Letter 65. To a Superior of the Visitation on Spiritual Dryness

ON SPIRITUAL DRYNESS.

Annecy, i8, i6i8.

Do you ask, my dear daughter, whether our Lord thinks of you, and whether He looks upon you with love? Yes, indeed. He looks upon you, and upon every hair of your head; “ the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” * This is an article of faith, and must in no way be doubted. Indeed, I am sure that you do not doubt it; it is only a way of expressing the dryness and insensibility which at the present moment oppresses your soul on the natural side. Jacob said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not;” • Le,, “ I did not perceive Him, or feel Him; I was unconscious that He was so near,” I have dwelt upon this at length in the “ Traits de TAmour de Dieu,” in * Matt X. 30. “Gen. xxviiL 16.

speaking of resignation, and the destruction of self-will, but I do not remember in what book. But, in truth, you have no reason to doubt that God looks upon you with love; He looks thus even upon the most grievous sinners if they have any sincere desire to turn to Him. Now tell me, dear daughter, do you not fully purpose to be God’s child, and to serve Him faithfully? And who inspires you with this purpose, save He Himself, through His great Love? You must abstain from closely searching out whether your heart be pleasing to Him; but you may examine whether His Heart satisfies you, and if once you contemplate that Heart, it cannot fail to satisfy you; it is so loving, so tender, so pitiful towards His weak creatures, provided they will but acknowledge their weakness; so gracious, so good to all penitents! Who would not love this Heart, Which is as that of father and mother combined towards us all? ^

You say truly, my daughter, that these temptations arise from a want of tenderness in your heart towards God, because if you experienced such tenderness, you would be comforted, and if you were comforted your troubles would be at an end. But, dear daughter, the Love of God does not consist in tenderness or consolation, else our Lord had been without that Love when in His extreme ‘‘ sorrow unto death,” He cried out, “ My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”

whereas rather that moment was the crowning act of His Love. The fact is we always want sugar in our food — ^that is, we want to enjoy conscious love and tenderness, and their pleasantness, just as we would fain be free from all imperfections; but, my dear daughter, we must patiently bear with our nature, which is human, and not angelic.

I do not mean that we are to rest satisfied with our imperfections; rather we should say with the great Apostle, “ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”* But we ought not to be discouraged or surprised; we should learn submission, humility, and mistrust of self from our failings; — never despondency and sadness, much less mistrust of God's Love for us. He does not love our imperfections or our venial sins, but He loves us in spite of them. Just as a mother grieves over her child's weakness and faultiness, but still loves him most tenderly, so God cherishes us, notwithstanding all our frailty; even as David cries out, “ Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak.”

Enough, my daughter. Be cheerful. Our Lord looks lovingly upon you, and the weaker you are the greater is His tenderness. Do not allow your mind to dwell upon anything contraiy to this. If vexatious thoughts arise, do not dally with them; turn away, and * Rom. vii 24.

iSo look to God with a brave humility; dwell upon His Infinite Goodness, Which has regard to our frail, needy human nature, in all its infirmity. Pray for me, and commend me to all your dear novices. I am wholly yours in our Lord. May He ever live in all our hearts.

[4*6.] LXVIII.