Rating: 
Summary: Worth a look for historical perspective
Review: For a divinity scholar to dislike DeCaussade is rather like a film buff's not caring for Citizen Kane - it just is not done, since it is universally considered a great classic. I would recommend this book as a means of seeing how a popular spirituality, in marked contrast to Jansenistic or eternal Pelagian thought, was quite popular in DeCaussade's time and place. However, I have some serious problems with the work as a whole.Essentially, DeCaussade's emphasis on how one may only serve God in the circumstances in which one finds oneself is wise - and indeed, with the proper disposition, offering of any "present moment" can be a gift of grace. Those who are fond of the writings of Thérèse of Lisieux will see that this viewpoint has a marked resemblance to her "little way." Nonetheless, where Thérèse's means of expression, and consideration of her circumstances, give this approach an enduring realism and charm, DeCaussade's presentation seems quite close to both quietism (a passivity which, apart from theological deficiencies, often can lead one to a sense of helplessness and despair) and rationalism. Since the work is a collection of letters and conference notes, many readers undoubtedly will find it as ponderous as did I. It becomes tiresome when the same, single point is made, again and again. The quasi-quietism which I previously mentioned may be useful to those of a particular spiritual mindset, in which there is a primary emphasis on resignation in suffering. For those who, by contrast, are searching for some sense of hope in a "present moment" that is hellish, DeCaussade often seems lacking in compassion, sometimes to a point of bordering on cruelty. For example, his words of "comfort" to one who is suffering the grief of bereavement are that "God wants to be your only friend." It is solid to believe that divine providence can work in painful circumstances, but seeing these tragic times as inflicted by God (the passage I quoted can easily be taken as implying that a beloved friend died to accomplish God's purpose of one's being totally alone!) can lead one to run from, rather than embrace, faith. I gave this book three stars because a few of its basic ideas are excellent: the importance of turning the will towards God, trust as essential to true faith, and not turning from today's chance for good in looking towards a future one cannot foresee. I certainly consider it a part of a well-rounded viewpoint of spirituality. But, for personal spiritual reading or use of ideas in pastoral application, I believe it has, at best, a limited appeal, and can be detrimental unless it is only one part of a far larger scope of knowledge.
Rating: 
Summary: Deeply insightful and thought provoking
Review: Fr. Caussade presents a wonderful and hopeful way of viewing our modern world and the real possiblity of attaining holiness. Each chapter returns to the basic premise that God will do the work if we simply let Him and that there is no thing of this world which will ever provide an equal possibility of peace and happiness. I treasure my 1945 copy and would welcome the opportunity to purchase another old edition.
Rating:
Summary: Superb spiritual advice
Review: I have read de Caussade's classic several times in the past twenty years; I highly recommend it to an contemporary reader who takes his/ her spiritual life seriously. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, members of support groups, non-believers, all can benefit from de Caussade's crystal-clear spiritual advice. This is a book to read very slowly and repeatedly to absorb its wisdom and to put it into practice.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic of Christian Mysticism
Review: I have read this book twice and will read it many times again. This book will broaden your understanding of "God's will". Here's a quote: "The thing that must be noted about this will is that, to use human expressions, it seems to be casual and haphazard in its operation. I shall call it the purely providential will of God, to distinguish it from that other aspect of his will which imposes definite obligations we must fulfill" (pg. 77). There are two sides to God's will: The providential and the prescriptive. God's providential will encompasses everything that happens, both good and evil. God does not do or prescribe evil, but he certainly permits it and uses it. The profundity of Jean-Pierre's book is his deep understanding of this fact and his understanding of the need for each Christian to abandon themselves to God in the midst of all suffering and do only what God's prescriptive will is at any moment. And what is God's prescriptive will? Jean-Pierre says it is love, but, interestingly, he assumes that you already know what the details of this love is through God's revelation of his specific obligations with the circumstances of each present moment. So, don't read this book expecting to find a detailed ethical system; there isn't one provided. - Brad Clark
Rating:
Summary: All circunstances are His gift of grace.
Review: I read this book years ago. It instantly changed my attitude. My philosophy now is "happiness is wanting what God wants." By the time any terrible event touches each of us, it has come through His Loving Hands and is His Will for us. Two books which have a similar subject and which helped me even further are: "God of all comfort" by Hannah W. Smith "Daily Strength for Daily Needs" by Mary Tileston
Rating:
Summary: Simple but filled with profound wisdom
Review: Jean-Pierre de Caussade, a French priest born in 1675, never knew he wrote this book. It is an edited collection taken from letters and from notes on talks he had given. This translation is very good - full of life and not dry. This book has deeply blessed me. In the absence of opportunity for spiritual direction, I have taken this book as my main guide for many years. It always has something that speaks directly to my journey, and is full of the heart of God. Here is a quote from the translator's introduction: "Caussade combines intense practicality with profound mysticism - as did St. Teresa of Avila. This is nothing extraordinary. True mystics are always much more practical than the ordinary run of people. They seek reality; we, the ephemeral. They want God as he is; we want God as we imagine him to be." Aldous Huxley, in his book, "The Perennial Philosophy," compares a quote from de Caussade with a quote from The Third Patriarch of Zen. Huxley writes in chapter 4, "The seventeenth-century Frenchman's vocabulary is very different from that of the seventh-century Chinaman's. But the advice they give is fundamentally similar. Conformity to the will of God, submission, docility to the leadings of the Holy Ghost - in practice, if not verbally, these are the same as conformity to the Perfect Way, refusing to have preferences and cherish opinions, keeping the eyes open so that dreams may cease and Truth reveal itself." This is a short book, about 120 pages. It is one of those books that help you to KNOW God, rather than to know ABOUT God. Bless you on your journey.
Rating:
Summary: It's about TRUST
Review: My review is definitely influenced by the other reviews that I read. You can certainly tell those folks who live in their heads from those folks who live in their hearts. If you live in your head, you live in your own will. These folks have points and counterpoints, categories and subcategories, notes of historical interest, arguments and objections. Though they are just the ones who need the message of this book, they are the ones most resistant, the ones to completely miss the point. Our wills are not easily subdued. We identify our being with "our doing," "our opinions," "our judgments." We think that "me" equals "my will," "my way," "my view." These folks line up to inform God just how His Creation should run and, no doubt, they have very good arguments. ...This is not to demean the life of the mind, although it may sound that way. ... As Jean-Pierre de Caussade says, "The use of our reason and other faculties is profitable only when it serves as an instrument of God's activity." All too often the mind wants to serve as the instrument of its own and solely its own activity. So this book is not about fatalism or passivity. It's about TRUST. It's about believing that although all appears to be lost, God is working. It's about HOPE. It's about faith in yourself, though you appear to be a pretty poor instrument of goodness, God is using you---as much as you allow yourself to live in your heart. We fight, we struggle, we lose, or so we think. There are more than enough knocks in the most humdrum life. But everyday we get up, dust our bruised bodies off, and say a small prayer under our breath, "Not my will, But Yours." ...
Rating:
Summary: The true meaning of God's omnipresence
Review: November 4, 2000 God's omnipresence can be easily misunderstood because it is often applied merely to the physical and material world. If He is omnipresent in a physical sense, then He must also be omnipresent in every circumstance of our lives, no matter how small. Thus, we can experience God merely by yielding to what life brings. De Caussade, in this beautiful book (I am in my third reading), has introduced me to this "new" way of experiencing God: I now "see" Him everywhere. This view of God brings great comfort and assurance. I find myself struggling less with life, accepting things that I would once have found distasteful, accomplishing much more, and discovering many new blessings from God. If you long for a more settled, fruitful life this little book will soon become a favorite.
Rating:
Summary: The true meaning of God's omnipresence
Review: November 4, 2000 God's omnipresence can be easily misunderstood because it is often applied merely to the physical and material world. If He is omnipresent in a physical sense, then He must also be omnipresent in every circumstance of our lives, no matter how small. Thus, we can experience God merely by yielding to what life brings. De Caussade, in this beautiful book (I am in my third reading), has introduced me to this "new" way of experiencing God: I now "see" Him everywhere. This view of God brings great comfort and assurance. I find myself struggling less with life, accepting things that I would once have found distasteful, accomplishing much more, and discovering many new blessings from God. If you long for a more settled, fruitful life this little book will soon become a favorite.
Rating:
Summary: This gave me the One-Two Punch I needed.
Review: Of all the self-help books I have read over the last 20 years, this has the most simple, direct approach to the meaning of our lives on this earth. Knowing this book has been around for so many centuries, also tells me of its long-staying value. I've recommended it recently to 5 different people, most of whom have already bought the book. When you read this, you have to be VERY receptive and TOTALLY willing to focus on each sentance, even reading each line 2 or 3 times. You can't have any distractions. Once you "GET IT", you've got it and now I look through it when I need to refresh my memory or to help keepme on track. I always worried about the future, would I have enough money to cover all future bills, whether my business was going to belly-up and I was going to loose my house because of some catastrophy. Now I look at "right now". I make each minute have value. I let go of trying to control the outcome of every happening and everyone. It's the feeling of jumping off a cliff and knowing God WILL catch me, NO MATTER WHAT. I have a feeling of lightness, and freedom, and should I start to slip into my old way of thinking, I quickly pick up the book and open it up ANYWHERE, and I am brought back to reality. I have a rainbow around me now.
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