Treatise on the Love of God, A Contemporary Edition

Francis de Sales’s spiritual masterpiece. Treatise on the Love of God, was originally published in 1616 while he was Bishop of Geneva. This contemporary English edition preserves St. Francis’s gentle prose, enthusiasm for God, compassion, and good humor. For fall spiritual pilgrims seeking comfort and guidance, this book offers the assurance that “a deep and satisfying prayer life is not only possible, but within the reach of anyone who will accept '' that God is forever offering.

There is a natural attraction between God and the human soul. The slightest contemplation of the divine brings us pleasure. The tiniest sunbeam is brighter than the moon and stars at night. This delight we naturally have in God is the result of something innately given. It is undeniable, but it is not easy to understand. . . . (from the opening paragraph of Chapter 1)

The original spiritual classic Treatise on the Love of God is an ambitious work. Weighing in at about two pounds it was comprised of two hundred chapters, divided into twelve books, and published in two volumes— totalling well over six hundred pages. It was written for every person who is committed to living a devout life, who is focused on making progress in what its author, Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), calls “holy love.”

Bernard Bangley has created in this abridged version a terrific resource. If you are new to Saint Francis you’ll be delighted by the access that Bangley provides to the wisdom of the larger work. And if you read the unabridged volumes long ago, the version in your hands will provide you with quick access to, and a reminder of, the beauty and teaching of the original.

In our ever more secular society it is so easy to get off track in trying to live a devout life and make real progress in the ways of holy loving. But by having this book nearby, and reading a little of it each day, you can keep focused on God’s love tor you and on your love for God.

I also find that it empowers me to live more and more in the experience of union with God. During Pope Benedict XVIs visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010 he spoke to children at St. Marys University College. During his remarks, which were addressed to practicing Christians everywhere, he reminded us of the importance of growing in holiness and virtue, emphasizing that we are all called to grow in friendship with God and to become saints. Nearly four hundred years ago, Saint Francis spoke of these things and in very practical ways. He was convinced that full union with God was required for the human person to be truly complete.

The ideas contained in The Treatise empower any devout soul to see others and the world as God does, and to relate to others and the world as Christ would if he were still walking upon the face of the earth. The goal of the book is to teach the devout how to fulfil the expectations of the first commandment, and in so doing, to lead the soul into this loving union with God. Much of the rest of The Treatise is taken from the powerful love story which is recounted in the Song of Songs. That brief biblical book had always captivated the imagination of Francis, from the first time that he studied it as a young student in Paris. With the love story of Solomon as his background, he tells of the mutual love between God and each of us, from its beginning under grace to its perfection in glory.

In twelve brilliant chapters, one for each of the books that comprise the original Treatise, Bangley succinctly synopsizes Saint Francis’s “how to’ guide for loving God above all things— with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind and all our strength. In Book 1, Francis establishes that were all created with a natural inclination for the good. In Book 2, he aims our attention to revelation and to what it tells us about God’s purpose in creating and redeeming us. Book 3 explores how mutual love grows and deepens over time, and Book 4 explores the ways in which we can lose love. In Book 5, Francis talks about compliance and benevolence, the two chief exercises of sacred love. And in Book 6 he describes prayer and union of wills, the two principal ways of exercising our love of God. In Book 6 and 7 Francis talks about prayer. Embracing and accepting the divine will in all things is what he calls effective or active union with God— and these are the subjects of Books 8 and 9. Book 10 deals directly with how we fulfill the first commandment and how the love of God leads to the love of neighbor and to holy zeal. In Book 11 Francis explores the relationship between the Holy Spirit, virtues, and acts and perfections of the soul. And finally, Book 12 has Saint Francis providing Theotimus— his original reader, symbolic of each and every person who desires to make progress in holy love— with counsel regarding how to achieve that end.

There is a lot in here. I encourage you to take up the Treatise on the Love of God and read some every day. Allow it to guide you on your spiritual walk.

— Michael Moran [Assistant Superior General, Society o f the Sons of St. Francis de Sales]