Just recently the Holy Father published the apostolic letter Totum Amoris est, and it‘s about a saint whose feast day was celebrated in January: St Francis de Sales, the bishop of Geneva. The backdrop for the Holy Father’s comments on this saint was the fourth centenary of his death on the 28th December 1622.
“To live in the midst of the secular city while nurturing the interior life, to combine the desire for perfection with every state of life, and to discover an interior peace that does not separate us from the world but teaches us how to live in it and to appreciate it, but also to maintain a proper detachment from it. That was the aim of Francis de Sales, and it remains a valuable lesson for men and women in our own time.“
Totum Amoris est, apostolic letter of the Holy Father Francis (28th Dec 2022)
After having received an unexpected priestly blessing with a relic of St Francis de Sales on his traditional feast day, the 29th January, I felt like picking up one of his most influential books again: Philothea or An Introduction to the Devout Life.
And thus, I would like to share with you his advice on how to do our work. To make the key elements stick out I will present it in four pieces, and weave in some relevant quotes from one of the “wisdom books“ of Sacred Scripture (the book of Jesus ben Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus) as well as from the gospels.
Advice no. 1: Be diligent in your work
“Be very careful and diligent in all such business as falls to your share, for God who has allotted it to you, would have you do it well.“
St Francis de Sales: Philothea or An Introduction to the Devout Life, TAN Classics, p. 151
“Do not shirk tiring jobs or farm work, ordained by the Most High.“
Ecclesiasticus 7: 15; 20: 28; 40: 18
“One who tills the soil will have a full harvest, (…).“
“A life of independence and hard work is sweet; (…).“
Advice no. 2: Avoid solicitude and anxiety while doing your work
It is a fine line between diligence and “overeagerness“, and probably everyone working in whatever kind of business or profession in the modern world can attest to that.
St Francis de Sales notes that St Martha was not rebuked by Christ for her diligence in the service she offered but for her “being troubled“ and distracted by it, drawn away from being attentive to the one needful thing.
“But the Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha,‘ he said, ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.‘“
Luke 10: 41-42
The saintly bishop of Geneva tells us that “care and diligence“ are indeed “compatible with tranquility and peace of mind“, and therefore with the necessary condition for proper devotion, yet “anxiety and overcarefulness“ or “agitation and eagerness“ are not (ibid., p. 151).
He compares working with care and diligence to a calm river or a gentle rain – fertilizing the land and making it fruitful. On the other hand, the “anxiety and overcarefulness“ he warns of are like a violent torrent or “tempestuous rains“ (ibid., p. 152) which bring destruction.
“A hard lot has been created for human beings, a heavy yoke lies on the children of Adam from the day they come out of their mother‘s womb till the day they return to the mother of all. The preoccupation and fear of the heart is the anxious foreboding of the day of death: from the one who sits on a glorious throne to the wretch humbled in dust and ashes, from the one who wears purple and a crown to the one dressed in sacking, all is fury and jealousy, turmoil and unrest, fear of death, rivalry, strife.“
Ecclesiasticus 40: 1-4
To the anxious children of Adam, Christ calls out:
“Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.“
Matthew 11: 28-30
As Christ‘s invitation to replace the “heavy yoke“ with His “easy yoke“ indicates, sometimes our “overeagerness“, “anxiety“ and lack of proper detachment concerning our business and work is probably simply a lack of humility.
Advice no. 3: Do not work with haste but quietly meet the tasks of the day
St Francis de Sales bids us to keep calm, no matter how many tasks at once may come upon us, and to deal with our work in an ordered and moderate fashion – one thing at a time.
“Never was anything done well that was done with haste and impetuosity – the old proverb bids us ‘make haste slowly.‘ King Solomon says that ‘he that is hasty with his feet shall stumble.‘ (Prov. 19: 2).“
St Francis de Sales: Philothea or An Introduction to the Devout Life, TAN Classics, p. 152
“Try to meet the occupations which come upon you quietly, and perform them with regularity, one after the other; for if you endeavor to do all at once, or in confusion, your spirit will be so overcharged and depressed that it will probably sink under the burden without accomplishing anything.“
Advice no. 4: In all you do, rely on God
Last but certainly not least, we are to remember that without the grace, mercy, providence and protection of the triune God we can do and accomplish nothing.
“In all your undertakings rely wholly on God‘s Providence, through which alone they can succeed; but seek steadily your part to cooperate with it, and then rest satisfied that if you are trusting all to God, whatever happens will be best for you, whether it seems to your own judgment good or bad. Imitate a little child which will walk along with one hand clinging to its father, and with the other gathering the wayside fruits.“
St Francis de Sales: Philothea or An Introduction to the Devout Life, TAN Classics, p. 152
“Above all, beware of letting go your hold on His protection with the intention of gathering more abundantly, for if He is not with you, you cannot move one step without falling to the ground.“
“Cling to him and do not leave him, so that you may be honoured at the end of your days. Accept whatever happens to you and be persevering in the exchanges of your humble state, since gold is tested in the fire and human beings become acceptable in the furnace of humiliation. Trust him and he will keep hold of you, follow a straight path and put your hope in him. You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not stray from him or else you may fall. You who fear the Lord, trust him, and you will not miss your reward. You who fear the Lord, hope for those good gifts of his – everlasting joy and mercy.“
Ecclesiasticus 2: 1-9
St Francis de Sales, patron saint of Catholic writers, pray for us!