I'm planning on putting some thoughts down today or tomorrow in anticipation of the Feast of the Lord's Baptism on January 9, which was the day St. Francis recommended for beginning the annual review. Which brings me to a question –
I know some people are reading along with this series – I was wondering if anyone has been following along enough to pick up the book (or bookmark an online version) and is thinking about following St. Francis's method? Is anyone (besides me) thinking of beginning an "annual review and renewal" on Sunday and going to use the book for it? I ask because I could, if you like, open a daily comment thread for discussion over the ten days or so following 1/9. Anyone interested?
On the other hand, is there anyone who's waiting for me to finish nattering on about the book and organize my notes so they can attempt the Devout Life from the beginning? If there's interest in that, then I'll be happy to start a daily comment thread for that purpose (but probably not till the end of the month or so — I might be able to manage the summing-up by Ash Wednesday, which will give me a good excuse not to give up the Internet for Lent). Please don't wait on me, though.
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For other posts in this series about St. Francis de Sales's most well-known work, follow this link to the index, also available in the right sidebar.
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This, the very last chapter of the book, isn't the last bit I'll write about. I still have to come back and look at the Author's Preface, so hang in there.
Chapter 5-18 contains advice which pertains not to the annual renewal and review of devotion which is the stated theme of Part 5, but really to the whole book. Let's look at the tips it contains, all of which have to do with preserving devotion throughout the year between the annual renewals.
Renew your resolve on the first day of every month….
So I guess you take a moment to do a little bit of mini-renewal once a month. Sounds good — maybe coinciding with a monthly trip to the confessional. I recently received the advice to go to confession monthly, something I've never tried, and so the suggestion to renew my resolve monthly is timely.
…[A]t all times protest your determination to observe your resolve, saying with David, Life-giving are they commands, O Lord, never to be forgotten.
"At all times" — daily, whenever you think of it, and (I suppose) especially when tempted to despair.
Should you experience any disorder in your soul, humble yourself upon your knees, your protestation in your hand, then read it through with heartfelt devotion and it will bring you relief.
So, here is another mention of the written "protestation" that the reader who is trying to live Francis's program will have written out and signed when following the instructions in Part 1, and will perhaps have re-committed herself to during the most recent annual renewal. I like very much the notion of having in hand an expression, in writing, of one's desires to become devout and one's promises to take action. Keeps you honest.
Confess openly that you wish to be devout; I say, that you wish to be devout, not that you are devout. Never be ashamed of taking the ordinary means necessary to progress in the love of God. Acknowledge quite frankly that you try to meditate and that you would rather die than fall into mortal sin; that you desire to frequent the sacraments and follow your confessor's advice…
This frank profession of our desire to serve God and to consecrate ourselves whole-heartedly to his love is most pleasing to our Lord, who does not want us to be ashamed either of him or of his Cross; moreover, such frankness serves to silence the contrary suggestions of worldly people and commits us in honour to live up to what we profess.
So: "Don't be afraid to mention it to other people." That last bit about committing us in honour to living up to what we profess has always been a sticking point for me.
We all know someone who hates the Church or rejects Christ because of the behavior of Christians he has known or imagined. My own failures in the Christian life are painfully obvious and glaring. I am not ashamed of the Cross; instead, how can I not bring shame upon the Cross by associating myself with it? And yet that's such a self-centered way of looking at it, seeing my own faults as looming larger than the sacrifice that redeems the whole world. On and on in an inward and downward spiral.
I guess St. Francis is asking us all to trust that if we speak the truth (yes, I try to love God and my neighbor; yes, it has turned out so far that I still SUCK AT IT) then we are doing what we can and must do, and He will take care of the results.
The next line gives another reason for openly confessing our desire for devotion.
Philosophers used to proclaim themselves philosophers that they might be allowed to live as such; so should we profess our desire to be devout that we may be allowed to live devoutly.
Hm, perhaps this is translated, "If you repeat your desire to be devout often enough, all your naysayers will eventually give up bothering you about it."
If anyone says that we can live devoutly without practicising all these exercises, do not deny it, but answer quietly that you are so weak that you need more help and assistance than others.
There you go: Truth and humility rolled into a nice little sound bite.
I would like to add that it might feel phony to say something like that, especially if you (like me) don't often think, "Gosh, I feel awful today. What I really need is to get to Mass/adoration/prayer/etc."
The truth is: I'm not constantly aware of my weakness. I don't intuitively flee to the sacraments and to prayer. Look, most of the time I go to Mass on Sunday because I have to, right? I get dressed and get the kids dressed and herd everybody out of the door because that's what we always do on Sunday mornings. It's not till I get there that I remember why I do it. Oh yes — I forgot I would run into You here!
So it sort of sounds fakey-pious for someone like me to say "Oh yes, you are right. It's not necessary to do all these things to be devout. But I need the help."
But I think I could say them. Though I would not spontaneously speak such words from the depth of my heart, I cannot deny that they are true. It is not a lie to repeat them. This is why I love the Church. I don't have to feel things are true to know they are true. If it doesn't feel "true to my heart" to do and say the right thing, I can be true to another Heart instead. This is a relief.
Finally, Philothea, by all that is sacred in heaven and on earth, by your baptism, by the breasts which nourished your Saviour, by the heart with which he loves you, by the infinite mercy in which you hope, by all these things, I entreat you to continue and persevere in the practice of the devout life. Our days pass away and death is at the door…
[L]ook up to heaven and do not forsake it for anything on earth; look down into hell and do not cast yourself there for the sake of transitory things; look up to Jesus Christ; do not deny him for the sake of the world, and should the labours of the devout life seem hard to you, sing with St. Francis [of Assisi]:
"Because I seek eternity, /All labours here are light to me."
So the last bit of advice is simply: Don't give up; keep your eyes on the point of all this, which is heaven.
May Jesus reign, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory now and forever. Amen.
That's the end. The next post will be about the Author's Preface — yes, that's right, the beginning.
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