Thirty-second point. His gentleness

The same day, July 30, at three o'clock in the after noon, she gave her answer to the thirty -second point :

The gentleness of our Blessed Founder was, as we all know, either by report or by our own personal experience, perfect. I do not think it is possible to convey to you any idea of the extraordinary kindliness and tenderness which God had shed into his soul. His eyes, his very features, his words, and all his actions breathed nothing but sweetness and gentleness; it radiated from him, and, as it were, overflowed into the hearts of those who saw him; he used to say that gentleness was the very essence of a Chris tian spirit.

He told me once that he had been striving diligently for three years to acquire this holy virtue, which made him condescending to all, and ready to give to his neighbour his person, his means, his affections, for each one to make use of according to his needs.

" I know no better remedy," he would say, " in the midst of contradictions, than not to speak about them, not to seem to notice them, and to treat the person who caused them with the greatest gentleness."

I know that he often received blame for very

5Cl)trtg=siecontr Point 151 holy actions, and I have myself seen him under such circumstances perfectly calm, without show ing an atom of resentment, answering those who were finding fault with him with the utmost gentleness and cordiality.

For example, on one occasion a person came to him saying in a dry, cold manner that his delay in coming to the Divine Office was really an occasion of scandal to them all. He answered very gently : " These ladies are not to blame," alluding to those whose confessions he had just been hearing, and then went promptly and quietly to say the Office, In short, his gentle ness was so admirable that it stimulated others to imitate it. Once, when he was reproached for being too gentle to certain people, he answered simply : " Is it not better to send them to purgatory by gentleness, than to hell by harsh ness?"

I have never heard that our Blessed Founder was seen to lose his temper. Once I entreated him to be a little roused by some opposition which was troubling our Convent of the Visitation. He answered : " Would you have me lose in a quarter of an hour the small stock of gentleness which I have been painfully amassing for the last twenty years ? " It was, therefore, a common saying that he had actually no gall, and indeed, after his death the surgeons found none, but in its place numbers of little triangular-shaped stones, showing plainly the constraint and force which he had put upon himself to conquer the

152 Saint Sane JK to (tfjantal's JBepostttons passion of anger. Indeed he told me once, on an occasion of most justifiable wrath and indig nation, that he was obliged to rein in his anger with both hands in order to stop it.

When he was reproved for the too great gentleness with which he treated some offending Priests, he answered : " Is it not better to convert them to repentance than to punish them, seeing that their offences do not deserve either the galleys or death ? " adding that he would rather err by gentleness than by severity, since Our Lord hath told us to learn of Him to be meek and humble of heart.

Many great servants of God said, even during the life of our Blessed Founder, that they had never seen any more vivid representation of Our Lord conversing among men, than the life, dis course, and conduct of the holy Bishop, in all which he seemed to them truly an image of the Son of God.

A person, well worthy of belief, told me that a venerable Priest,* conversing with him once on the subject of our Blessed Founder's gentle ness and condescension, told him how much he admired his excessive kindliness, and that, during a serious illness which he had in Paris, his greatest consolation was the consideration of the infinite kindness of God which was brought home to him by that of the holy Bishop of Geneva; " for," he said, " if a man can be so kind, how much more reason is there that Thou

• St. Vincent de Paul.

shouldst be good, and kind and gracious, oh my sweet Creator ! "

With regard to a stinging letter which had been written on one occasion to our Blessed Founder, he said : " I should not dare to reply on a subject of this sort; I would rather pray to God that it may please Him to speak to the heart of this man and make him know His heavenly will." Could there be sweetness and kindness to compare with this ? Indeed it is well known that God had showered blessings of sweetness upon our Blessed Founder.

I have seen him on all occasions unchanging in his marvellous gentleness, and lighting up the dullest and most serious affairs with his affable cordiality.