From St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life
Translated by John K. Ryan, published by Image, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
Random House LLC, New York 1966
“Choose certain particular saints whose lives you can best appreciate and imitate and in whose intercession you may have particular confidence. The saint whose name you bear was already assigned to you at baptism” (97).
“Be devoted to the word of God whether you hear it in familiar conversation with spiritual friends or in sermons. Always listen to it with attention and reverence; make good use of it; do not let it fall to the earth but take it into your heart like a precious balm. Do all this after the example of the most holy Virgin, for she carefully kep in her heart all the words spoken in praise of her Child” (97).
“You should always read stories and lives of the saints for there, as in a mirror, you can see a picture of the Christian life and adapt their deeds to your use in keeping with your vocation” (97).
“In like manner, when God wishes to do some great act of charity in us, by us, or with us, he first proposes it to us by inspiration, secondly, we approve it, and thirdly, we consent to it. Just as there are three steps by which we descend to sin, namely, temptation, delectations, and consent, so also there are three steps by which we ascend to virtue” (99).
“But in the end it is consent that perfects the virtuous act” (99).
“Our Savior gave the sacrament of penance and confession to his church so that we may be cleansed from all our iniquities no matter how often and how greatly we have been defiled by them. Never let your soul remain long infected by sin, Philothea, since you have a remedy so near at hand and so easy to apply” (101).
“In confession you not only receive absolution from the venial sins you confess but also great strength to avoid them in the future, light to see them clearly, and abundant grace to repair whatever damage you have incurred. You will also practice the virtues of humility, obedience, simplicity, and charity” (101).
“Don’t be satisfied with confessing your venial sins merely as to the fact but accuse yourself of the motive that led you to commit them. ( . . . . ) Hence we must state the fact, the motive, and the duration of our sins” (102-103).
“Be on guard against a number of sins that frequently live and rule undetected in your conscience” (103).“Our Saviour has instituted the most august sacrament of the Eucharist, which contains his flesh and blood in their reality, so that whoever eats of it shall live forever. Therefore whoever turns to it frequently and devoutly so effectively builds up his soul’s health that it is almost impossible for him to be poisoned by evil affection of any kind” (104).
“Begin your preparation for Holy Communion on the evening before by many loving aspirations and transports and retire a little earlier so that you may rise earlier in the morning. ( . . . . ) In the morning get up with great joy because of the happiness you hope for” (107).
“After you have received him, excite your heart to do homage to the King of salvation. Converse with him concerning your inmost concerns. Reflect that he is within you and has come there for your happiness” (107).
“Your great intention in receiving Communion should be to advance, strengthen, and comfort yourself in the love of God ( . . . . ) No, you cannot consider our Savior in an action more full of love than this. In it he abases himself, if we may so express it, and changes himself into food, so that he may penetrate our souls and unite himself most intimately to the heart and body of his faithful” (108).
“Go often to Communion, Philothea ( . . . .) so by adoring and eating beauty, purity, and goodness itself in this divine sacrament you will become wholly beautiful, wholly good, and wholly pure” (109).
