Dear Philothea

While I’ve read Introduction to the Devout Life several times, I’ve only recently begun diving into St. Francis de Sales’ Treatise on the Love of God. One thing that immediately struck out to me was stance that women and men were equal, in the eyes of God and in the ability to study and know God. His writings are not just for the laity, but both men and women, and he relies on women saints just as much as men, particularly St. Teresa of Avila. In the introduction, he cites her as well as Sts. Catharine of Genoa, Angela of Foligno, Catharine of Siena, and Mechtilde.

Then he even discusses how women often accept communications written to men when it’s applicable to them, yet men refuse to accept communications written to women that are applicable to them:

A great servant of God informed me not long ago that by addressing my speech to Philothea

in the Introduction to a Devout Life, I hindered many men from profiting by it: because they did not esteem advice given to a woman, to be worthy of a man. I marvelled that there were men who, to be thought men, showed themselves in effect so little men, for I leave it to your consideration, my dear reader, whether devotion be not as well for men as for women, and whether we are not to read with as great attention and reverence the second Epistle of S. John which was addressed to the holy lady Electa, as the third which he directs to Caius, and whether a thousand thousand Epistles and excellent Treatises of the ancient fathers of the Church ought to be held unprofitable to men, because they are addressed to holy women of those times. But, besides, it is the soul which aspires to devotion that I call Philothea, and men have souls as well as women.

Nevertheless, to imitate the great Apostle in this occasion, who esteemed himself a debtor to every one, I have changed my address in this treatise and speak to Theotimus, but if perchance there should be any woman (and such an unreasonableness would be more tolerable in them) who would not read the instructions which are given to men, I beg them to know that Theotimus to whom I speak is the human spirit desirous of making progress in holy love, which spirit is equally in women as in men.

This Treatise then is made for a soul already devout that she may be able to advance in her design.

I didn’t expect to see such a callout of sexism in the early seventeenth century, but was delighted to see it. It makes me love St. Francis de Sales all the more, and each time I see Theotimus, I know the treatise belongs just as much to Philothea.