Letters 19–26

Letter 19

To Madame Blouet de Camilly. On the qualifications required of girls who are received into the

Institute of Our Lady of Charity, and on other subjects

March 23, 1644 Dearest daughter:

I received your last very informative letter, but not in the last mail, which brought me nothing at all. I am worried because you mentioned in your preceding letter that you were not well.

I have no leisure just now to write to anyone but you. That is why I am asking you to write once more to Mr. de Bernières(1) that he should make sure of the house, and that if they demand a down-payment, he should tell them that the pastor of Notre-Dame(2) and Father Finel (3) will take care of it.

Contact our dear Sister Margaret,(4) too, and tell her for me that I have ascertained that this N&Nébou girl is quite sickly, and along with her having as little as she has,(5) there is no likelihood of admitting her into the house.

As for the candidate from Caen, what you have told me about her is impressive. Nevertheless, I think it would be better to postpone receiving (1).See Letter 15, note 12. See Letter 15, note 7. (2). Father James Finel (1618-1652) joined the Congregation Of Jesus and Mary shortly after the foundation. He contributed generously to the establishing of the Caen Seminary. After afruitful career as a missionary and a seminary director he died at Coutances, Normandy, on March 16, 1 6 5 2 . Cf. Les Fleurs de Is Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, Vol. 1, p. 6. (3). Margaret Morin. See Letter 16, note 2. (4). Because of the poverty of the monastery St. John Eudes insisted on the dowry that the postulants were supposed to bring when they entered the Order.

her until my return. However, I am leaving that to your own judgment, my dear daughter, and to your will in the matter. I ask only that you consider the girl well to determine whether she has the necessary qualifications, namely, a spirit of piety, humility, meekness, obedience and simplicity, a firm resolution to renounce her own will completely, zeal for the salvation of souls, a naturally good disposition, and a sound body. For I cannot overemphasize the importance of being careful about the girls whom we accept, and of painstakingly examining and questioning them. Over and above all else must we be on our guard against taking in those who are worldly, proud and vain.

May God forgive you for your over-anxiety on the subject of the greatest happiness that can befall the fair "Lily Bud" (6) and her mother. You have a very great reason for rejoicing, inasmuch as the noblest, richest and most powerful Lord in the world loves you so much that He wants you to give Him your daughter as His spouse. The Eagle(7) speaks in that fashion, advising you that Our Lord and His most holy Mother most assuredly are beholding her and calling her to be clothed in red and white, which are the colors of the heavenly Spouse, that is virginal purity and love, charity and other virtues which beautify Him -provided, however, she so desires. For, even though she is called to such a happy and exalted state, she must nevertheless enter it voluntarily. She will receive extraordinary help, but she will have to cooperate and prepare for it through an intense hatred for the world with its vanities, a great scorn of self and an ardent desire to endeavor to seek all possible means of pleasing Him Who desires to wed her. And it is your duty, my dear daughter, to help her, through your instructions, to adorn and beautify herself in order to be pleasing in the eyes of the Son of God and of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As for yourself, Madame, you are advised . . . that the way of the Cross is the most pleasing to God, since Our Lord Jesus Christ chose it for Himself and for you; and that you should be happy that the Blessed Virgin, in speaking of you, calls you her daughter and says that you and your spiritual brother are doing a work which is very pleasing to her, (6). See Letter 17, note 2. (7). See Letter 17, note 3.

that of caring for her daughters,(8) and that she looks upon you and loves You as if you were the superior, as if you were an inmate of her house and had made a vow to live there. Why should you have any further doubt? You are wrong if you give any consideration to these anxieties, for it i s impossible, in view of all that we know, and an I have seen and heard for a month, to be able to entertain the slightest suspicion. Be at peace then, dearest daughter, always humbling yourself, however, and trying to do whatever you can on your own part. Do not be discouraged, though, when that fails you. Pray Our Lord and His most holy Mother to supply the deficiency, and they will surely do so.

We will write to'Mr. de la Bonneville.

All here send their regards to you, as well as to your spiritual brother, whom I embrace most affectionately.

I beseech our lovely "Lily Bud" to hate the world more than the plague and hell itself, and to love Him Who beholds and loves her with such great strength, purity and generosity.

It is in Him that I am Very humbly yours, John Eudes, Priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. Live Jesus and Mary.

(8). Religious of Our Lady of Charity of Caen.

Letter 20

To Fathers Richard Le Mesle and Thomas Vigeon.(1) To invite them to

fulfill their promises to join the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. ( 2 )

Lion-sur-Mer,(3) September 23, 1646

I beseech you to hasten here, that you may consummate your sacrifice and dwell with your brethren who love you tenderly, and ardently desire you ad convivendum et ad commoriendum, in life and in death. For you know that no one who looks behind him after he has put his hand to the plow i s fit for the kingdom of God. Come then, my beloved brethren, in the name of Our Lord and His most Holy Mother, and be faithful to Him Who calls you. Come without delay so that you may spend the rest of your lives together in the service of our good Master and conquer for Him souls which were redeemed at the cost of His blood. Take care lest the tempter ensnare you or the world seduce you. Close your ears to the voice of the serpent, that you may open them only to that of heaven.

(1). See Letter 14, note 1. Father Thomas Vigeon entered the Congregation of Jesus and Mary i n 1646. A model of charity, meekness and zeal, Father Vigeon had a special talent for directing and converting souls through the Sacrament of Penance. He died at the Caen Seminary on March 1 6 , 1651. Cf. Boulay, Op. Cit., Vol. 2, P. 194, 461 and Fleurs, Vol. 1, p. 10. (2). Members of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary do not take vows, but make solemn promises to obey their superiors and constitutions until death. By these promises the Eudist is incorporated into the society. (3). A village about nine miles from Caen in Normandy, where St. John Eudes preached a mission i n 1646. Mr. de Répichon, the seigneur of the district, defrayed the expenses and provided board and lodging for the missionaries.

Letter 21

To Father Simon Mannoury, in Paris.(1) On the mission at

Le Bec

Thomas. ( 2 )

Le Bec-Thomas, July 24, 1647

Here we are in Le Bec-Thomas, where there are great crowds of people and where there exists an extraordinary need for a mission. Grief ran high when we left Nogent-le-Rotrou(3) to come here. I had never before seen anything like it. So let us take courage, dear brother. The more crosses we encounter in God's work, the more abundant are His blessings. (1). See Letter 17. Father Mannoury on his way home from Rome had remained in Paris to interview friends that might help to obtain the approbation of the Congregation. Cf. BOULAY, Op. cit. Vol. 2, P. 293. (2). A village in the diocese of Evreux, Normandy. The expenses of this mission were defrayed by Madame de Bec-Thomas, a wealthy lady who later married Mr. de la Porte, councillor of the Rouen Parliament. Cf. Boulay, Ibid., Vol. 2, P. 292. (3). A town of 6,ooo inhabitants, north of Chartres. Baron de Renty was instrumental in obtaining this mission for St. John Eudes. See Letter 24, note 4.

Letter 22

To Father Simon Mannoury, in Rome.(1) On the mission at Autun ( 2 )

Autun, December 12, 1647

We arrived on the feast of St. Andrew, in good health, thanks be to God, after having very palpably experienced the special help of Our Lord and His most Holy Mother on each day of our trip . We were received (1). Father Simon Mannoury had left for Rome in November, 1647 to obtain the papal approbation of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. He arrived there at the beginning of December. Cf. Georges, op. cit., p. 99. (2). A town in Saône-et-Loire Department. The mission began on December 1 and lasted eleven weeks. St. John Eudes preached almost every day. Cf. Boulay, op. cit., Vol. 2, PP. 304-305.

here with great demonstrations of affection by his Lordship the Bishop,(3) the priests, magistrates and all the people. There are thirteen of us missionaries,(4)and soon we shall number twenty; but i f there were a hundred of us, it would still not be enough, for the good God is showering extraordinary blessings on this mission. I think we shall be here about two months, that is to say, until the Purification. Then we shall leave to spend twelve days or a fortnight at Arnay-le-Duc, (5) and thence to Beaune (6) for Lent. (3). The Bishop of Anton was Claude de la Madeleine de Ragny. Cf. Boulay, ibid., Vol. 2, P 313. (4). Missions in the seventeenth century lasted much longer than they do today. It was not unusual for ten or more missionaries to preach and hear confessions in a parish for several months. The expenses of the mission were often defrayed by some wealthy person in die parish. Cf. Matthew Russell, Blessed John Eudes, P. 37. (5). A town midway between Autun and Beaune. St. John Eudes was there until Quinquagesima Sunday, February 23, 1647. (6). A town about 25 miles from Dijon in the Côte d'Or Department. The mission began on Ash Wednesday, February 26, and closed on April 20. Cf. Boulay, ibid., Vol. 2, P. 336.

Letter 23

To Father Simon Mannoury, in Rome

On the difficulties being encountered in the proceedings to obtain approbation of the Congregation.( 1 )

April 7, 1648

Courage, my dear brother; we want only the will of God. Let us, on our part, do all we can i n the interests of our good Master and our dear Mistress, and then abandon ourselves in all things to their most holy will. If our hour has come, the whole world united will not be capable of resisting what is decreed; if it has not yet come, "expect the Lord, do manfully and let thy heart take courage."(2) One thing should encourage us greatly: namely, that it is impossible to doubt that this i s the work of God, in view of the tremendous and extraordinary blessings it has (1). The Congregation of jam and Mary was founded by St. John Eudes on March 25, 1643. (2). Ps. 26, 14

pleased Him to bestow upon our puny efforts. It clearly shows that they must be His efforts, and that consequently He will not abandon His work ... He will accomplish it at the proper time and in the most fitting way, and much better than we could ever desire. We have only to be faithful and always travel our way with humility, strength and trust.

Letter 24

To Mother Elizabeth, the prioress of the Carmelites of Beaune. On

the death of Venerable Sister Margaret of the Blessed Sacrament. ( 2 )

Citry, (3)August 16, 1648

Reverend and dearest Mother:

May Jesus, the Most Holy Heart of Mary, be the heart of our hearts for ever.

I am writing you this from Citry, at the house of our dear Brother de Renty,(4) where he gave us the medals you sent him, which we all received with inexpressible respect, joy and consolation. I thank you for them with all my heart, in the name of all my confreres. I can assure you, my dearest Mother, that we shall cherish them the rest of our lives. For I cannot tell you what respect and devotion the holy Infant (1). See the photographic copy of the original opposite the title-page. The original is preserved i n the Archives of the Carmelite Monastery of Beaune. (2). Sister Margaret died on May 26, 1648. See The Sacred Heart of Jesus (New York, 1946), p. 62. (3), A Small village about 75 miles from Meaux in the Seine-et-Marne Department. (4). Gaston John Baptist, Baron de Renty (1611-1648), was born in 1611 at the castle of BenyBocage, in the diocese of Bayeux, Normandy. After completing his education he took up amilitary career. An accomplished and energetic soldier, he distinguished himself in the army by his courage and military talents as well as by his virtue and piety. In 1638 he relinquished his rank in the army in order to devote himself entirely to the poor and the sick. Baron de Renty was a faithful friend of St. John Eudes and followed him on many of his missions. From the village of Citry where he was lord of the manor Baron de Renty wrote to Father Olier, the founder of the Sulpicians, on June 1 0 , 1 6 4 8 : "Father Eudes' labours hem are blessed beyond belief." De Renty died on April 24, 1649. Cf. Joly, Life of Saint John Eudes (London, 1932), P. 123, 125.

Jesus has impressed on our hearts for His saintly spouse, our dearest Sister Margaret. For my part , I honor and invoke her daily. We have already experienced various effects of her charity, both spiritual and temporal, about which our dear Brother de Renty can tell you more.

The moment we learned of her decease we made a vow to say forty Masses in honor of all that the Divine Infant Jesus is in her soul, in thanksgiving for all the graces He has granted her, for the accomplishment of all His intentions in her regard, in supplication for some special bond between her and ourselves and for participation in her grace and spirit, as well as to pray Him to obtain from God peace for us with several persons.

I implore you, my dear Mother, to grant us a union of prayers(5) with your holy Community. This can be done without displeasing anyone, for it shall remain strictly a secret. Do not refuse this favor, then, which I beg of you in the name of the Holy Infant Jesus and His most sacred Mother.

We are deeply indebted to you for the eight medals, but there are (twelve) brothers(6) in our little Community and I should like very much for the others to participate in this favor. I beseech you, therefore, to be mindful of this and to place in the hands of our dear Brother de Renty the fruits of your charity.

On our part we will pray daily to God for your blessed community, and you shall have avery special share of all the blessings it may please His divine bounty to bestow on our missions. And I i n particular, Reverend and dearest Mother, will remain eternally, in the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, priest of the seminary of Caen.

(1). The union of prayers between the Eudists and the Carmelite nuns of Beaune was renewed on September 12, 1933 by the late Very Reverend Mathurin Jehanno, superior general of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. Cf. Les Saints Coeurs de Jésus et Marie (revue mensuelle), December, 1933, P. 325. (2) The number is omitted in the original copy. The Congregation of Jesus and Mary consisted of twelve members at that time. Cf. Boulay, op. cit., Vol. 2, P. 379; Oeuvres Choisies de Saint Jean Eudes, Vol. 5, p. 68.

Letter 25

To the Queen Mother.(1) The Saint begs her to remedy the religious evils

prevalent in France by choosing good bishops

Paris, September 2, 1648

Madame:

I cannot disregard the inspiration that God has pleased to send me while I was offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass for Your Majesty, at the time Of the riots in Paris.(2) This thought was to beseech you in all humility, in the name of Jesus Christ and His most Holy Mother, to use the power conferred on you to check the impetuous torrent of iniquity which today is creating a strange havoc i n France, dragging an infinite number of souls down into hell, and constituting the sole cause of all the miseries in this Kingdom.

It is a deplorable thing, Madame, provocative of tears of blood, to witness the loss of so many souls which cost the precious blood of Jesus Christ, to notice that this evil is spreading, and to see that so few persons bother about it. When it is a question of some temporal interest of the kings and princes of this world, they stop at nothing. But the interests of the Sovereign Monarch are ignored. We exhaust ourselves on our missions by dint of crying out against the numerous disorders existing in France, which dishonor God in the extreme, and are the cause of the damnation of countless souls; and He gives us the grace to remedy some evils. But I am certain, Madame, that if Your Majesty were willing to use the power He has entrusted to you, you alone could do more toward abolishing the tyranny of the devil and establishing the reign of Jesus Christ than all the missionaries and preachers combined.

If Your Majesty wishes to know how this can be done, it will be easy to suggest the means, and still easier for you, with the help of Our Lord's grace, to put them into effect.

For the time being I shall mention only the most powerful of all (1). Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV and regent of France (1601-1666). (2). These incidents occurred on April 27, 1648. Cf. Boulay, OP. cit., Vol. 2, PP. 381-382.

means: that of giving the Church good bishops, because good bishops and priests would make for good Christians, and in that way the Church of France would soon change its aspect and resume its former splendor. This, Madame, is Your Majesty's weightiest obligation. It is the greatest service you can render to God and His Church, and it is of such importance as to be highly deserving of Your Majesty's personal attentions(3) since you will be the first to have to render an account of it to the Sovereign judge; an account all the more terrible in that it involves the salvation of an infinite number of souls whom He has committed to your care. For I hear the Holy Spirit crying out through the lips of St. Paul: "If any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (4) So that at the hour of his death he shall be condemned by God as an apostate and punished more severely than pagans and infidels.

If Your Majesty renders this service to Jesus Christ and His Church, He will shower you with spiritual and temporal blessings. But should you neglect to do so, I solemnly declare to you, in the name and in behalf of the great living God, that all the sins committed in France, because of your having failed to provide the Church with good bishops, will be attributed to you as if you yourself had committed them; that you will have to suffer condemnation and punishment for them; and that all the souls who may consequently be lost and every drop of blood shed by Jesus Christ for their salvation will cry out for vengeance against you at the hour of death.

In conclusion, Madame, I can assure Your Majesty in all truthfulness that in this whole matter I have no interest or end in view other than the glory of my Master and the salvation of souls. He Who knows the depths of the heart knows that I speak the truth.(5) In Him and His most Holy Mother, Madame, I remain always with all possible respect Your Majesty's Most humble, obedient and faithful subject and servant, JOHN EUDES, priest.

(3). Without referring the matter in Mazarin, the Prime Minister. (4). 1 Tim. 5, 8. (5). In the words of Boulay this letter is a masterpiece of tenderness as well as respectful boldness and dignity. Boulay, ibid., Vol. 2. P. 384.

Letter 26

Memorandum presented to the Queen Mother on several outstanding

disorders in France and the means of correcting them.( 1 )

[About 1648] LIVE JESUS The Queen is most humbly petitioned, in the name and for the love of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, the Queen of the universe, to be so kind as to read this memorandum , carefully and in its entirety.

1. The principal feasts of the Church are singularly profaned by the fairs which are held on those days, as much because most people attending these fairs miss Mass, as because of the unbridled profanity, perjury, cheating, thievery, drunkenness and other sinful excesses which are usually a part of such occasions. This state of affairs is so prevalent that God is more dishonored on those days which should be used to praise and glorify Him than on all the other days of the year-a thing which i s capable of bringing down a great curse on France.

Remedy.- It would be very easy to correct this evil by having these fairs transferred to two or three days after the feast days.

11. God is no less offended and dishonored on the feasts of the patron saints of each parish, almost everywhere in France, by the dances, games, drunkenness and other dissipations which occur. It appears that there are no longer any days consecrated to God, but only those dedicated to the devil. There are no longer any Christian feasts, but only pagan ones, and ordinarily more sins are committed on those days than during all the rest of the year. (1). According to Martine, Vie do R. P. Jean Eudes, 1. 4, n. 29, this Memorandum was accompanied by a letter which began as follows: "I have been deliberating for a long me, Madame, whether I might use the liberty of writing your Majesty in describe to you the things that are going on, and which are of very great consequence to the glory of God and the good of your subjects. I was afraid to write you these somewhat unpleasant facts which will perhaps not be easy to remedy. But over and above that, I was afraid of betraying my ministry if I faded to speak out, and of rendering myself responsible for all the evil if I did not call your attention to these abuses so that I might beseech you to use your power to correct them."

Remedy.-Issue an edict, to be published throughout France, by which all these disorders would be forbidden under pain of heavy fines that could be donated to the Church or to the poor. Let i t be accompanied by strict injunctions to the judges and officers of each place to be responsible for its enforcement.

III. During the missions we conducted in several places, we found that the churches were deserted on Sundays and feast days, and even on the principal solemnities, because the inhabitants of those places did not dare come there for fear of being apprehended by policemen and tax collectors who seize them even at the foot of the altar to drag them off to prison-an iniquitous thing not practised even among the Turks, but which is nevertheless so true that I myself can testify to it with positive proof. On the feast of Corpus Christi a certain parish priest had taken the Blessed Sacrament from the altar and was about to leave his church to begin the procession. His parishioners were preparing to follow him but they resolved, all of them, not to leave when they learned that tax collectors were waiting to arrest several of them upon their exit from the church. One man alone protested that he would not forsake the Blessed Sacrament; but the moment he set foot outside the church, the police seized him and led him off to prison. Is not such barbarity and impiety enough to bring the thunderbolts of divine justice crashing down on our heads?

Remedy.-Since God has established Sundays and feast days to be days of rest and holiness devoted to His service, see to it that His people may serve Him at least on those days in peace and security. To this end, forbid collectors, tax-gatherers, bailiffs and sergeants to disturb them at those times.

IV. The spirit of the world wages open warfare upon chastity, a virtue eminently pleasing to Our Lord and His most Holy Mother, and without which no one shall see the face of God. This evil spirit employs all his efforts, in this century of corruption, to banish chastity from France and bring about the triumph of its enemy instead. To accomplish this he uses several kinds of armies. Here are six of them furnished by France herself:

The first army is composed of the balls and dances which give rise to a thousand sins. That i s why St. John Chrysostom says that dancing is

"the abyss of hell," which swallows up a great number of wretched souls; and St. Ephrem and the other holy Fathers tell us that it is the work, invention and assembly of the devil. One of the holy councils of the Church assures us that there are not so many sins committed by tilling the soil on Sundays as by dancing.

The second army is made up of the love comedies which are even more dangerous than dancing, and cause the damnation of many souls.

The third is composed of the love stories which are veritable books of the devil, employed by him to cause countless numbers of sins to be committed. That is why the very learned and pious Gerson, chancellor of the celebrated University of Paris, was quite right in saying, with reference to a romantic novel written in his day, that if he knew that the author of that book had done no penance for it before dying, he would no more pray to God for him than for Judas. And notwithstanding, the whole of France is poisoned by such books, which are actually authorized by permission of our most Christian King.

The fourth army consists of the lascivious songs which are printed, sold and publicly sung i n the strects-a thing that singularly corrupts the morals of our youth. if they printed or publicly sang something offensive to the King, who would tolerate that?

The fifth army is the luxury, vanity and worldliness of women in their dress, against which all the holy Doctors of the Church say such terrible things, calling it the ornament and pomp of the devil, and which these women, in baptism, solemnly promised God to renounce. If they do not fulfill these promises, they can never hope to be associated in any way with Him.

The sixth is made up of the indecent sculptures, paintings and pictures which are also the source of more sins than people imagine. Nevertheless, one sees almost nothing else in the offices, halls and inner rooms of many Christians, instead of the likenesses of Our Lord, His most holy Mother, the holy Apostles and the other saints.

Remedy.- If the King were even slightly concerned about or offended by all or one of these things, the means of curtailing them would easily be found. Now, it is certain that the great King of heaven is mightily offended by them. That is why the Queen, who has so much love for His Divine Majesty, will not lack the courage and ingenuity

to annihilate all these pomps of Satan, and to snatch from his hands these infernal weapons with which he aspires to banish chastity from France.

Would it not be very easy for her Majesty to lead the way in renouncing balls, comedies and all these other Satanic pomps, according to the promise she made to God in baptism, so that, through her example, she might inspire horror for them in the hearts of all her subjects?

Would it not be easy for her to order the chancellor to refuse permission henceforth for the printing of love stories, and even to forbid printers and booksellers to print and sell such books?

Would it not be easy for her to prohibit indecent songs from being printed and sold, and from being sung in the streets?

We often see poor people in prison for having sold a little salt in order to gain a livelihood. They are sentenced to pay heavy fines, and being unable to do so, they rot there in jail and are forced to ask as a favor that, instead of paying the fine, they be flogged by the executioner. I can testify to this myself, having interceded a number of times to obtain this concession for some of them. All these penalties are imposed because it is a question of the King’s interests! But how much more is the glory of the Sovereign Monarch concerned in the above mentioned disorders, and with what zeal, consequently, should those truly devoted to Him strive to remedy them!

V. I do not even speak here about the blasphemies, curses and imprecations which defile the present-day speech of the French people. I make no mention of the passion for dueling which sacrifices so many souls to hell and causes the greater number of our French noblemen to become martyrs of the devil. Sufficient edicts have been issued against these disorders, but the important thing is to enforce them, for God will not exonerate anyone for having made fine decrees if no attempt is made to have them carried out.

VI. The greatest evil existing in France today is heresy,(2) an infernal rage which precipitates countless souls into eternal damnation. (2). The heresy in question is not only Calvinism but also Jansenism which was beginning to spread throughout France. Cf. Annales de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, Vol. 3. P. 187.

Remedy.-Make peace, so that the royal authority may then be devoted to ridding France of this plague.

Conclusion

If the Queen is wholeheartedly devoted to God's interests(3) and uses her power to remedy the above-mentioned disorders, He will crown her with incomprehensible glory and inexpressible happiness. But if she ignores them and fails to do all in her power to abolish them, all the sins proceeding from them will be laid to her and she will be fearfully punished for them. Divine Bounty forbid that such should be the case. Rather, let her be an instrument of God to promote the reign of Jesus Christ in the hearts of all the French people. (3). Anne of Austria was undoubtedly a pious and well-meaning woman; because, far from being hurt by such remonstrances, we have the best authority for saying that she gave much good example i n attending, and listening to the Saint's sermons whenever he preached in Paris, or in the vicinity of the royal palaces. H. Joly, Life of Saint John Eudes (London, 1932), P. 193.