2018 Reprint of 1934 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. The central theme of de Caussade's spiritual teaching is abandonment of self and the act of submission to the will of God. It is the remedy he prescribed for all the afflictions and suffering of which the sisters [he was spiritual director to] complained in their letters to him. De Caussade's doctrine of self-abandonment to Divine Providence, and his view that suffering is not only to be endured but welcomed as the will of God present a valuable and hopeful alternative to the prevailing doctrine of self-fulfillment, and contain a powerful message for today's material society, which sees suffering as totally unacceptable.