What follows is the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on St. Francis de Sales. I have found the writings of St. Francis, especially the Introduction to the Devout Life and the treatise On the Love of God, to be especially helpful to me and my spiritual life. He has a very reasonable and level-headed approach which is accessible, I think, to all Christians. I cannot recommend his writings too strongly.
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Bishop
of Geneva, Doctor of the Universal Church. born at Thorens, in the Duchy of
Savoy, 21 August, 1567; died at Lyons, 28 December, 1622. His father, François
de Sales de Boisy, and his mother, Françoise de Sionnaz, belonged to old Savoyard
aristocratic families. The future saint was the eldest of six brothers. His
father intended him for the magistracy and sent him at an early age to the
colleges of La Roche and Annecy. From 1583 till 1588 he studied rhetoric and
humanities at the college of Clermont, Paris, under the care of the Jesuits.
While there he began a course of theology. After a terrible and prolonged
temptation to despair, caused by the discussions of the theologians of the day
on the question of predestination, from which he was suddenly freed as he knelt
before a miraculous image of Our Lady at St. Etienne-des-Grès, he made a vow of
chastity and consecrated himself to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1588 he studied
law at Padua, where the Jesuit Father Possevin was his spiritual director. He
received his diploma of doctorate from the famous Pancirola in 1592. Having
been admitted as a lawyer before the senate of Chambéry, he was about to be
appointed senator. His father had selected one of the noblest heiresses of
Savoy to be the partner of his future life, but Francis declared his intention
of embracing the ecclesiastical life. A sharp struggle ensued. His father would
not consent to see his expectations thwarted. Then Claude de Granier, Bishop of
Geneva, obtained for Francis, on his own initiative, the position of Provost of
the Chapter of Geneva, a post in the patronage of the pope. It was the highest
office in the diocese, M. de Boisy yielded and Francis received Holy Orders
(1593).
From
the time of the Reformation the seat of the Bishopric of Geneva had been fixed
at Annecy. There with apostolic zeal, the new provost devoted himself to
preaching, hearing confessions, and the other work of his ministry. In the
following year (1594) he volunteered to evangelize Le Chablais, where the
Genevans had imposed the Reformed Faith, and which had just been restored to
the Duchy of Savoy. He made his headquarters in the fortress of Allinges.
Risking his life, he journeyed through the entire district, preaching
constantly; by dint of zeal, learning, kindness and holiness he at last
obtained a hearing. He then settled in Thonon, the chief town. He confuted the
preachers sent by Geneva to oppose him; he converted the syndic and several
prominent Calvinists. At the request of the pope, Clement VIII, he went to
Geneva to interview Theodore Beza, who was called the Patriarch of the
Reformation. The latter received him kindly and seemed for a while shaken, but
had not the courage to take the final steps. A large part of the inhabitants of
Le Chablais returned to the true fold (1597 and 1598). Claude de Granier then
chose Francis as his coadjutor, in spite of his refusal, and sent him to Rome
(1599).
Pope
Clement VIII ratified the choice; but he wished to examine the candidate
personally, in presence of the Sacred College. The improvised examination was a
triumph for Francis. "Drink, my son", said the Pope to him.
"from your cistern, and from your living wellspring; may your waters issue
forth, and may they become public fountains where the world may quench its
thirst." The prophesy was to be realized. On his return from Rome the
religious affairs of the territory of Gex, a dependency of France, necessitated
his going to Paris. There the coadjutor formed an intimate friendship with
Cardinal de Bérulle, Antoine* Deshayes, secretary of Henry IV, and Henry IV
himself, who wished "to make a third in this fair friendship" (être
de tiers dans cette belle amitié). The king made him preach the Lent at Court,
and wished to keep him in France. He urged him to continue, by his sermons and
writings, to teach those souls that had to live in the world how to have
confidence in God, and how to be genuinely and truly pious - graces of which he
saw the great necessity.
On
the death of Claude de Granier, Francis was consecrated Bishop of Geneva
(1602). His first step was to institute catechetical instructions for the
faithful, both young and old. He made prudent regulations for the guidance of
his clergy. He carefully visited the parishes scattered through the rugged
mountains of his diocese. He reformed the religious communities. His goodness,
patience and mildness became proverbial. He had an intense love for the poor, especially
those who were of respectable family. His food was plain, his dress and his
household simple. He completely dispensed with superfluities and lived with the
greatest economy, in order to be able to provide more abundantly for the wants
of the needy. He heard confessions, gave advice, and preached incessantly. He
wrote innumerable letters (mainly letters of direction) and found time to
publish the numerous works mentioned below. Together with St. Jane Frances de
Chantal, he founded (1607) the Institute of the Visitation of the Blessed
Virgin, for young girls and widows who, feeling themselves called to the
religious life, have not sufficient strength, or lack inclination, for the
corporal austerities of the great orders. His zeal extended beyond the limits
of his own diocese. He delivered the Lent and Advent discourses which are still
famous - those at Dijon (1604), where he first met the Baroness de Chantal; at
Chambéry (1606); at Grenoble (1616, 1617, 1618), where he converted the Ambrose
Maréchal de Lesdiguières. During his last stay in Paris (November, 1618, to
September, 1619) he had to go into the pulpit each day to satisfy the pious
wishes of those who thronged to hear him. "Never", said they,
"have such holy, such apostolic sermons been preached." He came into
contact here with all the distinguished ecclesiastics of the day, and in
particular with St. Vincent de Paul. His friends tried energetically to induce
him to remain in France, offering him first the wealthy Abbey of Ste. Geneviève
and then the coadjutor-bishopric of Paris, but he refused all to return to
Annecy.
In
1622 he had to accompany the Court of Savoy into France. At Lyons he insisted
on occupying a small, poorly furnished room in a house belonging to the
gardener of the Visitation Convent. There, on 27 December, he was seized with
apoplexy. He received the last sacraments and made his profession of faith,
repeating constantly the words: "God's will be done! Jesus, my God and my
all!" He died next day, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. Immense crowds
flocked to visit his remains, which the people of Lyons were anxious to keep in
their city. With much difficulty his body was brought back to Annecy, but his
heart was left at Lyons. A great number of wonderful favours have been obtained
at his tomb in the Visitation Convent of Annecy. His heart, at the time of the
French Revolution, was carried by the Visitation nuns from Lyons to Venice,
where it is venerated today. St. Francis de Sales was beatified in 1661, and
canonized by Alexander VII in 1665; he was proclaimed Doctor of the Universal
Church by Pope Pius IX, in 1877.
The
following is a list of the principal works of the holy Doctor:
(1)
"Controversies",
leaflets which the zealous missioner scattered among the inhabitants of Le Chablais
in the beginning, when these people did not venture to come and hear him
preach. They form a complete proof of the Catholic Faith. In the first part,
the author defends the authority of the Church, and in the second and third
parts, the rules of faith, which were not observed by the heretical ministers.
The primacy of St. Peter is amply vindicated.
(2)
"Defense
of the Standard of the Cross", a demonstration of the virtue
1.
of
the True Cross;
2.
of
the Crucifix;
3.
of
the Sign of the Cross;
4.
an
explanation of the Veneration of the Cross.
(3)
"An
Introduction to the Devout Life", a work intended to lead
"Philothea", the soul living in the world, into the paths of
devotion, that is to say, of true and solid piety. Every one should strive to
become pious, and "it is an error, it is even a heresy", to hold that
piety is incompatible with any state of life. In the first part the author
helps the soul to free itself from all inclination to, or affection for, sin;
in the second, he teaches it how to be united to God by prayer and the
sacraments; in the third, he exercises it in the practice of virtue; in the
fourth, he strengthens it against temptation; in the fifth, he teaches it how
to form its resolutions and to persevere. The "Introduction", which
is a masterpiece of psychology, practical morality, and common sense, was
translated into nearly every language even in the lifetime of the author, and
it has since gone through innumerable editions.
(4)
"Treatise
on the Love of God", an authoritative work which reflects perfectly the
mind and heart of Francis de Sales as a great genius and a great saint. It
contains twelve books. The first four give us a history, or rather explain the
theory, of Divine love, its birth in the soul, its growth, its perfection, and
its decay and annihilation; the fifth book shows that this love is twofold -
the love of complacency and the love of benevolence; the sixth and seventh
treat of affective love, which is practised in prayer; the eight and ninth deal
with effective love, that is, conformity to the will of God, and submission to
His good pleasure. The last three resume what has preceded and teach how to
apply practically the lessons taught therein.
(5)
"Spiritual
Conferences"; familiar conversations on religious virtues addressed to the
sisters of the Visitation and collected by them. We find in them that practical
common sense, keenness of perception and delicacy of feeling which were
characteristic of the kind-hearted and energetic Saint.
(6)
"Sermons".
- These are divided into two classes: those composed previously to his
consecration as a bishop, and which he himself wrote out in full; and the
discourses he delivered when a bishop, of which, as a rule, only outlines and
synopses have been preserved. Some of the latter, however, were taken down in
extenso by his hearers. Pius IX, in his Bull proclaiming him Doctor of the
Church calls the Saint "The Master and Restorer of Sacred Eloquence".
He is one of those who at the beginning of the seventeenth century formed the
beautiful French language; he foreshadows and prepares the way for the great
sacred orators about to appear. He speaks simply, naturally, and from his
heart. To speak well we need only love well, was his maxim. His mind was imbued
with the Holy Writings, which he comments, and explains, and applies
practically with no less accuracy than grace.
(7)
"Letters",
mostly letters of direction, in which the minister of God effaces himself and
teaches the soul to listen to God, the only true director. The advice given is
suited to all the circumstances and necessities of life and to all persons of
good will. While trying to efface his own personality in these letters, the
saint makes himself known to us and unconsciously discovers to us the treasures
of his soul.
(8)
A
large number of very precious treatises or opuscula.
Migne (5 vols., quarto) and Vivès (12 vols., octavo, Paris) have edited the works of St. Francis de Sales. But the edition which we may call definitive was published at Annecy in 1892, by the English Benedictine, Dom Mackey: a work remarkable for its typographical execution, the brilliant criticism that settles the text, the large quantity of hitherto unedited matter, and the interesting study accompanying each volume. Dom Mackey published twelve volumes. Father Navatel, S.J., is continuing the work. We may give here a brief résumé of the spiritual teaching contained in these works, of which the Church has said: "The writings of Francis de Sales, filled with celestial doctrine are a bright light in the Church, pointing out to souls an easy and safe way to arrive at the perfection of a Christian life." (Breviarium Romanum, 29 January, lect. VI.)
There
are two elements in the spiritual life: first, a struggle against our lower
nature; secondly, union of our wills with God, in other words, penance and
love. St. Francis de Sales looks chiefly to love. Not that he neglects penance,
which is absolutely necessary, but he wishes it to be practised from a motive
of love. He requires mortification of the senses, but he relies first on mortification
of the mind, the will, and the heart. This interior mortification he requires
to be unceasing and always accompanied by love. The end to be realized is a
life of loving, simple, generous, and constant fidelity to the will of God,
which is nothing else than our present duty. The model proposed is Christ, whom
we must ever keep before our eyes. "You will study His countenance, and
perform your actions as He did" (Introd., 2nd part, ch. i). The practical
means of arriving at this perfection are: remembrance of the presence of God,
filial prayer, a right intention in all our actions, and frequent recourse to
God by pious and confiding ejaculations and interior aspirations.
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