He was born to a noble family in Geneva. He was a bishop and doctor of the church.
He was both intelligent and gentle. From a very early age, he desired to serve God. He knew for years he had a vocation to the priesthood, but kept it from his family. His father wanted him to enter a career in law and politics.
He attended the University of Paris and attained his doctorate law, however he never lost his passion for God. He studied theology and practice mental prayers but he kept quiet about his devotion.
God made his will clear to Francis one day while he was riding. He fell from his horse three times that day. Every time he fell, the sword came out of the scabbard, and the sword and scabbard came to rest on the ground in the shape of the Christian cross.
After much discussion and disagreement from his father, he was ordained to the priesthood and elected provost of Diocese of Geneva.
His unusual patience kept him working. No one would listen to him, no one would open their door. So Francis found a way to get under the door. He wrote out little pamphlets to explain true Catholic doctrine and slipped them under the doors. This is one of the first records we have of religious tracts being used to communicate the true Catholic faith to people who had fallen away from the Church.
The parents' wouldn't come to him, so he went to the children. When the parents saw how kind he was as he played with the children, they began to talk to him.
In 1602, he was consecrated as Bishop of Geneva and following that he took one of the most important steps in his life - the step towards the extraordinary of holiness and mystical union with God.
He was overworked and often ill because of his constant load of preaching, visiting and instruction - even catechizing a deaf man so he could take first communion. He believed the first duty of a bishop was spiritual direction. He wrote a letter to Jane, a fellow Catholic Christian who is his friend. "So many have come to me that I might serve them, leaving me no time to think of myself. However, I assure you that I do feel deep down within me, God be praised. For the truth is that this kind of work is infinitely profitable to me." For him active work didn't weaken his spiritual inner peace but strengthened it.
He insisted that every Christian was called to holiness, lived within their own state of life.
He laid the groundwork for the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on what is now called the universal call to holiness. In every career and state in life, Christians can become more and more like Jesus Christ.
He gave spiritual direction to lay people who were living real lives in the real world. He had proven with his own life that people could grow in holiness while involved in a very active occupation. He also recognized that Christian marriage and family life itself a call to holiness.
For him, the love of God was like romantic love. Thus to those who love God can never stop thinking about him, longing for him, aspiring to him and speaking about him. If they could, they would engrave the name of Jesus on the hearts of all humankind.
The key to love of God was prayer.
By turning our eyes on God in meditation, our whole soul will be filled with God. Begin all your prayers in the presence of God.
For busy people living in the world, "Retire at various time into the solitude of our own hear, even while outwardly engaged in discussions or transactions with others and talk to God."
The test of prayers was person's actions.
He believed the worst sin was to judge someone or to gossip about them. Even if we say we do it out of love we're still doing it to look better ourselves. We should be as gentle and forgiving with ourselves as we should be with others.
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