St. Francis De Sales, pray for us!

Today, January 24th, is the feast day of St. Francis De Sales (+1622), a bishop and doctor of the Church. He is noted especially for his spiritual classic Introduction to the Devout Life. [see bottom of post for an on-line link to this classic work]. This would be an excellent book for anyone who would like to begin the practice of spiritual reading... and exploring the incredible treasure of the Catholic mystical/spritual tradition.

The following is a meditation from St. Francis published in the daily devotional/missal Magnificat (www.magnificat.com)

Cultivating the Hundredfold

It is a good thing to aim in a general way at the greatest perfection of Christian life but we should not philosophize about it in detail, unless to consider how we may amend ourselves and advance in the course of the ordinary, everyday happenings of our life; and from one day to the next we should entrust our general wish for perfection to God's providence; and as we look to him for this, we should cast ourselves into God's arms like a little child who in order to grow, simply eats what its father provides day by day, hoping that he will provide according to its appetite and need...

What more can one say to a soul which God has for so long drawn to complete repose in him and in his providence except just this: stay where you are, giving yourself up completely to the will of him who deigns to take care of you. Your only care should be to please him by depending utterly on his love and trusting him... Do this generously, cheerfully, and sweetly and you will find God's graces abounding in you... Ever be joyful with that peaceful and devout joy which is grounded in love of your own abjection, and cultivate a calm and peaceful humility of heart, accepting all sorts of suffering and abjection, not deeming yourself worthy of anything else.

More information on the life of St. Francis De Sales:

http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/
19990101/SAINTS/stfrancis.htm


http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=51


http://www.catholic-forum.com/Saints/saintf03.htm

Read Introduction to the Devout Life on-line [of course, it is easily found at Amazon or most Christian bookstores]:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.html