The committed life: an adaptation of The introduction to the devout life by St. Francis de Sales

156 Pages·2000·4.87 MB·English

by  William Meninger

The Committed Life
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The
Committed
Life
An Adaption of The Introduction to the
Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales
William A. Meninger
continuum
new york . londeon
2003
The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc
15 East 26th Street, New York, NY 10010
The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd
The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX
Copyright © 2000 by William A. Meninger
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
the written permission of
The Continuum Publishing Company.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Meninger, William.
The committed life : an adaptation of The introduction to the
devout life by St. Francis de Sales / William A. Meninger.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8264-1285-0 (pbk)
1. Christian life—Catholic authors. 2. Meditations. I. Francis,
de Sales, Saint, 1567-1622. Introduction a la vie dévote. II. Title.
BX2350.2.M44 2000
248.4'82—dc21 00-031403
Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible
copyright© 1970, 1986.
This book is gratefully dedicated
to my sister, Patricia Apruzzese
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Contents
Introduction 15
PART ONE
On Being a Christian
1. True Commitment 19
2. The Value of Commitment 20
3. Commitment Is for Everybody 22
4. Spiritual Friendship 23
5. On Spiritual Aerobics 25
6. Strength in Our Commitment to Christ 26
7. Attachment to Past Sins 27
8. Getting Ready 28
9. First Meditation: The Totality of Our Dependence on God 28
10. Second Meditation: Why Am I Here? 29
11. Third Meditation: The Gifts of God 30
12. Fourth Meditation: Unlovingness 31
13. Fifth Meditation: Death 32
14. Sixth Meditation: Judgment 33
15. Seventh Meditation: Hell 34
16. Eighth Meditation: Heaven 35
8 • CONTENTS
17. Ninth Meditation: Choice of Heaven 36
18. Tenth Meditation: Making a Commitment to God 37
19. General Confession 39
20. A Resolution toward Christian Commitment 40
21. God's Response 41
22. On Being Free to Love God 42
23. Freedom from Stupidities 43
24. The Struggle against the False-self System 44
PART TWO
Prayer and the Sacraments
1. Our Need for Prayer 47
2. The Presence of God 49
3. Ask God for Help 52
4. The Next Step: Use of the Imagination 52
5. The Meditation 53
6. Decisions Resulting from Meditation 53
7. How to Conclude Your Mediation 54
8. Some Helpful Advice 55
9. Spiritual Dryness 55
10. Daily Prayer in the Morning 56
11. Evening Prayer 58
12. Daily Recollection 58
13. Simple Ways to Be Recollected 59
14. Weekday Eucharist 60
15. Devotions: Public and Private 61
16. The Communion of Saints 62
17. The Holy Scripture 63
18. Personal Graces 64
19. The Sacrament of Reconciliation 65
20. Holy Communion 68
CONTENTS • 9
PART THREE
Living Out Your Commitment
1. The Variety of Virtues and the Call to Commitment 75
2. Further Advice on the Virtues 79
3. Patient Endurance 80
4. Humility about Possessions 82
5. Real Humility 83
6. Humiliations 85
7. Your Reputation 85
8. Gentleness 86
9. Patience with Ourselves 88
10. On Overdoing It 89
11. On Obedience 90
12. On Chastity 91
13. Personal Chastity 93
14. Spiritual Poverty 94
15. We Can Be Poor While Rich 95
16. We Can Be Rich While Poor 96
17. Friendship and Its Counterfeits 97
18. Dalliances 98
19. Real Friendship 99
20. Friendship with the Opposite Sex 100
21. Dealing with False Friendships 100
22. Some Final Advice on Friendship 101
23. Mortification 102
24. Society and Solitude 104
25. Clothing 106
26. Speaking of God 107
27. Conversations 108
28. On Judging Others 109
29. On Harming Another's Good Name 112