At the end of his Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) addresses potential objections to his work that he imagines readers might have. One is that his exercises for living a devout life are unreasonably time-consuming.  My own objection would be that sometimes I feel that it’s not radical enough–that it lacks a sharp critical edge to effect real social and political change in the world today.

Practicing the “little virtues”

But then I hear St. Francis de Sales recall me yet again to focus on the tasks at hand in my everyday life, and to the truly enormous challenge of trying to change just myself, let alone the world. And I realize once again that there is nothing more radical I can do than that, how practicing the so-called “little virtues” of gentleness, patience and humility is not at all easy, and that even small gains in these areas can have a huge positive impact on myself, my family, and others.

I think that Salesian spirituality might be deceptively simple in that it has to be read and followed closely to extract and feel its critical edge. While St. Francis de Sales calls us to live a life of “quiet cheerfulness,” he doesn’t see life through rose-coloured glasses either.

Dangerous acts of injustice and untruth

Rather, he sees in our everyday dealings with others what he calls “dangerous acts of injustice and untruth”—acts that “because they are trifling, people pay no attention to them, and because they are numerous, they do infinite harm” (IDL, III, 36).

While it is not a hard thing to abstain from murder, it is a very difficult to avoid all passing fits of anger, which assail us at every moment. A man or woman can easily keep from adultery, but it is less easy to abstain from all words and glances which are disloyal. While it is easy to keep from stealing another man’s goods, but often difficult to resist coveting them; easy to avoid bearing false witness in direct judgment, difficult to be perfectly truthful in conversation; easy to refrain from getting drunk, difficult to be absolutely sober; easy not to wish for a neighbor’s death, difficult not to wish for anything contrary to his interests; easy to keep from slander, difficult to avoid all contempt (IDL, IV, 8).

Do sweat the small stuff

His approach could be summarized as, “Do sweat the small stuff! (And it’s all small stuff).” In this way, he is likely just as critical as a Christopher Hitchens, but without the sneering arrogance; just as critical as a Chris Hedges, but joyfully optimistic rather than despairing and defeated. Be courageous, he says with conviction, “be bold and resolute in performing the spiritual exercises I have set before you” (IDL, V, 17).

Therefore, compared to various public leaders and critical thinkers we have to help us face the tremendous challenges in the world today, it is the “Gentleman Saint”—St. Francis de Sales—who appears to be the most radical of all in his simple and civil approach to holiness, and whose counter-cultural teachings of detachment, holy indifference, patience, mercy and forgiveness look more and more to me like the very thing we all need much more of in the world today.

Pope Francis

No doubt our best contemporary role model for holiness in the world today is one who mirrors the approach of St. Francis de Sales so very closely—Pope Francis. As Thomas Dailey points out in the Introduction to his book Live Today Well, St. Francis de Sales and Pope Francis have much more in common than just their names.

Their similarities include a Jesuit education and worldview, and simple but imaginative methods of effective communication, including, most interestingly, the use of some of the same images of the Church. For example, Dailey shows that the image of the Church as a “field hospital” that Pope Francis used in his first interview is an image that Francis de Sales used in a sermon in 1619.

We see abundantly how Pope Francis embodies the virtues that are so central and critical to Salesian spirituality, including those of genuine poverty amidst riches, forgiveness and mercy, and the joy of the gospel.

Spiritual practice

As for me, I humbly pray for the graces I need to be able to learn and to practice the same “little virtues”—to share the visions of St. Francis de Sales and Pope Francis that, seeing through the same eye of Christ that looks deeply into me, I might truly see and respond generously to the needs of others, to look upon others with the same strengthening look, to serve with the same spirit of readiness with open hands, and to walk together in solidarity for a few steps at least with all those whom I have the opportunity and privilege to meet. Amen!

What about you? What special graces do you pray for? What’s your spiritual practice?