Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales - January

[Hildegard of Bingen]

Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales

Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers

 

January 28th  (page 28)

 
     This poor life is only a journey to the happy life to come.  We must not be angry with one another on the way, but rather we must march on as a brand of brothers and sisters united in meekness, peace and love.  I state absolutely and make no exception:  do not be angry at all if that is possible.  Do not accept any pretext whatever for opening your heart’s door to anger.  Saint James tells us positively and without reservation, “For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God. [James 1:20]
 

(INT. Part III, Ch. 8; O. III, p. 162)

 

 

    On this day the religious of the Visitation used to celebrate the vigil of the solemnity of their glorious father and founder.  This celebration could note take place on the day of the saint’s death, which fell on December 28th, the feast of the Holy Innocents.  The supreme pontiff, Alexander VII, established January 29th as his feast because that was the day on which his body was solemnly buried in the church of the first monastery of the Visitation in Annecy.
 

(A.S. I, p. 690)

 
 
 
A thousand little acts of virtue, such as putting up with a slightly harsh word, suppressing an angry thought, agreeing with your neighbor, excusing an indiscretion, mortifying a desire, are all things that anyone can do and can find plenty of opportunities to do.