Philothea

St. Francis de Sales' Philothea; or An Introduction to the Devout Life (1609) is a manual for holy living. This summer, a group of twenty women and I joined weekly via Zoom to discuss St. Francis de Sales' classic of Christian Catholic literature. I learned so much about this saint / doctor of the Church and his prescriptions for habits of devout life. I am blessed by the beautiful women who read this book with me during this strange summer of 2020.

Here are some highlights:

"Devotion is spiritual agility and vivacity, by means of which charity works in us, or we in her, with love and readiness; and as charity leads us to obey and fulfill all God's commandments, so devotion leads us to obey them with promptitude and diligence" (4).

"The world [does] calumniate holy devotion, representing devout persons with a gloomy, sad, and irritable countenance, and pretending that religion creates melancholy and unsocial men; but...the Holy Spirit, speaking by all the Saints, and our blessed Lord Himself assure us that a devout life is a lovely, a pleasant, and a happy life.     The world sees only how the devout fast, pray, and bear reproach; now they nurse the sick, give alms to the poor, restrain their temper, repress and extinguish their passions, refrain from sensual delights, and perform similar actions which in themselves, and taken alone, are hard and painful. But the world does not see the internal, hearty devotion which renders all such actions easy, pleasant, and grateful" (6).

"True devotion hinders no one, but rather it perfects everything, and whenever it is out of keeping with any person's legitimate vocation, it must be spurious... True devotion...not only hinders no duty or vocation, but on the contrary it adorns and purifies them" (10).

"Ordinary purification and healing, whether of body or soul, are accomplished by little and little, progressing slowly and often hardly at all... We may compare a soul rising from sin to holiness to the dawn which, as it rises, does not at once dispute darkness, but advances gradually. It is an old saying, that a slow cure is a certain cure... We must be patient and courageous" (14-15).

"The discipline of purification can and must cease only with our life, therefore be not discouraged by infirmities; our perfection consists in struggling against them, which we cannot do unless we perceive them, neither can we conquer unless we come into collision with them. Victory does not lie in ignoring our infirmities, but in resisting them.    Therefore being grieved by them is not consenting to them---our humility is at times tested by the wounds which we receive in this spiritual combat, but we are never conquered unless we lose our courage or our life. And our spiritual life can be extinguished only by moral sins---not by imperfections or venial sins---therefore we have the more need to watch that these do not destroy our courage" (15).

"Prayer brings our mind into the brightness of divine light, and exposes our will to the warmth of divine love. Nothing else can so purge our mind from its ignorance, and our will from its depraved affections. It is a blessed fountain which, as it flows, revives our good desires and causes them to bring forth fruit, washes away the stains of infirmity from our soul, and calms the passions of our hearts" (61).

"You must accustom yourself to go from prayer to whatever occupations may be involved by your station or profession, even thought they may seem far distant from the feelings excited in you by that prayer. Thus the lawyer must go from prayer to his pleadings, the merchant to his trade, the wife to her conjugal and household duties, with perfect calm and tranquility; for since these duties as well as that of prayer are imposed on us by God, we must pass from one to the other in a devout and humble spirit" (76).

"Although you might perform equally pious exercises by yourself, and perhaps with more self-gratification, yet God is more glorified by our being united to our friends and neighbors" (95).

"Having consented [to a devout life], be diligent to procure the fruits in good works, which are the crowning point of virtue; for consent in the heart producing no outward results is like a vine that bears no fruit. Your morning exercise well performed will greatly promote this, inasmuch as it leads you not only to general, but to specific, good actions" (103).

"Our aim is to become good, devout, pious men and women, and to that end we must labor; then if it should please God to give us angelic perfections, we should, doubtless, be good angels, but, meanwhile, let us simply, humbly, and devoutly practice those lowly virtues, the acquisition of which has been appointed by our Savior as our daily task, such as patience, cheerfulness, a mortified heart, humility, obedience, poverty, chastity, kindness toward our neighbor, forbearance towards his faults, diligence, and holy fervor. Let us cheerfully leave preeminent graces to preeminent souls; we do not deserve so high a post in God's service, too happy if we can obtain the humblest office in His household, whence He in His own good time, if He sees fit, will bid us, come up higher" (123).

"Do not complain of the injuries done to you more than you can help, for undoubtedly, as a general thing he who complains, errs; inasmuch as our self-love always magnifies our injuries; but above all, do not make your complaints to those who are easily excited to anger and ready to think ill of others. If it is necessary to complain at all, either for redress, or in order to relieve your own mind, let it be to some one of a peaceable disposition who truly loves God; for others, instead of soothing you, will only excite you still more: instead of extracting the thorn from your foot, they will but drive it in the deeper" (126).

"In order to know whether a man is really wise, learned, generous, and noble, observe whether his gifts make him humble, modest, and submissive. If so they are genuine, but if they float to the surface and would fain display themselves, be sure that in proportion as they make a show, so are they less worthy" (129).

"The desire and pursuit of virtue tend to render us virtuous, but the desire and pursuit of honors tend to make us odious and despicable. A really great mind will not waste itself on such empty goods as rank, honor, and form. It has higher pursuits, and leaves these for the weak and vain" (130).

"If any despise you, or count you as foolish and contemptible on account of those actions which proceed from a true and hearty devotion, humility will teach you to take pleasure in such honorable contempt, the cause of which is not really in you but in those that reproach you" (135).

"Philothea, would I lead you, and bid you in everything to welcome your own abasement. And if you ask what I mean, I answer that the word in Latin means humility, and humility abasement; so that when the Blessed Virgin says in her song of thanksgiving, that because the Lord has regarded her humility, therefore all generations shall call her blessed, she means that God has looked favorably upon her abasement, her poverty and lowliness, in order to crown her with favors and graces. Yet there is a difference between the virtue of humility and abasement, for the latter is that littleness, meanness, and imperfection which is in us, although we think not of it, but humility consists in really knowing and freely acknowledging our abasement. Now the perfection of this humility is not only to known and acknowledge it, but to take pleasure and delight therein, and that not from lack of spirit or energy, but the more to exalt God's Majesty and to esteem our neighbors better than ourselves" (136).

"We must not be over-eager or over-careful concerning [our reputation], for those who are so very sensitive about their reputation are like people who are always taking medicine for every trifling indisposition: they intend to preserve their health, whilst really they ruin it; and those who are so delicate about their reputation, lose it altogether, for this excessive sensitiveness makes them uneasy, touchy, and insupportable as others, provoking the malice of slanderers" (141).

"As a general thing, self-control and contempt for calumny and evil reports are more successful remedies than resentment, disputes, and revenge" (141).

"It is a great advantage to associate with the truly devout. At all times let simplicity, candor, gentleness, and modesty prevail in your conversation" (195).

"I would have my spiritual children always suitable attired, but without show or affection. Theirs should be the incorruptible ornament of a meek and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4)" (198).

"A spirit of mockery is one of the worst imperfections of the mind, and displeases God greatly, so that He has often punished it most severely. Nothing is more hurtful to charity, and still more to devotion, than contempt and derision of our neighbor, and such is inevitably found in mockery. For this reason it has been said that such mockery is the greatest insult a man can offer his neighbor, inasmuch as in other offenses he does not altogether cease to respect the person whom he offends, but in this he despises and condemns him" (202).

"So should we always judge as favorably as possible of our neighbor, and if an action bears a hundred interpretations, we must adopt only the worthiest.    The just man, when he can find no excuse for the action or intention of one whom hitherto he has esteemed, still refuses to condemn him, but rather leaves the judgment to God" (205).

"We can never stand well with the world except by coming to an open breach with it; to satisfy it is impossible, it is too exacting" (250).

"St. Paul says, 'charity is kind,' the world is ill-natured. Charity 'thinketh no evil,' but the world always thinks evil; and if it cannot find fault with our actions, it will attack our motives.    Whatever we do, the world will find fault; if we spend a long time at Confession, it will ask what we can have to say. If we take but a short time, it will say that we do not tell everything; it will spy out all we do, and from one little hasty word it will pronounce our tempter unbearable; it will denounce our prudence as avarice, our gentleness as folly; but as to the children of the world their passions will pass as the fruit of a generous spirit, their avarice as forethought, their lusts as honorable.    Never heed this blind world, then; let it cry out as it will, like a bat that would disturb the birds of day. Let us be firm in our plans, unchanging in our resolutions; perseverance will show whether we are in earnest in offering ourselves to God and leading a devout life... So hypocrisy and true virtue have a considerable external resemblance, but they are easily distinguished, since hypocrisy does not endure, but soon vanishes like a rising smoke, whilst true virtue abides firm and constant. There is no small advantage to the confirmation of our rising devotion, in encountering opprobrium and calumny; for by their means we are saved from the dangers of pride and vanity... We are crucified to the world, and the world should be crucified to us. It counts us as fools, let us count its votaries as madmen" (251).

"If our emotions, tender inspirations, and consolations make us more humble, patient, forbearing, charitable, and compassionate towards our neighbor, more earnest in mortifying our evil inclinations and lusts, more persevering in devout exercise, more docile and pliable towards those whom we are bound to obey; then, doubtless, they come from God. But if such sweetness do not make us sweet, if they make us reckless, irritable, punctilious, impatient, obstinate, proud, presumptuous, harsh towards our neighbors, and if, counting ourselves as already holy, we are unwilling to submit to direction and correction---doubtless such as these are false and pernicious consolations. A good tree will bring forth good fruit" (281).

"It is a great mistake...to imagine that a tasteless, emotionless, cold service is less acceptable to God; since our actions are like the rose, which is more pleasing when it is fresh, but has a more powerful scent when it is dry. So although those works which we perform with a kindled heart are more agreeable to us, who consider only our own gratification, yet, if they are performed amidst drought and barrenness, they are more costly and fragrant unto God" (287-88).

"It is the same as regards all other good works, for the more reluctance we feel towards their performance (be it external or internal), so much the more precious and estimable are they in the sigh of God. The less self-interest we have in the pursuit of virtue, the greater therein will be the purity and brightness of divine love" (288).

"Our merciful God and our great enemy have opposite aims; for y these trials God would lead us to get purity of heart, to entire renunciation of our own interest where His service is concerned, and to a perfect setting aside of self. Satan would convert them rather into occasions of discouragement, to make us fall back upon sensual delights, as also to make us wearisome to ourselves and to others, thereby to decry and disgrace the flame of holy devotion" (291).

"Promise, likewise, that, if as you anticipate, you find that you have advanced but little, or rather have gone backwards, that you will not therefore be disheartened or grow cold through discouragement or slackening of heart, but that, on the contrary, you will take fresh courage and life, humble yourself and correct your faults by the help of God's grace.     Then calm and quietly examine how you have conducted yourself towards God, your neighbor, and yourself, up to the present hour" (301).

"What is the state of your heart as regards God Himself? Does it delight in remembering Him? Does it draw thence a soothing pleasure?...Do you feel within your heart a readiness to love Him, and a taste to rejoice in that love? Does your heart seek repose in reflecting upon the immensity, the goodness, the sweetness of God? If amidst the occupations or vanities of the world the remembrance of God comes over you, does it find room in your heart? Does it seize upon you? Does your heart turn gladly towards it, and as it were go to meet it?" (303).

"Make open profession of your desire to be devout. I do not say to be devout, but of desiring to be so; and never be ashamed of the ordinary and necessary actions which conduct us towards the love of God" (325).

"Finally, Philothea, I beseech you in the name of all that is sacred in Heaven and earth, by the Baptism which you received, by the tender Heart with which Jesus loves you" (326).