Rector’s Reflections
Thursday 4th July 2024
A Spiritual Classic from the Seventeenth Century
In yesterday’s reflections, I wrote about St. Francis de Sales’ view that Christian holiness is contextual in nature. In his own words: Christians are “to produce the fruit of devotion, each according to his [ or her] condition and vocation…….it is necessary to adapt the practice of devotion to the power, the business, the duties of each person.”
But this is not a straightforward task. It is not always easy to see or appreciate the limitations and opportunities provided by our own “condition and vocation”. There can also be a temptation to use this contextual approach to holiness as an excuse for watering down the demands of the gospel. It is so easy to persuade ourselves that the more challenging aspects of Christian discipleship are for people in a different situation from our own.
From long experience, St. Francis came up with a solution to the problems of a contextual approach to holiness. The solution involved the habit of taking advice from a wise spiritual counsellor. So St. Francis gave his readers the following advice: “ Seek out some good man [or woman] who will guide and direct you”. [Part 1, chapter 4]. Such advice is usually called “Spiritual Direction”, and is provided by someone called a “Spiritual Director”; people today sometimes talk about “Soul Friend” rather than a “Spiritual Director”. St. Francis took the view that we need such spiritual direction at the start of our journey towards a more intentional holiness, but we also need it at every stage of our journey. Even the holiest of people can benefit from a spiritual conversation with a wise Spiritual Director.
What qualities should we be looking for in such a Spiritual Director? St Francis has definite views on the subject: “He [or she] must be full of charity [ie love], of knowledge, of prudence, If one of these is lacking, there is danger. But I say to you again, ask him [or her] of God, and having found him [ or her], bless His Divine Majesty, remain firm, and do not look for others, but go on simply, humbly, trustfully, and you will have a very happy voyage”. [Part 1, chapter 4]
So St. Francis would tell us that a Spiritual Director needs be full of love, knowledge and prudence. All three qualities are necessary, for “if one of these is lacking, there is danger”.
I wonder if you have a Spiritual Director? Someone full of love, knowledge and prudence, who you can talk with about the opportunities and challenges of living the Christian life? The person in question need not have the official title of “Spiritual Director” – the title is optional. The key thing is that there is someone we can talk with about spiritual things. It can take a while to find the right person to be our Spiritual Director. It is a deep and spiritually intimate relationship. We need to find someone who will listen to us, and will understand us. Above all, we need to find someone who will listen to what God might be saying to us. Competent Spiritual Directors do not grow on trees. But they do exist, and regular conversations with an experienced Spiritual Director can be transformative for our relationship with God.
How can we find a suitable Spiritual Director? We can always ask our Christian friends for recommendations. We can also pray to God, that He will send us someone who can guide us in our spiritual journey - a man or woman full of “charity [ ie love], knowledge, [and ] of prudence”. Spiritual Directors come in all shapes and sizes ; some give themselves the official title of “Spiritual Director”, and others do not. The title of the role does n’t really matter. What matters is knowing that somewhere out there will be the man or woman who is just right for us. Let us ask God to guide us to someone who will help us to grow in our Christian life – and having found such a person, let us pray for the humility to be open to the wisdom which they offer.
I think this is a good point to bring the current series of reflections to a conclusion. It is true that we have only reached the end of the 4th chapter of the 1st Part of the Introduction to the Devout Life. But there is more than enough material in these 4 chapters to help us to grow in our spiritual lives. St. Francis de Sales was , of course, a man of his times and his culture. But he was a wise and good man, with a wide experience of life. He was a faithful Chrisitan, and generations of fellow Christians down the centuries have found his advice to be profoundly helpful as they seek to apply the teachings of Jesus to the challenges and opportunities of everyday life.
Let me finish with the following quotation , from the start of chapter 3 of Part 1:
“God at the Creation commanded the plants to yield their fruits, each one after its kind; so does He command Christians, who are the living plants of His Church, to produce the fruit of devotion, each one according to his [or her] condition and vocation.”
You and I are “living plants” of God’s Church, commanded to “produce the fruit of devotion, each one according to his [or her] condition and vocation”. What “fruit of devotion” might God be calling us to bring forth, in the particular circumstances of our own lives? How might we better serve God, given who we are and where God has placed us, in terms of family life and financial circumstances? Might there be someone we can talk to for spiritual advice- someone who is blessed with the gifts of love, knowledge and prudence? Where might we find such a person? Above all, how might we pray to God about the questions and challenges in our lives? I think St. Francis de Sales himself would be more than happy if he knew that his writings were leading us to focus on God – on God’s love for us, and our love for Him. Everything else is a matter of detail.