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A Treatise on Perfection: Saintly Counsel on Obtaining Salvation
For many people, the name of Cardinal Richelieu will immediately call to mind the ambitious and cynical villain of Alexander Dumas’s The Three Musketeers and its many cinematic adaptations. But the real Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (1585–1642), was a very different person than this fictional portrayal. A prelate of great sanctity, learning and wisdom, and an ardent devotee of the Mother of God, he lived in a profoundly turbulent era, when all of Europe (including France) was shaken by religious and political unrest. This man of God and servant of the people labored tirelessly to ensure the flourishing of the Catholic Church and the Kingdom of France, both of which he loved dearly.
Cardinal Richelieu, who was a close friend of Pope Urban VIII and a key proponent of the reforms of the Council of Trent, was also an extremely popular spiritual author in his day. His timeless but long-forgotten masterpiece the Treatise on Perfection, presented here in English for the first time, overflows with wise insights and helpful guidance for nourishing a fruitful and sustainable spiritual life, particularly for those who are trying to balance prayer and devotion with complex and demanding secular responsibilities (as he himself did so successfully.) Cardinal Richelieu believed that the humble and diligent fulfillment of one’s proper and legitimate duties in society is the single most important moral responsibility of the Christian, and also often the most effective form of prayer.
This work also outlines the nine tortures of hell according to Saint Augustine, the joys of heaven, distractions at prayer, twenty spiritual counsels, and much more. Here is a book that will stir your heart to love God above everything by cultivating piety, virtue, and moderation in whatever state of life you are called to. Here is a book that pulls wisdom from some of the greatest saints to help you become a saint.
Cardinal Richelieu, who was a close friend of Pope Urban VIII and a key proponent of the reforms of the Council of Trent, was also an extremely popular spiritual author in his day. His timeless but long-forgotten masterpiece the Treatise on Perfection, presented here in English for the first time, overflows with wise insights and helpful guidance for nourishing a fruitful and sustainable spiritual life, particularly for those who are trying to balance prayer and devotion with complex and demanding secular responsibilities (as he himself did so successfully.) Cardinal Richelieu believed that the humble and diligent fulfillment of one’s proper and legitimate duties in society is the single most important moral responsibility of the Christian, and also often the most effective form of prayer.
This work also outlines the nine tortures of hell according to Saint Augustine, the joys of heaven, distractions at prayer, twenty spiritual counsels, and much more. Here is a book that will stir your heart to love God above everything by cultivating piety, virtue, and moderation in whatever state of life you are called to. Here is a book that pulls wisdom from some of the greatest saints to help you become a saint.
- GenresSpirituality
121 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 2, 2024
6 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu
291 books8 followersCardinal and politician Armand Jean du Plessis, titled duc de Richelieu as chief minister of Louis XIII, worked to strengthen the authority of the monarchy and directed France during the Thirty Years' War from 1618.
Louis XIII, king from 1610, relied heavily on Armand Jean du Plessis, his adviser, in his struggles with Spain, the Huguenots, and the Habsburg family.
This clergyman, noble, and statesman, consecrated as a bishop in 1607, later entered as a secretary of state in 1616. He quickly rose in the Church and the state in 1622 and 1624.
People sometimes consider him the first prime of the world in the modern sense of the term. He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. He restrained the power of the nobility and thus transformed France into a strong, centralized state. His foreign objective checked the power of the dynasty of Habsburg family in Austria and Spain. He hesitated not to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve this goal. The Thirty Years' War engulfed Europe and marked his tenure.
Upon his death, Jules Mazarin succeeded him in office.
Louis XIII, king from 1610, relied heavily on Armand Jean du Plessis, his adviser, in his struggles with Spain, the Huguenots, and the Habsburg family.
This clergyman, noble, and statesman, consecrated as a bishop in 1607, later entered as a secretary of state in 1616. He quickly rose in the Church and the state in 1622 and 1624.
People sometimes consider him the first prime of the world in the modern sense of the term. He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. He restrained the power of the nobility and thus transformed France into a strong, centralized state. His foreign objective checked the power of the dynasty of Habsburg family in Austria and Spain. He hesitated not to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve this goal. The Thirty Years' War engulfed Europe and marked his tenure.
Upon his death, Jules Mazarin succeeded him in office.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 30, 2024
If you are Catholic, you should read this book.
Honestly, I believe and Christian will benefit from reading this book. While not all will be familiar with the rules and practices referred to in this book, it is overflowing with wisdom for this journey here on earth while we await eternity.
This small, but mighty, treatise offers suggestions on how to balance devotion to the Faith and prayer while living in a world constantly vying for our attention.
The twenty spiritual counsels at the back will be something I refer to often.
Cardinal Richelieu is full of encouragement, full of ways you can persevere in the search for sanctity, amidst daily demands, distraction and dryness in prayer.
I learned so much from this book and truly felt reassured. As someone who often feels like I must be the most distracted person in the room, I was reminded of the importance of perseverance and the many fruits that come from our walk on this earth.
These thoughts are just the tip of all that I received by reading this work. I look forward to reading it again and again to find new gems missed the first time.
Thank you to TAN Books for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.
Honestly, I believe and Christian will benefit from reading this book. While not all will be familiar with the rules and practices referred to in this book, it is overflowing with wisdom for this journey here on earth while we await eternity.
This small, but mighty, treatise offers suggestions on how to balance devotion to the Faith and prayer while living in a world constantly vying for our attention.
The twenty spiritual counsels at the back will be something I refer to often.
Cardinal Richelieu is full of encouragement, full of ways you can persevere in the search for sanctity, amidst daily demands, distraction and dryness in prayer.
I learned so much from this book and truly felt reassured. As someone who often feels like I must be the most distracted person in the room, I was reminded of the importance of perseverance and the many fruits that come from our walk on this earth.
These thoughts are just the tip of all that I received by reading this work. I look forward to reading it again and again to find new gems missed the first time.
Thank you to TAN Books for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.
Displaying 1 of 1 review