Meditations For Retreats

By St Francis de Sales

(Arranged by St. Jane Frances de Chantal)

My very dear Sisters:

We gladly send you this manuscript, as it is taken from the works of our blessed Father, and especially from several memoirs written by his dear and holy hand. These are his thoughts and words; you will readily recognize in them his spirit. We have endeavored to abridge and arrange them into Meditations that may serve for the retreats made before the renovation of our vows, because many of our Sisters, the Superioresses, have long. urged us to do so. I think that, after the first and second parts of Philothea, you will find nothing more solid or practical. If you read and reflect upon them attentively, they will enlighten your understanding and inflame your hearts. The Meditations on Silence, on, Modesty, and on several other religious virtues are wanting, because these subjects were not treated in the brief memoirs of our blessed Father. You will find them in the exercises of Reverend Father Dom Sens, which our blessed Father held in great esteem, or elsewhere. Believe me, my very dear Sisters, I most cheerfully communicate to you all that we possess of the writings of our holy Founder, being anxious beyond expression that we may live upon his sweet and holy doctrine. May God grant us the grace to accomplish this! Supplicate His goodness in behalf of Tour unworthy Sister and servant in Our Lord,

Sister JANE FBANOES FBÉMIOT

Table of Contents

Mother de Chantal to the sisters of the Visitation.

Preface

1. Meditation on the Creation

2. Meditation on the End for which we were created

3. Meditation on the Benefits of God

4. Meditation on Sin

5. Meditation on Death

6. Meditation on Judgment

7. Meditation on Hell

8. Meditation on Heaven

9. Meditation on Religious Poverty

10. Meditation on Obedience

11. Meditation on Chastity

12. Meditation to Assist us to Know our Misery and weakness

13. Meditation on the Submission that Our saviour practiced in His Divine Infancy

14. Meditation on the Incomparable Grace that we possess in being Daughters of Holy Church

15. Meditation on the Particular Benefits of the Religious Vocation

16. Meditation on the Obligation imposed by the Religious Life of strictly imitating Our Saviour

17. Meditation on the Principal Lessons that Our Saviour teaches the Religious Soul

18. Meditation on the Means by which the Religious Soul receives the Heart of her Beloved

19. Meditation on the Love of our Neighbour

20. Meditation on the Garden of Olive

21. Meditation on the Love of Our Saviour in the midst of His Labours

22. Meditation on Our Saviour on the Cross

23. Meditation on the First five words of Our Saviour spoke on the cross

24. Meditation on the Blessed Virgin standing at the foot of the cross

25. Meditation on the Death of Our Saviour on the cross

26. Meditation on the Joy and Happiness that the Devout soul experiences in the Cross

27. Meditation on the Resurrection of Our Lord

28. Meditation on the Ascension of Our Lord

29. Meditation on the Descent of the Holy Ghost

30. Meditation on the Presence of God

31. Meditation on the Providence of God

32. Meditation on the Will of God

33. Meditation on Detachment and on the Conclusion of the Retreat

Letter of Mother de Chantal on Retreats

Examen for Annual Confession

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