Saintly Wisdom: St. Francis de Sales

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"Lord, I am Yours, and I must belong to no one but You. My soul is Yours, and must live 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." - St. Francis De Sales

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"My God, if I knew that even one fiber of my heart did not beat for you, I would tear it out at once and throw it far from me." - St. Francis de Sales

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“Everything that has no bearing on eternity is mere vanity.” - St. Francis de Sales

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"It is a pity to sow vain and foolish affections in our heart's soil. They usurp the place of worthwhile interest and hinder the sap of our soul being used for good inclinations. I do not hold that we can never use these things, but I say that we can never put our affection on them without damage to devotion. When a man's heart is burdened with these useless, superfluous, and dangerous affections it certainly can not run quickly, lightly, and easily after God, the true end of the devout life. Is it not ridiculous or rather lamentable to see mature men set their hearts and affections on worthless trifles? Things that are not only useless but put us in peril of being irregular and undisciplined? For such reasons I say that we must purge ourselves of these affections, although such acts are not always opposed to devotion, the affections are always damaging." -- St. Francis de Sales

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