Office of Readings
LOUIS BRISSON
Born in Plancy (France) in 1817, Louis Brisson was ordained to the priesthood in 1840, was chaplain to the Visitation nuns of Troyes for 40 years, and thus became imbued with the spirituality of St Francis of Sales. He created apostolates for young working girls and founded the Congregations of the Oblate Sisters and of the Oblates of St Francis de Sales. As a result of the anticlerical laws of 1900, his work and apostolates were nearly all destroyed. Despite those trials, he held fast to his flawless and constant faith in God's Providence and in the future of his two religious families. Having retired to his birthplace ofPlancy, he died there on February 2, 1908.
Office of Readings
Second reading
From the Writings of Blessed Louis Brisson, priest.
(Instructions faites aux chapitres des Oblates de Saint-Francois de Sales à Troyes, Sujets divers, 1868-1904, 7 mars 1869: Cité du Vatican, 1942, pp. 32-34)
Called to reproduce the Saviour’s life
When we read the writings of St Francis de Sales, we see that very often he repeated, ‘We must greatly encourage ourselves; we must possess a good courage.’ At first sight, his words seem strange, since the cloister protected the Visitandines from all dangers. Yet, it is indeed true that they have need of a great courage. St Francis de Sales does not impose any extraordinary corporal mortifications on his daughters, but the basic element of his spirit and of his rule is a perpetual dependence upon God and upon his holy will, which is to say, a permanent martyrdom of the human will and its inclinations. That martyrdom leads us to a perfect and intimate union with God in all things. And in that lies our aim, we have no other end than that.
The great model whom we desire to imitate, [my dear children], is Jesus Christ. It is his life in its entirety, as shown in the Gospel, that we are bound to reproduce in our own lives. As he was in his prayer, in his daily renouncements, in his zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, so must we be. Other religious orders take one of the Son of God’s virtues, one of the aspects of his life as their aim. Some endeavor to reproduce his life of preaching, of the apostolate; others, his humility; his life of renunciation. As for us, we must strive to make all the virtues and all the activities of the God-Man live again in our own lives. And if, as a reward for our fidelity in being united to him, God deigns to make use of us in order to bring about conversions, or even to work miracles, it will be he alone, who will be the cause and the principle of those acts by means of his action in us. For did our Lord not say to his disciples: ‘I tell you truly that you, who believe in Me, will perform the works that I do, and you will do even greater works’ (Jn 14:12)?
And there you have our life. Each one of us must represent Jesus Christ and be his living image in all his actions. But we do not arrive at such a result in a single day, and it is for that reason that St Francis de Sales repeats that we must have courage, great courage, in order to begin again continually and thus attain perfection.
Responsory Rom 12:2; Eph 4:23-24
R/. Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, * so that you may be able to discover what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.
V/. You must be renewed in mind and spirit, and put on the new man.
R/. So that you may be able to discover what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.
Prayer
God of infinite goodness, who gave to the Priest Blessed Louis the apostolic fervour of a lively faith and an ardent charity, grant us, through his intercession, the grace of following in the footsteps of Christ, as joyful and courageous witnesses of his Gospel. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.