Suzanne C. Toczyski – ‘Because she has shown great love’. Female figures of the Gospels in St. Francis de Sales’ Traité de l’amour de Dieu

In a very unique way, the women of the Gospels whose stories Francis cites are noteworthy in that they, to varying extents, enjoyed a personal relationship with Jesus himself, and thus with God. Their understanding of sacred love is therefore particularly profound.

Named or unnamed, these women knew Jesus, experiencing Jesus’ love with an immediacy that we can only hope to realize in perfect union after death. Thus, to the extent that it is possible for human beings, they knew firsthand and are the embodiment of all Francis suggests is attainable in our relationship with divine love during human lifetime.

Contents:

• Introduction
• New Testament Women’s Experience of Jesus
• Scripturally Imaginative Use of New Testament Women’s Stories
• Conclusion

Reference time period: 1969 – 2016

Reference institution:
Institute of Salesian Studies