This is the sixth volume in the
Great Spiritual Teachers series I have read, last year the first I read was
Born to Do This: 30 Days with Joan of Arc by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, and loved it and the concept of the series. I have read much by and about Saint Francis de Sales and was eager to work my way through this volume. I picked this as the next in the series to read.
The description of this volume states:
“Set Your Heart Free by Francis de Sales offers readers the same spiritual wisdom, encouragement, and spellbinding insights that once drew people from all over Europe to this saint's door. Drawn from Francis's immensely popular writings, this prayer resource for individuals or groups emboldens readers to encounter God and pray in their own unique way.”
About the series we are informed:
“Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.”
I believe there are 16 volumes in this series currently in print, including the first I read last year that was new and another I am currently reading that releases this year. There are also a number that are currently out of print, The oldest I have seen are from the mid 90’s and it looks like they went through a rebranding and format change in the mid 00’s, and they have undergone yet another rebranding in the 2020’s including some new titles available in the series, including the first in the series I read. I must admit I do not recall running across this series prior to that first volume on Joan. I have however added a number of them to my ‘to be read list’. I love the most recent rebranding, and hope Ave Maria completes the rebranding across all volumes, and brings back into print some of the volumes currently not available; specifically the volumes on John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Mother Theresa and others. But back to this work.
While reading this I highlighted a several passages, some of them are:
“For four-and-a-half centuries Francis de Sales has been in and out of style, at one moment riding the wave of popularity, at another left behind. Yet every generation that has read his books and letters has found in them a wise and warm, moderate and gentle companion for their spiritual journey. He comes across as psychologically insightful, as someone whose advice you can trust.”
“In his writing, Francis was unique for his times and remains important to this day. Unlike so many others, he did not write for priests and nuns, for the walled spirituality of the cloister. Instead, he wrote for people with families to feed, clothe, and educate. While this is not uncommon today, what remains unusual is his ability to make the loftiest goals of mystical tradition accessible to men and women busy in the everyday workplace without compromising their demands.”
“An Introduction to Devout Life outlines five stages in the development of the soul: (1) attaining a firm resolution to the devout life; (2) prayer and the sacraments; (3) the practice of virtues including patience, meekness, humility, obedience, chastity, and poverty; (4) some ordinary temptations and how to overcome them, and (5) renewing and confirming the soul in devotion. The meditations and prayers of this book follow the same path, flowing smoothly from one stage to the next. We pray that you find this introduction to Francis’ spirituality accessible and enriching.”
“The books in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provide an introduction to the spiritual insights and wisdom of some of history’s most extraordinary saints. Through these pages, you’re invited to a place beyond mere reading, into an experience of daily prayer and meditation. You’ll be accompanied by a spiritual teacher whose wisdom will awaken, enrich, and empower your walk with the Lord.”
“The goal is to hear the voice of God through the words of the saints.”
“Be conscientious in all you are called upon to do, but do not let hurry, upset, anxiety, and nervousness, get in the way of common sense and good judgment, and prevent you from doing well what God calls you to do.”
“Do not let anxiety sabotage your search for God.”
“Our role is to be ready, to receive God’s gifts with an open heart—carefully, humbly, and serenely.”
“My Day Begins Stop worrying. Whatever it is that you must do to follow the path that God has shown you do to the best of your ability. And when you have done it, move on to the next thing.”
“If you hope to succeed in whatever you do, place your trust totally in God’s providence. Cooperate with him, then rest secure that whatever happens, will be best for you.”
“Don’t waste your time dreaming of being someone else. Don’t try to be someone else. Work and pray at being yourself. Be who you are, where you are. Concentrate on the little everyday problems and pains that beset you. Reserve your best efforts, expend your spiritual energy on what is right before you. This is what God asks of you. This is all he asks of you: that you live and respond to his grace in the here and now. To do anything else is to waste your time.”
“God will do what is best for us. Most likely he will lead us little by little, one small step at a time, So we need to be patient with everyone, with everything, but especially with ourselves and with God.”
“When, however, you have done whatever you can do, used whatever God has put within your reach, await the outcome with patient resignation. If God sees fit to overcome the evils, cure the illness, or whatever, thank him humbly. But if, on the other hand, he permits the evil to triumph, patiently bless his holy name and surrender yourself to his will for you.”
“Trust who you are, not what “they” think you are.”
“Thank you for all the gifts of this day, for my fellow travelers, my brothers and sisters who in peace and love are your special gifts to me. With an offering I offer you the silence of this night where there is no place for anger. Let the sun go down gently on a heart warmed by peace and love for my fellow travelers on the way to a blessed life with you. And with a prayer for …”
“Lift up your heart gently, accept your failure without wallowing in your weakness. Admit your guilt in God’s sight. Then with good heart, with courage and confidence in his mercy, start over again.”
“Peace does not mean living without pain. You lose peace not when you are trouble free, but when you cease to be dependent on God and fail in your duties.”
“Thank you for all the gifts of this day, for being there for me when doubt inevitably came and threatened to replace my confidence in you with anxiety. With your strength I can send it on its way like the temptation that it is.”
A sample day is:
“Day 13
My Day Begins
Do you remember how,
when you were a small child,
you would take an abandoned carton
or a fistful of sand
and turn it into a castle?
Inevitably, it seemed,
someone would knock it over.
Your heart would be broken.
But now we understand that those things
that were so earthshaking
when we were children
were in the end not all that important.
Our world did not end when our castles fell.
Yet here we are,
still frantic and anxious
about the frail castles of our adult years.
They too will fall
and it will not matter that much
in the light of eternity.
But it takes a while
to gain this perspective.
We can spend our days
running in circles,
obsessed by a thousand things,
convinced that each one of them
is all-important to our happiness.
Or we can stop for a moment
and think of eternity.
Then we see how very unimportant
are the thousand concerns
that clutter our minds
and preoccupy our souls.
How little they matter!
All Through the Day
What really matters?
My Day Is Ending
With gratitude
Thank you for all the gifts of this day,
for letting me end this day
remembering
that however frantic and anxious
I might have been
about the frail castles of my life,
in the light of eternity,
they do not matter.
With an offering
I offer you the silence of this night.
Take the abandoned cartons
and bits of sand
out of which
I still build my castles
and make of these frail dreams,
these scattered, hurried moments
of my day,
something that will last
through eternity.
And with a prayer for ...”
Day 24 also really struck me:
“Day Twenty-Four
My Day Begins
Whenever your spirit is troubled,
take some advice from St. Augustine:
“Make haste, like David, to cry out:
‘Have mercy on me, O Lord,’
that he may stretch forth his hand
to moderate your anger
or whatever it is that troubles you.”
Imitate the apostles
who when they found themselves
caught in a raging storm,
called upon God to help them.
He will still your anger
as he stilled the seas
and replace it with his peace.
Remember however, to pray calmly and gently.
As soon as you are aware
of having given into anger or whatever,
repair your mistake immediately
with an act of kindness
to the person you have hurt.
If you tell a lie,
the best thing
is to recall it
as soon as you can.
The best cure for anger
is an immediate act of gentleness.
New wounds are the easiest to heal.
All Through the Day
Have mercy on me, O Lord.
My Day Is Ending
With gratitude
Thank you for all the gifts of this day,
for responding to my anger
with your gentleness,
for answering my petty lies
with your truth,
for healing my wounds
and those I have wounded.
With an offering
I offer you the silence of this night
and a soul too often troubled.
Have mercy on me, O Lord.
Stretch forth your hand.
Rescue me from the storms
that threaten my soul,
and replace them
with your peace.
And with a prayer for ...”
The volume ends with a section called ONE FINAL WORD that states:
“This book was created to be nothing more than a gateway—a gateway to the spiritual wisdom of a specific teacher and a gateway opening on your own spiritual path.
You may decide that Francis de Sales is someone whose experience of God is one that you wish to follow more closely and deeply. In that case you should read more of him. His Introduction to the Devout Life on which much of this book has been based is the most available. You might also try his Treatise on the Love of God. But in many ways, the most readable and accessible of all his works are his letters. There are many editions, each offering a different selection.
You may, on the other hand, decide that his experience and teaching has not helped you. There are many other teachers. Somewhere there is the right teacher for your own, very special, absolutely unique journey of the spirit. You will find your teacher, you will discover your path.
We would not be searching, as St. Augustine reminds us, if we had not already found.”
I think that final word is very important. Having now read 6 volumes in this series, and currently working on a seventh, I find that some speak to me more than others. With one almost every day was like an eureka moment, others are more work and fewer moments. But I can state I benefited from the month with each person being profiled. And if I went back and did a volume again at a different point or season in life I might interact with it differently.
This was one of the volumes I really connected with. This is a great volume, it is one I really enjoyed reading. I can easily recommend this volume and the series as a whole, and I look forward to reading others in the series. If you have not given any in this series a try this would be an excellent starting point.
