Introduction to the Devout Life [Paperback]

Francis De Sales (Author), John K. Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1972

One of the great religious masterpieces of all time--a spiritual guide for everyone seeking to live a truly Christian life, revised and updated for the modern reader.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Devout life does not require withdrawal from the world. This was the central insight of Saint Francis de Sales, a 16th-century priest whose Introduction to the Devout Life has not gone out of print in almost four centuries. Francis served the church at a dangerous time in a dangerous place: during the Reformation, in Calvinist areas of France, when celebrating mass was punishable by death. He was a popular minister and a prolific letter writer whose correspondence was cherished for its clear and direct instruction in the ways of piety. The book collects passages from many of those letters, organized as one message addressed to the allegorical character Philothea (which means "lover of God"). The book includes long sections about prayer, temptation, and how to maintain and renew devotion to God. But it is most distinguished by its discussion of how to live a holy life in the secular world. Each chapter (such as "How to Combine Due Care for a Good Reputation with Humility") is frank, uncannily modern, and precise. --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Image (January 4, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385030096
• ISBN-13: 978-0385030090
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What More Can Be Said?, April 1, 2005

By 

Peter Wittstock "author of Hear Him! The One ... (Michigan, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to the Devout Life (Paperback)

What more can be said about a work that during the four hundred years since its birth (1609) has never gone out of print, and is still garnering the highest praise from Christians of all denominations? A 'classic,' it truly is--'a masterpiece of mystical and devotional literature' (p. 13).

INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE (hereafter, IDL) by Francis de Sales (John K. Ryan, ed.)(New York: Doubleday, Image Books, 1972) is the distillation of the written correspondence exchanged between the Roman Catholic bishop, Francis de Sales and his relative by marriage, Mademoiselle de Charmoisy (Marie de Chastel). Published only coincidentally when Marie showed the letters to the Jesuit priest, Pére Jean Fourier, who subsequently persuaded Francis to prepare them for publication. It is no wonder that Francis has been honored as the 'patron saint of writers'. His illustrations--frequently derived from nature--are always rich and informative, but sometimes overly florid. For example, he defines 'devotion' as: 'the delight of delights and queen of the virtues since it is the perfection of charity. If charity is milk, devotion is its cream; if it is a plant, devotion is its blossom; if it is a precious stone, devotion is its luster; if it is a rich ointment, devotion is its odor, yes, the odor of sweetness which comforts men and rejoices angels' (p. 43). Francis has also been deemed a 'Doctor of the Church' for his wisdom. Take for example this comment on the exercise of certain virtues: 'Occasions do not often present themselves for the exercise of fortitude, magnanimity, and great generosity, but meekness, temperance, integrity, and humility are virtues that must mark all our actions. We like sugar better than salt but salt is in more common and frequent use' (p. 121). In IDL Francis depicts what he would likely call the 'normal Christian life' as he understood it as a Roman Catholic bishop in the first decade of the seventeenth century. By his definition, devout Christians '. . . pray, fast, endure injuries, take care of the sick, give alms to the poor, keep vigils, restrain anger, suppress their passions, give up sensual pleasures, and perform other actions painful and rigorous . . .' (p. 41). Do we know any believers today in the early twenty-first century who fit this description?

My copy of IDL has more highlighting; in more colors; with more underlining; with more paper clips dotting its edge, than any other book I happen to own. It is one of the few books whose spine I have cracked into two pieces for reason of overuse. Protestants will have to overlook certain Roman Catholic nuance and what they may regard as an inappropriately high estimation for Mary, the mother of Jesus, but is there another Christian spiritual director from whom we can learn more about the subtleties of the human condition? As the editor observes: the book's '. . . greatness lies in many things: in its originality, its completeness, its sincerity, its balance, its penetration, and its style. It is one of those rare productions of human genius which are completely successful in what they wish to do. As such it is beyond adverse criticism in any important way' (p. 13). One criticism that might be attached, however, would concern Francis's prevalent tendency toward unwarranted, 'allegorical' interpretations of the Bible verses he treats. In this he follows the centuries old Roman Catholic tradition, and stands in contrast to the newly revived 'literal' interpretive methodology championed by the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century. The inclusion of a Scripture index by the editor would have increased the book's value as an easy reference, and would have encouraged revisits.

If you are presently receiving, or are contemplating receiving, spiritual counsel from someone who is charging you an hourly rate, try reading this book first. You may find more answers to your soul's need with this four hundred-year-old Swiss priest for whom 'the direction of souls was always his principal activity' (p. 10), than you might imagine, and for a miniscule fraction of the cost. Far more than 'charming', IDL is profoundly sublime and simply beautiful in its expression. It is the arresting result of how one imaginative and divinely inspired Christian counselor carefully ministered to the spiritual needs of a fellow 'Philothea' (lover of God) who sought his oversight and care to better conduct her life.

Francis, almost thou persuadest me to return to my Roman Catholic heritage.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is not the John K. Ryan book, April 28, 2009

By 

Me - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to the Devout Life (Kindle Edition)

I first read this book while attending a Salesian high school -- and I've returned to repeatedly in the ensuing years. It is a timeless guide to leading a life that is filled with the greatness and goodness of God. I was pleased to recently share it with my children who've also come to love it. So I was over joyed after receiving a Kindle for my birthday to discover it was available for Kindle. I am thrilled to have it but to my disappointment I found that the Kindle version is NOT the John K. Ryan translation -- widely consider to be the best translation. That is not to say that this isn't an adequate substitution, but it is unfortunate that the image used is that of the Ryan translation. I just wish the Kindle version didn't come up when searching for the Ryan book and that the Ryan book was actually available for Kindle.

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating information for the obtainment of inner peace., September 18, 2003

By 

Christian Engler (Woburn, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to the Devout Life (Paperback)

Saint Francis de Sales-patron saint of authors and writers and eminent Doctor of the Catholic Church-is quite deserving of his posthumous honors and titles, for with Introduction to the Devout Life (among his numerous other books and pamphlets), he gives to not only Catholics around the world but humanity in general, a religious, imformative yet readable work of theology that will aid in answering some of the fundamental questions of human existence. But more importantly, in the Introduction to the Devout Life, "St. Francis de Sales gives one of the clearest statements in religious literature of the theory and practice of the purgative way, the illuminative way, and the unitive way, the three levels of thought and conduct that are required for a completely moral and religious life..." Page 14. That is the gist of this work; for those individuals (which would indeed, unfortunately, be a large numer) who are not destined for a religious vocation or a life of monastic contemplation, the lessons contained within the Introduction to the Devout Life (if at least minutely adhered to) can become a moral and religious compass for individuals who are frightfully lost as a result of the freewheeling sexualization of society, unrepentant, insolent amour propre, the rise of unceasing materialism and other debasing wounds that can cause spiritual deadness and thus can become none too quick to heal. Written in a similar style to that of the Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena, the book, however, is in the format of St. Francis writing down answers to a female pupil named Philothea and not a one-on-one conversation as in the Dialogue, but Introduction to the Devout Life is similar in idea. One of the many pleasant aspects of this work is that it does not sermonize extreme ways for acquiring grace, but for people who have lived on the opposite side of the moral spectrum far longer than they care to acknowledge, bits of the book may seem very extreme. However, it is not meant to be interpreted that way, merely as a catalyst to a newer and brighter beginning. If there ever was a much required and sincere "how-to" guide to bring people back to God while also repairing the interior damage of the self as a result of environment, people and inborn human flaws, Introduction to the Devout Life would be and is, very high on the list, for as he gloriously writes on page 291: "Such are the joys that lure my sight,/All pains grow sweet, all labors light. Live, Jesus! to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and throughout the endless ages of eternity. Amen."