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Post by Hildegard on Aug 17, 2020 15:26:25 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
August 17th (page 237)
While we resist great temptations with unconquerable courage, and while the victory we gain over them is in the highest degree helpful to us, it may be that we will profit more by resisting, small temptations. Although great temptations exceed in quality, small ones immeasurably exceed in number, so that victory over them may be comparable to that gained over greater temptations. Therefore we must carefully prepare ourselves for such combat. (INT. Part IV, Ch. 8; O. III, p. 307)
On August 17th, 2606, the third day of the octave of the Assumption, Francis de Sales visited the church of the Abbey of Our Lady of Six, where he have a marvelous sermon written out in his own handwriting on the text, Veni, Sponsa Christi: “Come, spouse, mother and sister of Jesus Christ, receive the crown that the Lord has prepared for you from all eternity.” He indicated how the Blessed Trinity crowned the virgin with the grace of divine motherhood, with the merit of her own actions and with the piety of her devotees. (A.S. VIII, p. 386)
The soul of the Christian is a kingdom of which the Holy Spirit is the sovereign King.
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Post by Hildegard on Aug 19, 2020 0:05:48 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
August 18th (page 238)
Raise our eyes to Heaven and you will see that no one arrives there without hard work and continual afflictions. When things go wrong, say to yourself, “This is the road to Heaven. I see the harbor and I am sure that the tempests will not stop me from reaching it.” (Letters 1281; O. XVII, p. 347)
On August 18th, 1606, Francis de Sales visited the collegiate church of Samoens and preached there with extraordinary fervor on the sublime heights reached by the Madonna in grace, in virtue and in glory. He contrasted these with our own ignominious falls into the disgrace of sin, with consequent danger of eternal confusion. One of his listeners recalled that, with tears in his eyes, the saint said and repeated many times these precise words, “Ah! My dear people, our glorious mother ascended and we descend! She dies from love and we live by hate!” With such words he harvested abundant fruit, as can be judged by the many people who went to confession to him, the outstanding conversions and the very important reconciliations that followed. And the good saint did not regret the fact that he had to spend four whole days in this consoling ministry. (A.S. VIII, p. 405)
In correcting the faults we find in our heart, we do better by having compassion than by eliciting disgust.
Do not despair over your shortcomings. Start over each day. You make spiritual progress by continually beginning again and again.
As long as this life lasts, we can never think of living without imperfections. Whether we are teaching or learning, commanding or obeying, we are all weak creatures.
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Post by Hildegard on Aug 20, 2020 2:07:38 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
August 19th (page 239)
God undoubtedly prepared paradise only for such as He foresaw would be His. Therefore let us be His both by faith and by works, and He will be ours by glory. It is in our power to be His, for although to belong to God is a gift from God, yet it is a gift that God denies to no one. God offers it to all and gives it to those who sincerely consent to receive it. Note well, I beg of you, how ardently God desires us to be His, since to this end He has made Himself entirely ours. He gives us both His death and His life: His life, so that we may be freed from eternal death; His death, so that we can enjoy eternal life. Let us live in peace, then, and serve God so as to be His in this mortal life and still more so in life eternal. (T.L.G. Book 3, Ch. 5; O. IV, pp. 186-187)
On August 19th, 1606, Francis de Sales, still at Samoens, preached in the same church dedicated to Mary Assumed into Heaven. It was the fifth day of the octave. Father Roland, his chaplain, has testified how the holy bishop, having mounted the pulpit and made the sign of the cross, made a deep bow to the altar, pronouncing in a tone louder than usual just these two words: Jesus, Mary. Then he remained motionless with his hands joined on his breast, in deep silence, so much so that those present thought he was unwell or in an ecstasy. Coming to himself, he gave a talk to the large congregation on the two beautiful names of salvation and life: Jesus and Mary. It really seemed that an angel of God had descended form Heaven to announce these names, to give a true Christian understanding of them, and to correct the abuses of those who often pronounce them with little respect or love. But no less was the edification of the people and of the clergy who had come from Fucigny, when it was seen that the holy pastor occupied all the afternoon of that day in listening to the viewpoints, quarrels and defenses of many who came to him as true children to a loving father, to submit to his judgment and to resolve their arguments peacefully. (A.S. VIII, p. 428)
Our hearts have a thirst which cannot be satisfied by the pleasures of this world, for this life is short and is only given us to gain the other.
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Post by Hildegard on Aug 23, 2020 19:59:14 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
August 20th (page 240)
Are not the crosses of God sweet and full of consolation? I say yes. If Providence should so desire, we should be willing even to die, in imitation of the Savior. Indeed, if need be, let us die on the cross! Then the storms and tempests which assail our hearts and often destroy our calm will not influence us. Let us mortify ourselves in the inmost part of our being, so that our spirit of faith remains steadfast. No matter what happens to us, we will live in peace; even if we lose everything, what does it matter when there is still God? (Letters 402; O. XIII, pp. 293-295)
On August 20th, 1606, Francis de Sales preached once more in the collegiate church of Samoens, where he dealt with the business and arguments of various lords of this region. The province of Faucigny possessed several old houses of the nobility. These were very generous and pious people who faithfully attended the sermons of the saintly pastor throughout all the time he remained in that province. Much more praiseworthy, however, was the Christian submission with which they accepted his decisions regarding various particular and general disputes that they had with the parish priest of the place regarding titles and other parochial rights. Dissensions easily arose among the castle owners of the province and the parish priests of the churches, where the feudal laymen wanted to exercise the same authority as they had over their castles. With Christian fortitude the saintly bishop corrected these abuses, as can be learned from a deposition given under oath by the baron of Saint Christopher, a most distinguished gentleman of Faucigny. Among other things he testified that on those occasions the saint gave his opinion with such priestly prudence and firmness that he seemed to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit. Because of his reputation, both the small and the great willingly accepted his decisions. (A.S. VIII, p. 454)
If you lower your eyes for the sake of modesty, also lower them in your heart. So when you claim you want to hear the lowest place, really desire that in your heart.
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AUGUST 21st (page 241)
Desire either to die or to love God; either death or love, because life without love of God is much worse than death. My God, how happy we will be if with all our hearts we love the Divine Goodness, which has prepared for us so many favors and blessings! We are totally His amid the tumult that the variety of earthly things presents to us. How better can we show our fidelity, if not in the midst of trials and crosses? Solitude has its assaults and the world its annoyances; on all occasions we must have an invincible soul, since help from Heaven is at hand for all who trust in God and with quiet humility implore His loving assistance. Look up to Heaven and say to the Lord: “My God, for Thee I sail, for Thee I row; Thou are my guide and my pilot! Then console me, so that I will safely reach the port and find the sweet pleasures that will make me forget all the hardships undergone to get there.” (Letters 614; O. XIV, p. 339)
This day should inspire with particular veneration. Divine Providence chose it to give our great saint to the world. He was born on Thursday, August 21st, 1567, in the castle of Sales at Thorens, about 8:00 or 9:00 in the evening in a room dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi. The birth of the firstborn of this noble house was the cause of great joy to the whole neighborhood, especially the poor, who for the next three days were given very generous alms. As an infant, Francis seemed so delicate as to be near death. Hence he was baptized without delay, and his pious mother consecrated him to the Madonna. Everyone considered him to be a gift of a merciful Providence and a child of miraculous prayer. This could be shown in a thousand ways if the brevity of our account allowed. We will say only that it is a real and patent prodigy that in a half century of life he completed so many tasks. He became a saint, converted untold numbers of people, directed many to the heights of holiness, adorned the Church with most precious writings, founded a religious order, reformed monasteries and died a saintly death. Because of his many miracles he was recognized as an outstanding master of the Spirit, and untiring apostle and miracle-worker. For all these reasons, he is solemnly inscribed in the catalogue of saints. (A.S. VIII, p. 473)
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AUGUST 22nd (page 242)
Do you want to know if you profit by the receptions of the sacraments? You will know how you are advancing in the virtue that is proper to a sacrament, for example, if form your confession you obtain the love of your abjection and humility; you will then be able to gauge your progress. Again, if by means of Holy Communion you become more gentle and understanding – since this sacrament is all honey – then you will obtain the fruit of it. But if, on the contrary, you do not become more humble and more gentle, you deserve to be deprived of bread because you do not want to work. (Spiritual Treatises XVIII; O. VI, pp. 343-344)
On August 22nd, 1606, Francis de Sales closed the octave of the glorious Assumption of the Virgin in the parish of Saints Sebastian and Pancratius at Salaz. The sermon on that day, in honor of the mother of God, was in the form of a catechism to instruct his people in a simple way about the need to believe and to become true children of Mary. This instruction corrected the superstitious practices of these good people. Francis distributed rosaries in such great quantities that everyone wondered how he could have so many. In fact, Mr. Favre, his servant, claimed that these rosaries were miraculously multiplied, since no other explanation could be given for their appearance. The saint himself, overjoyed at the event, said nothing more than that the Madonna had favored his work by providing him with a good supply for distribution to all those people. Everyone – rich and poor, young and old – wanted to receive them from his hands, and he was able to satisfy them all. (A.S. VIII, p. 494)
Never miss an opportunity to do good. If you neglect an opportunity for doing good in the hope that something
better will turn up, you will often loose the first and fail to find the second.
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AUGUST 23rd (page 243)
Look often with your inward eye on Christ Jesus, crucified, naked, blasphemed, slandered, forsaken, overwhelmed by every kind of weariness, sorrow and labor. Remember that your sufferings are not comparable to His, either in quality or in quantity, and that you can never suffer for His sake anything equal to what He has suffered for you.
(INT. Part III, Ch. 3; O. III, p. 138)
On August 23rd, 1609, Francis de Sales was walking up and down in his room. He started to say his rosary, meditating, deeply on the mysteries, when suddenly he found himself surrounded by two columns of light, which remained by his side as he walked. The saint was caught up in even deeper contemplation; while one of the columns of light hovered over his place of prayer, the other remained with him. Count Louis de Sales, his brother, entered his room at this moment and found him all absorbed in God. From the reflection of the light and by the smell of a beautiful perfume, he came to the conclusion that Francis had received some favor from Heaven. He asked him to tell him all about it. The saintly bishop kindly agreed and related what had happened. The count remarked that his vision might be a warning concerning the death of a relative. “I do not think so,” Francis replied. “God, in His goodness, has communicated to me many enlightening facts about the spirit of the institute of religious that I must found with the baroness of Chantal. I think that it is about time to withdraw those good Israelite ladies from the Egypt of the world; the column of clouds is already appearing.” “But,” answered Louis, “there were two columns, and you speak about only one.” “The second,” the holy bishop then said, “I believe concerns Monsignor Camus, who is going to honor me by inviting me to his consecration. This great man will be for me a neighborly light, since his diocese joins mine.” He had just finished speaking when a messenger arrived from Monsignor Camus with a letter inviting our saint to be his consecrating bishop.
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Post by Hildegard on Aug 24, 2020 14:52:48 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
AUGUST 24th (page 244)
It is strange to not that our nature wants nothing to do with anything that hurts. However, the repugnance that it feels concerning suffering is not, in my opinion, an indication of a lack of generosity. If we could persuade ourselves that if we were to be skinned alive like Saint Bartholomew, God would love us just a little bit more, I think that we would let ourselves be skinned, not without repugnance but despite our very repugnance. I think that sometimes, as a test, we should try to win a victory over ourselves with a bit of violence for the love of God, because if we never resist our dislikes we might well become weaklings. (Letters 1277; O. XVII, p. 341)
On Saint Bartholomew’s day, August 14th, 1604, a noble and pious suite arrived from Savoy and Burgoyne at the city of Saint Claude in Franche-Comté to visit the tomb of the glorious bishop who gave his name to the city. To keep an appointment arranged by Providence, both the bishop and the baroness of Chantal were there. The bishop always counted this day among the happiest days of his life, because on this occasion a spouse of Christ entered through the door of Saint Claudius, whom the Lord had shown him in a vision quite a long time before. (A.S. VIII, p. 562)
In this life, patience should be our daily bread. We should be particularly patient with patient with ourselves; this is the heaviest load we have to bear.
It is far better to do a few things well than to undertake many good works and leave them half-done.
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Post by Hildegard on Aug 25, 2020 14:33:31 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
AUGUST 25th (page 245)
Remember to keep in mind that all the past is nothing and that every day we should say with David, "Now I began to love my God." To work, to exhaust oneself for God, is love. Therefore, apply everything to this love -- eating, drinking, repose. Be very devoted to Saint Louis and admire his great constancy in loving. (Letters 334; O. XII, pp. 367-368)
In his letters to the saintly mother Chantal, Francis de Sales called the feast day of Saint Louis of France in 1604 the forerunner of eternal light. On this day, at Saint Claudius, the holy baroness was officially accepted as the spiritual daughter of the great bishop of Geneva and received the following note written and signed by his hand: "In the name of God, I accept the task of the spiritual direction of your soul. I will apply myself to it with all the diligence and fidelity possible, as far as my duties as bishop and my other occupations permit." It is known with what fidelity and care the saint set about this task, and with what degree of submission and docility his advice was received. On this same day, Mother Chantal made her first vow of obedience to her new spiritual father, and the saint released her from many former practices of devotion. He removed the spiritual yoke under which she was straining, introduced her to a method that was more internal than external, and gave her a spiritual directory to help her pass the day in a holy manner. This was a first draft of the one which he would eventually compose for the religious of his institute. Finally, having learned that one of the baroness's maids slept fully dressed during the night so as to be ready for a call from her mistress, the saintly bishop paternally corrected her about this and said: "Servants are our brothers and sisters; we must be considerate toward them. God made me understand this myself. If, during the night, I cannot sleep and want to read or write, I am very careful not to wake my valet or servant. I get up very quietly and light a candle. Our poor neighbor should not have to pay for our insomnia or idiosyncracies." (A.S. VIII, p. 579)
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Post by Hildegard on Aug 30, 2020 19:22:01 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
AUGUST 26th (page 246)
Let us consider for a moment our Redeemer on the cross, where He died for us by a death more loving than love itself! Ah, why do we not cast ourselves in spirit upon Him, to die upon the cross with Him Who for love of us has truly willed to die? “. . . I held him and I will not let him go . . .” [Sg 3:4](T.L.G. Book 7, Ch. 8; O.V. , p. 35)
On August 26th, 1606, Francis de Sales went to visit the Church of Saint John of Tolome. Tired out by the trip, he sat down by a fountain. While he spoke to the bystanders of the weariness of Jesus, of His rest by the well of Jacob and of the arrival of the Samaritan woman, a swarm of bees surrounded him and settled down on his head and shoulders. The saint remained motionless. His servants wanted to chase them away, but an old farmer stopped them and said, “Stay still, my lord, and do not brush them off. Only from time to time say something to us, so as to make these little creatures know that they are not in their ordinary resting place; they will soon fly off.” The saint obeyed, and none of those bees did him any harm. He drew from this fact many and beautiful reflections and instructions. When he wanted to teach the saintly mother Chantal how to overcome the annoyances of small temptations, he wrote to her that she must combat them with acts of humility and love; just like the bees, they would go away without doing her any harm.
(A.S. VIII, p. 611)
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AUGUST 27th (page 247)
God sends afflictions, but nothing comes form the divine hand that is not useful to those souls who fear Him. Be happy if they come and receive them with a heart filled with filial love, because God sends them with a heart that is paternally concerned with your perfection. He wishes to purify and refine His holy love in you. Think often about the duration of eternity and do not get upset about the mishaps of this transitory and mortal life.
(Letters 1982; O. XXI, p. 21)
On August 27th, 1616, Francis de Sales visited the Church of Saint Maurice at Brege and then the Church of Our Lady of Burdignin and the Priory of Our Lady of Prillonex. He often used to say that it gave him a great deal of pleasure to see so many parishes and churches in his diocese dedicated to the blessed mother of God. When he entered them his heart was moved, and he felt that he was entering his mother’s house. Like a true son he approached the refuge of sinners.
(A.S. VIII, p. 631)
When we do what someone else wants us to do, we must understand that We are doing the will of God that is manifested in the will of our neighbor.
In dryness and adversity, do not loves hope; in consolations and prosperity, Do not fear; but humble yourself in either case; that is, always.
Exercises of devotion must not impede your performing your other duties. Above all, they should not be so long as to tire the spirit or be a Nuisance to those with whom you live.
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AUGUST 28th (page 248)
The glorious Saint Augustine, in speaking of effective love, said a sentence that we should engrave on the doors of our rooms, or better still in our hearts: “My God, if we were to love Thee alone – Thou in all things and all things in Thee – how wonderful that would be!” Oh glorious saint, do you wish that we should love nothing but God? Should we not also love our neighbor, friend and enemy? Yes, but in God and for God . . . indeed this is true Christian love! Now this is something that should be preached publicly! (Sermons 33; O. IX, p. 337)
On August 28th, 1567, the octave day of his birth, Francis de Sales was solemnly baptized in the parish church of Thorens, having as godfather Francis de la Fléchère, prince of Sillingy. At the sacred fount be was given the name of Francis of Bonaventure, although he was to go only by the name of Francis de Sales. For the baptism of this dear child there was a grand feast at the castle of Sales, and it was a day of great charity, since from dawn to late evening generous alms were distributed at the gate of the castle. Our saint used to commemorate this day every year with great devotion, solemnly renewing his baptismal promises. He recommended this devotion to his spiritual children, “because the day of baptism,” he used to say, “is the real birthday to the gift of eternal glory.” He also took special pride in the fact that he was made a son of God on the feast of Saint Augustine, because he had a great love for this outstanding doctor and light of the Church. When he instituted the Order of the Visitation, he did not hesitate to give to his daughters the rule of this greats saint, writing in its preface that’s the constitutions of the same institute, composed by himself, by a pure divine inspiration were derived from this holy rule, just as a book derives its being from its source. He prescribed that his religious should solemnize the feast of this saint as one of the major feasts of the year, with a fast prescribed for its vigil. (A.S. VIII, p. 657)
If you must oppose the ideas of others, do so gently and prudently. But do no violence to their souls.
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AUGUST 29th (page 249)
In the opinion of the great Saint Thomas Aquinas, it is not expedient to consult much and deliberate long about an inclination to enter a good and well-regulated religious order. It is sufficient to have a serious discussion with a few people who are truly prudent and capable in such matters. They will be able to help us come to a simple, sure answer to our question. But as soon as we have deliberated and decided, we must be firm and unchanging; we must never let ourselves be shaken by any hint whatsoever of a greater good. (T.L.G. Book 8, Ch. 11; O.V, p. 95)
On this day, August 29th, 1606, Francis de Sales visited the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Villars and gave an impressive sermon on the martyrdom of the precursor of Jesus Christ and on the vices that drag souls down to eternal death. Among his listeners was a scoundrel who had often claimed that if the bishop excommunicated him, as he had threatened to do, he would renounce his faith and go over to Geneva. On this occasion, however, when the man listened to the holy pastor, he believed his words and humbly went to see him, driven by a desire for true conversion. Having made a confession on his own initiative, he publicly asked pardon of all the people in the church, deploring his previous evil ways and his bad example. The saintly pastor was so moved that he embraced him tenderly and said to the bystanders, “Let us rejoice, my children. Here is our brother, who, according to the Gospel admonition, And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell. [30] And if thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell. [cf. Mt 5:29-30] Here is a son of the Gospel, a predestined soul.” Then he added, turning to the man, “Come, sir, come as one blessed by our Father Who is in Heaven.” He gave him a fatherly exhortation, absolved him publicly and kept him by his side for several days. This person testified to all this at the process of the canonization of the saint, adding that the glance of that blessed bishop cut him like a sharp sword. It had opened his heart, releasing the poison on his sins. His words seemed like a sacred anointing that internally healed all his wounds! (A.S. VIII, p. 690)
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AUGUST 30th (page 250)
We must consider our neighbor in relationship to God, Who wants us to love him . . . and we are to be interested in him even when this is distasteful for us. The resistance of the inferior part of our soul will be overcome by the frequent performance of good acts. To this end, however, we must center our prayers and meditations on the love of our neighbor, having first implored the love of God. We must ask for the grace to love especially those we do not like very much. (Letters 217; O. XII, pp. 268-270)
Francis of Sales used to say August 30th, 1609, filled his memory with great consolation. On that day, in the Cathedral of Saint John in Belley, he consecrated Bishop Peter Camus, recently appointed bishop of that diocese. The new bishop was gifted with a fine memory, eloquent speech and great expertise in spiritual matters. A very close and holy friendship existed between these two prelates. Bishop Camus loved, honored and consulted his holy “master,” always calling him by that title, even in his writings. For his part, our saint always considered the bishop of Belley as his son, his brother and his friend. In the preface to the Treatise on the Love of God, the saint expresses in words the respectful love he felt toward him. Sometimes he said to him in a friendly tone, “See, my lord, you are deeply, obliged to honor me. I have been invited, it is true, to the consecration of other bishops, but always as an assistant. In your case I myself was the consecrating bishop. Therefore, you are my only child, my only masterpiece.” (A.S. VIII, p. 712)
Certain small temptations are very useful, because they make us examine Our conscience and recall our baseness; so then we turn to God with renewed devotion.
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AUGUST 31st (page 251)
It is better to yield to the views of others than to try to force them to floow our desires and opinions. The human mind is a mirror that reflects all the colors that are presented to it; do not imitate the chameleon, that takes on all colors except white. Oh yes, condescension not accompanied by candidness is very dangerous and cannot be shunned sufficiently. (Camus, The Spirit of Saint Francis de Sales, I, p. 296)
Francis de Sales had performed the ceremony of solemn consecration of Bishop Peter Camus, bishop of Belley, and the following day, August 31st, 1609, he received an invitation form the king of France to go to Gex to confer with the baron of Lux. The conference would be concerned with the affairs of the Church in that province, so our saint wanted to leave as soon as possible, sacrificing the consolation of spending some days with the new prelate. Francis left early in the morning, and in parting from the young bishop, his dearest son, he said with his usual, pleasant manner, “Grow, my son, and increase in every virtue according to the gifts God has given you, and you will always be blessed by the Lord.” (A.S. VIII, p. 749)
Let us copy the bees, which such honey from every kind of flower; so let us try to Imitate all the good we see in each one of our brothers and sisters.
A wise silence is preferable to uncharitable truth.
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