The Practice of the Presence of God

The Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation in 16th-century France brought about a renewal of mysticism and doctrine in the Catholic Church, established the Protestant faith, and solidified two opposing branches of Christianity that exist to the present day.

The Protestant Reformation introduced the ideas of German priest and reformer Martin Luther and French theologian John Calvin to France, leading to the Huguenot (French Calvinist) movement. The Catholic Church severely persecuted the Huguenots, and this led to the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598). The wars ended in the 1598 Edict of Nantes, which granted the Huguenots freedom to practice Protestantism, which had already spread throughout Europe.

The Catholic Reformation (or Counter-Reformation) was the Catholic Church's internal reform effort. Under the direction of Pope Paul III, over 200 high-ranking clergy formed the Council of Trent, which met between 1545 and 1563 to define and reaffirm the core Catholic doctrines. It ultimately expanded the Church's power and suppressed Protestantism's spread in the 17th century.

One of the spiritual movements from this era that had a particularly lasting influence is the French School of Spirituality. The Catholic Reformation had emphasized the universal call to holiness—i.e., the need for laypeople, not just the clergy, to pursue a spiritual life.