By Fr. Symon Lukose

The first chapter of this work begins with the interior life of St. Francis de Sales who gave himself in the hands of God for His glorification. Holiness is all-inclusive. It is a state of life of a person irrespective of religion, caste, creed, sex, position, power, and authority. To some extent everyone is a holy person because he or she is a child of God. The chapter also deals with Christian life, holiness in Christian life and Christian perfection.

St. Teresa of Avila teaches us that the experience of God is a decisive fact, one that includes the whole gamut of human experiences; that like God himself, this experience has an absolute and determinant value; and that the influence of this experience not only accompanies our struggles and commitments, but also qualifies and radically humanizes them. Holy virtues are one of the means in attaining Christian perfection. St. Francis de Sales says, “The virtues is so attractive that God rewards it wherever He finds it.” The virtues are essential and useful for Christians in their path of mystical life in today’s world. The second chapter describes some of the virtues – their biblical background, the teachings of the Church Fathers and especially of St. Francis de Sales.

Prayer is a surging of the heart to union with its master, the divine relationship, communion alone with God, a union of one with the Triune God. Christian spirituality is related to life in this world and to fellow beings in communion with the Triune God. It is a life that stems from this spiritual and material outlook. Hence spirituality means a search for meaning and significance in human life in its totality. Contemplation is the response of the human heart to the touch of the Holy Trinity. Contemplation in action is the two sides of the same coin for the purified souls and it flows from the purest and intimate relationship in the service of God. The unselfish love of God of the Christians spreads and gives its branches of work which are rooted in union with God. Christian action already contains an eternal dimension without which it would not be fully Christian. This dimension is guaranteed by prayer and contemplation. … The third chapter deals with the concept of prayer, contemplation and mysticism in Christian life.

Paul was a great mystic. He was a giant in Christ experience and it made him a brave solider of Christ. He conquered the heart of the Jews, Gentiles, men and women for Christ. He experienced God as the loving Father who called him like the prophets and Apostles to serve Jesus Christ the Lord in the Holy Spirit…. The fourth chapter describes the mysticism of St. Paul and mysticism of St. Francis de Sales in a comparative study.

The Holy Spirit is the power supplying force and source in Christian life. The fifth chapter deals with how the presence and action of the Holy Spirit make Christian lite fruitful in today’s world. The eternal relationship of the Holy Trinity is a fragrant foundation for the human relationships and their unity. In the Holy Trinity there is the total giving, sharing, love, and the intimate relationship is a challenge for today’s Christian life. The ultimate aim of Christian life is union with God. Human beings are generally mystical because of religiosity, rationality, artistic and supra-rationality.