Letter 20. To Sister Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard

Assistant and Mistress of Novices at Annecy.

How happy we are, my dearest daughter, in knowing so well how to love one another in God! For, be assured that with all my heart I reciprocate your affection. Indeed, to the beautiful sojourn of their permanent city as to be indifferent to aught else. Ina word, my very dear Father, we are children of heavenly Providence, and God will look after His servants according to His good pleasure. We must be patient. Qui seminant in lacrymis in exultatione metent. Thus the rose tree first brings forth the thorn and then the rose.”’’

The patience of the Bishop overcame all obstacles. On September 18 of this same year 1614 he blessed and laid the foundation stone of the church of the monastery.

Io SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL

I am jealous of it, and, as you know, I have always treasured it. Would to the divine Goodness that I could give you and all our dear sisters, as I desire, proof of this. HadIla thousand worlds and a thousand lives they would be nothing to me in comparison with their perfection. Most willingly would I quit them all if by so doing I could acquire for our sisters yet a little more of the sovereign love of our sweet Saviour.

I am very glad our good and honoured Lord gives you our news. Do not be anxious, dearest daughter, about my health: I am fairly well, thank God. And you may be sure Our Lord will not give me a heavier burden than I can bear. Alack! You touch me when you speak of seeing me again at our poor little retreat of Annecy: the spot for me of sweet solace and of repose, for it possesses the unique treasure of my heart; nay, I can say it to you—all my spiritual good in Jesus Christ, in the person of our very honoured Lord and Father. Nevertheless I am quite content to remain here as long as it will please His divine Majesty. It is too much happiness, too much honour to be able to suffer, through His grace and for the sole love of His holy will, the privation of a good so precious to me, how precious He alone knows. But God’s will will ever be the supreme and ruling passion of our love. Eh! Verily, my daughter, how happy we should be in this blessing, one of the chief delights of which has been the constant enjoyment of his society. Yet it is not on that account that we should desire it, nor on account of all his other excellences, but for the pure love of God, and to attain this is there anything we ought not to undertake? Let us at least humble ourselves profoundly. Do not cease to ask this grace of humility for me, so that I may be able completely to annihilate myself. How consoled I shall be when you will have poured out your heart in a general confession to this worthy Father. Be courageous about it. I hope in the goodness of God that it will be very profitable to you, and perhaps it will be the best action of your life. We will help you by our poor prayers, and I beg of you at that time to pray much for us, as I think Our Lord will grant you whatever

LETTER 39 II¹

Footnotes

1. The Venerable Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, third religious of the Order, was of noble birth, but it was for her remarkable virtue and very capable mind that she was most distinguished in her Order. She founded the monasteries of Moulins and Riom, in which latter she died in the odour of sanctity on November 18, 1637. After her death Mother de Chantal wrote thus of her: ‘God led this soul by a path of great and hard interior and exterior sufferings and many sorrows, all of which she humbly, devoutly, and heroically received from the hand and the Heart of her heavenly Father. Endowed by God with a remarkable and most unusual intelligence, she allied to it such saintly humility that it could be said of her she possessed true humility of heart. She took no action of herself, but in all things awaited that of God, and He never failed her, until she attained a degree of perfection truly rare and admirable.’ you ask of Him. When my Father shall have satisfied all our dear daughters by seeing them each in private, and that you perceive he has a little leisure, get him to speak to them in common, that is if he thinks well, and by this means we shall have some crumbs from the abundance of your consolations.1 Yrs. etc. ↩