If one were to examine these sermons according to the criteria stipulated by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus (On the Right Ordering of Devotion to Mary), their beauty becomes clearer. For although the sermons antedate the Apostolic Exhortation by approximately three and a half centuries, these works fulfill the requirements of Paul VI for solid devotion to the Mother of God.

The first two guidelines given to us by Marialis Cultus can be summarized by declaring that the ultimate source of all devotion to Mary must be Scripture as lived, prayed and taught by Holy Mother Church. Nothing characterizes these sermons more than their scriptural and liturgical foundations. Fidelity to the Word of God as preached by the Catholic Church is the very spirit of this Bishop of Geneva who tended his flock during the upheavals of the post-reformation era. He therefore constantly quotes Scripture, betraying his predilection for a mystical interpretation of the Song of Songs. The teachings of the Church are his constant guide.

Saint Francis de Sales' allegorical, mystical use of Scripture — typical of many of the Fathers of the Church — seems foreign to contemporary scientific studies. Also, the teachings of the Church concerning Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, have been further developed and clarified during the centuries since these sermons were delivered. However, one is not to search for modern scriptural interpretations or a contemporary Mariology in these conferences which date from the early part of the seventeenth century. It is their solid, contemplative insight into Mary as model of Christian life which has lasting value.

The second pair of guidelines given to us by Paul VI is especially important in understanding the thought of Saint Francis de Sales. Marialis Cultus calls for a Mariology which is ecumenical and anthropological; ecumenical in the sense that the truth must be proclaimed in a way that will attract, and not unnecessarily offend, our separated brethren: anthropological in the sense that the preaching must be in accord with the culture and needs of the people addressed — always, however, remaining within the ambit of the Catholic Faith.