As baptized faithful, we are called to holiness. St. Francis de Sales said, “True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice. God Himself, to Whom time is not, perfects His works by such slow and gentle means that we are for the most part unaware of them.”
The maxim of the saint was “Make haste slowly.”
Bishop Jean Pierre Camus wrote, “In the reformation of a monastery, Francis strongly emphasized mental prayer and its inseparable companions, spiritual reading and the frequent use of the Sacraments of penance and holy communion. When these are appreciated, he used to say, then all else will be gently accomplished without effort, noise, disturbance or opposition. In the reformation of a religious house for women, he stressed two things, one bodily and the other spiritually. These were obedience to the Council of Trent regarding enclosure, which he thought essential to their stability; and the practice of mental prayer for at least a half-hour twice daily. With this, he said, it is a simple thing to bring women back to a faithful observance of their religious intention.”
Focusing on the essentials was employed the saints in spiritual renewal and reform. When Giuseppe Sarto (the future Pope St. Pius X) was appointed bishop of Mantua, he found the priests in that diocese lazy, rebellious, and sinful. The Holy See told him that his main duty would be the spiritual renewal of the priests. Other nearby bishops had attempted to reform the clergy by suspending priests, publicly reprimanding them, and transferring many of them from the parishes where they had pastored for years.
So, when Bishop Sarto first met with his clergy, they were particularly resistant and unfriendly, suspecting he was about to lower the boom. Instead, the future saint said, “Brothers, I’ll make a deal: before you leave this room, I want every one of you to promise me to my face that you will do three things: celebrate Mass every day, pray your office daily, and make a good confession monthly.”
The priests breathed a sigh of relief, feeling they had all gotten off easy, and made the promise. When Bishop Sarto left 10 years later to become patriarch of Venice, the diocese of Mantua had been revitalized, led by a zealous clergy striving for holiness.
As Pope, Pius X made efforts to restore all things in Christ and to renew the Church by emphasizing the two essentials: the Holy Eucharist and the Catechism. St. John Vianney reformed the parish of Ars by spending his first eight years there emphasizing the proper observance of Sunday as a holy day.
St. Francis de Sales saw the importance of focus in preaching. The saint believed that every sermon ought to have some particular plan, such as the explaining of some mystery or doctrine, conquering a special vice, or cultivating a special virtue.
He said, “No one can sufficiently emphasize the importance of having a definite aim in preaching. How many well-thought-out, ably written sermons fail to be useful for want of following this rule! Some preachers do nothing more than explain their text with all the mental effort they can bring to bear upon the subject. Others go in for elaborate research and excite the admiration of their listeners, either by their scientific reasonings, their studied gestures or by their excellent diction. But when only one aim is had and when all the reasonings tend toward it, as the radii of a circle round the unity of its centre, then the sermons may be really profitable to the hearers. For such preaching has the force of a great river which leaves its mark upon the hardest of the rocks it flows over.”
The saint once said, “Do you wish to know, how I test the value of a preacher? If the listeners go away striking their breasts, saying: ‘Today I will do better’; not by their saying: ‘What a wonderful sermon!’”
改革需要集中重點
我們是受洗的信徒，都被召叫成聖。聖方濟各沙雷氏說：『真正的進度是静默的、持久的、不被注意的。時間對天主不是什麽，天主，自己以這樣慢的和温和工作的，大部份我們都不會省覺。』這聖人的座右銘是『慢慢地趕快行動。』
加繆主教寫道：『在重整修院時，方濟各，強力強調心禱和分開不的夥伴，靈修閱讀、勤領修和及聖體聖事。當這些都重視的時候，他習慣地說，之後其他一切都會柔和地，不費力地，不噪炒地，不被干擾，對抗地完成。在改革女會院時，他強調兩件事，一是肉身上的另一是精神上的。這都遵從脫利騰大公會議要求有關院內靜修地域，他相信對她們的穩定是重要的；和實行最少每日兩次半小時的心禱。他說，以此，把女子帶領回到忠誠遵從她們修道的志願是一簡單的事。』
聚焦於基本的事項上是聖人們在靈修的改革和更新中採取的方法。當朱塞佩·薩托（後來的教宗庇護十世）被任命為曼圖亞主教時，他看見在那教區內的神父們懶惰、反叛和犯罪。教廷告訴他，他的主要責任是那些神父們靈性的更新。其他附近的主教們嘗試以停職，公開譴責和把很多堂區神父從他們服務多年的堂區中調職。所以當薩托主教首次與他教區的神職人員會面的時候，他們是特別抗拒而且並不友善，懷疑他們會被懲處。相反這位未來的聖人說：『弟兄們，我們來一個協定：當你們離開這房子的前，我要求你們每人當面答應我，你會做好三件事：每天奉獻彌撒，每天唸你的日課，每月辦一個好的告解。』各神父們都舒了一口解脫的氣，都得容易擺脫，並作好了承諾。當薩托主教十年後離去作威尼斯宗主教時，曼圖亞教區已經重新注入活力，由一羣滿懷熱忱的神職人員帶領，奮力成聖。當薩托樞機主教選為教宗庇護十世時，他努力恢復基督內一切事項並以兩要素更新教會：聖體聖事和教理。聖若翰·維雅更新阿爾斯教區時以他最初的八年強調適當的遵守星期日為聖日。
聖方濟各沙雷氏看見注重宣道的重要性。這位聖人相信每次的講道都應作特別的計劃，就如講解一些教理的奧秘，克服一些惡習或培育一特別的德行。他說：『沒有人能有效地強調一個有明確目標講道的重要性。有幾多預料好、寫錄好的道理因爲沒有跟隨著這法規而失效！一些傳道人不多做什麼，只是按他們的課本，以他們當時智慧所及去宣講。其他的，以仔細的研讀並以他科技上的理據，或研究的態度，或美好的聲調去激發聽眾欣賞。但當獨有的一個目標和所有的理據所傾向的，是這圓心中，半徑所及之處，這樣這講道就真能為聽眾帶來益處。這樣的講道擁有一大河流的力量，它為途中最堅硬的石塊留下印記。』這聖人曾說：『你想知道我怎樣考證宣道人的價值嗎？如果聽眾離開的時候，搥著胸口說：「今天我要做好一點」；而不只是說：「多美的講道！」』
