St. Francis de Sales - A Patron Saint for Today

St. Francis de Sales

The Busy Saint

Today, January 24, is the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, one of the patron saints of catechists, teachers and all who provide religious instruction -- including parents.  When you read bits and pieces about his life, you can understand why he is a patron of these causes.  For example, his words to a close friend (St. Jane de Chantal) ring true to parents and all others who have days overflowing with scheduled time: "So many have come to me that I might serve them, leaving me no time to think of myself. However, I assure you that I do feel deep-down- within-me, God be praised. For the truth is that this kind of work is infinitely profitable to me."

St. Francis lived in a much different time, when inboxes were physical and not a folder in your email directory.  He wrote that he once had over 50 letters to respond to by hand.  And it is said that he overworked himself, spreading himself so thin in his duties as a pastor that he was often sick.  In moments when we feel similar, send up a quick prayer, asking St. Francis for perseverance.

Three-years, No Results
Being with God, even in the midst of an incredible amount of tasks, provided St. Francis with the solid foundation for when he faced one of his life's many trials.  Around the time of the Protestant Reformation, he set out on a three-year door-to-door attempt at converting the Swiss to Catholicism (from a profile on St. Francis de Sales):

Then Francis had a bad idea -- at least that's what everyone else thought. This was during the time of the Protestant reformation and just over the mountains from where Francis lived was Switzerland -- Calvinist territory. Francis decided that he should lead an expedition to convert the 60,000 Calvinists back to Catholicism. But by the time he left his expedition consisted of himself and his cousin. His father refused to give him any aid for this crazy plan and the diocese was too poor to support him. 

For three years, he trudged through the countryside, had doors slammed in his face and rocks thrown at him. In the bitter winters, his feet froze so badly they bled as he tramped through the snow. He slept in haylofts if he could, but once he slept in a tree to avoid wolves. He tied himself to a branch to keep from falling out and was so frozen the next morning he had to be cut down. And after three years, his cousin had left him alone and he had not made one convert.

St. Francis later changed up his approach and found more success in his conversion attempts -- he won people's hearts ahead of their minds.  He reminds us that it's never too late to try something new and outside our comfort zone.

Everyone Can Be Holy
Finally, St. Francis was a spirituality trailblazer, insisting that everyone, regardless of vocation, can grow in holiness, that is, in the likeness of God: "All of us can attain to Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and no matter what our life work may be."  He set about helping lay people explore this idea by offering spiritual direction via letter to many, many individuals.  Among the direction, he would recommend individuals offer their days to God through this prayer:

My God, I give you this day. I offer you, now, all of the good that I shall do and I promise to accept, for love of you, all of the difficulty that I shall meet. Help me to conduct myself during this day in a manner pleasing to you. Amen.

May St. Francis de Sales be a patron and a guide for all those who provide religious instruction -- parents, pastors, catechists, teachers, and family members.

Image Credit: Lawrence OP on flickr