I have read your letter, my dear F., with great pleasure. The true
Apostolic state is to become all things to all men; that is, to impart
to each one spiritually, according to his necessities. Only those who
are reduced to littleness and simplicity, have this power of
communicating grace. They have also the ability to sympathise deeply
in the states of others; of bearing in some measure their burdens, and
are sometimes in great heaviness on their account. This communication
of grace and aid, is not necessarily restricted to the personal
presence of the individual. We may be "absent in body, yet present in
spirit," after the manner of God's operations; and as the angelic
powers communicate to us. It is only by the enlightening of God's
Spirit, that we realise the state of those to whom we are spiritually
united.
Unity of souls is experienced, not only with those in the body, who
have affinity with ourselves, but also with those out of the body. I
realise with the holy prophet David, a correspondence and unity, which
renders our souls one in God. You will experience this unity with the
saints more fully, when all perception of self is taken away. St. Paul
says, "_Ye are come_ to an innumerable company of _angels_--to the
_spirits of just men made perfect_." David was in the Old Testament,
what Paul was in the New. They were both deeply interior Christians.
The Apostles, after having received the Holy Ghost, spake all
languages. This has also a spiritual meaning. They communicated
grace, according to the necessities of each one. This is speaking the
word--the efficacious word, which replenishes the soul. This
nourishing, life-giving word is represented by the manna, and the
reality is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is himself the bread of
life in the soul. Amen, Jesus!