Catholic Saints Podcast

Episode: St. Francis de Sales on Sincerity (Part III)
Host: Dr. Ben Akers (Augustine Institute)
Guest: Dr. Christopher Bloom
Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode is the third in a four-part series exploring the Christian character with a focus on the virtue of sincerity through the lens of St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life. Dr. Ben Akers and Dr. Christopher Bloom discuss how sincerity and humility are essential to genuine Christian living, drawing practical lessons from de Sales’ teachings and scripture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Landscape of Self-Improvement versus Christian Virtue

• Self-Help in the Renaissance vs. De Sales’ Approach
  • The context of Introduction to the Devout Life (01:30):
    • Many Renaissance self-help books encouraged creating or imagining your “best self.”
    • St. Francis de Sales, by contrast, shifts focus from self-fashioning to looking at the Master—turning one’s gaze to God, not oneself.
    • "De Sales is offering... looking at the master rather than looking in the mirror." – Dr. Bloom (01:40)

The Centrality of Virtue in Christian Life

• Virtue as Foundational to Moral and Spiritual Life (02:10–03:19):

  • The end of human life is fulfilling the twofold commandment: to love God and neighbor.
  • The will is “that thirst… to be in communion”; virtues remove obstacles to loving rightly.

• Choosing Virtues Appropriate to State in Life (03:36–06:36):

  • Not all virtues are exercised equally by everyone, nor are opportunities for great public virtue always available.
  • Everyday virtues—gentleness, temperance, modesty, humility—are available to all.
  • “The self-help perspective is, imagine who you want to be… Whereas de Sales… says, ‘Come to terms with who you are.’” – Dr. Bloom (05:37)

Discerning Which Virtues To Embrace

• State in Life as Key to Growth (05:37–06:36):

  • Instead of pursuing what’s attractive, Christians are called to pursue what’s needed in their present vocation:
  • “Are you son, husband, father, employee, employer? These basic relationships… structure our lives.” – Dr. Bloom (05:57)

• Examples from Scripture: The Apostles’ Discernment (06:36–07:12):

  • Apostles had to discern their focus—preaching vs. serving—highlighting that duties arise from vocation and calling.

• Comparison Trap in the Spiritual Life (08:15):

  • Tendency to compare ourselves to others—“I’m not as bad as that person, so I must be fine.”
  • “Jesus’ call to Peter is the same to us: ‘You follow me... I have certain things I need you to do for me.’” – Dr. Akers (08:31)

The Relationship Between Humility and Charity

• Humility as the Root of Authentic Charity (09:02–10:11):

  • Pride makes us focus on ourselves and on what we think is good.
  • True humility lets us see ourselves and the world as they truly are.
  • “Humility drives Satan away and cherishes the gifts… Christ and [His] mother have always esteemed the grace of humility above all other virtues.” – Dr. Akers quoting de Sales (09:53)

• Reordering of Virtues: From Aristotle to Christ (10:11):

  • Classical philosophy (e.g., Aristotle) prized justice; Christianity elevates humility due to its openness and realism.

Sincerity as Seeing Oneself Truly

• Etymology and Practical Meaning (11:22–12:58):
  • “Sincere” means “without wax”—without a mask or makeup; seeing oneself as both recipient of God’s gifts and as sinner.
  • Danger arises from self-deception and lack of gratitude, leading to a restless craving for what we lack.

Exterior vs. Interior Humility

• External Signs and Cautions (12:58–15:11):

  • De Sales references social status symbols of his age; Facebook “likes” are the modern equivalent (13:12–14:28).
    • “No matter where you go… all of us… try to make ourselves look good… because we’re built for love.” – Dr. Bloom (13:49)
  • Natural to desire affirmation but dangerous if it becomes excessive or insincere.

• Dangers for the Spiritually Committed (15:31–16:13):

  • Even active Christians are tempted to seek admiration for their virtue or spiritual practice.

The “Inside Job”: Pursuing Interior Humility (16:13–17:53)

• Recognizing God’s Initiative
  • Humility begins with recognizing that everything—our gifts, our worth—is from God.
  • We are called and gifted by God’s grace, not our own merits.
  • “We’re all like Bartholomew… Jesus walks by and offers us something we’re really not worthy of.” – Dr. Bloom (16:50)
  • It’s freeing to let God provide the occasions for virtue: “The Lord knows what He is about.” – Dr. Bloom (17:55)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Virtue’s Aim:

  • “Charity itself just is loving rightly, but you can think of all of the other virtues as removing obstacles to our loving rightly.”
    — Dr. Bloom (02:22)

• On Sincerity and Realism:

  • “De Sales is, you might say, kind of a hard-nosed realist—actually come to terms with who you are…”
    — Dr. Bloom (05:37)

• On Comparison:

  • “‘You follow me… I have certain things I need you to do for me.’”
    — Dr. Akers reflecting on John 21 (08:31)

• On Humility:

  • “Humility drives Satan away and cherishes the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit within us.”
    — Dr. Akers quoting de Sales (09:53)
  • “Humility involves both a kind of openness to our own lowliness… and seeing ourselves as we really are.”
    — Dr. Bloom (10:47)

• On Sincerity’s Depth:

  • “How do we see ourselves rightly? Sincere—without wax, without a mask, without makeup…”
    — Dr. Bloom (11:25)

• On External Vanity:

  • “Give you the Facebook like… this is part of the inbuilt disposition of our communal nature. But if it gets outside the bounds of reason, then it becomes folly.”
    — Dr. Bloom (14:28)

• On God’s Initiative:

  • “The Lord knows what He is about. Every hair on your head is numbered and so forth. And that means He's going to provide the occasions for good deeds and you don't need to worry about what they are.”
    — Dr. Bloom (17:55)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• [01:30] – Contextualizing Introduction to the Devout Life
• [03:36] – On Choosing Among Virtues Based on Life Circumstances
• [06:36] – Apostolic Example: Discernment in Christian Life
• [08:15] – The Temptation of Comparison in Spiritual Life
• [09:02] – Connection between Humility and Charity
• [10:11] – Humility's Place in Christian Ethics
• [12:58] – Distinguishing Exterior and Interior Humility
• [15:11] – Vanity and the Peacock Analogy
• [16:50] – Internalizing Humility through God’s Grace
• [17:55] – Surrendering to God’s Providence

Concluding Thoughts

The discussion offers a compelling challenge: instead of striving to impress others or chase external honors, Christians are called—through humility and sincerity—to recognize their real vocation and accept themselves as God’s beloved servants. The path suggested by St. Francis de Sales is a way of gratitude, realism, and deep freedom, rooted in trust that God “knows what He is about” in each life.

Next Episode: Bravery as an essential Christian characteristic.