Introduction to the Devout Life

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• p.n8 This Book presents Catholic Teachings simply Rearranged as a Bouquet

• p.n9 The Devout Life is for Everyone, Without Exception

• p.n10 The Origin of This Book

• p.n11 The Structure and Purpose of This Book

• p.n13 This Book is Written with Fatherly Love and Attention

• p.n15 This Book Written that Both He and We May Become Devout

• p.2 We must distinguish True from False Devotion

• p.2 The relationship between Charity and Devotion

• p.3 Devotion is not only not unpleasant, but most pleasant

• p.6 Devotion should be practiced differently in each vocation

• p.6 True devotion is never incompatible with our state of life, but enriches it

• p.7 Examples of the Devotion of Saints in various States of Life

• p.8 The necessity of a Guide to conduct us on the way of Devotion

• p.9 How to well choose and to entrust yourself to a Spiritual Director

• p.10 We must begin the Spiritual Life with Purification and Courage

• p.12 The How and Why of General Confessions

• p.14 We must purify our hearts from love of sin

• p.15 How to purify ourselves from love of sin

• p.17 First Meditation: The Creation

• p.19 Second Meditation: On the end for which we were created

• p.21 Third Meditation: On the Benefits of God

• p.23 Fourth Meditation: On Sin

• p.25 Fifth Meditation: On Death

• p.27 Sixth Meditation: On Judgment

• p.29 Seventh Meditation: On Hell

• p.30 Eighth Meditation: On Heaven

• p.32 Ninth Meditation: On the choice of Heaven

• p.34 Tenth Meditation: Choice between the life of the World and the Devout Life

• p.36 Confession turns the Ugliness of Sin into the Beauty of Humility

• p.38 A profession of renewed loyalty toward God, to be made after a General Confession

• p.40 The Effects of this Profession of Renewed Loyalty toward God

• p.41 We must purify ourselves from all affection to venial sins

• p.43 We ought to purify ourselves from an affection for useless and dangerous things

• p.45 We must purify ourselves from our natural imperfections

• p.46 On prayer, and meditation on the Life and Passion of Jesus

• p.47 General Instructions on Prayer

• p.49 How to Place Ourselves in the Presence of God

• p.52 How to Beseech God’s Inspirations during Meditation

• p.52 How to Consider the Mystery of a Meditation

• p.54 On Considerations: the second part of the Meditation

• p.54 Affections and Resolutions: the third part of the Meditation

• p.55 The Conclusion of each Meditation, and the Spiritual Nosegay

• p.56 Profitable advice on the practice of Meditation

• p.59 The dryness which we sometimes experience in Meditation

• p.60 The Morning Exercise

• p.62 The Evening Exercise and Examination of Conscience

• p.63 Spiritual Recollection

• p.66 Aspirations, prayers, and good thoughts.

• p.72 How to benefit from the Holy Mass

• p.74 Devotions, Angels, and Saints

• p.77 How we should do Holy Reading

• p.78 How we ought to receive Inspirations

• p.81 How to make a good Confession

• p.84 Frequent Communion

• p.87 How to receive Holy Communion well

• p.90 How to practice a variety of virtues

• p.95 Using prudence when discerning virtues to practice

• p.97 Gifts of God are not virtues, nor to be aspired to

• p.98 Enduring with Patience everything that befalls us

• p.100 How to practice Patience amidst various problems

• p.103 Examples and Folly of Vanity

• p.104 Being careful but not anxious for our own honor

• p.106 Obtaining Humility by Considering God’s Benefits

• p.107 Avoiding False Humility, with Examples

• p.108 True devotion does not reject God’s gifts and graces

• p.110 Humility allows charity to reveal our gifts

• p.111 Examples and explanations of practicing humility

• p.115 Humility and our Reputation or Good Name

• p.119 Meekness Towards our Neighbor, and Remedies for Anger

• p.123 Meekness Towards Ourselves

• p.126 We must treat of our affairs with diligence, but without eagerness or solicitude.

• p.128 Obedience, Chastity, and Poverty

• p.129 Practicing Necessary Obedience

• p.130 Practicing Voluntary Obedience

• p.131 The Necessity of Chastity

• p.133 How to preserve Chastity

• p.135 Poverty of Spirit to be observed by the Rich

• p.138 How to practice Poverty amidst Riches

• p.143 How to practice Richness of Spirit in real Poverty

• p.145 Concerning evil and frivolous friendships

• p.147 Concerning sensual friendships

• p.151 Concerning true friendship

• p.154 True vs vain friendships

• p.156 Remedies against evil friendships

• p.159 More advice on friendship

• p.162 The Exercise of Exterior Mortification

• p.168 Conversation and Solitude

• p.173 How we must speak of God

• p.175 Modesty in words, and respect towards others

• p.176 Rash judgments

• p.182 Of detraction

• p.188 Other counsels touching Discourse

• p.190 Lawful and Commendable Pastimes and Recreations

• p.191 Prohibited Games

• p.192 Lawful but dangerous Pastimes

• p.196 Being faithful in things great and small

• p.199 How to keep your mind just and reasonable

• p.202 Regulating all our desires

• p.204 Instructions for Married People

• p.212 Widows must be Firm in their Resolve to Remain Widows

• p.214 The True Widow must Give Herself Entirely to God

• p.215 How True Widows must Live in Devotion

• p.217 A Word to Virgins.

• p.219 Don’t mind what the children of the world say

• p.222 Have courage when abandoning follies and vanities

• p.224 The nature and discernment of temptations

• p.229 Encouragement to souls under temptation

• p.230 How temptations begin to become sinful

• p.232 Remedies against temptations

• p.234 Dealing with small temptations

• p.237 How to fortify our hearts against temptations

• p.238 Of ungodly fear of evil

• p.241 Of sadness

• p.243 Our holy anchor in all things

• p.245 True devotion must penetrate the heart

• p.247 Heavenly consolations sometimes draw us to God

• p.248 Discerning true from false consolations

• p.248 How to properly respond to heavenly consolations

• p.250 Spiritual dryness, and its various causes

• p.252 How to properly handle spiritual drynesses

• p.256 Further instructions on spiritual dryness

• p.262 Annual Retreat: We ought every year to renew our good resolutions by the following exercises

• p.263 Annual Retreat Exercise #1: This protestation is noble and much to be desired

• p.264 Annual Retreat Exercise #1: How all Heaven rejoices at our renewed pledge to God

• p.264 Annual Retreat Exercise #1: God in his generous mercy called us to him before it was too late

• p.264 Annual Retreat Exercise #1: God in his goodness and sweet love called us to repentance

• p.265 Annual Retreat Exercise #1: The effects of God’s grace in our souls should make us more grateful and loving of God

• p.266 Annual Retreat Exercise #2: How and when to do the second part of the annual spiritual exercises

• p.267 Annual Retreat Exercise #2: How to begin the self-examination of the annual spiritual exercises

• p.268 Annual Retreat Exercise #3: An examination of the state of your soul towards God

• p.270 Annual Retreat Exercise #4: An examination of our state with regard to ourselves

• p.271 Annual Retreat Exercise #5: An examination of the state of our soul towards our neighbour

• p.272 Annual Retreat Exercise #6:An examination of the affections of your soul

• p.273 Annual Retreat Exercise #7: Affections to be exercised after this examination

• p.274 Annual Retreat Exercise #8: Consideration of the excellence of our soul

• p.275 Annual Retreat Exercise #9: Consideration of the excellence of virtue

• p.276 Annual Retreat Exercise #10: Consideration of the example of the Saints

• p.278 Annual Retreat Exercise #11: Consideration of the love that Jesus Christ bears us

• p.279 Annual Retreat Exercise #12: Consideration of the eternal love of God towards us

• p.280 Annual Retreat Exercise #13: General affections on the preceding considerations

• p.281 Annual Retreat Exercise #14: Conclusion of these exercises

• p.282 Annual Retreat Exercise #15: The sentiments we must preserve after the conclusion

• p.282 The advice in this book are not too numerous in practice

• p.283 The exercises in this book are suitable even for those not accustomed to prayer

• p.284 We must cling closely to God through our Protestation, which will protect us from the world, the devil, and the flesh

• p.285 We must keep our eyes on eternal bliss, and not forsake it for anything at all