Jean-Pierre de Caussade!

s Way of Abandonment to Divine Providence

Tim Manseld March 2010

Introduction
Who is Jean-Pierre de Caussade? Reverend Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade was born in Cahors, France in 1675, entered the Society of Jesus in 1693 (at age 18) and was ordained a priest in 1704 [1,2]. He became the spiritual director of the Nuns of the Visitation at Nancy in 1733. Although he left that position in 1740 and moved to, rst Perpignan and then Albi to take up positions as a college rector, he remained in correspondence with the nuns. After a period as director of theological students in Toulouse, he retired and nally ended his earthly life in 1751 at age 76. Father de Caussades major written work is a short book [3] called Abandonment to Divine Providence (Abandon la divine Providence). We also have two volumes of his letters to the Sisters at Nancy, published as Spiritual Letters (Lettres spirituelles), and a number of shorter works such as A Treatise on the Prayer of the Heart and Instruction in the Spiritual Form of Dialogue. Of these only Abandonment to Divine Providence and Spiritual Letters seem to have been published in translation in English, often collected together. The former work is sometimes published under the equally entrancing title The Sacrament of the Present Moment.

Father de Caussades teaching is within the Western via negativa tradition of Bridal Mysticism exemplied by San Juan de la Cruz and San Teresa de vila. In particular, he often refers to the work of Saint Francis de Sales [4], one of the founders (along with Saint Jane Frances de Chantal) of the Order of the Visitation [5]. Like Saint Francis, de Caussade recommends the frequent use of the sacraments, makes recommendations to both religious and lay practitioners and recommends against excessive selfrecrimination and guilt. The other major contextual factor in de Caussades work is the ofcial reaction against Quietism [6], a popular mystical movement in France, Spain and Italy. Quietists suggested that by developing a complete intellectual silence, practitioners could become sinless and perfect. In terminology and practice, Quietism echoes the Cathars and, perhaps, Orthodox Hesychasm. Without dwelling on what the Quietists actually believed, taught and accomplished, the movement was declared heretical by Pope Innocent XI in 1687. Because de Caussade puts a signicant emphasis on ensuring the peace of the soul and of the irrelevance of human thought and feeling in spiritual progress, his contemporaries feared that his teaching would suffer from the continuing backlash against Quietism. His writing was not published until 1861 in an edition selected by Fr. Henri Ramire to protect them from accusations. Providence Unlike many Christian mystics de Caussades teaching does not primarily concern prayer and contemplation. The main objects of his advice are the religious sisters whom he directs. Their prayer life, and much of their daily life, is regulated by the rule of their order. The bulk of his teaching concerns how to conduct ourselves in daily life. His key concept is providence which carries both the sense of Divine Foresight, that God knows where were headed and whats needed, as well as the sense that God

provides for us and gives us what we most need (often in distinction from what we want or desire). Fr. De Caussades method, in a nutshell, is: trust that your circumstances are sent by the Lord, do what is required by the current moment, maintain the peace of your soul at all times and always trust in the Lords mercy and goodness over and above your own thoughts and feelings and abandon (or surrender) yourself to the Lords lovingkindness at every opportunity. Thats all much easier to say in the abstract that to actually practise, so the book suggests ways to bring ones mind into alignment with this attitude through embracing your circumstances, deliberate prayers, cultivating an appropriate interior attitude of peace, maintaining composed outward behaviour, some deliberate practises like selfabnegation, and what Ill call attention to Providence. For simplicity, Ill refer to his overall approach as Abandonment. Ill refer to his specic instructions on staying focused on the current moment as the Sacrament of the Present Moment.

Explanation Of The Method

Embracing Your Circumstances At the most general level, accepting Providence in de Caussades view involves embracing ones state of life. For everyone, at the highest level this involves resolving to avoid sinful behaviour, since these laws are imposed by God. For secular people, at a more specic level, this would involve: embracing ones relationships, ones place of living, ones job. He uses the example of Mary and Joseph as people who surrendered to whatever was required of them by their state in life and by God. Beginning with Marys Let it be done to me according to thy will and

continuing through their travels to Egypt and back, through the rest of their lives, the Holy Parents exemplify, for de Caussade, his approach. For monks and nuns: embrace the Rule of ones order, the direction of ones superior and ones spiritual director. In ones work, embrace the Sacrament of the Present Moment. He gives more detailed advice in fact most of his advice to those in contemplative life. Ill walk through this in following sections. Above all, whenever we nd our circumstances difcult, de Caussade advises giving thanks to God for the difculty, since one must build certainty that the difculty has been arranged for our benet: to teach us some lesson, to give an opportunity for humility or, ultimately, to increase trust in Providence and decrease trust in our selves. Deliberate Prayers Fr. De Caussade suggests several deliberate, verbal prayers which he denitely intended the reader to say, but also I think to give a sense of the correct interior attitudes in Abandonment. The following are some examples:
I adore You, God the Father, who created me, I adore You, God the Son, who redeemed me, I adore You, God the Holy Ghost who have sanctied me, and continue to carry on the work of my sanctication. I consecrate this day entirely to Your love and to Your greater glory. I know not what this day will bring me either pleasant or troublesome, whether I shall be happy or sorrowful, shall enjoy consolation or undergo pain and grief, it shall be as You please; I give myself into Your hands and submit myself to whatever You will. Prayer upon waking, Spiritual Counsels II. Oh my God when will it please You to give me the grace to remain habitually in this union of my will with Your adorable will, in which, without uttering a word all is said, in which all is accomplished by allowing You to act, in which ones only occupation is that of conforming more and more entirely to Your good pleasure; in which, nevertheless, one is saved all trouble since the care of all things is conded to You, and to repose in You is the only desire of ones heart? Delightful state, which, even in the absence of all sensible faith, affords the soul an interior joy altogether spiritual. I desire to repeat without ceasing by this habitual disposition of my heart, Fiat, yes, my God, yes, all that You please, may Your holy will be done in all things. I renounce my own will which is very blind, perverse, and corrupt in consequence of its wretched self-love, the mortal enemy of Your grace, of Your pure love, of Your glory, and of my own sanctication. Prayer to obtain Abandonment, Spiritual Counsels, endpiece.

Just from these two prayers we can see several features of the approach de Caussade advocates: adoration of God joined with abnegation of the self and the sacrice of self-

love, acceptance of circumstances whether joyful or painful with equanimity, total sacrice of the personal will in favour of the Divine Will and abandonment to the Divine Will (Fiat). Self-Abnegation Abandonment exemplies a total commitment to the Divine Will and a complete surrender of any vestigial ideas that the self may be capable of or responsible for any good act. Fr de Caussades advice is to take every possible opportunity to consciously deny any positive power to the self and to ones own will and ascribe all benecial activity to God. So this is not just turning to the Divine Will and invoking its action (Fiat mihi secundum tuum), but actually shifting positive perception from the self to the Divine, deliberately beginning to negate virtuous beliefs about the self. Peace Of The Soul While self-abnegation involves shifting positive self-attributions to God, de Caussade recommends strongly against being hard on the self, by focusing on faults or dredging the memory for sins for confession, avoiding the sacraments because of feelings of guilt, fretting over an excess of interior temptations. Instead he recommends at all times to maintain a peace of the soul.
Your principal weapons should be divine love, an innite gratitude for Gods grace, complete condence in Him and a profound contempt for yourself, but without discouragement, and in peace. Letters on the Practice of Abandonment 2.VI

While he suggests assigning failure to the self when its noticed, dwelling on faults, or fretting about past sins draws the attention away from the present moment to thoughts of the past and, ironically, towards the self, into self-pity. He reserves special condemnation for feelings of fear !these are sent by the devil and are to be put aside or let go as soon as they are noticed.

Negative attitudes about others also disturb peace and he advocates never showing contempt or dislike for others and not reecting on the faults of others. Other events that might disturb this peace are undue distress about circumstances !getting stuck in a job one doesnt enjoy, nding people difcult to deal with. In some of his letters, de Caussade talks about how difcult he has found a new position involving a lot of contact with important people leaving less time for solitude; as he writes, he tells how he gives thanks for the difculty and sacrices his distressed feelings to God. The notion of sacricing the distress I interpret to mean acknowledging that only God can resolve the situation and effectively handing the feelings to Him further shifting attention to God, but also developing a sense of equanimity about distress. Similarly, when facing spiritual dryness or interior trials, de Caussade advocates thankfulness to God understanding that trials often build greater virtue than consolations and the cultivation of equanimity. He recommends a similar attitude to illness or psychological distress. Peaceful Exterior Behaviour In terms of how to act in the world, de Caussade recommends going about work "quietly, peacefully, without hurry and without vexation", always showing a kind face to others, keeping ones feelings (and often great internal distress) to oneself and to immediately beg pardon at outbursts of temper or impetuosity. He doesnt explain why to act this way, though I imagine this is good general advice for nuns on behaviour. Also, in terms of maintaining the peace of the soul and keeping the attention in the present, the less one disturbs others with ones feelings or creates reactions to them, the easier it might seem to develop equanimity and to allow disturbing feelings to pass.

Attention to Providence
In order to be abandoned to Providence, one must be aware of it. Part of de Caussades emphasis on the present moment is so that one is able to notice what is made available in that moment, rather than relying on plans made ahead of time or preparations in short, one begins to rely on God rather than the self. I think de Caussade recommends that everyone pay attention to the present moment and notice the workings of Providence, methodically assigning all good and benecial action to God and increasing trust and faith in the Divine action. In terms of what he really calls the state of abandonment though, he is clear1 this is given to those who have already walked the three-fold path and accomplished Union. So, for those in secular life and those religious who are still working the three-fold path, his suggestion is to embrace ones circumstances, stay focused on the present moment and dutiful to what seems to be required by the exterior situation. For those who have accomplished Union, the attention should shift to interior impulses and the direct Divine impulse in the soul:
You feel some impulse that makes you say, I have a drawing towards this person; or I have an inclination to read a certain book, to receive, or to give certain advice, to complain of certain things, to open my mind to another, or to receive condence; to give away something, or to perform some action. Well! obey this impulse according to the inspiration of grace without stopping to reect, to reason, or to make efforts. Abandonment to Divine Providence, Book II.I.VI

Summary So, over and above the usual monastic practices: daily prayer, the ofce, frequent attendance at the Eucharist, de Caussade suggests that one should, " " " " Embrace ones circumstances Make regular, explicit prayers emphasizing ones intention to surrender to the Divine Will " "
1

Negate the effectiveness of the self

See Abandonment to Divine Providence, Book II.I.I

" " " " " "

Maintain peace of the soul Maintain a placid and kind exterior Pay attention to providence in the correct way for ones current state

Integral Framing
The Integral Learning Cycle We have three, slightly distinct works from de Caussade: the book, Abandonment to Divine Providence which advocates for the state of abandonment and discusses how to achieve it in general, his Spiritual Counsels which offer advice to particular women on how to behave, and his Letters on the Practice of Abandonment, each addressed to a specic woman some long-term correspondents to whom many letters are addressed. In the book and the counsels, de Caussade is largely proposing injunctions to practice. Some of these injunctions are for individual external behaviour, some for relational behaviour but most are for individual interior activity. His proposals dont seem to deal with communal life in general. In the letters, de Caussade tends more toward discussing the ways in which individual women understand what is happening to them or how they are progressing, and sometimes he veries or falsies their experience as valid. So, in terms of the learning cycle, the book and counsels focus mostly on injunction and to some extent on interpretation suggesting different ways to interpret experiences; the letters focus mostly on communal verication and interpretation. Kosmic Address In terms of the address of de Caussades work, I think its interesting to speculate on where de Caussade was writing from and whom he seemed to imagine he was writing to.

The cultural context for de Caussades writing was pre-Revolutionary France in the early 18th Century CE, so the conventional worldview is probably mythic-traditional, that certainly comes through in his writing as it focuses on duty, obedience and conformity with the social order and the orders of the Church. To my ear, there is a sense in which de Caussade is personally writing from a postmythic stage !in part because he is so capable of writing about the requirements of duty and obedience, so the components of that stage seem more like objects to him than as given conditions. The strength with which he advocates for them suggests to me that he and perhaps some of his audience are more of a rational-modern mind which seems plausible given that this period is during the upswing of the European Enlightenment. In locating de Caussades state-stage, we can note that he gives practical advice to those living ordinary life, to those undergoing the purication stage of the three-fold path, to those in illumination and those within a dark night period and to those who have experienced union. I would argue that de Caussade himself was, during at least his later writing (remembering that these letters were probably written over more than a decade), at the causal-union state-stage. I cant see much evidence of post-causal insight !bare Witness or non-dual awakening. The bulk of de Caussades advice focuses on a blend of the cognitive, affective and spiritual lines, not focusing simply on spiritual practice or spiritual experience, but on how ones emotional states and spiritual insights and states are to be understood properly. Perhaps one interesting matter of Type to comment on is that de Caussade is a man advising women on their spiritual practice these women relied on spiritual direction from a priest, even though they had an abbess, and in the political-cultural

circumstances, that would be a man. It might be possible to notice an agentic bias in de Caussades advice. Shadow and Psychodynamic Implications It seems possible that some people, particularly those prone to psychological problems of self-disgust or feelings of defectiveness, might mistake de Caussades advice on spiritual practice as encouraging their existing tendency to mentally belittle themselves. When read closely, I think de Caussade discourages this kind of mental habit, but phrases like: you are incapable of doing any good remember always that you are nothing and have a holy contempt of yourself nothing pleases God more than a complete contempt of self are easy to take out of context or to overemphasize by a student with existing issues. In particular, this very frank, apparently harsh language might play into the syndrome Welwood [9] calls spiritual superego a harsh inner voice that acts as a relentless critic and judge telling them that nothing they do is ever quite good enough. I suspect I have a certain sensitivity to these possibilities because I have a history of spiritual superego issues myself. On the other hand, students with very strong beliefs in the necessity for self-esteem might reject de Caussades teaching out-of-hand because of the same language.

How has this changed me, what have I learned?

Ive tried to take on most of de Caussades suggestions for the last 3-4 weeks in my daily life. Ive stuck to Centering Prayer as my usual daily spiritual practice, interspersed with whatever other practice weve been assigned that week !so this is my equivalent to the rules of prayer for the Nuns. Ive additionally, in the last week or

so, tried to be more thorough in using the Welcoming Practice as my way of letting go of the types of emotions de Caussade suggests disposing of. Taking on the attitudes he advocates has been a slow process. Ive tried to spend some time each day reading the Letters or the Counsels to bring my attitude into alignment with his suggestions; at times Ive used his suggested prayers. Ive slowly worked at catching myself at moments of difculty or distress as well as moments of success and practising self-abnegation. In particular, Ive tried to catch myself getting annoyed with my job or something about my situation and shift to embracing my circumstances; Ive also tried to keep aware of when the present moment seems to ask something of me and to respond !setting aside my schedule when someone asks for my help, giving some money to beggars when they ask, stepping up to help when things need doing. So far, I think Im a great deal happier simply by embracing my circumstances. The simple act of letting go of resistance to whats happening right now and surrendering to the moment is becoming joyful. This has given me opportunities to open to Providence in the moment !to notice what opportunities are present !it has also made it easier to practise self-abnegation more often. All this has worn away at some of my deeper cynicism about the orthodox Christian path. I joined a gnostic church because the kind of very orthodox, traditional language de Caussade uses has usually repelled me, entering into this practice has helped me understand the ways in which it can work. I should say does work because the way de Caussade describes what ought to happen as one begins to abandon oneself to the Divine Will seems to be happening. In particular, I am developing increasing trust in the benevolent presence of God in daily life, not just during prayer-time, so what develops during practice has begun to leak out

into my experience of the world, of work and of other people, which seems like a priceless gift to me. The practice has also reframed my understanding of my spiritual journey in a way Im nding very helpful. I have never followed a specic teacher, or a single system. Like many seekers I have just read the next thing, followed my nose, taken suggestions from friends and strangers, gone to talks more or less randomly and chased synchronicities. This approach has worked for me, I seem to have made progress and developed psychologically and spiritually more or less continuously. Its been successful enough that a few years ago, I considered writing a book called something like The Path Without a Master, as a counterpoint to the more commonly expressed view that a Master is critical to progress in the journey. After my experiences the last few weeks with de Caussades approach, I feel that this is a more intense version of whats been guiding me for years. This is a helpful reframe for me, because it claries that I havent been doing it for myself or being my own guide. The emphasis on Divine Providence overcomes a certain subtle ego-centrism in my practice because my autonomous mode means Ive always been making the decisions about where to go, what to do, what to read. This lets me observe the role of Providence in everything Ive done and helps to begin de-centering my ego. The practice of self-abnegation also seems to counteract some of my autonomous self-grasping. The more developed my ego has got in a structure-stage sense, the certain Ive become of my grasp of things. This approach demonstrates to me how the control is really elsewhere.

In the sense that Wilber and Cohen have discussed that devotion is the only thing that bends the knee of the ego, I feel that this approach has helped me bring devotion off my prayer stool and into everyday life. I regard de Caussade as a hidden treasure. Hes not one of the big names in the contemplative tradition, but his teachings seem to be very effective in addressing some very elusive, subtle issues in my spiritual practice. I think that, as much time as Ive spent with his writing, weve been rushed, he and I. Im going to return to the book and read it again, slowly and work through more thoroughly how to bring apply his prescriptions to my life. Often when I nd useful teaching, Im prompted to go on to teach what Ive learned to other people. Its one of my favourite ways to learn. In the case of Father de Caussade, I dont feel particularly tempted to pass this on. Our relationship feels very personal and very specic and I think I want to keep it private. My encounter with de Caussade has, in a way, been illustrative to me of the working of Providence. At an ideal time, Ive been handed a teaching that addresses issues that I would have found it difcult to even articulate, let alone nd ways of addressing. He assures me that, despite appearances and my own hubris, my path has always had a Master !the Risen Christ !next to whom I have come to treasure Father de Caussade as a troubling, fascinating, challenging teacher.

Bibliography
1. 2. Jean Pierre de Caussade, Wikipedia (English), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Jean_Pierre_de_Caussade, accessed March 14, 2010. Jean Pierre de Caussade, Wikipedia (French), http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/JeanPierre_de_Caussade, accessed March 18, 2010, translated via Google Translator. de Caussade, Jean-Pierre, S.J., Abandonment to Divine Providence, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001. de Sales, Saint Francis, Introduction to the Devout Life, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Grand Rapids, MI, 2002. Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Wikipedia (English), http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Order_of_the_Visitation_of_Holy_Mary, accessed March 15, 2010. Quietism (Christian philosophy), Wikipedia (English), http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Quietism_(Christian_philosophy), accessed March 15, 2010. Lang, Richard, Jean Pierre de Caussade, http://netowne.com/angels-christian/ mysticism/caussade.htm, accessed March 18, 2010. Birrell, Peter, The Doctrine of Holy Abandonment, (notes from a lunchtime talk given at the City Branch of the Caroline Chisholm Library, Melbourne, Australia), Oct 2, 2002. Welwood, John, "The Psychology of Awakening," Tricycle, February, 2000

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

9.

Appendix "Some Selected Quotes

To escape the distress caused by regret for the past or fear about the future, this is the rule to follow: leave the past to the innite mercy of God, the future to His good Providence, give the present wholly to His love by being faithful to His grace. Spiritual Counsels I. We must understand that we can never acquire true conformity to the will of God until we are perfectly resolved to serve Him according to His will and pleasure and not to please ourselves. In everything look to God, and you will nd Him everywhere, but more especially where you have most completely renounced yourself. When you are thoroughly convinced that of yourself you are incapable of doing any good, you will give up making resolutions but will humbly confess to God: My God, I acknowledge after many trials that all my resolutions are useless. Doubtless I have hitherto depended too much on myself, but You have abased me. You alone can do all things; make me then, do such and such a thing, and give me, when necessary, the recollection, energy and strength of will that I require. Without this, I know from my former sad experiences, I shall never do anything. Spiritual Counsels I. It is most important for you to practise these counsels for two reasons: rst, because God desires to do everything in you Himself; secondly, on account of a secret presumption, which, even in the midst of so many miseries, prevents you referring everything to God, until you have experienced a thousand times how absolutely incapable you are of performing any good. When you become thoroughly convinced of this truth you will exclaim almost without reexion, when you act rightly, Oh my God it is You who do this in me by your grace. And when You do wrong: This is just like me! I see myself as I am. Then will God be gloried in all your actions, because He will be proved to be the sole author of all that is good. This is your path; all the misery and humiliation you must take on yourself, and render to God the glory and thanks that are His due. All the glory to Him, but all the prot to you. You would be very foolish not to accept with gratitude a share so just and so advantageous. Spiritual Counsels I. The mainspring of the spiritual life is a good will, that is to say, a sincere desire to belong to God entirely and without reserve [] The rm resolution to belong to God should produce in you a determination to think only of Him, and this can be practised in two ways, rst by accustoming yourself never voluntarily to entertain thoughts, or to reect on subjects which do not concern God directly or indirectly as to the duties of your state in general, or in particular. The best way of dealing with idle thoughts is not to combat and still less to be anxious and troubled about them, but just to let them drop, like a stone into the sea. Gradually the habit of acting thus will become easy. The second way to think only of God is to forget everything else, and one arrives at this state by dint of dropping all idle thoughts [] Letters on the Practice of Abandonment 2.I