Letter XVI. To a Person of Piety

On humility, resignation, and simplicity: remedies against drowsiness at prayer.

You tell me three good things, my very dear daughter, in the letter which I have received from you, — that you do yourself great violence to keep down the swell ings of your heart and to practise love of abjection;

QO that this is what you are striving after now; and that you have your desires more accommodated to the divine will than formerly. You must be sure always to act so, my dear daughter; for, as Our Lord says: The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away.* The more pains holy humility costs you, the more graces it will give you. Continue, then, courageously to bring down your heart by humility, and to exalt it by charity; for so you will ascend and descend like the angels on the holy ladder of Jacob. Study this lesson deeply, for it is the one lesson of our sovereign Master: Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of hearth How happy will you be, my dear daughter, if you resign yourself fully to the will of Our Lord! Yes; for this holy willing is all good, and its disposing all good. Better can we not walk than under its providence and guidance. But do you know what pleases me? Your saying that you speak to me with open heart. For, my dear daughter, it is a good condition, if we want to advance according to the Spirit, to be open-hearted, and so to make the communication which must be between us faithful and simple. As also Our Lord, who is so greatly pleased to communicate his Spirit to his servants, is, moreover, greatly pleased to see that our spirits communicate themselves one to another, for mutual aid and solace. Walk then so, my dear daughter. And do not distress yourself about your fits of drowsiness, against which you must do two things. One is, often to change your position in prayer; as, to keep the hands some times crossed, sometimes clasped, sometimes folded; sometimes to stand, sometimes to go on your knees,

• Matt. xi. 12. t Ibid. 29.

LET. XVIIL] Previous to Founding of Visitation. 9 1 now on one knee, now on the other, when the drowsiness attacks you. The other thing is, frequently to utter words out loud, interjected more or less amidst your prayer, according as you find yourself more or less beset by these inclinations to doze. May God be ever favourable to you, my dear daughter, in order that you may advance very far forward in his love, for the sake of which I will love you all my life; and recommending myself more and more to your prayers, I am, your humble servant, &c.