Abandonment to Divine Providence

. . . .and those who have ranged themselves on the side of God have shared His triumph, and are happy for all eternity." (p. 89)This book is a classic of Catholic spirituality and has been for centuries. I'm Catholic and have found that Catholics can be very practical. (Protestants will likely not believe that!) This book certainly is "practical" and rooted in the human experience, although it does soar into the heavenlies at times. I suppose some will be disappointed with it since it is rooted in practical, human, everyday experiences and looks at our abandonment to divine providence from human as well as divine pespectives. This is the reality of our human experience and Jean Pierre de Caussade is rooted in that.The book is only 89 pages long, but the type is dense . . . as is some of the text itself. It took me longer than usual to read the book; perhaps the Holy Spirit had something to do with that. It is helpful that the "books" and chapters are nicely subdivided so that each section is a manageable two pages for the most part.I could not make myself give anything less that 5 stars to a spiritual classic, although at times I had to return to the text to re-read to try to understand what I had read to make sure I understood it. And, at times, I was still not sure.I recommend the book for those serious about their journeys with God.

This book has changed me more than anything else I've ever read. I have learned to accept my ordinariness as God's will and stop thinking something is wrong with me for not making some impact on the community. Fr. de Caussade helped me to understand that I actually don't know what I may be contributing, or even if God is asking me to contribute all of the time. I feel I can wait with inner peace for God's prompts when/if he wants me to do something and just to live ordinary life in love - treating everyone and every circumstance as the expression of God that it is.I read this with a dear friend. She has been changed in different ways; her issues were different from mine. But we both agree that we have moved deeply into the abandonment to the will of God that we have both wanted from reading this book.Don't be surprised if you intend to read a chapter at a sitting but have to stop for the day because what you've read needs time to sink in. What Fr. de Caussade wrote with catch your breath sometimes and the realization and understanding you move into are so astonishing, you just can't continue reading until later.

This book really pricks the ego...my prideful heart did not want to continue reading...however it is a wonderful display of God's will for my life...highly recommend reading this book but rest assured it hurts considerably

NB: This review has been updated as of 16/04/2014. To be current, skip to the end. The rest is probably chaff.This litle book is what you need when all else has failed. John Beevers uses the modern idiom to get across the ideas that Jean Pierre de Caussade offered to his friends for their comfort and holiness in finding God in all things. It takes a modern Jesuit to bring into the present moment the lessons of an 18th Century Jesuit who went beyond religion to help the Religious understand what their religion had taught them. While there are many presentations and formats of the "Classic" English language translation done and introduced by Dom Arnold, O.S.B. in 1921, all of these variations are dry, academic, and tedious compared to John Beevers' American rendition. N.B. at this time, there is NO E-Text or Kindle version of Beever's unique work. All of the public domain stuff is the awkward, 1921 translation with different covers and window dressing. Even the Amazon Kindle version linked to this Beevers BOOK is not the genuine Beevers text. So beware! You have to buy the physical IMAGE book to get the genuine article and Amazon sells it.Now then, you will not be disappointed by purchasing a paper book. Nor will you suffer technological inconvenience by having to actually hold a real book in your hands and use an old fashioned book mark to hold your place. Beevers is the real deal in both style and insight and he follows on from Anthony de Mello's WAY TO LOVE in being an easy read and a friendly guide. In fact, De Mello and all of the well written books on spirituality you have enjoyed up until now, have brought you to the present moment, WHERE YOU ARE NOW ABOUT TO ENCOUNTER THIS LITTLE GEM OF A BOOK!There is a caveat, however. This is not a book for exploration or casual inquiry. This is serious spirituality for the latter part of your life (no matter when it begins). If you have not yet "made" the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, it would be a good idea to do so. The "19th Annotation" for those of us who are busy, is a good introduction, and when you have finally arrived at the point where you are feeling overwhelmed at finding God in everything, this book, by John Beevers, S.J. is your next step. If you are at this stage, then no further explanation is either adequate or necessary.If you are here because of curiosity, you will probably be bitterly disappointed or even disillusioned. On the other hand, you might be caught up on the crest of Grace, whether or not you choose to admit it, and that being the case, you may proceed as far as you are carried. Do not however, make the mistake of reading a lesser (cheaper) version of the Abandonment to Divine Providence in order to get a "taste" of what the book offers. If you do and you become less than completely enthralled with the Sacrament of the Present Moment, the problem is most likely the translation. If you insist on continuing, scrape up the needed cash and buy the Image book. Then, prepare yourself prayerfully, trying to forget all the unpleasantness, and take the "easy" path that John Beevers has laid out for you.Dare I say, providentially, Amazon offers you the opportunity to read John Beevers' Introduction on line. A few minutes spent here will be most beneficial and should give you a good idea of what to expect.And now for the testimonial:Abandonment is true joy and peace. Yes, the Kingdom is most definitely here and now, and this particular publication is the best roadmap I have found in over seven decades of searching.So, give it a try. The book is under $10, and if it is not for you now, it will be someday.UPDATE: I just bought another copy - to give to a friend.UPDATE: I'm on my second reading and as a daily reader, it just keeps getting better.UPDATE: I'm now on my seventh reading. Each day I read passage and it is always new. Why is this? You figure it out. Best $10 I ever spent.April 6 2014, UPDATE:Well, I just read my original review with the intention of deleting the whole thing and leaving just a sentence or two and, so much for intentions. For what it is worth, here are my couple of sentences and the wordy review will have to stand as amended:I have just completed my 16th (count 'em SIXTEEN) reading of this book, the last 8 on my Kindle so that brings this up to date, and I am still learning by my daily readings. If you are reading this, there is a reason. To quote St. Francis, I have done what was mine to do, you must do what is yours. Nothing more need be said.

I found the prose hard to follow at times, and some of the writing was also rather obtuse and meaningless. It took great patience to sift through section after section to find the few worthwhile statements.This particular printing of the book was rather poor. The font size changed midway through the book, and one chapter was printed twice. If you do purchase this title, buy a different version. Someone failed to proof this one.

This is not an easy read, but it's a good one. I have to read a bit...think about it...and sometimes read again, but the insights are worth the effort.

This book is amazing in everyway possible. It teaches that God's will is active all the time and we only need to surrender to it. From my understanding even this surrender does not happen by our doing or effort, rather by God's grace. The only point which I do not agree with the author about is that Jesus is God. I believe that Jesus is a mighty messenger of God as he himself used to pray to God

I found this book very wishy washy-it was hard to get hold of anything concrete. The author seems to be saying again and again 'abandon yourself to divine providence' without saying how you would do this. He says. 'The soul should only proceed according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for if it were to act according to its own ideas it would make no progress,' but he does not tell how you can be sure you are following the Holy Spirit and not your own ideas masquerading as divine will. The author suggests several times that reading books will not help you whilst writing the same basic idea at length for you to read. He seems to be saying accept whatever happens to you as the will of God ( I may have got that wrong-the writing is not of the clearest) without qualifying this in any way.

This is not a long book that might deter readers by its size. It is a slim volume (114pp) which is well worth reading in small considered doses. Fortunately it is divided into many short sections. If you are the sort of person who likes to THINK, not necessarily meditate, I can recommend this. Every so often there is a real gem of a thought. Most people have fairly dull or routine lives, many have to spend a lot of their time doing chores, or other dull things. Has this dull time any value? Perhaps we waste hours of life in traffic jams nowadays - well De Caussade has thoughts on the ordinary frustrations of life. He suggests that they do indeed have value. Great value! His reasoning is simple and there is a warmth behind it which reflects someone who cares about ordinary folk. Remarkable for its time, this eighteenth century book has much to say to us in the modern world. It should be better known. Thoroughly recommended.

Used for personal spiritual development, this short volume, lives up to its great reputation. Used for a couple of hundred years, it's solid wisdom is as pertinent to today's modern ways, as in it's original days- probably more so- as modern people in this post Christian era flounder in search of meaning and happiness in their lives.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade was a French Jesuit writer and he urges the reader throughout this book: 'Let us go, then, let us run and fly to that ocean of love by which we are attracted! What are we waiting for? Let us start at once, let us lose ourselves in God, even in His heart, to become inebriated with the wine of His charity.'Basically much of the book is about emptying ourselves of self will and allowing ourselves to be led through life by the divine will and live in the present moment. Acceptance of what life throws at us is key and we are to see that within each moment - good or bad - there is a lesson for us.Very, very simply he is saying allow God in to help you realise who you are. Let Him show you the way. Listen to what the divine lover wants to see in your life. Abandon yourself to the divine will. Let go. Seek the Creator and find out what your true nature is.

For those who would like to make strides in their spiritual life this is book which cannot go unread. Every sentence is a universe. The work is deep yet simple. It offers practical as well as theoretical (theological) insights who are both precious and rewarding. So much so that one excuses the innumerable misprints which this edition has and the dismal artwork of the text. However, if one is not prepared to allow these details go, then one is also not prepared to read this booklet since it is about substance not frivolity. After reading this work one fully understands why it is considered to be a major contribution to spiritual life, practice and holiness.