Letters to St. Francis de Sales : Mostly on Prayer

Spiritual Life, Winter 2003 by Danella, Francis W

Letters to St. Francis de Sales : Mostly on Prayer. By John Francis Fink. Alba House: The Society of St. Paul, 2187 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, N.Y. 10314-6603, 2003. Pp. 146. Paper 9.95.

Letters to St. Francis de Sales: Mostly on Prayer is the witness of a committed believer who has taken seriously the admonition of St. Paul to pray always. This is a man who has learned how to prioritize prayer in the context of his life as author, lecturer, publisher, editor, and family man. He uses a unique style, patterning his book on C.S. Lewis's Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. Pink writes his letters to St. Francis de Sales. He offers his reactions to de Sales's instructions on prayer along with his own thoughts, opinions, and foibles. He chooses de Sales because Francis de Sales wrote for the laity and believed that everyone is called to sanctity, not just priests and religious. Also, he is one of John Francis Fink's patron saints.

The book is conversational in style and is an easy read. It covers such topics as vocal prayer, mediation, contemplation, liturgical prayer, confession and communion, Scripture, prayers to Mary and the saints, when to pray, difficulties in prayer, and finding a balanced life.

Fink focuses on the Part 2 of the Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales. At times he focuses on the words of de Sales and his own efforts to interiorize the direction of this great doctor of the Church. For example, in the chapter on meditation, he carefully reviews the steps recommended by de Sales: place yourself in the presence of God, acknowledge your own unworthiness and ask for God's help, use your imagination to place yourself in the context of the mystery on which you wish to meditate, dwell on one or more consideration that raise your affections to God, make some practical resolutions, and conclude with acts of thanksgiving, offering and supplication. Finks speaks of his personal experience in using de Sales's method. He emphasizes the importance of resolutions if mediation is going to result in spiritual growth, especially in the correction of our faults. While this is a critical step in the process, Fink concedes that he finds this step difficult and the correction of faults a slow process.

Again, in the letter on when to pray, Fink follows the guidance of de Sales and speaks of how he integrates prayer into the fabric of his day. He starts his day with the morning offering. After his morning prayers, he prepares his day by anticipating what opportunities will come his way to serve God during the day. Also, he anticipates what temptations might come his way, recognizing the need for God's assistance if he is to do good and avoid evil. He speaks of the importance of ejaculatory prayer throughout the day. For example, he says a quick "Come Holy Spirit" before answering the phone, asking God's help to respond well to the caller. Finally, he stresses the importance of an examination of conscience at the end of the day.

At other times, he expounds at length on something de Sales mentions only in passing, such as vocal prayer, contemplation, and the rosary. For example, in his reflections on the Hail Mary and the Rosary, Fink stresses the context of this prayer, drawn from the biblical accounts of the Annunciation and Visitation. He makes special note of the importance of meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the Hail Mary as the background mantra to mediation on the specific mystery under consideration. He offers practical advice that comes both from his extensive reading and his lived experience. In dealing with distractions in prayer, he advises us that when we become aware of the distractions, we should gently return to the focal point of our prayer. Much of his advice is simple yet profound and helpful.

Fink flavors his letters with wisdom he has collected along the way from writers such as Benedict, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Therese of Lisieux, John of the Cross, Thomas Moore, C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen. He frequently quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Throughout, Fink considers the difference between the twenty-first century and the seventeenth century, which was the context of de Sales's ministry. He deals with both the cultural and the theological difference. For example, he reflects on the privatization of spirituality, the emphasis on individualism in American culture, and the changing role of women in our society. He examines such theological questions as the regular reception of communion, which was a disputed issue in the time of de Sales, and the more positive attitude toward sexuality reflected in the theology of conjugal sanctity flowing from the second Vatican Council.

Occasionally, there could be more Francis de Sales and less Fink. In the chapter on "Discerning God's Will," he offers little of de Sales's thought on the topic. He could have easily included de Sales's chapter in the Introduction to the Devout Life on 'How We Should Receive Inspiration," which deals with how we are to respond to God's inspirations and how we are to know the authenticity of our inspirations. Still, on the whole, he does a good job sharing the thinking of de Sales and his understanding of de Sales's thought and its importance for our time.