Thy Will Be Done: Letters to Persons in the World [Hardcover]

Saint Francis de Sales (Author), Alice von Hildebrand (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1995

How to do God's will joyfully!

Three centuries ago, people flocked to St. Francis de Sales, seeking his help for their problems. St. Francis spent hours ministering to them face-to-face and wrote over 20,000 letters. From these letters to persons in all walks of life, we've selected the ones that will be most helpful to you today.

Each hand-written response to someone like you seeking help for an actual problem. You'll be consoled by warmth, the wisdom, and the holy sympathy you'll find in these pages, as the love of this great saint reaches out to us across the centuries. Whatever you circumstances may be, there's wisdom here to make your life holier... and happier.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Sophia Institute Press (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091847728X
• ISBN-13: 978-0918477286
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,029,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous pastoral advice, July 19, 2000

By 

Diana Parker "ldyg" (Stow, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thy Will Be Done: Letters to Persons in the World (Paperback)

In this collection of letters written by Saint Francis de Sales, it's easy to see that people are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Saint Francis' gentle advice and counsel is as appropriate today as it was 300+ years ago. He clearly teaches his correspondents how to achieve holiness in whatever walk of life they find themselves in. Although a few of these letters are written to men and women in religious life, most are to ordinary laywomen (mostly) and laymen. Great spiritual reading!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom for Every Life Situation, May 2, 2009

By 

Mary Anne H. (Indiana) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Thy Will Be Done: Letters to Persons in the World (Paperback)

I cannot live without referencing this book frequently. I love it because it is individual letters and that makes it an easy read to pick up whenever you need it. St. Francis covers everything from pregnancy ("Do not ask from yourself what you do not have"), to peace when thinking about the death of a loved one, ("Think only of purgatory and heaven," and "The world is only peopled to people heaven.") Beautiful and appropriate for any person in any stage of life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual Direction for everyone, February 5, 2010

By 

jenn (houston) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Thy Will Be Done: Letters to Persons in the World (Paperback)

St. Francis de Sales continues to bless the world through his writings. For those who need guidance with everyday matters he speaks in simple and direct form, while holding great compassion for the weakness of men. If one is in need of a spiritual director, I recommend Introduction to the Devout Life. But if you like that and want more, get this one.