francis de sales introduction to the devout life

Introduction is particularly remarkable because it was written to and for the laity, a fact which may seem commonplace today. He does this by outlining a method of living through reconciliation with God, prayer, the sacraments, and virtue. Francis instructs Philothea on how to live a devout life in a way that balances the needs and realities of ordinary life with the true call to holiness. “Philothea” (as de Sales addresses her in the book) is instructed on how to live the life of a holy woman in the world around her, not as a monastic might, but as a regular lady, living a regular life, having regular duties and obligations, including those she owes to her family and children. This little book is unique because it is written as a series of instructional letters to a lay woman-the wife of a wealthy courtier. Francis de Sales’s advice to Philothea synthesize with modern life? Is a devout life also a liturgical life? How do de Sales’s instructions to be devout accord with the Second Vatican Council’s desires for liturgy to be the source and summit of all the Church’s actions?Īmong de Sales’s works is a classic of sacred literature which has shaped the minds, hearts, and souls since its first publication in 1609, Introduction to the Devout Life. Francis de Sales’s works is a classic of sacred literature which has shaped the minds, hearts, and souls since its first publication in 1609, Introduction to the Devout Life. Francis is considered the patron saint of writers and journalists) and he effectively employed the same charitable style in the spiritual direction of souls, preaching, and hearing confessions.Īmong St. This gentle approach is found in tracts which he wrote and left at private residences throughout Geneva (because of his effective use of writing media, St. He accomplished a miraculous number of such conversions through his trademark style of speaking and writing the truth in charity. As the bishop of post-Reformation Geneva, he devoted much of his time to reconverting Catholics who had embraced the heretical tenets of the Geneva-based Protestant reformer John Calvin. December 28, 2022, marks the 400th anniversary of the death of St.

Francis de sales introduction to the devout life