“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy
presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed
in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead
me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10, KJV)
Along with other saints in whose writings Christians found spiritual
guidance through the centuries, Francis de Sales gave personal spiritual
guidance for particular people. Much of this was done through letters.
These letters were preserved and printed to make them more widely
available. Francis de Sales took years’ worth of his correspondence
with Madame Louise de Charmoisy, along with spiritual direction he
had prepared for her and others, and organized it into the volume
Introduction to the Devout Life. This material was addressed to a lover of
God, “Philothea, who is to remain in the thick of secular life but who
yet would offer her life to God in that situation.”
He encouraged his readers to develop awareness of God. We begin
by deliberately, “placing ourselves in the presence of God and
imploring his assistance,” and de Sales identifies four principal means
to do that.
The first is attention to God’s presence in all things, as the
Psalmist writes: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I
flee from thy presence?” There is no place in which God is not.
Second, not only is God in the place where you are, but God is also
present in a particular manner in the very center of your spirit.
Third, “consider our Savior in his humanity looking down from heaven on all
mankind, but especially on Christians, who are his children, and more
particular the ones who are praying, whose actions and behavior He
minutely observes.”
Fourth, use your imagination to picture Jesus near
you, as a friend with whom you delight in sharing.
When I began employing de Sales’ four means, I found them to be
transformative. I now seek to practice prayerful living, however
falteringly, by recognizing, cultivating awareness of, and giving
expression to the indwelling Christ. As I wrote in another place, “By
giving expression to the indwelling Christ, I mean actually reflecting
his life within us in our daily living; living out of his presence so that
his Spirit will be expressed through us.”
Moment of Reflection: In what ways are you seeking to experience
the presence of God?
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to experience the nearness of your presence
in a personal way. Amen.
Saints Alive! is available in both print and Kindle format by clicking HERE