This work is divided into seven chapters: The Life of Saint Francis
de Sales The Secret of Sanctity The Writer Doctrine Preaching
Correspondence and Direction Direction of Saint Jane Frances de
Chantal-Foundress of the Visitation "The revival of Paganism in
social manners, as well as in literature and sentiment, is the most
flagrant characteristic of the great century to the latter half of
which Francis of Sales belonged. But, by redeeming contrast, it was
no less a century prolific in Catholic sanctity, in great
foundations, in noble deeds, the period of a Christian Renascence,
of the Church's conquests and triumphs, as well as of her disasters
and losses. In the midst of the corrupt splendours of the Pagan
Renascence the light of purity and justice shone with undimmed
brilliance." Let us consider the secret of sanctity: "The
biographical study of such a life is incomplete without the
psychological study. The first gives an idea of effects, some
inkling of their cause; the second, full knowledge of that cause;
the two in combination, the life as it was. The moral beauty of our
study ought to make it an attractive one, and the practical lesson
it contains ought to make it instructive. But more than this, I
will frankly add that I think men, whose minds are not distorted by
prejudice and who can appreciate in others a nobility they are not
themselves devoid of, starting with nothing more than belief in
God's existence, will have to acknowledge that such a life
peremptorily demonstrates the divinity of the Christian religion, I
mean in its unmutilated Catholic fulness." "The "interior" life,
its conduct, are distinctive features of Christian morality. And
should we be asked what this life is, we would say first that it is
not the solitary, not the contemplative life. Indeed, our Saint
tells us that, necessary in the cloister where everything tends to
assist "recollection," it is of still greater necessity in the
world where everything tends to "dissipation." The interior life
consists mainly in two things the intention, i.e. the direction of
the will towards a fixed object, that object being in fact the goal
the life proposes to itself as final-the affections, in other
words, the sentiments on which the heart feeds and which leave
their mark on the actions they prompt." Let us consider this
observation on De Sales preaching: "MONSIEUR DE BOISY'S reproach to
his son that he preached too much will not be forgotten; and
Francis, both as a priest and a bishop, certainly was lavishly
generous with his sermons. On the ministry of the Word he set the
very highest value; and there is abundant proof that many souls
owed their conversion and sanctification to his sermons. His
glorious work in the Chablais was, it will be remembered, an
apostolate of the voice, for when he wrote and circulated his
"tracts," it was only as the best possible means, in the face of
determined resistance, of inducing the people to come and hear what
he had to say."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!