This past Wednesday, Jan. 24, was the feast day of St. Francis deSales who is my diocese’s patron saint. By cool coincidence, he is also my ‘saint of the year’ I got from Jennifer Fuilweiler’s Saint Name Generator back at the start of the new year.
So anyways, on Wednesay, I went to Daily Mass as I often am blessed to do, and then read the meditation from the Magnificat after Mass as I often do. It was from St. Francis deSales as expected, but what I did not expect were these wonderful words that reminded me so clearly of what we strive to do here at Behold Publications with all of our clubs:
“Let us make our way through the low valleys of the humble little virtues. There we will see roses among thorns; charity shining forth amid interior and exterior affliction, lilies of purity, and violets of mortification.”
Sounds just like us, doesn’t it? He goes on to encourage us”
“We ought to love above all others these three small virtues: meekness of heart, poverty of spirit, and simplicity of life, together with these common labors of visiting the sick, visiting the poor, and consoling the afflicted. Yet let it all be done freely and without anxiety.”
Now, I am still working on the ‘freely and without anxiety’ aspect of this but reading his words made me smile. Letting us see our virtue attempts as flowers, both small and large, to be collected and presented to Jesus and the Blessed Mother in heaven is a powerful image. Let this encourage us to keep trying, keep striving to find opportunities to do those “little virtues”!
LEADER’S CHAT ON ZOOM TODAY AT 2:00 P.M. EST. Check your email for the link. If you haven’t received an email from us (is your club registered?). Reach out via our website and we’ll get you started.
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Getting a ‘new’ patron saint for the year is a tradition my family has had for a number of years. It gives us an opportunity to learn more about the saint (maybe a new one to us) and be assured we have an extra holy one on our team. It is always so encouraging! Maybe you want to do it for your family or group:
