We Must First Begin by Purifying the Soul


26 August, 2019

“We Must First Begin by Purifying the Soul”

Stone Crucifix in the center of Shanagolden, County Limerick, Ireland. The humility of Jesus on the Cross models for us and invites us to be vulnerable. (photo: P. Smith)


The first step in the journey to Devotion?  St. Francis De Sales writes, “To practice humility it is absolutely necessary for us at times to suffer wounds of spiritual warfare, but we are never vanquished unless we lose our life  or our courage.” The path to holiness begins with a humble heart, and, as teachers, we have the Grace and the opportunity to be humble before our students so they can witness what it looks like to be “fully human”. Many years ago when I was about to begin my first year as a teacher, it seemed a good idea to me to go to confession the weekend before classes started. Indeed, any time we are going to play a role in the Faith journey of another, we need to practice the humility necessary for the sort of purgation St. Francis De Sales calls us to. Primarily, for the sake of our own Devotion, we must purge our souls of the sins we commit; and when we do so, we offer ourselves as guides for our students in their own journey toward the devout life.

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