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The Canons 6:4Council of GangraThe fathers of this Synod here teach that it is the office and duty of parents to provide for the bodily care of their children, and also, as far as in them lies. to mould them to the practice of piety. And this care for their children is to be preferred by parents to any private exercises of religion. In this connexion should be read the letter of St. Francis de Sales. (Ep. xxxii, Lib. 4.)SERMONS ON OUR LADY · Our Lady of the Snow 1617 2:3Francis de Sales[1] St. Francis de Sales is alluding to the account read in the Office for this feast, a summary of which he now gives.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · Our Lady of the Snow 1617 2:4Francis de Sales[2] Cf. St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Part IV, chapter 13.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Annunciation 1621 3:16Francis de Sales[9] The second point which St. Francis de Sales developed is missing from the original manuscripts.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1602 4:2Francis de Sales[1] The expression "O God" or "Oh, my God" is very characteristic of St. Francis de Sales, who lived and spoke in the presence of God.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1602 4:3Francis de Sales[2] That is, Christ. In this book, the terms "Spouse," "Divine Spouse," "Lover," "Divine Lover," and "Beloved" are capitalized when they refer to Christ, and are in lower case when they refer to the Church, to each faithful Christian soul (especially religious), or to the Blessed Virgin Mary — who, as St. Francis de Sales states, merits above all others the name of "spouse" and "lover" of Christ (cf. Annunciation). The word "divine" here is not always to be taken in the literal sense of referring to God Himself.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1618 2:23Francis de Sales[2] Cf. Sermon for August 15, 1602; St. Francis de Sales' Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, Chapter 13 and Chapter 14.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1618 3:1Francis de Sales[5] Cf. The Spiritual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales (Westminster, Md.: Newman Press, 1962), III, "On Constancy"; X, "On Obedience".SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1622 1:25Francis de Sales[1] Cf. Volume 1 of this series, The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1622 2:4Francis de Sales[5] Apparently St. Francis de Sales finds support for Mary's Immaculate Conception in the fact that her parents are not mentioned by the Evangelist.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1620 2:22Francis de Sales[1] St, Francis de Sales preached this sermon during a ceremony in which one Visitation nun took the religious habit, becoming a novice, and another was professed. In the liturgical calendar of that lime, the feast of Mary's Nativity (September 8) was celebrated with an octave, and September 10 was the feast of St. Nicholas of Tolentino. St. Francis weaves all these themes together in this sermon.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1620 2:23Francis de Sales[2] “Captainess": St. Francis de Sales used the French suffix "esse" to create the feminine word "captainess" in order to demonstrate the intimate cooperation of the Virgin Mary with her Son in the plan of salvation.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple 1617 2:18Francis de Sales[4] St. Francis de Sales proves himself once again an excellent psychologist, affirming as he does the need for people to renew and reown vows, promises and resolutions from time to time. He insists that relationships not be placed on "automatic pilot"—above all, our relationship with God. One can find similar advice in his Introduction to the Devout Life, Part V.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple 1617 2:20Francis de Sales[6] St. Francis de Sales is dealing here with subtle issues in the theology of grace. His position is clear. Divine grace has absolute priority; it precedes, accompanies and perfects all our deeds. Yet, God in His grace invites and enables human cooperation.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple 1620 3:3Francis de Sales[1] St. Francis de Sales is following here a usual practice in assigning honours to Mary: What can be said of any saint can certainly be affirmed of Mary, the greatest of saints, and to a degree higher than any other saint.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple 1620 3:15Francis de Sales[13] Cf. Sermon for Nov. 21, 1617. St. Francis de Sales is demonstrating sound psychological insight here. Human beings must continually renew their determination to do God's will, for in our relationship with God, as well as with others, we are never on "automatic pilot." Our "yes" to those relationships must be renewed again and again, consciously and freely.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1620 2:21Francis de Sales[8] Cf. The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1620 2:24Francis de Sales[11] Although the structure is a bit awkward here, St. Francis de Sales is giving expression to this truth; Within the Trinity, the Father begets the Son and together they spirate the Holy Spirit. In the economy of salvation, the opposite movement takes place. We go to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit leading us to Jesus who, in turn, is the way to the Father.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1622 2:16Francis de Sales[1] St. Francis de Sales considers the Feast of Meeting as a variation on the second name, the Purification of the Virgin.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1622 3:2Francis de Sales[12] St. Francis de Sales is alluding here to the root meaning of the word "heretic," which is "to choose.SERMONS ON OUR LADY · The Visitation 1618 2:11Francis de Sales[2] St. Francis de Sales is following the New Testament's lead in seeing this psalm as applying to Jesus, the Messiah, in His sufferings for our salvation.Autobiography 8:38The Autobiography of St. IgnatiusWhen Pere Poree replied to the remark that he was not one of the great poets, he said, "At least you may grant that I have been able to make some of them." A few others were Descartes, Buffon, Justus Lipsius, Muratori the historian, Calderon, and Vico, the author of "Ideas of History," Richelieu, Tilly, Malesherbes, Don John of Austria, Luxembourg, Esterhazy, Choiseul, St. Francis de Sales, Lambertini, afterward Benedict XIV, the most learned of the popes, and the present Pontiff, Pope Leo XIII, renowned for his learning and wisdom.The Essay 33:15An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine(1.) For example, St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises are among the most approved methods of devotion in the modern Catholic Church; they proceed from one of the most celebrated of her Saints, and have the praise of Popes, and of the most eminent masters of the spiritual life. A Bull of Paul the Third's "approves, praises, and sanctions all and everything contained in them;" indulgences are granted to the performance of them by the same Pope, by Alexander the Seventh, and by Benedict the Fourteenth. St. Carlo Borromeo declared that he learned more from them than from all other books together; St. Francis de Sales calls them "a holy method of reformation," and they are the model on which all the extraordinary devotions of religious men or bodies, and the course of missions, are conducted. If there is a document which is the authoritative exponent of the inward communion of the members of the modern Catholic Church with their God and Saviour, it is this work.The Essay 33:22An Essay on the Development of Christian DoctrineAs to the class on practical subjects, they are on such as the following: "La Consolazione degl' Infermi;" "Pensieri di una donna sul vestire moderno;" "L'Inferno Aperto;" "Il Purgatorio Aperto;" St. Alphonso Liguori's "Massime eterne;" other Maxims by St. Francis de Sales for every day in the year; "Pratica per ben confessarsi e communicarsi;" and the like.January 29:1The Roman MartyrologyOn the morrow we keep the feast of the holy Confessor Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, (in the year 1622,) of whom mention is made upon the 28th day of December.December 28:8The Roman MartyrologyAt Lyon, in Gaul, the holy confessor Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Bishop (and Prince) of Geneva, whose name was enrolled among those of the Saints by Pope Alexander VII on account of his burning zeal for the conversion of heretics. His feast is kept by command of the said Pope upon the 29th day of January, being that day whereon his sacred body was brought to Annecy from Lyons. Pope Pius IX, in accordance with a vote of the Congregation of Sacred Rites, declared him a doctor of the universal Church.