The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-09-16
ST. FRANCIS or SALES.
TIE holy BISHOP OF GENEVA PROCLAIMED
DOCTOR or THE CHURCH.
Decree Urbis ct OrGs.


| the faithful st. Francis de Sales would b.
not only on account of his apostolic zeal
| the example of bis virtues and the ex
quisite nature of his disposition, but also
by his learning, and his writings which are
full of heavenly doctrine. Having 10 truth
been n witness of the proofs of doctrine
| given before the Pontiff himse!f by Francis
of Sales, on the occasion of bis promotion
to the episcopA.e, he congratulated him,
applying to him these wotds OF the Prov
cribs: =. Drink water out of thine own
cistern, and the streams of thine own well +;
let thy fountains be conveyed abroad, and
in the streets divide thy waters"
And assuTediy the Lord gave to ST.
Francis dc Sales the understanding of his
word. Jesus Christ, in ftct, to attract
men to the practice of the evangelical pre-
cepts, EaId; My yUkg rs sweet and NJ
burden light" St. Francis, appropriating &
in some scrt the divine sentence to the
practice of men, with that charity and
abundance of knowledge iu which be was
ricb, pointed out in very many different
treatises, the way of Christian perfection
aud the meRus of following ii, IN such a
manner that he showed to all the faithful
how easy of access it ia, no matter in what
state of life they may have to live. These
treatiees, written in smooth style and
with all the sweetness of charity, have pro-
duced most abundant fruits of piety
throughout the whole Christian world, but
especially has such been the case with
"Philo.hea" and the Spiritual Letters"
and that remark able. Incompatible " Trea
tise on the Love of Cod" books which are
in every bodys hand, and most profitable
to the reader.
1t is not only in mystic theology that the
admirable doctrine of st. Francis de Sales
shines, but also 10 the just ard clear ex-
plauaton of many ohscuTe passages of the
Sacred Scriptures. What he has done,
either in commentary on the Cantice OF
or on various occasions as the
circumstances required, in his addresses
and discourses, merIted for him also the
praise of having restored sacred elUQ oepce, !
the dignity of which had fallen through |
the fault of the times, to its ancient splen- |
dor ard to similarity with that of the !
Holy Fathers.
The many homilies of the holy bishop Of
Geneva, his treatises, dissertations and let |
ters, gave testimony of the excellence of
his doctrine in dogmatic matters, and to |
his invincihle superiority in the art of pol |
emnics, principally for the realization of
the Calvlnistlc errors, as may be most |
clearly seen from the large numbers of |
heretics whom he brought back to the fold |
of the Catholic Church, by his words and !
writings. Certainly, in the " Conclusions"
OF books of controversy written by the |
holy bishop, an admirable knowledge of
au excellent method, an irresis
tb!e force of arguments, whether in the
refutatiou of heresies or in the demonstra
ton of the Catholic truth, are almost bril-
liantly prominent, and principally when be
proved the authority of the Roman Pon
tiff, his primacy or Jurisdiction aud his in
trutbs which he upheld with 80
much learning and clearness that he in re-
atty appears to have forestalled even the
definition of the Vatican Council.
1t has also happened that the venerated
prelates and mast eminent Fathers who
gave their suffrages in the consistorisl
meeting held tor the cauooIzation cf the
holy bishop, not only gioritied by their
many eutogies, the hohness of his life, but
fur thermoro tie excellence of HIS doctrine,
calling Francis de Sales the true salt of the
Gospel, given to fertllize the earth and
purge it of the Calvanistic corTsptjon, tie
slu Of the world which has illumined with
the spleDdor Of the truth those who were
enveloped in the night of heresies, and sp
Piled to him tnis oracle: He that shall
SO teach men, he shall be called great 10
the kingdom of heaven" Ney, more; the
Sovereign Ponti6 himeelf, Alexander VII
of holy memory, was not afraid to proclaim
Francis de Sales nau celebrated for his
doctrine, q remedy and a preservative
given to our age againet heresies, and he
declared that We ought to thank God " for
having given to the Church rev interces-
sor far the increase Of the Catholic faith,
the illumination and conversisn of heIetics
and wanderers, who, walking 10 the foot
steps of tue Holy Fathers, has powerfully
contributed towards maintaining tie in
tcErIty Cf the Catholic religion, Sometimes
hy Teto!mIt & morals. &. others by TefntiCg
the tc.chihg Of erctaIi,s, and a: other
aSaii D! briagiug stray sheep back to The
fold' TIE same Sovereign PoatjT admir-
ably confirmed what he had caid, 10 his
coLeistorial ALLEGATION, of the excellence of
st. Frarcis dc S.les' doctrine, by writing
these words to the SISTERS Of the Visitation
aC Aunecy: The eaiutary light which
shone go cousp;cuously and toe wisdom of
the holy Francis &c Sales have Illuminated
rhs whole Christian world:
Sharing the sentiments of this great
Pcntitf, his successor, Clement TX, ap-
proved of tue following antiphon, authoriz-
ing it to be recited by the Sisters in honor
ot Francis dc Sales "The Lord has
filed St. Francis with the spirit of inteli-
gence, aud he has poured the floods of doc
triue upon the people of God" To this
judgment of tho Sovereign Pontiffs Bene-
dict XIV. also added his, who often sup
ported the answers and solutions which he
gaye to his din cult questions on the author
to of the holy BishOu of Geneya and callad