Letter 294. To Dona Isabel Osorio, Madrid, Malagon, December 3, 1579

The Saint asks her to enter the convent to be founded at Madrid which her dowry would help to stablish.

JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Honour, and make you as great a saint as I daily beg of Him.

FATHER Prior de la Roda brought me two letters from you : one must still be at Toledo. I thank our Lord for your wish to forsake the world, for such disillusion can only come from heaven. I trust in His divine mercy that you will render Him great service, responding to such good desires by actions worthy of a true daughter of the Virgin, our Lady and Patroness. I certainly would not impede for a day so strong a vocation. I will state the motive of my letter frankly, since you are now our sister and my senora.

You must know that for several years many people have begged me to found a convent at Madrid, but I was so fatigued during my eight days' sojourn there on my way to Pastrana by the visits of the great ladies of the city, that I refused my consent.' But now, after all our troubles, I see that it would be well for our other houses to have a convent there, and I have been persuaded to agree to it. The great drawback is that I am assured the Archbishop would refuse permission unless the convent were founded with a yearly income. Although there are several ladies there who have, for many years wished to enter, and who could well afford the money, they are not free to give it until they are in the convent. Father Nicolas and I thought that, as you could be of great help to us perhaps you would wait a few days. God willing, I believe it will not be a longer delay than you expedled.

Will you pray about the matter? Should you prefer another plan, I give my cordial approval: let me know and you shall enter whenever you choose, but this would endanger the prospe<ft of the foundation at Madrid, and I think it would be a great thing if you could be the means of forwarding so good a work. May our Lord dispose of it for His greater glory.

Father Prior arrived so late at night that I could speak little to him on the subject. I will discuss it to-morrow and let you know his opinion, but I am writing to you to-night as I shall be very much occupied about an affair of which he will give you an account.

I am fairly well, glory be to God, though I was tired when I arrived and have had more to fatigue me since. May it render service to His Majesty, and may He give you many years to be spent in serving this great God and Master of ours !

Kindly remember me to Father Valentine. I pray for him every day, and beg him to repay me, though I should be richly repaid, wretch that I am, by a very short prayer of his.

To-day is December 3.

Your Honour's unworthy servant, Teresa de Jesus.

Remember that what I have said to you is private, for I cannot recoiled: having spoken so freely to any one.

Fortunately, we have had a long interview about your affair to-day; the decision remains unchanged I enjoyed meeting his Reverence very much. He will give you an account of it. You will let me know what you have arranged with Father Prior, which I am sure will be for the best.

ccc

Prefatory note.

St. Teresa found the house at Malagon which was the gift of Luisa de la Cerda, in so unfinished a state that the builders said it would take six months to finish. However, she insisted upon its being ready by December 8, and herself worked harder than any one. Things were soon set right in the community by the new prioress, Jeronima del Espiritu Santo who took the place of Ana de la Madre de Dios. Another reason for the Saint's visit to Malagon was to examine the spirit of the Venerable Ana de San Augustin, a young nun, whose supernatural state of prayer, together with the visible persecution she suffered from the devil, made the nuns anxious to consult the holy Mother. Saint Teresa was perfectly satisfied with her spirit and was divinely guided to choose her for the new foundation at Villanueva. While at Malagon, the Saint had an attack of paralysis, which confined her to her bed.