Salesian spirituality gives
expression to a way to journey in
the spiritual life as we embrace
the duties of our state in response
to the universal call to holiness - in
the words of St. Francis de Sales to
"bloom where you are
planted." It's a "spirituality of the
heart," as relevant today as in the
time of St. Francis de Sales himself,
an all-embracing, down-to-earth
spirituality for everyone.
The essence of the spirituality can be
found in the "Introduction to the
Devout Life," a book written by St.
Francis de Sales at the beginning of
the 17th century. The book, often
referred to as a spiritual classic,
contains the collective wisdom of the
first sixteen centuries of the Christian
experience and is divided into five
parts:
(1) instructions and exercises
needed to lead the soul from its
first desire for the devout life
until brought to a full resolution
to embrace it; (2) various
instructions for elevating the soul
to God through prayer and the
sacraments; (3) instructions on
the practice of virtue; (4)
necessary councils against
frequent temptations; (5)
exercises and instructions for
renewing the soul and confirming
it in devotion.
St. Francis de Sales wrote another
spiritual classic, "Treatise on the
Love of God." It is comprised of
twelve books written for individuals
more advanced in the spiritual life
and addresses topics such as the
human tendency to love God,
meditation and prayer, an
explanation of the history of divine
love, the difference between
benevolent and complacent love,
and affective and effective love.
The "Treatise on the
Love of God" focuses on:
the fundamentals of
Francis' science of love
of God and the
application of these
basic principles. Francis'
spirituality is found in
numerous other writings
including many of his
sermons and letters.
The context for the "Rule of
Life," which is followed by many
Daughters and Sons of St.
Francis can be found in Romans
13:10, "Love is the fulfillment of
the law." Salesians commit
themselves to living according
to the Spirit of Jesus and living
the Gospel in the Church and in
the world, as disciples of St.
Francis de Sales and with Mary,
the mother of the Church.
Many Salesian followers
begin each day with "the
direction of intentions": My
God, I give you this day. I
offer You, now all the good
that I shall do and promise
to accept, for love of You, all
the difficulties that I shall
meet. Help me to conduct
myself this day in a manner
pleasing to You.
Salesian spirituality has
helped many people over
the centuries to "Live
Jesus," to allow Jesus to live
in them and to love through
them, and to reproduce in
their life, as did St. Francis
de Sales, the gentleness and
humility of Jesus. Many
have looked to St. Francis de
Sales for the means by
which to attain holiness and
a devout life.
The Salesian "family" is both
large and diverse. Beyond the
association it includes: the Sons
of St. Francis de Sales, the
Salesian Missionaries of Mary
Immaculate (missionary sisters),
the Priests of St. Francis de
Sales, the Oblate priests,
brothers and sisters of St.
Francis de Sales, the Sisters of
the Visitation of Mary
(Visitandines), Missionaries of
St. Francis de Sales, Salesians of
John Bosco, and the Secular
Institute of St. Francis de Sales.
By following Salesian spirituality
a person seeks to become a child
of God by imitating Jesus
Christ, in the context of interior
prayer which allows God's light
to illumine our intellect and His
love to fill our heart. A Salesian is
a disciple of "De Sales," who lives
in the context of his words: "Let
us be who we are, and be that
well, so as to honor the Master
Worker, whose handiwork we
are."
The following are some of the
highlights from Salesian spirituality:
God is love, and all creation is
an outpouring of that love.
All creation has been made for
Christ, with Christ and through Christ.
All creation should be treated with
respect and care.
Jesus is the model for all fully human
living.
You possess divine dignity and are
worthy of profound respect.
God has testified that
you are good, worthy of divine love
and mercy.
Despite your weakness and sinfulness,
God loves you so much that He sent
His only Son to become human.
You are called to be holy, that is, to
grow in union with God.
Pursuing a holy life is called
"devotion," that is, doing what
is both commanded and counseled by
God promptly, actively, and diligently.
The pursuit of holiness
must be practical. It must
transform your attitudes,
attributes, and actions.
Acknowledge your sins
and failing, learn from them, but
do not dwell on them.
God gives you talents and
abilities, gifts that should be
discovered, developed and used
for the good of others.
Relationships are essential to
living a fully human, that is, a holy
life.
Each moment of each day
comes from the hand of a
loving God and is graced for
your salvation.
The only time you have is each
present moment. Don't live
in the
past; don't dwell on the future.
Living each
moment to the fullest with
an eye
to loving God must lead you to
show compassion for others.
The challenge of each
moment is discerning
God's will, that is, the
particular, unique
way that God may be
calling you to love
Him, yourself, and others.
God's will is frequently
communicated through
the events, circumstances,
and relationships in which
you find yourself.
God seldom requires you to
perform great or extraordinary
feats, but He always challenges
you
to perform everyday actions
with extraordinary attention
and enthusiasm.
The "little virtues" of patience,
humility, gentleness, simplicity,
honesty, and hospitality are
powerful means for growing
holy.
All prayer and meditation
must lead to action.
The
motivation with which you
perform some action
may be far more important
and powerful than the
action itself.
Freedom is one of the
most precious and
powerful gifts that
God gives you.
You are to use that
freedom to grow in
conformity to God's will.
Intellectual learning, prayerful
reflection, social interaction, work,
play and all things creative should be
valued as graced by God and viewed
as means for growing into a
fully human person.
Each new day is a new beginning, a
new opportunity for growing in
holiness.
Let your passion be disciplined.
Let your discipline be passionate.
Keep things in perspective.
Develop a sense of humor, one which
does not offend others.
Blessed be God!
