A few days ago, I finished Louise Stacpoole-Kenney's "St Francis de Sales" which I took with me to Lourdes to read at various points on the journey to and fro. His "Introduction to the Devout Life" is one of my favourite spiritual books. I read it when I was 17 and it was a great help in my developing vocation to the priesthood.St Francis de Sales is an important figure in the network of counter-reformation saints. He knew St Philip Neri, St Robert Bellarmine and St Charles Borromeo. He ventured with one other priest into the territory of the Calvinists and his mission was ultimately responsible for the conversion of about 70,000 of them back to the
Catholic faith.
He was very different from St Charles Borromeo who had to act with severity to restore discipline in Milan, and St Robert Bellarmine who was pivotal in educating the apostles of the counter-reformation. One thing he shared in common with both of them was his attitude to episcopal dignity. All three of them preserved the outward trappings of their office in public in order to uphold the rights of the Church. yet they all lived simply in their own private quarters, keeping a disciplined rule of life and living simply, fasting and undertaking significant corporal mortification.
A characteristic saying of St Francis de Sales was "Ask nothing and refuse nothing." He would not seek comfort or luxury yet he would accommodate himself to the society in which he was obliged to participate. Where necessary, he would partake in banquets and the like, but personally he preferred to live austerely. He is a great example for those of us who live in the world but struggle not to be of the world.
St Francis de Sales. Pray for us.
2 comments:
Well, you are certainly in good company in your admiration of St. Francis DeSales.
Last evening we finished watching "St. John Bosco- Mission to Love"
Don Bosco is, of course, the founder of the Salesians.
And this perhaps is my only opportunity to enthuse about this movie and its companions :) Both I and my Carmelite-destined (August 5th is her entrance date) daughter had sworn off movies, but these lives of the saints that Ignatius Press is putting out are everything anyone could wish for- lengthy (200 minutes), well-written, well-directed, well-acted, very edifying and inspiring.
Recently we watched St. Rita of Cascia- also 200 minutes, well-written, etc. Very violent in the first half- as it had to be.
At any rate, I can't recommend these productions highly enough.
In the movie Don Bosco quotes St. Francis DeSales to the effect that it is not enough to love people, it is necessary to make them *feel* loved. What a lovely thing to walk away from a movie with such an edifying and helpful thought to ruminate upon!
This production would make a wonderful film for a youth group or vocations group to watch together.
All three of them preserved the outward trappings of their office in public in order to uphold the rights of the Church. yet they all lived simply in their own private quarters, keeping a disciplined rule of life and living simply, fasting and undertaking significant corporal mortification.
Interesting how now, it's the other way around: so many bishops have shed the outward trappings of their office, and live privately in crass luxury.
I have often thought that it was an ominous sign when Pope Paul VI renounced the papal tiara: it is as though he was laying down not only the symbol but also the authority the symbol stood for. And look where we are today.
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