Abandonment to Divine Providence

Abandonment to Divine Providence is a treatise on Christian spirituality dealing with the importance of abandoning oneself to divine action in the spiritual life. It is attributed to Father de Caussade, a French Jesuit priest and writer, whose spirituality it reflects. The author believed that the present moment is a sacrament from God and that self-abandonment to it and its needs is a holy state - a belief which, in the theological climate of France at the time, may have been considered close to Quietist heresy. The tendency varies between true quietism (totally passive abandonment to God in a single, carefree act) and semi-quietism (active, progressive abandonment, growing with the development of trust in God and reception of his pure love).

Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751) was a French Jesuit priest and writer. He is especially known for the work ascribed to him known as Abandonment to Divine Providence, and also his work with the Nuns of the Visitation in Nancy, France.