Letters To St. Francis De Sales Mostly

Surveys indicate that people realize the need for prayer today in a way that has surprised many. Most people, it seems, pray every day and the number appears to be growing. One of the signs of that tendency is the proliferation of perpetual adoration chapels throughout the world. A large number are seeking ways in which to deepen their life of prayer and are turning to the classics such as the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. The people for whom St. Francis wrote his popular treatise on prayer in the seventeenth century, however, could never have imagined how difficult prayer can be for those of us who are caught up in the hectic lifestyle of our twenty-first century world. Still, his insights into the life of prayer have much to offer the men and women of today. John Fink highlights those areas of his teachings which have been especially helpful to him as a lay person in his life of prayer. In twenty brief chapters, he covers everything from the Nature of Prayer to Finding Balance in Life. Topics include Conversation with God, Discursive Meditation, Contemplation, Liturgical Prayer, Prayers of Petition, Other Forms of Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Rosary and Other Marian Prayers, Prayers to the Saints, the Psalms, Scripture, Discerning God’s Will, and Difficulties in Prayer. The conversational tone of the book invites the reader to put into immediate practice the remarkable insights into prayer to be found in its pages.