermons, preached to the Visitation nuns in Lent of 1622, St. Francis covers most of the central teachings of the Christian life, including fasting, temptation and how to resist it, God's special providence toward those living a spiritual life, and the hidden spiritual meanings of the events of Our Lord's Passion.

How to do God's will joyfully. . . regardless of your circumstances. St. Francis's practical, sensitive answers to the everyday tribulations all Christians face. You'll find holy wisdom on family problems, work, virtue, temptation, mourning, prayer, charity, guilt, and dozens of other real-life issues.

Within this book are a multitude of precious insights on the Blessed Virgin Mary as perfect exemplar of the Christian virtues. These 13 sermons, preached by that great yet gentle Doctor of the Church, St. Francis de Sales, were remembered and carefully written down by the Visitation Nuns to whom he spoke. The many beautiful Catholic insights in these sermons give a new and fresh perspective on the Christian virtues, leading the soul to a renewed resolution to follow Our Lady's example in the pursuit of that holiness which binds the Christian ever closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

During his life, Francis de Sales had a gift for giving spiritual direction to lay people living ordinary lives in the world. He firmly believed that everyone could grow in holiness, even while engaged in very active occupations, and his books and volumes of letters addressing this need remain beloved works to this day. What is the secret of their longstanding value? It is the intimacy and at the same time practicality of the saint's direction -- for he speaks to us person to person. We recognize ourselves in what is said because he speaks of those things that each of us has experienced.

This collection of maxims and sayings gathered from his many pages of spiritual counsel are words of advice that every friend of St. Francis has always been fond of repeating -- words that serve as means of encouragement, points for meditation, counsels, exhortations, reminders. For St. Francis speaks as clearly to our twenty-first century condition as he did to that of his own spiritual family.

If your life seems to make no sense or if you don't know which path to take, St. Francis de Sales will console and inform you. He'll show you what God's will is and how He reveals it -- yes, even to you, and even in the seemingly random events of your life. No matter what you're going through, you'll see why you should love and trust in God's will -- and long for its fulfillment. Best of all, you'll learn a sure method for discovering God's will in any situation -- today!

This masterpiece of Christian literature by a sixteenth-century priest explains how to live a holy life in the secular world. Drawn from the letters of St. Francis de Sales, it presents clear and direct advice about praying, resisting temptation, and maintaining devotion to God.
A key figure in France's Counter Reformation, St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) served as Bishop of Geneva and was canonized in 1665. The popularity of his prolific writings on spirituality led to his nomination as the patron saint of authors and journalists. Today's readers feel a special affinity for St. Francis, whose suggestions for living a truly Christian life don't involve withdrawal from the world. In this enduring spiritual guide, his remarkably modern advice appears in the form of letters. The saint's frank and practical counsel ranges from embracing meditations that strengthen the resolve to maintain a virtuous existence to performing daily exercises that renew the soul.

As no sensible person would make a long road trip without first consulting a map, so the person intent upon gaining Heaven should first resort to a competent guide to reach that Goal of all goals. And no better guide to Heaven exists than An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Doctor of the Church. It is at once easy to read, being laid out in short chapters, yet thorough, authoritative, reliable, kind and gentle a mirror of its author. It is a book, moreover, for all, because all are called to the devout life. True devotion to God, the author points out, adorns every vocation. The devout life, moreover, is a lovely, a pleasant, and a happy life. (p. 5)
Addressed as a personal letter to Philothea, the lover of God which genuinely represents the reader the book covers: our first desire to lead a devout life to our full resolution to do so, how we should approach God in prayer and the Sacraments, the practice of 16 important virtues, remedies against ordinary temptations, and becoming confirmed in our practice of devotion. St. Francis says, Devotion is spiritual agility and vivacity, by means of which charity works in us, or we in her, with love and readiness; and as charity leads us to obey and fulfill all God s Commandments, so devotion leads us to obey them with promptitude and diligence. (p. 3)
An Introduction to the Devout Life is a book to be read with pencil in hand. It is a book to be read again and again. It is a book to make your guide for the rest of your life. It goes to the heart of becoming good. Its aim is to help you be rid of sin and even the inclinations to sin. Alone, its 10 brief meditations in Part I will orient you toward God for the rest of your life. No one will come away without being profoundly impressed and without being motivated to enter upon the devout life . . . which leads ultimately to God and to Heaven.
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The meditations of St. Francis of Sales on the loving nature of God and the Holy Spirit contain abundant spiritual insight - this edition contains all twelve of his books, complete and unabridged with annotations. A superb compendium of thoughts which examine the multi-faceted nature of holiness in the Christian religion, the Treatise on the Love of God is lauded for its immense expressions of emotional and spiritual depth. The supreme will of God, acting in myriad ways, is shown to be the origination of all love on the Earth. The author discusses topics such as God's influence over his creations, the manner in which men often shun or repulse the love of God, and how such love - when accepted - can progress a living soul's fulfillment. Following the lessons of God will result in benevolence, yet such a following requires humbleness: we must concede to God being the source of all that is good, loving and worthy in the universe.