Introduction to the Devout Life

Book snippets (See all)

• Second Meditation: On the end for which we were created

• On prayer, and meditation on the Life and Passion of Jesus

• First Meditation: The Creation

• How to purify ourselves from love of sin

• We must purify our hearts from love of sin

• The How and Why of General Confessions

• We must begin the Spiritual Life with Purification and Courage

• How to well choose and to entrust yourself to a Spiritual Director

• The necessity of a Guide to conduct us on the way of Devotion

• Examples of the Devotion of Saints in various States of Life

• True devotion is never incompatible with our state of life, but enriches it

• Devotion should be practiced differently in each vocation

• Devotion is not only not unpleasant, but most pleasant

• The relationship between Charity and Devotion

• We must distinguish True from False Devotion

• This Book Written that Both He and We May Become Devout

• This Book is Written with Fatherly Love and Attention

• The Structure and Purpose of This Book

• The Origin of This Book

• The Devout Life is for Everyone, Without Exception

• This Book presents Catholic Teachings simply Rearranged as a Bouquet

• A Word to Virgins.

• How True Widows must Live in Devotion

• The True Widow must Give Herself Entirely to God

• Widows must be Firm in their Resolve to Remain Widows

• Practicing Voluntary Obedience

• Practicing Necessary Obedience

• Obedience, Chastity, and Poverty

• We must treat of our affairs with diligence, but without eagerness or solicitude.

• Meekness Towards Ourselves

• Meekness Towards our Neighbor, and Remedies for Anger

• Humility and our Reputation or Good Name

• Examples and explanations of practicing humility

• Humility allows charity to reveal our gifts

• True devotion does not reject God’s gifts and graces

• Avoiding False Humility, with Examples

• Obtaining Humility by Considering God’s Benefits

• Being careful but not anxious for our own honor

• Examples and Folly of Vanity

• How to practice Patience amidst various problems

• Enduring with Patience everything that befalls us

• Gifts of God are not virtues, nor to be aspired to

• Using prudence when discerning virtues to practice

• How to practice a variety of virtues

• Further instructions on spiritual dryness

• How to properly handle spiritual drynesses

• Spiritual dryness, and its various causes

• How to properly respond to heavenly consolations

• Discerning true from false consolations

• Heavenly consolations sometimes draw us to God

• True devotion must penetrate the heart

• Our holy anchor in all things

• Of sadness

• Of ungodly fear of evil

• How to fortify our hearts against temptations

• Dealing with small temptations

• Remedies against temptations

• How temptations begin to become sinful

• Encouragement to souls under temptation

• The nature and discernment of temptations

• Have courage when abandoning follies and vanities

• Don’t mind what the children of the world say

• How to practice Richness of Spirit in real Poverty

• Regulating all our desires

• How to practice Poverty amidst Riches

• Poverty of Spirit to be observed by the Rich

• How to keep your mind just and reasonable

• Being faithful in things great and small

• Lawful but dangerous Pastimes

• How to receive Holy Communion well

• Prohibited Games

• Frequent Communion

• How to make a good Confession

• Lawful and Commendable Pastimes and Recreations

• Other counsels touching Discourse

• Of detraction

• Rash judgments

• How we ought to receive Inspirations

• How we should do Holy Reading

• Devotions, Angels, and Saints

• Modesty in words, and respect towards others

• How to benefit from the Holy Mass

• Aspirations, prayers, and good thoughts.

• How we must speak of God

• Conversation and Solitude

• The Exercise of Exterior Mortification

• Instructions for Married People

• How to preserve Chastity

• The Necessity of Chastity

• More advice on friendship

• Remedies against evil friendships

• True vs vain friendships

• Concerning true friendship

• Concerning sensual friendships

• Concerning evil and frivolous friendships