Today, January 24 we celebrate the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, who believed that we should Live Jesus, below are several spiritual insights from the Gentlemen Saint, and two prayers.

Direction of Intention

My God, I give you this day.  I offer you, now, all of the good

that I shall do … and I promise to accept, for love of you, all of the difficulty that I shall meet.  Help me to conduct myself during this day In a manner pleasing to you.

“Nothing in this world can satisfy the person who is not first satisfied with God.” 

“Let us be who we are & be that well, in order to bring honor to the Master craftsman whose handiwork we are.”  (Oeurves, XII. Letter 289 10 June 1607)

“Walk joyfully through life & if at times you cannot walk with faith & courage.”  (Everyday with Francis deSales, June 12)

“You have a great desire for Christian perfection …. Nurture it and help it grow every day…. all must seek this perfection but not by the same means.  The principal means of uniting yourself to god are the sacraments and prayer…. But in all this … be not inconvenienced by overly long visits to church, by too lengthy withdrawals to pray.  In short, we must, as far as possible, make our devotion attractive.”  (Francis deSales, Jane deChantal, Letters of Spiritual Direction, p104) 

de Sales offers great advice for parents with his Seven Little Virtues:

•     1. Endure Patiently

•     2. See the Bright Side

•     3. Show Good Humor

•     4. Excuse Cheerfully

•     5. Put on a Good Face

•     6. Be Appreciative

•     7. Speak Gently

“Do not look forward to the changes & chances of this life with fear; rather look upon them with strong hope that, as they arise, God, whose child you are, will deliver you from them.” 

“Take courage, & turn troubles which you cannot remedy into material for progress & maturity.”

Start each day TRUSTING in God, live each moment TRUSTING in God, discover TRUSTING in God’s will for your life and you will live as a child of God.  Easy to write, easy to say, but very hard to live.

“ Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you.  All things are passing.  God never changes.  Patience obtains all things.  Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God.  Go alone suffices.”  

Day is Ending

Thank you for all the gifts of the day, for the place I spent it And for those with whom I spent it, for all its joys and all its sorrows, for the troubles overcome and for those that remain.

I offer you the silence of this night, its darkness and its solitude.  Whether you chose under the cover of this night to take away the problems of this day, or leave them for tomorrow, I will bless your name.

Thy will be done.        

Amen.

May God Be Praised!

If you are interested in a little gem of St. Francis de Sales’ Wisdom get a copy of his Golden Counsels: http://embracedbygod.org/product/golden-counsels-of-st-francis-de-sales/