God Chasers Daily Devotion-#34

The ostrich never flies,—the hen rises with difficulty, and achieves but a brief and rare flight, but the eagle, the dove, and the swallow, are continually on the wing, and soar high;—even so sinners do not rise towards God, for all their movements are earthly and earthbound. Well-meaning people, who have not as yet attained a true devotion, attempt a manner of flight by means of their good actions, but rarely, slowly and heavily; while really devout men rise up to God frequently, and with a swift and soaring wing.
(Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, 3)

Francis de Sales was born into a noble family at the castle of Sales and laterattended a Jesuit school in Paris. The Jesuits taught him the classics, Hebrew, Greek, and the life of discipline. His training also included the study of law and the humanities. He was ordained as a priest in 1591, despite opposition from his family. In 1602 he became the bishop of Geneva.
Francis was a prolific writer whose works had a great influence on the Church. He combined spiritual growth with ethical concern in a way that few writers, before or after him, have been able to do. He was a master of metaphor, describing the mysteries of the spiritual life through simple, everyday images like bees and milk, birds and sugar. Because of his considerable influence, Francis is considered to be one of the “doctors of the Western Church.”
I often use simple stories of my children as de Sales did of life around him to communicate deep truth. To pursue God is pretty simple. Let’s not make it complicated. It’s simple, but passionate!