in Annecy
and HOMILY:
Today we celebrate the end of the year jubilee of Saint Francis de Sales, on the date anniversary of his death, or more precisely of his birth in heaven. December 28 is also the day the Church celebrates the Holy Innocents. We have heard the gospel that reports the event to us.
Let me stop there for a moment. This part is not so easy to grasp. How in the light of Christmas, while we are amazed by the beauty of God who becomes a child, can arise such violence? This child in the manger is, by wickedness of man, the cause of the massacre of innocent children. What pain for Jesus himself, for Mary and for Joseph!
First of all, if I can put it that way, a conflict between King Herod and Jesus, the new king who has just been born. Herod is afraid of losing his ability. He can only see in this child a competitor. Poor Herod who has understood nothing. ‘Cause Jesus is king, but he ain’t the same guy of royalty. This brings us back to Jesus’ answer to Pilate who asks him: “So you are king? “. ” My royalty is not of this world. If my royalty was of this world, I would have guards who would have beaten so that I will not be delivered. »
King born in a manger, his throne: a manger. Later his throne will be a cross. The greatness of God is to have made himself very small, his power manifests itself in fragility and vulnerability. To meet him, we must also make ourselves small, come down from our thrones brought up, learning to be children.
Ourselves, we may not be like Herod, but we can have functions, services where we perform a certain power, where we benefit from a certain recognition, a certain prestige. We may be tempted to attach ourselves to it. Are we willing to let ourselves be stripped, to put ourselves in the school of the humility of God?
This is where the figure of Saint Francis de Sales is and must be a model for us. We have to put ourselves in the school of Jesus. But for all Christians of the diocese, also at the school of François de Sales. I come from the experience of Saint Francis de Sales, a few ideas that can and should inspire our personal lives and the life of the diocese. 1) François de Sales is “Doctor of Love”, for take up a formula of Pope St John Paul II pronounced here, in this basilica, in 1986. “It’s all about Love. In his words we can welcome the spiritual heritage he has given us
François de Sales was tireless in showing his brothers the patience and tenderness of God, always ready to forgive, to save. He returns constantly to the love of God: “Everything is Love, in Love, for Love, in the Holy Church. We all know his words: “Nothing out of force, everything out of love. » It seems to me that the experience he had, in praying in front of the statue of Our Lady of the deliverance when he was a young student in Paris, is foundational. While he is going through an inner crisis terrible, because of a false theology on the predestination, he experiences a crisis of scruples, taken in a terrible anguish and a great despair. He falls ill. He is persuaded that he cannot be saved. With the Virgin Marie he will be released. He enters into Love, to be loved and loving. Ask for the intercession of Francis de Sales so that we may be seized by the Love of God.
All of us, all the baptized in our diocese. That all our services are entered from the inside by the love of God. Love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable. It is a single commandment. But the two, however, live on love considerate of God who first loved us. We have to constantly experience the love given from within. Love is divine because it comes from God and unites us to God. One love which, by nature, must be shared with others. Love grows through love, through a unification process. It turns us into one us who overcomes our divisions and makes us become a. Until God is all in all. It seems to me that this is what François lived through. Sales and that this is what he wants us to live. 6 2) François de Sales, in the Introduction to life devout, and in many of her writings and interviews, has brilliant intuition and completely new in his time, to propose union with God to all.
That the divine life can, and must, be lived by all, in the particular conditions of life of each one. In this he anticipates what the Council Vatican II clearly affirms thn speaking of the call universal to holiness. “All members of the Church are called to holiness. The call to the fullness of life Christian and to the perfection of charity is for all who believe in Christ. » This is what Francis de Sales proposes to those that he encounters, that is what he trains them for, it is that which he offered in all his time. The stakes are high for us today. We talk a lot about the necessary reform of the Church. In reality, it is not a question of inventing a new program, the program already exists, it is the one always, living the Gospel. It is centered on Christ himself, whom we must know, love and imitate, to live in him the Trinitarian life, to transform history. It is not enough to renew the methods of pastoral care, nor better organize the life of the Church. We need to arouse a new impetus of holiness. This is what Francis de Sales aroused in his era.
Let us pray that our diocese be crossed by a new impetus of holiness.
The sanctity of Francis de Sales is founded, again, in a profound humanity. She conveys in simple, friendly relationships, the cordiality with all. through his correspondence, his personal encounters, it is the heart that speaks in the heart. The human heart of Jesus speaking to the heart of Francis and the heart of Francis who speaks in the hearts of those he meets. It is a pastoral of friendship, attention individual to each. Evangelism is carried out from person to person. person. God does not like people 8 group, but he loves every human being in particular. We need to develop a pastoral friendship with all, to transmit the heart of our heart. I remember the words attributed to Saint Vincent de Paul on Francis de Sales: “God is good since Monsieur de Sales, my friend, is so good. » That through the intercession of Francis de Sales we let us be led to friendship towards all, even those who reject us. 4) In the letter that Pope Francis addresses today at the Church for the 4th centenary of the death of Saint Francis de Sales, he insists on the fact that he lived in a time of great changes. That he let himself be touched and interrogate by the problems of the world and the new way of looking at them. He became aware of a real “change of time” to which it was appropriate to answer by old and new forms of language. 9 In particular, as Europe was ravaged by the wars of religion and the Chablais by struggles relentless, he knew how to see and consider the surprising demand for spirituality that appeared and the new questions she was asking. He offered them holiness, he proposed to answer with a new way to thirst for God. We are ourselves today in a change of era. More drastic change than we imagine, with what this causes anxiety and drama. Let us ask Francis de Sales to be able to recognize, in these changes, the opportunity to spread the gospel. He knew how to decipher his time with the grace of God. Benedict XVI said: “For decades we is witnessing a spiritual desertification. It’s the emptiness that has spread, but in the desert, we rediscovers the value of what is essential for to live. In reality, we are expected. “That is why – says Pope Francis – (Francis de Sales) invites us to get out of a preoccupation excessive of ourselves, of the structures of 10 the image we give in society, and rather ask us what the needs are concrete and spiritual expectations of our people. »
Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us
by Mgr Le Saux
Source: 2022-12-28-homelie-cloture-jubilee-sfs.pdf (diocese-annecy.fr)