Catholic Saints St. Francis de Sales on Obedience (Part I)
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Jan 24, 2026 Dr. Christopher O. Blum, Academic Dean and translator of St. Francis de Sales, offers scholarly commentary on the saint and his writings. He outlines de Sales's life and the origin of Introduction to the Devout Life. They discuss the book's reception, de Sales's literary aims, devotion as a minor virtue, and obedience as readiness for God's will.
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Four Core Christian Traits
- St. Francis de Sales highlights four core Christian traits: obedience, attentiveness, sincerity, and bravery.
- These traits form the backbone of a devout character, not just external piety.
Born From Letters To A Cousin
- De Sales wrote The Introduction to the Devout Life as letters to a cousin stuck in a provincial town.
- Those private letters became a published guide after a local priest urged publication.
Look Toward Christ, Not The Mirror
- De Sales writes against Renaissance self-fashioning and inward self-examination.
- He redirects the Christian's gaze away from the self and toward Jesus Christ.
