Communicating from the Human and Spiritual Dynamic

Communicating from the Human and Spiritual Dynamic

by Fr. Gildasio Mendes

(ANS – Rome – March 24, 2022) – On the occasion of the 24th of the month, ANS readers are offered the third of a series articles written by the general councilor for Communications, Fr. Gildasio Medes, on the theme “St. Francis de Sales Communicator: Inner pilgrimage, wisdom in the art of communicating.”

A way of communicating from the human and spiritual dynamic

St. Francis lived his communicative experience at various levels, through the different situations he experienced and decisions he had to make.

At one level Francis developed a style of communicating that was an expression of his spirituality, his loving image of God, his inner freedom to be honestly in touch with his own humanity and tendencies, his mystified fears with their anxieties, his dark nights, and also the comfort he found in God’s grace. It meant that he plumbed the depths of his humanity to find, in dialog with God, the key and inspiration for his interpersonal communication. In his deep and true inner pilgrimage, he came to an authentic, honest confrontation with himself, and he made choices that were priorities for his life, e.g., the inner tension in his vocational choice between doing his father’s will and his deep desire to become a priest. Here we can identify the communicator who, in dialog with himself, finds in God his inspiration and source for deciding with truth as his criterion.

At another level, in his interpersonal relationships Francis had an immense, wide network of people with whom he related and whom he accompanied. Francis expressed himself through dialog and a great openness to understand the person starting from that individual’s circumstances. He was open to what was different, without losing serenity, and acting confidently and charitably.

He was also a communicator in spiritual accompaniment, knowing how to follow the right dynamics of welcoming, listening, dialog, and deep understanding of the human person.  Francis showed great human wisdom and psychological and spiritual maturity in his spiritual accompaniment of Jane Frances de Chantal, in the way he understood the depths of the human individual. Jane Frances herself said this: “Francis was very generous in his spiritual direction, in accordance with the truth and variety of the authentic love he had for souls.”

At the level of community communication, Francis’s stance was one of a clear sense of reference: to his spiritual fatherliness and to his moral authority as the spiritual guide of his communities. Here we see a Francis de Sales growing in understanding of his institutional communication skills, maintaining openness, flexibility, and firmness in confronting his adversaries.

At the same time, Francis wisely managed the processes and decisions regarding institutional communication, especially as bishop, writing letters, documents, texts, defending the Church’s teaching when faced with a context of theological and ecclesial conflict, in his approach to Calvinist adversaries, and in the difficult decisions he had to make as bishop.

Therefore, at a personal, interpersonal, and institutional level, Francis is revealed as a serene but firm communicator. He was gentle, yet determined, patient yet tenacious.