St. Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622)

Because love only resides in peace, always be careful to conserve the holy tranquility of heart that I have so often recommended to you.

None of the thoughts that render us anxious and agitated in spirit in any way comes from God, Who is the Prince of Peace.

These are the temptations of the enemy and consequently one must reject them and not take them into account.

One must everywhere and in everything live peacefully. If pain comes to us, whether internally or exteriorly, one must receive it peacefully.

If joy should come to us, one must receive it peacefully, without wincing because of it.

Must one run from evil? It must be done peacefully, without being troubled, otherwise, in fleeing, we could fall and give the enemy the leisure to do us in. If one must do good, one must do it peacefully, otherwise we will commit many faults in our eagerness. Even in matters of penance, one must do it peacefully. (Letter to the Abbess du Puy d’Orbe)

How to Obtain Peace

Let us do three things, my dearest daughter, and we will have peace: let us have the very pure intention of will to do all things for the honor and glory of God; let us do the little that we can toward that end, according to the advice of our spiritual director; and let us leave it to God to take care of all the rest.

Why should anyone who has God for the object of his intention and does whatever he can be troubled?

Of what should he be afraid? No, no. God is not so terrible with those who love Him. He is content with very little because He knows well that we don’t have much.

And know, my dear daughter, that our Lord is called the Prince of Peace in Scripture, and consequently, everywhere where He is the absolute master, He maintains all things in peace.

It is nevertheless true that before bringing peace to a given place, He makes war with it, separating the heart and the soul of the most loved, familiar and ordinary affections, that is to say, the exaggerated love of self, confidence in and complacency with oneself, and similar affections.

Now, when our Lord separates us from these passions, so sweet and so dear, it seems that he flays the heart alive and we experience very angry feelings; it’s almost all we can do to struggle with all our soul, because this separation is strongly felt.

But all this spiritual agitation is, however, not without peace, as, finally, overwhelmed by this distress, we neither fail for this reason to conform our will to our Lord’s will and to maintain it there, riveted to this divine pleasure, not do we abandon by any means our duties and their accomplishment; rather, we carry them out courageously. (Letter to the Abbess du Puy d’Orbe)

Peace and Humility

Peace is born of humility.

Nothing troubles us but pride and the esteem that we have for ourselves.

What does it tell us if we should experience some imperfection or sin, and find that we are surprised, troubled and impatient?

Without doubt, it is that we think ourselves to be something good, resolute and solid; and, consequently, when we see, effectively, that none of this is true and that we have had our heads in the sand, that we were mistaken, as a consequence, we feel troubled, offended and ill at ease.

If we knew ourselves well, rather than being flabbergasted to find ourselves on the ground, we would wonder how we manage to remain standing.

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“You cannot teach what you do not know yourselves. Teach them to love God, to love Christ, to love our Mother the Church and the pastors of the Church who are your guides. Love the catechism and teach your children to love it; it is the great handbook of the love and fear of God, of Christian wisdom and of eternal life.” -Pope Pius XII

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Blessed Mother “Madonna of Heaven” Apron! Feminine and Beautiful!