| Periodically I will write articles concerning Salesian Spirituality on which you can reflect. Please, send me your reaction. - Fr Marty | |
(SALESIAN OPTIMISM) The center of Salesian Optimism lies in its complete desire for the will of God to guide all areas of life. Derived from the writings of our Spiritual Master, St Francis de Sales, we are encouraged to promptly, carefully and patiently seek God’s will in all situations. Only the creator knows what will bring peace and harmony to His creation Therefore, by following God’s will, we can have peace and joy that no other way of life can attain.
St Francis de Sales explains that every situation is an opportunity for one to discern the will of God before one acts. It is not doing the first thing that comes into our mind or the easiest thing or the thing that pleases us the most, but rather, it is stepping back and discerning what God would do in our shoes, and then responding to this discernment as closely as possible. He calls this Discernment process, Devotion and he encourages all whom he directs to live this virtue of Discernment in their Spiritual lives. In The Introduction to the Devout Life (Part 1, Chapter 1, Par 3, Ryan) Francis explains that “genuine, living devotion, presupposes love of God, and hence it is simply true love of God. Yet it is not always love as such. Inasmuch as love adorns the soul, it is called grace, which makes us pleasing to his Divine Majesty. Inasmuch as it strengthens us to do good, it is called charity. When it has reached a degree of perfection at which it not only makes us do good, but also do this carefully, frequently and promptly, it is called devotion.”
Francis explains that Devotion is more than wanting to be holy and perfect. Francis is not suggesting that this virtue is merely an act of the will. Rather Devotion is a committed Life Style that must be learned and practiced. It is a humble acknowledgment that God is the creator who has a plan that keeps creation ordered and in harmony. It is an acknowledgment that we do not have this order in ourselves. We see it in the stars and in the physical world, but there is a disharmony in us caused by sin that only God can heal. Therefore, the first step in our spiritual journey is to humbly push away our sins and their influence on our lives. Into this vacuum, we must invite God to be our best friend, who lives with us as the center of our lives. With prayer and study we must then make Jesus’ teaching the primary directive of our lives. For the will of God to be close to us and discernable, one must have a regular prayer life, a deep love of the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church, and a spiritual director to help us make our relationship with God a deep personal relationship.
Francis explains in a letter to Madame de Granieu, (Reflections, P89, no. 240, Masters) that we should have “docility in prayer. The best state of prayer is that which keeps us so well occupied with God that we have no thought of ourselves or of what we are doing. In a word, we must go to prayer in good earnest, simply, artlessly, to be with God, lovingly uniting ourselves to Him. True love scarce needs a method.” In short, our prayer should put on the eyes of Christ to see things the way He sees them. Jesus’ life is recorded for all to study in our free time. There can be no better way to learn how to discern Jesus’ will for our lives than by studying His teachings in Scripture where He guides the apostles. Francis encourages us to reverence the word of God in our study. (Introduction, Part 2, chapter 17, Par 1, Ryan) ”Be devoted to the word of God whether you hear it in familiar conversation with Spiritual Friends or in sermons. Always listen to it with attention and reverence, make good use of it; do not let it fall to earth but take it into your heart like a precious balm.”
Another way in which the mind of Jesus can prepare us to discern His will is to study the lives of the saints. Saints have taken the teachings of Jesus and lived them in their time and place in an extraordinary way. By reading the lives of the Saints, we can see how the Holy Ones took Jesus’ teachings and adapted them to similar situations that we find ourselves today. It is good practice for the times when we have to discern God’s will. Francis urges us to study the saints. ( The Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 2, Chapter 17 , Par 2, Ryan) “read a little of the lives of the Saints every day, just as if you were reading a letter that the saints had sent you from heaven, to show you the way and to give you the courage to follow Jesus’ teaching.”
Of course, the teaching of our tradition has been a blessing for us for 2000 years. The Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit has adapted the teaching of Jesus to concrete questions and situations that are similar to our experience. Always hold tight to the guidance of Mother Church. It is the outward expression of the Holy Spirit guiding us to live Jesus’ teaching in our time and place.
In the perspective of this relationship with Jesus, in whose eyes we pray, in whose teachings we study, and in whose teachings concrete lives give us examples in the saints of lives similar to ours who have discerned God’s will for their lives, we prepare for those times and places where we are confused and do not know which way to turn. But promptly, carefully and patiently, we draw upon the wisdom of our prayers and study and are guided by the Holy Spirit. And we have a confident optimism that with God at our side, we will choose the right way to act.
Only the creator knows what will bring peace and harmony to His creation. He created all things and knows how they work together. For example, we look at the stars in the sky that pull and push each other into a perfect orbiting system that keeps the planets in such harmony that scientists predict their behavior. Our bodies are healing machines. If a part of the body is sick, the other parts of the body shut down giving their strength to the weaker part until it is healed and new cells are generated. When God’s will controls parts of creation, there is peace and harmony. When outside forces destroy the equilibrium, there is chaos until the plan of God can restore the order that He established. Cancer or old age comes into a body to destroy the equilibrium or plan of God. Without God’s plan controlling creation there is pain and suffering. If we want to be happy and fulfilled, we must seek God’s will to order our lives. If we want hope and optimism where God’s plan can guide us and order our lives, then we will live God’s will. As Israel discovered and sang in their temple song of joyful hope, Psalm 126, 2-3, “When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, then we thought we were dreaming. Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD had done great things for them." Salesian optimism comes from the same source. We see the wonders God’s will does in creation. If we then discern what this will is, and allow that will to guide us it will bring wonders into our lives and a peace beyond our understanding.
This is the basis of Francis’ meditations at the beginning of The Introduction to the Devout Life, (Part I, Chapter 9, Par 9, Ryan), “I desire to change my life and henceforward to follow my creator and to find honor in the state of being he has given me, employing it entirely in obedience to His will by such means as will be taught me.”
Francis proceeds in The Introduction to the Devout Life to show how one can achieve this optimism in a permanent way. One must live devotion in a consistent way. Devotion can become a learned virtue. (The Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 3, ) Just imagine if one patiently approaches every situation in life as an opportunity to promptly, carefully and patiently seek God’s will. Imagine if we follow the counsel of our spiritual director to develop a rich prayer life that enables us to get closer and closer to the mind of Christ. Imagine if we consistently study Jesus in the Scriptures and in the lives of the Saints until Jesus’ example becomes the central directive of our will. We would consistently see Jesus living in our shoes showing us how to respond in every circumstance.
Human beings are meant to live habitual lives that enable us to remember how we did things in the right way and to imitate this behavior in the future. God intended us to develop virtues that would be patterns used in similar circumstances, to be people of faith, hope and charity. If we learn God’s will in a particular area of behavior that occurs in our life on a regular basis, we do not have to discern how to act in each circumstance, unless in our prayer and study God calls us to focus on another ministry that is needed. But when this call is finished, which may need other virtues that were developed in another experience, we return to use our virtues in similar circumstances. There are many good things to do at any moment. God will sometimes call us to a particular ministry because He knows we have the talents it needs. In most cases, we discern the most needy ministry in our time and place, but God may call us at any time if we are listening. The more virtues we store up in our lives, the more valuable we become to God who has a plan that unites all His faithful ones to accomplish His will. Francis explains how Devotion brings us closer to God’s divine will, and thus more optimistic that God will bring us a peace that passes all understanding. Francis explains that “among God’s servants some dedicated themselves to serve the sick, others to help the poor, others to spread knowledge of Christian doctrine among children, others to reclaim souls lost and gone astray, others to beautify Churches and decorate altars, others to restore peace and concord among men. In all this they imitate embroiderers who put silk, gold, and silver on different backgrounds in beautifully varied designs that resemble flowers of every day. When we get closer to God’s will, then more optimism comes into our lives. “ (The Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 3, Chapter 1, Par 7, Ryan)
But this does not mean we can say that we can relax and think we have won the battle. Satan and the world will never stop trying to trip us up with temptations that can get us off track. True Optimism makes us fear the temptations we face at any moment in life. Temptation becomes simply another opportunity to discover God’s will. Satan will try to disguise His temptation as something confusing or different than our experience. But all must be seen as an opportunity to imitate the example of Jesus in our time and place. Sometimes God permits confusing or frightening temptations to His faithful ones to strengthen our resolve. ‘God needs courageous followers who will be prepared for difficult assignments. Francis explains , that we should be prepared. “No matter what temptations may come to you and no matter what pleasure accompanies them, as long as your will refuses consent not only to the temptation but also to the pleasure, they should not disturb you” (The Introduction to the Devout Life , Part 4, Chapter 5, Par 1, Ryan). Our resolve is being strengthened.
We should be more optimistic than ever after we have found scary temptations and responded to them with great devotion. After all, it is all the same. Difficult or easy situations are both occasions when we can promptly, carefully and patiently seek God’s wisdom to respond in the proper way. Not even scary temptations deter us from our primary directive. God’s will brings order to our lives. Therefore, I will follow this course always.
But Francis explains that we can never be too confident . We are still weak and free. When our guard is down, we are most vulnerable. Judas was an apostle till the last days, and he fell. We always have a free will. The only true optimism of the Salesian Life is our Perseverance to the last Breath of our lives to a spirit of Devotion. We must renew our resolve often. We must desire to unite our will to God in a life giving confirmation of love. Often we must be led to the same considerations we made when we began our journey of Devotion. There can only be optimism when God is in charge. Perhaps the final stage of devotion occurs when God controls even our wills. St Paul explains it best in Gal 2: 20, “I have been crucified with Christ, yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” A Salesian spirit knows that he bears God within. God tells us where to go and what to do and what to say. We simply and obediently do it. His will is our will. We want no other. We know that God will accomplish what He sets out to do. We are confident and therefore, full of optimism because God is in charge.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Saint Francis de Sales, The Introduction to the Devout Life, Translated and edited by John K Ryan, Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1972
Saint Francis de Sales, Reflections of Saint Francis de Sales on Living Jesus, Reflections compiled by Andrew V Masters, SVD, Washington, DC: Fraternity Group of the Association of ST Francis de Sales, 2000