If St. John Henry Cardinal Newman was thought to be a notable behind-the-scenes influence on Vatican Council II, so was St Francis de Sales, especially regarding the Laity. De Sales was centuries ahead of his time in leading not just monks and nuns but everyone to sanctity, even those, such as soldiers or those at court, once thought beyond possibility.
Hope was a hallmark in his guiding lay people to sanctity by a deep confidence in God through all of life’s trials:
"Be patient with everyone but above all with yourself. Don’t be disturbed about your imperfections and always have the courage to pick yourself up after a fall. I’m very glad to hear that you make a fresh start each day. There is no better way to grow in the spiritual life than to be always starting over again.
"But most important, don’t lose heart! Be patient, wait, do all you can to develop a spirit of compassion. I have no doubt that God is holding you by the hand; if he allows you to stumble, it is only to let you know that if he were not holding your hand you would fall. This is how he gets you to take tighter hold of his hand."
These insights were hard-won. Before his doctorates at Padua in law and theology, he was in college in Paris. A theology professor, later revealed to be Calvinist, had taught predestination and convinced him that (since it was independent of any aspect of his actions in this life) he could well be damned. Bedridden, neither sleeping nor eating, this personal crisis of despair seemed to his friends to be the end of him. Then he visited the old church of St. Étienne-des-Grès where he prayed before a Black Madonna, of Our Lady of Deliverance. "Since none in hell can praise you, Lord, let me praise you here on earth!" Reciting the Memorare there, recalling that "God is Love," he realized that God had love and good in store for him. It was this spiritual discovery and its hard-won confidence that buoyed all whom he counseled.
He has been called "The Saint of Friendship." His collaborator St Jane de Chantal and protege St Vincent de Paul vigorously attested to his joy and confidence in God. The famed English actor Sir Alec Guinness has an interesting tale of becoming Catholic. One step along the way was an Anglican vicar giving him de Sales’s "An Introduction to the Devout Life" which has indeed helped us all.
Summer suggestion: "Kind Hearts and Coronets" where Alec Guinness himself plays eight different members of a a noble family targeted by the heir just below them. A gem. A hoot. Our own alum Sean Lessard recently brought down the house as lead in a further musical comedy version.