St. Francis de Sales: "One Who Serves"

St. Francis de Sales: "One Who Serves"

by Father Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS
Religious Assistant to the Visitation Sisters in the U.S.

Like St. Paul, St. Francis de Sales desired to become all things to all people in order to bring as many people as possible to the compassionate heart of Jesus. Francis was priest, missionary, bishop, spiritual guide, gifted author, celebrated preacher, spiritual friend, founder and saint!

St. Vincent de Paul once confessed to St. Jane de Chantal that he had never known anyone who so perfectly reminded him of Jesus as Francis de Sales. From his determination as a missionary to storm the walls of Geneva, not with canon fire, but with charity, to his simple acts of kindness toward a hearing-impaired man and countless others to his passionate love of God – in these and so many other ways Francis was truly, like Jesus, "a man for others." And in imitation of Jesus, he interacted with everyone, from the mighty to the lowly, "as one who serves."

A beautiful story of a special friendship between a simple young man, Martin, who could neither hear nor speak and his kindhearted bishop is why Francis is known as the Patron of the Hearing Impaired.

Martin worked in the bishop's residence and was totally dedicated to Francis. Because no one had been able to find a way to teach Martin about the Eucharist, he could not receive Holy Communion. Naturally, this caused him great spiritual sadness. The sorry plight of Martin deeply touched the tender heart of Francis. He therefore, set about devising a form of sign language and, once developed, he used it to patiently instruct Martin in the mystery and meaning of the Eucharist. In time, Martin had the incredible joy of receiving Holy Communion from the hands of the bishop, his teacher and his friend. From that moment on, the bond of devotion and friendship between Martin and Francis was unbreakable.

I once saw a simple painting depicting a beautiful scene in which with one hand Francis gently points to the tabernacle and with the other gestures to a smiling and kneeling Martin: two men, unequal in status, but united in a special bond of friendship and in a shared love for their Eucharistic Lord.

I also recall reading a very moving account of Martin sobbing inconsolably as he followed the slowly moving funeral bier of Francis as it made its way through the narrow streets of Annecy.

The kind efforts of a busy, over-worked bishop to devise a whole new sign language and then to use it patiently and lovingly to teach a hearing-impaired young man about the Eucharist has rightfully earned for the gentle bishop of Annecy the title, Patron of the Hearing Impaired. Truly, St. Francis de Sales bent all his efforts to becoming "one who serves."

Prayer of St. Francis de Sales

Lord, I am yours, and I must belong to no one but you.

My soul is yours and must live only by you.

My will is yours, and must love only for you.

I must love you as my first cause, since I am from you.

I must love you as my end and rest, since I am for you.

I must love you more than my own being, since my being subsists by you.

I must love you more than myself, since I am all yours and all in you.