“Fulfill your duties faithfully, but with the conviction that no duty is more important than the salvation of your soul” (St. Francis de Sales).
Here we find again the frequent exhortation not to lose sight of the hierarchy of things and always to keep in mind the words of the Lord in the Gospel: “One thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion” (Lk 10:42); or that other maxim of His: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Mt 6:33).
Our earthly duties do not separate us from God. We must fulfill them with love because they have been entrusted to us by our Heavenly Father. But what He wants is that we not be swallowed up by them, that they not occupy our minds and hearts to the point that we relegate the spiritual life to second place and thus neglect the needs of our souls.
Just as it is unhealthy to neglect one’s duties of state in favor of prayer, it is also unhealthy to do the opposite, for without regular prayer and spiritual exercises we can hardly grow in love and it will be difficult for us to preserve the treasure of our soul that our Father has entrusted to us.
Here this simple reflection could serve us well: The more our soul is filled with the presence of the Lord and we live in His peace, the easier it will be for us to fulfill our obligations. Also, our encounters with others will be easier, because the virtues and gifts of the Spirit can unfold much more effectively when we consciously cooperate with the grace of our Father. And these virtues and gifts will help us in all situations!