Every Day with St. Francis de Sales for December
Dec 4, 2019 1:36:25 GMT
Post by Hildegard on Dec 4, 2019 1:36:25 GMT
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
December 1st (page 344)
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
December 1st (page 344)
Thus does God speak, “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God . . . “ {Ex 20:5} Yes, God is jealous, but what kind of jealousy is His? He desires that we be His with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind and our whole strength. For this reason He calls Himself our Spouse and our souls His spouses and deems every kind of estrangement from Him to be fornication and adultery. This great God, Who is uniquely good, is correct in desiring our whole heart. Ours is only a little heart, and it cannot sufficiently return the love due to the Divine Goodness . . . However, God does not love us out of self-interest but for our good. Our love is useless to Him, but it brings us great profit! If it pleases Him, it is because it is profitable to us.
(T.L.G. Book 10, Ch. 13; O. V, p. 209)
In 1614 on this very day, December 1st, the bitter cold did not stop the holy prelate from leaving Annecy to consecrate the bishop de Sion in Valais. He fearlessly crossed these Protestant provinces and was received by the Swiss as a saint. At Sion he preached on the dignity of the bishopric, and although it was expressly forbidden by the laws of the country, he touched upon controversial matters in a learned and holy way. Struck with a kind of terror at the sight of this angelic man, the Protestants did not dare to interrupt him. This was in contrast to their usual behavior, since generally they responded in an insolent way when even the slightest criticism was made of them. Francis, who considered life less precious than death when there was question of defending the Gospel, ignored all obstacles. God gave him the grace to convert several souls in that place. Catholics and non–Catholics alike were struck with awe by his presence; all respected him and even brought their children and their sick to receive his blessing.
(A.S. XII, p. 2)
We should live in this world as though our spirit were already in Heaven.
December 2nd (page 345)
The presence of venial sins does not actually deprive charity of its strength, but only keeps it bound as if it were a slave . . . giving us a love for creatures that deprives us of a closer communication with God. In a word, this attachment to venial sin makes us lose interior help and assistance which are the vital life-blood of the soul. Lack of this produces a certain paralysis that eventually leads to mortal sin.
(T.L.G. Book 4, Ch. 2; O. IV, pp. 220-221)
On December 2nd, 1618, Francis de Sales was at Paris in the retinue of the cardinal prince of Savoy to arrange the marriage between Princess Christine of France and Prince Victor Amadeo of Piedmont. He began the preaching of the Advent sermons in the Church of Saint Andrew of the Arts and met with great success. The same day, he gave a second talk to the Jesuits, marvelously praising Saint Francis Xavier, the apostle of Japan and the Indies. He was singularly devoted to this saint and often confessed that he had received singularly devoted to this saint and often confessed that he had received much help from him in his mission in the Chablais. Francis invoked him every day and always kept his example before him, saying that missionaries could not find a better model than this holy religious who became all things to all people. He brought out the fact that Francis Xavier had even become a merchant’s servant to find a way to enter his field of mission, even though by birth he was a nobleman. And the holy bishop added with emotion, “Ah! We must put ourselves in anyone’s shoes to win one soul.”
(A.S. XII, p. 20)
The most certain sign that we love God alone in all things is when we love Him equally in all things.
He is ever the same, and the inconstancy of our love is the result of an earthly attachment
to something that is not of Him.
He is ever the same, and the inconstancy of our love is the result of an earthly attachment
to something that is not of Him.