We are starting a new series “The Saints In Our Lives”. Saints are so important in our tradition and in our understanding of how to live a good and moral life in Christ. We feel that their stories are not being heard enough and that in our culture today, their ability to encourage and inspire our lives is needed more than ever. Like all people, we might connect more with one saint than another. We will be asking people who have a special connection to a particular saint to share their thoughts on them and what it is that has drawn them to have this devotion. Our hope is that this series prompts you to discover, or rediscover, friends who can help to lead you to Christ.
On January 24th the Church celebrates the feast of St Francis de Sales, a holy bishop and a man with great insight, so much so that he was made a Doctor of the Church. We asked Sarah McDonald, who gave one of our Advent reflections last year, to give us some thoughts on what makes this saint so inspiring for her.
I first met St Francis when I was living the chaotic joy of being the mother of four small children, living in an old Convent, welcoming the Emmanuel Community every month, running youth dinners and always having three young women living with us.
In spite of the rare treat of having the Blessed Sacrament residing in the Convent Chapel, I was often a blathering mess! Overwhelmed with the task of becoming holy, I often felt stymied by my own, rather capricious temperament! I seemed to fail in so many ways. I was so busy trying to be perfect, that I forgot I was human.
By some mysterious means, I came into possession of a 30 day Spiritual Retreat Book, Set Your Heart Free. (Ave Maria Press). Set Your Heart Free is part of a series of books which cleverly lay out 30 days of meditation, morning and night, using the words of a great saint; in this case, St Francis de Sales.
Meditating upon his words was an experience of ‘being known’; and therefore, of being loved and set free. Free to be me, free to fail, free to fall, free to be picked up again and again and again. St Francis is that rare sort of intelligent human being who deeply understands the 
struggles of the human condition. I speak in the present tense because his words are alive today. The beauty of his work lies in his desire to provide a pathway of hope for people who are ‘in the world’,
The practice of devotion must be adapted to the capabilities, the engagements and the duties of each individual.
Some of the key components of his guidance for me were:
Self knowledge: “Don’t try to be someone else, work and pray at being yourself”
Being a Child: “With one hand go ahead and gather what you need of the world’s goods, but with the other hand hold [tightly] to the Heavenly Father”
On peace: “Do not let anxiety sabotage your search for God”
On mercy and common sense: “Don’t think that you can overcome in a day the bad habits of a lifetime…be patient…with everyone, but especially with yourself.”
On gratitude: “The more we recall the mercies of God; especially those private, secret mercies; the more we shall love him.”
I had experienced a lot of these private and secret mercies and so it filled me with hope when going through difficult times. He also made me realise that, actually, I was ok, I was loveable and good and had gifts to discover and share.
St Francis de Sales makes me laugh. One of my favourite quotes,
“Even a mule laden with precious jewels is still a mule!”
A dear friend often refers to herself as a “puny worm” in the life of faith. This image of oneself as a donkey is both amusing and practical. We are essentially stupid, stubborn, annoying and unrefined, but in the Lord’s hands we can bear great gifts and be quite useful, loyal and still amusing! It strikes me that the Lord God used a mule to carry Our Lady and her precious cargo to His birthing place…
In recent times, I have begun, again, his, Introduction to the Devout Life. I guess I will be beginning it again till the day I die!
~ Sarah McDonald
