5 Principles of Holy Writing ~ The Wisdom of Frances de Sales

by Wendy Murray

Saint Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622), was a French bishop whose views about "holy imagination" redefined devotion in his time, especially as it is expressed in the arts. His wisdom is timeless and serves as an apt guide for those in the literary realm whose writing voice also possesses spiritual sensibilities.

His book Finding God Wherever You Are offers helpful lessons for writers and artists of any time who find themselves entrenched in the struggles of the human situation:

1. Make decisions and then act.  "Our spirit should give vent whole-heartedly to these good movements of the will . . . But do not linger too long with general movements of the will. You have to change them into deliberate decisions."

2. Stay honorable. "The really patient servant of God bears equanimity of the humiliating trials as well as the honorable."

3. Small mistakes at the beginning only grow larger if left unchecked: "Small mistakes made at the beginning of any project grown infinitely great as it progress . . . . Hence, you should know, before everything else, what is the virtue of devotion."

4. Protect your environment: "Nothing calms down an angry elephant so quickly as a the sight of a little lamb, and nothing breaks the force of cannon balls so easily as wool."

5. Think through projects carefully, choose them clear-headedly, and stay the course. "We are not to question our choice, but devotedly, calmly, steadfastly keep it up, carry it through. Although difficulties, temptations and many different things may beset our path, to make us wonder if we have done right, we are to remain resolute and take no notice . . . . Once our decision has been taken with God's help, we need never fear but that God will aid us to carry it through."

Other books by Frances de Sales include:

The Art of Loving God

Finding God's Will for You

Introduction to the Devout Life












(See Plogger's Pope Francis' call to be Digital Citizens, Message for the memorial service of Saint Frances de Sales)

The Die Is Cast: Eternal Rome and the Crossing of the Rubicon

By Wendy Murray

When I lived in Assisi, Italy a few years ago I regularly took visitors to the "eternal city" -- Rome, which I found equally enchanting and vexing. As one friend (an architect) put it, "Rome is the most visceral example on the planet of the lack of city planning." I was forever lost, looking at street signs, referring to maps, and in pain from walking the endless uneven streets.

Even so, back in the day when roads were only beginning to be built, the saying held true: "all roads lead to Rome." The city has been at the fulcrum of multiple civilizations over several millennia and the ruins are evident. We ought to forbear the tangle of roads and alleys and the heaps of remnants of lost civilizations.

There isn't a region on this earth that hasn't in one way or another been touched by the legacy of Rome: its republic (c. 509 BC–27 BC) and then the empire -- Imperium Romanum (c. 27 BC–476 AD; West / AD 330–1453; East).

The Romans invented brick

This week (at least by the calendar of that time) over 2000 years ago (49 BC), Ancient Rome as it is widely understood in the popular imagination, began its rise. The Roman General, Julius Caesar, crossed the Rubicon River with a single military legion. The Rubicon marked the boundary between the Cisalpine Gaul (Gaul is modern-day France) a province to the north, and Italy proper to the south.

The young and ambitious Julius Caesar had been named governor of Gaul where

"he amassed a personal fortune and exhibited his outstanding military skill in subduing the native Celtic and Germanic tribes. Caesar's popularity among the people soared while at the same time presenting a threat to the power of the Senate and to General Pompey, who held power in Rome. Accordingly, the Senate called upon Caesar to resign his command and disband his army or risk being declared an "Enemy of the State." (Eyewitness to History)

In January 49 BC Caesar was staying in the northern Italian city of Ravenna when he confronted the decision either to acquiesce to the Senate's command or confront Pompey and plunge the Roman Republic into a bloody civil war.

Crossing this insignificant stream would show Caesar's hand and for him, mark the point of no return. The act of crossing the river was an act of treason and, if defeated and captured, Caesar would be executed, along with any soldier who followed him.

History notes that he hesitated. Ultimately however he made the decisive step, setting his destiny and launching the civil war in Rome that ultimately resulted in his ascension to dictatorship. It was a turning point in ancient history which paved the way for the rise of the Roman Empire and the birth of European culture.

The metaphor, "to cross the Rubicon," means to take a decisive and irrevocable step that commits one to a specific course, come what may. The ancient playwright Menander wrote in his play Arrhephoros, cited by the ancient writer Plutarch:

 He [Caesar] declared in Greek with loud voice to those who were present 'Let the die be cast' and led the army across. (Plutarch, Life of Pompey)