Bloom where you are planted!  Be what you are, be at its best!! To be nothing, if not human!!!    -SFS

Salesian   References A Thematic easy-reference to Salesian Perspectives on different topics

  Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady

Annunciation

  Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1621

Concerning Our Lady as the spouse described in the Song of Songs, God as the only true satisfaction for the heart of man, perfect dedication to God, the intimacy with God enjoyed by religious, Mary as the perfect religious, the excellence of Our Lady's virginity, virginity and humility, charity and humility, Our Lady's drawing of young girls to the life of virginity, the difference between the religious life as practiced by men and by women, and Our Lady as exemplar of religious.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 10, The Annunciation)

Assumption

  Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1602

Concerning Our Lady's life on earth after Our Lord's Ascension, Our Lady's death, …

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 1, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

  Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1618

Concerning Our Lady's fulfillment of the roles of both Martha and Mary, Our Lady's glorious death and reception into Heaven…

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 5, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Immaculate Conception

  Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 08, 1622

Concerning feasts, the essence of our Faith, Lucifer's sin, the fall of Adam and Original Sin, the transmission of Original Sin, miracles performed for Jeremiah and St. John the Baptist, the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, and what Our Lady truly desires of us.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 13, The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Nativity

  Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin, September 08, 1620

Regarding renunciation of the world, the flesh and self-will; Mary as "captainess" of the female sex in the warfare of renunciation, Mary as model of complete renunciation in the religious life, the perfect renunciation practiced by Our Lady from her infancy, and the renunciation practiced by St. Nicholas of Tolentino.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 8, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Our Lady of the Snow

  Feast of Our Lady of the Snow, August 05, 1617

Concerning the origin of this feast, the way to respond to the inspirations of God, imperfect offering of oneself to God, perfect offering of oneself to God by means of the religious life, the way in which snow represents the purity and obedience and fruitfulness of souls in the religious life, and the source of one's happiness in the religious life.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 2, Our Lady of the Snow)

Presentation

  Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, November 21, 1617

Concerning Our Lady's childhood, the journey of Mary to Jerusalem with St. Anne and St. Joachim for Mary's Presentation, the renewal of religious vows. God's grace and our cooperation, the total gift of self to God in the religious life, Cain and Abel, and the overcoming of self-will.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 3, The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple)

  Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, November 21, 1619

Concerning Our Lady's continual obedience to the will of God, her offering of herself to God in the Temple, the giving of one's whole self to God through the religious vows, regular renewal of good purposes and vows, and total obedience to God's word.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 6, The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple)

  Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, November 21, 1620

Concerning the significance of the Old Testament laver (water basin) between the two tabernacles: Baptism, penance, evangelical doctrine; the body and the soul, Mary's infancy and childhood, the blessedness of Mary's Divine Motherhood and of having heard the word of God and kept it, religious vocation, partial and total giving of self to God, the two conditions of true obedience, and continual renewal of vows.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 9, The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple)

Purification

  Feast of the Purification, February 02, 1620

Concerning the voluntary subjection of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother to the laws of presentation and purification, their practice of humility, various sins of pride, the perfect obedience of Our Lord and His Mother, how we should practice humility and obedience, and the four conditions for praying well, in imitation of the prophet Simeon who held the Divine Infant in his arms.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 7, The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

  Feast of the Purification, February 02, 1622

Concerning the three names of this feast, the Mystery of the Incarnation and the union of the Divine and human natures in Our Lord. Our Lady as the "new Eve," how Satan induced Eve to hate God's commandment, our temptations to hatred of God's commandments (which is the first degree of disobedience). Our Lady's love for God's commandments and for God who gave the commandment, the "heresy" of choosing which commandments we shall obey, and the happiness of "carrying" Our Lord and of being "carried" by Him.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 12, The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Visitation

  Feast of the Visitation, July 02, 1618

Concerning Our Lady's motives for visiting St. Elizabeth, Our Lady's charity, her humility and how this humility pleased God, the blessings which came to the house of Zechariah at Mary's visitation, St. Elizabeth's prophecy and Mary's response, and the imitation of Our Lady by the Sisters of the Visitation.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 4, The Visitation)

  Feast of the Visitation, July 02, 1621

Concerning the admirable unions of contraries effected by God, especially the union of charity and humility as practiced by Our Lady at the Annunciation and Visitation, the pride and frivolity of human beings (especially of women), St. Elizabeth's reception of the Holy Spirit at the Visitation and what this teaches us about our reception of the Holy Spirit, our relationship to the angels and saints and what we should ask them for, and the visits of Our Lady to us and in what way we should desire and respond to them.

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady, Sermon 11, The Visitation)

Our Lady’s intercessory role

  Second Sunday after the Epiphany, January 17, 1621

… Our Lady's way of ad­dressing her Son regarding the shortage of wine, how we should make the proper intentions in our prayers, the error of praying for the feelings of the virtues rather than for the virtues themselves, the true meaning of Our Lord's seemingly harsh response to His Mother, Our Lady's confidence that He would grant a favorable response, the way in which Our Lord advanced His "hour" in re­sponse to Our Lady's prayer, the Holy Eucharist, and how we should follow Our Lady's advice to do whatever her Son tells us—by faithfully fulfill­ing the duties of today so that He may change the tepid water of our repentance into the wine of divine love. 

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Advent and Christmas, Sermon 9, The Wedding feast of Cana)

Our Lady as the Star of the Sea

  Christmas Eve, December 24, 1613

Concerning vigils, the manna in the desert, the mystery of the Incarnation, Our Lady as Star of the Sea and Morning Star and how she produced Our Lord virginally as stars produce light, the three tastes of the manna—flour, honey and oil—and what they represent in the Divine Infant…

(Read further in Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Advent and Christmas, Sermon 4, The Coming of the Divine Infant)

St. Francis de Sales and Mary

  Studies in Salesian Spirituality: St. Francis de Sales and Mary No.7

(Read further in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)

St. Francis de Sales and Mary

  Studies in Salesian Spirituality: St. Francis de Sales and Mary No.7

Regarding the Marian devotion of our celestial patron, the following observations can be made for our concrete reflection: first of all Francis de Sales was a beloved Son of God and beloved child of Mary.

(Read further in Midathada Mariadas, St. Francis de Sales and Mary in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)

Mary in the life of St. Francis de Sales

  Studies in Salesian Spirituality: St. Francis de Sales and Mary No.7

(Read further in Antony Kolencherry, Mary in the life of St. Francis de Sales in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)

St. Francis de Sales on Mary

  Studies in Salesian Spirituality: St. Francis de Sales and Mary No.7

(Read further in Edward J. Carney, St. Francis de Sales on Mary in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)

Mary in the sermons of St. Francis de Sales

  Studies in Salesian Spirituality: St. Francis de Sales and Mary No.7

(Read further in Mathew Kalathungal, Mary in the sermons of St. Francis de Sales in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)

St. Francis de Sales and Our Lady of Compassion

  Studies in Salesian Spirituality: St. Francis de Sales and Mary No.7

(Read further in Agnelo Fernandes, St. Francis de Sales and Our Lady of Compassion in Studies in Salesian Spirituality)

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