Thought for the Day – 28 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Goodness and Christian Courtesy
“St Francis de Sales was a model of gentleness and Chrisitan courtesy.
He had every regard and respecct of his neighbour because he saw God in everyone and everyone in God.
He had the ability to listen to everybody with great patience and kindness, without ever showing any sign of tiredness or boredom, even when he was dealing with unpleasant people or when he was busy with far more important matters.
He maintained his equilibrium and self-control, even after many hours of work and of difficult consultations.
He was always prepared, moreover, to listen to the troubles of the poor.
Even when insulted and reviled, he displayed perfect serenity and calm.
It was a result of this, that, with the helo of God, he made innumerable converts.
“Always be as gentle as you can,.” he was accustomed to advise “and remember that you will catch more flies with a spoon of honey than with a barrel of vinegar. If you must err, let it be on the side of gentleness ….” “Be humble,.” he wrote again “and you will be gentle. Humility makes the heart kind towards the perfect and the imperfect; towards the former through veneration, towards the latter through compassion.” (Letter 51).
How much we have to learn from the serenity and courtesy of this Saint – for, it is not without reason that he is known as “the Gentleman Saint” and an even greater title “the Gentle Christ of Geneva!.”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci
PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/28/thought-for-the-day-28-september-goodness-and-christian-courtesy/
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