Letters 1–3

Letter 1. To the Duchesse de Beauvilliers. on Meditation and Prayer

I SEND what you ask for, Madame. ... In order to make your prayer profitable, and as earnest ac you desire, it would be well from the beginning to figure to yourself a poor, naked, miserable wretch, perishing oi hunger, who knows but one man of whom he can ask or hope for succour; or a sick person covered with sores and ready to die, unless some pitiful physician will take him in hand and heal him. These are true representations of our condition before God. Your soul is more bare of heavenly treasure than that poor beggar is of earthly possessions; you need them more urgently, and there is none save God of whom you can ask or expect them. Again, your soul is infinitely more sin-sick than that sore-stricken patient, and God alone can heal you. Everything depends on His being moved by your prayers. He is able for all this; but remember that He wills only to do it when He is asked earnestly, and with real importunity.

When once penetrated with this truth, as you ought to be in order to set about prayer rightly, then proceed to read over the subject of your meditation, either in Holy Scripture or in whatever book you may be using. Pause after a verse or two, to follow out such reflections as God may put into your mind. And in order to help forward your beginnings, to rouse your mind from its ordinary inattention, and accustom it to fix upon the subject of meditation, you would do well to make an act of adoration of the Word, God's oracle, by which He teaches us His Will; of thankfulness, that He vouchsafes so to teach us; of humility, because hitherto you have not heeded His teaching better, or profited more by it, examining wherein you have specially neglected it, or are neglecting it, and how far your life has been in conformity or in opposition to it.

It is well, too, to think how Jesus Christ Himself practised the truth or the precept which He is teaching you; how those pious persons whom you yourself know are practising it; how the world neglects it; how you have departed from it, and why? Then lay your shame before God, literally prostrating yourself before Him in the solitude of your closet, and expressing by that outward posture the humiliation of your soul at the spectacle of your faults.

Then reflect upon the occasions which cause you to commit these faults; the best means of avoiding or remedying them; what Jesus Christ justly requires of you, that you may keep from such falls and repair the past; how greatly you are bound to obey, however hard it may seem; how profitable it is to do so, how disgraceful and perilous to leave it undone. Remember that we are weakness itself, as daily experience proves, and offer yourself to Jesus Christ; abhor your cowardice and faithlessness; pray Him to fill your heart with all that He would see in it; ask Him to strengthen this will, so that you may go on doing better and better; trust in His Goodness, and in His solemn promises never to forsake us in time of need. Lean upon His Words, and rest in the hope that He will confirm that which He has wrought in you so far.

In order to make all this plain to you, Madame, I will give you an illustration of what I mean. Supposing the subject of your meditation to be the first words of the 1 7th chapter of S. John, which I was studying just before I began to write to you — Jesus Christ addressing His Father, and saying, " I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine Own Self," etc. — I. Thank Jesus Christ for thus teaching you that you cannot aspire to the glory prepared for ycu by God save by glorifying Him upon earth. This

|Dcticr3 is an unchangeable law, and one expressly taught by our Lord to all His followers in these words. The glory you have rendered to God on earth makes your claim to ask for that glory He has promised you in Heaven, and without it you have no right to aspire thereto.

II. Consider what is meant by glorifying God on the earth. Jesus Christ explains it clearly in the words, " I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." So that to glorify God we must know and perform that which He gives us to do. Every one has his own work, and every one follows it out, but not always that work which God has given him to do. Our only work is that of Jesus Christ — namely, to work out our salvation, for which He worked during all His earthly sojourn. All the work which I undertake from vanity, from a desire to get on in the world, from temper, fancy, taste, selfwill, or human respect, is not that which God has given me to do, and consequently none of this can glorify Him; all such is the work of the world, the flesh, or the devil.

III. The work God has given me to do is to amend whatever is amiss in my natural disposition — that is what He would have me do; correct my faults, sanctify my desires and longings, become more patient, more meek and lowly of heart. This, Madame, is your work; and to make the service of Jesus Christ prominent in your household, to bring up your family solely for Him, to train it in indifference to the world, in gentleness, patience, modesty, and a real love of God. Examine whether you are doing this, and how you are doing it.

IV. To avoid self-delusion, consider how Jesus Christ laboured all His Life at the work which His Father gave Him to do — unremittingly, never pausing for a moment — and draw your own example thence. If your God could devote His whole Life unbrokenly to you, what should not you do for Htm? How ashamed you should be at having hitherto done so little — might one not wellnigh say nothing? Humble yourself deeply for this.

V. Consider what the Saints have done, and are still setting before you as an example. The work which God gave them to do was often much harder than that which He gives you. They had fewer means and helps towards accomplishing it than you have; they were as weak, and subject to as many difficulties and hindrances, yet they achieved their end. Acknowledge your own lack of energy in this matter; condemn your negligence. Thank God for the helps He has given you, ask His forgiveness for having used them hitherto so little and so badly, and offer yourself to Jesus Christ, asking His Grace henceforth to use them better.

VI. If we reflect upon all that we have done during our life, we may perhaps discover that it has all tended to ruin God's work, both in ourselves and in others, and

Spiritual to promote the work of sin and of the devil. When have we done that which God required of us, and how have we done it? When have we refused to follow the dictates of self-will and natural temper, and how much have we given way to them? How deep should be our regret and shame at seeing that we have done little or nothing to glorify God, but that our chief work has been dishonouring Him on earth! What a grief to have worked nearly all our life, and that, too, with satisfaction, against God and for the devil! Can we endure such a sight, or think upon a life so misused, without the deepest indignation against self, and sorrow before God?

VII. My God, has my occupation been to frustrate Thy work? Have I employed money, health, influence, intellect, authority, knowledge, position to Thy dishonour, and to the overthrow of that which Thou wateredst with Thine Own Blood? Have I found delight in that which cost Thee Thy Life? In spite of all Thy warnings, I have sold myself to Thy enemy, to promote his glory rather than Thine, without hope of reward, without prospect, save endless misery! Who could follow out such thoughts, Madame, without bitter grief? Neither reading nor argument is needed for one who realises all this duly. Let it sink into your heart, and cherish so wholesome a sorrow. Then go into further detail.

VIII. I soeak and act on behalf of the devil whenever facilitation 7

I say or do that which is prompted by any evil temper; I set forward his work, and overthrow that of Jesus Christ within me, the work which He has begun by giving me a will and wish to do better. How, O my God, canst Thou bear with me, when I can scarce bear with myself? Dare I destroy within me the work which has cost Thee so dear in order to indulge my temper, or the passions which I know to be evil and unreasonable? Gentleness is Thy work, my God, and it is the work Thou hast given me to do. I cannot glorify Thee save by striving after and fulfilling it in myself. I will do so, my God; help me to persevere by Thy Mercy. Rather may all belonging to my home and family be upset than Thy work, and that by my own weakness!

IX. I will then give myself up to this one endeavour, since it is what Thou requires! of me. O God, am I called to put up with being badly served? I will do so gladly, if only I can thereby serve Thee well. My work is not to be well served, but to serve Thee well, to be gentle and patient under all that puts me out In this way I can glorify Thee on earth; in this way only I can hope one day to be glorified of Thee in Heaven.

There are a thousand like matters in daily life, which I cannot enumerate here, but which you can see for yourself how to deal with, so as to seek in prayer for strength from God to amend what is amiss and confirm

8 ^ptritital fitter* what is good. When you feel any of these things keenly, let God's Holy Spirit have full play in you, without interruption of reading or vocal prayer. But if your devout thoughts evaporate, and others come distracting you, humble yourself before God, and ask Him to fix your mind, and try to recollect yourself. If, nevertheless, such distractions return, then take your book, and go on to another point, making similar acts and reflections upon it.

At the end of your meditation, before leaving off, always ask God's forgiveness for your shortcomings, and be sure that even if you have been in a wellnigh continuous state of distraction, you will not have lost the time if you leave off more humble than before. Gather up whatever has touched you most, and go over it often during the day; that is the real way of " praying always." And if you can, renew the meditation more or less at night; it will help to stamp God's truths on your heart, and be very effectual. It will be well to begin your day with this. Take time for it before you dress, so as not to be hurried afterwards; but renew your meditation afterwards if you have time, and while dressing you can let your mind dwell upon what you have been meditating.

As to the very distracting occupations amid which you are of necessity placed, I must confess, Madame, that it would be desirable to be free from them. But as that is impossible, I would observe that whenever we have any trouble or care in our heads, we carry it everywhere about with us, and nothing can turn us aside from it; so if you are really sorry for your faults, and have a fixed resolution to please God and attain to salvation, nothing will be able to turn you from it All your meditations should bear upon this.

The things which distract you the most are your duties with respect to the Queen, your father, and other relations. But indeed, Madame, all this may be of the greatest help to you in shaking off the distractions of which you complain. You did not seek office about her Majesty: you were called to it by God's Providence, and therefore it is a work committed to you by Him, and you must fulfil it in obedience to Him. The only thing to fear is lest you should lose sight of God and substitute vanity, pleasure, self-interest, or any merely earthly motives, and turn God's work into a sinful, selfish work. Your remedy is to reject all such if they molest you, abiding stedfastly in the performance of that which God has committed to you, and doing it as He would have it done.

What need hinder you, Madame, amid the worries of a household, from lifting up your heart to God continually, just as your people obey your orders, trying to please you as far as possible, bearing what vexes them in silence, io Spiritual Betters delighted when you are satisfied? They only think and work for you, and you would not retain them long in your household if they forgot what is due to you, and thought only of themselves. And just what they all do for you in your house, you should do for God in your own position. Learn of your own domestics to be prompt in obeying His orders, in setting aside all that could offend Him, in correcting whatever may displease Him, in bearing such contradictions as He sends without complaint, in receiving correction humbly and gratefully, in thinking and toiling incessantly at the task He sets you; and so doing, the very things which ordinarily distract will promote your recollection, and lift your heart to God. And always remember, that just as you would not keep a servant who habitually neglected his work, or did it carelessly, so God will not tolerate a handmaid who does nothing, or does the work He sets her negligently or indifferently.

Everything which surrounds us in the world may tend to keep up our sense of the Presence of God. Truly the world has not much that is good, but somewhat there is, and that of itself leads us to thank God, and ask Him to strengthen those who do it, and lead us in the same paths. Evil abounds, and we continually come across it. But if you have any leaning to what is right, you will shrink from evil directly it encounters you, and there is fHixtng roitl) t!)e SeEorli) n not much fear lest it should take you by surprise. You dare not approve or commend it There is more danger from certain evils which are less obviously abhorrent, and at which the world is wont to laugh and be entertained; and this, Madame, should be your real dread. Far from sharing any such noxious worldly amusement, you must grieve with all your heart that the children of God can find pleasure in that which caused our Dear Lord mortal grief. You must thank God for having called you forth from such a state, and fear lest He should leave you to fall back into the reprobate mind you see in others. Such thoughts as these will keep you from entering into the world's wickedness, or being contaminated by it. This is that "pure religion and undefiled" which S. James says " keeps itself unspotted from the world."

As to vocal prayers, of which you have none which are obligator)- ; say them slowly, striving to enter into the feelings excited by the words you repeat. Dwell upon their meaning, giving yourself time to do so thoroughly. Never be in a hurry to finish. Far better say half a Psalm well, than to run hastily through several. If any necessity interrupts, stop where you are, without being disturbed, and when you have leisure, begin again where you left off.

Never go to Holy Mass without thinking of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ at which you are going to assist.

Try to obtain true contrition for your faults, which required that God should shed His Blood to cleanse them. Let your external modesty, and your devout attention to the holy ceremony, testify the spirit in which you approach it. I say nothing about the care you should take to restrain wandering glances, and whatever may distract your mind; this is the first thing to be done, and I am quite sure that you do it.

On the days that you go to confession, take your morning meditation time partly for self-examination, and trie rest (which should always be the larger part) for asking due contrition and grace to amend. This is a good preparation. A still better is to keep more strict watch than usual over yourself for two or three days beforehand, performing some voluntary penance and good work while asking God for that sorrow for sin which you need. And when the week's record contains nought save sins of infirmity, I am not sure that it is necessary for you to confess them, or that it would not be better only to do as I have just said, for fear of making a meie habit of confession, and performing it sometimes without as much preparation as is to be desired. But this must depend upon the benefit you derive from more or less frequent confession, since that is what ought to regulate frequenting the Sacraments.

On the days when you communicate, you should pray of the JJacramtnte 13 more than at other times. Remember that you do but receive Jesus offered in that Sacrifice to the end that you may offer and sacrifice yourself with Him, and live by His Life. He is full of life in the Sacrament, and He gives us life by it, but it is the life of a Victim. He feels the injuries done to Him therein, and bears them without displaying His Grief or His Power. This is the spirit of patience and of a Victim which you should receive if you communicate rightly. All your Communions must tend to this point. How much this requires of you!

Do not trust to your good intentions if they are barren and without result. Labour bravely to become gentle and humble of heart. If you commit any fault, and are able at once to withdraw to your closet, go and prostrate yourself on the ground before God, and ask forgiveness. Your sorrow and humiliation of heart will win you grace to be more faithful another time. Continually imitate our Lord's silence when He was maltreated by both judges and people. If something is done amiss which only affects you personally, and what is due to yourself, bear it silently. If any hasty word has escaped you, after inward humiliation for it, make amends by speaking kindly, and doing some little act of kindness, if possible, to those whom you have treated rudely. Never forget how God has dealt and does deal with you continually, how gently and patiently. Let that be your example;

learn from Him how to deal with others. Do not be disheartened by your falls. Inasmuch as they clearly point out your weak places, they ought to make you more humble, and more diligent in self-watchfulness and in constant recourse to God as a matter of preservation.

When you meditate, think that it is Jesus Christ Who is about to speak with you, and that concerning the most important of all concerns. Listen to Him accordingly. Read but little at once, and meditate much upon the truths you read. See how far and how earnestly you follow them. Ask Jesus Christ to speak to your inmost heart, and then to teach you what the book sets before you externally. If you find any severe condemnation of some one of your own faults, thank God for this merciful and unsparing rebuke, and pray Him yet further to correct you. Read Holy Scripture as much as you can, and such books as impress you most deeply. It is a good plan to mark the passages which strike you most, so as to repeat them at intervals during the day, and renew the feelings they kindled in you. When you have finished reading, always end with a short prayer, and ask God to enable you to practise what you have read when occasion offers.

Letter 2. To the Comtesse de Gramont. on the Difficulties of a Worldly Life

[Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of the Marquis of Hamilton and Mary Butler, his wife. She was born in ij4i, and married Philibert Comte de Gramont in 1660. This lady was a dame-du-palais to the Queen Marie Therese, and being of a devout mind, soon placed herself under Fenelon's direction. In 1692 the Comte de Gramont had a severe illness, to which reference is made in some of the following letters. His wife made use of the opportunities thus afforded for winning him to think of religion. In the Journal de Dangeau it is mentioned that the Comte was so ignorant of the very rudiments of devotion, that when his wife repeated the Lord's Prayer by his side, he exclaimed, " Comtesse, say that again; it is a beautiful prayer. Who made it? " After this time Fenelon's counsels seem to have been as valuable and as acceptable to her husband as to the Comtesse, and they.both retained a staunch friendship for him through all the period of his disgrace at Court. Their correspondence was continued for many years. The following twentyeight letters are all addressed to this lady.]

PARIS, June n (no year dated). I WAS out of town, Madame, when you wrote to me from your hermitage, or I should not have failed to obey your summons. . . . One thing is certain, namely, that I daily ask with all my heart that you may have all the recollection and faithfulness to God's Holy Spirit which you need to conquer the difficulties of your position. You have much to fear, both from within and from without. From without, the world smiles on you, and that side of the world which is most adapted to flatter your pride fosters it by all the consideration you are held in at Court. Then within, you have to conquer your taste for a refined life, your haughty, disdainful temperament, and a long-formed habit of dissipation. All this put together is a torrent likely to carry you away in spite of all your good resolutions. The real remedy for so many difficulties is to snatch, in spite of everything that hinders you, some fixed hours for prayer and reading. You know what I have more than once told you about this. I pray our Lord rather to take you from all, than to let you fall a prey to the world.

Letter 3. On a Scandal Lately Arisen

I HEAR, Madame, that the scandal just burst forth has renewed the natural trouble which such affairs have

StlorlMi) £cani)al 17 caused you before. I sympathise exceedingly in all that grieves you. The thing I mind most in these unhappy events is that the world, always too ready to think evil of good people, assumes that there are none such on the earth. Some rejoice to think so, and triumph maliciously; others are troubled, and, in spite of a certain desire for what is good, they hold aloof from piety out of mistrust of the pious. People are astonished to see a man who has seemed to be religious, or who, more correctly speaking, has been really converted while living in solitude, relapse into old ways and habits on being once more confronted with the world. Did they not know before that men are frail, that the world is full of contagion, and that weak human beings can only stand upright by shunning occasions of falling? What new thing has happened? Surely this is a great fuss about the fall of a rootless tree, on which every wind blew! After all, are there not hypocrites in honesty as well as in religion to be found in the world? and ought we to conclude that there are no honest people because we find some false? When the world triumphs over a scandal like this, it shows how little it knows about mankind or about virtue. We may well be grieved at such a scandal, but those who know the depths of human frailty, and how even the little good we do is but as a borrowed thing, will be surprised at nothing. Let him who stands upright tremble lest he

1 8 Spiritual Better* fall; let him who is prostrate, wallowing in the mire, not triumph because he sees one fall who seemed able to stand alone. Our confidence is neither in frail men nor in ourselves, as frail as others; it is in God only, the One Unchanging Truth. Let all mankind prove themselves to be mere men — that is to say, nought save falsehood and sin; let them be carried away by the torrent of iniquity, still God's Truth will not be weakened, and the world will but show itself as more hateful than ever in having corrupted those who were seeking after virtue.

As to hypocrites, time always unmasks them, and they are sure to expose themselves one way or another. They are hypocrites only with the object of enjoying the fruits of their hypocrisy. Either their life is sensual and pleasure-seeking, or their conduct self-interested and ambitious. One sees them cajoling, flattering, playing all manner of parts, whereas real virtue is simple, singleminded, free from empressement or mystery; it does not rise and fall, it is never jealous of the success or reputation of others. It does the smallest amount of wrong that it can, lets itself be criticised in silence, is content with small things, is free from cabals, manoeuvres, pretensions. Take it or leave it, it is always the same. Hypocrisy may imitate all this, but very roughly. If it deceives any one, it will be only through their lack of perception or of experience in real virtue. People who in Action 19 do not understand diamonds, or who do not examine them closely, may take false stones to be real; but all the same there are such things as real diamonds, and it is not impossible to distinguish them. One thing is true, and that is, that in order to trust fair-seeming people, we should be able to recognise their conduct as simple, stedfast, solid, and well tried under difficulty, free from affectation, while firm and vigorous in all that is essential.