Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales - March

[Hildegard of Bingen]

Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales

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


March 10th (page 70)

      The greatest fault we commit in our prayers, in our occupations and in our setbacks is the lack of confidence in God. This is the reason why we fail to receive from the Divine Goodness the help we desire and ask for.

(Sermons 56; O.X, p. 225)

       On March 10th, 1615, Francis de Sales, who was preaching the Lenten sermons at Grenoble, made the final arrangements for the foundation of the Convent of the Visitation in that city. Previously the saint had made a thorough examination of the vocations of several young ladies who were assigned at the beginning of the year to the convent at Annecy. There they received the habit, made their novitiate and helped the professed who were stationed there. When the last details were finalized, the saint wrote about them to the venerable foundress: “Finally, my dear daughter, we have completed arrangements with the good ladies to set up out convent. All approved of this plan. The good president Le Blanc has an ardent desire for this, and I have a very fond hope that God will bless his intentions. As for us, let us be happy and humble before Him, and let our littleness add to His glory. I pray you, my dearest daughter, to prepare our little “bees” to fly forth at the first favorable occasion and start working in the new hive, for which Heaven has prepared plentiful dew.”

(A.S. III, p. 259)

No matter how much you acquire, you will never be really

Satisfied unless you are prepared to live with the bare necessities.