Homily: The Feast of St. Francis de Sales

The Feast of St. Francis de Sales (Mk 4:1-20) “The Devout Life”

“The Bee extracts honey from the flower without damaging it.” These are words of St. Francis de Sales. St. Francis was one of the first to espouse the universal call to holiness a concept that was enshrined in the documents of Vatican II.

Francis would not have used the same terms. He would have spoken of living a holy life as living a devout life. He wrote a book with that title. The little volume has guided spiritual pilgrims from the time it was written in the 16th century.

Francis said that everyone’s path to a holy life is different. We do violence to people when we expect them to use the same methodology in their spiritual pursuits.

He asks the question of whether a diocesan priest or bishop is expected to pray in the same way and keep the same schedule as the Carthusian monk. He says this is impossible. We are not called to give up all our worldly responsibilities to pursue holiness. We find holiness in our daily activities.

Francis de Sales says that there is no occupation that is exempt from seeking to live a devout life. A soldier is expected to live a holy life as well as a factory worker.

Francis would be taken aback by spiritual directors who would hand out a list of devotions to all the people they direct, expecting them to all engage in the same practices. A mother with several children, for example, is not free to go to church each day and spend an hour in adoration. This is not to say that people are exempt from pursuing holiness. It does say that each person must discern their path.

St. Francis compares it to dipping stones in honey to polish them. Each stone will not look the same, but every stone will have its own unique color and will show its beauty in a different way.

Reflection Questions:

1.    How do I practice my faith daily? What are some things I consciously try to do?

2.   Have I tried to live my spiritual life like someone I thought was holy? How did that go?

 Dear Parishioner,

             We continue to make progress on the debt we have for the Damien Center. Last June we ended up borrowing money from the Diocese to complete our building project. The amount we borrowed was $475,000. We have been paying that down since that time.

            I am pleased that the amount that we owe is now below $300,000. We pay 5.5% to the diocese annually for this loan so paying this amount down really saves us money. I thank everyone who made an end of the year gift that helped lower our debt. Hopefully, this obligation will go away as soon as possible.

            May our Lady Pray for Us,

            Fr. Mark