For years after this he continued to be a sought after spiritual director. Then for seven years he was the leader of Nuns of the Visitation, a Christian order of nuns, where he gave seminars and spiritual direction. (So many of the writers of classic spiritual books that draw us to Jesus were steeped in the devout Christian writers who went before them.) After that he served as an itinerant preacher and missionary, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. At the age of eighteen he became a Jesuit novitiate (in the Society of Jesus started by Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th Century).Īs a priest he taught in a Jesuit college, focusing on the classic works of literature, including the Christian Devotional Classics. Little is known about Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Readers of his classic wish we had a full biography on his life! He was born in 1675 in the southern part of France in the village of Cahors.

The ways of our world are to strive, push, hurry, market, manipulate, or please - whatever it takes to get ahead.īut de Caussade’s spiritual letters woo us to discover that when we abandon ourselves entirely to the God who loves us entirely. Waiting, taking orders, being humble, staying vulnerable, and yielding to God and others are not appealing ideas for most people! “I’ll do it my way!” we like to sing with Frank Sinatra. It’s a spiritual trail that remains hidden to us until we really want it.Įven after we’ve dedicated our lives to follow Christ and serve God we probably find ourselves often diverted from continually submitting to the divine will. In Abandonment to Divine Providence, which is a book of his spiritual letters, we learn that abandoning outcomes to God is the true path of peace. The 18th Century letters of the French, Jesuit priest Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675 – 1751) teach us to submit ourselves continually to the sovereign Lord’s will and enjoy his loving presence. We hear this love song when we abandon our self to God in the moment.

He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT) It was the Lord singing a love song over me through the birds! He sings over you too! With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will take delight in you with gladness. The prophet says, “ For the Lord your God is living among you. I was thinking about my run I just finished and my work for the day ahead. I wasn’t tuned into God’s beautiful creation and loving presence. Why didn’t I hear the first part of their sweet song when I walked under their tree and up the sidewalk to my house? They were singing beautifully then too, why didn’t I notice? I finished a 4-mile run this morning and as I took off my shoes I heard the birds singing beautifully.

Book abandonment to divine providence