St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) was a prolific author who was once Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland. He is best remembered for his wonderful books on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation. He has been called "the Gentleman Saint" on account of his patience and gentleness.
St. Francis de Sales Sermon for Ash Wednesday
Sermon for Ash Wednesday, February 9, 1622, concerning the spiritual fruits of fasting and the conditions which make fasting pleasing to God: fasting universally, that is, with all the senses and with the understanding, memory, and the appetites of the will; how completely the primitive Christians fasted, fasting through humility rather than through vanity, fasting…
Mourning Those Whom We Have Lost
“Raise up your eyes often to Heaven; and see that this life is only a passage to eternity.” -St. Francis de Sales If we lose our parents and friends, we ought not to be too much distressed; for there is no reason in the world why we should desire those whom we love to remain…
The Excellence of Abandonment to God
Abandonment is the virtue of virtues; it is the cream of charity, the fragrance of humility, the sweetness of patience, and the fruit of perseverance. Great is this virtue, and worthy of being practiced by the beloved children of God. “My Father,” says our good Savior on the cross, “into Thy hands I commend my…
We Should Draw Profit from Our Faults
The faults and infidelities of which we are guilty every day should indeed bring us shame and confusion, when we approach Our Lord; and thus we read of great saints, like St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Teresa, that, when they had fallen into any fault, they experienced much confusion. Hence it is very reasonable,…
Christmas Midnight Mass Sermon by St. Francis de Sales
Below is an inspiring sermon delivered by Saint Francis de Sales for Midnight Mass, December 25, 1622. Highlights include: The great Christian feasts in the early Church and their observances The Incarnation as God’s end in creating the world The two births of the Word, eternal and temporal The two natures of the Word made…
Mystical Aspects of the Mystery of Christmas
Below is an excerpt from a brief, but interesting sermon that was delivered by Saint Francis de Sales to a convent of nuns on Christmas Eve in the year 1614. These nuns were members of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Visitation; an order founded by him. The sermon addresses Christ the Savior as…
