Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (September 10, 2006)

Readings Is 35: 4-7a Ps 146: 7-10 Jas 2: 1-5 Mk 7: 31-37

Suggested Emphasis

"Your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ glorified must not allow of favoritism."

Salesian Perspective

Listen to what Francis de Sales has to say on this topic. (Introduction Part III, Chapter 36)

"If we like a certain practice we despise everyone else and oppose everything that is not to our taste. If someone is poor-looking or if we have taken a dislike to that person, we find fault with everything that person does: we never stop plaguing that person, and are always looking for an opportunity to run that person down. On the contrary, if we like someone because of their good looks, there isn't anything that person does that we aren't willing to overlook."

"In general, we prefer the rich to the poor…we even prefer those who are better dressed. We rigorously demand out own rights, but want others to be considerate when insisting on theirs. We maintain our rank with exactness, but we want others to be humble and accommodating when it comes to theirs. We complain very easily about our neighbor, but our neighbors must never complain about us. What we do for others always seems like such a big deal, but what others do for us seems like nothing at all."

"In short, we have two hearts. We have a mild, gracious and courteous attitude toward ourselves and another that is hard, severe, and rigorous toward our neighbor. We have two weights: one to weigh goods to our won greatest possible advantage and another, to weigh to our neighbor's greatest possible disadvantage."

This is the essence of discriminating against others "in our hearts:" to live with two hearts, to live by a double standard. As James says, when we set ourselves up as judge (and jury) of our neighbor while failing to use the same standard on ourselves, we "hand down corrupt decisions."

God shows no partiality. Nor should we.

How can we remedy our tendency to prefer some over others? Francis de Sales is crystal clear and unambiguous. "Be just and equitable in all your actions. Always put yourself in your neighbor's place and your neighbor in yours and you will judge justly. Imagine yourself the seller when you buy and the buyer when you sell and you will sell and buy just."

"This is the touchstone of all reason."

Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is the Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center.