St. Frances De Sales

Decade St. Francis De Sales

Francis was born on 21 August 1567 in the family castle of Sales, in modern day France, and became a priest despite the objections of his father. God 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!

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) St. Frances lived his maxims. He was known for being so charming 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 anger spells when confronted by irritating people. His affability was the result of his willing joyfulness over grouchiness.  Today, become a saint by making a concrete resolution to work on that one virtue that counteracts your greatest fault.