by Sister Susan Marie | Sep 9, 2019 | Discernment Sundays - Chat Room, Salesian Spirituality, St. Francis de Sales, Visitation Outreach
Why does charity nourish all other virtues? Charity has the “quality of perfecting the perfections which it meets with, it more greatly perfects where it finds greater perfection.” Discuss what St. Francis means by this. St. Francis says that small acts...
by Sister Susan Marie | Sep 2, 2019 | Discernment Sundays - Chat Room, Salesian Spirituality, St. Francis de Sales, Visitation Outreach
Do you find the analogy of the army general helpful as an explanation for giving God all glory while still recognizing our merits? What is the relationship between faith, hope, and love? Does one precede the others? Is there a paradox here? What is the distinction...
by Sister Susan Marie | Aug 26, 2019 | Discernment Sundays - Chat Room, Salesian Spirituality, St. Francis de Sales
Can these virtues of faith, hope, and charity be practiced by Christians only? Often faith is presented as a static thing: either you have faith or you do not. What then does it mean that faith is a virtue (which is very much not a static thing)? Why are these...
by Sister Susan Marie | Aug 19, 2019 | Discernment Sundays - Chat Room, Salesian Spirituality, St. Francis de Sales
What is the distinction between virtue and divine virtue? Is Saint Francis saying there is no merit in the virtues of a pagan? Related to that, if a virtuous pagan dies without knowing Christ, will his virtue have any effect on his salvation? If virtues are not...
by Sister Susan Marie | Aug 12, 2019 | Discernment Sundays - Chat Room, Salesian Spirituality, St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal
Saint Francis makes it clear that the non-Christian is capable of good works. What does he say about how this does or does not influence one’s salvation. Is Saint Francis saying that there is good that can come from the sinner? Saint Francis seems to make it...
by Sister Susan Marie | Aug 5, 2019 | Discernment Sundays - Chat Room, Salesian Spirituality, St. Francis de Sales
What does it mean to love God above ourselves? Wouldn’t a lack of love for ourselves be a form of not loving God? Saint Francis says that love aims at union. What exactly is union? How can we describe it? How might loving God above all be the path to loving...