Letter XXV. To a Keligious Sistek

He thanks her for a nosegay she had sent him: advice on patience, fidelity, confidence in God and mortification.

MAY our dear crucified Jesus be for ever a bouquet between your "breasts^ my dear daughter. Yes, for

• 2 Cor. xii. 9. t i Cant. i. 12.

those nails of his are more desirable than carna tions, and his thorns than roses. God knows, my daughter, how greatly I desire you to be holy and all sweet-scented with the perfumes of this dear Saviour. This is to thank you for your nosegay, and to assure you that little things are great to me when they come from your heart, to which mine is all devoted, I assure you, my dear daughter.

The Our Father which you say for your headache is not forbidden; but oh! my daughter, no indeed, I should not have the courage to ask Our Saviour by the pains which he had in his head that I should have none in mine. Ah! did he endure that we should not endure? St. Catherine of Sienna, seeing that her Saviour offered her two crowns, the one of gold the other of thorns: — " Oh! I desire the painful one," said she, "for this world, the other shall be for heaven." I would rather use the crowning of Our Lord to obtain a crown of patience around my aching head. Neither is it any harm to eat on the Fridays of Lent nothing which has had life; it savours, however, a little of levity of mind, if done merely on that ground; but if done out of mortification it is good. Live wholly amongst the thorns of the Saviour's crown; and, my daughter, like a nightingale in its bush, sing Vive Jdsus!

I have obeyed your desire, but you will see that this paper of the book has drank all that I have written; and I quite think your heart ' will do the same, for this is the delicious wine of the soul, which holily inebriates and enraptures it.

May this divine and celestial love ever confidently advance; and while observing a loving fidelity and loyalty towards this dear Saviour do not distress your self about not doing well enough: no, my daughter; but acknowledging your lowness and abjection, cast your spiritual care upon the divine goodness, which accepts our little and poor efforts, if they are made with humility, confidence, and loving fidelity. Now I call that a loving fidelity by which we will, as far as depends on us, to forget nothing of what we should think to be most agreeable to the Beloved, and this because we love his pleasure more than we fear his chastisements.

This our flesh is marvellously disinclined for any thing that pricks it, but still the repugnance which you feel does not show any lack of love; for, as I think, if we thought he would love us better flayed we would flay ourselves, not without repugnance but despite repugnance. I should approve that by manner of experiment one should make two or three efforts to overcome oneself, with some little violence, at least now and then; for he who never overrules these repug nances becomes every day more tender of self.

The poor mother of our Visitation is cruelly afflicted with a breaking-out which she has on the mouth; but she rejoices over it, and says that provided she applies her heart to God she finds sweetness in this burning pain. She is a good daughter, and very resigned, and loves you dearly: as so indeed do I, who am all yours in God. My dear daughter, live all in him. Your, &c.

338 Letters tv Persons in Religion. [BOOK iv.