Relationship patterns for Christians

Bond of Perfection

Chapter-by-Chapter

Group Three:
Brian Rebholtz
Tresphord Chisanga
Sung Han Lee

What’s New

Love is the highest virtue, but also the foundation of life. We have many opportunities to express love and love is shown in many different ways. But love is not an emotion or a feeling for St. Francis de Sales, love is an act of the human will. Love encompasses all aspects of a human being, not just emotions.

We were struck by the notion of working not for yourself, but to give yourself for the good of others. Does John Paul II’s theology of work connect here?

Contemplation leads to recognizing needs; Work, not for self but to give oneself for the good of others. Failure does not frighten as long as all is done for God’s love. St. Francis de Sales fails at numerous projects in his diocese. He attempts to get quality priests assigned to his French parishes by the King of France, he attempts to open a seminary and a school for the poor, he attempts to found an order of women for charitable service, but all these projects fail.

What’s Confirmed?

The ideal person for St. Francis de Sales is one who lives as a Christian in a relationship with the Triune God and the Church, and who cares about his or her place in Civil Society: Neighborhood, Work Place, Family. This is the opposite of Calvin’s notion of the Church being invisible and the State being visible. For Francis, the Civil Society is patterned on the Christian life of the Church.

Submitted by Brian Rebholtz
Photo by Joe Boenzi: From the vine came the grape