#1717: Ch. 11, Bk. 4, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with some good advice on worries.

Book 4, Chapter 11: On Anxiety.

8:35.

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#1714: Chs. 3-10, Bk. 4, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues with more chapters on the nature of temptation, and how to avoid or defeat it.

Book 4, Chapters 3-10.

32:50.

Happy St. Francis de Sales’ Day!

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#1698: Chs. 35-37, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with another chapter which helped inspire St. Therese of Lisieux’s Little Way. We also hear about not working ourselves up with currently-vain wishes, and about being fair to our neighbors while not giving ourselves too much slack.

Book 3, Chapters 35-37.

18:06.

I’m done with Christmas preparations, and I’ve got some days off. So I’ll see about catching up a little.

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#1697: Chs. 31-34, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues. In these chapters, we hear about helpful and unhelpful forms of recreation and games.

Book 3, Chs. 31-34.

13:53.

Yes, I know I’m falling behind something fierce. I’ll see what I can do.

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#1696: Chs. 29-30, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with more good advice on conversation, and a short course in how not to talk about people behind their backs.

Book 3,
Chapters 29-30.

17:54.

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#1693: Ch. 28, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with a chapter on judging other people. (Don’t do it.)

Book 3, Chapter 28.

13:28.

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#1689: Chs. 26-27, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with a discussion of how to talk with proper respect about God and one’s neighbor. We also learn that puns and jokes are saint-tested and saint-approved. 🙂

Bk. 3, Chs. 26-27.

8:32.

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#1687: Chs. 24-25, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, as we discuss socializing and what to wear. Hint: the saint thinks you can figure out how to dress yourself. He is not your mommy. 🙂

Book 3, Chapters 24-25.

10:40.

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#1679: Chs. 21-22, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with advice on what to do about bad friendships, some more general talk about friendships good and bad, and your duties to friends and yourself.

Book 3, Chapters 21-22.

13:54.

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#1675: Ch. 20, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with advice on how to tell true friendship from false.

Book 3, Chapter 20.

6:48.

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#1671: Ch. 18, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, as our friendly neighborhood bishop points out that you shouldn’t play with people’s hearts or waste their valuable time, and comments unfavorably about the wisdom of courtly love as a party game. It sounds like he had to do a lot of patching up of broken hearts in his day….

Book 3, Chapter 18: On Flirtations.

10:02.

UPDATE: Link fixed. Thanks.

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#1669: Ch. 17, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with some thoughts on friendship, and picking your friends wisely.

Book 3, Chapter 17: On friendship; first, on bad and frivolous friendships..

4:56.

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#1668: Ch. 16, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with a few words on how to derive spiritual growth from being broke.

Book 3, Chapter 16: On the practice of spiritual riches amidst real poverty.

4:56.

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#1661: Ch. 15, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with another chapter that will be a bit more relevant to a lot of us than we’d like. Even most Americans who live below the poverty line are well-to-do by the standards of the rest of the world, and rich by the standards of history. So those of us who are doing okay, are like Bill Gates compared to someone really poor.

Book 3, Chapter 15: How to practice real poverty while being actually rich.

10:51.

UPDATE: Links fixed. Sorry, folks.

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#1660: Ch. 14, Bk. 3, An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

An Introduction to the Devout Life continues, with a chapter that strikes me to the heart.

As a bibliophile and fan, I’ve spent a lot of years chasing avidly after certain material objects, not just using them with due diligence and care. Though middle age has freed me from a lot of the overenthusiasm, I still probably get a lot more into things than good sense really warrants, whereas I probably should be having the screaming fits of delight over doing good works. And yes, I did occasionally get a warning word from people about this; but it was never about greed and materialism, even when my greed was really kinda nakedly visible. We only think of greed as being about money, not about collecting or following your hobby, or buying everything that you can afford. Just because you can afford it, doesn’t mean you should be buying it or buying it right away. We need to separate our hearts a bit from naked desire, so that we can tell what we need from what we just like and can pass up. And we don’t always have to feel obliged to get what we want.

Book 3, Chapter 14: Of poverty of spirit in the midst of wealth.

8:33.

UPDATE: Links fixed.

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