Balance of the Spirit

Several hundred years ago a remarkable and gentle man we call St. Francis de Sales lived and acted as a Bishop and spiritual director for many people.  He lived in the 16 ^th and 17 ^th centuries.  He is not to be confused with St. Francis of Assisi who lived in the 13 ^th.  Both these saints were noted to be very gentle people and had a profound impact on the lives of many people.

St. Francis de Sales was the Bishop of Geneva in Switzerland. His approach to people was always gentle. He is said to have converted or reclaimed over 30,000 people in the Geneva area to the practice of the Catholic faith during his lifetime. He told his clergy not to criticize those who were of the reformed or Calvinist faith. They should simply explain what Catholics believe in a positive manner. His approach seemed to have worked well.

 St. Vincent de Paul was inspired and personally directed by St. Francis de Sales in supervising the “Visitation Sisters”.  Later on St. Vincent de Paul with Louise de Marillac founded a new community called the “ Daughters of Charity”.  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton used the “ Common Rules for the Daughters of Charity” to create her own order called the “Sisters of Charity”.  Directly or indirectly all these saints and religious communities, and their good works, were inspired by the teaching and example of St. Francis de Sales.   St. John Bosco , later in the 19 ^th century, named his religious order after St. Francis de Sales, which is why it is called the “ Salesians”.  They work in over 116 countries.  His influence lives on.

St. Francis de Sales also wrote a wonderful book called:  Introduction to the Devout Life .   This review of the spiritual life was in the format of letters to a lady asking questions, whom he called “Philothea”, a name which means a “lover of God.” He provided directions for our spiritual life and personal prayer, as well as the importance of the sacraments, and our love of God.

When looking at his teaching he begins by pointing out that people sometimes try to imitate spiritual practices that are not suited to their way of life.  He points out that busy Bishop cannot act like a Carthusian hermit and never speak to people. He points out that a cloistered nun should not be found wandering and socializing as though she were a matron of the community, nor could a wife and mother be always in church. He reminds us that a married man had to work and care for his children and wife and not to be unconcerned with practical matters.  St. Francis de Sales said that when such imbalances occur they were harmful to people.

He writes about three conditions that were to be considered when seeking a “balanced spiritual life”. Our vocation in life was the first condition.  We need to have a clear idea of our calling in life.  Are we to be married or single? Are we to be in the religious life or secular life? Our particular duties in life are the second condition to consider. What are we actually responsible to do with our time, our talents and our treasure? How to we serve the common good?  Our personal capabilities were the third condition of life to be considered in making our life balanced spiritually. We need to use prudence to assess our own abilities to determine what we can or should do in the service of God.  These three conditions of life are so important in maintaining a balanced spiritual life, and therefore in serving God and our neighbor.