Meditation for January 28, Negative Aspects of Perfection

According to St. Francis de Sales, perfection consists neither in the coarseness of the habit, nor the frequent reception of the sacra­ments, nor passive contemplation, nor extraordinary graces.

All these may be means: the rigor of the habit or the man­ner of living, the frequent reception of the sacraments; or mani­festations: the grace of extraordinary prayer, or certain supernat­ural favors. These things do not, strictly speaking, make up perfec­tion.

St. Francis de Sales often stressed this same idea in his writings:

"When people in the world see a devout person, they say at once that she is a saint, and if you ask them why she is a saint, they will tell you: because she stays in church a long time, or says many rosaries, or hears many masses. That is all well and good; but just why is she a saint? Because she receives Communion often. That is very good; but why is she a saint? Because she sheds many tears at prayer. That is good when God gives them; but what makes her the saint you say she is? She often gives alms to the poor. All that is good. But..."

Then St. Francis asks the only question that counts: "How great is her love of God?"

"Let me look to myself. Am I not often deceived? Lord, I do not want to misunderstand what You ask of me. Instruct me Yourself that I may advance in truth.'"

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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)