Letters 109–114

Letter 109

To Madame Blouet de Camilly. How to act in time of illness

Paris, October 25, 1661 J. M. J.

I cannot tell you too often, my dearest daughter, how distressed and grieved I am, for that i s inexpressible. Certainly, I know well through experience that your griefs and sufferings are also mine.

I received your letters on Saturday, after the mail had gone Out, and that is why I could not write you until today; it added to my sorrow to have to go so long without giving you some small comfort.(1)

0 my dear daughter, how terrible is my grief and anguish that I cannot be near you now to weep with you and -help you in your present affliction. But it is the most adorable will of God which arranges it thus and does everything through infinite goodness toward us and for the best. Then let i t be adored, blessed and praised through all eternity in all its decrees! Never before, my dearest daughter, have we had such a magnificent opportunity to glorify God and render ourselves pleasing to Him as on this occasion, and perhaps never again shall we have (1). Mr. de Camilly died on October 18th. On Saturday, the 21St, the Saint learned simultaneously, through letters, of his friend's death and of Madame de Camilly's illness. Cf. Boulay, Op. Cit. VOl. 3, P. 320.

such an opportunity. Let us not allow it to pass, therefore, without making the holiest possible use of it. To that end:

1. Let us acknowledge that of ourselves we are thoroughly incapable of using it without a special grace from the goodness of God, and that we are infinitely unworthy to receive this grace; but let us ask for it, nevertheless, with confidence, and it will be given to us.

2. Let us humble ourselves beneath the almighty hand of God, acknowledging that the least of our sins deserves all the afflictions in this world, and let us accept those He sends us, and will send in the future, in honor of His divine justice and in reparation for our sins.

3. Let us adore the most holy will of God, submitting and abandoning ourselves wholly and unreservedly to whatever disposal it may please Him to make of us and what is ours.

4. Because sorrows are a gift from God far more precious and greater in this world than consolations, let us thank Him for them with all our hearts, as much as is in our power.

5. Let us offer our sorrows, griefs, sighs and tears to Our Lord Jesus and His most Holy Mother, in thanksgiving for their sorrows and griefs which were infinitely greater than ours, and for all their sighs and tears.

6. Let us embrace our crosses for love of our most amiable Crucified, Who bore such heavy sorrows for love of us.

7. Let us unite ourselves with our Holy Mother at the foot of the Cross of her beloved Son. Alas! She is completely overwhelmed with sorrows, and yet so imbued with obedience to God's holy will that, because such is the desire of that adorable will, she sacrifices to His Divine Majesty a Son Who is infinitely dear to her, Who is her Son, her Father, her Brother, her Spouse, her God, her All. Let us unite ourselves, my dear daughter, to these holy dispositions, that we may sacrifice with her and with Our Saviour the lives of all our dear ones, our own lives, and a hundred thousand worlds i f we possessed them.

8. Let us offer all our griefs and afflictions to Our Lord and His most Holy Mother, praying them to unite them with theirs and put them to the same use as they made of theirs, for the glory of the most holy Trinity.

9. For the same end, let us also offer them all the sorrows that have

ever been, are now and ever shall be in the universe, particularly those of persons who have not put them to good use; since all these things are ours, according to the divine Word, we should use them to glorify our heavenly Father, together with our most adorable Master, Jesus, Who employs all things for His Father's glory.

10. Let us pray to our guardian angels, all the angels and saints, and our good Sister(2) to do all the above things for us, as also the others that we ought to do, in order to give thanks to God for our debt to Him in time of trouble.

Do you not earnestly desire all these things, my dear daughter, as well as to unite yourself with those who are doing or will do them for you? Yes, beyond a doubt you do. Say, therefore, for this intention, with all your heart: Amen, amen, fiat, fiat.

If you are in danger of death, here are several things that I urge you to do, both exteriorly and interiorly.

Exteriorly: 1. Recall whether you owe anything to anyone, and have payment made for all your debts immediately if possible, without leaving that responsibility to others after your death. 2. If you have had any disagreement with anyone, become perfectly reconciled, doing whatever is necessary to that end; and even ask pardon of all your servants. 3. Give your blessing to all your children, in the name of Our Lord and His most Holy Mother, entreating them to bless them in time and in eternity, and admonishing them to live in the fear of God and to love one another in charity. 4. If you can, have a donation given to the poor.

Interiorly: 1. Do not worry about making a general confession; that is not in the least necessary. But try to have general contrition, after having asked it of God. 2. Give yourself to Our Lord, in preparation for receiving Holy Viaticum, that you may receive Him in union with all the holy dispositions with which all the saints on earth received Him in their hour of death. 3. Do the same with regard to extreme unction, and do not wait to receive it until you no longer have the use of your sense'. 4. Have someone read you the acts contained in Man's Contract with God through Holy Baptism, which embody all the dispositions necessary for a Christian death; not all at one time, but first one, then (2). Mary da Vallées.

another; and likewise the last chapter of The Kingdom of Jesus. 5. Do not forget to try to gain the plenary indulgence for the hour of death, which is granted to those who belong to the Holy Rosary and have the medals that you have. 6. After all that, the best disposition for a Christian death is to give yourself entirely to Our Lord, that you may unite yourself with all the holy dispositions with which He, His most Holy Mother and all the saints died. Among these dispositions, there are three for which you should strive in particular: humility, trust, and abandonment to the divine will. 7. Have them entreat your good sister at the Abbey(3) and kind Mother Patin to have the exercises of the Preparation for Death, contained in The Kingdom of Jesus, said for you. 8. After you have done all that, be careful not to rely on it, but place all your reliance and trust purely in the mercy of Our Lord and in the intercession of His most Holy Mother.

In conclusion, my dear daughter, I wish to make you the finest gift within my power, and this is it:

Yesterday and today I said holy Mass to supplicate Our Lord to grant you three things:

First, to bestow upon you, in whatever way He deems best and most pleasing to Him, A the graces and gifts He has deigned and shall deign to grant me in my lifetime, all the Masses I have said and will yet say, all my missions of the past and future, and in general, all that He has granted and shall grant me to think, say, do inwardly and outwardly, and suffer in His service.

Secondly, to bestow on you all the holy Masses, missions and all the good works in general which, through His grace, have been and shall ever be performed in our Congregation.

Thirdly, to grant you all the souls He has given and shall give me, in His great mercy, in all the missions I have conducted and will yet conduct, and in any other circumstances; and to grant you these three gifts in order to contribute to the accomplishment of His designs for you from all eternity, and that He may forever find as much glory in you as He desires.

And so that I may do what I can on my part to put you in possession (3). Madame Le Haguais, sister Of Madame de Camilly and of Mr. Augustine Le Haguais, and a nun of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Caen.

of these three gifts, after having adored the infinite love through which our Lord gave to His most holy Mother all that He received from His Father, and having thanked Him for it, I offered myself and am offer. ing myself again to this divine love of Jesus for His dearest Mother, who is both His Mother and Daughter; and in union with this same love, I have given and am giving you for evermore, m y dearest daughter, and irrevocably, the three aforesaid gifts, in the most perfect manner that I can confer them on you, in accordance with the most holy will of God, and that I may contribute all within my power to the perfect accomplishment of all the plans that His Divine Majesty has had for you from all eternity.

Will you not accept this gift, my dearest daughter, for this same intention? Then give thanks to Him Who is the sole source of all good, and not to him who is nothing and of himself can give rise to no good. I forgot to tell you that I prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, all our angels and saints, and our good Sister to implore Our Lord to ratify and confirm this gift.

I am asking three things of you, too, my dearest daughter:

1. That, if you have anything to tell me or recommend to me, you tell it to Father Dudy, and even request him to write it down in your presence, to make sure that he forgets nothing.

2. That you leave to our beloved brother, Father Blouet, your holy relics, and to me the holy rosary that you received from our Sister,(4) as also everything else that belonged to her, even her cane, and I will distribute them to whomever you wish; you can tell this also to Father D ucly . ( 5 ) Nevertheless, that you may act without any compulsion, I shall leave this entirely to your generosity. Leave me something, however, from among your devotional articles, whatever you wish.

Here is the third and principal thing I ask of you, my dearest daugbter. It is that, when God has shown you mercy-and this you can expect with confidence front His infinite goodness and the intercession of Our glorious Mother and our good Sister-you take our Congregation and the House of Our Lady of Charity under your special protection in heaven. To this end, dear daughter, I constitute you to be henceforth, (4). Mary des Vallées. (5). See Letter 58, note 7

in the name of Our Lord and His most Holy Mother, the solicitor and provider of all our spiritual and temporal affairs, that you may intercede and beg for us at the throne of God and with the Blessed Mother, our good Sister and all the angels and saints. Will you accept this position, my dearest daughter, and give yourself to the Son of God and His divine Mother in order to accomplish this carefully according to their most holy will, and to try to obtain for us now from the goodness of God these four things above all others? 1. Several good brothers and excellent workers to help us labor for the salvation Of Souls. 2. The favor of building a church in Caen, in honor of the most holy Heart of our most Holy Mother. 3. A house in Paris, with a church or chapel, to celebrate therein the feast of this same Heart. 4. Success in Rome for the negotiations concerning our good sisters. In addition, as soon as you reach heaven, ask for the salvation of Mr. Le Haguais, your brother, and of your good daughter, Madame de Camilly, and all her children and yours.

I give you my daily blessing, and several times during holy Mass I entreat our good Jesus . . .

Letter 110

To the Priests of his Congregation. On the death of Mr. Blouet,(1)Sei

gneur de Camilly, which occurred suddenly on October 18, 1661

(1661)

May the divine will be our sole consolation in our afflictions.

It does all things with such great wisdom and goodness that we have only to look upon it in all the misfortunes that befall us in order to be comforted.

I must confess, however, that this consolation does not prevent my suffering a great sorrow, according to the senses, because of the decease of our good Mr. de Camilly. We have lost a very sincere and faithful friend. (1). Husband Of Madame de Camilly and father of John James Blouet, a member of the Eudist Congregation.

But I speak from the human viewpoint in saying that we have lost him, for, after all, who does not lose God loses nothing. Then too, we do not lose our friends when God takes them unto Himself. On the contrary, they are all the more ours, and they are more useful to us in heaven than on earth. But we must help them to reach heaven quickly, for it often happens that one is a long time in arriving there.

I entreat all our dear brethren to take care to render God what we owe Him in this hour of sorrow, by humbling ourselves under His almighty hand, adoring His divine will and submitting ourselves to it with all our hearts, thanking Him for the crosses that it pleases Him to send us, sacrificing to Him our lives and those of all our loved ones, and above all, trying to put ourselves i n the state in which we should wish to be at the hour of death. To that end, let us renew our desire to fulfil all our obligations with the utmost exactitude.

Letter 111

To Father Thomas Manchon. On the death of Father Richard Le Mesle,( 1 )which

occurred on October 21, 1 6 6 1

1661 I am suffering deeply from the death of our beloved Mr. de Camilly, and to an even greater degree from that of Father Le Mesle, who was one of our best members, one of the most useful to our Congregation and one most devoted to it. (1). See Letter 14, note 1.

Letter 112

To Madame de Camilly. To comfort her on the death of her husband

Paris, November 1, 1661 J. M. J.

I give infinite thanks to Our Lord Jesus and His most precious Mother for your improved health, my very dear and good daughter; it

affords me great consolation. Yes, my dearest and peerless daughter, I shall write you often, I assure you, and gladly; for your letters always console me, and I find comfort in writing you, too.

But what shall I say to you, my good daughter, to console you in your sorrow, the most grievous you have ever had and perhaps ever will have?

This is what I have to tell you, which is what I also tell myself. Is it not the most adorable will of God that regulates and ordains everything that happens here below? Yes, beyond a doubt. Is not this adorable Queen infinitely wise, powerful and good, in order to know, be able and desire to direct all that happens to us, even to the smallest things and most trifling circumstances, in the way most advantageous for the glory of God and our own good? Yes, certainly. That being the case, it is then an infallible conclusion that what has happened to you is for the greatest glory of God and to our advantage.

Well then, shall we grieve over an event by which God is glorified, which He has ordained out of infinite goodness toward you? Let us be comforted, therefore, my incomparable daughter, and let us not give way any longer to grief. Let us find consolation in our knowledge that our dearest spiritual brother, Mr. de Camilly, is now numbered among those who will see the face of the heavenly Father and will love and bless Him for all eternity.

Let us also rejoice, my dear good daughter, because this life is short and because soon, through divine mercy, we shall see this beloved brother and with him render eternal praise to God for all the favors He has granted us in His goodness. Let us obey the voice of the Holy Spirit which tells us: Weep but a little for the dead, (1)seeing that he is at rest. He is speaking of him who has lived in the fear of God, such as our own dear departed; for, in referring to the wicked, He says: The mourning ... for a fool and an ungodly man is all the days of their life.( 2 ) Alas, yes, one must weep eternally, and tears of blood, for those who have not lived as Christians; but with regard to him who lived and died in the way of Christ, we should do what God says: Weep but a little. (1). Ecclus. 22, 11. (2). Ecclus. 22, 13.

I implore you, therefore, my dear good daughter, to moderate your tears and restrain your laments.

Let infidels and heretics, let the relatives and friends of bad Catholics, weep without consolation and unceasingly for the death of their departed ones; but we have no death to lament. Our beloved spiritual brother is not dead and will never die, but for all eternity he will live the life of the children of God, a life free from all evil and replete with every kind of blessing. In God's name, my incomparable daughter, do not give way to sadness any longer. Of what use would it be except to scandalize your neighbor and cause you some troublesome illness from which you might never recover?

It has pleased God to deprive you of your dear husband; yet you are not a widow, because Our Lord is your Spouse, for a long time ago he gave you the grace to be chosen by Him as His spouse.(3) Is He not worth more, this most amiable Jesus, than all the men in the universe? Well then, my good daughter, look upon this divine Saviour as your most lovable Spouse; thank Him for the infinite favor He bestowed upon you in granting you a place in the ranks of His spouses; give Him your whole heart and affection; strive earnestly to disengage yourself completely from this earth and all its creatures; and let your sole concern be henceforth to labor to make yourself pleasing to this divine Spouse, and so to prepare yourself for a good and holy death which wings its way toward us.

Since Jesus is your Spouse, my dear daughter, the Mother of Jesus is your mother; therefore cast yourself at her feet to greet and honor her as such, to offer yourself to her, to protest to her that you wish to serve, love and follow her as your most bountiful Mother; and entreat her to protect, bless and guide you as her daughter. Say to her, for these intentions, with all your heart: Monstra te esse Matrem ... three times, and Sub tuum ...

The best things you can do for our dear departed one are to say the holy rosary, offer to God your Holy Communions and the Masses that You hear for him, and above all, have as many Masses said as possible. (3). After having given birth to four children, three boys and a girl, Madame de Camilly made a vow of perpetual chastity, under the guidance Of St. John Eudes and with her husband's consent, and signed the agreement with her blood. Hérambourg, 1, Ch. 13.

All mine will be for him and for our dear brother, Father Le Mesle, whenever I can do so. They will share them between them.

Cordial greetings to all the family.

Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 113

To Madame de Camilly. On the same subject

Paris, November 8, 1661 J. M. J.

What are you doing, my poor dear afflicted child? What are you doing? In what condition are you at this moment? Are you not making any attempt to moderate your grief? Write me a little about your feelings, my dear good daughter. It seems to me that I have not received a letter from you for a long time. I think of you constantly, my incomparable daughter, and your sorrows are always in m y heart.

But if we are not masters of our senses in such bitter anguish, let us try, my beloved daughter, frequently to raise our minds to the i heavenly Father, saying to Him these holy words which His Son Jesus, our most adorable Master, addressed to Him in the most poignant and overwhelming grief that ever was or will be, that we may acquire the spirit of obedience, resignation and love with which this divine Saviour uttered them: "Father, not my will, but thine be done." ( 1 ) Let us repeat those sacred words over and over again, and these, too, which also emanated from the all-loving Heart and adorable lips of this same Jesus: "Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight."(2) Yes, my most kind Father, Thou Who dost all things with infinite wisdom and goodness, I wish all that Thou dost wish, and because such is Thy desire. It is Thou Who didst give me this dear husband, it is Thou Who hast deprived me of him; blessed be Thy name! I sacrifice (1). Luke, 22, 42. (2). Matt 11, 26.

him to Thee to the fullest extent of my will, despite all the feelings and reluctance of human nature, and I wish to repeat what one of Thy handmaids once said on a like occasion: that, because it hath pleased Thee to take him unto Thyself, if it needed but a single hair of my head to restore him to life, I would not give it, with the help of Thy grace. No, my God, for nothing in the world would I wish to do the slightest thing contrary to Thy most adorable will.

0 my Jesus, Who hast sacrificed for me, with an infinite love, a life of which one moment was worth more than all the lives of men and angels, I give myself to that incomprehensible love with which Thou didst make this great sacrifice, and in union with this same love, I sacrifice to Thee with all my heart, not only the life of this dear husband whom Thou didst give me, but also my own life and those of all my children, my father, brother, and all my loved ones. And if I possessed all the lives of angels and men, with the help of Thy holy grace, my Saviour, I should want to sacrifice them all to Thee in thanksgiving for the sacrifice Thou didst make of Thine, through such a frightful death, for the glory of Thy Father and the salvation of all mankind.

0 Mother of Jesus, I honor thee at the foot of the Cross of thy Son, doing in union with Him what He is doing, that is to say, offering and sacrificing Him to His Father, even as He offers and sacrifices Himself. I give myself to Him and to thee, that I may unite myself with the holy dispositions with which thou didst make this sacrifice; and in union with these same dispositions, I wish to immolate for my God, with my Jesus and thee, all that is most precious to me, all that I am, all my capabilities, and a hundred worlds if I possessed them. Compensate for my shortcomings, 0 m y gracious Mother, and do for me in thine own way, that is, most perfectly, what I can do but very imperfectly. I give thee my heart and my will for that purpose, and I consent most willingly to whatever thou mayest do in my name.

0 all ye angels and saints of Jesus, help me, I implore, to make this sacrifice.

That, my beloved daughter, is what I urge you to say and do as best you can, every day from now on; and then make a firm resolution to live henceforth like a true spouse of Jesus, giving Him without reservation your heart, all your affection, your time, and whatever is left of

your life, of which but little remains. These are the principal fruits that He wishes you to gather from your grief, and He desires you to belong wholly to Him. I beseech Him to exert His all-powerful goodness to take complete possession of you.

I am, in the sacred love of the most Holy Heart of Jesus and Mary, my beloved daughter, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 114

To the Community of Our Lady of Charity. On the observance of the

Rules, and the practice of certain virtues

Paris, December 3, 1661 J. M. J.

My dearest Sisters:

May the divine will be our guide in all things.

I give infinite thanks to our most bountiful Jesus and his most Holy Mother for the great blessings they are showering upon your Community. I supplicate them to increase the blessings more and more, and to grant you the grace to make the holy use of them that Jesus and Mary ask of you. To this end I beseech you, my dearest Sisters, to be very faithful and exacting in the observance of your Rules and Constitutions, and in the practice of all the holy virtues, especially humility, obedience, mutual charity, zeal for the salvation of souls, submission to the most holy will of God, pure love for Jesus and a special devotion to His Blessed Mother. That is what your good Mother teaches you daily by her words and example; it is what I have always preached to you, my dearest Sisters, and will preach to you all my life, for our sole occupation in this world is to strive to please God, and that i s the only way to do so. Lastly, I thank you, my dearest Sisters, for your charitable regards; please continue to send them, and rest assured that I never forget you at the holy altar, for, in truth, you are dearer to me in the presence of God than I can tell you.

If I did not consider the most adorable will of God, I should be very weary of Paris, but it i s His will that is keeping me here on necessary business, yours being the most important; if I had no other concern, that alone would detain me. Pray to Our Lord and His most Holy Mother for me, m y dearest Sisters, that they may grant me the grace to do, everywhere and in all things, and at no matter what cost, whatever is most pleasing to them, for I assure you that that is my sole desire. I implore them to dispose of all of you, both the Mother and her daughters, according to their Heart. I n this most Sacred Heart I am and will ever be, my dearest Sisters, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.