Daily Gospel Reflection

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January 24, 2024

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales - Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Jn 15:9-17
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Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy be in you
and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

Reflection

Brett Robinson '97
Associate Professor of the Practice in Catholic Media Studies for the McGrath Institute for Church Life
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“You are my friends if you do what I command you.” The friends and followers of Jesus might be surprised to learn that being someone’s friend or follower in the digital age means something quite different than what it meant in the time of Christ. A Facebook friend or an Instagram follower may or may not be there for you in a time of crisis. They may or may not know you in the same way that your “real life” friends know you. In the age of AI and chatbots, friends and followers may or may not even be human.

When I started studying media and culture in the late 1990s, the optimism surrounding the internet bordered on religious fervor. The promise of humans across the globe connecting with one another on a scale never before imagined fueled utopian visions of a more open and understanding world. Unfortunately, those visions faded as social media seemed to contribute to the opposite by deepening cultural divisions.

Today’s gospel offers a radical vision for healing and friendship in our technological age. We are not made for slavery to devices and predictive algorithms. We are made for freedom to grow in friendship with Christ and one another so that we can come to know the fullness of the Father’s love. Our “source code” comes from the Father and consists of one line, “remain in my love.”

On this feast of Saint Francis de Sales, the patron saint of Catholic media, take this day to reflect on what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, the only Catholic influencer with billions of followers who never owned a smartphone.

Prayer

Rev. Thomas C. Bertone, C.S.C.

O God, you choose us this day to remain in your love as we encounter those we meet. Help us to grow in our ability to love others as fully as you have loved us in giving your life for us. Give us the patience and understanding we need to see the good in others, to see and love in them what you see and love in all of your children. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers and journalists, was a great saint of the Catholic reformation who wrote beautifully on cultivating the spiritual life of the laity.

He was born in France in 1567, the oldest of thirteen children, and received a nobleman's education of the highest caliber. His father expected him to learn gentlemanly arts such as riding and fencing in addition to his studies in the liberal arts. While attending college in Paris, Francis attended a theological lecture on predestination, Francis fell into despair, as he became convinced that he was damned. Nearly three years later, while finishing his studies in Paris, Francis dragged himself to a church and prayed the "Memorare" before a famous statue of Mary.

Shortly thereafter, Francis enrolled at the University of Padua for doctorates in both theology and law. He returned home to Savoy, working as a lawyer and obediently accepting the positions that his father secured for him. But he refused to marry, as his father wished. He signed over his inheritance to his younger brother and was ordained in 1593.

The bishop, knowing Francis’ eloquence and intelligence, sent him to the Swiss city of Geneva, which was controlled by Calvinists, who were hostile to the Catholic faith. Francis trudged through the surrounding area on a mission to convert the Protestant citizens, but the people slammed doors in his face and threw stones at him. In the bitterly cold winters, his feet froze so badly they would bleed. He slept in haylofts when he could, and once he had to tie himself in a tree in order to sleep safely out of the reach of wolves. He was so frozen when he woke that he could not untie himself and had to be cut down. After three years of enduring many trials, Francis had still not made headway in the Calvinist community.

Because no one would open their door to him, Francis began to write clear, simple explanations of the Catholic faith by hand and slide them under doors. Slowly, as people saw his gentle disposition, his simple lifestyle, and heard him speak, they began to listen. By the time he left for home, Francis had converted 40,000 Genevans.

Francis soon became known for his wisdom and insight, and many people wrote him asking for his advice and counsel. He responded to each of these letters with individual attention—essentially offering spiritual direction by correspondence—and especially attended to the uneducated laborers of his day. Some of his letters were collected in the book, The Introduction to the Devout Life, which is still in print today.

Francis de Sales died in 1622 and was named a Doctor of the Church, a title given to thirty-seven saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example. He is a patron saint of journalists and writers, and he is also a patron of deaf people because he used sign language to catechize people with hearing impairment.

Some of St. Francis' relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus, and his story and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.

St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists—pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Francis de Sales is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.