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Handout #164 |
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All Christians are called to holiness where they live |
| Francois de Sales was one of the first to
propose a spirituality for the laity starting from their state of life.
Compare this with what Calvin says about vocation (ef. p.14).
It is my intention to instruct those who live in the towns, in households and at the court, who by their condition are obliged to outward appearance to live a common life and who often, because they suppose that it is impossible, do not even want to think of the enterprise of a devout life. True and living devotion, 0 Philotheus, presupposes the love of God; it is none other than a true love of God. In so much as it gives us the strength to do good, it is called charity; but when it has attained to the degree of perfection in which it not only makes us do good but also makes us act carefully, frequently and promptly, then it is called devotion. Devotion must be practiced differently by the gentleman, the artisan, the valet, the prince, the widow, the daughter, the married woman. And not only that; the practice of devotion must be accommodated to the strength, the concerns and the duties of each individual ... It is a mistake, a heresy, to seek to ban the devout life from the company of soldiers, the workshop of artisans, the court of princes and the household of married couples ... Wherever we may be, we can and should aspire to the perfect life. Franqois de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life (1629) |
