Saint Jane Frances de Chantal

"When shall it be that we shall taste the sweetness of the Divine Will in all that happens to us, considering in everything only His good pleasure, by whom it is certain that adversity is sent with as much love as prosperity, and as much for our good? When shall we cast ourselves undeservedly into the arms of our most loving Father in Heaven, leaving to Him the care of ourselves and of our affairs, and reserving only the desire of pleasing Him, and of serving Him well in all that we can?" -Saint Jane Frances de Chantal


When Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641) was only 18 months old, her mother had died, and she was raised by her father, the president of the Parliment of Burgundy. Her faith was encouraged by her father, who made daily religious fun. At the age of 20, in the year 1592, she married Baron de Chantal, named Christophe. Then she often gave away food to the poor and hungry who came to her door. Just about eight years later, her husband was was accidentally killed while hunting, and he died in Jane's arms. Before her husband died, he forgave the man who had shot him by saying, "Don't commit the sin of hating yourself when you have done nothing wrong." Poor Jane was heartbroken and had a hard time getting herself to forgive the man as her husband did. After a while she started inviting this man to her house and completely forgave him. She later became the godmother of his child.

When her husband had passed away, she was forced to live with her father-in-law, and then she took a vow of chastity, spent her free time in prayer, and recieved a vision of a man who would become her spiritual director. In the Lent of 1604, she met Saint Francis de Sales and recognized him as the man in her dream, and they became close friends.

In the year of 1610, she founded the Order of the Visitation of Our Lady in France.
She acted as a spiritual advisor there, and she this advice to one of the daughters:

"Should you fall even fifty times a day, never on any account should that surprise or worry you. Instead, ever so gently set your heart back in the right direction and practice the opposite virtue, all the time speaking words of love and trust to our Lord after you have committed a thousand faults, as much as if you had committed only one. Once we have humbled ourselves for the faults God allows us to become aware of in ourselves, we must forget them and go forward."

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal was beatified on the 21st of November 1751, by Pope Benedict XIV
She was canonized on the 16th of July 1767

Prayer

Saint Jane, you forgave the man who killed your husband. Help me learn to forgive a particular person in my life who has caused me harm. You know how difficult it is to forgive. Help me to take the steps you took to welcome this person back into my life. Amen