1. Name: NKULU NGOMBANDA MARC 11103T
2. TITLE OF THE BOOK: INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE
About the author of the spiritual classic:
Saint Francis de Sales was born in Savoy on the 21th August 1567. He was the son of Francois de Sales de Boisy and Francoise de Sionnaz. He was the eldest of six brothers and showed at his early age the inclination for the ecclesiastical state. At the age of 11 just after his tonsure he left to Paris/France for his philosophical and theological studies. In Paris he studied at the University of Padua and was honored with a doctorate in Canon Law and Civil Law. While his Father was planning and selected him in order to become one of the noblest heiresses of Savoy fur his future life, Francis expressed his desire to serve God in ecclesiastical life and he joined the priesthood. In the year 1594 he presented himself as volunteer to take upon him the mission of Chablais at that time where the Calvinist had obtained already the stronghold. He converted a good number of them through his preaching, his zeal, kindness and holiness until he went to stay at the chief town called Thonon.
2. TITLE OF THE BOOK: INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE
About the author of the spiritual classic:
Saint Francis de Sales was born in Savoy on the 21th August 1567. He was the son of Francois de Sales de Boisy and Francoise de Sionnaz. He was the eldest of six brothers and showed at his early age the inclination for the ecclesiastical state. At the age of 11 just after his tonsure he left to Paris/France for his philosophical and theological studies. In Paris he studied at the University of Padua and was honored with a doctorate in Canon Law and Civil Law. While his Father was planning and selected him in order to become one of the noblest heiresses of Savoy fur his future life, Francis expressed his desire to serve God in ecclesiastical life and he joined the priesthood. In the year 1594 he presented himself as volunteer to take upon him the mission of Chablais at that time where the Calvinist had obtained already the stronghold. He converted a good number of them through his preaching, his zeal, kindness and holiness until he went to stay at the chief town called Thonon.
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| We are called to holiness |
At his return to Paris he
preached the Lenten retreat by the
demand of the King which was very well given and the king wanted to keep him in
France so that he will be teaching to other souls the way they should live and
behave in this world and how to have confidence to the Lord. He worked as Coadjutor to the Bishop of
Geneva, whom he succeeded as bishop in the Year 1602. In 1610 he founded a
congregation known as the Order of the visitation with the help of Baroness de
Chantal. He had time to write a book that has made him great for centuries
called “Devout Life” which is going to be our main book on writing this work.
He really showed a “Pastoral Zeal for the sanctification of laity and the
adaptation of the religious life to the new needs, that marks a turning point
in the history of spirituality. He died in 1622 with the word Jesus on his lips and was canonized in
1665.”[1]
His feasted is celebrated on 24th January.
Paragraph
on my motivation: I have decided
to chose this book because of the conviction that I have that we are all call
to a holiness of life. And for us to be holy we need to have a complete love of
God and an absolute confidence in Him. So, Saint Francis de Sales presents to
the “diversity of men and women ways and means to attain holiness of life that
are perfectly adapted to their varying conditions of life.”[2] Great Saints as well as lesser souls have
learned from this book…
[1] H. Hoever,Lives of the Saints, 45.
[2] J. Ryan, Editor’s Introduction
to the Devout Life
What is Devotion?
Reflection
The Introduction to the Devout Life
is one of the books that made St. Francis great. The audience to which St.
Francis addresses this book is very wide, not only to the Catholics around the
world but to all humanity because it answers some of the fundamental questions
of human existence. This instructs all those who are in towns, families or even
at court. This book leads everybody who reads it to the practical ways of
attaining a devout life without renouncing the world. He writes: “a vigorous
and resolute Soul may live in the world without being infected by any of its
moods.”[1]
St. Francis also gives prayers and meditations as ways to strengthen devotion
in the face of temptation and hardship. The central focus of Saint Francis in
this book is to show us that Devout life is not to run away from the world but
to be in the world without losing focus in Christ, being in the world and
living a holy life. Many passages point to Philothea which signifies, “a soul
loving, or in love with God.”[2]
Summary and Reflection
What is Devotion?
Saint Francis defines devotion as:
“the delight of delights and queen of the virtues since it is the perfection of
charity. If charity is milk, devotion is its cream; if it is a plant, devotion
is its flowers; if it is a precious stone, devotion is its luster; if it is a rich balm,
devotion is its odor; yes the odor sweetness, which comforts men and rejoices
angels.”[1] According to St. Francis, the world sees
devout people, “fast, pray, suffer injuries serve the sick, give alms to the poor,
watch over themselves…without discerning the interior and heartfelt devotion
that renders all these actions agreeable, sweet and easy.”[2] Therefore, the true picture of Devout life is
seen in Jacob’s ladder but prayer calls done God’s love and sacraments confer
it. True devotion gives perfection to all things, that is why it will be as St.
Francis says, “an error, or rather a heresy to try to banish the devout life
from the regiment of soldiers, the shop of the mechanic, the court of princes,
or the home of married folk.”[3] From
the devout life to be affective, we need to purify our souls and this
purification comes little by little and by moving from one degree to another
with labor and patience. Our perfections consist in fighting our imperfections
or venial sins. The way to come out of our mortal sins is the holy sacraments
of penance which calls to seek for a good confessor. Sins remove God’s grace in
us. And general confession calls us to the knowledge of ourselves. Whoever
desires a devout life must cleanse his/her heart from all affection for sin. He
gives us 10 meditations in order to obtain the perfect contrition.
[1]
J.
K. Ryan, St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout
Life, 43.
[2]
Cf. J. K. Ryan, St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, 37.
[3]
J.
K. Ryan, St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the
Devout Life, 40.
Introduction The
“Introduction to the Devout Life” is
one of the books that made St. Francis great. The audience to which St. Francis
addresses this book is very wide, not only to the Catholics around the world
but also to all humanity because it answers some of the fundamental questions
of human existence. It instructs all those who are in towns, families or even
at court how to live a holy life. This book leads everybody who reads it to the
practical ways of attaining a devout life without renouncing the world. He
writes, “a vigorous and resolute Soul may live in the world without being
infected by any of its moods.”[1]
St. Francis also gives prayers and meditations as ways to strengthen devotion
in the face of temptation and hardship. The central focus of Saint Francis in
this book is to show us that Devout life is not to run away from the world but
to be in the world without losing focus in Christ, being in the world and
living a holy life. Many passages point to Philothea which signifies, “a soul
loving, or in love with God.”[2]
1.
The Description of the True Devotion Francis
defines devotion as “the delight of delights and queen of the virtues since it
is the perfection of charity. If charity is milk, devotion is its cream; if it
is a plant, devotion is its flowers; if it is a precious stone, devotion is its luster; if it is a rich balm,
devotion is its odor; yes the odor sweetness, which comforts men and rejoices
angels.”[3]
According to St. Francis, the world sees devout people, “fast, pray, suffer
injuries serve the sick, give alms to the poor, watch over themselves…without
discerning the interior and heartfelt devotion that renders all these actions
agreeable, sweet and easy.”[4] Therefore, the true picture of Devout life is
seen in Jacob’s ladder but prayer calls on God’s love and sacraments confer it.
True devotion gives perfection to all things, that is why it will be as St.
Francis says, “it is an error, or rather a heresy to try to banish the devout
life from the regiment of soldiers, the shop of the mechanic, the court of
princes, or the home of married folk.”[5] From
the devout life to be affective, we need to purify our souls and this
purification comes little by little and by moving from one degree to another
with labor and patience. Our perfections consist in fighting our imperfections
or venial sins. The way to come out of our mortal sins is through the holy
sacraments of penance which calls to seek for a good confessor. Sins remove
God’s grace in us. And general confession calls us to the knowledge of
ourselves. Whoever desires a devout life must cleanse his/her heart from all affection
for sin. He gives us ten meditations in order to obtain the perfect contrition.
2.
Of the Necessity of Prayer Prayer
is very important and is a means that leads our will to heavenly love. Among
others, Francis recommends the mental prayer, prayer of the heart specially the
one concerned with Jesus’ passion. Take one hour a day when your mind is not
disturbed to pray. Every prayer starts by a short time that prepares you to
enter into the presence of God. The rosary is a model of prayer and a useful
one. While praying, if you feel a need for a mental prayer, stop the vocal and
pray the mental. Preparation consists in placing yourself in the presence of
God and to invoke His assistance. That
calls for four principal means which make you able to use in the beginning. The
second step is the invocation where one is called to use some short, burning
words, such as those of David, “Cast me not, O God, away from Thy face; and
take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.”[6]
Then comes the third step, that of calling the composition of place and other
interior lessons. After the above, then comes the part on meditation, the act
of understanding. It consists in “rising up our affections to God and heavenly
things.”[7]
Lastly, we must conclude the meditation by forming three acts: thanksgiving,
act of offering and the act of supplication.[8]
After the meditation, you need to remember and practice the resolutions and
decisions you made on that day. Silence is required throughout this process of
meditation, besides of which are added five other prayers: Morning Prayer, Evening
Prayer and Examination of Conscience, Spiritual Recollection, ejaculatory
prayers and good thoughts.
On the Most Holy Mass, St. Francis
says that, “when prayer is united to this divine Sacrifice, it becomes so
unspeakably efficacious as to cause the soul to flow with heavenly delights,
leaning upon her beloved.”[9] To this he adds that you should assist at
Holy Mass every day, that you may jointly with the priest offer up the
Sacrifice of your Redeemer to God, His Father, for yourself and for the whole
Church.”
3.
Of the Choice We Ought to Make As to the Exercise of Virtue Virtues
being very important for human beings are of different types like general
virtues and particular virtues. But according to St. Francis, it is good to
make a choice between the most conformable and the most agreeable; He
writes: “in the exercise of the virtues
we should always prefer that which is most conformable to our duty, not that
which is most agreeable to our tastes.”[10] This
practice of particular virtue is meant for every condition of love but they are
never equal. Therefore everyone is called to practice in a very particular
manner the virtues required by the state of life to which he is called:
prelate, soldier, married woman, widows, etc. St. Francis acknowledges also
certain virtues greatly esteemed and preferred by general run of men by the
fact that they are near at hand and apparent to our senses; but does not
encourage them to be practiced. He says, “many prefer corporal alms before
spiritual; the hair shirt, fasting, going barefoot, using the discipline, and
other such corporal mortifications, before meekness, mildness, modesty, and
other mortifications of the heart, which are, nevertheless, more exalted.”[11]
The best choice according to him is the one of the best virtues, “choose then,
Philothea, the best virtues, not the most esteemed, the most noble, not the
most apparent; those that are actually the best, not those that make the most
show.”[12]
4.
That We Must Disregard the Censures of Worldly People In
this third Part of the Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis tells us
that the world is always jealous of those involved in a devout life and it
looks at those in Devout life as hypocrites. But that is not a reason to give
up because we are in the world but not of the world. Therefore we are called to
be courageous people, we also need a little patience in front of the
disturbances of the world, and because they are desolations they are there for
a short time.[13]
St. Francis gave three steps in the descent into iniquity: temptation, delight,
and consent. Temptations involve us in sin by the fact that we allow them
ourselves. Against great temptations of life, he proposes that we should react
like children do when they see a wolf or a bear in the country, “they
immediately run to the arms of their father or mother, or at least they call
out to them for help and assistance.”[14]
The same applies to us so that we too should be turning to God and implore His
help. St. Francis called it the remedy that our Lord has taught: pray that you
do not enter into temptations…As long as the soul says no as girls do, it
cannot sin.[15]
Wining over small temptations is like wining the great since the small exceed
in quantity; so it is not easy to refrain glances of eyes. The best defense
given by St. Francis to the small temptations is not to give much trouble about
them. Anxiety and Sadness are enemies of the soul. The enemy makes use of
sadness to practice temptations on the just. Sharing the cause of your anxiety
and being open in sharing to your Spiritual Director or Confessor all your
feelings, affections, and suggestions that proceed from your sadness is a way
to deal with them. In
times of Spiritual dryness and sterility St. Francis called to an examination
of the sources from which the evil has come; often we are the cause of them. We
need to be humble because, “God withholds consolations from us when we take a
vain complacency in them and are subject to worms of presumption.”[16]
In front of the way that the world looks and treats us, we cannot be separated
from God but to turn ourselves to Him who is “the love, the creator, savior and
the only one sovereign good… whether we die, says the apostle, if we are of
God, who shall separate us from the love and charity of God?”[17]
5.
That We Ought Every Year to Renew Our Good Resolutions by the Following
Exercises In
order to keep up the Devout Life, one is called at least once a year to review
or examine his affections and passions so that he or she can be able to repair
all the defects that may be there. Then he or she is called to anoint it with
the sacraments of confession and the Holy Eucharist. According to St. Francis,
“this exercise will recruit your strength, which has been impaired by time,
enkindle your heart, reanimate your good resolutions, and make the virtues of
your soul flourish with fresh vigor.”[18]
This is ought to be done at evening and soon you go to bed to rest the body and
mind which is very important for the reflection. To begin your examination in a very proper
manner, St. Francis tells us that one needs to place himself or herself in the
presence of God; then invokes the Holy Spirit, and not be cast down or grow
cold from discouragement or despondency of any sort. Among the examinations
process we have : 1.the examination of State of our Soul toward God (Pg.272);
2. Of our State with Regard to ourselves (Pg.274); 3. Of our State of our Soul
toward our Neighbour (Pg.275), and of the Affections of our soul (Pg.275). After
these examinations, what we are called to do is that: Affections to be formed after this
Examination (Pg.276), and Considerations Proper for Renewing our God
Resolutions (Pg.277). This last is done in five ways:1.On the Excellence of our
Soul (Pg.277); 2. On the Excellence of Virtue (Pg.279); 3. On the example of
the Saints (Pg.279); 4. On the Love that Jesus Christ bears us; and 5. On the
Eternal love of God for us. Finally,
the very important are the three last and principal counsels for this
Introduction to the Devout Life. It requires that, on the first day of every
month repeat after your meditation the protestation inserted in the first part.
(Pg.285); Confess openly that you desire to be devout (Pg.286), Continue and
persevere in this blessed enterprise of devout life.
6.
My Personal Reflection on the book After
reading this book of St. Francis de Sales entitled, “Introduction to the Devout Life”, I have come to know that Devout
Life is a journey full of challenges that come from the world. It has been so
in the past and it is still the same in our days. But challenges cannot remove
in us the desire to love God because all of us are called to the fulfillment of
life which can be found only in the love for our Creator. Devout Life is also a
life of choice; it is a choice that brings one to the fulfillment; not the one
that turns you away from the love of God. Therefore, everybody is called to a
Devout Life no matter the race, sex, class, life style. Why this? It is because
everyone should aspire to a live of perfection, to a holiness of life. The
Church through Vatican II has put it as a central point in her teaching that
all of us are called to this holiness (Cf. Lumen
Gentium, # 39). In the midst of our
differences of race, religion, sex, class, etc, we need to know that loving God
is a natural desire that is found in all peoples. Jesus Christ himself our
master and Lord teaches us to reflect what our God is: “so be perfect, just as
your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mat.5:48). Conclusion
To
sum up, The “Introduction to the Devout
Life” as we have presented, is a
guideline for all of us who are seeking for a holiness of life. As long as we
follow and practice what St. Francis calls us to do, our lives will have a
solid foundation. And for it to be effective we need to keep on praying, going
for confession, spiritual direction and loving God, our Father in order to
reflect what He is, i.e., holy. Difficulties and the spirit of the world should
not mislead us but we need to be focused in Jesus our model of life.
[4]Cf. J. K. Ryan, St.
Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, 37.
[8]Cf. J. K. Ryan, St.
Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, 85.
[13]Cf. J. K. Ryan, St.
Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, 232.
[15]Cf. J. K. Ryan, St.
Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life,241.
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