Written by Father Jean Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest religious works ever compiled. It is difficult for me to summarize this work as it is so rich in what it offers. It truly has had a very powerful affect in my own daily life. As one book reviewer has stated, "this and the Bible are all that you need!"
Two years ago, in my first encounter with this book, upon reading the first few chapters, my initial reaction was that Father Jean Pierre de Caussade was a crazy man! It took me a while to warm up to some of the concepts and truths that he was proclaiming. Over time I've come to love this work. After the Bible itself, Abandonment to Divine Providence truly has become my favorite religious book.
The version that I'm familiar with, available at formed.org, is the third English edition of the tenth French Edition. What I like particularly about this particular edition is that it is broken up into two main sections. The first is a treatise on complete abandonment to Divine Providence. The second section is a collection of letters that address and answer various objections to a life of total abandonment to God. These letters, written to the Sisters of the Visitation in Nancy, France, provide much practical advice on living a life of complete surrender to the Lord. Many earlier and other editions of this book don't contain this second section. If you cannot get this book through formed.org, when shopping around, check closely to see if what is being offered is the complete work. A printed version of the complete work, similar to what is offered in e-book form at formed.org, will be around 450 to 480 pages in length.
Abandonment to Divine Providence can be obtained from a variety of sources, both in physical and electronic form. If you live within the boundaries of a Catholic Parish, that subscribes to formed.org, you can obtain an e-book version of this work at no charge. If you're not familiar with formed.org, click here for more information on how to register and get access to this wonderful library of audio, visual, and written materials.
For those of you who can't get access to formed.org, I'll list a few alternate sources below that offer the same edition of this book that I have read. It makes no difference to me, where or how you purchase this book. I do not have any associations with the companies listed below. Just be careful about what you purchase, if you are looking for the entire collection of Caussade's writings on this topic. For example, currently I see that a so-called unabridged version of this work available via Amazon.com for only 99 cents. But be forewarned. At a "print length" of 82 pages, this cannot be the complete work. Also be careful when ordering a printed edition of this book. Read reviews of any edition you are about to purchase. Some editions have very tiny print and others show a page count so low that they must be only brief summaries of his work. The links below should take you to full versions of this book.
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(This page was first posted on December 14, 2018)