Of the Love of God by Saint Francis de Sales

religion, spirituality, arts · EN-US

Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Bishop of Geneva from 1602, was a renowned spiritual director who produced two classic guidebooks for earthly wayfarers on their spiritual journey to God: Introduction a la vie devote (Introduction to the Devout Life, 1609) and Traite' de l'amour de Dieu (Treatise on the Love of God, or Of the Love of God, 1616). In the Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis shows how anyone, whatever his or her calling or station in life, can strive for and achieve a life a piety and devotion to God. It is filled with commonsense spiritual wisdom. Of the Love of God is a more detailed manual for those who are already somewhat advanced on their spiritual journey and are under the care of a personal spiritual director. In this work, he describes the nature of divine love (Bk. II), the manner in which love is perfected in the lover (Bk. III), and the ways in which love can be diminished or lost (Bk. IV). He explains that divine love operates in the soul by acts of complace