Married Love and Devotion
In Part 3 of the Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis reflects on how husbands and wives contribute to each other’s holiness: "The union of husband and wife in holy devotion . . . is the best and most fruitful [...]
May 2018
January 2018
How one woman is turning her chemo into charity; a response to suffering
"The truly loving heart loves God's good pleasure not in consolations only but also in afflictions." (St. Francis de Sales-Treatise on the Love of God) Recently a woman contacted me, wanting to make a donation to our parish ministry to the [...]
December 2017
Drawing Near to the Infant Jesus
Blessed Louis Brisson shares his thoughts at Christmas time with his spiritual children: “A little child walks along holding his mother’s hand, distrusts his own strength, and is not bold. May you be the same and venture nothing without God. [...]
SFS on Marriage: Fidelity
Back in October, I wrote on “the union of hearts” as the first of three qualities that Francis de Sales called for in marriage. The second quality is fidelity. Obviously such fidelity excludes romantic, sexual attachments to anyone outside the [...]
October 2017
Francis de Sales on Marriage.
In Part 3 of the Introduction to the Devout Life, in his Instruction to Married Persons, Francis de Sales reflects on the holiness of marriage and exhorts his readers to a married love that is “completely holy, completely sacred, and [...]
August 2017
Only Love Can Drive Out Hate
A timely message from Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS
St. Jane de Chantal
Have you ever heard the phrase (though used less now with the rise of tablets and e-books): “Don’t judge a book by its cover?” I like this phrase very much because it reminds us of the difficulty we have with [...]
BONDS OF LOVE
When life slows down a little in the summer, it allows us to strengthen our bonds of love with God, family and friends. As vacation time ends, we resolve to carry those strong bonds of love forward into the busyness [...]
July 2017
Dealing with Anger
If you’re like me, you tend think of Francis de Sales as a man of moderation, someone who by personality, as well as by principle, avoided extremes. After all, he did offer as a motto, “Moderation in all things except [...]