Primacy of Charity

Introduction to the Devout Life
Part III – Chapters 1-13
Friday October 20, 2006
Group 2 (Thien-An, Anne, Marcel, Javier)

Generally speaking, our group agrees that these chapters are most valuable, rich, and deep to those who are pursuing to learn more about spirituality especially in the living in the community.

First of all, St. Francis de Sales asserts that the virtue of charity is the most important, and it is compatible with other virtues. He believes that “charity is the true sun of virtues.” Just as the queen of the bees never goes to the fields without her companions, charity is always accompanied by other virtues. The saint also reminds us that we should choose a virtue that is most suitable with our situation and put it in practice; one at a time. “When we struggle against some vice, in so far as it is possible, we ought to embrace the practice of the contrary virtue, relating all the others to it,” said St. Francis.

• About the virtue of patience, St. Francis suggests us to be patient with ourselves. How can we be patient with our neighbors if we do not have patience within ourselves? Give ourselves an opportunity.

• St. Francis spent his four chapters to teach about the virtue of humility. According to him, there are two kinds of humility: external and interior. He believes that if we want to receive God’s grace, we ought to empty ourselves of our own glory. It is humility that “drives away Satan and preserves in us the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The saint distinguishes the true humility from the false humility. He believes that, “a truly humble person would like to be told that he is miserable, he is nothing, he is worthless, rather than he himself saying it.”

• The saint also reminds us that when we practice fraternal correction, we are to make sure that we only do it with gentleness and peace. In the meantime, we should keep in mind that it is wrong to expect that everyone has our same interest. Indeed, everyone has different paths and gifts on his or her journey of faith.

• St. Francis also points out that the three vows obedience, chastity, and poverty only apply to Religious. Instead everybody is called to practice these vows. It is a matter of practicing these vows but not taking these vows. There are two kinds of obedience: necessary and voluntary. The latter is called voluntary obedience because we have chosen for our own those we want to obey to such as our spiritual confessor or director. However, the saint believes that we ought to obey our parents, the household superior, pope, bishop, the master, mistress, prince and officers absolutely. “Blessed are the obedient, for God will never let them go astray.”

• With the vows of chastity, the saint recommends us to “be extremely prompt turn away from all the tendencies and all the attractions of lust.” Stay away from all the opportunities that could ruin our chaste lives is not good enough; rather we should be “resting our heart on our Lord, then we will see that our soul and heart will soon find ourselves purified of all defilement and unchastity.”

Thien-An