Letter 274. To Mother Isabel de San Jeronimo and Mother Mary of St. Joseph ', Avila, May 3, 1579

Congratulations on the community s being freed from the dominion of the Caked and the cessation of their persecutions. Advice as how to treat the two sisters who brought about the troubles.

JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Reverence, my daughter.

[RECEIVED the letters from you and my daughters the day before yesterday. O Jesus! What a comfort it would be to be with you now, as it would have been in the past, so that I might have shared the abundant treasures our Lord lavished on you! May He be praised for ever! Amen.

Great as was my affecflion for your Reverence and the rest, it has doubled now, particularly for you who have borne the brunt of the troubles. But it is true I was specially pleased at hearing that you had been deprived ot your voice and office, for though I realize that my daughter Joseph is very faulty, I know that she fears God and would never have done anything which deserved such punishment.

I sent a letter to your community by my Father, the Prior of las Cuevas, to be delivered as he thought best. Did he receive it and the other one addressed to himself? Also, to whom did he give charge of your letters? I wish to know whether I must rewrite it. When Father Nicolas heard of what had happened to his brother's letter, he tore it up. You owe much to him, but you have made a more favourable impression on him than on Father Garci Alvarez. I am sorry that the latter does not say Mass at your convent now, but the loss is yours, as it used to give him great trouble. We certainly owe much to him, but I do not know how to bring him back. If the Archbishop would not bid him return when asked by the Prior of las Cuevas and Father Mariano, I know of no one to whom he would listen. I was annoyed at Father Mariano's notes. How could he think of introducing such a thing into your house, much less of carrying it out? The fa(5t is, the devil is so furious with us that he has tried to injure us in every way, especially . . . ' the greatest trial of all.

It seems now as though our Lord were about to curtail his liberty and I hope that by degrees He will bring the truth to light. Small regard has been paid to it in your convent. I was deeply grieved at hearing what charges had been brought in the deposition, many of which I knew to be absolutely false as I was there at the time to which they referred. What I have discovered since about these nuns has made me thank God heartily that He did not allow them to invent anything worse.

These two souls distress me greatly: we must all ask God specially to give them light. Ever since Father Garci- Alvarez behaved in the way of which you know, I have dreaded what has come to pass. Your Reverence may remember that I wrote to you twice, saying that I thought the mischief came from inside the house. I named one of the culprits but did not susped: Sister Margarita, who was on her guard. To tell the truth, I was never satisfied with the former nun though I sometimes thought it was a temptation coming from my evil nature. I mentioned the matter to Father Gracian as he had so much to do with her, in order that he might watch her. Therefore, I am not much surprised at her behaviour: not that I thought she was bad but that she was subjed: to illusions, had astrong imagination, and was the sort of person to be tricked by the devil as she has been. He knows well how to take advantage of people's chara6ters and want of sense. In fad, we ought not so much to blame her as to feel genuine pity for her. In her case, I must beg your Reverence and the nuns to have the charity to do as I asked them, which I believe is the best course to take. Let them thank God for not permitting the demon to tempt any of them so terribly, and let them think, as St. Augustine says, that in the same position we should have done worse if tempted as they were.

My daughters, you must not lose what you have gained: remember how St. Catharine of Siena

■" Sisters Beatriz de la Madre de Dios and Margarita de la Concepcion.

treated the woman who defamed her characfler. Let us fear, yes, let us fear, my sisters, for if God withdrew His hand from us, what sin might we not commit? Believe me, that sister had neither the imagination nor the brains to invent such tales, so the devil gave her a companion, whom he certainly must have taught what she said. God be with her!

First of all, I wish you to pray fervently and constantly for her, in facfl, if possible continually, as we are doing here, asking God to favour us by enlightening her, so that the devil may allow her to escape from the hallucination under which he holds her. I look upon her as partially insane. People are to be met with (although not in our convents) whose imagination is so strong that they fancy they see whatever their mind pid:ures to them. The bad spirit must have a hand in it. I fear he must have made this sister believe she saw what he thought would be most likely to ruin your house. In that case, she would not be so much to blame as we suppose. If a madman really feels convinced that he is God the Father, nothing will drive the idea out of his head. My daughters, you must manifest your love for God by showing as much compassion to this nun as though she were the child of your own father as she is of our true Father, to Whom we owe so much, and Whom the poor little creature desired to serve all her life. Pray, sisters, charity, the sick woman brought shameful charges against her, but St. Catharine only treated her more tenderly than before. At last her accuser repented and besought her pardon. St. Catharine said she bore her no grudge, the devil having deceived her, and thanked Andrea for reminding her to be more watchful over herself.

pray for her, for many a saint falls and returns to the right path. Perhaps she needed this to humble her. If God grants us the grace of showing her she was wrong and if she retracts her words, we shall all have gained by her sufferings, as even she may do, for He knows how to draw good out of evil.

My second request is that, for the present, you must not dream of her leaving your convent: it would be a serious mistake and inexpedient in every way. You think that you would avoid difficulties by it, but they would increase. Wait awhile; this is not the time for such a change, for many reasons I could state: I am surprised that they should not have occurred to your Reverence. Think the matter over and God will reveal them to you. Trust in Him and in us, who are considering more fully what is best for the house. Do not mention the subject at present or even think about it if you can help it.

The third thing I ask of you is not to show any dislike to the sister but to be kinder to her than ever. Let all be pleasant and sisterly to her and to the other nun. Try to forget the past and think how they would like to be treated, were they in the same position. Be sure that this soul will be cruelly tormented, though no one may know of it, for the devil will be furious at not having succeeded better. He may make use of her to commit some crime that would destroy her soul and her reason; perhaps the latter could easily be done. This is what we must all bear in mind and not what she has done. The devil may have made her believe that she was benefiting her soul and rendering God great service.

Never mention the matter before her mother whom I pity sincerely. Why did no one tell me how she bore it and what she said to her daughter? I wanted to know that, and whether she understood her intrigues.

I am afraid the evil one may tempt the two sisters in another way by making them fancy they are disliked and ill-treated. I should be exceedingly annoyed if any grounds were given for it. A letter has reached me already stating that the Fathers of the Company (of Jesus) think it wrong that she is being harshly treated. You must all be very cautious.

My fourth request is that neither this sister nor any other nun is to be allowed to talk to persons outside the convent except in the presence of a second nun, who is to be on her guard, neither must the community confess to any priest except a Discalced friar. Let them choose whichever they like, as the Father Vicar-General has given the friars leave to hear your confessions. Be careful that the two sisters do not plot together secretly. Do not be severe with them in any way, for we women are weak until God brings us back to the right path. It would not be a bad plan to put Beatriz into some office in which she would have nothing to do with outsiders, for solitude and reflection on the past would harm her greatly; so let those who see that they can benefit her, keep her company sometimes.

I expedt that Father Nicolas will call on us before going to Seville. I hope he will come soon as we can discuss the matter more fully. For charity's sake, do as I ask you. In any case, those who sincerely long for sufferings bear no grudge against people who injure them, but love them better. This will prove whether their trial has improved the nuns. I trust that our Lord will soon set things right and restore the convent to its former state, in fad:, to a better state, for His Majesty always repays a hundred-fold. I beg all of you again most earnestly, not to mention the past to one another, for it could do no good but very much harm.

.You must behave most prudently in future for, as I said, I dread lest the devil may play us the trick of persuading poor foolish little Beatriz to leave the convent. I am not without the same misgivings about Sister Margarita, but she has more sense. Be very watchful, especially at night, for the evil one is trying to injure the reputation of our convents and sometimes renders possible what seemed impossible.

If the two sisters ceased to be friends, or quarrelled we might get to the root of the matter and there would be some chance of convincing them of their mistake. Your Reverence will understand that the closer friends they are, the more they will scheme together. Prayer can do much: so I hope that the Master will enlighten them, for they grieve me greatly.

It would not be a bad plan to have an account written of the whole affair: it would serve as a warning for the future since, on account of my sins, we have not learnt from other people's experience.

But if Sister San Francisco is the historian, she must not exaggerate but make a perfedlly simple statement. My daughter Gabriela must copy it out.

I should like to write to the whole community, but my head is not fit for it. I send you all many blessings. May you be blessed by our Lady the Virgin and by the most Holy Trinity ! The whole Order is indebted to your nuns, especially to those not yet professed; they have given ample proof of being its loyal daughters and I beg the other sisters to pray that they may indeed be so in the future. Let all who wrote to me take this letter as their answer. Although addressed to Mother Mary of St. Joseph and the Mother Vicaress, it is meant for every one.

I wish I could have written to my Sister Jeronimo. Tell her she need grieve more for loss of credit to the convent through Father Garci Alvarez' having left it than for his reputation, for he is well known in Seville. It is on the unfortunate strangers that all the blame will fall, for people will think that though he may be partly at fault, the nuns cannot be exempt. As I said, I know that he bears a good character, and as for the rest, he is saved much trouble. Decidedly we cannot exaggerate what he has undergone for us and what we owe to him, which God alone can repay. Remember me very kindly to him, I should have written a long letter to him, had my head been equal to it. However, as I could not say what I wish in pen and ink, I am not writing to him, though I should have the right to complain, for though other people knew what great evils these hlessed women [benditas) were charging the convent with, nothing was said to me. It would not have been much if I had asked you to tell me, from time to time, what was being done, considering that I had to bear the brunt of it, instead of your waiting until the matter was remedied by those who bear little love for us, as all the world knows. However, after all, truth may suffer but cannot perish, so I hope God will make it more evident.

Remember me to the good Serrano: I hope the time will come when we can repay all we owe him. Give very friendly messages from me to the saintly Prior of las Cuevas. Oh, that I could spend a day with him! May God have you all in His keeping for me and make you as holy as I wish! Amen.

The sisters here have wept over your troubles more than I have, and earnestly beg for your prayers. I will write again soon. As for Mother St. Joseph's affair about which you ask me to pray, perhaps it will be settled before this letter reaches you.' You are doing well now: do not be in a hurry. There is no need to have the eledlion before we send you word from here : we are not neglecting it.

If Father Mariano is at Seville, show him this letter and ask him to return it. I am not writing to him as I do not think my letter would reach him. Remember me kindly to Fray Gregorio: I should very much like to hear from him. I do not know what to say about Mass; do not be hasty about it. If there is no one to say it, do not die of grief: be content with having Mass on Sundays until God provides it more often. It will give you a chance of gaining merit.

I am fairly well. Father Julian de Avila has felt your trials keenly. I believe that if he thought he could help you, he would gladly go to Seville. He asks your prayers earnestly. God give you strength to suffer more and more, for you have not yet shed your blood for Him Who gave all His for you. I say this because we have not been idle here.

To-day is the Feast of the Cross."

The unworthy servant of your Reverence, Teresa de Jesus.

Oh, how my brother has sympathised with your troubles ! I had to console him. Pray for him, for you owe it to him. All the advice given ,in her letter by the Mother Vicaress, Isabel de St.Jeromino seems to be very sensible, and shows more courage than Mother Saint Joseph possesses.

Remember me to Sister Beatriz de la Madre de Dios and tell her I am glad she is free from work, for she told me in one of her letters how much that office gave her. Say many kind things from me to Sister Juan de la Cruz.