For St. Francis De Sales, the soul belongs to no one but God. Only in God can humanity truly experience happiness. Reading his spiritual work Introduction to the Devout Life gives witness to the immeasurable value and dignity of every person. Spiritual devotion for de Sales is simply the true love of God that is possible for a person in any vocation. Beyond all his spiritually devout contributions to Catholicism, De Sales illumined how longing and living for God above all leads to true joy and fulfillment. Prayer of Dedication to the Lord – St. Francis De Sales Lord, I am yours, and I must belong to no one but you. My soul is yours, and must live only by you. My will is yours, and must love only for you. I must love you as my first cause, since I am from you. I must love you as my…
“Your Way of Acting Should be Different than the World’s Way” – Rule of St. Benedict Without the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, the “man of holy life, Benedict by name, and the benediction of God upon him” would have remained hidden to the world. St. Benedict would have no issue with this outcome. For three years he lived in solitude in an obscure cave, embracing the ascetic life as a hermit on Mt. Subiaco. It is only after he is discovered that St. Benedict must re-enter the world as a living spiritual compass pointing to Christ. While no net is wide enough to capture his contributions to Catholic spirituality, the ensuing highlights key areas of influence. Fear, uncertainty and great suffering surrounded the life of St. Benedict in ways not unlike the world today. He devoted his life entirely to God, teaching followers…
St. Francis of Assisi – Conformed in the Body and Image of Christ. Reflecting on the life of “Francesco,” the acclamation “another Christ” among the greatest saints is attributed to him with reverence after Blessed Mary. It is St. Francis who first receives Christ’s stigmata so that his lowly body would conform to Christ’s glorious body (Phil 3:21). That which follows highlights the ways in which St. Francis is esteemed as the most beloved reflection of Christ the world has ever known. In his younger years, St. Francis experienced the many comforts that come to a prominent family managing a successful business. Even so, the wealth that lay waiting for him did not have the same life changing impact as the Gospel of St. Matthew. The message “Do not get any gold to take with you in your belts” dramatically drew Saint Francis into a life of…
It is to the young Virgin Mary that the Holy Trinity comes first. In the Annunciation, she consents to partake in the salvific mission of the sent Son of God. The angel’s message is presented to Mary not as a command, but an invitational call to become the vessel of redemption. Hence, the following explicates how Mary’s holy state of life conforms to the life of her Son. The freedom divinely given to all humanity was exercised by Mary’s fiat “May it be done to me according to thy word.” Upon understanding what the angel reveals, her words of offered obedience perfectly image those of her Son to the Father “Your will be done” (Lk 22:42). Thus, Mary takes her stand as the first paradigmatic Christian conformed to the life of Christ, and through Him, enters into the life of the Blessed Trinity. Never…
Advent marks the time in the Church liturgical calendar to spiritually prepare for the coming of Christ The Light who is the Redeemer breaks into a darkened world. St. John tells us “He was in the world and the world came into being through Him; yet the world did not know Him (Jn 1:10). There has never been a time when Christ was not in the world. As He is one and the same with God the Father, Christ has been drawing humanity to Himself since before the dawn of creation. Never has there been a time when Christ is not, or a time before He was not. Christ is eternal – God from God – Light from Light, True God and True Man – through whom all things were made. Hence, the sent Son of God was in the world before he became Incarnate of the Virgin Mary…
