Francis de Sales and Purification from Moral Sin

[utunumsint]

Hi,

I just wanted to post this because the experience has been powerful for me, and I’m hoping it may be powerful for others. I’ve been reading Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout life. Here is the PDF I’ve been using.

I used Adobe Acrobat’s Read out Loud function to read through chapters I through VIII yesterday as I was exercising on the treadmill. These first few chapters prepare you for the meditations that Francis wants his reader to do one each day. His intention for these meditations is that they will lead the reader to make a firm resolution against moral sins, the devil, hell, and those sinners and demons who reside there. At the same time he wants us to make a firm resolution for virtue, Christ, heaven, Marie, the saints, and those holy souls that reside there.

I did all of these meditations in a little less than an hour from chapter IX to XXIV in less than an hour on the treadmill today. The experience was powerful, and I hope, repeatable. It has a Pilgrim’s progress or Dante’ Divine Comedy, feel to it, minus the fictional aspects. I wish I had an easily accessible pause button so I could pray and meditate longer between each meditation, but I was able to zoom through an Our Father between each one and think about areas where I can improve.

The overall effect was wonderful. I hope to repeat it every week, if I can. It has certainly given me a boost in my resolution to choose the good and avoid the occasions of sin in the future. I hope to finish the rest of the book this week and will report on the other parts if I have time.

Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us who resolve to fly like eagles in the presence of God, his saints, and his angles, and forsake those desires and attachments that keep us grounded and chained.

God bless,
Ut

 

[AKDee]

Thank you for sharing that, I will read through it.

 

[wild_thing]

Thanks for sharing this! It’s been too long since I’ve read An Introduction to the Devout Life. I’d love to pick it up again. I just finished The Spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, so this would be a good time to reacquaint myself with his famous writings.

 

[utunumsint]

Thanks for the encouraging words!

I started reading part II chapter I to XII. Lots of practical advice on how to do prayer. Especially interesting to me is his discussion on how to transition from prayer time to our daily life and work. This is where resolutions come in at the end of each meditation. I was very inspired after going through all the meditations yesterday, but given his advice in Part II, I made no firm and specific resolutions to carry out during the day after each meditation.

1. Thank God for the clearer knowledge He has given you of His benefits and your own duty.
2. Offer your heart and all its resolutions to Him.
3. Ask Him to strengthen you to fulfill them faithfully by the Merits of the Death of His Son.

Part II provides this chapter on resolutions and how you need to create them as a result of the meditations:

CHAPTER VI. The Third Part of Meditation, Affections and Resolutions.
MEDITATION excites good desires in the will, or sensitive part of the soul,—such as love of God and of our neighbour, a craving for the glory of Paradise, zeal for the salvation of others, imitation of our Lord’s Example, compassion, thanksgiving, fear of God’s wrath and of judgment, 76 hatred of sin, trust in God’s Goodness and Mercy, shame for our past life; and in all such affections you should pour out your soul as much as possible. If you want help in this, turn to some simple book of devotions, the Imitation of Christ, the Spiritual Combat, or whatever you find most helpful to your individual wants.
But, my daughter, you must not stop short in general affections, without turning them into special resolutions for your own correction and amendment. For instance, meditating on Our Dear Lord’s First Word from the Cross, you will no doubt be roused to the desire of imitating Him in forgiving and loving your enemies. But that is not enough, unless you bring it to some practical resolution, such as, “I will not be angered any more by the annoying things said of me by such or such a neighbour, nor by the slights offered me by such an one; but rather I will do such and such things in order to soften and conciliate them.” In this way, my daughter, you will soon correct your faults, whereas mere general resolutions would take but a slow and uncertain effect.

God bless,
Ut