Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

Three Spiritual Maxims for the New Year (January 1, 2003)

In the beginning of the 1620, the Sisters of the Visitation asked Francis de Sales to provide them with some additional guidelines for pursuing a life of devotion. Francis offered three 'laws' that he hoped would "be both useful and agreeable." These three spiritual maxims have been adapted from those originally outlined in St. Francis de Sales' Spiritual Conferences.

Maxim One: Do all for God and nothing for yourself

St. Francis de Sales reminds us that we are made by God, from God and for God. Our glory comes from our God-given dignity. Our glory will be perfectly expressed in our God-given destiny: life on high with Jesus Christ. On any given day it is easy to lose sight of this profound truth and to find our glory in our own projects and endeavors. To be sure, there is much work that God wants us to do in the state and stage of life in which we find ourselves, to work at being sources of Christ's power and promise in the lives of others. Doing what is right is its own reward. As for the glory, give that to the one to whom it belongs.

Maxim Two: Make good use of the little you have

Loosing -- letting go -- is a part of life. Some of what we need to let go are things that we give away. Some of what we need to let go are things that are taken from us. There is a great paradox here. Sometimes it is only in losing something that we more deeply appreciate -- and use -- that which we still possess. Throughout the life-long process of letting go, we can complain about that which is no more, or we-- while acknowledging our losses -- can continue to dream about and work for that which still might be. Growth in devotion is not measured by how much we have or possess. In the eyes of God, the quality of our lives is measured by how diligently, readily and frequently we make use of how much - or how little - we have.

Maxim Three: Be the same in sadness and joy

Life is a mix of setback and success. Life has its measure of both agony and ecstasy. Life has its share of defeat and victory. A sure sign that we are growing in devotion is our ability to embrace both sadness and joy to the same degree, to experience the ups and downs of life in a reasonable, balanced and even-tempered way. While we cannot control much of what happens to us, we can certainly control how we respond to what happens to us. Some folks are great losers but not very good winners. Some folks are great winners but terrible losers. Neither person is very pleasant to be around for long periods of time. Take the good with the bad. Mourn loss. Celebrate gain. Take as your motto the words of Winston Churchill: "Success is never final; failure is never fatal." In all things, be grateful for who you are and who God calls you to be.

May our practice of these maxims make us more "useful and agreeable" in our attempts to serve God and one another in the coming year.