Letter 1788. To Mother Madeleine Elisabeth de Lucinge

Verily, my dearest daughter, your letter at the beginning of May affected me deeply! But before I read to the end of the page I saw that our good God is always at your right hand, throwing light upon your heart while, from time to time, it tries to shake off the yoke. You must, nevertheless, be ever striving, little by little, to gain the upper hand, while faithfully shutting the door to all reflections and thoughts that may trouble you. I can see quite well that you lend ear to them somewhat, just when they first present themselves; hence the trouble, weaknesses and regrets of one kind or another. Remember that this is no new temptation. My presence near you did not put a stop to it before, nor would it again; less than ever, if, to be near me, you quitted the post in which God wills you to be. For His sake beware of this temptation, for it will do you much harm, because it will offend Him, who, were you to disregard His designs over you and the gentle guidance of His Providence, would withdraw the grace of serving Him and perfecting yourself, which He now gives you.

Be resolute and let Him have what He asks of you: that is, to bear these temptations without reflecting on them, and to act in accordance with the good heart He has given you, as I see, by His grace, you are doing.

I am in admiration of the manner in which His goodness blinds you to the love and esteem which your daughters and those who know you have for your virtue. For the future keep firm, and let no other desire enter your heart than that of accomplishing perfectly the divine will. See how His sweetness draws you, giving you pleasure in being with Him and in speaking of His goodness. What more do you want? Certainly, he 1s too avaricious to whom God does not suffice. You must surrender yourself absolutely te God and not to your own inclinations, interests, and consolations.

Come back always to your old lesson, to see God’s will in every event, and to be indifferent, joyous, and loving under all circumstances. Then you will wish to be where you are and amidst the types of mind that surround you, because such is the will of God, and His goodness loves that land and those init. He has given His Blood for the souls of the Italians as well as for the French, and so you must love what He loves; and because He made them as they are, do not ask from them the gentleness, suavity, and good manners of the French and the Savoyards; the lack of such qualities does not prevent them from being good and virtuous and pleasing to Him. Souls should be served irrespective of nationality. I am telling you all that comes to my mind once for all, so that by re-reading it you will be helped against these petty aversions that worry you. Never, I beg of you, listen to them; and if you set yourself. free and rise above them, God will bless you abundantly in this life and glorify you in the next. Yes, it is but reasonable, when one makes a foundation in a foreign country, to accommodate oneself to the customs of that country both as to the mode of living and the language. The Spanish Carmelites, on coming to found houses in France, immediately learnt to speak French. But in places where French is not spoken, there should always be some sister who can speak it and write it, so that these monasteries may be able to correspond with the French houses, which are very numerous. May God bless more and more our dear sisters. When they are out-and-out devoted to Him they will no longer fear the storms of the world. I salute them, etc.