Interior Freedom

Fr. Jacques Philippe gives a beautifully conversational presentation about what it means to live a life with true interior freedom. Nugget after nugget of wisdom spills out on every page. Don't rush through this book! Read it slowly, meditate on it, and speak with God about it as you make your way through this encouraging, and ultimately freeing, journey.

Doesn't matter your religious background or how many years you have studied the Bible, this little book and the accompaning study guide helps a soul find inner freedom through forgiveness. A perfect book club study, Bible study, or steps to take for inner freedom from resentments that plague the soul.

I love this book! It is a short read, but it is highly impactful. It takes the reader on a journey towards creating more faith, hope, and love in difficult times. This was a lifesaver for me in trying to make it through the difficulties in life. After a few really tough years, I was feeling discouraged and hopeless, with lots of spiritual questions. This helped me and challenged me to grow and mature in my faith. I am continuing to read it again and again, because the material is so deep and profound. I would highly recommend it!

This is one of my favorite books of all time! I saw a reviewer who said it would become a spiritual classic; that definitely made me want to check it out. They were totally right! I consider this to be a modern day classic and would put it next to books like Mere Christianity, although the content is different. However, Fr. Philippe has this ability of communicating very powerful ideas in a simple and powerful way like Lewis. It is not simple in a negative sense, but rather I strongly get the sense that he is an expert on the topic and understands it so well to convey it powerfully yet clearly and concisely. I can't completely capture what exactly makes this book so great. I think it may have had a lot of guidance from the Holy Spirit. In the past, I have bought books Mere Christianity or Peter Kreeft's "Prayer for Beginners" for other people– I bought perhaps 5 of each for people in the past couple of years. After reading this book I bought 25+ copies for other people. I am not saying this to show that I am so generous or pious, but to convey for love for this book. I am a Catholic seminarian (now a Catholic priest!) and have found it to be one of the most influential books in my life. Other seminarians have deeply appreciated it. I bought it for some of my friends in the Catholic laity and for some of my Protestant friends. It has been highly appreciated by all. If I could require the world to read five books, this would be one of them. Every time I return to read this or look at my highlights I get sucked into, almost involuntarily. Every time I open this book, it sets my heart in soul in the right direction, and it reminds me of the essential principles of Christian living. The book isn't even that long, so no you have no excuse in not reading it!

Jean-Pierre de Caussade wrote a stunning book called Abandonment to Divine Providence in the 18th Century which lays out a plan of life based upon total trust and reliance upon God. Despite the trials of life; despite tears and toil, the grace of the present moment once embraced will affect a momentous change in the believer, and all the tears of life will be like a communion with the Lord of all. This book, Interior Freedom is a brilliant successor to Caussade. It is a contemporary statement of the road to peace based upon a deep understanding of the virtue of Hope, hope in God as the source of our interior freedom that that can not be damaged regardless of the trials of life. I would be understating the greatness of this book to say that it is simply great. It is not only great to read and a source of great consolation and wonderful ideas, it is a life-changing book. This is a beautifully simply written book that is totally approachable regardless of the level of one's spirituality. Like the Caussade book it is very thin, only around a 100 pages. That is not to say that it is simple, in some ways it can be a bit challenging, challenging of our preconceived notions of interior freedom, and all freedom for that matter. I have read it four times and continue to get great insights from it. Some of the insights are immediate, others take time to sink in. Regardless, this book offers generous spiritual guidance to finding peace in a chaotic world, and not just a chaotic world but in our chaotic lives, families and our sometimes impoverished souls, which are all yearning for peace and hope. It is full of truth and inspiration and one sheds a few tears of joy and thankfulness for this book. Where the French Jesuit Caussade in his book spoke to the Catholics of the French Revolution, this book will touch more cold, cynical, frenetically torn modern hearts. There is not a false note here. This a beautifully translated book. There is a pure gift. Piilippe focuses beautifully on the virtue of hope-- practical spiritual hope which is only kind there really is. This book contains no placebos, not palliatives, this book is about the inner life of the soul in reliance upon the source of all creation and goodness. Any Christian searching for a book on hope and peace could do no better than to start here.

Found this powerful and enlightening. I highlighted quite a bit in this book. Easy and quick despite it being very spiritually deep.

I read this work after several recommendations, especially one by the local priest. What is interior freedom? That was the first question I had, and Philippe answered early in the book. I highlighted numerous passages, including one by Alexander Solzhenitsyn on the freedom of being in the gulag. Highly recommended for everyone, especially those interested in religious works…SLT

Received in good time and condition

Beautiful book.

This is a very good book for anyone on their spiritual journey, it has a depth if that is what you need, but also is very inspiring for beginners on the path.

In a battle against God, it is sweet victory to be vanquished! Omnia in Bonum! (Romans 8:28) Spiritual poverty, utter dependence on God and his mercy, is the condition for interior freedom. We need to become children and “consent to expect everything as a gift from God our Father: absolutely everything, moment by moment.”

I admit I started reading this book as some sort of catholic "self-help" book. It makes it no justice: its much deeper, much more honest and nobler than any self-help book that I had read before, and I'm ashamed I had put it in the same category. Fr. Jacques Philippe is a serious theologist, a man of faith and an amazing writer and it all shows in this little gem of a book. This book will help you to find hope no matter how difficult your life might be at the moment.