St. Francis de Sales often relates the concept of freedom to other themes such as: the good; grace, love, obedience, sin, the human will, and God’s activity. He often also makes mention of free will.
“St. Francis de Sales does not speculate on freedom itself, but is much more inclined to speak of free will.” 1
Therefore the concept of freedom, rather than the more limited term freedom, is a better way to examine the Visitation Founder’s thought.
“The concept of freedom is connected to the faculty of the will.”2
This, in turns, leads us to a deeper understanding of how St Francis de Sales regarded the human person, as the will itself is a human faculty.
“Thus, reflecting on the mystery of what it means to be human leads us to the acknowledgment of the God who created us. Created reality is made from Love and is called to return to its source which is Love.”
“One constant we need to return to, if we are to be faithful to the writings of St Francis de Sales, is that within the framework of Salesian anthropology the human person can only be understood in relation to the God who created him, and this will undoubtedly have a bearing on our understanding of freedom.”3
REFLECTION:
How do you recognize the relationship between God and the human person in our current national “Fortnight for Freedom”?
Footnotes/References:
- The Concept of Freedom in the Writings of St. Francis de Sales, Chapter 2, page 94
- The Concept of Freedom in the Writings of St. Francis de Sales, Section 2, page 94
- The Concept of Freedom in the Writings of St. Francis de Sales, Chapter 2, page 95, 96