Letter 72. To Inés de Jesus, Prioress of Medina, Veas, May 12, 1575

Expressions of affeBion. Praise of Father Gradan. Foundation at Seville.

JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Spirit ever be with your Reverence, my daughter!

THANK God, your letters have reached me here, for I was longing to get them, which proves that I love you better than my other relations. Your letters always seem too short. I am greatly relieved at hearing that your health is good, and beg God to preserve it, but I am sorry to learn of the continual pain added to the burden that your position is bound to bring with it. As the complaint recurs frequently, 1 think there is serious need for a remedy: may God provide a fitting one. O my Mother! How I wish you had been with me during the last few days, which without exaggeration have seemed the happiest of my life ! The Father Master Gracian has been with us for over three weeks, and I assure you that, much as I have seen of him, I have not yet appreciated his full worth. He is perfed: in my eyes, and surpasses for our purposes all that we could ever have thought of asking from God. What you and all the sisters must do now is to entreat God to make him our superior; then I could lay aside the burden of governing these houses, for I have never seen perfediion combined with such gentleness. May

God have him in His keeping and protedl him ! On no account would I have missed seeing him and talking with him as I have done. He was waiting here for Mariano of whose delay we were all heartily glad for Julian de Avila and all the others have lost their hearts to him. He preaches extremely well. I feel sure his soul has made great progress since you saw him, as the heavy trials through which he has passed must have done him much good. Providence has so disposed of matters that, God willing, I shall leave for Seville on Monday. I am writing to Fray Diego explaining things more fully. The sum of the matter is that this house is in Andalusia, and as Father Gracian is Provincial of that Province I found that without being aware of it 1 was his subjed: which empowered him to lay his orders upon me.' Besides that, we were on the point of starting for Caravaca where the Council of Orders had given me permission to found, but as this commission has proved to be invalid it was decided that the foundation at Seville should be made immediately. It would have been a great comfort if I could have taken you with me but, not to mention other drawbacks,

" Diego de Santa Maria (Rengife).

I know that to take you away just now would ruin your house.

I think you will meet the Father Master before his return to these parts as the Nuncio has sent for him, so that he will be in Madrid when you receive this letter.

My health is much better than usual and this place suits me. How pleasant a summer I should have spent with you, compared with one in the furnace of Seville! Pray for us; ask all the nuns to do the same, and remember me affedlionately to them.

As there will be more messengers at Seville and at shorter intervals, I will conclude with kind regards to the Father Reólor and the licentiate. Tell them what is happening and beg them to remember me in their prayers. Give the sisters loving messages from me. May God make you holy! To-day is the feast of the Ascension.

San Jerónimo wishes to be remembered to you. She is going to Seville with five other excellent nuns; I have chosen as Prioress one who is thoroughly suited to the office.

Your Reverence's humble servant,

Teresa de Jesus.

I do not know why you are in such a hurry about professing Sister Juana Bautista. Let her wait a little longer: she is very young. However, if you judge otherwise and are pleased with her, do as you wish, though I think there would be no harm in trying her for a longer time ¿s her health seems very delicate.

LXXVII

Prefatory note

St. Teresa left Veas on May 18 for Seville. After a trying journey through the heat in closed waggons, the nuns reached Seville on May 26. Father Mariano, who was there to receive them, had to tell them that the Archbishop refused to permit the foundation on account of its poverty. However his objections were overcome. {Found, xxiv-xxvi, and Account by Father Julian of Avila).