SR
← Letters of Spiritual Direction (de Sales and de Chantal)/Book 1 · Lettres de saint François de Sales adressées à des gens du monde
Chapter 5SalesGensDuMonde.1.5

À Madame de Chantal (fragment de lettre)

The Silence of the Soul

When faced with temptations against faith, one must remain silent and refuse to engage the enemy in debate.

October 1604. You're asking me for remedies for the distress caused by these temptations—temptations the Evil One raises against the faith and the Church; that is what I understand.1 I'll tell you about them whatever God gives me. In this temptation you must keep the same posture you keep in temptations of the flesh: don't argue with it at all—not a little, not a lot—but do as the children of Israel did with the bones of the Passover lamb: they never tried to break them; they threw them into the fire.✦2 You must not answer in any way, or even pretend to hear what the enemy is saying. Let him bark at the door as much as he likes; you must not even so much as say, "Who's there?"34 That’s true, you’ll tell me; but he pesters me, and his noise keeps those inside from hearing one another talk. It’s all the same; have patience—you’ll have to speak through signs. You must prostrate yourself before God and stay there at His feet: He’ll understand well enough from this humble bearing that you are His, and that you want His help, even though you can’t speak.5 But above all, keep yourself tightly shut inside, and don’t open the door at all—neither to see who it is, nor to drive this pest away: in the end, he’ll tire of shouting and leave you in peace. You'll tell me that it will soon be time for that. I beg you: get hold of a book titled On Tribulation, written by Father Ribadeneira in Spanish and translated into French. The Father Rector will tell you where it's printed; and read it carefully.6 So take heart; the time for it will come soon enough. As long as he doesn't get in, it doesn't matter. Still, it's a very good sign that the enemy is battering and raging at the door, because it means he doesn't have what he wants. If he already had it, he would stop shouting; he would come in and settle there. Note that well, so you don't fall into scruple.7

The Weapon of the Will

Instead of intellectual reasoning, one should counter temptations with affective acts of faith and love.

After that remedy, I'll give you another. Temptations against faith target your understanding directly, trying to pull you into arguing, daydreaming, and brooding over them.8 Do you know what you'll do while the enemy is amusing himself trying to scale the intellect?9 Go out by the door of the will, and make a good charge against him—that is, as soon as the temptation against faith presents itself to engage you. But how can this be done?10 But what if this?11 But what if that?12 Instead of arguing with the enemy by reasoning, let your affective part spring on him with full force, and even join the exterior voice to the interior, crying: Ah, traitor!13 Ah, wretch! You left the Church of the angels, and you want me to leave the Church of the saints? Disloyal, faithless, treacherous! You held out the apple of perdition to the first woman, and you want me to bite into it? Get behind me, Satan! .14 .15 .16 It is written: You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. No, I won't argue, and I won't dispute. Eve, wanting to argue, was lost. Eve did so, and was seduced. Long live Jesus, in whom I believe. Long live the Church, to which I hold; and other such fiery words.17 You must say the same kinds of words to Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit as well—whatever He will put into your heart—and even to the Church: O mother of the children of God!✦18 I will never separate myself from you; I want to live and die in your lap.19 I'm not sure if I'm making myself clear. What I mean is that you have to strike back with affections, not reasons; with passions, not considerations.20 It's true that in these times of temptation the poor will is completely dry; but so much the better: its blows will be all the more terrible to the enemy, who, seeing that instead of holding back your progress he is giving you occasion to practice a thousand virtuous affections, and especially the profession of the faith, will leave you alone in the end.21

The Crown of Endurance

Temptations are necessary trials that lead to spiritual growth and the promise of eternal life.

When all is said and done, these temptations are nothing but afflictions like any others; and you must calm yourself with the word of Holy Scripture: Blessed is the one who endures temptation; for having been tested, he will receive the crown of life.22 Know that I've seen few people advance without this trial, and you must have patience.

Read the original Latin

Octobre 1604.

Vous me demandez les remèdes au travail que vous donnent les tentations, que le malin vous fait contre la foi et l'Eglise; car c'est cela que j'entends. Je vous en dirai ce que Dieu me donnera.

Il faut en cette tentation tenir la posture que l'on tient en celle de la chair : ne disputer ni peu ni prou; mais faire comme faisoient les enfants d'Israël, des os de l'agneau pascal, qu'ils ne s'essayoient nullement de rompre, mais les jetoient au feu. Il ne faut nullement répondre, ni faire semblant d'entendre ce que l'ennemi dit. Qu'il clabaude tant qu'il voudra à la porte, il ne faut pas seulement dire : Qui va là?

Il est vrai, ce me direz-vous; mais il m'importune, et son bruit fait que ceux de dedans ne s'entendent pas les uns les autres deviser. C'est tout un; patience, il se faut parler par signes; il se faut prosterner devant Dieu, et demeurer là devant ses pieds : il entendra bien par cette humble contenance que vous êtes sienne, et que vous voulez son secours, encore que vous ne puissiez pas parler. Mais surtout, tenez-vous bien fermée dedans, et n'ouvrez nullement la porte, ni pour voir qui c'est, ni pour chasser cet importun : enfin il se lassera de crier, et vous laissera en paix.

Il en sera tantôt temps, me direz-vous. Je vous prie, ayez un livre intitulé, De la tribulation, composé par le père Ribadénéira en espagnol, et traduit en français : le père recteur vous dira où il est imprimé, et le lisez soigneusement. Courage donc le temps en sera tantôt : pourvu qu'il n'entre point, il n'importe. C'est cependant un très-bon signe que l'ennemi batte et tempête à la porte, car c'est signe qu'il n'a pas ce qu'il veut. S'il l'avoit eu, il ne crieroit plus, il entreroit et s'arrêteroit. Notez cela, pour ne point entrer en scrupule.

Après ce remède, je vous en donne un autre. Les tentations de la foi vont droit à l'entendement pour l'attirer à disputer, à rêver et songer là-dessus. Savez-vous ce que vous ferez pendant que l'ennemi s'amuse à vouloir escalader l'intellect? Sortez par la porte de la volonté, et lui faites une bonne charge, c'est-à-dire, comme la tentation de la foi se présente pour vous entretenir : mais comment se peut faire ceci? mais si ceci? mais si cela? Faites qu'au lieu de disputer avec l'ennemi par le discours, votre partie affective s'élance de vive force sur lui et même joignant à la voix intérieure, l'extérieure, criant : Ah, traître! ah, malheureux!

tu as laissé l'Eglise des anges, et tu veux que je laisse celle des saints? Déloyal, infidèle, perfide! tu présentas à la première femme la pomme de perdition, et tu veux que j'y morde? Arrière, ô Satan! . . . Il est écrit : Tu ne tenteras point le Seigneur ton Dieu.

Non, je ne disputerai point ni ne contesterai. Eve voulant disputer, se perdit. Eve le fit, et fut séduite. Vive Jésus en qui je crois. Vive l'Eglise, à laquelle j'adhère; et semblables paroles enflammées.

Il en faut dire aussi à Jésus-Christ et au Saint-Esprit, telles qu'il vous suggérera, et même à l'Eglise : O mère des enfants de Dieu! jamais je ne me séparerai de vous; je veux vivre et mourir en votre giron.

Je ne sais si je me fais bien entendre. Je veux dire qu'il faut se revancher avec des affections, et non pas avec des raisons; avec des passions, et non pas avec des considérations. Il est vrai qu'en ces temps de tentation la pauvre volonté est toute sèche; mais tant mieux : ses coups seront tant plus terribles à l'ennemi, lequel voyant qu'en lieu de retarder votre avancement, il vous donne sujet d'exercer mille affections vertueuses, et particulièrement de la protestation de la foi, vous laissera en fin finale.

Au bout de tout cela, ces tentations ne sont que des afflictions comme les autres; et faut s'accoiser sur le dire de la sainte Ecriture : Bienheureux est qui souffre la tentation; car ayant été éprouvé, il recevra la couronne de vie. Sachez que j'ai vu peu de personnes avoir été avancées sans cette épreuve et faut avoir patience.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Exod.12.46;Num.9.12;John.19.36 — It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the meat outside the house, and you shall not break a bone of it. Num.9.12 — They shall not leave any of it until morning, nor shall they break a bone of it. According to all the statute of the Passover they shall keep it. John.19.36 — For these things took place so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: 'Not a bone of him will be broken.'
  2. ↩Rom.8.14-Rom.8.16;1John.3.1 — For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Rom.8.15 — For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, in which we cry, "Abba, Father." Rom.8.16 — The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 1John.3.1 — See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. For this reason the world does not know us: it did not know him.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Early modern French travail here means interior distress/hardship from temptation, not ordinary labor.
  2. 2 ↩Archaic French idiom meaning 'neither little nor much'—i.e., not in the least. Rendered as 'not a little, not a lot' to keep the double negation without sounding antique.
  3. 3 ↩clabauder: to yelp, clamor, or make a noisy racket (like a dog). 'Bark' keeps the concrete image without modern slang.
  4. 4 ↩Early modern French 'pas seulement' here means 'not even so much as,' not 'not only.'
  5. 5 ↩«Il se faut» is impersonal necessity in older French («one must» / «it is necessary»); rendered as direct counsel to the addressee for modern readability.
  6. 6 ↩«père recteur» rendered as «Father Rector» (Jesuit superior of a college/house). Ribadénéira is Pedro de Ribadeneira; the French form of the name is retained in sense via standard English Ribadeneira.
  7. 7 ↩«entrer en scrupule» kept as scruple (scrupulosity): anxious spiritual over-sensitivity about sin or consent, not ordinary caution.
  8. 8 ↩entendement rendered as understanding (the intellective faculty), not mere comprehension; disputer / rêver / songer mark the progressive snare of debate, idle speculation, and anxious brooding.
  9. 9 ↩s'amuse à keeps the source's lightly ironic tone: the enemy busies / amuses himself with the attempt, not that the assault is trivial.
  10. 10 ↩lui faites une bonne charge is a military metaphor: a vigorous sortie/charge of the will, not a formal accusation. pour vous entretenir = to draw you into conversation/occupation of mind with the temptation.
  11. 11 ↩Source is a bare fragment (mais si ceci?). Read as sample content of the temptation's baiting questions that try to open dispute, not as complete independent counsel.
  12. 12 ↩Source is a bare fragment (mais si cela?), parallel to s5: the restless 'what if this / what if that' of intellectual temptation.
  13. 13 ↩partie affective is Salesian faculty language (heart/will/affections as opposed to pure discursive intellect); kept as affective part rather than flattened to feelings.
  14. 14 ↩Source sentence is only a period with no lexical content; likely a segmentation artifact.
  15. 15 ↩Source sentence is only a period with no lexical content; likely a segmentation artifact.
  16. 16 ↩Source sentence is only a period with no lexical content; likely a segmentation artifact.
  17. 17 ↩« j'adhère » rendered as hold (allegiance/attachment to the Church), not mere casual liking. « paroles enflammées » keeps the heat of inflamed/fervent speech rather than a bland 'earnest words'.
  18. 18 ↩« Il en faut dire aussi » continues the previous counsel of fiery professions of faith rather than dispute; « en » points back to those kinds of words (e.g. Vive Jésus… Vive l'Église…).
  19. 19 ↩« Giron » is the mother's lap/bosom; kept as « lap » for the maternal image of remaining within the Church, rather than a colder abstract « bosom of the Church ».
  20. 20 ↩"Se revancher" is Salesian spiritual-warfare language for striking back at temptation. "Affections" and "passions" here are interior acts of the heart and will toward God, not mere feelings or disordered passion; "raisons" and "considérations" are cool reasoning and reflective arguments.
  21. 21 ↩"Protestation de la foi" is the formal act of affirming/professing the faith against temptation; rendered as "profession of the faith" rather than modern "protest," which would mislead.
  22. 22 ↩s'accoiser sur: early modern French for quieting/settling oneself upon a saying—rendered as 'calm yourself with' rather than a stiffer 'rest upon'.

Letters of Spiritual Direction (de Sales and de Chantal) companion

Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat

Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.

Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.

  • A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
  • One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
  • Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit
Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app) →