
Why can setting aside daily time for silent prayer and meditation seem like such a daunting task?.

How can virtues be pursued and vices rooted out when temptations and occasions of sin abound?.What does spiritual meditation and prayer look like amid the demands of daily life?.Is living a holy life possible for those called to a vocation other than the religious life?.Francis’ lay cousin, this classic yet relevant text features advice on the questions that members of the Catholic laity often ask themselves, such as: Francis de Sales’ original text that makes this key work of Catholic Tradition approachable to modern readers. The first book of the Catholic Classics series, Introduction to the Devout Life is an updated translation of St. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.Hear the book read aloud with additional expert commentary in the Catholic Classics podcast! Download the free reading plan here.Īdvice and encouragement for lay Catholics pursuing a personal relationship with God from a Doctor of the Church. 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. In this enduring spiritual guide, his remarkably modern advice appears in the form of letters. Francis, whose suggestions for living a truly Christian life don't involve withdrawal from the world. Today's readers feel a special affinity for St. The popularity of his prolific writings on spirituality led to his nomination as the patron saint of authors and journalists.

Francis de Sales (1567–1622) served as Bishop of Geneva and was canonized in 1665.

Francis de Sales, it presents clear and direct advice about praying, resisting temptation, and maintaining devotion to God.Ī key figure in France's Counter Reformation, St.

This masterpiece of Christian literature by a 16th-century priest explains how to live a holy life in the secular world.
