The Catholic Man Show - Intro to the Devout Life

We want to grow in holiness. We want to grow in our relationship with our Lord. But how do we do it? Let’s see what the spiritual master, St. Francis de Sales, has to say.

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Intro to Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

Written over 400 years ago, Introduction to the Devout Life is still one of the most popular books for those pursuing holiness. St. Francis de Sales explains how to turn that desire for sanctity into resolutions that yield grace-filled results.

Themes include:

• Pursuing a devout life whole-heartedly
• Incorporating prayer and sacraments into a busy
  schedule
• Growing in virtue
• Battling wisely against temptation
• Making spiritual progress through daily, monthly, and yearly exercises

Whether you are just beginning your spiritual journey or are more advanced in the spiritual life, you’ll be able to apply this timeless wisdom immediately. Let St. Francis de Sales illumine the path to holiness and strengthen your desire to walk that road with the Lord.

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622) was the Bishop of Geneva and a renowned spiritual director. Preaching during the Counter-Reformation, he is estimated to have converted 70,000 Calvinists in his short lifetime. He was a fervent proponent of the universal call to holiness and spent much of his time guiding lay people on the road to sanctity. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877, St. Francis is still helping to form saints through his many writings, of which Introduction to the Devout Life is the most famous.

About the Topic:

First Purification: From Mortal Sin

The means to do this is the holy Sacrament of Penance.

Four things that happen when you commit mortal sin:

1. By sin you have lost the grace of God

2. You’ve abandoned your place in paradise

3. Accepted the eternal pains of hell

4. Renounced God’s eternal love

 

He finds a general confession to be extremely useful in the beginning of this growth period.

“One of the serious responsibilities of a person committed to a moral and devout life is to avoid as far as possible situations, circumstances, places, or even persons that could possibly encourage one to sin.” EX: Alcoholic avoids bars and gatherings with alcohol.

 

Second Purification: Attachment to Sin:

 

“There are penitents who leave sin yet without leaving their longing for sin”

“They would like much to be able to sin without being damned.”

 

“You must not only relinquish sin; but you must prune your heart of all affections that relate to sin.”

It is one thing to stop sinning – and quite another to stop wanting to sin.

 

On Purging Oneself of inclinations one has to venial sins:
“One should not voluntarily nourish the will to continue and persevere in any kind of venial sin, because this would be too great a wickedness – to choose, knowingly, to keep in our conscience a thing so displeasing to God as a willingness to offend him.”

 

The necessity of Prayer:

 

1. Prayer puts our intellect in the clarity of the divine light and brings forth our weaknesses.

2. Focus your main prayer time at the beginning of the day when you are rested.

3. Do not rush to say many prayers, but teach yourself to say what you say lovingly.

4. The Rosary is a great starting point but if you have advanced to “contemplative” prayer, you should always keep that in the principal place.

5. When saying vocal prayers, if you sense your heart drawn and invited to interior or mental prayer, do not refuse to follow it, but let your spirit glide gently in that direction.

6. If you miss morning prayer and it is evening, you should pray, bead some book of devotion with penitence that may settle the rest of this shortcoming. (St. Francis knows the importance of habitual prayer and a regular pattern. If you voluntarily miss, it is a slippery slope. You should make up for it)