The book is divided into five parts.
Part I’s purpose is to turn our desire for God toward resolution for God. In spiritual terms, we might call this process purgation. It’s a phase of exploring, and perhaps wrestling with, making a firm decision to choose to live for God. It’s a time of honest assessment and discovering what might be holding us back from living a full life. While that may sound difficult, Francis is a friendly and trustworthy guide who calls us to embrace a brighter path.
The focus of Part I includes ten meditations — reality checks, really — that prepare us to strengthen our resolve for God. Sometimes readers pause to make Part I a personal retreat for ten days, so as not to rush through those first meditations. Francis invites us to conscientiously place ourselves in God’s presence each day, asking for his divine help, and then carefully considering the various topics that are covered.
The central message of Part II contains valuable instructions for prayer. It is filled with good advice on how to meditate and pray. Two things from Part II have proven valuable in my life over the years: creating a spiritual bouquet after my prayer time, and learning to pray with spiritual aspirations as I go through the day.
Whenever I’m reading Scripture or some spiritual book, or even when something strikes me during Mass, I employ Francis de Sales’ recommendation to make a spiritual bouquet to carry with me through the day. Francis recommends taking time for prayer in the morning, before the work of the day begins. That way, we can recall the prayer and let it bear fruit throughout our day. He describes how to gather and appreciate a spiritual bouquet this way:
When walking in a beautiful garden, most people like to gather a few flowers as they go, to keep and enjoy their scent during the day. So, when the mind explores some mystery in meditation, it is good to pick out one or more points that have particularly caught your attention and are most likely to be helpful to you through the day. (Introduction, Part II, ch. 7)
For me, coupled with creating a spiritual bouquet is developing the habit of spiritual aspirations. These are little prayers that I pray aloud, or silently, depending on my situation. Francis describes these as “short, ardent movements” of the heart toward God. He writes:
Praise his excellence, invoke his aid, cast yourself in spirit at the foot of his cross, adore his goodness, offer your whole soul a thousand times a day to him, fix your inward gaze upon him, stretch out your hands to be led by him as a little child to its father, clasp him to your breast as a fragrant bouquet, praise him in your soul as a standard….
Neither is this a difficult practice. It can be interwoven with all our duties and occupations, without hindering them. (Introduction, Part II, ch. 13)
Part III offers instructions on growing in the virtues. And who among us doesn’t need a dose of that? None of us are ready-made saints; we have to work diligently to grow in virtue.
I have to admit the instructions on humility get me every time. But as I get older, they seem to sting a little less than when I first read them years ago. Today I am so much more in agreement with Francis’ assessment of my needs — I’m slowly starting to “get it.” Francis has a gentle touch with people like me, who need repeated instruction in overcoming weaknesses.
Among my favorite lessons from Part III is, get this: “We must not fret over our own imperfections.” Such times are opportunities to practice meekness toward ourselves — with a touch of humor and candor! Like this:
“Poor heart! So soon fallen again into the snare! Well now, rise up again bravely and fall no more. Seek God’s mercy, hope in him, ask him to keep you from falling again, and begin to walk the path of humility anew. We must be more on our guard from now on.” (Introduction, Part III, ch. 9)
Part III also instructs us to remember our dignity as children of God, to trust in God’s presence and accompaniment in all that we do … starting with never letting go of God’s hand: “Imitate little children who with one hand hold fast to their father while with the other they gather strawberries or blackberries from the hedges” (Introduction, Part III, ch. 10).
The lesson could not be plainer. Look to God as you work, and always keep one hand in his, for God will work in you as you work. This is how we become ever more convinced that we should not spend a single day, or moment, without God.
For Francis de Sales, it’s all about Jesus, to love and live as Jesus did … to “live Jesus.”
Therefore, my daughter, above all things I would write that precious and holy name, JESUS, in your heart, certain that having done so, your life … will bear the stamp of that saving name in every act; and if the dear Lord dwells within your heart, he will live in your every action, and will be traced in every member and part of you, so that you will be able to say with Saint Paul, “[I]t is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). (Introduction, Part III, ch. 23)
If we truly desire to “live Jesus,” we can understand the reasons for Parts IV and V. Part IV is dedicated to combatting the most frequent temptations we experience, both large and small, especially after we’ve committed ourselves to Christ. Part IV also provides tips for dealing with anxiety, sorrow, spiritual dryness, and more.
Part V offers chapters on renewing our soul and confirming our devotion. Francis means to equip us for the long haul, to be faithful through the years. His call in Part V is for ongoing renewal so that we never stop living for Jesus:
You should frequently reiterate the good resolutions you have made to serve God, for fear that, failing to do so, you fall away, not only to your former condition, but lower still….
Just as the clockmaker applies a delicate oil to all the wheels and springs of a clock, so that it will work properly and be less prone to rust, so the devout soul, after taking the works of his heart to pieces, will lubricate them with the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist. These exercises will repair the damage caused by time, will kindle your heart, revive your good resolutions, and cause the graces of your mind to flourish anew. (Introduction, Part V, ch. 1)
Francis de Sales is a spiritual director for a world suffering from lack of direction. Reading Introduction to the Devout Life is like resetting your spiritual compass to point to your true north. It is a book every Christian should read at least once in life — but, truly, it is designed to be returned to again and again. For truth is timeless.
Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us!
Preface
By Saint Francis de Sales
Dear reader, I request you to read this Preface for your own satisfaction as