Less controversy and more illustrative

Introduction to the Devout Life
Part III, Chapters 1-11
Group 1
(Steve, John, Rey, Cecilia, Tien)
20 October 2006

Less controversial than other chapter

More gentle – illustrates with comments

His maxims summarize his thoughts, e.g., “everyday life situation requires the practice of virtues”, or “don’t make a show that you are last unless you mean it.”

The core section of the book is on virtues: Humility – gentleness – kindness

Chap 6, pg. 157: humility makes us love our won abjection. Humility means voluntary acknowledgment of our abjection but also in loving it and take pleasure in it.

Pg. 159: “abjections most profitable to us and pleasing to God are those which happen to us by unforeseen events or by our condition of life.”

Individualism makes it difficult for us to obey or to subject our will to God. We need gratitude and trust in God, thus allowing person to accept the unforeseen events of life.

Important points of Salesian spirituality are gentleness and humility.

Chapter 3 on Patience, pg 145 3^rd paragraph

To accept criticism by the wicked is a man of courage but to accept it from friends or loved ones is true humility.

Criticism from the wicked is not always bad. There are truths in what they said.

Image of bees sting more than flies

Pg 177 compares chastity to the moth attracted to the flame – fanciful people get burn like the moth by the flame

Pg 164 on gentleness – image of olive oil

Pg 167 on anger: if one acts with anger, replace it with gentleness toward the same person

Unplanned and unconditional events teach us true humility. We begin with the interior. We cannot rush patience, for example, a person would like to have patience and he says to God, “God gives me patience and give me now.” The person just shows that he lacks great patience.

Francis de Sales learned from his own life. He faced his own struggles and temper, and he was able to keep them in check.

Tien