The Childlike Wonder of St. Francis de Sales at Christmas
SSPX Podcast
SSPX / Angelus Press
4.9 • 729 Ratings
🗓️ 26 December 2025
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today we are doing a special sermon presentation on the podcast. Instead of one of our priests of the Society of Saint Pius X, we’ll re-present a sermon by one of - if not the giant – of preaching in all of Christendom, St. Francis de Sales. And so it might help to know something about the preacher who gave it almost exactly 400 years ago today. St. Francis de Sales was one of the great bishops and spiritual teachers of the early seventeenth century, known not for fiery rhetoric, but for clarity, patience, and a deep pastoral charity. He believed that souls are won for God not by pressure or argument, but by gentleness and love. Even those who opposed him were often disarmed by the kindness and calm strength of his preaching. Saint Francis had a special devotion to the mystery of the Incarnation and to the feast of Christmas. He frequently returned in his sermons and writings to the humility of God made man, marveling that the eternal Word chose to come into the world as a helpless child. For him, Bethlehem was a school of confidence and simplicity, where the soul learns to trust God and to approach Him without fear. The sermon you are about to hear was preached at Midnight Mass on Christmas Day in 1622. The stillness of that hour held deep meaning for St. Francis. While the world slept, he saw heaven quietly at work, revealing a God who comes without spectacle, without force, and without demand, asking only to be welcomed. As you listen, allow these words to lead you to the crib at Bethlehem, and to encounter once again the Child who comes into the world tonight out of love for us.
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The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. https://sspx.orgTranscript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the SSPX podcast and to you and yours a very merry and blessed Christmas. |
| 0:12.7 | Today we're doing a special sermon presentation on the podcast, but instead of one of our priests of the Society of St. Pius X, |
| 0:21.6 | we're going to represent, recreate, in a way, a sermon by one of, |
| 0:26.8 | if not the giant, of preaching in all of Christendom. |
| 0:31.2 | And so it might help to know something about the preacher who gave it |
| 0:34.4 | almost exactly 400 years ago today. |
| 0:38.3 | St. Francis de Sales was one of the great bishops and spiritual teachers of the early 17th century, |
| 0:45.3 | known not for fiery rhetoric, but for clarity and patience and a deep pastoral charity. |
| 0:53.3 | He believed that souls are one for God, |
| 0:56.4 | not by pressure or argument, but by gentleness and love. |
| 1:01.1 | Even those who opposed him were often disarmed by the kindness and calm strength of his preaching. |
| 1:08.0 | So why are we doing one of his sermons today? |
| 1:10.2 | Well, St. Francis had a very special devotion to the mystery of the incarnation and to the feast of Christmas. |
| 1:17.6 | He frequently returned in his sermons and in his writings to the humility of God made man, |
| 1:24.6 | marveling that the eternal word chose to come into the world as a helpless child. |
| 1:31.8 | For him, Bethlehem was a school of confidence and simplicity, |
| 1:37.7 | where the soul learns to trust God and to approach him without fear. |
| 1:42.4 | The sermon you're about to hear was preached at midnight mass on Christmas Day in 1622. |
| 1:49.0 | The stillness of that hour held deep meaning for St. Francis. |
| 1:54.0 | While the world slept, he saw heaven quietly at work, |
| 1:59.0 | revealing a God who comes without spectacle, without force, and without |
| 2:04.0 | demand, asking only to be welcomed. And so as you listen, let's allow these words to lead us |
... |
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