| Preface | 8 |
| Introduction | 11 |
Book 1 | Useful Reminders for the Spiritual Life | |
1. | Of the Imitation of Christ | 30 |
2. | Of Having a Humble Opinion about Yourself | 31 |
3. | Of the Teaching of Truth | 32 |
4. | Of Thinking before You Act | 34 |
5. | Of Reading Holy Writings | 35 |
6. | Of Confused Feelings | 35 |
7. | Of Avoiding Empty Hope and Self-Praise | 36 |
8. | Of Avoiding Inappropriate Intimacy | 37 |
9. | Of Obedience for Those under Religious Vows | 37 |
10. | Of Avoiding Unnecessary Talk | 38 |
11. | Of Finding Peace and Making Spiritual Progress | 39 |
12. | Of Putting Troubles to Use | 40 |
13. | Of Resisting Temptations | 41 |
14. | Of Avoiding Hasty Judgments | 43 |
15. | Of Works Done Out of Love | 43 |
16. | Of Putting Up with Others' Faults | 44 |
17. | Of the Monastic Life | 45 |
18. | Of the Examples of the Holy Fathers | 46 |
19. | Of the Training of a Good Religious Person | 47 |
20. | Of the Love of Solitude and Silence | 49 |
21. | Of Heartfelt Remorse | 51 |
22. | Of Human Misery | 53 |
23. | Of Thinking about Death | 55 |
24. | Of Judgment and Punishment | 57 |
25. | Of Improving Our Lives | 59 |
Book 2 | Suggestions Drawing One toward the Inner Life | |
1. | Of God Speaking within You | 64 |
2. | Of Placing Your Life in God's Hands | 66 |
3. | Of the Good and Peaceful Person | 67 |
4. | Of Pure Feelings and Simple Intentions | 68 |
5. | Of Paying Attention to One's Self | 69 |
6. | Of the Joy of a Good Conscience | 70 |
7. | Of Loving Jesus above All Else | 71 |
8. | Of Intimate Friendship with Jesus | 72 |
9. | Of Emptiness | 73 |
10. | Of Gratitude for God's Grace | 75 |
11. | Of the Few Who Love Jesus's Cross | 77 |
12. | Of the Royal Road of the Holy Cross | 78 |
Book 3 | Of Inner Comfort | |
1. | Of Christ Speaking in Your Own Heart | 84 |
2. | That Truth Speaks Quietly to the Heart | 85 |
3. | That We Should Listen to God's Words with Deep Humility and Serious Intent | 86 |
4. | That We Should Live in God's Presence in Truth and Humility | 88 |
5. | Of the Wonderful Effects of God's Love | 89 |
6. | Of the Proof of a True Lover | 91 |
7. | Of Protecting Grace with Humility | 93 |
8. | Of Humility before God | 95 |
9. | That All Things Come from God and Must Return to God | 96 |
10. | Of How Good It Is to Serve God | 97 |
11. | That Feelings May Not Always Be What They Seem | 98 |
12. | Of Patience | 99 |
13. | Of Obedience and Humility | 100 |
14. | Of Seeing Ourselves through God's Eyes | 101 |
15. | Of What We Are to Do and Say about All Our Desires | 102 |
16. | That We Are to Seek True Comfort in God Alone | 103 |
17. | That We Should Take All Our Cares to God | 104 |
18. | That We Should Bear Our Hardships Patiently after Christ's Example | 105 |
19. | Of Bearing Injuries and the Proof of True Patience | 106 |
20. | Of Admitting Our Own Weaknesses | 107 |
21. | That We Should Rest in God above All Else | 109 |
22. | Of Remembering God's Many Blessings | 111 |
23. | Of Four Things that Bring Great Peace | 112 |
24. | Of Avoiding Curiosity about Other People's Lives | 114 |
25. | Of True Peace of Heart | 115 |
26. | That True Freedom Comes More from Humble Prayer than from Much Reading | 116 |
27. | That Self-love Blocks Us from Attaining the Highest Good | 117 |
28. | Of Those Who Speak against Us | 119 |
29. | Of How We Should Bless God in Times of Trial | 119 |
30. | Of Asking for God's Help | 120 |
31. | Of Setting Aside All Created Things that We May Find the Creator | 122 |
32. | Of Growing beyond Self | 123 |
33. | Of Our Changing Hearts, and of Focusing Our Sight on God | 124 |
34. | That the Person Who Loves God Enjoys Him above All and in All | 125 |
35. | That There Is No Freedom from Temptation in This Life | 126 |
36. | That You Should Not Worry about What Other People May Say about You | 127 |
37. | Of Gaining a Free Heart through Total Self-Surrender | 128 |
38. | Of Controlling Our Behavior, and of Running to God in Time of Danger | 129 |
39. | That a Person Must Not Be Overly Eager in His Affairs | 130 |
40. | That All a Person's Goodness Comes from God, Not from Himself | 131 |
41. | Of Seeing All Worldly Honor as Nothing | 132 |
42. | That Peace Does Not Depend on Other People | 133 |
43. | Against Arrogant Learning | 134 |
44. | Of Minding Our Own Business | 135 |
45. | That We Should Not Believe Everything We Hear and of How Easy It Is to Speak Ill of Others | 136 |
46. | Of Having Confidence in God when Sharp Words Attack Us | 137 |
47. | That All Burdens Are to Be Endured for the Sake of Eternal Life | 139 |
48. | Of Life and of Eternity | 140 |
49. | Of Longing for Eternal Life and of the Promise It Holds | 142 |
50. | How a Lonely Person Should Place Himself in God's Hands | 145 |
51. | That We Must Perform Humble Works When WeAre Unable to Perform Higher Ones | 147 |
52. | That We Should Not Think Ourselves Worthy of Comfort but Deserving of Correction | 148 |
53. | That God's Grace Does Not Mix with the Wisdom of the World | 149 |
54. | Of the Differing Movements of Nature and Grace | 150 |
55. | Of Fallen Nature and the Effect of Divine Grace | 153 |
56. | That We Should Turn from Ourselves and Imitate Christ by Way of the Cross | 154 |
57. | That We Should Not Be Too Dejected When We Fail | 156 |
58. | Of Not Prying into Things That Are beyond Our Understanding | 157 |
59. | That All Hope and Trust Should Be Fixed on God Alone | 160 |
Book 4 | The Book on the Sacrament | |
1. | With What Great Reverence Christ Should Be Received | 164 |
2. | What Great Goodness and Love God Shows to Us in This Sacrament | 168 |
3. | How It is Helpful to Receive Communion Often | 170 |
4. | That Many Good Things Are Given to Those Who Devoutly Receive Communion | 171 |
5. | Of the Dignity of the Sacrament and of the Priesthood | 173 |
6. | The Question of Preparing before Communion | 174 |
7. | Of Examining One's Conscience, and of Planning to Change for the Better | 175 |
8. | Of Christ's Offering on the Cross, and of Our Own Self-Surrender | 176 |
9. | That We Ought to Offer Ourselves and All That Is Ours to God, and That We Ought to Pray for All Others | 177 |
10. | That Holy Communion Is Not to Be Lightly Omitted | 179 |
11. | That the Body of Christ and the Holy Scriptures Are Most Necessary to the Faithful Soul | 181 |
12. | That Receiving Christ in Holy Communion Requires Preparation | 183 |
13. | That a Devout Soul Should Wish Wholeheartedly to Be United with Christ in the Sacrament | 185 |
14. | Of the Ardent Desire of Some Devout People to Receive the Body of Christ | 186 |
15. | That the Grace of Devotion Is Gained by Humility | 187 |
16. | That We Should Make Our Needs Known to Christ and Ask for His Help | 188 |
17. | Of Burning Love and the Strong Desire to Receive Christ | 189 |
18. | That We Should Not Pry into This Sacrament Out of Curiosity | 191 |