Letter 566. To Mother Paule Jéronyme de Monthoux

To Mother Paule Jéronyme de Monthoux, Superior at Nevers. {Annecy, 1624.] Vive > Jésus! Oh! my dearest daughter, how earnestly I praise God that you have poured out your heart to me! You had need to make me this confession. Now let us not speak any more about it; that is over. And I have nothing to say to you if not that were I near you I would give you a loving little box on the ear, with a heart more motherly than you have ever had. God bless me! my daughter, how is it possible that you have allowed such an extravagant idea to enter your mind as that we wished to place ourselves under the third Order of St. Francis of Paula? Alas! I did indeed see that there was some temptation in your mind, but certainly, dearest daughter, I never thought of guessing this one. Oh! may God be praised, who knows that no thought of change has entered into my mind, nor indeed the least inclination to differ in opinions from what I know to have been those of our Blessed Father. Oh! truly such inclination would, I think, be impossible to me. The chief thing to my mind for which I have been blamed since his decease is, that I hold too tenaciously, as many have told me, to what I believe or think to have been his sentiments. Oh! most surely, my child, it is not those at Annecy nor in its neighbourhood who would have thought they ought to say such athing as this. But no more of it, my beloved soul; let us rather apply ourselves with truly filial affection to the earnest observance of what the Saint has laid down for us. I know how jealous you are about this, and if I, too, have zeal it is only for this, desiring nothing so much as to see flourish amongst us by an exactitude of observance a spirit of lowly and most humble humility, gentleness, and simplicity; for such is the true spirit of our great and holy Patriarch. O my daughter, in the measure that we progress in true virtue, by means of the writings and examples of our Saint, in that same measure shall we increase within ourselves the glory of God and the accidental glory of our true Moses. How this truth impresses me!

I. You ought only to allow half a quarter of an hour from the end of None for the examination of conscience, the Pater, and the thanksgiving. Our sisters here tell me it is well to make a note of this and to see that it is observed.

2. The article on Penances will not be in the Directory, having been collected and written only to help superiors, who were so anxious to have it that it was promised to them, and, also, to put a stop to the inventing of fresh penances inconsistent with moderation which some had done and which our Blessed Father by no means wished. But it was not his intention that we should be tied to what is in the Directory, for these things are of direction, not of command. Blessed are they, however, who observe them faithfully.

I find a rule here, made by our Blessed Father, that such penances as that which the Superior imposes by means of the reader, or otherwise, are rarely performed. But before great feasts or at the times set down for them she ought to give a general leave for penances in the refectory. When those whom she considers ought not to perform mortifications propose to do them she should forbid it. For taking the disciplines and other austerities special leave must be asked.

Oh! if it had but pleased God to have left us our Blessed Father for six more years! But His Providence knows what It is about. It will protect us if It please, and give us the grace to walk in the humble and gentle spirit that leads to the enjoyment of eternal beatitude, for which we ought alone to sigh. Assuredly, my dearest daughter, the miracles God operates through the prayers of His most holy and humble servant could not increase my love and esteem for him, for from what God has been pleased to allow me to see and to know of this most holy soul, I do not believe that he could perform a greater miracle than that of his own incomparable and well-filled life, nay, filled to overflowing with all high virtues and holy actions.

Nevertheless, I praise God with great joy for making known His humble and faithful servant. We will send you, if possible, a summary of some of the graces he has obtained. Our very dear sister, the Superior of Lyons, has just sent us the collection of them that I very naturally begged of her to make, without, alas! a thought of what would happen.

I remember some four or five other useful things that our Blessed Father said to me at Lyons.

What blessings, my dearest daughter, you will draw on yourself and your house if you continue to consider only the character and mind of those who present themselves, and not the dowries—the necessities of this world will certainly never fail you. You will see this. You know what he has said of the Jesuits and other Orders [as to this]. The Superior ought above all else to show prudence in choosing characters suitable to our Institute.

Well, I praise God for the good state of yourhouse. Your account of it assuredly gave me great satisfaction during the few days we had the happiness of staying with you. May you, dearest daughter, grow from day to day in virtue, holiness, and perfection by a faithful and loving observance! I am glad to tell you, that, thanks to our good God, here likewise all, without one exception, very faithfully follow the observance with meekness, simplicity, and joyousness. In a word, this house is very sensible of the happiness with which God favours it.

I quite think that the Book of Customs requires no other authority than that of its author, for the monasteries feel great confidence in all that emanates from him. We shall, I hope, never be wanting in fidelity to his teaching; it is all that God needs to preserve our dear Institute, for He it is who has made it and who is its author, and He will be its protector, while our most Holy Father will not quit the helm. As for me, I tell you simply my one anxiety is to see the observance well kept, for as our Blessed Father said, our blessedness depends on the fidelity of each one in keeping herself united to God by exact observance. My daughter, I truly have reason to praise God for the two families of Nessy and Chambéry, and I must tell you in confidence that I have not yet come across a novitiate such as this one here. The novices are well-formed souls, right-minded, gentle and pliable, and breathing only piety.

Good-bye, my very dear daughter. May God be blessed.¹

Footnotes

1. The account of anything relating to St. Francis could hardly be given without introducing the name of St. Jane Frances, and it is to this we presume she here alludes. K ↩