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Francois Fenelon

Francois Fenelon (1651 - 1715)

Read freely text sermons and articles by the speaker Francois Fenelon in text and pdf format. He was inducted into the Acadmie Francaise in 1693 and named Archbishop of Cambrai in 1695. During his time as the educator and teacher of the Duke, Fenelon wrote several entertaining and educational works, including the extensive novel Les Aventures de Telemaque, fils d'Ulysse (The Adventures of Telemachus, son of Ulysses), which depicted the ideal of a wise king. When this novel began circulating anonymously among the court, having been fragmentarily published in 1699 without his knowledge, Louis XIV, who saw many criticisms of his absolutistic style of rule in Telemaque, stopped the printing and banned Fenelon from court. Fenelon then retreated to his bishopric in Cambrai, where he remained active writing theological and political treatises until his death on January 17, 1715.

In Church history, Fenelon is known especially for his part in the Quietism debate with his earlier patron Bossuet. In his work Explication des maximes des Saints sur la vie interieure (Explanation of the Adages of the Saints on the Inner Life) in 1697, he defended Madame du Guyon, the main representative of Quietistic mysticism. He provided proof that her "heretical" teachings could also be seen in recognized saints. In 1697, Fenelon called on the pope for a decision in the Quietism debate. After long advisement, the Pope banned the Explication in 1699. Fenelon complied with the pope's decision immediately and allowed the remaining copies of his book to be destroyed.

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Abandonment not a heroic sacrifice, but a simple sinking into the will of God.
      LETTER XXXIV. Abandonment not a heroic sacrifice, but a simple sinking into the will of God. Your sole task, my dear daughter, is, to bear your infirmities both of body and mind. When I am weak, says the Apostle, then am I strong; strength is mad ... read more

Absolute trust the shortest road to God.
      LETTER XXVI. Absolute trust the shortest road to God. I have no doubt but that God constantly treats you as one of his friends, that is, with crosses, sufferings, and humiliations. The ways and means of God to draw souls to Himself, accomplish hi ... read more

Beware of the pride of reasoning; the true guide to knowledge is love.
      LETTER XXX. Beware of the pride of reasoning; the true guide to knowledge is love. Your mind is too much occupied with exterior things, and still worse, with argumentation, to be able to act with a frequent thought of God. I am always afraid of y ... read more

Daily dying takes the place of final death.
      LETTER XXXV. Daily dying takes the place of final death. We must bear our crosses; self is the greatest of them; we are not entirely rid of it until we can tolerate ourselves as simply and patiently as we do our neighbor. If we die in part every ... read more

Despair at our imperfection is a greater obstacle than the imperfection itself.
      LETTER XIII. Despair at our imperfection is a greater obstacle than the imperfection itself. Be not concerned about your defects. Love without ceasing, and you shall be much forgiven, because you have loved much. (Luke vii. 47.) We are apt to see ... read more

Fenelon's Maxims of the Saints
      ARTICLE FIRST. Of the love of God, there are various kinds. At least, there are various feelings which go under that name. First, There is what may be called mercenary or selfish love; that is, that love of God which originates in a s ... read more

God speaks more effectually in the soul, than to it.
      LETTER XXXIX. God speaks more effectually in the soul, than to it. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than to see you simple and peaceful. Simplicity brings back the state of Paradise. We have no great pleasures, and suffer some pain; but we have ... read more

How to bear suffering so as to preserve our peace.
      LETTER II. How to bear suffering so as to preserve our peace. As to our friend, I pray God to bestow upon him a simplicity that shall give him peace. When we are faithful in instantly dropping all superfluous and restless reflections, which arise ... read more

Imperfection only is intolerant of imperfection.
      LETTER XXIV. Imperfection only is intolerant of imperfection. It has seemed to me that you have need of more enlargedness of heart in relation to the defects of others. I know that you cannot help seeing them when they come before you, nor preven ... read more

Knowledge puffeth up; charity edifieth.
      LETTER VIII. Knowledge puffeth up; charity edifieth. I am happy to hear of your frame of mind, and to find you communicating in simplicity everything that takes place within you. Never hesitate to write me whatever you think God requires. I ... read more

Living by the cross and by faith.
      LETTER XII. Living by the cross and by faith. Everything is a cross; I have no joy but bitterness; but the heaviest cross must be borne in peace. At times it can neither be borne nor dragged; we can only fall down beneath it, overwhelmed and exha ... read more

Our knowledge stands in the way of our becoming wise
      LETTER XV. Our knowledge stands in the way of our becoming wise. Live in peace, my dear young lady, without any thought for the future; perhaps there will be none for you. You have no present, even, of your own, for you must only use it in accord ... read more

Peace lies in simplicity and obedience.
      LETTER V. Peace lies in simplicity and obedience. Cultivate peace; be deaf to your too prolific imagination; its great activity not only injures the health of your body, but introduces aridity into your soul. You consume yourself to no purpose; p ... read more

Poverty and spoliation the way of Christ.
      LETTER XXXII. Poverty and spoliation the way of Christ. Everything contributes to prove you; but God who loves you, will not suffer your temptations to exceed your strength. He will make use of the trial for your advancement. But we must not look ... read more

Pure faith sees God alone.
      LETTER XIV. Pure faith sees God alone. Be not anxious about the future; it is opposed to grace. When God sends you consolation, regard Him only in it, enjoy it day by day as the Israelites received their manna, and do not endeavor to lay it up in ... read more

Quietness in God our true resource.
      LETTER XVII. Quietness in God our true resource. Warmth of imagination, ardor of feeling, acuteness of reasoning, and fluency of expression, can do but little. The true agent is a perfect abandonment before God, in which we do everything by the l ... read more

Quietness in God our true resource.
      LETTER XVII. Quietness in God our true resource. Warmth of imagination, ardor of feeling, acuteness of reasoning, and fluency of expression, can do but little. The true agent is a perfect abandonment before God, in which we do everything by the l ... read more

Resisting God, an effectual bar to grace.
      LETTER XXXVIII. Resisting God, an effectual bar to grace. You perceive, by the light of God, in the depth of your conscience, what grace demands of you, but you resist Him. Hence your distress. You begin to say within, it is impossible for me to ... read more

Suffering belongs to the living, not the dead.
      LETTER XXXVI. Suffering belongs to the living, not the dead. Many are deceived when they suppose that the death of self is the cause of all the agony they feel, but their suffering is only caused by the remains of life. Pain is seated in the livi ... read more

The absence of feeling and the revelation of self no sufficient causes of distress.
      LETTER XX. The absence of feeling and the revelation of self no sufficient causes of distress. I pray God that this new year may be full of grace and blessing to you. I am not surprised that you do not enjoy recollection as you did on being deliv ... read more

The advantage of humiliation
      LETTER I. The advantage of humiliation. I pray often to God that He would keep you in the hollow of his hand. The most essential point is lowliness. It is profitable for all things, for it produces a teachable spirit which makes everything easy. ... read more

The beauty of the cross.
      LETTER III. The beauty of the cross. I cannot but wonder at the virtue that lies in suffering; we are worth nothing without the cross. I tremble and am in an agony while it lasts, and all my conviction of its salutary effects vanish under the tor ... read more

The circumcision of the heart.
      LETTER XL. The circumcision of the heart. Our eagerness to serve others, frequently arises from mere natural generosity and a refined self-love; it may soon turn into dislike and despair. But true charity is simple, and ever the same towards the ... read more

The cross a source of our pleasure.
      LETTER XIX. The cross a source of our pleasure. I sympathize with all your distresses; but we must carry the cross with Christ in this transitory life. We shall soon have no time to suffer; we shall reign with God our consolation, who will have w ... read more

The death of self.
      LETTER IV. The death of self. I cannot express to you, my dear sister, how deeply I sympathize with your afflictions; but my grief is not unmixed with consolation. God loves you, since He does not spare you, but lays upon you the cross of Jesus C ... read more

The discovery and death of self.
      LETTER X. The discovery and death of self. Yes, I joyfully consent that you call me your father! I am so and will be always; there needs only on your part a full and confident persuasion of it, which will come when your heart is enlarged. Self-lo ... read more

The gifts of God not to be rejected on account of the channel that brings them.
      LETTER XXXI. The gifts of God not to be rejected on account of the channel that brings them. I am glad you find in the person of whom you speak, the qualities you were in search of. God puts what He pleases where He pleases. Naaman could not be h ... read more

The imperfection of others to be borne in love.
      LETTER XXI. The imperfection of others to be borne in love. It is a long while since I renewed the assurance of my attachment to you in our Lord. It is, nevertheless, greater than ever. I desire with all my heart that you may always find in your ... read more

The Inner Life
      I. OF THE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THERE IS IN THE WORLD. WHAT men stand most in need of, is the knowledge of God. They know, to be sure, by dint of reading, that history gives an account of a certain series of miracles and marked providences; ... read more

The limits of our grace are those of our temptation.
      LETTER XXXVII. The limits of our grace are those of our temptation. I sympathize sincerely with the sufferings of your dear sick one, and with the pain of those whom God has placed about her to help her bear the cross. Let her not distrust God, a ... read more

The sight of our imperfections should not take away our peace.
      LETTER XI. The sight of our imperfections should not take away our peace. There is something very hidden and very deceptive in your suffering; for while you seem to yourself to be wholly occupied with the glory of God, in your inmost soul it is s ... read more

The time of temptation and distress is no time to form resolves.
      LETTER XXVII. The time of temptation and distress is no time to form resolves. Your excessive distress is like a summer torrent, which must be suffered to run away. Nothing makes any impression upon you, and you think you have the most substantia ... read more

The true source of peace is in the surrender of the will.
      LETTER VI. The true source of peace is in the surrender of the will. Remain in peace; the fervor of devotion does not depend upon yourself; all that lies in your power is the direction of your will. Give that up to God without reservation. The im ... read more

The will of God our only treasure.
      LETTER XXXIII. The will of God our only treasure. I desire that you may have that absolute simplicity of abandonment that never measures its own extent, nor excepts anything in the present life, no matter how dear to our self-love. All illusions ... read more

Those who endeavor to injure us are to be loved and welcomed as the hand of God.
      LETTER XVI. Those who endeavor to injure us are to be loved and welcomed as the hand of God. I sympathize, as I ought, in all your troubles, but I can do nothing else except pray God that He would console you. You have great need of the gift of h ... read more

True friendships are founded only in God
      LETTER XVIII. True friendships are founded only in God. We must be content with what God gives, without having any choice of our own. It is right that his will should be done, not ours; and that his should become ours without the least reservatio ... read more

True good is only reached by abandonment.
      LETTER VII. True good is only reached by abandonment. Evil is changed into good when it is received in patience through the love of God; while good is changed into evil when we become attached to it through the love of self. True good lies only i ... read more

We are not to choose the manner in which our blessings shall be bestowed
      LETTER IX. We are not to choose the manner in which our blessings shall be bestowed. You know what God requires of you; will you refuse? You perceive that your resistance to the drawings of his grace, arises solely from self-love: will you suffer ... read more

We should listen to God and not to self-love.
      LETTER XXV. We should listen to God and not to self-love. I beseech you not to listen to self. Self-love whispers in one ear and the love of God in the other; the first is restless, bold, eager, and impetuous; the other is simple, peaceful, and s ... read more

Weakness preferable to strength, and practice better than knowledge.
      LETTER XXIX. Weakness preferable to strength, and practice better than knowledge. I am told, my dear child in our Lord, that you are suffering from sickness. I suffer with you, for I love you dearly; but I cannot but kiss the hand that smites you ... read more

Who has love, has all.
      LETTER XXVIII. Who has love, has all. I have thought frequently, since yesterday, on the matters you communicated to me, and I have increasing confidence that God will sustain you. Though you take no great pleasure in religious exercises, you mus ... read more

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