I should start drafting these quotes over the weekend.
Monday morning was spent in the dentist seat at the local university. This is my 3rd student and she was very nice and understanding. Hopefully, the dental implants are on the way!
Every dentist I’ve had in my life has been lovely, but I detest going. There’s no comparison to any other doctor. And visits are a bit longer here than at your usual dental practice. I’ve been waiting for quite some time for those implants. So when I go, I have to focus on my breathing and think of that place that takes me away from the chair.
So today’s quote is about….. PATIENCE.
“Have patience with all things, but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that.”
Saint Francis de Sales
I chose this Saint Francis de Sales quote for a few reasons. Even though he’s known as the ‘Saint of Kindness’, supposedly he had a bad temper. Calling on the divine (I’ve done that once or twice in my life), he relied on the Virgin Mary to temper his anger. A night of clarity and prayer set him on his path, which led to challenges with his family, especially his father.
Francis de Sales had gone to school to become a lawyer, but opted to drop out and go into the priesthood. His father didn’t like that idea, and using his persuasiveness and patience did his father concede. Francis was a persuasive fella, charming and gentle. With the help of his cousin, Canon Louis de Sales, who persuaded the Bishop of Geneva, to obtain for Francis the position of provost of the cathedral chapter of Geneva, a post in the patronage of the pope. It was the highest office in the diocese. His father thought, okay that’s a pretty sweet deal. So after signing his title and succession to his little brother, Francis was ordained.
He was a priest who was known for his gentle approach. Francis spent many years with the Calvinists and the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation.” [Wikipedia] His ministry was not well received by them at first and most wouldn’t even speak to him. Francis turned to writing pamphlets that he would slip under the townspeople doors. These writings were later collected into a book called The Catholic Controversy. Little by little, Francis gained himself a hearing among the Calvinists and eventually converted them by the thousands. His success was so great that he was later elevated to the post of Bishop of Geneva.
Francis was a prolific writer. Introduction to the Devout Life, became one of the most popular books on spirituality in the 17th century and remains a spiritual classic today. It is said that Francis printed it on sheets of paper which he himself slipped under the doors of the homes in his community. It was written in the form of letters that encouraged everyday Christians to live out their faith in the world, and not to retreat from it.
Jane & Francis, Powerhouse Couple
In France, Francis saw a widow listening closely to his sermon, someone he had seen in his dream. Jane de Chantal was a dedicated Catholic Christian, and Francis became her spiritual director on their way to become “saints.”Together they founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary. Their mission was to create a new type of religious life, "one open to older women and those of delicate constitution, that would stress the hidden, inner virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, even-tempered charity, and patience, and founded on the example of Mary in her journey of mercy to her cousin Elizabeth."
"The order was established to welcome those not able to practice austerities required in other orders. Instead of chanting the canonical office in the middle of the night the sisters recited the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin at half-past eight in the evening. There was no perpetual abstinence nor prolonged fast. The Order of the Visitation of Mary was canonically erected in 1618 by Paul V who granted it all the privileges enjoyed by the other orders. A Papal Bull of Urban VIII solemnly approved it in 1626." [https://vistyr.org/founders.]
Now he also didn’t like gossip. So I guess we wouldn’t be discussing Bravo. (I can’t help myself)
Intellectual, persevering, kind, charming, and patience are just a few words to describe Saint Francis de Sales. He died on December 28, 1622, after giving a nun his last word of advice: "Humility."
Thank you Francis
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