Letter 59. To a Religious of the Visitation

My Dear Daughter, April 17, 1616.

There are two kinds of good desires, those which increase grace and goodness in God's servants, and those which are fruitless. To exemplify the first; — “I wish to give alms, but I do not, because I have not wherewith to give;" such a wish tends to increase charity and to sanctify the soul; or again, holy souls wish for contempt, crosses, and even martyrdom, but these are withheld from them. The second kind of desire takes a different shape; “ I would gladly give alms, but I am not going to give at present; ” and as there is no impossibility in the matter, only indifference and want of love, all such desires are useless, neither fostering grace nor sanctifying the soul. It is of such good intentions and desires as these that S. Bernard says hell is full.

Fully to remove your difficulty, you must bear in mind that these desires are alike apt to be mistaken one for the other. For instance, no servant of God but must desire to serve God better than he does; and, inasmuch as we may always be going on from good to better, it might seem that such a wish could only be hindered by the lack of stedfast resolution. But it is not so. Such good desires are hindered by the inevi-^ table conditions of this mortal life, in which it is not so easy to do as to wish, and such desires as these for the most part are profitable, advancing the soul, warming and stimulating it in spiritual progress.

But when some individual opportunity arises for carrying these wishes into effect, and yet we stop short in the mere wish; — ^as, for instance, when some occasion for forgiving an injury presents itself, or for giving up my own will, and, instead of doing so, I am content with saying, I would fein be forgiving, but I cannot; I would gladly give up my own will, but it is out ot the question to do so;” who can fail to see that such wishes are wholly unreal? Indeed I am the more guilty, in that I have so decided a tendency to do what is right, and yet have not will enough to carry it out. Such wishes are easily mistaken for those ot the opposite character.

I think these observations will solve your difficulty, but if not, write to me, and I will answer you sooner or later, with all my heart • • •

L366«3 LXII.