Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675–1751)

How do I find peace of mind in my stressed-out life?

It can be hard to hold on to trust in God when we’re stretched and stressed by responsibilities, deadlines, and expectations. Caussade gently yet persistently tells us not to fret over the past, nor worry about the future. We are given only the sacrament of the present moment in which God reveals himself to us. God is secretly at work for our good in the midst of every duty and every event.

The Sacrament of the Present Moment is the three hundred-year-old classic of spiritual guidance and enlightenment by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, ordained member of the Society of Jesus. In this wise, hopeful, and powerfully stirring masterwork of Christian thought and daily practice, de Caussade encourages a selfless abandonment to God as a means of achieving grace and conquering pride and ego.

I usually love historical books on the spiritual life. But this one just left me cold. It seemed to say in 100 words what could be said in one, and above that choose 100 words which obscured the point the writer was trying to make.

I finished the book, but for me it was a slog.

If anything, it was one of the best incentives to leave the present moment
I’ve come across.

Old school Jesuit praying wrapped in Quietism. The belief in total surrender. It didn't go well with the "God in All Things" and "God is Where You" mantra of James Martin S. J.