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gentleness, patience, quietly, St. Francis de Sales, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality
Because of the way he went about his life, St. Francis de Sales, whom the Church celebrates today, was known the “Gentleman Saint.” Here are a few of his sayings that bear repeating and reflection.
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
“When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.”
“A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship.”
“Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”
“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”
And my favorite: “Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”
I just spent a half hour reading a synopsis of the theological history of the feast that we celebrate today. It is called the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of God, and is perhaps the most misunderstood feast in the entire Church year. Many people think that it has to do with the moment Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb but it is, rather, the belief that Mary, herself, was conceived without original sin -that “stain” that accompanies all of us into the world – not to be confused with “personal sin” for which we alone are responsible. It is comforting for me to know that the great theologians (Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus and others) disagreed about the meaning and validity of this doctrine. It is clearly a matter of faith, a tenet that arose from the sensus fidelium (the sense of the faithful) among people who look to Mary as a model of love of God and mother to all people. There can be no scientific proof for this doctrine; we must – as with many religious practices – “take it on faith.”
St Francis de Sales, whose feast is celebrated today, was born into an educated and political family in France in 1567. After studying law in Padua and receiving a doctorate, he returned to France and in time convinced his father that he was called to priesthood rather than government service. It was his gentleness in interactions with all people that was the hallmark of his life. This morning’s short commentary at 
Part of my preparation for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation was to memorize all the gifts that I would receive from the Holy Spirit. Since I was only twelve years old at the time, I’m not sure how I understood the promise of those gifts. Much later, when teaching Confirmation classes to teenagers, it was still difficult to imagine – even in new translation – how suddenly the confirmands would become spiritually adult, having received gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, right judgment, courage, reverence and wonder & awe in God’s presence as the bishop laid hands on their heads and anointed them. I was lucky to team-teach those classes for a couple of years with a colleague of my age who explained very well to candidates that these gifts, if nurtured by the recipient, would grow in them as they matured. I remember the first time he said, “I was in my thirties when I first realized what that meant.” For him – and for me still – it was good to pull that list out from the brain filed under the title 
Today’s Scripture readings are filled with warnings about the dangers of riches and power. From the first (the prophet Amos) to the last (Luke’s gospel) we hear chilling words about those who seek worldly wealth and power and the consequences of being unaware of the needs of others. It is only in the reading from the first letter to Timothy (6: 11-16) that I find some advice for escaping the pitfalls recounted in these texts. It is the first sentence that calls out to our best selves where he names us people of God and tells us to pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. That’s a big order but certain to keep us on the right path. As I think of those words, I see the central two (faith and love) strengthened by the practice of the first two (righteousness and devotion) and flowering in the last two (patience and gentleness). That may sound a bit contrived but it seems to work for me as a plan so today, I’ll think on that pattern and hope for the best!
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 