January 25th is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. We offer here some thoughts of St. Francis de Sales on this great Apostle, from the Treatise on the Love of God (Book VII, chap. VIII)
St. Paul’s Wonderful Exhortation to an Ecstatic and Superhuman Life
In my judgment St. Paul has made the strongest, most cogent, and most admirable argument ever advanced to bring all of us to ecstasy and rapture in life and operation. Listen, consider, and weigh the power and efficacy of the burning, heavenly words of that Apostle who was completely ravished and transported with love for his Master.
Speaking of himself, but the same thing must be affirmed of each of us, he says, “The charity of Christ presses us.” Yes, nothing urges on one’s heart so much as love. If a man knows that he is loved by no matter whom, he is impelled to love in turn. Since we know that Jesus Christ, true God, eternal and almighty, has loved us even so far as to will to suffer death for us, “even death on a cross,” is not this to have our hearts under the press and to feel them strongly pressed, and to feel love pressed out of them by violence and by a constraining power so much the more violent by how much the more it is worthy of love and filled with love?
How does this divine lover press us? “The charity of Jesus Christ presses us, judging this,” says this holy Apostle. What does he mean by those words “judging this”? He means that our Savior’s charity presses down upon us in an especial way when we judge, consider, weigh, meditate, and attend to this conclusion of faith. What is the resolution? See how he proceeds, how he drives and stamps his thought deep into our hearts. “We have come to the conclusion, ” he says, and when we ask what, he answers, “that since one died for all, therefore all died, and that Jesus Christ died for all.” This is true indeed! If one, namely, Jesus Christ, died for all, then all were dead in the person of this one only Savior who died for them, and his death is to be imputed to them since it was endured for them and in consideration of them.
What follows from this? I think I hear that apostolic mouth crying like thunder into our hearts’ ears, “Christians, it follows that in dying for us Jesus Christ has desired us.” What his he desired for us unless that we should be conformed to him, ”in order that” says the apostle, “they who are alive may live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again.”