Letters 206–220

Letter 206

To King Louis XIV. The Saint disclaims Father Boniface's petition, and requests

an audience. ( 1 )

November 7, 1678 Sire:

It is the most insignificant of your subjects who returns from death's door, where he still lingers, having been brought to that pass by a grievous illness. But God has not permitted me to leave this world with the hideous brand which was placed on my forehead by the accusation of having presented to our Holy Father, the Pope,(2) a petition offensive to your Majesty's interests. I can assure you, indeed, that this accusation has in its way been more bitter, in this extremity, than death itself which hovered before my eyes, since I should prefer to be (lead (1)This letter is of November 7, 1678. It was addressed to Bishop Auvry of Coutances with the plea to have it delivered to Louis X1V; but scarcely had it been sent when St. John Eudes wrote Bishop Auvry that he should examine it to see if the moment was opportune to have it given to the King. Therefore, we do not know whether or not it was ever delivered to the King. (2). Innocent XI (1676-1689).

Letters and Shorter Worm 263

than to do anything displeasing to him who represents on earth the King of heaven. Before Him I protest that the petition in question never entered my mind.

I implore your Majesty to be mindful that it is a priest who has the honor of addressing you; one who, for more than fifty years, has daily offered to God the sacrifice of the adorable body and precious blood of Him Who is eternal Truth. It is Christian charity to give some credence to his words rather than to judge and condemn him as a liar and an imposter, seeing that I am ready to affirm what I say by every means by which a Christian can confirm a truth, and that I openly proclaim that I disown and detest that petition with my whole heart. I should prefer to forfeit a thousand lives than do anything contrary to the least of your Majesty's interests. I most humbly entreat your Majesty to banish the memory of that miserable petition, even as you desire the Saviour of souls to destroy utterly whatever might stand in the way of your eternal happiness. Permit me to come to prostrate myself at your feet in order to protest to you by word of mouth that I am, with the most profound respect, Sire, your Majesty's . . .

Letter 207

To Mother St. Gabriel. On an illness of which God has cured him

November 7, 1678 My sins brought down upon me an illness which carried me to the brink of death. But He Who holds the keys of life and death has postponed my death and preserved my life, that I may have time to reform and begin a new life. It is what I most ardently desire, and I beg Our Lord and His most Holy Mother to grant me that grace and to let me begin to love them as I should, for I do not know if I have yet begun. Help me, my dearest Sister, to love them in that way.

Letter 208

To Madame d'Argouges.(1) On the projected establishment of the Daughters of Our Lady of

Charity in Paris. ( 2 )

[1678] J. M. J.

Madame:

Here are your good nuns of Our Lady of Charity who have the honor to join you, that they may carry out whatever orders it may please you to issue. They are the Daughters of Most Amiable Heart of the Mother of God, and they are also the daughters of your most kind heart, since that glorious Virgin has given you a mother's heart and love toward them. They are going to Paris to search for lost souls, in imitation of Our Saviour Who says of Himself that He came to seek and to save those who were lost. Of all divine things, the most divine, says St. Dionysius, is to cooperate with God in the salvation of souls. For that reason, Madame, you can do nothing more pleasing to His Divine Majesty than to provide the employment you intend to give these good girls. All the souls who may be saved through their mediation will honor you, after God, in heaven as the cause of their salvation, and you will have a very singular share of their glory. To win a soul for God is greater than to conquer a hundred thousand worlds, for a single soul is of higher value than that many worlds. That is why you will be wealthy in heaven beyond all power of speech or imagination. (1). Wife of the first president of the Parliament of Brittany. (2). "This letter bears no date, but it can have been written only in 1678. As a matter of fact, in that year a plan for an establishment in Paris, prepared by President d'Argouges, failed, for reasons unknown to us. The sisters were to leave Caen, and Mother Mary of the Trinity Heurtaut left her monastery at Guingamp in order to join them. This letter of St. John Eudes was undoubtedly intended to announce their departure from Caen and their arrival in Paris . . . Madame d'Argouges was in no way discouraged by this failure. She continued her proceedings, and in 1682 she was able to staff the St. Pélagie house with Mother Mary of the Trinity and several sisters who had come either from Guingamp or from Caen." Ory, The Origin of the Order of Our Lady of Charity, p. 628.

But what shall I say to you, Madame, to show my gratitude for your kindnesses toward m y beloved sisters? I have no words capable of doing this; but I do have an overwhelming confidence that our most benign Saviour and His most kind Mother will make up my deficiency by repaying you a hundred thousand times for all the effects of the charity and tenderness with which you honor these sisters. All my life I shall beg them to do so, as well as to shower their most holy blessings increasingly upon you, Mr. dArgouges and all that is yours. I assure you, Madame, that I will never say Holy Mass without addressing to them this earnest prayer. In them and for their sakes, Madame, I remain Your most humble, obedient and grateful servant, JOHN EUDES, priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.

Letter 209

To Reverend Father Louis Francis d'Argentan, a Capuchin. On his book, Les

Grandeurs de la Saint Vierge

[1678] Most Reverend Father:

I am doing myself the honor of writing you to render you infinite thanks for the admirable book you have written on the glories of the Blessed Virgin. I am preaching it to everyone. Would to God it were in the hands of all Christians, and that they took as much delight in reading it as I do! . . . Blessed be the hand which has written so worthily of the greatness of the Mother of our Saviour! Blessed be the head and heart whence have sprung such beautiful truths! Oh, how wretched and hateful is the tongue which dares to pronounce anathemas against those who have devotion for our lovable Mother! It is against her enemies that all the anathemas should be fulminated, particularly against those who hide themselves in their house whenever one knocks at their door, crying out that they are not there, only to surprise the passers-by and slaughter them. 0 my dearest Father, if I were now at your feet, you could not prevent me from kissing them, no matter how much you protested.

Letter 210

To Father Ralph de Bon.(1) To inform him of his appointment as Superior of

the Evreux Seminary

[Spring of 1679] What comforts me is the sight of the most adorable will of God which does everything for the best, and my belief that you will gladly submit yourself to the decrees of that divine will which has chosen you to replace our dear departed superior. It is what I beg of you, my dearest brother, while venturing to assure you that Our Lord and His most Holy Mother will be with you, managing their house through you and giving you all the enlightenment and graces necessary for that purpose. Accept this post, therefore, from their hand, or rather from their most charitable Heart; and accept it corde magno et animo volenti, with a fervent desire to govern their family according to their spirit, which is one of humility, kindness, charity and meekness. (1). Father de Bon (1640-1680) entered the Congregation Of Jesus and Mary in 1670. He was appointed to the Rouen Seminary and then to that of Evreux. On Much 3, 1679 he succeeded Father de la Haye as Superior of Evreux. He died on April 17, 1680. Cf. Les Fleurs de Is Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, Vol. 1, p. 58.

Letter 211

To Father Richard Dufour,(1) His Secretary. The Saint gives an account

of his audience with Louis XIV

Paris, June 17, 1679 Yesterday I had the honor of seeing the King at Saint Germain. It happened in this way: I was ushered into the King's room, where I found myself surrounded by a large group of bishops, priests, dukes, (1). Born at Clinchamps in the diocese of Coutances, Normandy, Father Dufour ( 1 6 2 7 - 1 6 9 6 ) entered the Congregation of Jesus and Mary in 1657. For many years he was the Saint’s secretary and copied his letters and the Constitutions of the Congregation. He died on December 8, 1696 at the age of 69 years. Cf. Fleurs, Vol. 1, P. 132

counts, marquises, marshals of France and King's guards. His Lordship of Paris took me to one corner of the room. When the King made his entrance, he walked by all these great lords and came directly Up to me, his expression full of kindness. Then I began to speak to him of our affair and he listened most attentively, with an air of being very glad to hear what I was telling him.

"Sire, I have come to your Majesty's feet to render you my most humble thanks for your kindness in granting me the honor and consolation of seeing you once more before I die, and to protest to you that there is no man in this world who has more zeal and fervor than I where your Majesty's service and interests are concerned. This is the sentiment in which I desire to spend and use the little time left me in this life. I also beg of you most humbly, Sire, to honor us with your royal protection, and to continue to reward us with your graces and favors. This is what I hope from that wonderful benevolence which rejoices and delights the hearts of all who have the honor of speaking to your Majesty, and which never fails to send them away full of joy and comfort." When the King had heard these things, he said to me:

"I am very pleased to see you. I have heard about you. I feel quite sure that you are doing a great deal of good in my States. Continue to work as you have been doing. I shall be very pleased to see you again, and will protect you on whatever occasions may arise." Those were the words of the King, which filled me with an unspeakable gratification, and were overheard by his Lordship of Paris and all the lords who were present. They were amazed to see such a great King speak so gently and kindly to the most insignificant of all men.

Thereupon I went to say Mass at the Franciscans. Then I was invited to dine with the almoners, who received me with marked kindness and charity.

Write to all the superiors of our houses, in my name, that I beg of them to do three things: first, to make an octave of thanksgiving to Our Lord and His most Holy Mother for the splendid success of this affair; secondly, to pray a great deal for the King and all the royal house, for their Lordships of Paris and Coutances; thirdly, to make

a firm resolution henceforth to love and serve our benign Saviour and His most Holy Mother with more fervor than ever before, through the practice of the holy virtues ...

Letter 212

To Father Ralph de Bon, Superior of the Seminary at Evreux. On a

loss he had suffered

February 16, 1680. As for the twelve hundred livres,(1) we must first of all sacrifice them to God. After that; however, I am of the opinion that you should have a novena of Masses for the Dead said for the souls in Purgatory, in order to enlist their aid in recovering the money. (1). The money has been stolen or lost. Cf. Fleurs de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, Vol. 1, p. 60.

Letter 213

To a Superior of Missionaries. On the course to follow in giving

Missions

What should console and encourage you is that Our Lord is in your midst (on your missions) in a very special way, according to His promise: "Behold I am with you all days."(2) Not only is He with you, but He is in you, too, in order to continue that same work of the redemption of souls which He Himself began. Dwell also in Him, dearest brother, and to that end strive to put aside your own self and renounce it vigorously, that you may withdraw into Our Lord and give yourself completely to Him, since outside of Him you can do nothing but in Him (1). All letters from 213 to the end of this collection are taken from the biographies of the Saint o r from Les Annales de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie. There are no references in them that would help to discover the date when they were written by the Saint. (2). Matt. 28, 20.

you can do all things. Remember that to preach is to make God speak, and consequently he who preaches should be destroyed so that God may be everything in him. Take great care, therefore, to annihilate yourself at the feet of Our Lord before ascending the pulpit, and to give yourself to Him, imploring Him to annihilate you Himself and establish Himself within you, so that it may be He Who speaks, for to Him and Him alone belongs the privilege of preaching His Father's word.

Try also, dearest brother, always to pray a little, and to read your Breviary and say Mass with recollection.

Please be careful of your health, and to that end I urge you never to preach longer than one hour at a time. I also recommend to you the health of our dear brothers. See to it that they all return from the church at the same time, that they may have their meals together. Have the indisposed say early Mass, and above all, see that they retire at nine o'clock in the evening to get the rest they need.

Recommend interior piety and exterior modesty to them frequently, and that they give themselves often to Our Lord in order to accomplish His work in His spirit, that is, in the interior and exterior dispositions with which He performed all His actions when He was on earth. I beseech them all to give themselves earnestly to Him in order to perform the divine actions-and by that I mean sacerdotal functions digne Deo, that they may deal with sinful souls in a spirit of charity and meekness, and live and converse with one another with respect and brotherly love, "not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men’s," (3) Particularly do I urge them to hold in extreme horror and to shun more than death and hell itself the slightest shadow of that abominable vice which shall be nameless, and therefore to exercise the utmost reserve toward persons of the opposite sex.

I bless God infinitely for all the graces He bestows upon you during your missions. If the attendance is not so large at the current One, do not let that discourage you. If there are not many people there at first, there will be more later on. And remember, too, that a single soul is a whole world in the sight of God, and that Our Lord Himself stopped to preach to one lone woman. Furthermore, self-love and vanity, which interfere even in the works of God, must be mortified. Be camful, how (3). Phil. 2, 4

ever, to devote just as much attention and preparation to your preaching, for in those circumstances it is necessary to be even more diligent and fervent.

Letter 214

To a Benedictine Abbess. The Saint asks her not to suppress the feast

of the Holy Heart of Mary in her monastery

Madame, although I do not have the honor of being known to you, I am nevertheless venturing to take the liberty of writing to you, to acquaint you with my sorrow upon learning that you not only have abolished the feast of the Holy Name of Mary in your monastery, but have also determined to suppress the feast of her Holy Heart.

0 Madame I What are you doing? The abbesses preceding you, who were so full of wisdom and virtue, established those feasts as a consequence of their singular devotion for the glorious Virgin, and you are destroying the work of their piety I What will they say to you on the day of judgment?

What are you doing, Madame? God in His goodness established these two feasts in your house, like twin fountains of graces and blessings, and you are draining them dry! The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Heart of Mary were two impregnable towers to shelter the souls of the abbess and her daughters from their enemies, and you are destroying them! You are striking and wounding the Heart of the Mother of pure love! You are excommunicating her most venerable name and pleasing Heard You arc driving them out of your house! After all that, how will you dare to appear before her presence? Have you no fear at all that her Son, Who is acutely sensitive to the slightest offenses committed against His dear Mother, may fulminate some terrible excommunication against you, and that they may close the door of their house against you? They gave you their Hearts, which are but a single Heart through unity of spirit, to be your heart, your treasure and your consolation, and you are rejecting it! How will you continue to live without a heart? Will you not henceforth deserve to be called, in

the words of the Prophet Osee, "a dove that is decoyed,"(1) no longer possessing a heart? The Mother of God gave you her Heart as an asylum in all your troubles, an immense treasure filled with an infinity of benefits, according to these words of a holy prelate of your Order: "a fountain of infinite good." And yet you want none of them, preferring to lose them I You arc abolishing a holy feast founded on the approbation of a great number of illustrious prelates, by authority of a legate a latere and on the immovable rock of the apostolic Holy See, and authorized by a great number of Holy Fathers, celebrated theologians, and even several great saints and a number of very learned men of the Order of St. Benedict, all of whom have left us obvious proofs of their devotion to this most benevolent Heart during their lives here on earth, and who are now celebrating its praises in heaven. Do you think, Madame, that you will do better to subscribe to the sentiments of men who are still in the darkness, rather than to those of the saints who are enlightened by the wisdom of heaven and educated by the doctrines of Jesus Christ? For He Himself desired to be the first to preach this devotion, having taught it to St. Mechtilde, a nun of your holy Order. If you condemn this feast, now that it has existed for several years in your monastery, it is gready to be feared that you may not celebrate it with the saints who will solemnize it in heaven for all eternity.

In God's name, Madame, consider these things seriously and accept them from the hand which offers them to you, that of purest charity, and as coming from one who has all conceivable respect for you. (1). Osee, 7, 11

Letter 215

To a nun of the Order of St. Benedict. To become humble, but not

discouraged, because of her shortcomings

No, my dear Sister, as long as we remain on earth we shall never be entirely free from the shortcomings and imperfections of the world. 0 earth, how unbearable thou art! 0 abode of sin and misfortune, wilt

thou hold us here yet a long time? 0 Jesus, wilt Thou not call us Soon to join Thee? Tell us, most amiable Jesus, when will there no longer remain anything in us that is contrary to Thy love? When shall we love Thee perfectly? Let us hasten, my dear Sister, to labor for the ac. complishment of God's work in ourselves, so that we may soon leave this place of darkness and horror to enter into the kingdom of eternal love.

Furthermore, let us always humble ourselves a great deal in view of our shortcomings; but at the same time, let us cast off ourselves, flee from ourselves as from a place filled with all sorts of evils and miseries, that we may enter into Jesus Who is our house of refuge, our treasure in which we possess every kind of wealth and shall find all types of virtues and perfections to offer His eternal Father in satisfaction for our sins and imperfections. If we dwell within ourselves, we shall find nothing therein save every cause for grief and sadness; but if we emerge from ourselves in order to ascend to Jesus, we shall behold in Him so many delights, grandeurs, perfections and wonders that, i f we truly love Him, we shall rejoice exceedingly in the sight of these things, exclaiming with the Blessed Virgin: Exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo, "My spirit hath rejoiced in God m y Saviour."(1)

That is one of the uses we should make of our defects. 0 blessed shortcomings, if I may so express it, when they give us cause to cast ourselves aside in order to ascend to Jesus and unite ourselves with Him Who alone is free from shortcomings and imperfections! Belong to Him alone; remain wholly and for ever in Him.

In this same Jesus I am devotedly yours, and ever more and more.

Live Jesus and Mary. (1). Luke 1, 47.

Letter 216

To Two Religious of Montmartre. On crosses and afflictions

I am writing you this, my dearest daughters, to assure you that I feel your crosses very keenly, that is, humanly speaking. For, speaking as a

Christian, I shall tell you that the greatest cause for joy that we can ever have on earth is to be crucified with our amiable Saviour.

Human nature does not begin to understand such language, but it is an article of faith that therein is the sovereign good of Christian souls. So true is this that the saints in heaven who suffered the greatest torments here on earth would very gladly exchange the glory and joys they possess i n heaven for the sufferings they endured in the world, if God allowed them to do so. That is why I give infinite thanks to divine Bounty for the holy dispositions which fill your hearts in this circumstance. Courage, my dearest daughters, rejoice; rejoice because our dearest Jesus is granting you a share i n the one thing in this world that He most dearly loved, and of which His Holy Mother had the greatest share. You must not doubt that I am doing my very best for you in the presence of God.

Letter 217

To a Religious of Montmartre. On the crosses and afflictions of one of

her sisters in religion

I beseech my dearest daughter to help me to love God She has much, indeed, for which to show Him great love. For just as the greatest love He manifested for us was in His sufferings, so also the greatest love we can show for Him is to suffer for His love. Oh, if the seraphim were capable of jealousy, they would surely be jealous at the sight of the sorrows of our dear sister, and I venture to say that they would gladly exchange the delights of the glory that is theirs for the greatest torments that can be endured on earth. I give infinite thanks to our most adorable Crucified Saviour for allowing this dear sister to participate in His most sacred crown of thorns, and for the grace He i s giving her to make such good use of her sufferings. I urge her always to continue to bear them with all possible humility, resignation and love.

Letter 218

To a Nun of the Order of St. Benedict. On the good use to be made of

her headaches

It is a special favor that our most adorable Crucified is granting you in still allowing you your headaches so that, by this means~ you may pay some small measure of honor to His divine head crowned with thorns. Exercise the utmost care, my dearest daughter, to use this illness to the best possible advantage by supporting it with humility, submis. sion to the divine will and love for Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.

Letter 219

To a Religious of Montmartre. On the love of God

I thank you, my dearest daughter, for your charitable letter. I am indeed delighted to see that you are persevering in your desire to love our most amiable Saviour and His dearest Mother more and more. I very humbly supplicate them to cast all of you, that is to say, Madame(1) and all her daughters, who are my dearest sisters, into the innermost depths of the furnace of divine love. I do this daily for you, insofar as I am able, with a most ardent desire for all of you to be inflamed, devoured and consumed by the sacred flames of that divine furnace. From the depths of my soul do I cry out, de prof undis clamavi, for each and every one of you: Hear, hear, 0 great furnace of love! I t is a tiny wisp of straw that begs thee most earnestly to be cast, engulfed, lost, devoured, consumed for ever in Thy sacred flames.

The divine Heart of Jesus and Mary is this furnace whose fires and flames are fed only on hearts. Oh, how happy are the hearts which lose themselves in these divine flames! But they require hearts that are humble, pure, detached, charitable, faithful, obedient, inflamed with an at (1). Madame de Lorraine, Abbess of Montmartre.

dent desire to please God, and utterly filled with trust in the infinite goodness of the Son of Mary and the incomparable benignity of the Mother of Jesus.

Letter 220

To Reverend Mother St. Gabriel, a Religious of Montmartre. On trust

in Mary

I thank you with all my heart, my dearest daughter, for the immense love you bear our most amiable Mother whose name is Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Continue to grow in this holy love, m y dear daughter, and strive to make her loved by everyone of your acquaintance. Have no fears; the good and powerful Mother of God has never failed, and will never fail, the needs of those who love and serve her, and who, after God, have put all their trust in her incomparable goodness. But she has her own seasons and moments, and we must await them with patience and submission to the will of her Son, which is also her own will .