Editing Simone Weil (section)

=== ''Waiting For God'' ===
''Waiting for God'' (French: ''Attente de Dieu'') is a collection of Weil’s personal letters and essays compiled and published after her death. The book was published in French in 1950, posthumously, edited by Father Joseph-Marie Perrin and Gustave Thibon and the English translation was published shortly after, in 1951.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Waiting for God by Simone Weil {{!}} EBSCO Research Starters |url=https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/waiting-god-simone-weil |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=www.ebsco.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Waiting for God |url=https://www.routledge.com/Waiting-for-God/Weil/p/book/9780367705282?srsltid=AfmBOop5xmdedKo0qA70Kj11r6ElicxyowmjFCf2jgoYknA6fvj8lWXW |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=Routledge & CRC Press |language=en}}</ref>

''Waiting for God'' opens with Simone Weil’s 1942 letters to Dominican priest Jean-Marie Perrin, revealing her deep spiritual turmoil as she grapples with the demands of Christian faith. She reflects on the "just balance" of the world, seeing God’s guidance in both human reason and our need for physical and emotional fulfillment. Weil introduces the idea of a "sacred longing", the human pursuit of beauty and connection as an expression of yearning for a tangible divine presence.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />

Her writings detail a mystical experience that reshaped her understanding of divine love, emphasizing that true devotion requires patient, attentive openness to God. Weil sees suffering (not just joy) as essential to spiritual growth, a path to deeper connection with the divine. Despite her intense faith, she resisted baptism, believing that spiritual readiness must come through divine initiative, not personal decision. The essays explore themes of love, attention, suffering, and religious practice, asserting that love of God must include love for others and the world. Profound and challenging, ''Waiting for God'' is a key text for those drawn to mysticism, philosophy, and the complexities of faith.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />

Essays included in this collection include: 

* ''Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God''
* ''The Love of God and Affliction''
* ''Forms of the Implicit Love of God''
* ''Concerning the 'Our Father'''
* ''The Three Sons of Noah and the History of Mediterranean Civilization''