Selections Volume II

There are two elements in the spiritual life: first a struggle against our lower nature; secondly union of our wills with God in other words penance and love. St. Francis de Sales looks chiefly to love. Not that he neglects penance which is necessary but he wishes it to be practiced from a motive of love. He requires mortification of the senses but he relies first on mortification of the mind the will and the heart. This interior mortification he requires to be unceasing and always accompanied by love. The end to be realized is a life of loving simple generous and constant fidelity to the will of God which is nothing else than our present duty. The model proposed is Christ whom we must ever keep before our eyes. You will study His countenance and perform your actions as He did (Intro. 2nd part ch.1). The practical means of arriving at this perfection are remembrance of the presence of God filial prayer a right intention in all our actions and frequent recourse to God by pious and confiding ejaculations and interior aspirations.. Treatise on the Love of God an authoritative work which reflects perfectly the mind and heart of Francis de Sales as a great genius and a great saint. It contains twelve books. The first four give us a history or rather explain the theory of Divine love its birth in the soul its growth its perfection and its decay and annihilation; the fifth book shows that this love is twofold - the love of complacency and the love of benevolence; the sixth and seventh treat of affective love which is practiced in prayer; the eight and ninth deal with effective love that is conformity to the will of God and submission to His good pleasure. The last three resume what has preceded and teach how to apply practically the lessons taught therein.