Chapter I. The Saint condoles with the Pontiff oppressed with the multitudinous cares of his Office

With what therefore had I best begin ? Doubtless, with thy occupations, because it is especially with regard to them that I condole with thee. I say I condole with thee, but that is only true on condition that thou art grieving for thyself. Otherwise, I should rather say / grieve for, not / condole with, thee ; because the condolence of one necessarily presupposes the grief of another. Consequently, if thou grievest, I condole with thee ; if thou grievest not, I cannot indeed condole with thee, nevertheless I still grieve for thee, and that the more as knowing how far removed from health is the member that has lost its sensibility, and how dangerous is the condition of the sick man who is unconscious of his illness. But God forbid that I should suspect anything such of thee. I know how sweet to thee were the delights of holy contemplation of which thou hast been so recently defrauded. Thou canst not have lost the remembrance and the desire of them in so short a space, thou canst not have ceased so quickly and so suddenly to lament their withdrawal. So fresh a wound cannot be without pain, since it has not had time to become cicatrised or callous. Moreover, if thou art willing to be candid, thou wilt not deny that thy daily spiritual losses furnish thee with an unfailing motive for just grief. It is against thy will, I doubt not, that thou art called away so frequently from the embraces of thy dear Rachel. Now, as often as this happens to thee, so often is there necessarily a renewal of thy grief. But when does it not happen ? How often dost thou long for repose without being able to gratify thy wishes ! How often hast thou to abandon what thou wert but beginning to enjoy ! How often are thy efforts attended with failure ! How often art thou in labour with the tender sentiments of devotion, yet unable to bring forth ! How often after making an attempt art thou interrupted, ending where thou hadst begun, so that thou canst say with the Prophet, " whilst I was yet but beginning, they cut me off " (Is. xxxviii. 12). So it is written, " The children are come to the birth, and the woman in travail hath not strength " (4 Kings xix. 3). Knowest thou all this ? Aye, none better. Very hardened, therefore, must thou be, and like the heifer Ephraim " taught to love to tread out corn " (Osee x. n), if thou dost willingly resign thyself to such a condition of things. Perish the thought ! For that is the case with those only whom God hath " delivered up to a reprobate sense " (Rom. i. 28). I desire indeed that thou shouldst have peace from distractions, but I do not want thee to make peace with them, that is, by learning to love them : there is nothing I fear more for thee than this. Perhaps thou wilt wonder if such a thing could ever happen ? Very easily, I assure thee, if, as is commonly the case, familiarity and use are allowed to beget indifference.