Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales - February

[Hildegard of Bingen]

Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales

Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers


February 20th(page 51)

      “Happy the man who knows to control zeal,” says Saint Ambrose, Saint Bernard adds, “The devil will easily delude you if you neglect knowledge. Therefore, let your zeal be inflamed with charity, adorned with knowledge and established in constancy.” True zeal is the child of charity, since it is its ardor. Therefore, like charity, it is patient and kind. It is without quarreling, without hatred, without envy; it rejoices in the truth. The ardor of true zeal is like the hunter’s: diligent, careful, active, industrious, eager in pursuit, but without passion, anger, bad tempter or vexation. Otherwise, hunting would not be such a popular sport. In like manner, the ardor of zeal must be stable, industrious, untiring and likeable. Completely different is false zeal: it is turbulent, troubled, insolent, arrogant, choleric, impetuous and unstable.

(T.L.G. Book 10, Ch. 16, pp. 189-190)

      On February 20th, 1602, Francis de Sales, who had not yet been consecrated a bishop, commenced the preaching of the Lenten station in Paris in the magnificent place of Louvre, to comply with the request of several princesses, especially the princess of Longueville. His efforts were particularly blessed by God with miraculous conversions, foremost among which was that of the family of Raconis. All the members of this family abjured their false beliefs.

(A.S. II, p. 513)


The human mind is so constituted that it hardens itself against severity, but kindness makes it pliable.

The truly partient person not only does not complain but does not even want to be pitied.