Australian Edition of “The Book of Confidence” (Abbé Thomas de Saint-Laurent)

FOREWORD

To the superficial observer, a book specifically destined to increase the confidence of the faithful in God and the Blessed Virgin Mary might seem superfluous.

Australia is a privileged region, super abounding in natural riches of all kinds. Its geographic situation provides it the good fortune of being amongst the nations most protected against the whirlwinds so tempestuously and threateningly sweeping the face of the earth in our days. Its tranquil and productive population thus seems sheltered from the wars and other dramas that so strongly mark the life of nations at the end of this millenium.

Why, then, do I so especially recommend to Australians the virtue of confidence in Providence? The answer is not difficult. For them to long continue to enjoy the providential favours benefiting their country, they need to continually thank God. Evidently, nothing pleases a benefactor more than seeing the gratitude with which his gifts are received. And as gratitude is one of the least practiced of human virtues, it is of great importance to develop it through appropriate reading and meditation.

Moreover, the history of every nation proves that in this valley of tears –thus does St. Bernard qualify man’s earthly existence- everything that pleases us is unstable. Hence, the appropriateness, or, better said, the necessity for each man to insistently ask our Creator and Redeemer to protect, favour and help him to overcome the terrible spiritual and temporal battles that mark his pilgrimage upon this earth.

Abbé De Saint-Laurent does precisely that in his book about confidence. This work, flowing with a language rich in supernatural unction, teaches the reader what confidence is, how it should be practiced, and the moral benefits derived therefrom.

Providence bestowed on Fr. De Saint Laurent the gift of speaking directly to souls, making them deeply feel the value of confidence and, in a manner that would not rarely be called miraculous, calming the torments that sometimes shake even the most faithful souls.

His book is a precious spiritual aid. I emphatically congratulate the Australian TFP for putting it in circulation at this time.

With this, I beseech Our Lady, Mediatrix of all graces, to grant this little book a large distribution amongst upright and faithful people who, in Australia and in neighbouring lands, sincerely seek after God, their Creator.

Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira