Letter (number unidentified). To Don Fernando, Carthusian Prior, Avila, January 31, 1579

OF LAS CUEVAS, SEVILLE

The Saint asks him to befriend the nuns at Seville in their persecutions and to deliver a letter from her to them. A situation is wanted by the letter-bearer.

JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Ghost be with your Paternity, my Father.

WHAT does your Paternity think of the way in which this convent of the glorious St. Joseph is being looked after, and of the manner in which his daughters have been, and are now being treated, in addition to the very long period during which they have suffered spiritual trials and worries from him who ought to have comforted them? It seems to me that if they asked for crosses from God, He has exceeded their requests. May He be praised for all things ! I really feel very little pity for those who went to Seville with me : sometimes I am glad because of what they will gain in this war made against them by the devil. But I do pity those who have entered from Seville, who, when they ought to be learning to be peaceful and to become familiar with the pra(5lices of the Order, are prevented by all this disturbance, which, as they are new to the religious life, may do them much harm. May the Master bring things right !

I assure your Paternity that the evil one has been trying to disturb the community for a long while. I wrote to the Prioress advising her to consuh you about her troubles but she must have felt too shy to do so. It would have been a great comfort to me if I could have laid the whole case before you, but I am afraid to put it in a letter and should not have told you what I have, had not the messenger been thoroughly trustworthy.

The lad came to ask me whether any one in Seville would be kind enough to recommend him to a situation, for, though a native of Avila, he cannot live there because the climate is too cold. He was in service with a Canon, a friend of mine, who assures me that he has a good characfler and is honest, can write well, and keep accounts. For the love of our Lord, I beg your Paternity, if you have the opportunity, to do this kindness to me and service to His Majesty. If requisite, you could mention what I have stated as I am certain the Canon would tell me the whole truth.

I was glad when he applied to me as it was a comfort to write to your Paternity and I could ask you to let the former prioress' and the nuns from Castile have the enclosed letter from me. You will know already that she has been deposed from her office and replaced by one of the sisters who entered at Seville. She has suffered many other persecutions, and the Calced have even gone so far as to make her give up the letters I wrote to her, which are now in the Nuncio's possession. The poor nuns have been in great want of some one to console them. Theologians at Avila are astounded at what they have been forced to do through fear of excommunication.

What I fear is that they may have laid a heavy burden on their souls. They cannot have understood what they said, for statements are made in the process which are utterly false: I was there at the time and nothing of the kind happened. But I am not surprised at the nuns' becoming bewildered, for one was kept under examination for six hours. Any one without much sense would have signed whatever the fathers wanted. We learnt here to read before we signed, so that nothing could be got from our nuns.

Our Lord has tried us in every way for the last year and a half, but I am perfedlly confident that He will come to the protecflion of His servants, both friars and nuns, that the devil's plots in this convent will be discovered, and that the glorious St Joseph will manifest the truth, and what kind of nuns they are who came from here. As for those from Andalusia, I do not know them, but I do know that their word has greater weight with the authorities, which has done much harm in many ways.

For love of our Lord I entreat your Paternity not to desert our sisters but to aid them with your prayers in their tribulation, for they have no other helper but God and no one on earth to whom they can turn for comfort. But His Majcst), Who sees what they really are, will succour them and inspire you with the charity to do the same.

I enclose my letter to them unsealed, so that if they have been told to deliver up those I write to the Provincial, your Paternity may get some one to read it to them, for it might be a relief to them to see my handwriting. It is believed that the Provincial wants to turn them out of the house; in that case the novices would wish to accompany them. It is evident to me that the devil longs to do away with Discalced friars and nuns, and that this is the reason of such assaults, but I trust God that he will gain little by them. Let your Paternity remember that you have been their only protestor in Seville, and now, in the time of their direst need, you should help the cause of the glorious St. Joseph.

May His divine Majesty preserve you for many years for the benefit of the poor, (for I know now how you helped those Discalced fathers) and may He increase your sanctity as I constantly ask of Him!

Your Paternity's unworthy servant and subjed:, Teresa de Jesus

If it would not tire your Paternity you are welcome to read the enclosed letter to the nuns,