20 February 2006

Devotion and Discussion


The writings of St. Francis de Sales are timeless in that they are as applicable to daily life in the 21st century as they were in the 17th century. They are also "ageless" in that they are as applicable to college life as they are to life in the world of business and life in the monastery.

This semester, some students from George Washington University's Catholic Newman Center are visiting us on Sunday evenings for Evening Prayer and a discussion of St. Francis de Sales' book, The Introduction to the Devout Life. (Perhaps we could name the informal group, "Colonials for Devotion.") Click here for a virtual visit to the GWU Newman Center. Last night's topic of discussion was "friendship and relationships." This is an excerpt from our readings last night:

"...it is needful for those who are in the world, and seek after virtue, to bind themselves together in a holy and sacred friendship, by means of which they encourage, stimulate, and forward one another in doing good. . . . True friendship is always pure, courteous, and loving, and only changes to a yet more perfect and holy union, which is a lively representation of that blessed love which we shall enjoy in heaven."
St. Francis de Sales

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