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 22nd (page 53)

      Love is the life of our heart. Just as weights give movement to the movable parts of a clock, so love gives to the soul whatever movement it has. All our affections follow our love. According to it, we desire, rejoice, hope, despair, fear, take heart, hate, feel sadness or aversion, grow angry and exult. We see how men who have given their hearts as prey to a base, ignoble love of women desire only what goes with such love. Hence, when divine love reigns in our hearts, like a king it brings into subjection all other loves possessed by the will. It is the saving water of which Our Lord has said,” . . . But the water that I will give him, shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting. [John 4:14]

(T.L.G. Book 11, Ch. 20; O.V. p. 309)

      On February 22nd, 1603, Francis de Sales held the ceremony of ordination in the city of Annecy. All crowded into the church on these occasions to watch his angelic demeanor during the ceremonies. He once confided to his brother Louis that on these occasions he felt a special relationship with the guardian angels of those whom he was ordaining. Many of his ordinands wanted to make a general confession of their entire life to him, or at least a particular review of their conscience, all of which put an extra workload on him. The worldly-wise said that he should not continue this custom, as it was too tiring. “Oh,” replied the saint, “I did not invite them. They came of their own accord. So God wills that the shepherd get to know his sheep and they get to know him.”

(A.S. II, p. 562)


Do you feel the urge to practice some virtue? Pick out a solid one and not something that is showy.

 

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Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales

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


February 23rd (page 54)

      When, O Lord, will patience with our neighbor take possession of our hearts? This is the final and most excellent lesson of the teaching of the saints; happy that spirit who fully understands this! We are always anxious that others put up with our miseries, and that they tolerate us; yet the miseries and faults of our neighbor always seem so great and unsupportable!

(Letters 1243; O. XVII, p. 289)

      On February 23rd, 1605, while Francis de Sales was preaching at la Roche, he received a letter from the lord of Hayes, governor of Montangis, who, on Henry IV’s request, asked him to return to France because His Majesty had guaranteed him the benefices of his kingdom as well as cardinal’s hat. The lord of Hayes spoke to him as a friend, knight and courtier, pointing out to him the wretchedness of the place where he was now laboring. The saint showed these letters to his closest confidant, his brother Louis de Sales, and said to him, “The human thoughtfulness of our friends is to be admired, but,by the grace of God, I am in no way tempted, as I am happy to be where the Lord wants me and where His hand has placed me. It is true, la Roche is a small castle, but it is good enough for me, worthless as I am. If I were a good worker there would be enough for me to do, as I am rather useless. Every day I can face up to the enemies of the Church, being, as I am, on the frontier of their Babylon.” With these sentiments he graciously thanked the king and his friends for their goodwill and remained to cultivate his vineyard. He remarked humbly about the whole matter, “I was born thirty-eight years ago, and about thirty years ago I began my studies in this city. Does it no seem to be a sufficient honor for me to be seated here as a doctor, teaching about the kingdom of God!”

(A.S. II, p. 576)


If you have a chance to do some good work, say little about it but work hard at it.