Battling for Meekness with St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known as the gentle saint, but he was not born that way. He battled his temperament daily until he cultivated the virtue of meekness in thought, word, and action.

Pope Pius XI, in Rerum Omnium Perturbationem, instructs us:

One would err, however, if he imagined that such a character as St. Francis de Sales possessed was a gift of nature, bestowed on him by the grace of God “with the blessing of meekness.” On the contrary, Francis naturally was hot-tempered and easily aroused to anger. Since he had vowed to take as his model Jesus Who has said, “Learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart” (Mt. 11:29) so, by means of constant watchfulness over himself and of violence to his own will, he succeeded in learning how to curb and to control to such an extent the promptings of nature that he became a living likeness of the God of Peace and Meekness.

Our Savior too was meek, yet not mousy, cowardly, or a doormat. Meekness is a powerful virtue that counters the capital sin of anger, and keeping our temper is the first baby step. St. Francis writes in his Introduction to the Devout Life: “It is better, then, to attempt to find the way to live without anger, than to pretend to make a moderate and discreet use of it.” How often do we excuse our anger, reasoning that it’s “justified”? Citing St. Augustine, he tells us it’s better to avoid it completely.

What if we are startled into an outburst? If we are choleric, sanguine, or melancholic, we may have sudden attacks of impatience or anger.

When we find ourselves surprised into anger through our imperfections and frailty, it is better to drive it away speedily than to enter into a discussion with it. If we give it ever so little time, it will become mistress of the place. (Devout Life, 3^rd part, ch. 8)

Being provoked at ourselves for our impatience also defeats the purpose. He compares this to ushers walking through a senate full of arguing people, shouting for silence, and therefore creating more noise. We must work quietly and calmly to control our anger and cultivate meekness.

As a University of Padua law student, he created a plan of life for himself. Here he showed his choleric dedication to the goal of sanctification. We see his melancholic attention to detail, sensitivity, and enjoyment of the finer things of life. (Before he became a priest, he dressed well, lived in a castle, fenced, danced, and rode horses.) His Melancholic/Choleric spiritual improvement plan included regular attendance at Mass and daily meditation.

“Like a wise commander, he firmly believed that well-considered strategy before battle weighed strongly in favor of the combatant’s success,” writes Fr. James F. Cassidy in his 1944 biography, St. Francis de Sales: The Doctor of Devotion. “And so, he dwells in very detailed fashion on the various duties of the day, on the best manner of performing them and countering the temptations they are likely to entail.”

The 20-year-old saint journaled the best ways to avoid sin. “With characteristic thoroughness he detailed at length the various types of people he expected to meet and the diverse ways in which he wished to treat them,” Fr. Cassidy writes. Following his example, we can determine in advance how to deal with an obnoxious coworker, rebellious teen, or irritating mother-in-law.

“These saints felt in themselves the weaknesses of human nature and had to conquer the selfsame temptations as we,” Pope Pius XI reminds us.

Yet at the same time, he was no rabbit. Once when malicious students accosted him with swords, they hoped to prove that piety was synonymous with cowardice. “Francis, who had learned his fencing, like everything else, well, decided to give the bullies a good lesson in that art. He drew his sword and used it so dexterously that he forced them to beg his forgiveness” (Cassidy, 17).

Like Our Lord, St. Francis demonstrated that true meekness is a manifestation of strength, showing that it takes more fortitude to overcome one’s anger and impatience than to succumb to rage. His hard-earned gentleness, patience, and kindness enabled him to guide and encourage souls throughout his life and after his death by his insightful writings, understanding, and mercy.

Cracking open a tattered blue book published in London 145 years ago, we can tenderly turn the loose pages and read the antiquated typescript on the title page: HEAVEN OPENED; or, Our Home In Heaven, and the Way Thither. A Manual of Guidance for Devout Souls by Rev. Father Collins. The writings of this unknown priest, like those of St. Francis, have endured through the ages to offer us guidance today.

“The first degree of the virtue of meekness is to give no outward token of anger, by sign, by word, or by action” (Collins, 176). How easily we think we’ve “arrived” if we never show anger! This is beginner level.

“The second degree is to hold one’s spirit in sweet peace within when thwarted” (176). Ah, so we should not even be thinking angry thoughts when irritated.

“The third degree is to rejoice at tribulations, and to find in crosses a sweet hidden manna.” Here we see the heroic virtue level of St. Francis, which we too can achieve by God’s grace.

This meek saint was responsible for 72,000 converts in the Chablais district through his preaching and writings in just four years. When urged to preach fire and brimstone, he said:

Never have I been too severe and rigorous with heretics that I have not had reason to regret my austerity. Instead of doing good, bitter words and invectives only infuriate and make them more obstinate. I have had the happiness of converting a few heretics, but I have done so by kindness and gentleness. Love is more powerful than the strongest arguments [and] the most convincing reasons.

He taught the truth unswervingly, but with gentleness, charity, and abundant meekness. May we learn from him to do the same.

Editor’s Note: The author’s book Piety and Personality: The Temperaments of the Saints is available from TAN Books.

Image from Wikimedia Commons