The Committed Life: An Adaptation of "The Introduction to the Devout Life" by St. Francis De Sales

I happened upon this book in our church library and now have my own copy. For me it is the best way for me to begin any prayer or meditation. Each chapter seems to have been written exclusively for me. The book encourages me to continue to keep trying to live my life as God would want me too, in spite of everyday failures and distractions. Reading from it has become my day to day FIX. For over two years it has been daily companion.

Francis de Sales, the seventeenth-century Roman Catholic Bishop of Geneva -- along with his Anglican contemporaries, Jeremy Taylor and William Law -- was among the first writers of the post-Reformation period to take lay spirituality seriously and accept that perfection is the Christian end for all men and women in their various states and capacities. Francis de Sales saw his ministry as leading people into spiritual life and relationship with God. His work as a spiritual director led to the publication of his greatest work, "The Introduction to the Devout Life." Fundamental to de Sales is the belief that the spiritual life is not just for monastics and clergy, but for everyone. He considered it a heresy to say that a lay person could not attain sanctity and holiness of life through the grace of God.In a spiritual tour de force, Fr. William Meninger has taken de Sales masterpiece and reworked it into a classic of his own, "The Committed Life: An Adaption of `The Introduction to the Devout life' by St. Francis de Sales."In his preface Meninger makes it clear how indebted he is to de Sales' "charm, warmth, and clarity of language." He was motivated, however, to rewrite the original work, rather than merely translate or paraphrase it. Meninger argues that, although the core of what Francis de Sales wrote is still substantially useful, its "ambiance was outdated."The book is divided into five parts that lead the reader through the milestones of the Christian journey. Each part is comprised of short essays suitable to daily reading. The early emphasis is on "scriptural meditation" and "mental prayer." The latter parts focus on living an active Christian life.The result is a wonderful set of insights for which we are indebted not only to the original author but to Meninger as his collaborator. If, as Francis de Sales once wrote, "Liberty is a detachment of the Christian heart from all things to follow the known will of God," William Meninger has given us a modern means to achieve that detachment.

Meninger has done a wonderful job adapting thi classic work of St. Francis de Sales. The short reflections in this book cover various topics from religious life to the modern world. The insights if this book are extensive. One of the more intriguing is on the sacrament of Reconciliation (p. 65). If the sacrament is only intended for those who have commited mortal sin, and a committed Christian does not commit mortal sins, then how often is this sacrament required? This is perhaps the msot thought provoking reflection in the book, but all the topics discussed make this a worthy and re-readable book.