Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales - February

[Hildegard of Bingen]

Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales

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


February 10th (page 41)

      Humility which does not produce generosity is false, because true humility, after it has said, “I can do nothing, I am good for nothing,” must immediately give way to a generosity of spirit which says, “There is nothing nor can there be anything I cannot do if I place all my faith in God.” The humble soul, relying on this confidence, with great courage takes up anything that is commanded.

(Spiritual Treatise V; O. VI, p. 76)

On February 10th, 1619, Francis de Sales blessed the marriage of Prince Victor Amadeo of Savoy and Mlle. Christine of France. On that occasion he spoke briefly to the princess about the fact that the wedding day and her birthday (1606) coincided and hold her that God, having so united her marriage with her birth, wanted to indicate that she had come into the world to be a sovereign.

Senator Favre, the first president of the Savoy senate, who, together with the saintly bishop and Monsieur de Venue was in charge of the details of this marriage, left in writing, his praise for his holy friend, whose prayers had done so much to bring the marriage about. In fact, one day when it was thought that the matter was a failure and the ambassadors were preparing to return to Savoy, the holy bishop, coming from the altar, said to them, ‘Wait, God will see to everything.”

It was also on this occasion that several courtiers and members of the royal council, speaking of the holy bishop, said that they were at a loss as to what praise or what name to give him, and the Lord of Vendome, grand prior of France, replied that he could only be called The Image of God-Man. And to the new spouse he said that she must come to love the mountains of Savoy, where God had led her to find a hidden treasure – Francis de Sales, a most precious pearl of the Church.

(A.S. II, p. 267)


The Shortest life is the best, provided it leads us to a blessed eternity.