Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(II Samuel 7:4-17; Mark 4:1-20)
The two readings today are encountered various times during
the year. In the first God covenants
with His servant David to make one of his descendants an eternal king. Christians, of course, see the promise
fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The gospel parable of seeds falling on different kinds of
terrain is found in Mark, Matthew, and Luke.
With it Jesus urges his listeners to make of themselves the kind of earth
that produces abundant fruit. His prescription for doing this is contained in
the parable. One must retreat from
gossip and frivolous interests (the path).
One must also take care to reflect and pray (roots growing deep into the
soil). Finally, one must not be detoured
by fame, fortune, or other pursuits (smothering thorns).
Today’s patron is somewhat well-known. St. Francis de Sales was the Bishop of Geneva
at the end of the Protestant Reformation. He wrote a classic book on spirituality
called The Devout Life. It famously
says that everyone is called to sanctity but each according to his or her
personal characteristics. Francis means that
we are all called to live in Christ’s eternal kingdom. To arrive there, he would say, we must
cultivate our lives to produce good fruit.
