Selected Letters Of Saint Jane Frances De Chantal - free ebook by Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal

SELECTED LETTERS OF SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL

TRANSLATED BY THE SISTERS OF THE VISITATION HARROW WITH A PREFACE BY HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL BOURNE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER R. &amp; T. WASHBOURNE, LTD. PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON AND AT MANCHESTER, BIRMINGHAM, AND GLASGOW...

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PREFACE

We are all apt so to idealise the Saints whom we love to study and honour, and strive to imitate, that we are in danger of forgetting that they possessed a human nature like our own, subject to many trials, weaknesses and frailties. They had to struggle as we have to struggle. The only difference is that their constancy and perseverance were greater far than ours. Biographers are often responsible for the false tendency to which we allude. They like to give us the finished portrait of the Saints

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TRANSLATORS' PREFACE

The letters here translated are, with a few mentioned exceptions, selected from "Sainte Jeanne-Françoise Frémyot de Chantal: Sa Vie et ses Œuvres," "First edition entirely conformable to the original manuscripts published under the supervision of the religious of the Visitation of Holy Mary at Annecy, by E. Plon and Co., rue Garanciere 10, Paris, 1877." The rendering cannot be looked upon as entirely literal, but the translators have kept as closely to the original as was consistent with an easy

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JUDGMENT OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES ON THE VIRTUES OF MOTHER DE CHANTAL

"My brother de Thorens," said St. Francis to one of his friends, "travelled last month into Burgundy to fetch his little wife, and brought back with her a mother-in-law whom neither he is worthy of having nor I of serving. God has given her to me. She has come to be my daughter in order that I may teach her to die to the world and to live to Jesus Christ. Urged by God's design over her she has left all, and has provided for all with a strength and prudence not common to her sex, such that in her

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I. To St. Francis de Sales.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy, 1611. How soon may I hope for the happy day when I shall irrevocably offer myself to my God? He has so filled me with the thought of being entirely His, and it has come home to me in such a wonderful and powerful manner, that, were my emotion to last as it now is, I could not live under its intensity. Never have I had such a burning love and desire for the evangelical life and for the great perfection to which God calls me. What I feel about it is quite impossible to put in

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II. To the Same.

Annecy, 1612. My Lord and my own Father, I pray God to fill your soul with His choicest blessings, with Himself, and above all with the most pure love of Jesus. Now, for fear others may alarm you, I am telling you myself that this morning I was taken very ill. After dinner I had a shivering fit and collapsed completely for a time, but now, thank God, I feel quite well again; so do not let this trouble you, for the love of God, that God Whom my soul loves, adores, and desires to serve with the ut

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III. To M. Legros at Dijon.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 18th June, 1612. Sir , We have given your daughter a true welcome. This offering which you and she have made so lovingly cannot fail to be very agreeable to the good God. You may be consoled and at peace about her for she is, and will always be, very dear to me. God obliges me to have an exceeding great care and love for all those whom He leads here and the goodness of your heart, together with her confidence in me, urges and binds me closely to her. I have not leisure for

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IV. The Duke of Savoy to St. Jane Frances de Chantal.

Very Reverend Dearly Beloved and Devout Petitioner , Your choice of my daughter, the Infanta Duchess of Mantua, as your Mother and Protectress gives us much pleasure. We are delighted that you have erected your Congregation in our States, as we profoundly esteem your piety, charity, and devotion, and we desire by this letter to assure you that you have our special protection, and that it is our wish to aid, favour, and assist you in all that is necessary for the carrying out of your good work. W

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V. To Madame d'Auxerre,[A] Foundress of the Monastery of the Visitation at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1614. Madame, My most dear and beloved Sister, The grace of Our Lord be in your heart. He has been pleased to grant you your request and it is He alone who has inspired you with this desire. Again, He alone has put into the hearts of this little Community a feeling of general satisfaction in regard to your undertaking, and for this intention we have communicated and prayed much. As for me I tell you, trustfully, in confidence, that when I was speaking to our Lord about thi

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VI. To St. Francis de Sales.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1614. I write because I cannot refrain from doing so; for this morning I am more wearisome to myself than usual. My interior state is so gravely defective that, in anguish of spirit, I see myself giving way on every side. Assuredly, my good Father, I am almost overwhelmed by this abyss of misery. The presence of God, which was formerly such a delight to me, now makes me tremble all over and shudder with fear. I bethink myself that the divine eye of Him whom I adore, with e

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VII. To the Sisters of the Monastery of the Visitation of Annecy.

Lyons , 16th February, 1615. Excuse me, I beg of you, my dearest and very good Sisters, if I do not answer you each one separately, which indeed the kindness you have shown me deserves that I should do, and my affection for you would desire: but neither head nor leisure permit it, and besides, God be thanked for it, I see no necessity to write to any one in particular. Persevere in your good desires and every day become more faithful to the observance of your holy Rules and love them better. Thi

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VIII. To Sister Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Assistant and Mistress of Novices at Annecy.

Lyons , July 9th, 1615. My dearest Sister, my darling , See now how trouble is lifted off your shoulders by the presence you enjoy of my very honoured Lord! [A] He is most anxious to work at our Rules, [B] and is about to curtail them considerably at the desire of the Archbishop of Lyons. I think he intends to spend these months of July and August at Annecy, for he tells me that during the great heat he has more leisure, having fewer visitors. I shall be very glad when he has finished the blesse

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IX. To Sister Péronne Marie de Châtel at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1615. My dearly beloved Sister , Your letters delight me, they are altogether after my own heart, that heart that so loves its dear Péronne. It is true, my child, that in this life we must always be beginning anew, but if it were not so where should we be? For this is essential to our humility and to confidence, the two virtues our good God asks of us. Be brave, train yourself to courage and to exactitude in the observance. Keep a light heart, and above all things put sadn

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X. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1615. They have taken me by surprise. Here is M. de Boisy, who tells me that if I wish to write to you, my daughter, now is the opportunity. He starts at dawn, and so at dawn I write this letter in all haste. Well, as to your letters, they always give me pleasure and console me exceedingly. All praise to the good God who I see leads you and holds you by His paternal Hand, so that you have nothing to do but to cling close to it, and leave yourself to Him, walking with all p

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XI. To the Same.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1615. ... I think you have received both the letters that I have written to you since our arrival. Now to answer yours, which has been a joy beyond words to me: so is it in your power, my dearest Sister and friend, to give me true pleasure. You are indeed happy in serving our Lord and His holy Mother: give your service, my beloved friend, with boundless joy and courage. Our very good Father, whom as yet I have hardly seen, wrote you the other day an excellent and beautiful

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XII. To the Same.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1615. My dearest Sister, my darling , First of all it is quite true that I am entirely at your service. Next, it is from no lack of diligence on my part that you have been kept so long without news of us, for we have frequently sent to the trades-people to find out if any were going to Lyons. You must not, then, think that I am wanting in care or affection for you. I do not know how that traveller you speak of passed through without my knowing. Now to answer your letters,

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XIII. To Sister Péronne Marie de Châtel at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , January, 1616. At last, my dearest daughter, I take up your letter to answer it as far as I am able. May the good God inspire me to say what is for His glory and your consolation. All the repugnances of which you speak, all your feelings, aversions, difficulties, are all to my judgement for your greater good, and you are bound not to yield to them. You should keep making resolutions every day to fight and resist them—nevertheless when you fall, say fifty times a day, never

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XIV. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , January 4th, 1616. Only one word, my poor dear daughter, for there is no time to write as much as I should wish. Hardly has one been told that there is an opportunity of sending a letter than they come to fetch it. For the love of God, my dear friend, do not allow yourself to be so easily carried away by your affections. Hold fast in God your spirit, your love, and all your pleasure. Keep your heart strong and generous, and interior joy will come back to you. We are not se

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XV. To Sisters Péronne Marie de Châtel and Marie Aimée de Blonay.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1616. My dearest Daughters , I will begin by answering your last letter, and then go back as far as I am able to the preceding one, saying, please God, what He wishes me to say to you. First, then, my dear daughter, I'll tell you what Our Lord wants of you and of us all, a humble and tranquil submission to His most holy will in whatsoever happens, for everything is, without question, ordained by divine Providence for His glory, and for our gain; henceforth to be indifferen

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XVI. To Mother M. J. Favre.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1616. My very dear Daughter , Your letter deeply touches me. May God give us genuine humility, sweetness, and submission, for with these virtues there is truth, but without them usually deception and no sure dependence. No need to consult about this good woman, she must be put out, for a thousand reasons. Unless God give you light to the contrary, beware of acting on any human reasons put forward by her relations. You must drink the chalice, my daughter, and bear with cont

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XVII. To Madame de Gouffier.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy. 17th July, 1616. I can only send you this little note, my dearest daughter, but his Lordship is answering your letters. Our Sisters (Favre and de Châtel) are to arrive this evening, so you can imagine how busy we are getting ready for them. God be blessed for all you tell me, and may the work you have undertaken be to you a precious crown for the greater honour of God and for our consolation. Certainly, very dear daughter, if the glory of God and your reputation were not so

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XVIII. To Mother Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy. June, 1616. My own dearest Daughter , You and all the dear Sisters to whom I am in debt must needs be perpetually pardoning me. Only at the last moment are we told of an opportunity to send letters, and having no time to get mine ready beforehand I am constrained to write in a breathless fashion. They have just come to say that Sire Pierre sets out to-morrow. Patience in all things! However, as I want to write to our sisters, and very fully to you, and very particularly to

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XIX. To Sister Marie Aimée de Blonay, Mistress of Novices at Lyons.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1616. Who can doubt, little one, but that a thousand imperfections are mingled with all our actions. We must humble ourselves and own to it, but never be surprised nor worry about it. Neither is it well to play with the thought, but having made an interior act of holy humility, turn from it at once and pay no further attention to your feelings. Now let me hear no more about them, but use them all as a means of humbling yourself and of abasing yourself before God. Behave yo

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XX. To the Same.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy. January, 1617. Truly, my dearest little one, you give me extreme pleasure by writing so fully and so simply. Always do so. I have shown your letter to his Lordship, who is very fond of you. God will be with you and all will go well. Never doubt but that divine Providence will guide and support you in all things, if you give yourself wholly into Its hands. Employ such little talents as you possess faithfully, and they will increase. For the rest what a pity it is that we all

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XXI. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 10th April, 1617. My most dear Daughter , I am sending you back our good Sister (Madame Colin). I see nothing in her that merits rejection. Her manner is a little dry, but that is natural to her, and I think she will improve, for she is most anxious to be gracious. She certainly seems to me to have, in the service of God, a well-directed heart, and a well-disposed mind. She will give you all our news and tell you about his Lordship, who, I feel sure, is altogether overwork

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XXII. To the Same.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1617. I have three quarters of an hour free, my dearest daughter, and seize the opportunity to write to you. You have indeed given me very special pleasure by speaking a little of your beloved self and of your dear daughters. God be praised for all you tell me of both the one and the other. Oh! my love, if you but persevere in serving our great and gentle Redeemer with the highest part of your soul, indifferent as you say to all that presents itself, true happiness will be

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XXIII. To Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Superior at Moulins. On the death of the Saint's daughter, Madame de Thorens.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , September, 1617. Ah, Lord Jesus, grant that we may love Thee perfectly and Thee alone. His divine Goodness has truly pierced the depths of my heart, and I am overwhelmed with sorrow at the death of my daughter de Thorens. Yet what can I do but lovingly kiss the dear hand that has given this terrible blow? May it be blessed for ever! Indeed, this daughter was as lovable and as sensible as could be found at her age. I admired her great virtue and was consoled to see her firm

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XXIV. To M. de Neuchèze, the Saint's nephew.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , November 6th, 1617. I feel sure, my dearest nephew, that, alas! you must already know of the death of my dear one. [A] Five days after her decease we announced the news to Mgr. of Bourges, [B] but I fear the letters may have been lost. It has truly, my child, been a great grief to me to be deprived of the presence of this dear, amiable daughter, but with all my heart I adore and embrace the divine will which has sent me this sorrow. There is much to console me in her happy

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XXV. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 25th November, 1617. This severe mortification which the good N. has given you is, my dearest daughter, the fruit of the holy cross. Ah! may God grant us the grace to profit by every mortification that He sends us. You are indeed blessed; for see how the divine Saviour lays on you burden upon burden. May His goodness give you His holy strength. He will do so, daughter, for with your whole soul you have given yourself into the arms of divine Providence, and you have no othe

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XXVI. To Madame de la Fléchère.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1617. Oh! may our most good and sweet Saviour be the strength and life of your soul, which is dear to me in very truth beyond all others, with, as you know, one exception, which does not bear comparison. Ah! my Sister, let us by faithful obedience press forward, enlarging our love for this all lovable Saviour. No, we have it not in our power to render Him a service, we are of too small account for that, but in the name of His Goodness let us do all we can to please Him, de

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XXVII. To Sister Paule Jéronyme de Monthoux,[A] Mistress of Novices at Annecy.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Grenoble , 1618. I have received all your letters, my poor dear daughter; they came in two sets and you have had replies to the first five, but I still have four by me with questions to answer. There is no doubt whatever that the novices should have recourse to their Mistress in every matter, which the Rule says they are to treat with her, and it is but fitting that they should be as exact as possible on this point. Sister Assistant should give her instructions through you: for to

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XXVIII. To M. Michel Favre, Confessor to St. Francis de Sales, and to the Religious of the Visitation at Annecy.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Grenoble , 1618. Most truly, good Father and dear son, do I long for leisure to write as my heart dictates to you, but it is impossible. My feelings towards you are those of a mother, and greatly have you consoled me by your kindness in telling me how God has made known His will to those two dear sisters who aspire to Him and find their rest in His paternal bosom. It gives me ineffable consolation, seeing that I myself have this same attraction, but I should like to know the very w

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XXIX. To Sister Anne Marie Rosset, Assistant at Annecy.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Grenoble , 1618. It will be a great comfort to you, my very dear Sister, to see His Lordship, [A] and to hear that all the people here expect to become more fervent in the service of Our Lord by means of this house. God grant it may be so! What a consolation it is to hear that Sister Paule Jéronyme is fulfilling so well her very important charge. I hope all our dear Sisters will by a faithful and strict observance of our holy Rules advance every day in the way of Our Lord. To this

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XXX. To Sister Paul Jéronyme de Monthoux, Mistress of Novices at Annecy.

Grenoble , 26th April, 1618. My poor Jéronyme , I know all about your little difficulties with good Sister Assistant. You were like two children, but I see by your last letter you are now simple and frank as children ought to be with one another. What pleasure this gives me! It is just how I desire to see the heart of my dearest little Jéronyme. You must keep it up and make no reflections whatever on the past. As it helps you so much to tell me about your troubles, do so, my daughter, for I am v

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XXXI. To Madame de la Fléchère.

Bourges , 2nd February, 1619. Only one word, my dearest Sister, for it is not long since I wrote to you, and I await good news of you. My own, thank God, is good. Our little house goes on peaceably, its good odour increasing. As to my children, I hope my daughter's marriage with M. de Foras will soon be arranged, and that she will settle in Burgundy. [A] My son [B] gives me as keen a sorrow as ever a mother could suffer—the cause I will tell you when we meet. He is at court, brave and gallant as

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XXXII. To Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Superior at Moulins.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , July 9th, 1619. My very dear Daughter , This is only a line to announce the arrival of a good young lady [A] whom his Lordship and I are sending to you. She needs a home to retire to, and ardently desires to find it with us. Now, as we cannot have her here, we hope you will welcome her and look after her lovingly and charitably. She is a lady of quality and can give a good pension. She will not come to you for a fortnight, so that you may have time to get everything suitabl

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XXXIII. To Mother Péronne Marie de Châtel, Superior at Grenoble.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 1619. You ask me, my dear daughter, if we are poor. Yes, indeed we are, but I hardly ever give it a thought. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the word of God remains eternally as the foundation of our hope. He has said that if we seek His kingdom and His justice all the rest shall be added unto us. I believe Him, and I trust in Him. The extreme necessity in which we sometimes find ourselves gives us opportunities of practising holy confidence in God and rare perfection.

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XXXIV. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.

Paris , September 29, 1619. What a great consolation for you, my very dear daughter, to have the joy of a little visit from our dearest Father! It is such a relief that he is out of Paris, where the epidemic [A] is so bad that his departure was a delight to me. Although it surrounds us do not fear for us, daughter, only pray earnestly that we may accomplish the most holy will of our good God. I have every confidence that nothing will happen but what is His good pleasure, and what pleases Him ple

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XXXV. To Sister Marie-Avoye Humbert, at Moulins.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 1619. I want you to know, my dear little daughter, what a great consolation your letter has been to me. You have portrayed your interior state with much simplicity, and believe me, little one, I tenderly love that heart of yours and would willingly undergo much for its perfection. May God hear my prayer, and give you the grace to cut short these perpetual reflections on everything that you do. They dissipate your spirit. May He enable you instead to use all your powers and

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XXXVI. To the Sisters of the Visitation of Bourges.

Paris , October 3, 1619. My beloved Daughters , The affection I bear you is my only motive in striving to serve and console you: I need no other spur, for that one is boundless. But God does not intend that we should see each other for the present, and we willingly submit our desires to His holy will. Meanwhile, let us prepare ourselves by a greater fidelity to observance to profit by the occasion should He arrange a meeting for us. Above all things, dear daughters, dwell together, I beseech of

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XXXVII. To the Sisters of the Visitation of Moulins.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , December 14th, 1619. My dearest Daughters , We are now beginning a new year, and with my whole heart I come to beg a favour of you. For the sake of the honour and privilege of being daughters of Our Lady will you not grant it to me? for all the affection of which I am capable is bound up in the asking. It is this, to make a strong and effectual resolve to walk in the way of exact observance, obeying simply, in all humility and meekness. In the name of God, let not self-conc

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XXXVIII. To Mother Péronne-Marie de Châtel,[A] Superior at Grenoble.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , January 13th, 1620. Ah! how is it, my darling, my dearest daughter, that you expect a severe letter from me? I tell you candidly, and glory be to God for it, your heart is too good to deserve scolding, and even if it were not, I have no inclination to scold. In a letter which I received from his Lordship speaking of the houses (of the Institute) that he has visited, he says: "To speak quite openly, at Grenoble I have found one who is a Superior altogether after my own heart

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XXXIX. To Mademoiselle de Chantal.

[The Saint tells her daughter of M. de Toulonjon's proposal of marriage.] Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 1620. My dearest Daughter , Let us bless God who takes such care of His children who trust in Him. His divine Providence is arranging for you something that I think you will like: and for my part, it is altogether desirable to me. Your brother is going to see you and he will tell you about the gentleman, [A] whom you do not know but who has seen you. He is our neighbour at Monthelon, a fine straightfo

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XL. To Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Superior at Moulins.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , March 12th, 1620. I know well, my dearest Sister, how deeply you felt the news of my son's accident, [A] for your heart is so full of love for me that all my sorrows are sorrows to you. I did not mention it when writing because I did not think of it. God has given me the grace not to be very much upset by this news, which was broken to me bluntly enough. Indeed, it was an unlooked for happening, and one in which a wiser man than he could not have refused to come to the assi

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XLI. To Mademoiselle de Chantal.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 1620. Listen to this, daughter dear. M. de Toulonjon finds himself free for eight or ten days, and off he is going to know whether you consider him too old to please you; for as regards everything else he is in hopes of finding favour with you. As for me, to be candid with you I see nothing to find fault within him, and even nothing more to wish for. I never before remember feeling such satisfaction about a temporal matter. Our Lord has given me this feeling. It is not so m

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XLII. To Sister Marie-Marthe Legros, at Bourges.

My very dear Sister , I understand perfectly, and have never doubted but that your intention was upright. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think it your duty to mention, but, my love, do not worry yourself about such things, if they are not manifest faults. Leave them to the coadjutrix, who ought to do her duty in all humility and cordiality. Tell her from me that I will do all she asks me, but I cannot write to her this time. For God's sake observe the rules punctually, and have all of you b

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XLIII. To Madame du Tertre.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 11 August, 1620. My very dear Daughter , Having a little free time I make use of it to beg of you in the name of God to accept the judgement of the Bishop of Geneva, to whom you have referred this affair, and who considers that what was so deliberately settled on the house of Nevers should remain with that house. You, my dearest daughter, ought to be indifferent about such matters so long as we give you all you desire. Why should you trouble as to what use we make of your g

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XLIV. To M. de Palierne, Treasurer of France at Moulins.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , August 15, 1620. Sir , Your regard for the Bishop of Geneva and for our little Institute, together with the prudence with which you have always guided our Convent of Moulins, gives me hope that you will find a means of adjusting the opposing claims of the Bishop of Nevers and Madame du Tertre. The pregnant arguments you put forward bear, I acknowledge, great weight, but so do those of his Lordship of Nevers. I see much to consider on both sides. Yet I tell you frankly, and

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XLV. To St. Francis de Sales.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , August, 1621. Pray much, my incomparable Father, for the Archbishop of Bourges, [A] and ask our Sisters to pray for him. What is this storm after all in comparison with the sufferings of Our Lord in His Passion? I beseech His divine Majesty, to which I have consecrated myself, to let my brother's part in this affair serve entirely for His glory, and I doubt not but that it will be so. The doctor was thunderstruck when they told him that Mgr. of Bourges had been removed and

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XLVI. To Madame de la Fléchère.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 1621. Madame, I pray that God may always be your strength, your love, and your hope, for in my littleness I have an incomparable affection for you. Eh! but your letters, dear, best of sisters, console me, and yet I truly feel with you who bear the burden of sharp and hidden sorrows. But after all, how happy we should be to suffer such things with only the eye of God to look upon them. Truly our crosses ought greatly to raise our courage, seeing that by them we attain to a u

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XLVII. To the Countess de Toulonjon.

My dearest Daughter , The dress I am sending you is really quite perfect and is the most beautiful that can be procured. If your brother were very rich it would be a pleasure to him to pay the bill for you, but as it is he begs of you to be satisfied with his good-will, for he has not wherewith to pay it. Be content with this dress, for it is handsome and quite sufficiently stylish, and because you so long for it I want to satisfy you. M. de Toulonjon writes that you have not a single gown excep

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XLVIII. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Montferrand.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Dijon , May, 1622. My dearest Daughter , Your letter of the 17th of March is the only one I have received; the others will no doubt come to hand later, God willing. You must not put off your departure beyond the date you mention. I do wish you were here, for it certainly does delay me not to have you. Your presence here is needed, and as the affairs of dear Mme. de Dalet are hopeless you had better come away as soon as ever you can. The house of Montferrand ought to finance your jo

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XLIX. To M. de Neuchèze.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Dijon , June 8, 1622. So engrossing is Paris, my dear nephew, that if I do not refresh your memory about your old aunt she runs the chance of your forgetting all about her. Yet for all that I do not think you would forget me. I have received too many proofs of your good nature for that. But, tell me, what are you doing in that great Paris amidst so many honours and such worldly luxuries? Oh! I beseech of you, dear child, guard yourself vigilantly on every side, lest an undue affect

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L. To Mother Anne Catherine de Beaumont, Superior of the First Monastery of Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Dijon , 30th June, 1622. I cannot but believe, my dearest daughter, that there is more artifice than martyrdom about our N., and I assure you I find it very difficult to think otherwise. If she were reproved, or passed over, I expect it would cure her. There will be nothing but trouble if God does not put His hand to the work. May His divine Goodness apply the remedy. I enclose her letter, and my reply. What a strange thing is this spirit of the world! You must remain patient and f

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LI. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Dijon.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Lyons , 8th December, 1622. My own dearest Daughter , Here we are returned from our dear little Montferrand where I certainly found excellent souls, full of desire to advance in the perfect observance. The poor Superior [A] was almost broken by the dread of her charge; this she told me you already knew from herself; I have left her greatly encouraged. She truly gives me pleasure, for her judgement is good, her aspirations are good, and she possesses an exceedingly good appearance a

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LII. To Mother Anne Catherine de Beaumont, Superior of the First Monastery of Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1623. My very dear Sister , It is indeed true that the privation of the presence of my beloved Father is the greatest sorrow I could have: for it was my priceless privilege and my sole joy in this life. But since it has pleased God to deprive me of it I acquiesce in His good pleasure with all my heart, consoling myself in that I can now say with truth: "He is my supreme and only consolation." Alas! my dearest Sister, ought not this to be enough and even all-satisfying? Tru

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LIII. To Mother Marie Hélène de Chastellux, Superior at Moulins.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1623. Glory be to God, dearest Daughter, that this disagreement between you and our Sisters of Nevers has come to an end. I have known of it for a long time. Henceforth, I conjure you, live together in perfect and sweet union, for such was the desire of our Blessed Father. I shall write to our Sister the Superior of Paris, and if she can leave you the dowry of Sister M. Marguerite I am sure she will do so, for she is no lover of money, but justice must be maintained. For G

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LIV. To Sister Marie Marguerite Milletot at Dijon.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1623. My very dear Daughter , Do not be astonished at seeing yourself surrounded by spiritual enemies; only guard your heart so that they may not enter. But I know you would die a thousand times over rather than let them do so. Remain then in peace and patience, awaiting your deliverance by our good Saviour, and He will free you sooner than you think. This trial is, dearest daughter, hard to bear, but believe me if you had any other you would find it equally so. This life

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LV. To Sister Françoise Gasparde de la Grave,[A] Assistant to the Superior at Belley.

My dearest Daughter , Do you know that these fears and self-torturings about your past confessions are pure temptations of the devil? Make a firm stand and take no heed of them, dear daughter, for the devil is only trying in his malice to deceive you. Bear with his attacks and the suffering that comes of them gently and humbly, submitting to the good pleasure of God, who permits them to test your fidelity and confidence. Pay no regard to anything the tempter suggests. Never let your mind argue a

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LVI. To Mgr. the Bishop of Autun.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1623. My Lord , I have heard of your kindness to our poor Sisters of Moulins in regard to the difficulties they have had with their Foundress, and that by the grace of God you and your Council, recognizing the true virtue and uprightness of the Superior and of her Religious, gave them protection and comfort in their extreme affliction. But, my Lord, from what I learn, they at the present moment need more than ever your paternal assistance, and I humbly beg your Lordship in

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LVII. To Sister Anne Marie Rosset, Assistant and Mistress of Novices at Dijon.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1623. You know and you can never doubt how truly you are my dearest daughter. Lay claim to this title more and more by your charity in praying for me. Indeed, my daughter, this dear Mother (Favre) is a soul of true virtue. She is all for God, for the Rule, and for me. I hope you will always continue to feel that you have a faithful friend in her. The spirit of religion and even religion itself is destroyed by preoccupation about miserable human affections. If the intellige

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LVIII. To the Rev. Father Dom John de Saint François, General of the Order of Feuillants.

On St. Francis de Sales. [A] Vive ✠ Jésus! 1624. Alas! my Rev. Father, you command me to do what is beyond my capacity. The intimate knowledge that God has permitted me to acquire of the interior life of my blessed Father and Lord, and especially that with which He has favoured me since this holy man's decease (for the object being present somewhat, it seems to me, obscured the light), is, I feel, altogether beyond my deserts: and I confess to you quite frankly that I have no facility whatever i

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LIX. To a Religious of the First Monastery of the Visitation at Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1625. My dearest Daughter , The wings of this little butterfly that thrusts itself out into the light before its time need to be clipped; otherwise it will come to destruction. And in like manner, my daughter, as soon as you perceive your mind taking these high flights you must bring it down to the foot of the crucifix by a profound but gentle act of humility, holding yourself there all confused and abashed. Your doing this will put an end to the trouble. Walk simply, my d

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LX. To the Countess de Toulonjon.

Chambéry , 1625. Not as soon as I thought, my dearest daughter, shall we have the pleasure of seeing Mgr. of Bourges, and indeed it will be a very great pleasure. Ever since he was cured of his illness and received the other graces which Our Lord has bestowed upon him I feel drawn to him by a peculiar appreciation: and neither do I wish to cease, nor can I cease, from praising and thanking our good God for His great mercy to him. Although he frequently writes to me he has made no allusion in any

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LXI. To Sister Anne Catherine de Sautereau, Mistress of Novices at Grenoble.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1626. My dearest Daughter , I will do as you desire and in God's presence will write what He in His Goodness inspires me to say. I am praying that I may do this. First, then, it seems to me, my daughter, that in your devotion you should strive to be generous, noble, frank and sincere, and build upon a groundwork of profound humility which engenders true obedience, sweet charity, and that artless simplicity that makes us amiable to every one alike, bearing with and excusing

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LXII. To Mother Anne Catherine de Beaumont, Superior of the First Monastery of Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , Jan. 6, 1626. Praise be to our Good God! I assure you, my very dear daughter, that it has been a great consolation to me to read your letter and to see the state of your good heart, in which I perceive the divine Goodness diffuses many holy and profitable lights which you turn to good account. These thoughts are worthy of being noted; they are beautiful, and are great graces from the divine mercy. And so is this diversity of states in which you continually find yourself, f

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LXIII. To the Same.

Annecy , 28th Jan., 1626. I see quite well, good dear daughter, that nothing will satisfy that heart of yours unless you make clear to me the holy affection it has for my miserable little heart, and I reciprocate your love to a degree that I cannot express. Oh God! what will it be to love each other with a love that is ever present and beyond all earthly love, for such is the gift the great Lover of our souls will bestow on us! Let us try, my daughter, to grow in this divine love from moment to

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LXIV. Mother Marie Adrienne Fichet, Superior at Rumilly.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1626. My very dear Daughter , The letters I receive from your Sisters Councillors are the greatest comfort to me, for they bear witness to the union and content that reigns between you and them. If you practice all you teach, there is every reason that this should not only continue but increase. Let the old feel that you are satisfied with them, treating them with cordial love, respect and confidence. Be one in heart with them as true sisters ought to be; for although they

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LXV. To the Sisters of the Visitation.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1626. My very dear Sisters , I present to you, in all the sincerity of my heart, the directions and customs which have been established in this monastery by our late holy Father and Founder, having arranged them in what seemed to me the most convenient form for their preservation. And I have added, following his injunctions, some things which he had written with his own hand, and others, which he had marked, but had not yet written. The majority of the Sisters who have kno

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LXVI. To Sister Anne Marie de Lage de Puylaurens, Assistant and Mistress of Novices at Bourges.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1626. My very dear Daughter , God has indeed favoured you in giving you His holy light and strength to extricate yourself from the dangerous temptation against your good, virtuous Mother. It is the devil's doing, in the hope of upsetting you both by disuniting you. God be blessed who has delivered you. Take great care never to fall into it again and keep invariably united to your written Rule, and to the living rule which is your Superior. For it may be that God will permi

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LXVII. To the Baron de Chantal, the Saint's Son.

I have an intense longing for news of you, as I cannot but feel anxious about this pain you are suffering. If I could but ease it by bearing it in my own body! God so willing, what a relief it would be to me, for my heart is sore at the thought of you. Yet, believe me, my dearest Son, this suffering is sent for the profit of your soul. Bear it then as sweetly and as patiently as you can. It will help to win heaven for you. Lift up your heart often to that blessed country. The happiness that awai

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LXVIII. To the Same.

Annecy , 1627. May blessings of every description be bestowed upon my very dear son and beloved daughter for this new year and for always, so that after having lived long and happily together here on earth they may continue in the enjoyment of one another in eternal glory. This is my wish of wishes for you, dearest son, and for that most charming little wife whom God has given you and whom I love so tenderly for your sake. I long for news as to the health of both of you and of the dear little da

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LXIX. To M. de Coulanges, Junior, at Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 12th January, 1627. Sir , I bless God with all my heart for the good news you give me of your happy marriage and of the complete recovery of my son. Indeed, I am allied to your honourable family by so many obligations and so close an affection that I cannot but share in a large measure all the good and evil fortune that befalls you; therefore have I every reason, seeing you so happy in this marriage, to rejoice with you and to congratulate your family. Thanking God, as I d

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LXX. To the Countess de Toulonjon.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1627. My dearest Daughter , May God in His infinite goodness recompense you by an abundance of spiritual and temporal blessings for the loss you have sustained in the death of a son, [A] tidings of which have reached me. I know that you will have received this visitation of God with a patient and loving submission to His good pleasure, for in this valley of tears we must expect many afflictions and but few consolations. Keep lifting up your thoughts to Eternal Life, where

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LXXI. To the Same.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1627. My very dear Daughter , May the sweet Saviour fill you and all those dear to you with His holy love. I do not know whether you have received my last letter in answer to your confidential one. I am looking out for good news. The tender love I bear you cannot but make me a little anxious. However, I trust that God in His love will support you and bring you safely through. Now that a satisfactory peace [A] is, thank God, concluded, I hope to have the consolation of seei

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LXXII. To Mother Marie-Adrienne Fichet, Superior at Rumilly.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1627. [The first lines are illegible.] As to your temptations, divert your mind from them, and in this do violence to yourself, but let it be a gentle violence, and yet taking good hold. This firmness tempered with mildness is, my daughter, the course for you. God has hidden the prize of eternal glory in the conquest and mortification of ourselves, but a conquest and a mortification that are always accompanied with sweetness; otherwise, with your quick nature you will be t

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LXXIII. To Mother Anne Catherine de Beaumont, Superior of the First Monastery of Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , August 12th, 1627. How good it is, my dearest daughter, to rest in God and seek only His glory! See how He has guided this election, which has been a great consolation to me, and I have every hope that this dear Mother Hélène Angelique (L'huillier) will rule with such humility and gentleness that much glory will accrue to God, and the Sisters be consoled and satisfied. The Bishop of Geneva is very glad that things have turned out as they have done. When you are in the new

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LXXIV. To a Visitation Superior.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1627. Thank you, my dear daughter, for praying for my son. With his death, [A] most truly, came to me not a feeling of death so much as of life for the soul of my child, and God has given me a very clear light and a very tender gratitude for His mercy towards this soul. Alas! not one of the fears that used to come upon me of his dying in one of those duels into which his friends enticed him but was harder to bear than has been this good and Christian death. And although it

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LXXV. To Mother Jeanne Hélène de Gérard, Superior at Embrun.

Annecy , 14th September, 1627. My very dear Mother , I have just received your letter, and as we are on the point of starting for Orleans I can neither give my answer the attention the matter deserves, God with His wonted goodness will make up for my deficiencies. Those good subjects to whose admittance your Archbishop objects must not, of course, be received, and if the Fathers write to me in reference to them I will keep to his Lordship's commands. It is impossible for a superior to undertake

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LXXVI. To Sister Françoise-Angélique de la Croix de Fésigney, Mistress of Novices at Riom.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Orleans , 1627. My dearest Little One , Your letter has given me much consolation, for in it I see somewhat more determination to follow the advice we have given you, which, for you, is the only suitable advice. Keep your heart on high and confide with holy joy, and no reserves, in the goodness of God. He has designed to make choice of you for His service in the Monastery in which He has placed you: where no doubt there are others more capable than you, but that does not signify in

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LXXVII. To St. Vincent de Paul.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , December, 1627. Now that you are working in the Province of Lyons, my very dear Father, we shall have no opportunity of seeing you for a long time, yet it is not for us to gainsay what God arranges. May He be blessed in all things. But, very dear Father, I am taking advantage of the liberty which in your charity you have given me to continue importuning you with my confidence, and I do so in all simplicity. I gave four days to the Exercises (Retreat), and no more, on accoun

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LXXVIII. To the Countess de Toulonjon.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 10th of May, 1628. My good, dearest Daughter , May God be your eternal joy and consolation! The Bishop of Chalons has written to tell me what a comfort it has been to him to have had you near him for a little while, and his only regret is that you could not have stayed longer. He is most kind-hearted.... M. Coulon, at the request of M. de Coulanges, has brought me all the contracts, in order to let me see just how things have been, which indeed I knew already, and an accoun

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LXXIX. Extract from a letter to Mother Favre.

Writing from Bourges, 1628, to Mother Favre, who had just been elected Superior of the Second Monastery of Paris, St. Chantal says: "Your good Father (St. Vincent de Paul), for whom I feel so much reverence and affection, thanks me for the gift we have given him of you. This is, I think, to forstall your being taken away. I shall see to it with the Bishop of Geneva and with you yourself. What a rogue you are! But all the more are you my truly loved daughter, for whom I have an incomparable affec

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LXXX. To Sister Anne Marguerite Clément at Orleans.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Dijon , 1628. Yes, indeed, my dearest daughter, God should be all in all to you. The one cherished good of the soul is to be alone with her God. Remain in this state of simple detachment, loving and obeying Our Lord in the person of your Superior and following blindly her guidance and her commands. I know full well that you have given me your heart and that God has lodged it in mine, and this is why I hope nothing may ever take it thence. Through His grace we have been trained in t

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LXXXI. To Mother Catherine-Charlotte de Crémaux de la Grange.

Annecy , 1629. My very dear Daughter , The good gentleman [A] who is making your foundation at Condrieu manifests a great regard for it and much piety, courtesy, and humility in the articles of his foundation which I have seen. Indeed it is but reasonable to do all you can to please him. However, in regard to this first proposition of naming those whom he wishes to be received without a dowry, you must if possible arrange that the Sisters have the liberty to choose the subjects, lest those he na

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LXXXII. To M. Poiton,[A] at Chambery.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , Feb. 2nd, 1630. My good and very dear Brother , I have already thanked God for your safe return, and when writing to my Sister the Superior (of Chambery) sent you my good wishes. Now, while renewing them, I would like to tell you how very much I desire to see you and talk over some matters of interest with you, so I hope this poor town will soon be restored to entire liberty. [B] Meanwhile, dear brother, you will, with your usual kindness, take steps to accelerate the laws

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LXXXIII. To Dom Galice, Barnabite Father at Montargis.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , February, 1630. My Rev. Father , May the love of our Divine Saviour be the life of your soul.... I am very incompetent to give a useful answer to your letter in reference to my Sister the Superior of Montargis: [A] I beg of Our Lord to enlighten me that what I say may be in accordance with His good pleasure. In the spiritual life of this Sister I have always seen many traits of special communication from God. Her humility is genuine, her charity towards her neighbour pract

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LXXXIV. To the Same.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , August, 1630. My Rev. Father , My dear Sister, the Superior, is very happy to be privileged to receive so many graces in such a spirit of deep humility and detachment. This is the touchstone by which to prove that they are from God, and which keeps in security the soul of the recipient. She serves truly a good Master; yet I am always of the same opinion that she ought not to be too much carried away by these affections for fear that in weakening the body they might unfit h

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LXXXV. To Mother Anne Marguerite Clément, Superior at Montargis.

Annecy , 1631. I am very well satisfied, my dearest daughter, with the favourable opinion of your Bishop as to your dealings with God. Blessed for ever be He who is so infinitely good as to deign to communicate Himself in such plenitude to His poor and unworthy creature. My daughter, there is nothing for me to say on this head. Do faithfully whatever your worthy Bishop desires you to do. You have only to look at God and to let Him work, completely forgetting yourself in Him. Since He in His love

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LXXXVI. To Sister Marie Denise Goubert, of the First Monastery of Lyons.

My dearest Sister , I have read and re-read your letter, at the end of which you beg of me to tell you if you are deceiving yourself in the belief which you hold as strong as an article of faith (to begin with, it is a grave fault to believe one's imagination in the same way as one believes an article of faith) that your spirit is lost in God, as you describe it to be. Now I tell you plainly, with my wonted sincerity, that I believe you are deceiving yourself; for true lowliness is not made up i

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LXXXVII. To Dom Galice, Barnabite Father at Montargis.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1632. Very Rev. Father , I most humbly thank you for the trouble you have taken in writing me so full an account of what it has pleased Our Lord in His goodness to operate in this privileged soul, [A] and of the favourable judgement which the Archbishop of Sens and the Rev. Fathers de Condren and de Suffren have formed of her. I do not think that it would be advisable at present to seek further evidence, lest, as you say, the peace of her spirit might thereby be disturbed.

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LXXXVIII. To Sister Marie Aimée de Morville, at Moulins.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1632. I have just come from holy communion, my dearest daughter, at which I blessed and thanked the God of infinite goodness for the loud call with which He has been pleased to bid you turn back to Him, and I besought Him with all the energy of my soul to keep so firm a hold upon you that nothing ever again may draw you away. For this I hope, dearest daughter, through His grace and your faithful co-operation. I cannot but think that your heart is too good ever to forget Hi

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LXXXIX. To M. de Coysia, Counsellor to the Royal Senate of Savoy.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 19th March, 1633. Alas! Sir, what is this that I have just heard? That you are arrested and charged with fresh accusations! Our good God, in permitting so much affliction, can have no other design than by it to make you conformable to His beloved Son our most gentle Redeemer. If you shut your eyes to the things of earth and open them to eternal truths this tribulation, accepted with loving and patient submission, will, in the end, work a weight of glory and bring you solid

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XC. To the Countess de Toulonjon, at Pignerol.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1633. My very dear Daughter , I hear that God is about to give you again the blessing of motherhood, and I like to console myself with the hope that you thank Him for this grace and for all the prosperity you enjoy, taking all from His hand who sends you these good things, not to be employed in pomp and vain display, but to make you advance in holy humility and loving fear of Him. Tell me, daughter, and tell me quite honestly and frankly, what are your sentiments upon this

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XCI. To Mgr. André Frémyot, formerly Archbishop of Bourges (the Saint's brother).

On the Death of her Daughter-in-Law, Mme. de Chantal. [A] Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1633. My very honoured Lord , We have but to adore with profound submission the will of our good God, and lovingly to kiss the rod with which He chastises His elect. Yes, indeed, notwithstanding all the repugnance of nature, I praise and thank Him a thousand times, because He is our good God, who sends us with the same love joys and sorrows, and even for the most part causes greater profit to come to us through affl

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XCII. To a blind Sister[A].

Vive ✠ Jésus! [Date not given.] My very dear Daughter , Your letter consoles me, for it tells me with what patience you have accepted your cross, and what profit, by your submission to the good pleasure of God, you are drawing from it. He, it may be, deprives you of the light of the body in order to make you more abundantly enjoy that of the spirit, and this is a great motive for blessing Him. As a saint once said to one who was blind and very holy: "There is nothing to be proud of in bodily sig

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XCIII. To Sister Bonne Marie de Haraucourt at Nancy.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1633. God bless you, my dearest daughter, for the good news you send me of the convalescence of the good prelate.... To return to yourself, whom I so dearly love. Repose in peace in your state of spiritual poverty. Blessed are the poor, for God will reclothe them. How happy should we be if our hearts were stript of all that is not God, and if we loved so to be. What a blessed thing it is to be in obscurity, with no devotion, no spiritual enlightenment, no consolation from

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XCIV. To Sister Paule Jéronyme de Monthoux, Sister Deposed,[A] at Blois.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1633. My dearest Daughter , Your letter by which I see that you are in the midst of suffering fills me with compassion. However, the Superior [B] being such as she is, I do not think it desirable to remove you at present, for your absence would, I fear, make matters worse. You ought to follow faithfully the attraction you mention in your last letter of wishing to live in profound humility in order to imitate more perfectly the divine Saviour who was subject not only to His

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XCV. To M. Noël Brulart, the Commander de Sillery.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! [Date not given.] Now see, my most dear Brother, how you have fallen into the state to which I always feared your great fervour would reduce you. And yet you say that you fear to flatter yourself and are not sufficiently on your guard against your own cowardliness. My true Father, for the love of God make no such reflections: for believe me all these little apprehensions that you are not doing enough are not half so pleasing to God as would be your submission in accepting the relie

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XCVI. To the Countess de Toulonjon, at Alonne.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1634. I see by your letter that you are in great grief, and it touches me deeply. There is no doubt about it, your troubles are great, and viewed in this world's judgement they are of a very distressing nature. But look up, above these low and wretched passing things, to that blessed eternity in which is to be found great and endless consolation, and you will be glad that those for whom you mourn are in the happy possession of it, and a sweet peace will fill your heart ami

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XCVII. Extract from a letter to M. Noël Brulart, the Commander de Sillery, at Paris.[A]

The state of your mind, which you narrate with so much simplicity, is incomparably better and safer than if you were overflowing with consolations and sensible love of God. This interior peace, this stability in God, these lights, which although slight, transient, and devoid of definite reasoning, yet retain the soul in the state in which God has placed her, are all infallible marks that He reigns in you, and give great hope that His goodness desires to lead you in a wholly intellectual way to a

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XCVIII. To the Countess de Toulonjon.

1634. You wish, my very dear daughter, to have in writing my desires in your regard. Here they are. [A] The strongest longing I have is that you should live as a true Christian widow, modest in dress, reserved in action, and above all in conversation. On this account you must avoid having to do with vain and worldly young men. If you do otherwise, my dearest daughter, although by the grace of God I hold your virtue to be unapproachable and feel surer of it than of my own, it might easily be sull

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XCIX. To Sister Marie Aimée de Rabutin,[A] Mistress of Novices at Annecy.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Paris , 1635. Daughter dear , You attribute everything to your negligence! Accept the good that comes to you, and when God withdraws Himself do not run after Him. You are always doing His will provided you keep yourself under His hand without desiring anything whatsoever save to do His will. These doubts against Faith that you tell me of He permits so that you may make frequent acts of this virtue. For you see, my daughter, He only sends temptations to souls whom He intends to rais

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C. To M. Noël Brulart, Commander de Sillery, at Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Valence , 2nd July, 1636. My most honoured, beloved, and dearest Father , I certainly have no wish to delay in answering your kind and cordial letter, which gives such a lucid account of the finale of this wicked affair [A] , and above all of the good odour of those little servants of the Lord, our Sisters of the Faubourg, and of the reparation made to them. Oh! how good God is! and how prompt in coming by ways which confound the prudence of the worldly-wise to the succour of the i

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CI. To Mother Marie Agnes Le Roy, Superior of the Second Monastery of Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Valence , 1636. My well-beloved and dearest Daughter , For this indeed you are to me in so peculiar and intimate a way that no dearer term can I add to it, and no other feeling than this loving one could my heart entertain towards you, seeing the way in which you look upon the true and solid lights and affections of heart that God has given you. My daughter, I am quite enchanted with your letter. [A] I cannot keep myself from kissing it and pressing it to my heart, for every word o

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CII. To Sister Anne Louise de Marin de Saint Michel, Superior at Forcalquier.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , April 5th, 1637. My dearest Daughter , May our most gentle Saviour in His goodness fill our souls with the merits of His holy Passion! Alas! my daughter, if you knew me such as I really am you would not desire many years of life for me in this valley of tears, but rather that God in His merciful goodness should soon take me to Himself. Still less should you think that sanctity was ripe in me, for truly all I can discover within my soul is very great poverty and misery. To

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CIII. To the Abbê de Vaux.[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1637. My very dear and very hon. Brother , May the sacred love of our divine Saviour be our eternal life! The little preface or pretended excuse in your letter is not quite in keeping with the simple confidence with which we have resolved to treat each other, which I believe God desires and ratifies, and with the profession you make of wishing to live in the entire simplicity and candour of the Visitation spirit, which one certainly cannot but see in you. I bless God for i

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CIV. To a great Servant of God.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , December, 1637. My very dear Mother , May Our Lord fill our souls with the consolations and with the merits of His most holy Nativity. It is about a month since I received your letter of November 9th in which I read your true goodness and loving care of me in my never-ending trials. However, by the grace of God they are somewhat less acute than when I last wrote. At that time Our Lord had sent me a great sorrow in the death of the virtuous Mother (de Châtel), who is a seri

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CV. To Mother Marie Aimée de Rabutin, Superior at Thonon.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , October 15th, 1639. My dearest Daughter , May God be always blessed in all things and may He be particularly blessed for the good health you tell me you enjoy, and for the care you take to do all that is prescribed to keep you well. I am sending you a box of lozenges. Take them as directed besides the other remedies. I beg of you to take them regularly, for they are sweet, not unpleasant, and very inexpensive. Do not, I beseech of you, undertake any extra fasting nor absta

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CVI. To St. Vincent de Paul at Paris.

On the Arrival of the Lazarist Fathers at Annecy. Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1640. My very dear Father , Praised be our divine Saviour who for His great glory and the salvation of many souls has brought your dear children happily here. Their coming is a subject of thanksgiving to Our Lord from everyone, but most of all from the Bishop of Geneva and myself, to whom it is an unbounded consolation. We look upon them as our true brothers, with whom, in simple openheartedness and confidence we are as one

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CVII. To Sister Claire-Marie-Françoise de Cusance[A] at Gray.

My dearest Daughter , Your letter fills me with tender compassion, but it also gives me very real comfort, seeing how joyfully God is enabling you to make your passage through this life to Him. You will love and adore Him in an eternity of glory, for this is the only good that is worth setting our hearts upon. Here we are all regretting your absence, and envying you your happiness, but our regret and our envy are more than balanced by our gratitude to God who is taking you so mercifully to Himse

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CVIII. To Sister Jeanne Benigne Gojos,[A] Lay Sister at Turin.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1640. My daughter most dear , Your few words explaining your interior occupation have made your soul as clear to me as if it lay open before mine eyes. All that passes within you and without you is God's own work. Regarding your interior life, my advice is: Give God a free hand to do as He likes, while you look on in loving simplicity. And as to the exterior: Practise virtue by making faithful use from moment to moment of the opportunities provided by divine Providence. Bu

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CIX. To the Sister Louise-Angélique de la Fayette,[A] at the First Monastery of Paris.

Vive ✠ Jésus! Annecy , 1641. My dearest Daughter , Though not personally acquainted with you, none the less do I know and dearly love you. Your letter shows me quite clearly the state of your mind, and the source of your trouble and embarrassment. It comes from your over-eagerness in seeking to arrive at the perfection you desire, instead of patiently and submissively awaiting the will of Him who alone can give it to you. Now if you wish truly to acquire the spirit of your vocation you will have

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CX. To Madame the Duchess de Montmorency (née des Ursins).[A]

Vive ✠ Jésus! Moulins , 19th June, 1641. My very honoured and very dear Madame, and by divine grace our true and beloved Sister , I bless and thank our good God for enabling you so courageously to show forth the power of His divine Love. Your entrance into Religion will be for His greater glory and for the happiness of our little Congregation. O my dearest Sister, My well beloved of God, with what overflowing consolation you have filled my soul! I have just received your letter, which has been a

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CXI. To a Novice.

Vive ✠ Jésus! [ Undated. ] My very good and dear Brother , I have been absent for four weeks, and only yesterday on my return received your letter. It gave me, I assure you, very great consolation, and I am full of gratitude to the God of divine goodness for His mercies to you. The evil spirit cannot give this attraction you speak of; he draws us away from good. On the other hand, our loving Saviour sheds His perfume in our hearts, so that young souls may be drawn to follow Him by the sweetness

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