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There are as many paths to holiness as there are saints in Heaven . . . but you can't follow them all. Yet there's one thing every saint practices that you can imitate: the simple art of loving God, which the beloved St. Francis de Sales explains for you here.
Under his wise and gentle guidance, you'll discover the secrets to growing holier through the simple things in life -- work, play, and rest. You'll learn to avoid the distractions (even religious distractions) that trouble and weary your soul . . . and you'll soon be able to focus your energy simply on loving God.
Listen to the holy words of this saint; take them to heart; make them a part of your life. Soon you'll be well on your way, following that path to Heaven that God, from all eternity, has given you as your very own.
St. Francis de Sales himself will teach you the secrets of developing:
A note for the skeptical and discouraged:
Have you tried to grow closer to God using one technique after another, yet still find you haven't made much progress? That's a common problem in today's world, where devotion has become so complicated that the simple art of loving God has been lost.
Don't despair. Generations of Christians have made finding God harder than it need be, which is why, every few hundred years, God sends us a saint like St. Francis de Sales to remind us that anyone can love God and that it's not really so hard to do. Listen to St. Francis, and, no matter how many times you've failed in the past, you'll soon be a master of the art of loving God.
Heavenly Love comes as a wound that is a gift of God.
Francis de Sales's spiritual masterpiece, Treatise on the Love of God, was originally published in 1616 while he was Bishop of Geneva. This contemporary English edition preserves St. Francis's gentle prose, his enthusiasm for God, compassion, and good humor. For all spiritual pilgrims seeking comfort and guidance, this book offers the assurance that a deep and satisfying prayer life is not only possible, but within the reach of anyone who will accept what God is forever offering.
De Sales' classic has been described as a masterpiece of psychology, practical morality, and common sense and, after The Bible and The Imitation of Christ, is the widest read spiritual book of all time. Unlike many others, Devout Life was written specifically for lay persons and it demonstrates a rare sensitivity to the demands of life in a world that is often antagonistic to spirituality. In this first-of-its-kind edition, Fr. John-Julian offers a fresh translation, a most thorough historical introduction, and notes explaining points of language and theology along the way.
Set Your Heart Free by Francis de Sales offers readers the same spiritual wisdom, encouragement, and spellbinding insights that once drew people from all over Europe to this saint's door. Drawn from Francis's immensely popular writings, this prayer resource for individuals or groups emboldens readers to encounter God and pray in their own unique way.
Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.
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. In this warm little book, he explains to 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 now (or may have gone 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!
As you begin to discern God's loving hand even in seemingly chaotic events, St. Francis de Sales will lead your mind and your heart to the still waters of God's gentle consolation.
From St. Francis de Sales you'll learn:
From the thousands of personal letters by St. Francis de Sales comes this short, practical guide that will develop in you the soul-nourishing habits that lead to sanctity.
St. Francis de Sales is widely regarded as one of the greatest spiritual advisors in the history of the Church, and we have drawn from his letters the wisest advice for those prepared to take the next step on their spiritual journey.
As he did for saints and sinners in his own time, St. Francis de Sales will strengthen your resolve, help you gain small victories over unruly passions, and restore in you a trusting confidence in Jesus Christ. Soon you'll find yourself delivered from the chains of self-love as your soul opens to divine goodness and your heart shaped into a fitting place for Christ to dwell and reign eternally.
If you find it difficult to live amid the clamor of the world with your eyes fixed on Christ alone, let St. Francis de Sales teach you how to live as a true rose among thorns as you learn . . .
Absorb the wisdom in these holy pages, and you'll soon make true progress on your spiritual journey and navigate with confidence the treacherous waters of our secular world.
Francis de Sales's Introduction to the Devout Life has remained a uniquely accessible and relevant treasure of devotion for nearly four hundred years. As Bishop of Geneva in the first quarter of the seventeenth century, Francis de Sales saw to the spiritual needs of everyone from the poorest peasants to court ladies. The desire to be closer to God that he found in people from all levels of society led him to compile these instructions on how to live in Christ. Francis's compassionate Introduction leads the reader through practical ways of attaining a devout life without renouncing the world and offers prayers and meditations to strengthen devotion in the face of temptation and hardship.
From the young St. Francis de Sales's heroic efforts to bring Calvinists back to the Faith comes this succinct, eloquent defense of the age-old Catholic practice of making the Sign of the Cross, which sixteenth-century Calvinists denounced as a Popish invention and many Protestants scorn even today.
Embodying the zeal of youth and the wisdom of age, this gentle jewel of Catholic apologetics traces the origins of the Sign of the Cross back to the Fathers of the Church, to the Apostles before them, and finally to our Lord Himself.
Along with St. Francis's other lucid explanations of our Catholic Faith and his undaunted love even for those who hated him, this modest book helped restore to their native Catholic faith tens of thousands of heretics who not long before were intent on killing him.
As they did for the Calvinists in St. Francis's day, so in our day these pages will bring you a better understanding and a renewed love for the Sign of the Cross, that brief and lively exterior prayer by which, from time immemorial, God has been invoked by serious Christians before all of their endeavors.
Among the other things you'll learn here:
Outside the Creed itself, there are few topics to which the Fathers testify as universally and unanimously as the pious practice of making, frequently and well, the Sign of the Cross. With the help of these holy pages, the saints' love for it will enkindle yours. Soon you'll be saying with St. Jerome, With every work, with all of my comings and goings, may my hand make the Sign of the Cross!
Three centuries ago, people flocked to St. Francis de Sales, seeking his help for their problems. St. Francis spent countless hours ministering to them face-to-face and wrote over 20,000 letters! From these letters to persons in many countries and in all walks of life, we've selected the ones which will be most helpful to you today.
Each is a hand-written response to someone like you seeking help with an actual problem. You'll be consoled by the warmth, the wisdom, and the holy sympathy you'll find in these pages as the love of this great saint reaches out to us across the centuries. Whatever your circumstances may be, there's wisdom here to make your life holier . . . and happier.
Wisdom for difficult situations . . .
Solutions to common troubles . . .
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