Spirituality Matters: November 13th - 19th — Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

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(November 13, 2022: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time)
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“For you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.”

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111: 10) However, as the Psalmist reminds us, this fear of the Lord (which is directly equated with the acquisition of wisdom) is merely the beginning - it must lead to “following God’s precepts,” i.e., it must lead to action.

In other words, fear of the Lord’s name must lead to doing the Lord’s work!

As we hear in today’s second reading, Saint Paul certainly knew this truth: “You know how you ought to imitate us. We did not live lives of disorder…rather, we worked day and night, laboring to the point of exhaustion…indeed, anyone who would not work should not eat.”

This fear of the Lord – this fear of God’s name – is not meant to paralyze us. No, it is clearly meant to motivate us, to get us moving, to get us working – individually and collectively – in pursuing the precepts of the Lord and of building up the Kingdom of God. Put another way, fear of the Lord should not make us passive, but rather it should make us proactive.

This truth should be obvious. However, just the opposite message may be (however unintentionally) conveyed when we consider the lives and legacies of the saints who, among other things, clearly feared the name of the Lord:

“When we think of holy men and women throughout the ages, we often recall sculptures, drawings, and paintings in which the saints look anything but active. Our most active and energetic saints are sometimes pictured doing nothing more strenuous than holding a lily or gazing piously heavenward. And while these images can be moving and inspiring, and helpful for times of contemplation, if one is searching for models of action and energy, they can hold somewhat less appeal.” (James Martin, SJ in Patrons and Protectors: More Occupations by Michael O’Neill McGrath)

It is in this light that James Martin writes:

“Perhaps the most overlooked fact from Christian history is that Jesus worked. We can easily envision Jesus being instructed by Saint Joseph, the master carpenter. In Joseph’s workshop in Nazareth, Jesus would have learned about the raw materials of his craft...Joseph would have taught his apprentice the right way to drive a nail with a hammer, to drill a clean, deep hole in a plank, to level a ledge or a lintel.” (Ibid)

And who could have feared the name of the Lord – and followed God’s precepts – more clearly and convincingly than Jesus? Gregory Pierce suggests that we need to see and experience work as “all the effort (paid or unpaid) we exert to make the world a better place, a little closer to the way God would have things.” (Spirituality at Work, page 18)

Work—God’s work—is indeed our lot in life, our reason for being, and our purpose for living. As we see in the life of Jesus himself, this work can be tiring, laborious, and frustrating. Still, what could be more rewarding than using all of our energies to make all our little corners of the world places in which “the sun of justice” can arise in the hearts and minds of our brothers and sisters? Fear of the Lord is, ultimately, an invitation – no, a command – to do the work of the Lord.

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(November 14, 2022: Monday, Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time)
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“I know your works, your labor, and your endurance…and that you have not grown weary.”

In his day, some of Saint Francis de Sales’ contemporaries criticized his approach to living the Gospel. They claimed that Francis was suggesting that following Jesus was somehow easy. For his part, the Bishop of Geneva countered by saying that he wasn’t trying to convince people that Gospel living was easy at all. Quite the contrary, what he was trying to do was to convince people that Gospel living was available – and possible – for everyone, but specifically in ways that fit the state and stage of life in which they found themselves.

When it comes to living the Gospel – when it comes to “Living + Jesus” – Salesian Spirituality starts from within. Salesian Spirituality focuses on the ordinary. Salesian Spirituality focuses on the everyday. Salesian Spirituality focuses on how to make the hard work relative to living the Gospel doable. Thus, living the Gospel is not meant to be hard. However, as with anything worthwhile, living the Gospel is hard work and it is a life-long work. And again, as with anything worthwhile, living the Gospel is not a sprint. On the contrary, it is a marathon.

Saint Francis de Sales cited Saint Elizabeth’s heroic virtue in his Introduction to the Devout Life, drawing a direct line between her practice of charity and Jesus’ challenge to live a life of Beatitude:

“Saint Elizabeth, daughter of the king of Hungary, often visited the poor. O God how poor was this princess in the midst of all her riches and how rich was her poverty! ‘Blessed are they who are poor in this manner, for to them belongs the kingdom of heaven.’ ‘I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was cold and you clothed me; come possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ He who is the King of the poor and of the rich alike will say this at the great judgment.” (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 15, p. 166)

Blessed Father Louis Brisson understood both issues. He was all too aware of the hard – but doable – work associated with living a God-like life was a life-long enterprise. Likewise, he was more than conscious of some people’s skepticism of the Salesian method of living a God-like life. In a conference he gave on the topic of “Teaching Religion,” Blessed Father Louis Brisson remarked:

“The regions converted or formed by this method are those that have remained the most fervently Christian; one can see that the faith is deeply rooted there and that it is a living faith. The Bishop of Orleans used to say that if one wanted to find real exactitude, refinement of manners, and consolations of the faith, one had to go to Savoy. He said all these magnificent things about Savoy, and who is it that has made Savoy what it is? Isn’t it partly Saint Francis de Sales? It is sometimes said that the doctrine of Saint Francis de Sales is a rose-scented spirituality: yes, but it is a rose-scented spirituality that produces soldiers, lions, people who endure and you overcome every trial…Never has the world had such a need for the Gospel today. This is the task we must accomplish.” (The Oblate Preacher, translated by James P. Finnegan, OSFS, pp. 73-74)

Do you want to make progress in living the Gospel? Do you want to have the endurance required to follow Christ? Do you want to work at “Living + Jesus” in ways that don’t claim to be easy but that won’t leave you weary?

Then, follow the example of the Gentleman Saint!

Beginning today!

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(November 15, 2022: Albert the Great, Bishop)
***** “Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth…” In the fall of 1992, an all-day symposium on the Holocaust was held in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania. During a Q&A that followed a program that morning, an attendee asked the presenter if he would agree that the epitome of evil was “hatred.” Without skipping a beat, the presenter responded by saying that, in his experience, the epitome of evil was not hatred; rather, the epitome of evil was “indifference.” The Holocaust did not need an entire nation – or all of its citizens – to be consumed with hatred for the Jews and/or other groups of so-called “Untermensch” in order to be successful. As it turned out, the only thing that was required was for enough good people to be indifferent; that is, all it took was enough folks who were neither hot nor cold about the plight of other human beings. Perhaps this illustration from one of the darkest periods in recent human history helps us to understand why “The Lord” declares in today’s selection from the Book of Revelation that He reserves His greatest distaste for people who are lukewarm, as well as those who are indifferent. Look at the example of Zacchaeus in today’s Gospel. His reaction to hearing that Jesus was approaching was anything but lukewarm! Zacchaeus goes out of his way – being short, he climbs a tree – hoping to catch even a glimpse of him. To his surprise, not only does Jesus see Zacchaeus, but he invites himself to Zacchaeus’ house…and, by extension, into his life. Delighted “with joy”, Zacchaeus acknowledged that there were times in his past when he was cold to the needs of others when he defrauded them. Subsequently, he declared that he will now become hot in regards to others’ needs by repaying fourfold anyone whom he might have defrauded…and then some! Our reflection provides a framework within which to meditate upon two statements: one from Martin Luther and the other from Saint Francis de Sales. Luther once wrote, “If God’s mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary, sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.” For his part, Saint Francis de Sales described devotion as not merely doing what is good, but doing what is good “carefully, readily and frequently.” For good or for ill, how will you live your life today: in a hot, a cold or a lukewarm manner? What kind of taste will you leave in the mouths of others, to say nothing of the taste you will leave in the mouth of God? *****
(November 16, 2022: Margaret of Scotland)
***** “To everyone who has, more will be given.” Everyone who has…what? Perhaps it’s the courage to say “yes.” Perhaps it’s the courage to take the risks that come with that “yes.” In today’s Gospel, two of the three servants took a risk when they invested that which their master had entrusted to them. As a result, they were able to make a return on their master’s investment with salutatory results. By contrast, the third servant – afraid that he might lose what his master had entrusted to him – played it safe by simply sitting on what he had received - with dire results. Yesterday, in the selection from the Book of Revelation, we heard of God’s distaste for indifference. Today, we hear of God’s impatience regarding inaction brought about by fear - fear of failure and perhaps sometimes even fear of success. Better to be hot or cold than indifferent; better to have risked everything and lost than to have never risked whatever it is you received. Queen Margaret of Scotland certainly made good use of her talents: “She changed her husband Malcolm and the country for the better. Malcolm was good, but he and his court were very rough. When he saw how wise his beloved wife was, he listened to her sound advice. She softened his temper and led him to practice great virtue. She made the royal court beautiful and civilized. Soon all the princes had better manners, and the ladies imitated her purity and devotion. The king and queen gave wonderful example to everyone by the way they prayed together and fed crowds of poor people with their own hands. They seemed to have only one desire: to make everyone happy and good.” (http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=304) Today, consider what God has entrusted to you. Consider what God has invested in you. How can you make a return to God for His generosity to you? *****
(November 17, 2022: Elizabeth of Hungary)
***** “If this day you only knew what makes for peace…” Saint Francis de Sales cited Saint Elizabeth of Hungary’s heroic virtue in his Introduction to the Devout Life, drawing a direct line between her practice of charity and Jesus’ challenge to live a life of Beatitude:

The surest path to peace is to pursue a life of justice. Elizabeth of Hungary pursued justice by sharing her good fortune with others. Today, how might we imitate her example by sharing our good fortune with others? *****
(November 18, 2022: Rose Philippine Duchesne, Religious)
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“You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues….”

“Rose Philippine Duchesne was the daughter of Pierre-Francois Duchesne, an eminent lawyer, and Rose Euphrosine Perier, who was a member of the well-known Perier family. She was educated by the sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary; at the age of 19 she (without her family’s approval) subsequently joined the community. Rose witnessed the Visitation’s dispersion in 1792 during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. She attempted to re-establish the convent of Ste-Marie-d'en-Haut, near Grenoble without success, and in 1804, she accepted the offer of Mother Barat to receive her Visitation community into the Society of the Sacred Heart. In 1815, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne established a Sacred Heart community in Paris.”

“In 1818, Rose Philippine Duchesne sailed for America with several other members of the Society. They arrived in New Orleans and traveled the Louisiana territory via the Mississippi River, ending up in St. Charles, Missouri, near St. Louis, where she established the first house of the Society ever built outside of France in a log cabin. By the year 1828, six houses had been added in America including a foundation serving the Potawatomi tribe in a portion of the Louisiana Territory that would eventually become (in 1861) the state of Kansas. In time the Native Americans referred to her as the 'Woman Who Prays Always.'

“Inspired by the stories of Belgian Father Pierre De Smet, S.J., Duchesne was determined to expand the Society into the Rocky Mountains, but illness forced her to return to St. Charles, where she spent the last ten years of her life, dying at the age of 83. She was canonized on July 3, 1988 by Pope John Paul II.(http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=377)

The Lord helped Rose Philippine Duchesne to see that the end of her local Visitation community in the land of her birth did not mean the end of her having a purpose in life; in fact, it was a new beginning in the New World. Her initial misfortune paved the way for a long and fruitful ministry in places and with people that could only have happened if she had a reason to leave Grenoble. No doubt that Rose eventually came to see that in closing one door in her life God subsequently opened a window - and a pretty big window at that!

Today, when a misfortune, disappointment, or setback comes our way, do we – like Rose Philippine Duchesne - have the courage to see them through the eyes of faith?

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(November 19, 2022: Saturday, Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time)
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“He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”

In his commentary on today’s passage from Saint Luke’s Gospel, William Barclay observed: “Jesus gave the Sadducees an answer that has a permanently valid truth to it. He said that we must not think of heaven in terms of this Earth. Life there will be quite different because we will be quite different. It would save a mass of misdirected ingenuity – and no small amount of heartache – if we ceased to speculate on what heaven is like and left such things to the love of God.” (pp. 250-251) But there is also another takeaway from today’s Gospel, according to Barclay: “Out of this arid passage emerges a great truth for anyone who teaches or who wishes to commend Christianity to one’s fellows. Jesus used arguments that the people he was arguing with could understand. Jesus talked to them in their own language; he met them on their own ground, and that is precisely why the common people heard him gladly.” (251)

William Barclay’s insight here is very much in keeping with Blessed Father Louis Brisson’s understanding of one of the fundamental qualities of Salesian Spirituality – if you want to speak to the hearts of people, you (1) need to meet them where they are and (2) use words that they can understand. How might we “Live Jesus” just this day by meeting others where they are…and speaking to them in ways that they can understand?