Do not look with fear
on the changes and chances of this life;
rather look to them with full faith that as they arise,
God – whose you are – will deliver you out of them.

He has kept you hitherto.
Do not but hold fast to His dear hand,
and He will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand, He will bear you
in His arms.

Do not anticipate what will happen tomorrow.
The same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you tomorrow and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering or
He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts
and imaginations.

Saint Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622) was the French Catholic Bishop of Geneva noted for his sermons to ordinary people urging the pursuit of sanity amid worldly responsibilities. His most famous book, “Introduction to the Devout Life,” was written specially for laypeople. In it he counseled charity over penance as a means of progressing in the spiritual life. He also wrote the mystical work, “Treatise on the Love of God,” and many letters of spiritual direction. (translation by Miles Car, 1630)

There is a gentleness and kindness in the writings of St. Francis de Sales that I have always admired. In today’s poem his invitation to surrender has a dear sweetness to it that makes me want to believe what he says – that we are always loved and cared for; that “He will shield” us from suffering or give us the strength to bear it. Francis seems to speak as a beloved child of a loving parent who has learned how to trust deeply and completely in the goodness of that love, without fear or hesitation. May we all feel the touch of that love in our lives today.