[.ca] Introduction to the Devout Life (ISBN 0375725628)

From Amazon.com:
Devout life does not require withdrawal from the world. This was the central insight of Saint Francis de Sales, a 16th-century priest whose Introduction to the Devout Life has not gone out of print in almost four centuries. Francis served the church at a dangerous time in a dangerous place: during the Reformation, in Calvinist areas of France, when celebrating mass was punishable by death. He was a popular minister and a prolific letter writer whose correspondence was cherished for its clear and direct instruction in the ways of piety. The book collects passages from many of those letters, organized as one message addressed to the allegorical character Philothea (which means "lover of God"). The book includes long sections about prayer, temptation, and how to maintain and renew devotion to God. But it is most distinguished by its discussion of how to live a holy life in the secular world. Each chapter (such as "How to Combine Due Care for a Good Reputation with Humility") is frank, uncannily modern, and precise. --Michael Joseph Gross

first treatise of lay spirituality:
By Jordan Aumann, O.P., Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition (1985) The doctrine taught by St. Francis de Sales was not new, but he did present spiritual teaching in an original manner and he deserves credit for removing Christian spirituality from the monastic framework in which it had been confined for many centuries.... The Introduction to the Devout Life...was written precisely for the laity and perhaps St. Francis de Sales is the first spiritual writer to compose a treatise of lay spirituality. As he states in his preface, those who have written previously on the spiritual life have done so for the instruction of persons who have given up association with the world or they have taught a spirituality that would lead persons to do so. The intention of St. Francis, however, is to give spiritual instruction to those who remain in the world, in their professions and in their families, and falsely believe that it is impossible for them to strive for the devout life. What does St. Francis understand by the devout life or true devotion?... True devotion, which for St. Francis de Sales is the same as Christian perfection, is the fulfillment of the twofold precept of charity enunciated by Christ (Mt. 22:34-40).... Although he mentions the good works that flow from true devotion, St. Francis is insistent that the devout life is essentially an interior life.... Immediately after stressing the universal call of all Christians to perfection, St. Francis de Sales insists on the need for a spiritual director.... The first task facing the soul is purgation from sin, and here St. Francis follows the teaching of St. Ignatius Loyola, proposing meditation on the last ends and a general confession. Then, there must be a complete renunciation of all attachment to sin, without which there can be no lasting conversion and no progress in perfection.... In the second part of the Introduction St. Francis proposes a daily schedule of spiritual exercises in which the practice of mental prayer holds a central position.... In the third part of the Introduction St. Francis considers the practice of virtue, selecting those which are particularly necessary for the Christian layman. Of all the virtues treated we could say that, after charity, the predominantly Salesian virtue is meekness....Finally, in the last two parts of the Introduction St. Francis treats of temptations, sadness, consolations, and aridity and concludes the work with a series of self-examinations and considerations whereby the soul can judge its progress in true devotion. Thus, in its totality the Introduction to the Devout Life provides a complete program for the spiritual advancement of the laity.

Terrific advice for secular folks:
S. Francis de Sales was reknowned even within his lifetime for his abililty to reach common people - those burdened with jobs and families. He famously converted a substantial region of rural France back from Calvinism, through his preaching, pamphleteering, and robust, public defense of the Catholic Faith. The Introduction to the Devout Life is compiled from advice he gave in letters, and is rather well-organized, considering the source. His advice is entirely relevant and accessible to modern readers who wish to practice sanctity in everyday life. The Vintage Spiritual Classic edition is part of a pan-religious fufu series, encompassing texts from Buddhism to Catholicism to Sufi Islam, but the translation is clear, and the book itself durable. I'd recommend as a less expensive alternative an edition from any Catholic publishing house, like Tan, Sophia, or Ignatius Press

Still accurate, still powerful, still useful!:
If you think that a book several hundreds years old is going to offer only "dated" theology, think again: Christianity is a revealed religion that claims to be given by God to humanity--and therefore no Christian doctrine can be changed. This book will seem strange to modern, post-Vatican-II Christians only if they don't understand their Faith. Vatican II changed no Church teaching, and in fact encouraged us to look to the great saints of the past for guidelines to our own development. Along with St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Alphonsus of Liguori, St. Francis de Sales is among the most accessible, most reliable, and most immediately useful Catholic authors, and this is a fine edition. Get it! Read it! Learn what your Church teaches about life, and why.

Illuminating information for the obtainment of inner peace.:
Saint Francis de Sales-patron saint of authors and writers and eminent Doctor of the Catholic Church-is quite deserving of his posthumous honors and titles, for with Introduction to the Devout Life (among his numerous other books and pamphlets), he gives to not only Catholics around the world but humanity in general, a religious, imformative yet readable work of theology that will aid in answering some of the fundamental questions of human existence. But more importantly, in the Introduction to the Devout Life, "St. Francis de Sales gives one of the clearest statements in religious literature of the theory and practice of the purgative way, the illuminative way, and the unitive way, the three levels of thought and conduct that are required for a completely moral and religious life..." Page 14. That is the gist of this work; for those individuals (which would indeed, unfortunately, be a large numer) who are not destined for a religious vocation or a life of monastic contemplation, the lessons contained within the Introduction to the Devout Life (if at least minutely adhered to) can become a moral and religious compass for individuals who are frightfully lost as a result of the freewheeling sexualization of society, unrepentant, insolent amour propre, the rise of unceasing materialism and other debasing wounds that can cause spiritual deadness and thus can become none too quick to heal. Written in a similar style to that of the Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena, the book, however, is in the format of St. Francis writing down answers to a female pupil named Philothea and not a one-on-one conversation as in the Dialogue, but Introduction to the Devout Life is similar in idea. One of the many pleasant aspects of this work is that it does not sermonize extreme ways for acquiring grace, but for people who have lived on the opposite side of the moral spectrum far longer than they care to acknowledge, bits of the book may seem very extreme. However, it is not meant to be interpreted that way, merely as a catalyst to a newer and brighter beginning. If there ever was a much required and sincere "how-to" guide to bring people back to God while also repairing the interior damage of the self as a result of environment, people and inborn human flaws, Introduction to the Devout Life would be and is, very high on the list, for as he gloriously writes on page 291: "Such are the joys that lure my sight,/All pains grow sweet, all labors light. Live, Jesus! to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and throughout the endless ages of eternity. Amen."

Great spiritual advice from a great saint:
This book is a good one for anyone wanting to draw closer to God. Even though this book was written almost fourhundred years ago the topics discussed here are as applicable today as they were then. Francis wrote these collections of spiritual instructions to teach as many people as possible to lead a devout life. The book talks of sin and how it affects our relationship with God, and then goes into the necessity of prayer and gives practical advice on how to pray. Some other topics covered are the necessity of living the virtues such as purity, humility and courage. This book will help you learn how to be more focused on God in the midst of every day life which sometimes can make it hard to stay focused on the most important thing.