Over at the Catholic Spiritual Direction Book Club, we’re talking about St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life. This is my first week being part of the fun, and I jumped in right into a section that is one of my favorites.
(What am I saying. The WHOLE BOOK is my favorite!)
Oh, how I remember those days when I knew it all and was always right and didn’t need anyone else. Did you ever have those days? For me, they occurred when I was in my 20s, long before I was Catholic, way before I was married, and far before I had any hint of motherhood.
It was a slippery slope I was on, and I had quite a crowd around me, assisting me. If you had asked me, I would have told you that I was enlightened and free. Truthfully, I was blind and chained.
Some of my favorite writing is what de Sales has to say about friendship. While it’s clear and beautiful, it also opened my eyes to some of the fallacies of the world around us. What does it mean to be a friend? And what is friendship for?
De Sales points out that friendship is something good and even necessary. Next, he gives some advice about friendship itself and what sort of friends we should have.
I like to picture her hands like those of my grandmother, toughened by age and hard word but softened by love
Great post, Sarah. Thanks for writing! God bless you!
God bless you!
chatolk