Simplicity of Life: Recreation, Friendship, Spiritual Director, Preparation for Death, Simplicity ~ St. Francis de Sales

Painting by John Arthur Ensley

SIMPLICITY OF LIFE

FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. “Live in joy, brimful of God and of His Love!“

Compiled by Constance Davidson, 1936

RECREATION

It is necessary sometimes to refresh our spirit and our body also, by some kind of recreation.

Cassian relates that one day a hunter found St. John the Evangelist holding a partridge in his hand, which he was stroking by way of recreation; the hunter asked him how he, being so great a man, could waste his time upon a thing so mean and trivial. And St. John said to him: ‘Why dost thou not always carry thy bow stretched?”

“For fear,” replied the hunter, “lest being always stretched it should lose its power of resilience, which is essential to its usefulness.”

“Do not be astonished, then,” replied the Apostle, “if I sometimes relax the application and attention of my spirit, to take a little recreation, in order to apply myself afterwards more earnestly to contemplation. There can be no doubt that it is a fault to be so rigorous and unsociable as not to be willing to take any recreation oneself, or permit others to do so.”

To take the air, to go for a walk, to take part in cheerful and friendly conversations, to play or sing, to go hunting, are recreations so proper that, to make a good use of them, we need only use ordinary prudence, which gives to all things order, time, place and measure.

Games, in which the success serves as a reward and recompense for skill and industry of body or of mind, are recreations good in themselves and lawful. The only thing that we must guard against is excess; for if we spend too much time in a game, it is no longer recreation, but occupation.

But above all, be careful not to set your affection on such things; for however proper a recreation may be, it is a defect to set your heart on it. I do not say that we should not take pleasure in a game, whilst we are actually playing it, for otherwise it would not be a recreation; but I say that we must not set our affection on games to such an extent that we long for them, occupy ourselves with them, and become too eager about them.

FRIENDSHIP

Love everyone with a great love of charity, but have no friendship save with those who can communicate with you in virtuous things. I speak not here of the simple love of charity, for we ought to have this for all men; but I speak of spiritual friendship.

Do not form friendships of any other kind, I mean friendships of your own choice; for you must not forsake or disregard the friendships which nature and former obligations constrain you to cultivate with relations, with connections, with benefactors, with neighbours and others; I speak of those which you choose yourself.

Many will tell you, perhaps, that we should not have any sort of particular affection and friendship, because it occupies the heart, distracts the mind, and begets envy; but they are mistaken in their counsels.

He who says all, excludes nothing, and yet a man may be wholly God’s, wholly his father’s, wholly his mother’s, wholly his prince’s, wholly his commonwealth’s, his children’s, his friends. So that being all to each, yet he is all to all. This so happens because the duty by which a man is all to one, is not contrary to the duty by which a man is all to another.

Man gives himself wholly by love, and gives himself as much as he loves. He is therefore in a sovereign manner given to God when he loves the Divine goodness sovereignly. And having once made this donation of himself, he is to love nothing that can remove his heart from God. Now never does any love take our hearts from God, save that which is contrary unto Him.

For those who live in the world, and who embrace true virtue, it is necessary for them to form holy and sacred friendships with one another; for by this means they encourage one another, help one another, and lead one another on to good.

Those who are in the world have need of friendships, in order to walk securely and help one another in the many difficult places through which they have to pass.

St. Thomas, like all sound philosophers, avows that friendship is a virtue: and he speaks of particular friendship, since, as he says, perfect friendship cannot extend to many persons. Perfection, then, does not consist in having no friendship at all, but in having only that which is good, holy, and sacred.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

Do you wish in good earnest to set out on the way to devotion? Seek out some good man to guide and conduct you; it is the admonition of admonitions. Since it is of such great importance that you should go with a good guide on this holy journey of devotion, pray to God with great earnestness, to provide you with one who may be according to His heart, and have no doubt; for even though He should have to send an Angel from heaven, as He did to the young Tobias, He will give you one that is good and faithful.

And indeed, this guide ought always to be an Angel in your eyes; that is to say, when you have found him, do not look upon him as a mere man, nor trust in him as such, nor in his human knowledge, but in God Who will favor you and speak to you by means of this man, putting into his heart and into his mouth whatsoever shall be requisite for your happiness; so that you ought to listen to him as to an Angel who comes down from heaven to conduct you thither.

Treat him with an open heart, in all sincerity and fidelity, manifesting clearly to him your good and your evil without feint or dissimulation; and by this means your good will be examined and rendered more secure, and your evil will be corrected and remedied; and you will be eased and strengthened in your afflictions, moderated and regulated in your consolations.

Have the greatest confidence in him, mingled with a holy reverence, yet so that the reverence diminish not your confidence, nor your confidence hinder in any way your reverence; confide in him with the respect of a daughter for her father, and respect him with the confidence of a son in his mother; in a word, this friendship must be strong and sweet, altogether holy, sacred, divine and spiritual.

And for this reason, choose one among a thousand; for there are fewer than can be imagined, who are fitted for this office. He must be full of charity, of knowledge, and of prudence ; if one of these three qualities be wanting in him, there is danger. But I say to you once more: pray to God to give you such a one, and, when you have obtained him, bless His Divine Majesty, remain constant and do not seek for any others, but go on, your way simply, humbly, and trustfully, for you will have a very prosperous journey.

RETREAT AND PREPARATION FOR DEATH

There is no clock, be it never so good, but must be wound up twice a day, in the morning and in the evening; and then, in addition to this, at least once a year it must be taken to pieces, in order that the rust which it has contracted may be removed, the strained parts readjusted, and those which are worn out repaired.

So he that has a true care of his dear heart ought to wind it up daily to God in the morning and in the evening; and in addition to this, he ought, at least once a year, to take it to pieces, and examine all its parts in detail, in order to repair all the defects which may be found there. This exercise will renew your strength impaired by time, will warm your heart, will make your good resolutions grow green again, and the virtues of your soul blossom anew.

Your life has been spent in the world, and in the management of its affairs. Now, it is not possible to live in the world, though we but touch it with our feet, without getting soiled by its dust. So let us begin our preparation by washing our soul of its affections to all that is of earth, before receiving the hospitality of our good God.

We are to be transplanted from this wretched land to the land of life, and all the ties we have contracted here must be gently loosened and unbound. Not to have said goodbye, or to have made poor provision beforehand, is excusable in those who depart suddenly, but it is not so with those who know the probable time of their journey; they must make all things ready, and without impatience, tranquilly await the appointed hour.

Behold, I beseech you, this soul who, as a heavenly nightingale shut up in the cage of his body, in which he cannot at will sing the benedictions of his eternal love, knows that he could better trill and practise his delicious song if he could gain the air, to enjoy his liberty and the society of other nightingales, amongst the gay and flowery hills of the land of the blessed; wherefore he cries:

“Alas! O Lord of my life, by Thy sweet goodness, deliver poor me from the cage of my body, free me from this little prison, to the end that released from this bondage, I may fly to my dear companions, who expect me there above in heaven, to make me one of their choirs, and environ me with their joy. There, Lord, according my voice to theirs, I with them will make up a sweet harmony of delicious airs and words, singing, praising, and blessing Thy mercy!”

MY DUTY TOWARDS GOD

SIMPLICITY

Simplicity is nothing else than an act of pure and simple charity, having one only aim and end, which is to acquire the love of God; and our soul is simple when in all that we do or desire we have no other aim.

Learn from the dove to love God in simplicity of heart, having but one single aim and object in all that you do. Do not, however, only imitate the simple love of those birds in their having always only one mate, for whom alone they do everything, and whom alone they wish to please; but imitate them also in the simplicity with which they express and show their love. They do not practise little mincing ways, but only coo gently by the side of their mates, happy enough just to rest quietly in their presence.

Our Lord says: “Unless you become simple as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of My Father.”

A child when very young is in a state of such simplicity that he has no knowledge at all but of his mother. He has one only love, which is for his mother; and in that love, one only aim and desire-his mother’s breast, when he is upon that beloved breast, he wants nothing more.

The soul which has attained perfect simplicity has only one love, which is for God. In this love it has one only aim-to rest upon the bosom of the heavenly Father, and there to abide like a loving Child, leaving all care of self to that good Father.

Children are, generally speaking, quite free from care, in the presence of their parents. Love occupies them sufficiently without anything else. Those whose one desire is to please the Divine Lover, have neither inclination nor leisure to turn back upon themselves; their minds turn continually in the direction whither love carries them.

This is simplicity, a virtue which looks straight to God, without ever suffering any admixture of self-interest.

Holy Simplicity troubles about nothing, but remains modest and tranquil in its certainty that God knows its desire, which is to please Him; that is enough.

Meekness, inward humility and simplicity are the three dove-like virtues which the Divine Bridegroom looks for in His lovers. Go on then practising them, keeping your heart, amid the turmoil of the world, where it aspires to be, in the bosom of God.

Now if you will face honestly the facts about your own destiny, then almost automatically you will rear your children to face honestly and bravely the facts about theirs. And if you do that, you will have prepared your children properly for life – for this life and life everlasting….

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