Letter XII. To Mother de Chastel

Consolation and remedies in temptations to impatience: the struggle between the spirit and the flesh.

SS. SIMON AND JUDE, 28th October 1614. TRULY, my very dear daughter, you give me great pleasure in calling me your father, for I have indeed a heart lovingly paternal towards yours, which I see still a little weak in these ordinary light contradic tions which occur, but I do not cease to love it. For although it seems to itself sometimes that it is about to lose courage over the little words of reprehension

IV. H which are said to it, still it has never yet lost its courage, this poor heart; for its God has held it with his strong hand, and, according to his mercy, he has never abandoned his miserable creature. 0 my dear daughter, he will never abandon it; for although we are troubled and tormented by these troublesome temp tations to sadness and impatience, still we never wish to quit God, nor Our Lady, nor our congregation, which is his, nor our rules, which are his will.

You say in good truth, my poor dear daughter Peronne -Marie, that there are two men or two women that you have in you. The one is a certain PeronneMarie, who, like S. Peter at lirst, is a little touchy, sensitive, and ready to be put out and vexed when she is contradicted: that is the Peronne who is a daughter of Eve, and therefore of evil humour. The other is a certain Peronne-Marie who has a very good will to be all God's, and, in order to be all God's, to be very simply humble and humbly sweet towards all her neigh bours; and this one it is who would like to imitate St. Peter, who was so good after Our Lord had converted him: it is this Peronne-Marie who is a daughter of the glorious Virgin Mary, and consequently is of good affection. And these two daughters of these different mothers fight; and the good-for-nothing one is so bad that sometimes the good one has much ado to defend herself, and then it seems to this poor good one that she has been conquered, and that the bad one is the braver. But no, indeed, my poor dear PeronneMarie, that bad one is not braver than you, she is only more persistent, perverse, overbearing, and self-willed; and when you begin crying she is very glad, because this is always so much time lost, and she is

LET. XIIL] * Earlier Letters to Visitation. 115 glad to make you lose time when she cannot make you lose eternity.

My dear daughter, raise high your courage, arm yourself with the patience which we ought to have with ourselves; often arouse your heart that it may be enough on its guard not to let itself be surprised; give some little attention to this enemy; think of her if you like wherever you go; for this bad daughter is everywhere with you, and if you do not think of her she will think of something against you. But when it happens that she attacks you on a sudden, although she make you tremble a little and give you a little wrench, be not troubled, but call upon Our Lord and Our Lady; they will extend to you the holy hand of their help; and if they sometimes leave you in trouble, it will be in order to make you cry out again, and more loudly, for help.

Have no shame about this, my dear daughter, any more than St. Paul had, who confesses that he had two men in him, one of whom was rebellious to God and the other obedient. Be very simple, do not get angry, humble yourself without discouragement, encourage yourself without presumption; recognise that Oar Lord and Our Lady, having laid upon you the distraction of the house, know well and see that you are disturbed therein; but they do not cease to love you provided that you are humble and trustful. But, my, daughter, be not ashamed to be a little dusty and dirty; dust is better than blemishes; and provided that you humble yourself, all will turn unto good. Pray earnestly to God for me, my dear daughter, truly well-beloved: and may God be for ever your love and protection. Amen. Day of SS. Simon and Jude, 1614.

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LETTER XIY. To MOTHER DE CHANTAL.

The Saint wishes her God-speed in her journey to Lyons to make there the first branch of the Visitation.

WELL now, my dear daughter, since God is the unity of our heart, who shall ever separate us? No, neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things future, shall ever separate us or divide our unity. Let us go, then, my dear daughter, with one sole heart, where God calls us; for the diversity of paths makes no diversity in ourselves, as it is for one single object and for a single subject that we go. 0 God of my heart! hold my dearest daughter by your hand, may her Angel be ever at her right hand to protect her; may the Blessed Virgin Our Lady ever cheer her with the look of her sweet eyes.

My dear daughter, heavenly Providence will aid you; invoke it with confidence in all the difficulties with which you will find yourself surrounded. In proportion as you go on, my dear mother, my daughter, you must take courage, and rejoice that you please Our Saviour, whose pleasure alone pleases all Paradise. As for me, I am there where you are yourself, since the divine Majesty has so willed it eternally. Let us go, then, my dear daughter, let us go sweetly and joyously to do the work which our Master has appointed us.

My very dear mother, my daughter, it comes to my memory that the great St. Ignatius, who bore Jesus

LET. xiv.] Earlier Letters to Visitation. 1 1 7

Christ in his heart, went joyously to serve as food for the lions, and to suffer martyrdom from their teeth; and here you go and we go, if it please this great Saviour, to Lyons, to do many services for Our Lord, and to prepare for him many souls of whom he will make himself the Bridegroom. Why shall not we go joyously in the name of Our Saviour when this Saint went so cheerfully to the martyrdom of Our Saviour? How happy are those spirits which move according to the will of this divine Spirit, and seek him with all their heart, leaving all, and the very father whom he has given them, in order to follow his divine Majesty!

Go, my dear mother, my daughter; your Angels here keep their eyes upon you and your little flock, and cannot abandon you, since you do not leave the place of their protection nor the persons over whom they watch, except for the purpose of not leaving the will of him to do whose will they very often think themselves happy to leave heaven. The Angels there, who await you, will send their benedictions to meet you, and as you go towards their districts, they lovingly regard you, because it is to co-operate in their holy ministry.

Keep your hearts in courage; for since your heart is God's he will be your courage. Go, then, my daughter, go with a thousand thousand benedictions which your father gives you; and be sure that he will never fail to breathe forth with every breath of his soul holy wishes for you. It will be his first exercise at his awakening in the morning, his last when he lies down in the evening, and his chief intention at holy Mass. Vive Jfaus, et Marie! Amen.

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