Authenticity: a call to live daily our vocation

Introduction to the Devout Life 
Part first, chapters 1-8

English-Speaking Group Summary 1
 Summarized by (Sr. Grea, Justin Joseph and Sebhat)

After reading the first four parts of Philothea we summarized the following points:

Part one number I: We chose this because in this number Saint Francis de Sales teaches what is false devotion and true devotion. Here Saint Francis de Sales invites us to be authentic, which is to live daily who we are. Not separate vocation and our life style if not our devotion will not be true as well as our life. We cannot be satisfied with our state of life and even with what we do if it is not coherent with our vocation. Saint Francis de Sales gives us example of one person who fasts  always though his heart is filled with hatred.

How can we apply this to our pastoral work today?

• First and for most  to be witness according to our vocation
• Purification of heart  since everything starts in heart
• To be more reflective so that our audience can learn from us to be more meditative
• To be able be devote every time and everywhere since true devotion is not only prayer and liturgy
• For Saint Francis de Sales devotion is much more than traditional prayer and rituals: it is love of God and neighbor so; we can apply this to volunteer work
• It helps to build authentic identity of each and individual members of our pastoral group
• In this journey of devotion to have adequate spiritual director is important.

Part one number III

We chose this number because it shows the universal call to holiness and simplicity of the journey to holiness which is really new, thanks to Saint Francis de Sales. Traditionally holiness was applied more to something extraordinary. Instead, for Saint Francis de Sales holiness for everybody and it is attainable through faithfulness to one’s vocation – a fidelity that is prompt and perseverant. Here Saint Francis de Sales anticipates modern attitude towards the universal call to holiness which Vatican II and Pope John affirms in “Christifidelies laici”

How to apply to our daily pastoral life?

• Devotion is call to everybody and simple so it helps us to make everybody participate in our pastoral work.
• Since Saint Francis de Sales organizes devotion according to state of life it makes feel everybody at home and to more systematic in our pastoral work.
• Creates belonging to the church’s pastoral work because everybody believes by following his vocation authentically can arrive to holiness.
• For Saint Francis de Sales Devotion is attractive, spontaneous hence for us Salesians to it is useful to attract young people to holiness as Don Bosco with Saint Domenic Savio. 

Submitted by Sebhat Hadgu