It’s the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “The Purifying Blood”, today’s news from the Church: “Transmitting the Faith: A Challenge for 2026”, a preview of the Sermon: “Dealing with Discouragement”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.

• “The Purifying Blood” – From Epiphany to Lent
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• https://fsspx.news/en/news/transmitting-faith-challenge-2026-56719

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Saint Francis de Sales was a bishop whose gentleness changed the tone of Catholic spirituality at a time when faith was often presented with severity. Born in 1567 into a noble family in Savoy, Francis was brilliant, sensitive, and deeply anxious by temperament. As a young man studying in Paris, he endured a crushing spiritual trial, becoming convinced for a time that he was predestined to damnation. The experience nearly broke him, but it also purified his faith. When peace finally returned, it did so through a simple act of trust. Francis abandoned speculation and placed himself entirely in God’s mercy. That surrender became the foundation of his holiness.

Ordained a priest against his family’s hopes for a legal career, Francis was sent on a dangerous mission to the Chablais region, which had largely fallen under Calvinist influence. Preaching openly was forbidden, so Francis walked village to village, writing short explanations of the faith by hand and slipping them under doors. These quiet leaflets, patient conversations, and consistent charity eventually led thousands back to the Church. What distinguished Francis was not argument, but kindness. He believed that truth must be proposed, never imposed, and that love opens doors fear keeps closed.

In 1602, Francis became Bishop of Geneva, though he was forced to reside in Annecy due to political realities. As bishop, he combined tireless pastoral work with an interior life of deep prayer. He visited parishes, reformed clergy, and made himself available to the poor and troubled. Yet his lasting influence came through his writing. The Introduction to the Devout Life shattered the assumption that holiness was reserved for monks or nuns. Francis insisted that devotion belongs to everyone, adapted to each state of life. Holiness, he taught, is not harsh or anxious. It is steady, joyful, and rooted in love.

Francis also guided souls individually with remarkable sensitivity. Alongside Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, he founded the Visitation Order, originally envisioned for women unable to endure severe austerities. Its spirituality reflected Francis’s heart: humility, patience, and gentleness offered daily. Even when misunderstood or opposed, he refused bitterness. He famously said that more flies are caught with honey than vinegar, not as strategy, but as conviction.

He died in 1622, worn out by labor and charity. The Church later named him a Doctor, recognizing the wisdom of a man who taught generations how to love God without fear.

Tradition honors Saint Francis de Sales as the patron of writers, journalists, and spiritual directors. His feast on January 29 invites the faithful to rediscover a truth he lived fully: that God leads souls by attraction, not force, and that gentleness is one of the strongest forms of courage.

Saint Francis de Sales, gentle shepherd and teacher of holy love, pray for us.

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