St. Frances De Sales
one
Francis was born on 21 August 1567 in the family castle of Sales, in modern day France, near Italy and Switzerland. He became a priest despite the objections of his father, and God quickly validated his decision. His talents were so obvious he was consecrated Bishop at thirty-one. His grace-filled accomplishments were simply incredible: he was a mystic, director of souls, founder of a religious order and spiritual writer. De Sales proves that holiness enjoys perpetual influence and relevance. I discovered his book, Introduction to the Devout Life early in my conversion. It’s his teaching on what a holy life looks like. Despite its life-long impact on me, I remember thinking at first, ‘who can live like this? Clearly this guy lived in easier times and was born this way!’ People are not born as saints, and every age has troubles sufficient for itself. St. Frances became a great saint for one reason and one reason only: he willed it!
Two
In St. Frances de Sales we find a marvelous fusion of two characteristics that are rarely seen together: astute thought and intense activity. He applied his God-given smarts and ambitions to Jesus and His Church. His diocese was split between Catholic and Calvinist, mostly the latter. By the time he inherited his eternal reward at age 55, between 80,000 and 100,000 fallen away Catholic returned to the Church because of him. Magnanimity is that virtue that elevates our natural talents to a super-charged level. Grace works with our efforts to move us from good to great; from great to elite. We are incapable of accomplishing any good thing without grace. But God gives this grace in proportion to our efforts fueled with trust. His grace works through our effort; but our effort does not produce the result, only His grace. This mystery is hard to grasp but is solved in the lives of saints like Frances. He shows us how we make an impact on the world by saying yes to God and letting Him work through us. This is how to overcome the tension between my effort and God’s grace. Do I allow my efforts to be transformed by God’s grace?
Three
The incompetence and corruption of the clergy shredded the Savoy region of France where de Sales served. 85% of the Catholics of the region not only left the Church but developed fierce, anti-Catholic hostilities. His response: tireless visitation of his 450 parishes to spend one on one time with those who fell away and to organize the further formation of his clergy, proclaiming that learning was the eighth sacrament for a priest. De Sales understood the importance of two things, building relationships by spending time with people, and teaching/living Catholic truth. He embodied the teachings of St. Paul, “Therefore, since we have such hope, we are very bold” (2 Cor 3:12). What bold thing can I do today for the sake of the Gospel?
Four
We are called to live with heart and mind united. God usually gives us half the equation: some lead with their heart-are naturally compassionate and strongly advocate for the poor. Others lead with their head-are very astute and recognize error carefully. A problem arises, though, when those who lead with their heart don’t work on sharpening their mind. They become emotional and can be easily manipulated through persuasion to hold erroneous opinions. For those who lead with their heads but don’t work on their hearts, they can become judgmental and divisive and too easily forget the Church’s preferential option for the poor. We must know ourselves and discover which comes easiest for us: leading with our hearts, or leading with our minds, and work to unite one with the other, like St. Frances. He is a perfect example of what it looks like to unite compassion with logic. St. Frances Pray for us that we may do what we know is right based on the Church, while having compassion for the poor.
Five
In Introduction to the Devout Life, de Sales taught me two maxims that are foundational to my spiritual life: He says, 1.) Do not be surprised at your sins and imperfections, for perfection consists precisely in fighting against them; 2.) You are guaranteed victory provided you don’t give up! (P. 49) Earlier I mentioned that people aren’t born saints but become so by choice. St. Frances had many flaws but chose to fight against them step by step. He was known for being so charming and likeable that people found him irresistible spiritually. What they didn’t know is that, after his death, his friends found finger-nail marks on the bottom of his desk from all the times he dug his hands into the wood to avoid being overcome with anger when confronted by irritating people. His affability was the result of his willing joyfulness over grouchiness. He fought against his imperfections and became saintly. Today, make a concrete resolution to work on that one virtue that counteracts your greatest fault.