*****
“To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed…”
Today’s readings help us to keep things in perspective. Make no mistake – we are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. While we are charged with a tremendous duty - advancing the kingdom of God - the most effective means to accomplishing this great calling is to pay attention to detail – that is, by doing little things with great love.
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales made the following exhortation:
“Put your hand to strong things, by training yourself in prayer and meditation, receiving the sacraments, bringing souls to love God, infusing good inspirations into their hearts and, in fine, by performing big, important works according to your vocation. But never forget…those little, humble virtues that grow like flowers at the foot of the cross: helping the poor, visiting the sick, taking care of your family, with all the responsibilities that accompany such things and with all the useful diligence which prompts you to not stand idle.”
“Great opportunities to serve God rarely present themselves, but little ones are frequent…you will profit greatly in God’s sight by doing all these things because God wishes you to do the.” (III, 35, pp. 214 – 215)
God gives us a rich abundance of means proper for our salvation. By a wondrous infusion of God’s grace into our minds, hearts, attitudes and actions the Spirit makes our works become God’s work. Our good works - like planting miniscule mustard seeds here or like scattering small seeds there - have vigor and virtue enough to produce a great good because they proceed from the Spirit of Jesus.
As it turns out, little things do really mean a lot in the eyes of God. In fact, they mean everything!
*****
“Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.”
In a letter to the Duc de Bellegarde, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Keep your eyes steadfastly fixed on that blissful day of eternity towards which the course of years bears us on; and these as they pass, themselves pass by us stage by stage until we reach the end of the road. But in the meantime, in each passing moment there lies enclosed as in a tiny kernel the seed of all eternity; and in our humble little works of devotion there lies hidden the prize of everlasting glory, and the little pains we take to serve God lead to the repose of a bliss that can never end.” (Stopp, Selected Letters, p. 236)
Seen through the lens of Salesian spirituality, St. Paul’s exhortation makes absolute sense. The seed “of all eternity” is not found in the past; it isn’t found in the future. It is found only in each present moment as it comes!
Just this day.
*****
“The abundance of their joy and their profound poverty overflowed into a wealth of generosity...”
In Part III of his Introduction to the Devout Life Francis de Sales counseled:
“We must practice real poverty amid all the goods and riches God has given us. Frequently give up some of your property by giving it with a generous heart to the poor. To give away what we have is to impoverish ourselves in proportion as we give, and the more we give the poorer we become. It is true that God will repay us not only in the next world but even in this one.” (IDL, Part III, Chapter 15, p. 165)
In his own words, Francis de Sales is describing what St. Paul witnessed in the early Christian community. People practiced the virtue of poverty by sharing their possessions with others and in the process enriched themselves as well. In the Salesian tradition poverty is not about having nothing – poverty is about sharing what we have with others. Poverty is not about doing without – it’s about being generous with and to other people.
Today, how can we practice poverty, that is, how can we give to others with “a generous heart”?
*****
“Who ever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
‘Karma’ is a word that comes from Buddhist and Hindu traditions. It can be defined in many ways, for example:
• the law of cause and effect.
• what goes around comes around.
• you reap what you sow.
• totally innocent victims are rare.
• no good deed goes unpunished.
• your actions create ripples that spread out, echo and constructively or destructively interfere with the ripples from the actions of others.
St. Paul may have known nothing about karma, but in effect, this is the notion about which he wrote in today’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. For his part, Jesus tells us that whatever we do will not simply come back to us, but that whatever we do will come back to us thirty, sixty and a hundred-fold!
As we heard yesterday in Part III of his Introduction to the Devout Life Francis de Sales counseled:
“We must practice real poverty amid all the goods and riches God has given us. Frequently give up some of your property by giving it with a generous heart to the poor. To give away what we have is to impoverish ourselves in proportion as we give, and the more we give the poorer we become. It is true that God will repay us not only in the next world but even in this one.” (IDL, Part III, Chapter 15, p. 165)
What we do in this life does matter. In fact, everything we do has the potential for becoming a spiritual, moral and/or actual boomerang in our lives. God will repay us not only in the next life but even in this one.
So, what seeds for tomorrow will you sow bountifully - today?
*****
“Put up with a little foolishness from me.”
In a letter of spiritual direction and encouragement, St. Francis de Sales made the following observation:
“To be a servant of God means to be charitable towards one’s neighbor, have an unshakable determination in the superior part of one’s soul to obey the will of God, trusting in God with a very humble humility and simplicity, to lift oneself up as often as one fails, endure oneself with all one’s abjections and quietly put up with others in their imperfections.” (Stopp, Selected Letters, p. 140)
As followers of Jesus, we are challenged to “put up” with one another as an expression of our love for one another. Note, however, that while Francis de Sales says in this case that we must “put up” with another’s imperfections, in other cases he also reminds us that if we really love others, we must not put up with another’s sinfulness or immorality. In the case of the latter, we are obligated to draw their attention to it, not as an occasion to embarrass them, but as an opportunity to help them to become more of the person that God desires he or she to be.
What is the moral to the story? When it comes to the people we love, there is a distinction that we need to make – there are some things with which we need to put up, but there are other things about which we need to be put out.
And to point it out!
*****
“I too will boast…”
Just from what we heard in today’s first reading, by any measure Paul certainly had a great many things about which he could boast in his efforts at being the great Apostle to the Gentiles. However, if Paul ultimately boasted about anything, it was not a list of everything that he did for God. On the contrary, Paul boasted of all the ways in which God was faithful to him!
In a sermon on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Francis de Sales preached:
“People who, like Martha, are desirous and anxious to do something for Our Lord believe they are very devout and believe that this eagerness is a virtue. However, this is no so, as He Himself would have us understand. Only one thing is required, that is, to have God and possess Him. If I seek only Him, what does it matter to me if I have to do one thing or another? If I desire only His will, what will it matter to me if I have to do one thing or another? If I desire only His will, what will it matter to me whether I am sent to Spain or to Ireland? If I seek only His cross, why should I be troubled if I am sent to the Indies, or to old countries or to new countries, since I am certain that I shall find it everywhere?” (Living Jesus p. 436)
Rather than boast of all the ways that he might have done great things for God, Francis preferred to boast – as it were – of his need to do things for God, not in accordance with his will, but by God’s will.
Francis de Sales’ life is filled with illustrations of how he attempted to practice this virtue. In reflecting upon an offer, he received - which would have been quite the feather in his cap - to become a coadjutor to Cardinal de Retz in Paris, he wrote to Madame Angelique Arnauld:
“I am and shall be and ever want to be at the mercy of God’s divine providence. I want to hold no rank except that of a servant and a follower…I am again invited to go to Paris under advantageous conditions. I said that I would neither go there nor stay here unless to follow the will of God. This country (Savoy) is my home according to my natural birth; according to my spiritual birth, my home is the Church. I shall willingly go or stay wherever I can best serve the latter without attaching myself to the former.” (Ibid, p. 438)
Tempted as he might have been to boast of such an offer, Francis instead preferred to boast – as it were – of his fidelity to God’s will for him by remaining in Savoy!
So, if we are to boast of anything today, let it be less about all the things that we might try to do for God and more about all the things that God continues to do for us!
*****
“Do not worry about your life…”
In his Introduction to the Devout Life (in a chapter entitled, “We must be Faithful to both Great and Little Tasks”), Francis de Sales wrote:
“The Sacred Spouse implies that He is pleased to accept the great deeds of devout persons, that their least and lowest deeds are also acceptable to Him, and that to serve Him as He wishes we must have great care to serve Him well in both great, lofty matters and in small, unimportant things. With love we can capture His heart by the one just as well as by the other…For a single cup of water God has promised to his faithful a sea of endless bliss. Since such opportunities present themselves from moment to moment it will be a great means of storing up vast spiritual riches if only you use them well.” (IDL, Part III, Chapter 35, pp. 213-214)
Do not worry about whether you are making great progress in the spiritual life. Do not worry about not measuring up! Do not worry about not being perfect! Just simply – with trust and confidence - do good things for God – be they little or great – as often as you can on this earth.
In the process you will slowly – but surely - store up treasures not only in heaven, but also right here, right now on this earth.
