Dear Philothea!

Our father Saint Francis de Sales is renowned for his teaching on doing everything motivated by love and not by force. At the beginning of the New Year, it might be a very good resolution to take, to put love into all our actions; we fulfil our duties because we LOVE it. Our Father says,

All by LOVE!

“All that we do must be motivated by love and not force. We must love to obey rather than fear to disobey. I leave you the spirit of liberty; not the liberty that excluded obedience, because this would be a liberty of the flesh, but the true spirit of liberty which includes obedience. When you have to omit your practices of piety for a just and charitable reason, I want you to make use of this occasion as a kind of obedience; then love will compensate for the spiritual exercises you have missed” (Letters 234).

Have a very “loving” year, will you?

Peace!

Fr. George

Spiritual Director