In one of his sermons, St. Francis de Sales speaks of three ways of carrying Christ: on our tongues, in our hearts, and in our arms. In his view, the first two ways mean very little if the third way is missing. Let me explain.
Carrying Christ on our tongues
Francis describes this way of carrying Christ as “recounting his marvels and praising Him with great ardor.” Tele-evangelists, preachers and spiritual writers are often quite effective in conveying the wonderful things God has done for us, his people. Indeed, especially tele-evangelists often shout out their praise of God in loud voices and with much vigor, hand movements, and ardor. This has a powerful way of captivating the listener and moving them toward God. This is good but not enough for Francis.
Carrying Christ in our hearts
Francis describes this way of carrying Christ in these words: “Others carry Him in their hearts with tender and loving affection, which becomes part and parcel of their lives, thinking of Him and speaking to Him.” Such people have learned to see the Lord, often through prayer, in the center of their hearts. They love him there and sense him as intimately present to them in their very being. This, too, is good even beautiful but not enough for Francis.
Carrying Christ in our arms
Here is how Francis speaks of this third manner of carrying Christ: “But these two ways of carrying the Lord do not amount to much if the third element of carrying Him in their arms by good works is missing.”
In this Sermon, Francis is making abundantly clear that there must be an unbreakable bond between the first commandment, love of God, and the second commandment, love of neighbor. As the familiar song has it, “you can’t have one without the other.”
It is good to ask ourselves, honestly and before the Lord, if we separate the two loves in any way.
(See Sermons 2, Oeuvres IX, p 22; also see February 1 in Everyday with Saint Francis de Sales)
Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS
Provincial
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province
