Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exsultate is a beautiful reflection regarding the call to holiness in today’s world. He describes how the saints show us the possibilities of living the Gospel, not only those who are already beatified or canonized, but also those whom the Pope himself calls “the saints next door” who live near us and are “reflections of God’s presence.” He elaborates on this idea by pointing out “parents who raise their children with immense love, those men and women who work hard to support their families, the sick, the elderly, including Religious, who never lose their smile.” The Holy Father says these examples are all the more important in a world that no longer knows how to hope and that is indifferent before the sufferings of others. Small actions performed each day are of inestimable value. The holiness of the “saints next door” is that holiness lived every day by Christians who, in every part of the world, bear witness to Jesus’s love and risk their own lives without ever taking into account their own particular interests.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal’s Feastday is celebrated today. At the age of 29, she married Baron Christophe de Chantal. Their marriage lasted seven years during which they had three daughters and a son. Jane became a widow when her husband died tragically in a hunting accident. Although her husband forgave the man who shot him, Jane struggled for a long time to forgive him. With time and God’s grace she was finally able to do so. Because she was able to forgive him, she became the godmother of his child.
To support her own children, Jane moved home with her father in law. For seven years she managed his estate, patiently bearing his abusive behavior. Jane turned to God for guidance. In a vision she saw the person who was meant to be her spiritual director. When she met St. Francis de Sales while he was preaching, she recognized him as the person in her vision. He soon became her spiritual director. They corresponded by letter. Many of the letters have survived.
With the guidance of St. Francis de Sales, Jane established the Congregation of the Visitation in 1610. They focused on uniting their will to the will of God; trusting in Him and seeking to please Him. After the death of St. Francis de Sales, St. Vincent de Paul became her spiritual director. By the time of her death, 86 Visitation convents were opened.
“We should throw ourselves into God as a little drop of water into the sea, and lose ourselves indeed, in the ocean of the divine goodness.” St. Jane Frances de Chantal
