Letter VIII. To a Widow Lady

On the Feast of tJie Circumcision.

MY DAUGHTER — I am so greatly pressed that I have not the leisure to write you anything more than the great word of our salvation, JESUS. Yes, my daughter, can we not at least once pronounce that sacred name of

LET. ix.] Letters for Various Festivals. 413 our heart. Oh what a balm would it spread throughout all the powers of our spirit! How happy should we be, my daughter,, to have in our understanding Jesus only, in our imagination Jesus only. Jesus would be everywhere in us and we everywhere in him. Let us make trial of this, my very dear daughter, let us pronounce it as often as we can; and if for the present it is but with stammering, still at last we shall be able to pronounce it properly.

But what is the pronouncing it properly, that sacred name? — for you ask me to speak plainly to you. Alas! my daughter, I do not know. I only know that to express it duly there needs a tongue all of fire; that is, there needs nothing less than love divine, which by itself expresses Jesus in our life by impress ing him in the depths of our heart. But courage, my daughter; undoubtedly we shall love God, for he loves us. Make yourself happy in this, and permit not your soul to be troubled about anything. I am, my dear daughter, I am in this same Jesus, yours most absolutely.