Written over 400 years ago, Introduction to the Devout Life is still one of the most popular books for those pursuing holiness. St. Francis de Sales explains how to turn that desire for sanctity into resolutions that yield grace-filled results. Themes include: Pursuing a devout life whole-heartedly Incorporating prayer and sacraments into a busy schedule Growing in virtue Battling wisely against temptation Making spiritual progress through daily, monthly, and yearly exercises Whether you are just beginning your spiritual journey or are more advanced in the spiritual life, you’ll be able to apply this timeless wisdom immediately. Let St. Francis de Sales illumine the path to holiness and strengthen your desire to walk that road with the Lord. St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622) was the Bishop of Geneva and a renowned spiritual director. Preaching during the Counter-Reformation, he is estimated to have converted 70,000 Calvinists in his short lifetime. He was a fervent proponent of the universal call to holiness and spent much of his time guiding lay people on the road to sanctity. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877, St. Francis is still helping to form saints through his many writings, of which Introduction to the Devout Life is the most famous.

St. Francis de Sales is famous in the Catholic world for his personality, as well as for his writings and other accomplishments. When he was being considered for beatification, 5,000 witnesses testified to his heroic virtues and miracles. The Calvinist minister of Geneva said of St. Francis de Sales: "If we honored any man as a Saint, I know none more worthy than this man since the days of the Apostles." Impr.

Living the Christian life requires a strategy. Most of us won’t get to heaven through heroic feats of sanctity, but by learning to live the devout life through our everyday activities. St. Francis de Sales has developed for you a spiritual plan of action — a plan that will help you acquire holiness despite the many responsibilities and mundane realities that take up all your time and effort. In these pages, Fr. Thomas Dailey — an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales — gently guides you through St. Francis de Sales’s spiritual plan, showing how you can balance time devoted to God with the time needed to complete your many tasks each day. You’ll learn St. Francis de Sales’s technique of daily prayer and grace-filled awareness that will transform your life one day at a time — no matter how busy your lifestyle. From making a spiritual retreat during the day to fending off the many temptations you face, Live Today Wellwill help you commune with God throughout your day. And by practicing the little virtues you learn here, you’ll soon find yourself moving toward the heavenly heights as you become the saint you are called by God to be. You’ll also learn: Four ways to become aware of God’s presence Tips for spiritual time-management Simple methods of praying, whether in Church or not How to avoid the three dangerous tendencies that appear in conversations How to conquer your greatest temptations The one virtue which gives greatest assurance for reaching perfection The two critical elements of any good confession

In Consoling Thoughts on Trials of an Interior Life St. Francis de Sales, beloved Doctor of the Church, gives us treasured insight from the master of spiritual direction. How can the soul persevere in piety in the midst of affliction? How should we conduct ourselves when suffering interior trials? How can we profit from our own faults? St. Francis de Sales explains all this and more. In this masterful collection, St. Francis speaks to every soul on the riches to be gained from suffering trials and temptations, the advantages we can draw from our own defects, and how to choose and carry the best crosses. Also included are uplifting passages on suffering sadness, or what we would now call depression. Readers of Consoling Thoughts will experience firsthand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.