Letters 99–108

Letter 99

To Father John Dupont. On the Hermitage (1)at Caen

November 27, 1660 You did exceedingly well not to receive them(2) in your house; for our benefactors(3) have secretly put a pamphlet in circulation here which maliciously states that I was the spiritual director of the Hermitage, and others are saying that those who committed these follies in the streets of Caen and elsewhere were from our ranks . . . The source of such impostures is vanity, which, once it has taken root in the mind, can seldom be banished and then only with great difficulty. That is what a holy person(4) told Mr. de Bernières(5) several times-that as many souls as he started on the path of passive prayer(6) (for that is in God's province), he was starting on the road to hell. (1). This reference is to several members of the Hermitage at Caen who had asked to enter the Coutances seminary. We know that Mr. de Bernières had grouped around him, at the Hermitage, some laymen and ecclesiastics who lived under his guidance in the practice of piety and good works. After his death (May 3, 1659), some of them indulged in demonstrations in the streets of Caen, and later in those of Argentan and Falaise, which met with diverse judgments. Cf. Boulay, Vie du V- P.. Eudes, Vol. 3, Ch. 20. Four who had taken part in the Caen demonstrations were condemned by the criminal prosecutor to pay a fine and suffer banishment from the city of Caen. Two of them, Dennis Roberge, valet to Mr. de Bernières, and John Dudouyt, went to join Bishop de Laval in Canada. Another, James Dudouyt, John's brother, entered the Congregation of Eudists, where he was known under the name of Jourdan. He died in the odor of sanctity at the seminary in Rennes. The Abbé Tresvaux has included quite a detailed account of him in Volume V of his edition of the Vies des saints de Bretagne, by Dom Lobineau. Cf. Costil, Les Fleurs de In Congrégation de Jésus et Marie; Souriau, Le Mysticisme en Normandie an XV11e siècle, Ch. V11 and V111. (2). The persons who lived at the Hermitage. (3). His enemies. (4). Mary des Vallées. See Letter 17, note 3. (5). See Letter 15, note 12. (6) See "Introduction," p. xxvii.

Letter 100

To the Priests of His Congregation. On his enforced stay in Paris

(1660)

I can assure you that I should be extremely weary of Paris, if I followed my natural inclinations, and should have left it a long time ago. But it is the divine will that keeps me here, and I have neither hands nor feet to protect myself against it. On the contrary, I allow myself to be bound to its most sweet hands, and its chains are so delightful to me that my captivity constitutes all m y happiness and paradise. 0 my dear brother, how happy is the soul which is disengaged from everything and adheres only to the most lovable will of its God!

Letter 101

To Father John Dupont, Superior of the Seminary at Coutances. On

the practice of obedience

(1660)

Father Bernard (1) will soon make a trip to Coutances, but to my great regret it will be a short visit, so that he may return to Lisieux, because at present I have no one to replace him. It is a splendid opportunity for you to practice obedience ...

These past few days I have been seeing the Mother Superior(2) of the Visitation nuns in Caen, who came recently from Toulouse, that is to say, from a distance of two hundred fifty leagues. She told me that her chief incentive for willingly accepting this cross and all the worries and discomforts of such a long trip was the thought that such a wonderful opportunity for practising obedience might perhaps never again present (1). See Letter 69, note 1. (2). Mother Renée Faber, a professed nun of the Visitation Monastery at Annecy. Annales de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, 1. 4, n. 25.

itself. Ah! how her example will fill many ecclesiastics with confusion on the day of judgment, since they should possess all the virtues in a higher degree than nuns]

Letter 102

To Father John Dupont, Superior of the Coutances Seminary. On complaints

he had received from him

(About 1660)

You have no reason to complains(1) my clear brother, or to say that you are being nourished with gall. Those words are very bitter to the heart of one who tries in all things to keep the gall for himself and give the honey to others. (1). Among other things, Father Dupont sometimes complained quite vigorously about the subjects St. John Eudes would send him, to such an extent that one day the Saint replied: "Henceforth I will send no one to you without first asking how you feel about him." Annales de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, '1.4, n. 24.

Letter 103

To the Priests of the Seminary at Caen. He reports what he said to the

Queen Mother (1) in a sermon preached at the Benedictines of the Most

Holy Sacrament in Paris, February 8, 1661, the day on which they were

celebrating the feast of the Holy Heart of Mary

Paris, February 17, 1661 The Queen arrived toward the end of my sermon, and I told her many things with respect to the fire which burned a section of the Louvre(2). I began addressing her in this manner:

Madame, I have nothing to say to Your Majesty except to implore you most humbly, since His Divine Majesty has brought you here, (1). Anne of Austria, who acted a regent under Mazarin. (2). Royal palace at Paris.

never to forget the powerful sermon that God has preached to you and the King through the fire which destroyed part of the Louvre. You are well aware that for Christians nothing happens by chance, but that everything takes place through the providence and will of God. This fire, therefore, was the result of His mandate and it meant several things:

1. That it was strictly forbidden to work on Sundays and feast days;

2. That kings were allowed to build Louvres; but that God was ordering them to lighten the burden of their subjects, to take pity on so many widows, orphans and people overwhelmed by poverty;

3. That kings and princes were permitted to indulge in decent amusements; but to spend all their days, weeks, months, years and even a whole lifetime in doing so was not the road to paradise;

4. That Paris was full of atheists who trample God underfoot and do things to shock even the demons; and that, if their Majesties were aware of all this and refrained from using the royal authority to punish such horrible crimes, they would be held responsible for them before God and bring down His vengeance and curse upon their heads;

5. That, if temporal fire had not spared the royal house, the eternal fires would spare neither princes nor princesses, kings nor queens, unless they lived like Christians and took pity upon their subjects; and that, if this material fire had shown no respect for the portraits and likenesses of the kings which were in the palace that burned, neither would the fire of God's wrath spare the originals unless they used their authority to destroy the tyranny of the devil and sin, and to establish the kingdom of God in the souls of their subjects;

6. That my sole interest in saying these things was that of my Master and my God, as well as that of the salvation of my King and Queen for whom I would lay down a thousand lives;

7. That it was indeed a pity that the great personages of this world were besieged by hordes of sycophants who were so poisoning and destroying them by their flatteries that they almost never heard the truth; that preachers were very culpable in the sight of God to suppress the truth unjustly, and that I should consider myself most guilty if I did not say all these things to her Majesty;

Finally, I entreated her to accept them as coming not from a man

but from God; that I was only a worthless creature and miserable sinner, but that in the place where I was standing and as a representative of God, I could say, like St. Paul and all who have the honor to preach the holy word of God: "For Christ therefore we are ambassadors."(3) I was fulfilling my duty as an ambassador of Jesus Christ in order to bring the words of the King of kings to a great queen, and that I implored her to accept them as such.

In conclusion, I entreated the nuns and the assistants, with whom the church was filled to overflowing, to address their prayers to Our Lord and His most Holy Mother to obtain from His Divine Majesty the grace for our most Christian King(4) and our Queens(5) to acknowledge so many favors and blessings which heaven had lavished on their royal persons, and to use their power to overthrow the tyranny of hell and establish the kingdom of God in the souls of their subjects.

That is what I said almost word for word. I am writing you this so that you and your friends may know the truth.

I have since learned from several persons who were with the Queen, and who left with her at that time, that she took it very well indeed, and that, when several flatterers had wanted to comment, she silenced them very conclusively.

His Lordship of Coutances,(6) who is at the Court and knows what is going on there, expressed great satisfaction to me over my sermon; and a number of other persons of quality sought me out to let me know how glad they were about it.

May God bestow His universal blessing, granting us the grace never to seek anything save to please Him, and to do and say what He asks of us. (3). 2 Cor. 5, 20. (4). Louis XIV (1638-1715) (5). Anne of Austria the Queen Mother, and Mary Teresa, daughter of Philip IV of Spain, who married Louis X1V in 1660. (6). His Lordship Claude Auvry, former bishop of Coutances.

Letter 104

To Father John Dupont, Superior of the Coutances Seminary. In answer to Father

Dupont's letter claiming that God did not wish him to remain there

(1661) J. M. J.

Peace to men of good will, that is to say, peace to men who have made a complete renunciation of their own wills and have no other than God's, which is manifested to them through holy obedience.

0 my dear brother, what a great delusion it is to maintain that one is quite certain that God does not desire something of him which obedience desires! Let us humble ourselves, my dear brother, and not misrepresent our own inclinations and feelings as the will of God when they are contrary to obedience, without which it is impossible to please His Divine Majesty, particularly in a Congregation of ecclesiastics who must serve as examples for all types of virtue.

You would be very fortunate even to die through obedience in your present employment. Let us ask Our Lord to make us participants in His divine obedience which caused His death on the Cross, and for our own part, let us strive to put our own wills to death and follow our most kind Father, if we wish to be numbered among His children. I implore Him with all my heart to grant us this grace. Nevertheless, since you constrain me to do so, I will shortly relieve you of your post at all costs, God willing.

I am, in truth, with all my heart,

Letter 105

To Father Thomas Hubert.(1) During an illness

(1661)

I am deeply moved by your illness. You have a quart an ague(2) in your body, and I have three in my heart: yours, that of our brother Father Jourdan and that of Brother Andre,(3) along with the tertian ague(4) of our beloved Father Blouet, and the ills of our very dear Father Le Mesle and all our other brethren. (1). Father Thomas Huhert ( 1 6 2 2 - 1 6 7 4 ): Born in Bricqueville, in the diocese of Coutances, Father Hubert joined the Congregation in 1652 and was stationed at Lisieux in 1 6 5 8 . After the Versailles mission ( 1 6 7 1 ) in which be had participated, Louis XIV requested, and obtained permission, to keep him at the Court to take charge of the palace chapel. He died at Versailles on March 20, 1674. Cf. Les Fleurs de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, Vol. 1, P. 45. (2). An intermittent fever which returns every fourth day that is, with two days' intermission between paroxysms. (3). No information could be obtained in the present instance pertaining to Brother André. (4). An intermittent fever which returns every other day.

Letter 106

To Mother Margaret Frances Patin. On the measures to be taken in

Rome, and on the guidance of the penitents(1)

(Paris, summer of 1661) J. M. J. My very dear and good Mother:

May the divine will be our guide in all things.

Yesterday I forwarded to Father Boniface,(2) at his request, the affi(1). In the Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge and the Good Shepherd, name given to the group of girls and women who have led disorderly lives or who are in need of reform. (2). See Letter 95, note 4.

davits(3) you had sent me from the Vicars-General, together with several others from the VicarsGeneral of Paris. These affidavits concern the nuns of the Hotel Dieu, in Paris, who are constantly i n the midst of numerous sick persons, convalescents, doctors, surgeons, apothecaries, hospital attendants and even fallen women who come there to be confined, and they also concern your own Visitation Sisters who stay at the Magdalen Asylum. Their purpose is to prove that both employments exist without giving rise to any disorder.

A long time ago I spoke about this matter to his Lordship of Bayeux, (4) telling him what was being done at Rome in that regard. He even wrote, at my request, to some of his friends there, asking them to help further our cause. I spoke to him about it again this week, and he assured me that when he is in Rome he will furnish his affidavit and have it presented by the proper persons, and that he will have recourse to all his influence and friends there in order to bring our business to a successful conclusion. He is expecting to receive his Bulls tomorrow. He will be consecrated as soon as possible, and he hopes then to be in his diocese by All Saints' Day. Hence I have written Father Boniface that, if he perceives any danger of failure, he should not continue to push the matter but rather delay it for the moment until he obtains his Lordship's help. I received some letters from him yesterday, in which he wrote that they are raising formidable objections over the danger which they believe results from having religious govern penitents; that some, nevertheless, are encouraging his hopes, and that he is working day and night to promote this affair, busying himself with it to the exclusion of everything else. He also wrote that, in order to overcome their objection, he has disclosed that the penitents are separated from the Sisters by a wall; that they have their own dormitory, refectory and chapel; that there is a door in the aforementioned wall through which two of the older Sisters, chosen by the superioress, enter the penitents' quarters and leave again in the evening; that during the (1). Father Boniface arrived in Rome on May 17, 1 6 6 1 , and on the 30th he sent St. John Eudes an account of the steps be had taken. At the same time he requested seyeral affidavits which the Saint hastened to send him. The above letter, in which he speaks of that consignment, must have been written from Paris during the summer of 1661. (2). His Lordship Francis de Nesmond, who was appointed at the beginning of 1659, but was not consecrated until March 19, 1662. See Letter 120, note 1.

night the penitents arc watched through a lattice; that there is always s a lighted lamp in the center of their dormitory, before a statue of the Blessed Virgin; that those of the penitents who are recognized to be well grounded in the fear of God are put in charge of the others; that those who are capable of corrupting the others are placed under lock and key during the night; that no one is forced to enter the house, but, that only those accepted who, being moved by the grace of God, enter voluntarily to become converted and do penance.

He wrote me that he revealed all these things in order to overcome their objection, in the belief that they exist as he described them, and that I should inform you about it so that, if they are not exactly as he stated, you may put them into practice as soon as possible. For if it happens-as i t will if he meets with success--that they write from Rome to the Nuncio, as is customary in such circumstances, requesting confirmation of these things, they must be found true. See to it then, m y dearest Mother, if you please.

I wrote him that the penitents are not observed through a lattice, and that he should try to suppress this proposition, but that all the rest will be done. The Abbe Brisacier has contributed nothing whatsoever to our cause, and the banker(5) has served only to injure it. If a man like the one there now had been sent in the first place, the thing would have been accomplished a long time ago, and with less trouble and expense, which will be considerable now.

I have already seen our good Mother de Maupeou,(6) and I hope to see her again today.

I greet all our dear Sisters most cordially, each and every one of them. Please tell them that I recommend myself earnestly to their prayers. I remain, both to the Mother and her daughters, in the sacred love of the most Holy Heart of Jesus and Mary, my dearest Mother, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest. (5). After Father Mannoury's second trip to Rome, a banker was chosen by him to solicit approbation for Our Lady of Charity. Father Boniface conferred with him upon his arrival in Rome, without, however, being able, on the whole, to share his point of view. (6). Mother Mary Elizabeth de Maupeou, who had been superior of the visitation Convent at Caen.

Letter 107

To Mother Margaret Frances Patin. The Saint asks that a copy of the

Rules for the Penitents be made in order to send them to Rome, and he

prescribes the Articles for them

Paris, September to, 1661 J. M. J.

My dearest Mother:

May the divine will be our guide in all things.

Enclosed is a letter from Father Boniface which I received yesterday and am forwarding to you, so that you can have the plan he requests drawn up, like the one he has made, or approximately so, and can send it to me as soon as possible.

It will not be necessary for you to send me all your Rules, but have those written out for me which concern the penitents and the manner in which they are governed, and have the following articles inserted:

1. That only those are received who, being called by God, voluntarily enter the house to do penance there.

2. That during the time they spend there, they remain perfectly cloistered.

3. That they never are received into this monastery to become nuns, but if they desire to be such, they are sent to the monasteries of converts in other cities, if they wish to go there.

4. That their dormitory, chapel and refectory are separate from those of the nuns.

5. That, if anyone proves to be incorrigible, she is made to leave.

6. That, although they live in the same monastery with the nuns, they are separated from them at least by a wall so that there may be no communication between them except by permission of the superior.

7. That there is a door in this wall, through which two nuns, by order of the superior, enter every morning to join the converts in order to be with them during the day, in a room where they are all together, that they may watch over their conduct, see that they pray, have some spiritual reading for them at appointed hours, and see that they arc

working the rest of the time. In the evening, after prayers and self-examination, the converts retire to their cells and the two nuns rejoin the other religious. Then the door is locked and the key given to the Superior.

8. That those nuns who are oldest both in age and in manner are chosen to be sent during the day to remain with the penitents. The same ones are not always sent, however; sometimes one i s changed, sometimes the other, for greater precaution.

9. If any one of the converts is under suspicion, she is locked in her cell at night.

10. During the night there is always a lighted lamp in the converts' dormitory, before an image of the Blessed Virgin. There is also a religious to watch them through the grills, which are arranged in such a way that the nun who is observing them cannot speak to any convert, lest she be heard by the other nuns around her.

11. No questionable outsider, whether man or woman, is permitted to speak with the converts, not even their own relatives.

All these things were set forth by Father Boniface and must be included in the Rules you are sending me, with the intent to keep them as long as possible or until they are no longer needed.

The word converts used in Father Boniface's letter is the name given them in that country instead of penitents or repentant women.

If Father Mannoury were with you, be would immediately put all these rules in good order and draw up the plan for you that Father Boniface requests, and he would do so properly and i n conformity with your place;(1) but it would be necessary to send a man with a horse expressly to Lisieux to bring him back as soon as possible. However, I should not want him to lodge with us on account of the sickness there. I should prefer that you give him the Rules of the Penitents with this letter after he has conferred with you, my dear Mother, and seen your house, and that he go to Camilly for two days to do the task there. I am writing him to call on you for that purpose if you send for him.

Send me at your earliest convenience the attestations of the cures and the chief personages of that city, such as you are able to procure, (1). This phrase probably designates the division of Community quarters between the sisters and penitents.

for his Lordship of Bayeux is still without his Bulls and is not leaving as yet for his diocese. Return Father Boniface's letter to me and address your letter to me at the Mazarin Palace in Paris. That i s where I am lodging, since his Lordship of Coutances, who lives there, wanted me to have a room there and take a rest cure for an indisposition I have which is of very slight consequence.

I am with all sincerity, my dearest Mother, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 108

To Madame Blouet de Camilly. On her husband's illness. ( 1 )

Paris, October 18, 1661 J. M. J.

God grant, my dearest daughter, that on this occasion of our beloved brother's illness I may give you the same reply as that of Our Lord to St. Martha and St. Magdalen, who had told Him just what you write to me: He whom Thou lovest is sick(2) meaning their good brother St. Lazarus. God grant, I repeat, that I may reply to you: This sickness is not unto death. (3)But because these divine words would be ineffectual in my mouth, and since it is to Our Lord that you address yourself i n saying to His representative, though an infinitely unworthy one: He whom Thou lovest is sick, I implore this most kind Saviour with all my heart, by the great goodness which prompted Him to make that reply to the sisters of Lazarus, to answer you in like manner with the words: This sickness i s not unto death.

No matter what happens, my dear daughter, these words will always hold true of our dear patient, which is a wonderful cause for comfort, for there is no death for true children of God ... I am the (1). Reference is made here to James Blouet de Camilly. See Letter 15, note 1. (2). John 11, 3. (3). John 11, 4.

resurrection and the life, said the Son of God to St. Martha, he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live: and every one that liveth, and believeth in me, shall not die for ever. (4) Let us be comforted, my dearest daughter, by these great truths and by the recollection of what our good Saviour has said to us.

It is true, I must confess, that although these considerations do much to assuage my grief, m y heart is nevertheless sorely afflicted by the knowledge that our poor dear spiritual brother, Mr. de Camilly, is in such a condition, and that you and all your loved ones, my dear daughter, are in your present anguish and in danger of falling ill from this perilous sickness. I beseech my Jesus with all my heart to keep you safe. Not my will be done, however, but His.

I fancy that I see from your letter that this kind Saviour is implanting in your heart, my good daughter, the dispositions which should be there at this time, and that comforts me no little. I thank Him infinitely for it and implore Him to preserve and increase this spirit in you for His glory. There is never a time when He is so glorified in a soul as during a period of affliction, when one bears it in a Christian spirit. Let us try, therefore, to do so, my dearest daughter, accepting from His hand the trials He sends us and supporting them with all possible humility, resignation and love.

If you perceive that our dear brother is in any real danger, have recourse to the little book I have written entitled Man's Contract with God.( 5 )You will find, about halfway through this book, several complete acts which embody the dispositions necessary for a Christian death, and at the beginning of these acts, the method of using them when assisting a sick person, that the patient may practise them without disturbing himself. I should like all who take care of the sick to have this book. It would also be well for you to consult the final pages of Exercise in Preparation for Death,( 6 ) ' contained in The Kingdom of Jesus, at the end of the book.

Finally, my dearest daughter, I implore Our Lord Himself to be (4). John 11, 25-26. (5). A short work in which St. John Eudes summarizes the teaching of Sacred Scripture and of Tradition on the Sacrament of Baptism. (6). See The Kingdom ot Jesus, Part 7, P. 312 ff.

your strength and guide, and to accomplish His holy will perfectly in you and all yours. I implore His most precious Mother to harbour and protect you in her motherly Heart, in whatever way is most pleasing to that divine will.

it is in the sacred love of this most kind Heart that I embrace our dear patient a thousandfold, and that I pronounce over him, you and all your loved ones these holy words: Nos cum Prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria. Amen! ( 7 )

John Eudes

(7). Blessing used in the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.