Abandonment to Divine Providence [Abridged Edition]

In Abandonment to Divine Providence, Jean-Pierre de Caussade wrote that the present moment is holy and that people should abandon themselves to present, a stance that is in stark contrast to the Catholic focus on the future and life after death. For de Caussade, living in the moment meant having a complete trust and faith in God, for God's will defined and guided all things. The practical advice contained in his guidebook for the faithful was originally a series of letters written for the Nuns of the Visitation of Nancy, meant to help them navigate the confusing and difficult work of spiritual enlightenment, and comes together here in two distinct parts, one for the theoretical foundations of abandoning oneself to the present moment and one with practical advice on how to live such a life. Though a departure from the standard Christian perspective, Abandonment to Divine Providence remains a deeply spiritual work with a message that many Christians may find freeing and inspiring. The present book is an English translation of the Tenth French Edition of Fr. de Caussade's "Abandon à la Providence Divine," edited, to the great benefit of many souls, by Fr. H. Ramière, S. J.
It is divided into two unequal parts, the first containing a treatise on total abandonment to Divine Providence, and the second, letters of direction for persons leading a spiritual life. The "Treatise" comprises two different aspects of Abandonment to Divine Providence; one as a virtue, common and necessary to all Christians, the other as a state, proper to souls who have made a special practice of abandonment to the holy will of God. The "Letters of Direction," now for the first time translated into English, were addressed to Nuns of the Visitation at Nancy. Fr. de Caussade had been stationed in this town for some time, and when later he was called away, his letters to the Nuns carried on the powerful influence he had exercised over them. They were treasured and preserved with religious care, and thus have come down to our own days. Fr. de Ramière, S. J., collected these letters, and edited them with painstaking labour. However, for this Abridged Edition, only the first part, which is the treatise on total abandonment to Divine Providence, is available. The second part, which contains the spiritual counsels of Fr. de Caussade and his letters of direction for persons leading a spiritual life, is only available through the Unabridged Edition.