Letter XI. To a Lady

Detachment and littleness the spirit of the Visitation.

IF divine Providence make use of you, my dear daughter, you ought to humble yourself greatly, and to rejoice, but to rejoice in this sovereign goodness,

1 1 , which, as you know, has made it clear to you that it wishes to have you vile and abject in your own eyes, by the consolations which it has given you in the attempts which you have made to lower and abase yourself. No, indeed, my dear daughter, I shall not be in anxiety about your direction if you walk by that path, for God will be your guide, and, moreover, you will not be without persons to give you counsel in this, according to your desire. I am writing to Father Grangier, whom also I ask you to salute very affectionately from me, assuring him of my humble service.

You do extremely well to testify a very absolute indifference, the more so because it is the true spirit of our poor Visitation to keep oneself very abject and little, and to esteem oneself as nothing except in so far as it shall please God to look upon our abjection, and hence to have in esteem and honour all other forms of living in God, and, as I have said, to be amongst other congregations what the violet is among flowers — low, little, of unpretending colour. And let it suffice such a one that God has created her for his service, and that she may yield some little good odour in the Church, so that all which is most to the glory of God may be followed, loved, and persevered in. This is the rule of all true servants of God.

It is without doubt to the great glory of God that there is a Congregation of the Visitation in the world, for it is useful unto some particular effects which are special to it; wherefore, my dear daughter, we ought to love it. But if there are more exalted people, who also have grander aims, we ought to serve and reverence them very heartily when occasion presents itself.

LET. xin.] Earlier Letters to Visitation. 113

I shall then await more particular news from you about the service which you can render to this new plant. If God wills it to be a plant of the Visitation, and a second Visitation, may his goodness be ever glorified for it.

I am very glad that you lodge at the Ursulines; it is one of the congregations which my spirit loves. Salute them again from me, and assure them of my affection for their service as to all that lies in my power, which, however, will never be anything, because of what I am.

Keep closely, my dear daughter, within the enclosure of our sacred resolutions. They will keep your heart if your heart keeps them with humility, simplicity, and confidence in God. — Your most humble and affectionate brother and servant.