Letter 425. To Sister Leonor de la Misericordia, Burgos, July 7, 1582

The Saint’s anxiety at Leonor’s illness.

ESUS be with your Charity, my daughter, and protect you for me, and grant you the health I wish, for I have grieved deeply over your lack of it. Be good enough to take great care of yourself. I am delighted to hear the nuns attend to you for it would be wrong if they did not. Be as contented with their remedies as without them: obedience will decide whether you need them, since you submit. God grant your illness may not increase. When possible, let me know whether you are better, for Tam anxious. I should often repeat what I said in my former letter, if I met you. But that must be deferred, as the Cardinal has written granting me permission when the King comes. They say he is coming soon, but at the earliest it will be in September or even later. Do not grieve, for I should be as glad as you if we could meet. If that cannot be now, God will ordain it in some other way. I have so little health that I am unfit to travel there or elsewhere, though I feel better than I did, God be praised! I have taken some pills, so that I dare not write this myself? God grant you great grace, my daughter. Do not forget me in your prayers. July 7. The servant of your Charity,

Gat OF C1 Burgos, July 14, 1582.' TOOMOTHER MARY OF ST. JOSEPH, PRIORESS OF SEVILLE

The plague at Seville. St. Teresa’s departure for Palencia on her way to Avila where Teresita ts to be professed. Father Gracian visits Daimiel and Mala-gon. Father Nicolas interviews the Father General at Genoa.

JESUS!

May the Holy Spirit be with your Reverence, my daughter, and protect you amid all these troubles and deaths.

T was a great consolation to learn from your letter that none of you were ill, or had even a headache. 1 am not astonished at your all being well, considering how the other communities have prayed for you: in fact, you ought to be saints after such supplications. I at least am always careful to pray for you, so do not forget me. Believe me, if none of you died when God took so many of your fellow-citizens to Himself, it was because you cannot have been prepared for it. May He preserve you all to me, especially your Reverence, for your death would indeed grieve me deeply. I was sorry for the decease of the Father Vicar and should have regretted still more that of Fray Bartolomé on account of the loss it would have been to your house. May God be praised for all things, for we have much for which to thank Him in every way.

Pedro de Tolosa’s sister showed me a letter from him stating that the plague was abating in Seville, which is better news than your Reverence gives me. I asked her to thank him in my name for his kindness to your community. You must pray much for him and for his sister, Catalina de Tolosa, as all the Order ought, for, after God, we owe this foundation to her, and I expe@ this house will render God great service. Give Don Pedro very kind messages from me when he calls on you, and pray for me. My health is as usual.

God willing, I hope to start for Palencia at the end of this month, as our Father promised the community that I should stay there for a month. Then I must go dire@& to Avila to profess Teresa, whose year of noviceship is nearly over: she longs for it toend. Will your Reverence and all the nuns pray specially for her just now, that God may give her grace. Remember, she needs it, for though she _1s a good little thing, she is but a child.

I sent your Reverence’s letter to F ray Pedro de la Purificacion, who is at Alcal4 as Vice-Reor. Our Father left him there when passing through the town, and will, I expect, miss him very much. I have just been told that our Father was at Daimiel; he must have reached Malagon now. He is in good health, thank God,

Remember me very kindly to all the nuns and condole with those who have lost their relations for

_ Fray Pedro de la Purificacion, as socius of Father Gracian, accompanied him to Burgos,

TO MOTHER MARY OF S.JOSEPH 339 whom I will pray. Remember me very specially to the Mother Subprioress, to Sister San Jeronimo and Sister San Francisco. I should like to write to them, but my health is against it, which is the reason this is not in my handwriting. I am not worse than usual but my head is tired, and I dare not make the effort their letters would cost me as there are others which civility obliges me to write.

May God be praised and may He bestow His grace upon your Reverence. Amen.

July 14.4

I was much pleased with a letter I received from the good Nicolao.’ He is at Genoa and in good health, having enjoyed the sea voyage. He learnt that our most Reverend Father General was coming there in ten days when matters could be settled so that Father Nicolao could return at once to Spain. I was very glad. Pray for him and for his mother who has died and for whom he begs prayers —and you arein debtto himin your convent. For charity’s sake, do not omit to write and tell me your news for you know how anxious I am about you. Letters will be forwarded to me from Burgos. God grant the health of the nuns may improve, and may He have you all in His keeping, especially yourself. All here are well and getting on satisfactorily; they ask for your prayers.

Remember me very kindly to Fray Bartolome.

The servant of your Reverence, Teresa de Jesus.

‘ The rest of the letter is in the Saint’s handwriting, the first part in that of Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew. > Fray Nicholas Doria,

CCGCCLII Prefatory note.

Wuize St. Teresa was considering as to whether it would be right for her to leave Burgos, on account of the poverty of the community, our Lord said to her : “ Why dost thou doubt ? Thy work here is done; thou art free to go, but thou wilt soon have still greater sufferings to endure”. She started on July 26 with Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew and Teresita, leaving the nuns with twenty maravedis for their maintenance. The parting was very affectionate ; contrary to her custom, she let the sisters kiss her hands and said a tender word to each. Isabel de Jesus, the young Prioress of Palencia, had obtained permission from Father Gracian for a month’s visit from the Saint. For an account of her journey and last days, see ‘The Minor Works of St. Teresa’ by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. T. Baker. London.