Thirty-first point. His patience

Her answer on the, thirty-first point was :

It is well known that our Blessed Founder was endowed with patience of an extraordinary kind. The Superior of the Abbey d'Abondance (a man famous for his integrity and rare piety, shown as much by his putting his abbey into the hands of the Feuillant Fathers, as by his becoming himself one of their Order), this good Abbe, I say, calls the patience of our Blessed Founder immovable and invincible.

138 Saint Sane J. tic Cental's Imposition*

In him this virtue was absolutely boundless; for there was no kind of suffering, whether it seemed to come directly from the hand of God or only to come upon him by the Divine permission, which it did not enable him to bear. I have seen him in the midst of the most poignant distresses and anxieties, sometimes occasioned by the persecu tions which fell upon his brothers or his other relations and on his fellow-citizens, still preserving the same unruffled patience. Once, when some trouble of this kind had reached its climax, I asked him if he had not felt grieved to the heart. He answered : " I was never more at peace."

It was always the same, in all his afflictions, in the loss of those he loved and in his own sick nesses. In short, whatever happened, he was always seen to be completely master of himself : neither sorrows, nor losses, nor the malice of men ever disturbed him; his heart was always serene and patient, free from all kinds of malice and revenge, as many know by experience.

Our Blessed Founder was also very patient under injuries, contempt and blame, to which, indeed, as I have said above, he was almost insen sible. These things did come upon him at differ ent times, not because any one bore him ill-will, for he never gave occasion for that, and never did an unkindness to any human being, but be cause he could not give satisfaction to those who asked him to do what was wrong.

He used to say that the time of contradictions and afflictions was a good harvest time; that during this season we ought to gather in the blessings of contradictions; that we gain more profit during one day of this season than during ten of any other; that God will speak for those who are silent, will triumph for those who endure, arid will crown patience with success. He wrote once as follows : " Do not grieve this poor heart, but rather, gently help it to advance more and more towards a holy resignation. One ounce of this virtue acquired amid contradictions, re proaches, sarcasms, censures, and reprimands, is worth more than ten pounds gained in any other way. Ah ! how happy we are to have sworn an eternal fidelity to our dear Master ! Patient per severance in living a virtuous life will not be enough, for we shall also meet with plenty of opportunities for practising patience."

I have been told on good authority that a certain gentleman, having failed in his attempt to obtain from our Blessed Founder a benefice for an unworthy and ignorant Priest, in whom he was interested, flew into such a passion, that he heaped upon the holy Bishop's head every kind of threatening and outrageous insult, but he only returned words of gentleness for every injurious epithet, and quietly explained his reason for not being able to grant the request.

On another occasion he came into our parlour, and the Superior happening just to have heard of some indignity which had been done to him, and which he had borne with perfect patience, he said to her : " If any one had torn out my

140 Saint 3anr $. tie dtfjantal'a Impositions;

eyes, and afterwards I were able to see that person, I should look upon him with just as much love and gentleness as if he had never done me any harm."

He bore with incredible patience an attack made upon him about a young man of high rank, who had been placed under his care. This was really the severest and most painful persecution he ever had to endure, yet he bore it with the utmost patience and without any sort of recrimi nation. I know indeed, as a fact, that he actually conferred benefits on those who had injured him the most in this matter, giving them all kinds of help; and before I became a Nun, I had oppor tunities of hearing him converse Avith them in the kindest and most courteous manner possible, and this very soon after they had treated him in so injurious a way.

Some Monks, men of little regularity, vexed and opposed him in a matter which he had very much at heart, even proceeding to violence and to outrages which would have been unbearable to any but to him, and that in his very presence, for which, indeed, he rebuked them firmly, but yet with his accustomed gentleness. A few days afterwards, the Superior of these same Monks came to our Blessed Founder to ask him to do their Order some great kindness, which he most cheerfully consented to do. One of his friends, who happened to know all that had occurred, expressing great astonishment, he replied : " Oh ! if that Father had asked me for one of my arms, I would have given it to him."

$otnt

A public affront was offered to him by a Monk of a reformed Order, who in a sermon and in the very pulpit and the throne of truth, declaimed with furious invective against his book Philothea* which has, as we know, been so well received by all classes of people throughout the world. He rudely scoffed at and sharply reproved our Blessed Founder for teaching the practice of devotion to souls living in the world, in the household, and the courts of princes, for giving them rules to be observed at balls and entertainments, so as to avoid offending God amid scenes and doings of so great danger. Our Blessed Founder, having all these animad versions reported to him, said : " If he would have been pleased to remember that I was giving careful warning of the dangers which beset people in such circumstances, and that I am following, in giving these warnings and this counsel, the example of the holiest and most learned theo logians, even that of St. Louis, who is surely worthy of imitation in the art of guiding courtiers to a devout life; if, I say, all this had been con sidered, I think that their charity and discretion would never have permitted their zeal, rigorous and austere as it is, to rise up in arms against me."

A short time before the death of our Blessed Founder, I was witness to a scene in which an ordinary Priest, being subjected to some inconveni ence, and wanting in proper self-restraint, broke out into passionate invectives and reproaches

• The Introduction to a Devout Life.

142 Saint 5ane jf\ tie (tJjantal's against him. Our Blessed Founder bore this with perfect patience, and without saying anything except a few gentle words to soothe him.

I heard from a person of undoubted veracity that he was told by a man living at Annecy, who most foolishly believed that our Blessed Founder had done him some injury, that this man had spoken unfavourably of him rather freely in public, and that after a while the holy Bishop happening to meet him, accosted him, speaking with his usual gentleness : " Well," he said, " I am quite aware that you bear me a grudge; do not excuse yourself; but I assure you that if you had plucked out one of my eyes, I would look at you kindly with the other."

On another occasion, one of the clergy, not having succeeded in obtaining a benefice for which he had no right to ask, being totally unfit for the charge, actually dared to publish a libel against the honour of our Blessed Founder, of his relations, and some of his household, pre senting it to him when he was seated on his episcopal throne in the Cathedral Church. The Bishop took it and when he had returned to his palace, read it quietly and with calm indiffer ence, neither would he permit his Chapter, the members of which were eager to punish such insolence, to follow up the matter in any way. More than this, later on, he actually conferred benefits on his calumniator, lavished kindness upon him, and even paid him honour which was not his due. Thus we see that his maxim was to bear with his neighbour to the very utmost, and he taught his penitents to do the same, saying that if even we were to lose something by it, God would make us an ample recompense, adding that when we are forced to make known the faults of another for the sake of justice, we must keep strictly to what is absolutely de manded by the case in hand. Our Blessed Founder said on another occasion : " M.en must have patience with one another, and the bravest are those who put up the best with the imper fections of their fellows."

The holy Bishop never displayed any resent ment or spirit of revenge, whatever injuries were inflicted on him; on the contrary, he endured all and excused all with incredible kindness, trying to win back the hearts of those who with out just cause were irritated against him.

This was especially the case with regard to a man in Paris who, from being an heretical Minister, had been converted to the Catholic Faith, and then actually dared to argue imper tinently with our Blessed Founder, putting every sort of arrogant and audacious question to him; yet receiving such gentle and reasonable replies, that the man afterwards declared they had saved him from his intention of falling back into heresy. Added to this, the holy Bishop over whelmed him with kindness, and when he was reduced to extreme poverty, both he and his family found their safest shelter under his pro tection.

144 Saint 3ane #. tie (Wjantal'g IJepositiona

On one occasion he was most unreasonably persecuted and censured for having given, while in Paris, some advice in accordance with the commands of the Council of Trent, closely con cerning the salvation of the souls of the persons whom he was advising. When the holy Bishop was told of this calumny, he wrote as follows: "As for me I say that I must practise the teaching of St. Paul : Not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved; hit give place unto wrath (Rom. xii. 19).* After all, Divine Providence knows exactly what degree of reputation I must have, in order to discharge rightly the duties which I am called upon to perform, and I desire neither more nor less than what Divine Pro vidence wishes me to have."

Again, on the same subject he writes: "The blame which I have incurred in this matter troubles me very little, for I know that before God I am guiltless; but still, I am grieved that so many bad passions should be stirred up in an affair which excites so few, if any, in my own breast. Truly those who are well acquainted with me know that I seldom, if ever, enter with passion or violence upon any undertaking, and that when I commit errors, it is through ignorance. I should indeed be very glad if I could regain the good opinion of these gentlemen, for the sake of my ministry. If that cannot be, I shall still go on

• "Non vos metipsos defendentes carissimi, sed date locum ira. Scriptum est enim : Mihi vindicta, ego retribuam, dicit Dominus " (Rom. xii. 19).

Ef)irtg4Irat Point 145 discharging its duties by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true (2 Cor. vi. 8). In short, I desire neither life nor reputation except in such a measure as God wills, and I am certain to have much more than I deserve." All this I have seen written by the hand of our Blessed Founder, and have read it.

It would be impossible and tedious for others were I to relate here all that our Blessed Founder suffered in the way of opposition and injustice. Sometimes he was blamed for his great strictness in his treatment of Priests who had deserved cor rection, sometimes for his dealings with rebellious Monks, sometimes again he was severely censured by people who simply set themselves in judgment against him, with no better cause of complaint than that he devoted himself too absolutely to the service of his neighbour. His very servants waged war against him on this account, so that he was often hindered from doing the kindnesses which he wished to do, or did them in spite of vexatious opposition. Yet he endured all these things with extraordinary patience, as I well know, and have also been assured by one who was a daily witness of his actions during many long years, and whose veracity is un impeachable.

As for our Blessed Founder's patience in sick ness, it was incredible. He had two very severe, long, and painful illnesses, before he was conse crated Bishop, and from that time, as his labours were redoubled, his physical infirmities increased.

K

146 Saint Sane JF. tie ffifjantal's depositions

During the first years after his consecration he. suffered from continual attacks of fever.

Some years later, he went to the bailiwick of Gex, a part of his diocese, to re-establish the Catholic Faith in some parishes. There he laboured so con tinuously, in spite of the intense heat of the weather just then, that he brought on a fever, through which he worked on for several days, until he had completed all that he had undertaken, when he at last returned home, and succumbed to a serious illness, which lasted for some time.

He was also long and dangerously ill in Paris, the last time he visited it, breaking down under the weight of much preaching, of officiating pontifically, giving conferences, holding disputes with heretics, hearing confessions, and other pious works.

He was also seriously ill at Turin, when he went there for the last time. This illness was brought on by excessive toil; confirming an im mense number of people in one city of Piedmont, and also by the severe vigils which he was con strained to keep, notwithstanding the weak state of his health, in order to satisfy the desires and demands of the Reverend Feuillant Fathers, to which he was obliged to respond, having presided at their General Chapter, as well as to satisfy also the devotion of many souls who wished to consult him and to confess to him. In short, it is impos sible to tell all that our Blessed Founder suffered during his sojourn in that place, both from the intense heat of the weather and from the inconvenience and untiealthiness of his lodging, refusing, as he always did, to go to the one prepared for him by the Most Serene Princess of Piedmont. Thus, bowed down with sickness, he took his homeward journey across the mountains, his strength so utterly exhausted by violent internal hemorrhage that his servants feared he would die before he reached home. God only knows what he suffered in this journey of three months' duration, yet without a murmur^ neither com plaining of his illness nor of the inconveniences of the transit. I forgot to say that on his way to Piedmont, he was seized with such terrible cramp and spasms that he was often constrained to stop the men who carried him, till the agony was past.

All through the nineteen years during which I had the great honour of his acquaintance, I knew, both from hearsay and from my own personal observation, that he suffered from all sorts of maladies; from attacks of fever, quinsy, and catarrh, and from internal abdominal weakness which greatly exhausted him, accompanied as it was for many years with severe hemorrhage.

All these ailments increased with his advancing years, and in addition to excruciating pains in the head and body, he suffered from weakness and even open wounds in the legs, making walk ing so difficult and so fatiguing that it was grievous to see him wearily struggling along. Yet, in spite of all these sufferings, and many more of which nothing was known, he made no

148 Saint 3ane JF. tie (^antal's ^positions change whatever in his manner of life, and so controlled his countenance that he was only known to be ill by his change of colour, especially as he never took to his bed except when over taken by very serious illness.

To my own knowledge, and as his servants assure us, no sign of impatience ever escaped him, however ill he might be. Gentle, calm, and sweet in manner and in voice, he bore his sick ness, and took the medicines, nourishment, and attendance bestowed on him, without showing the least repugnance or irritation; indeed he thought but lightly of what he suffered, and loved his sickness for the love of Our Lord.

I know, from what he once told me in writing, that when he was taking bodily repose on his bed, his thoughts were more than ever busy with the consideration of eternal joys, and of the closer union of his soul with God. He said that we served God more perfectly by suffering than by acting, adding that Our Lord had, if we may so speak, saved us more by suffering than by being active. He was, however, unwilling that people should impose penances and austerities upon themselves which might bring on illnesses, " because," he said, " we owe that to the Pro vidence of God and to the charity which is due to ourselves. If, however, sickness, or even the shortening of our life, should be brought on by much prayer and meditation, as piety and virtue may demand, we must bless God for this and endure it patiently. As we ought not to be over-careful about the preservation of our health, which over-carefulness savours of effeminacy, so, on the other hand, we must not despise it altogether, such contempt savouring of pride and barbarism. We must compassionate Our Lord while our health is good, by serving Him faith fully, and suffer with Our Lord when He sends us pains and afflictions."

Directly our Blessed Founder had placed him self in the hands of the physicians he obeyed them absolutely, saying that Our Lord willed that it should be so. He never found fault with their prescriptions, but always took submissively what they ordered, although he sometimes knew that other remedies would have been better for him. He commanded our Order of the Visitation to observe this custom also. When asked what was the matter with him, he always answered frankly without any exaggeration, and said that these sicknesses were means sent to us by God to prepare us for greater sufferings and for death. Before he had taken to his bed, when remedies were pressed upon him, he said : " Since we must die, what do ten years more or less signify ! " adding that nothing troubled him except the care which others took of him. All this is true, and a well-known fact.

150 Saint Sane J. tie Cental's depositions