SPIRITUALITY OF THE HEART

I. Introduction

In the early Church, martyrdom was highly prized. It was the ultimate gift of self to God. After Christianity was legalized in 313 A.D., the Church began to lose its prophetic character as it became more secularized and worldly. Some Christians, seeking the radicalism and total self-sacrifice of the age of the martyrs, fled to the desert where they remained with God in silence and solitude at the very edge of civilization. At first, they were hermits finding the Lord in isolation from other people. Later several banded together and lived a communal life as monks in a monastery. The lifestyle of this desert spirituality and later of monasticism and even of the mendicant orders was austere -- rough clothing, meager quantities of simple, unseasoned foods, little sleep, plus corporal penances and other acts of mortification -- all this was aimed at keeping the body subjected to one's spiritual nature. An impossible lifestyle for anyone not motivated by a desire for total surrender to God and, even more importantly, blessed with robust physical health!

This was the situation until the beginning of the seventeenth century when Francis de Sales found himself the director of people intent on living a more Christ-centered life. Most of them were men and women called to serve God amid the bustle of the world, like Madame de Charmoisy whose notes from Francis became the first draft of the Introduction to the Devout Life. Francis directed some into specific religious orders, like Mademoiselle de Soulfour who entered the Carmel in Paris. But others, like Jeanne Charlotte de Brechard who definitely had a religious vocation, lacked either the health or the desire for the rigorous lifestyle practiced then in religious orders. For such women, Francis was inspired to offer a different but nonetheless authentic religious lifestyle. In the Constitutions of the Visitation Sisters, Francis wrote, "It often happens that girls and women with a true vocation want to enter religious life, but either because of their health or their age, or simply because they are not drawn to austerities and external rigor, find that they cannot enter orders where considerable physical penance is the rule...And so that souls of this kind should in future find some assured retreat in this part of the country, our Congregation has been designed in such a way that no great rigor should prevent those who are not strong and robust from joining it and pursuing the perfection of divine love."

Some people were very critical of these "relaxations" of the austerities customary in religious orders at that time. In his life of Jane de Chantal, Bougaud wrote that these critics ridiculed Francis for his discovery of a way to heaven by a road of thornless roses. Others called the new Institute the 'Confraternity of the Descent from the Cross,' because, as they said, the religious, by flying from sufferings, had taken Jesus Christ down from the Cross." Yet nothing could have been further from the truth. Although the sisters did not practice severe bodily austerities, their interior self-discipline was to be total. In the Interior Spirit Jane de Chantal says, " A Visitation nun should consider herself as established on Mount Calvary for the service of Jesus Christ Crucified. She will discipline her senses, passions, inclinations, aversions and humors; so that her heart no longer will have any impulses except those that tend to unite her intimately to Jesus Christ. In a similar vein Francis said that the hands of the sisters are occupied only in gathering the little virtues of humility, meekness and simplicity which grow at the foot of the cross, and are watered with the blood of their Beloved, who is fastened to their hearts as on His Cross. Each sister was to live by dying and to die by living; she was to use her whole being only for God's service and glory. So you see that Francis replaced severe bodily austerities with an interior stripping of self. 

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us to pray, fast and give alms, not in the sight of people who will reward us with praise, but in secret so that our heavenly Father who sees in secret will be the one to reward us. Our heavenly Father knows when we have refused to give the harsh reply or whatever trifle it was we did today to serve Jesus in our neighbor. There is a story about a preacher who was an unusual person. People trembled when they saw him. He never laughed and was tenacious in his ascetical practices. He was known to fast frequently and to wear scanty clothing in the winter. One day he confided to the Master a secret pain: "I have lived a life of abnegation and been faithful to the precepts of my religion. But there's something that eludes me, and I cannot find out what. Can you help me?" The Master looked at him and saw how hard and rigid he was. Softly he said, "Yes, you have no soul." 

What a sad story! Where was the Good News in the preacher's life? In this article, soul will be synonymous with heart. We will be discussing the spirituality of the heart which is the way to holiness offered by Francis to all his directees. The Desert Fathers and many monastics assumed that by taming their bodies with exterior mortifications they would put on Christ; this became their path to holiness. Francis, on the other hand, believed that a well-disciplined interior would be manifest in a person's exterior actions, so for him, changing one's heart is the way to holiness.

In the Introduction to a Devout Life Francis begins the chapter on exterior mortification by saying, "I never could approve the methods of those who try to reform someone by beginning with the person's exterior -- dress, hair, posture, etc. On the contrary, it seems to me we ought to begin with the interior. "Be converted to Me with your whole heart;" (Jl 2:22). God tells us and then adds, "My child, give me your heart." (Prv 23:26). Many consider the heart as the source of our actions. Therefore we can say: as the heart is, so will be the actions. Those who have Jesus in their hearts will soon have Him in all their outward ways. That is why I give you the motto, "Live Jesus!" As our beloved Jesus lives in your heart, so too will He live in your conduct and He will be revealed by your eyes, mouth, hands and everything. With St. Paul you will be able to say, 'It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.'" (Gal 2:20) Why is it so important to win over the heart? It is time for a short philosophical digression.

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II. Qualities of the Human Heart

People at the time of Francis believed that the heart is the center of one's being and the seat of the faculties, especially of the intellect and will. It follows then, that the heart is the seat and source of love because love is a function of the will. So if the heart is focused on the good, then the love which resides there will be good as well. Choice is also an act of the will; therefore, the heart is the center for decision-making and the source of any actions which may follow. For example, in Mt 15:18, Jesus says, "What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this may defile a person. For out of the heart may come evil thoughts"...and deeds. So the goodness or evil of one's actions depends upon the choices of the heart. End of digression.

A few minutes ago, I reminded all of us that in Joel, God said, Return to me with all your heart. Why? Because the heart is the place of encounter with God. In Jeremiah God says "This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel...I will place my Law within them, and write it upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Yes, we shall find God and know His will if we listen to our hearts. We need to allow our hearts to be transformed gradually into God's will for us; then we will love only what He loves and will only what He wills. Francis wrote two major works, one was addressed to Philothea, the God-loving person, i.e., anyone who desires to be devout, and the other to Theotimus, the God-fearing person, i.e., anyone who desires to make progress in holy love. For both types, the way to holiness begins in the person's interior, the heart.

Now our hearts need to be enlightened and guided by reason. For reason alone makes us human and gives us the ability to think and choose and to direct our instincts, emotions and passions toward the end proper for human beings. This process is slow, difficult and never automatic because reason's superiority is in no way guaranteed or permanent. As Francis says in the Introduction,(3:36), "We are human because we possess reason. But to find a reasonable person is rare indeed. Why is that?

 Self-centered love ignores the advice of reason and leads us into countless small but dangerous acts of injustice and sin. Since they are little, we do not guard against them, and since there are many of them, they are sure to cause us harm. For example, we blame our neighbor for trifles but excuse ourselves even in major matters. We want to sell things for huge profits but buy cheaply. We insist on strict justice for others but mercy for ourselves. We readily complain about our neighbors, but won't listen to complaints about ourselves." I had to say 'mea culpa' as I read some of those statements. Francis then continues, "In short, we have two hearts: a gentle, gracious and kind one for ourselves; and a hard, severe and rigorous one for our neighbor. When we act in this way, we are not being just and reasonable. We are allowing ourselves to be led by feelings, emotions and passions which keep us centered on ourselves."

What does it mean to live according to reason? It means that we know what we are about and where we are going. We have deep convictions and live balanced lives. Francis encouraged his directees to desire to live the Gospel fully and indicated to them where such a desire leads. For example, in a letter to Jane in May 1604 he wrote, "I shall never stop praying God to perfect His work in you, that is, to further your excellent desire and plan to attain the fullness of Christian life, a desire which you should cherish and nurture tenderly in your heart. Consider this to be a work of the Holy Spirit and a spark of His divine flame."

Francis helped his directees to acquire strong convictions so that they would not be swayed by the doctrines of the Huguenots among whom they lived. For this purpose he preached sermons, wrote letters, and compiled catechisms which dealt with matters of faith as a formation program for those under his care. Francis wanted to transform Philothea's simple desire to live the gospel into a firm resolve to do so. To become strong Christians, we too must go through a process of study, prayer and practice. Then, our knowledge becomes, not only intellectual but experiential as well. In this process our convictions become solid and lasting because they have been reasoned, prayed over, and lived. 

Finally living according to reason results in a good balance between heart and mind; between faith and reason. This affects our relationships with others and our entire moral life. It is fitting that reason control and guide our feelings, desires, passions and emotions because it is the queen of all our functions. God gave us reason so that we might be human and know that God exists. He gave us faith so that we might be Christian and know that God is the Father of Jesus. Our relationships with one another should be characterized by a good balance between heart and reason. Reason allows us to rise above our likes and dislikes, our passions and prejudices and to see persons and events more objectively. Francis gives us this method for acquiring a reasonable heart, "Mentally exchange places with your neighbor and you will judge and behave appropriately in every situation." If we follow that advice, we will become strong, well-balanced Christians.

Francis says that if you are someone who is intellectual, rational and logical, you would do well to cultivate your cordial, affectionate and intuitive side. If on the other hand you are affectionate, emotional and feeling, you must cultivate your rational and reasonable side. If you are slow and nonchalant, just give yourself a push. Whereas if you are hyperactive, slow down and pace yourself somewhat. In this way, each one of us in time will achieve better balance. (Shades of our discussion on the shadow side of our personalities and the Myers Briggs, which suggests this as a mid-life task.) If we follow only our natural tendencies, we are strongly at risk of accentuating our shortcomings and faults; this will negatively impact the balance in our lives.  A balanced personality leads to wholeness which is holiness!

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III. A Heart that Remembers

We encounter God in our heart which is the source of our actions enlightened by reason. But we also need a heart that remembers. A memory on the alert is another aspect of the pedagogy of Francis. The Old Testament and especially the Psalms are filled with remembrances of the marvels God wrought in the lives of His people, e.g., in Ps. 44, "O God our ears have heard, our ancestors have declared to us, the deeds you did in their days, in days of old..." But Mary at the beginning of the New Testament is our model par excellence. After the shepherds left the stable in Bethlehem, Mary "treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart." This incidentally is a powerful method of prayer. What shall we remember?

First, Francis encourages us to remember God's graces in our lives, the gifts He gave and continues to give in love. Because thanksgiving can only well up in a humble heart which recognizes its dependence, we humbly give God both thanks and glory. Memory of gifts received from God helps each of us to accept our 'self' as God's gift and to discover that every good in us is a favor received from Him. Francis says, "There is no need to fear that knowledge of God's gifts to us will make us proud provided that we recognize the truth that whatever is good in us is God's gift." (IDL 3:5). 

Next, we must remember our human and Christian dignity. As human beings we are the first beings in the visible world capable of living forever in union with God. (IDL 1:9) Our Christian dignity stems from the fact that we are God's children by baptism. Awareness of this dignity strengthens us to recognize, promote and defend the dignity of every human being in every area of life. For example, consider some of the major issues in our country today: abortion and euthanasia (right-to-life), sickness and old age (universal health insurance), work and unemployment (downsizing, minimum wage, conglomerates), etc. As Christians, each of us has to determine how God is calling us to respond to these issues. By prayer? By letters to our legislators? By other means? Let us ask God for enlightenment! Awareness of societal evil challenges us to be more active in our efforts on behalf of others and in our participation in the life of the Church.

Remembering our common and particular vocation is another way of being mindful of God's blessings. Our common vocation is the universal call to share God's own life, our summons to holiness. We only need remember that God is the origin and end of life and to live accordingly. Remembrance of our own vocation makes us marvel at God's love, strengthens us to answer His call daily, and urges us to be more faithful in responding to His graces now and in the future. Recalling graces received in the past will help us through present moments of difficulty, darkness, and dryness. Francis says, "There is a great lesson for us in all this. We must try to keep our hearts steady and balanced with our gaze fixed on God, regardless of the turmoil around us. No matter what course a ship may take, its mariner's needle always points to the North Star. No matter what confusion surrounds us, interior or exterior, our spiritual compass must always look and tend toward the love of God" (IDL 4:13)  On the other hand, we must never be alarmed by forebodings about the future. Francis once wrote to Mademoiselle de Soulfour, "Let us have a strong general resolve to want to serve God with our whole heart and for all our life; beyond that let us be unconcerned about tomorrow. Let us simply think about doing well today; when tomorrow comes, it will be called today and then we will deal with it."

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IV. Acquiring a Disciple's Heart

The heart that remembers God's loving mercy is always open to receive new gifts from God. This implies that we are a people eager to learn.  Francis says, "Even the heart, where we wish to begin, must be instructed as to how it should model its outward conduct and bearing so that others will see in us not only holy devotion but also great wisdom and prudence." (IDL 3:23) Francis believed there is no better way of living the spiritual life well than by always beginning over again and never thinking we have done enough. He once said, "No one must think of becoming perfect all at once. The Visitation is not an assembly of perfect women but of women who strive for and tend toward perfection; it is a school where one comes to learn how to respond to Christ's call. What is expected of each sister, as of every Christian, is to have a firm and constant resolve to use the means necessary for attaining perfection."  Pius XI on Jan. 23, l923, celebrating the tercentennial of the death of Francis de Sales wrote that "this eminent saint not only excelled in the practice of every virtue; he also formulated the principles and method of sanctification." 

How do we learn these principles and method of sanctification? Simply stated, we learn from Jesus; He is our principal teacher. In the conference on Hope, Francis said to the sisters en route to making a foundation in Orleans, "You have only one King, our crucified Lord, under Whose authority you will live secure and safe wherever you may be. Do not fear that you will lack anything, for as long as you do not choose another master, He will ever be with you. Take great care to increase in love and fidelity towards His divine Goodness, keeping as close to Him as possible. Then all will be well with you. Learn from Him all that you will have to do; do nothing without His advice for He is the faithful Friend who will guide, govern, and take care of you." 

Francis recommended the same tactics to everyone, whether religious or laity; after all, we are all people. To Mme. de Limojon in June 1605 he wrote, "Keep in mind the main lesson Jesus left us in three words so that we would never forget it. 'Learn of me,' He said, 'that I am gentle and humble of heart.' That says it all: to have a heart gentle toward one's neighbor and humble toward God." We already know the Good News of God's unconditional love for us. This is more good news. We learn from Jesus how to become gentle and humble of heart. As a human being Jesus had to learn things, just as we do. How did He learn to be gentle and humble of heart? From interaction with His surroundings.

So if we want to be disciples of Jesus and have a disciple's heart, we too must learn from our surroundings. What does this entail? First, we learn from people. Francis invites us to listen to each other; and to share with one another what we have discovered. To profit from this give and take of conversations with others, we must develop a friendly interior attitude toward every person and each group. Fortunate are those of us who know how to listen with a well-disposed heart; we will learn much! Fortunate are we if we believe that every other person is a word of God for us. We too will be for them such a word. 

Next, we learn from nature. Francis often uses examples from nature. He wrote to Jane in February 1607, "You would like it to be always spring or summer. But no...only in heaven will it always be spring in its beauty, fall in its joy, and summer in its love. There will be no winter there at all."  When he spoke of the humble and little virtues which flower at the foot of the Cross, Francis was thinking of violets, those unassuming, hidden flowers which push through the darkness of trees and shrubs. That is probably my favorite analogy because he gave us Visitation Sisters the violet as our special flower. Not the odorless wild violets of America, but the sweet-scented ones of the Alps where he lived. God has been very good to me. Just listen. I once knew a laundress, an emigrant from the Swiss Alps, who had brought with her to America some seedlings of wild violets. Each spring she would bring the sisters a little bouquet. I have never forgotten the fragrance of those flowers, nor by analogy, the fragrance of gentleness and humility that hopefully exists in our hearts and lives.

Third, we learn from science and modern discoveries. During Francis' lifetime the theory of Copernicus was a controversial issue. Francis knew very well that knowledge from faith and knowledge from science could not contradict each other because, as he said, they are daughters of the same Father. During the great furore of Galileo's trial, Francis befriended and defended the young Fr. Baranzano who also taught that the earth revolved around the sun. Talk about courage! In the 1970's, the Church lifted its condemnation of Galileo. That was then and this is now. What would Francis say about our modern technological age? This is pure conjecture but in view of his behavior at the beginning of the 17th century, I think he would encourage us to have a spirit of openness and sound curiosity.  Nevertheless, since many modern breakthroughs have moral implications, I think Francis also would encourage us to rely on spiritual discernment in our assessment of these developments. It seems John Paul II was suggesting we ask Francis' assistance in such discernments when he said, "May Salesian wisdom in which are joined spiritual qualities and holiness with an inviting human wisdom, allow you to enlighten with truth the questions of our day."

If Francis is our guide, we will acquire a disciple's heart. To facilitate this process, we would do well to develop the following qualities: 

1. Attentiveness to persons, things and events, -- a living fully in      the present moment -- is the most essential. Such awareness        presupposes interiority because if we live only superficially and        on the surface, we can walk by people and things without really seeing them and live through events without really discovering their meaning. 

2. Listening skills are necessary for us to understand, know, receive, appreciate, discern, and expand our horizons. Such listening presupposes both exterior and inner silence. We need to adapt and adjust this silence to fit our own individual life situation, but it is indispensable for everybody. 

3. Cooperation is important so that we are providers as well as consumers in our interdependent world. We need to avoid being in competition with others. Rather, we will reach out to others to share ideas and tasks, sufferings and joys. 

4. Open-mindedness enables us to perceive the giftedness of others and to know how to encourage and empower people, especially our children, to develop their gifts. We rejoice in the talents and success of others rather than indulging in envy or criticism of them. 

5. Humility is foundational for the entire Christian life. Let us always remember that humility is truth, and that during the Last Supper, Jesus chose to be a servant. In Philippians 2:3-4 Paul says: "In humility count others better than yourselves." Francis says, "To be true, humility must always be lowly, little and at everyone's service. Humility then is the foundation and base of the spiritual life."                                       

In summary, the qualities of a disciple's heart include attentiveness, listening skills, cooperation, open-mindedness, and humility.

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V. Salesian Spiritual Direction

Now, Francis was convinced that "whoever has Jesus Christ in the heart soon has him in every exterior action." He then continued, "I have wished above all else to engrave this motto on your heart, 'Live Jesus!' Francis considered the heart to be the most adequate image of human love for God. When our hearts are changed by love, our lives are too. We no longer see people and things in the same light; we no longer speak in the same way, nor do we do things in the same manner. Love animates all our actions and even our appearance. We experience a profound unity in the depth of our beings. Our hearts alternate between breathing forth God's praise (the love of benevolence) and drawing in His goodness and life (the love of complacence). In one of his conferences Francis told the Visitation Sisters and really all of us that we "must allow the exterior to be born from the interior and the interior to be nourished by the exterior; for in this way the fire produces ashes and the ashes in turn nourish the fire." In other words, our hearts must first be inflamed so as to give life and meaning to our actions. At the same time, our actions and activities rekindle the flame and sustain the fire which has been placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Never must we separate our actions from our prayer, nor our deeds from the spirit that animates them, because love is their common source. 

Just as we learn to study by studying, to play by playing, to dance by dancing, so also we learn to love God and neighbor by loving them." We must never separate will from act, nor the desire for holiness from those deeds which place us on its way. As Christians, we acquire the spirit of the Gospel only by setting out to live it. Each one of us is unique as a human being, with unique gifts and a unique call to holiness. How wonderful is our God!

We human beings are enfleshed spirits. So Francis legislated such things as health, work, rest, sleep, food. He wrote, "We need a lifestyle that is balanced and in keeping with the duties and tasks to which our state in life obliges us...It is no little mortification to adapt our taste to all kinds of food and keep it under control at all times. Mortification of this kind doesn't show in public, bothers no one, and is well adapted to the social life...Use the night for sleep and get as much sleep as is needed for you to spend your day usefully." (IDL 3:23)  Francis even says, "We Christians must love our bodies as living images of God's incarnate Son."  Francis was a wise director who adapted his advice to the needs of each directee. 

For example, to Angelique Arnauld who was inclined to harsh austerities he wrote, "Do not burden yourself with many vigils and austerities,...but go by the royal road of love of God and neighbor, of gentleness and humility." But to Celse Benigne, Jane's son, he wrote, "You need a vigorous heart so as never to indulge your body with delicacies, with too much sleep, and with similar things. For a truly generous heart always has a bit of disdain for such bodily delicacies and pleasures."

In The Love of God (2:7) Francis said, "Grow and flourish where you are planted." Yes, we must live our faith fully where we are, without dreaming about being in some other place. It is always dangerous to have our heart in one place and our responsibilities in another. Later in the same book he wrote, "Certainly I have taken into consideration the spirit of our times; I had to. It is very important to be aware of the age in which one writes." He then asks us to live in the present, because this is the NOW moment of our encounter with God. As we have said before, we cannot change yesterday, tomorrow is only fantasy; so let us live well today. In our age of the global village, we are invited to openness and solidarity. Although we may continue to be born, live, labor, and die in the heartland of America, we do so in greater solidarity with others just because of our awareness of the interdependence of peoples and nations. Francis was a master in adapting the universal call to holiness to the needs, dispositions, and condition of each directee. Francis once wrote, "Devotion must be experienced in different ways by the gentleman, the worker, the servant, the prince, the widow, the young girl, and the married woman. Not only that, but its practice must be adapted to the strength, activities and duties of each individual person." (IDL 1:3)  Another time he told Mme. Brulart, "Let us be what we are and be that well, in order to bring honor to the Master Craftsman whose handiwork we are."

Francis firmly believed that each one of us is a unique creation of God and that this uniqueness means we each have our own pathway to the goal of eternal life and our own appropriate response to the universal call to holiness. In the same section of the Introduction Francis says, "When he created, God commanded plants to bring forth fruits, each according to its kind. Similarly, he commands Christians, who are the living plants of his Church, to bring forth the fruits of devotion, each according to his or her position and vocation." God's people are men and women whom God knows by name as unique individuals. Francis sensed this and according to John-Paul II, his immense influence "stems largely from the fact that every person felt respected by him in his or her unique situation." (Talk at Annecy, Oct. l986).

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VI. Liberty of Spirit

"Love's plan, expressed by creation, reaches its highest point in the Incarnation of the Son of God. 'He loved us with a benevolent love, bestowing his own divinity upon us so that in some fashion we could become God. So, the goal and end of all our actions and of our entire life is to be united through love, to God who made us through love and who, again through love, calls us to share in eternal life." This bit of Good News can be found in the Love of God (10:17). Francis wrote and preached precisely because he wanted to lead people to the Christian perfection of love. Jane's deposition at the first canonization process says, "I also noticed that he preferred to leave his directees with a great liberty of spirit. He was content to follow the divine Spirit's lead, and encouraged people to act according to God's divine inspirations rather than his own personal instructions." 

Today, we may ask Francis to be our friend, a traveling companion, who says to us: "You want to follow Christ? You want to know where his road leads? Come, I will go with you; we'll journey together." Francis knew that the goal of living Jesus is not attained in a single day; so he was willing to follow God's pace in each heart and the rhythm of the Holy Spirit in each person's life. He will do the same for us today; through his writings he will invite us to advance step by step with courage and confidence.

Inspirations are God's movements in us. They are a sign of his love for us and are like friendly messages which he sends to us. Inspirations enlighten our understanding, awaken and enliven our will, and give us the strength to want to do and actually to do what is good. Francis says in the Introduction (2:18), "By inspirations we mean those interior attractions, movements, acts of sorrow, lights and insights that God works in us to predispose our hearts to what is good. They awaken, nudge, urge and attract us to the practice of virtue, heavenly love, and good resolutions -- in short, to everything that speeds us on our way to eternal happiness. If we would only receive these heavenly inspirations according to the full extent of their power, in a very short time we would make great progress in holiness!" In responding to inspirations we may do our best, but must leave the results to God's mercy. Francis wrote to Mme La Flechere in January 1609,  

 It seems to me that Francis is telling us that simplicity, honesty, liberty of spirit, and confidence in God's mercy are the dispositions needed to advance in the footsteps of Jesus.

Francis' absolute respect for human liberty is a reflection of God's absolute respect for the free will of His creatures. Francis knew from experience that the human heart does not want to be forced. The human spirit rebels against rigidity but is very pliable when gently approached. The method of Francis then was to invite, suggest, persuade, and encourage his directees, while pointing out to each the good sense of making this choice or that decision. But above all, he was gentle and patient.  He advises us, " If you must contradict or oppose someone's opinion, do so very gently and carefully so as not to arouse his anger. Nothing is ever gained by harshness." (IDL 3:30)  If we show respect to others by such behavior, we will help them to grow as people. This reminds me of Dt 30:19- 20 where God says, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and cleaving to Him; so that you may have life and length of days." This is the liberty which Francis offers. We become increasingly more free as we grow in our capacity to do what pleases the Father. 

By allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit whom Jesus gives, we become with him sons and daughters of God, capable of saying 'Abba Father!' in truth and joy. Christian liberty always becomes a gift of self for the service of others. What pleases our heavenly Father is that we love one another as brothers and sisters, was Francis' comment in the Love of God (10:11). Francis invariably sends his directees and us back to where we live our lives because this is where faith is experienced. This characteristic has been called his civil or social devotion, alluding to the emphasis he gives to the apostolic, social, and moral dimensions of Christian life. Indeed, faith simply cannot be enclosed within the interior of each believer; it must be expressed in all areas of human life. This happens in myriads of ways: in the witness of our lives. in the happiness with which we live out our own vocation; in our service to family and neighbors, in our professional lives and other involvements; in our activities within organized apostolates; and in our participation in the growth of a new humanity.

True devotion commits all of us to being witnesses where we live in the world. Francis says in the Introduction (1:3), "Devotion does not harm our vocation; on the contrary, it actually adorns and beautifies it. Every vocation becomes more agreeable when united with devotion. Care of one's family is rendered more peaceable, love of husband and wife more sincere, service to one's country more faithful, and every type of employment more pleasant and agreeable." This quotation indicates the principal areas for witness even today: the family, political life, work, and relationships." For Francis, 'Devotion, or that particular manner of being Christian which is inspired by an active love of God and others, does us no harm whatever when it is true; rather, it perfects everything. Whenever it becomes an obstacle to our legitimate vocation, that is to our state in life or profession or work, then it is doubtless a false devotion." Francis once said that if he had known at the time of his nomination what being a bishop entailed, he would have refused the honor. But since he was bishop, he had to be happy in his vocation and carry out joyously its demands. In a letter to Mme Brulart in June 1607 (see p. 112) he wrote, "Don't desire to be other than what you are, but desire to be thoroughly what you are... Believe me, this is the most important and the least understood point in the spiritual life. We all love what is according to our taste; few people like what is according to their duty or to God's liking. What is the use of building castles in Spain when we have to live in France? This is my old lesson." To live where we are, to try to be happy in our vocation, is simply to say that fidelity to Christ causes us to flourish. This bond with our Lord is a source of peace, joy, and growth in us. Whoever follows Christ, the perfect human being, becomes, like him, more perfectly human."

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VII. Heart Spirituality

Any evangelization efforts we make must begin in our own heart and personal life. Since each of us is a part of the human family, the kingdom of God extends throughout the world when it grows in us. Our efforts must reach out to our family and to our immediate relations. Francis wrote again to Mme Brulart in May 1604 (see p. 104), " Now and then visit hospitals to comfort the sick, and to have compassion for them in their infirmities, letting these touch your heart. Pray for the sick even as you give them whatever help you can. But in all this, be very careful that your husband, your servants, and your relatives are not inconvenienced by overly long visits to church, or by too lengthy withdrawals to pray, or by noticeable neglect of your household responsibilities. Neither will you try to control the actions of others nor disdain gatherings where the rules of devotion are not precisely observed. In all these instances charity must prevail and enlighten your heart so that you yield to the wishes of your neighbor in whatever is not contrary to the commandments of God." Love or charity then, is what makes our lifestyle inviting and attracts others to Jesus. Francis then continued, "The sick will love your devotion if they receive care and comfort from it. Your family will love it if they see you more attentive to their well-being, more gentle in handling affairs, more kind in correcting, and so on. Your husband will love it if he sees that as your devotion increases, you become more warm and affectionate toward him. Your relatives and friends will love it if they see you more free and supportive of others, yielding to them in matters not contrary to God's will. In short, we must make our devotion attractive." This is quite a recipe for an ordinary, hidden life that is sweet as honey in its attractiveness to others!

Such love also generates gentleness in the person who practices it. The mutual respect people often show even in confrontational settings is a contemporary version of gentleness. As Christians today, we work diligently in the marketplace of the world, yet hopefully with hearts full of inner peace and tranquility. This is possible, if our hearts are not preoccupied with riches. Francis believed Christians can live their faith even in the political sphere, provided they avoid vanity and ambition and take great care to nourish themselves spiritually. The means he suggests are: frequent communion, regular confession, and periodic dialogues with a spiritual guide. Heart spirituality requires us to testify by our lives to: true charity, respect for others and courage in keeping the faith. To do this, it helps to journey along with other Christians. Francis once said, "It will be infinitely beneficial to you to make friends with like-minded people with whom you can communicate and find mutual support. Christians who are serious about their desire to live the Gospel in the world cannot do it alone. They must unite together in holy, sacred friendship. By this means, they encourage, assist, and lead one another to the performance of good deeds."

Francis wrote to Jane in November 1604, "As you journey on the Lord's way, I want your heart to be broad and deep but humble, gentle and without guile. You must do everything by love because love broadens the heart while at the same time keeping it simple and in control of itself. One of love's characteristics is to enable those who love to be capable of great things while being attentive to the little ordinary details of everyday life." Here Francis was trying to lead Jane and now us to love's limit so that by dying to self bit by bit and living for others, we might follow Jesus to the ultimate self-gift. From the example of Jesus who freely lived and died for us, Francis had learned that we will find true liberty only in the total self-gift of our will to God. He says, "Our free will is never so free as when it is a slave to God's will, just as it is never so enslaved as when it serves its own will." Our self-gift to God is neither capitulation, nor diminishment, nor self-alienation. Rather it is a willingness to remain at the foot of the Cross with our Mother Mary. On Calvary we learn to love, for Calvary is the mountain of lovers and our place of refuge in temptation. Christian wisdom lies in making good choices. Whenever we choose to love God and others, we choose life, but when we opt for self-love, we are choosing death. As Christians, we need to be open to accept whatever gifts, pleasant or not, that we receive, even martyrdom, if that should be God's will. We need to be ready to surrender whatever we hold dearest, if it pleases God to take it. Opportunities for such momentous choices are few and far between, thank God. But the truly important thing for us is to live each moment, however ordinary it may seem, with a great and deep love. After all, it is love that makes our actions valuable, not their number nor their difficulty. So after preparing us for martyrdom, Francis adds, "Divine Providence usually does not expect us to bear great and devastating crosses. But we must be prepared to accept with great patience and gentleness the petty injuries, the minor inconveniences, the little frustrations that daily come our way. If we bear these with great love, we will win over God's heart. Let us lovingly accept and embrace trifles, such as headaches, colds, the bad mood of our spouse, the misplacement of a ring, or whatever. Such actions will please our Lord Who once promised eternal happiness to his faithful in exchange for a single glass of water. Uniting our little acts of love with Christ's supreme act of love on the cross gives them their true value. For those who love, nothing is insignificant. We are invited to practice the little, humble virtues like, serving the poor, visiting the sick, caring for our families. Let us take advantage of these little opportunities to gather the flowers of virtue growing at the foot of the Cross. The best and only real way of knowing whether we love God and others is if, here and now, we love without reservation those people with whom we are in daily contact. Francis' advice to Jane in January 1607 is also for us: "Keep your heart open wide and, so long as the love of God is your sole desire and His glory your only wish, live joyously and courageously. O God, how I wish that the Savior's heart would be the King of all of our hearts!"

Finally, our text mentions the martyrdom of love (p. 60) and quotes Jane who says, "For myself, I believe there is a martyrdom of love in which God preserves the lives of His servants so that they might work for His glory. This makes them martyrs and confessors at the same time. I know that this is the martyrdom to which the Daughters of the Visitation are called and which God will allow them to attain if they are fortunate enough to wish for it. What happens is that divine love thrusts its sword into the most intimate and secret parts of the soul and separates us from our very selves." These words may be scary. But I think they describe what happens to anyone who puts no obstacle in the way of God's stripping us of self-love. After the martyrdom of shedding one's blood disappeared, the Desert Fathers sought the martyrdom of bodily austerity; here we are being offered the martyrdom of love, which is really a witness of love. What a grace!

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Much of the material in this paper has been adapted from: The Spirituality of Francis de Sales: A Way of Life, by Francois Corrignan, translated by J.D. Bowler and L.S. Fiorelli and published in 1992 by the Indian Institute of Spirituality in Bangalore. Any letters quoted here are excerpts from: Francis de Sales, Jane de Chantal: Letters of Spiritual Direction, translated by Peronne Marie Thibert, VHM and published by Paulist Press in 1988 as part of the Classics of Western Spirituality Series.