Superior at Belley._
Vive [+] Jésus!
ANNECY, 1623.
MY DEAREST DAUGHTER,
Do you know that these fears and self-torturings about your past
confessions are pure temptations of the devil? Make a firm stand and
take no heed of them, dear daughter, for the devil is only trying in his
malice to deceive you. Bear with his attacks and the suffering that
comes of them gently and humbly, submitting to the good pleasure of God,
who permits them to test your fidelity and confidence. Pay no regard to
anything the tempter suggests. Never let your mind argue about it; but
suffer it without yielding consent. Throw yourself upon the mercy of the
divine Mercy. Leave to it the care of your salvation and of everything
regarding you. Tell God that you have entire trust in His goodness, and
although it may seem to you that you have not any, never cease to assure
Him that you have, and always will have with the assistance of His
grace. This I command you to do. And bear patiently the burden without
desiring to be delivered from it; for that would be a brave sort of
virtue which never wished to be attacked, and a grand fidelity that
which would surrender at the first approach of the enemy! Remain firm
without wishing ever to confess past sins a second time, or ever
swerving from your duty of patience and confidence in God: and you will
see how God draws His glory and your good out of this temptation, for
which may He in His infinite goodness be blessed.
FOOTNOTE:
[A] Sister Françoise-Gasparde de la Grave, professed of the first
Monastery of Annecy in 1617, was specially loved and trained by St.
Francis de Sales, and always showed herself worthy of her great master.
She was chiefly remarkable for her calm and unalterable sweetness in the
midst of the contradictions of all kinds with which she was surrounded.
"My Blessed Father has taught me," she would say on such occasions,
"that the love of one's own abjection ought never to be one step distant
from our hearts." She was successively Superior at Belley, Bourges, and
Perigueux, from which last house she contributed to the foundation at
Tulle. Having governed the Monastery of Seyssel for three years, she
returned to the house of her profession, where she died in 1638. After
her decease they found she had carefully written down all the
humiliating things that had ever been said to her. On the corner of this
packet was written: "The enclosed are to perfume my heart with the
precious odour of humiliation."
LVI. _To Mgr. the Bishop of Autun._
Vive [+] Jésus!
ANNECY, 1623.
MY LORD,
I have heard of your kindness to our poor Sisters of Moulins in regard
to the difficulties they have had with their Foundress, and that by the
grace of God you and your Council, recognizing the true virtue and
uprightness of the Superior and of her Religious, gave them protection
and comfort in their extreme affliction. But, my Lord, from what I
learn, they at the present moment need more than ever your paternal
assistance, and I humbly beg your Lordship in the name of our good God
to help them. If, in order to restore tranquility in their monastery, it
is only necessary to return the money to our good Sister Foundress, so
that she may live elsewhere, certainly we shall be content to do so, for
we love better to live poorly and keep our observance than to abound in
riches and be thwarted in it. The Providence of God will never fail us
as long as we persevere in fidelity to His holy service; and our delight
is, under its protection, to live in poverty. See, my Lord, how I lay my
sentiments before you in all simplicity. If, however, our Sister the
Foundress continues to enjoy the happiness she possesses I shall rejoice
provided she content herself with the privileges which you, my Lord,
have either confirmed or granted her, and for the rest that she live as
is fitting to her condition.
Beseeching you my Lord, very humbly and with all earnestness to provide
help for these good servants of God, and trusting that through your
kindness and piety the divine mercy may come to their aid, I pray God to
spread in abundance His holy benedictions upon you and your Church.
I remain, with humble reverence, etc.
LVII. _To Sister Anne Marie Rosset, Assistant and Mistress of Novices at
Dijon._
Vive [+] Jésus!
ANNECY, 1623.
You know and you can never doubt how truly you are my dearest daughter.
Lay claim to this title more and more by your charity in praying for me.
Indeed, my daughter, this dear Mother (Favre) is a soul of true virtue.
She is all for God, for the Rule, and for me. I hope you will always
continue to feel that you have a faithful friend in her. The spirit of
religion and even religion itself is destroyed by preoccupation about
miserable human affections. If the intelligence of the Sisters be not
clouded by them nor by self-love they will see the guidance of God over
this soul, and through her over other souls, and will themselves be
established in solid virtue. Keep the spirit of your novices at a high
level and do it with vigour. Engrave in their hearts this maxim, that
the love of their divine Saviour is the only love for them, and that in
Him they must love their neighbour according to the order of duty and
true charity. Oh God! what should we seek on earth or aspire to in
heaven save Thee who art our portion and our eternal inheritance? My
daughter, a Religious of the Visitation who should attach herself to
anything whatsoever but God is not worthy of her vocation. Make this
very clear to our Sisters. Each one must have a holy zeal to attain
eternal life by the path which God has marked out for her. If our
Sisters really love their holy Founder they will prove it not only by
the attention and pleasure with which they read his writings, for all
the world delights in them, but also by faithfully carrying out his
teachings. That incomparable love and sweetness towards their neighbour,
that profound humility and lowliness of which he was so great a lover,
and which put him at enmity with all ostentation, should above all be
practised by them. Finally, let them make theirs the glorious gift he
enjoyed of devout attention to the presence of God.
My daughter, see that the spiritual exercises are held in great esteem
by the novices. Bring this about: for prayer, recollection, and frequent
ejaculatory prayer are the oil of benediction in monasteries. Give good
books to those dear novices to read, so that their minds may be filled
with profitable food wherewith to make useful reflection, and to
undeceive themselves as to the value of the false maxims of the world.
Make them value thoroughly the acts and exercises of their Directory, so
that their memory being well stored with spiritual things, and their
understanding well enlightened, our divine Master will (as I hope) soon
warm their wills with His holy love.
Your devoted.
LVIII. _To the Rev. Father Dom John de Saint François, General of the
Order of Feuillants._
ON ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.[A]
Vive [+] Jésus!
1624.
Alas! my Rev. Father, you command me to do what is beyond my capacity.
The intimate knowledge that God has permitted me to acquire of the
interior life of my blessed Father and Lord, and especially that with
which He has favoured me since this holy man's decease (for the object
being present somewhat, it seems to me, obscured the light), is, I feel,
altogether beyond my deserts: and I confess to you quite frankly that I
have no facility whatever in expressing myself. Yet to obey your
Reverence and for the love and respect which I owe to the authority by
which you command, I will write what comes to my mind in all simplicity,
in the presence of God.
First, then, I have always observed in him the perfect gift of faith
accompanied with great clearness, certitude, perception, and extreme
suavity. It was a subject upon which he spoke admirably, and he once
told me that God had bestowed upon him much light and knowledge of the
mysteries of our holy faith, and he thought that he had a good grasp of
the correct interpretation of the Church's teachings to her children. To
this his life and writings bear witness.
God had so fully illuminated this holy soul, or, as he put it, shed so
clear a light in the highest point of his soul, that he had, so to say,
but to open the eyes of his spirit and the excellencies of the truths of
faith lay before him, and from this proceeded raptures, ecstacies, and
celestial ardours. He submitted himself to the truths thus unveiled to
him by a simple yielding up of his will, and the place wherein these
illuminations were centred he called "The Sanctuary of God." It was his
place of retreat, his every day abode, for notwithstanding continual
exterior occupation he held his spirit in this interior solitude as much
as was possible. The one longing, the sole aspiration and desire of this
holy man, it always seemed to me, was to live by faith and according to
the maxims of the Gospel. He used to say that the true way to serve God
was to follow Him and walk in His footsteps by the pure light of grace,
without the support of consolations, of feeling, of light, other than
that of bare faith, and for this reason he valued derelictions,
desolation, and dryness of spirit. He never stopped, he said, to think
whether or no he had consolations, and that if Our Lord sent them he
received them in simplicity; if they were not given him he made no
reflections about their loss. But as a matter of fact he usually had
great sensible sweetness, as was betrayed by his countenance, however
slightly he withdrew into himself, which he was in the habit of doing.
Thus did he draw good out of all things, turning all to the profit of
his soul. The time of preparation for his sermons, which he usually
spent walking about, was one of special illumination for him. Study, he
said, provided him with prayer, and he came from it enlightened and full
of holy affections.
Several years ago he told me that he had no sensible devotion in prayer,
and that God operated in him without feeling, but by sentiments and
illuminations, which were diffused in the intellectual part of his soul,
the inferior part having no share therein. These were for the most part
perceptions and sensibilities of simple unity and heavenly emotions
which he did not try to fathom: for his practice was to hold himself in
humility and lowliness before God with the trustful reverence of a
loving child.
When writing to me he has often asked me to remind him when we met to
tell me what God had given him in prayer. When I did so he would say,
"These things are so impalpable, so pure, so intangible, that one cannot
explain them when they have passed, only their effects remain in the
soul."
For several years before his decease there was left him little leisure
for prayer, as business overwhelmed him, and one day when I asked him
if he had any time for prayer, he said: "No, but I do what is the same."
In such wise he held himself always united to God, saying that in this
life work and labour are prayer. And most certainly his life was a
continual prayer. Though, from what has been said, it is easy to believe
that the delightful union of his soul with God in prayer was not his
only enjoyment. Oh! indeed it was not, for however the will of God was
presented to him he equally loved it. And in his last years he had, I
believe, attained such purity in his love that all things were the same
to him so long as he saw God's will in them. There was nothing in the
world, as he used to say, that could give him any satisfaction out of
God. Thus he lived, as was manifest to those who knew him, no more in
himself but truly Jesus Christ lived in him. This universality in his
love of the will of God was the more excellent and the purer by reason
of the clear light which God diffused in his soul, and because of it his
soul was neither subject to change nor to deception, and by it he
perceived in himself the first movements of self-love which he
faithfully suppressed the more perfectly to be united to God. He told
me, that, sometimes in the depth of his greatest afflictions, he felt
consolations beyond comparison more sweet than at ordinary times, for by
means of this intimate union with God things most bitter became to him
most sweet.
But, if your Reverence wishes to see clearly the state of this holy
soul on these points, read, if you please, the three or four last
chapters in the "Divine Love."[B] All his actions were animated with the
sole motive of pleasing God, and truly (as he says in this sacred book)
he asked nought of heaven nor of earth but to see the will of God
accomplished. How many times has he not repeated over to me those words
of David: "O! Lord, what have I in heaven, and besides Thee what do I
desire on earth? Thou art my portion and my eternal inheritance." He
lived on the principle that what was not God was nothing to him. His
eminent virtue and that universal indifference which was remarked in him
by all were the product of this perfect union. I never read those
chapters which treat of it in the ninth book of "Divine Love" without
seeing clearly that as occasions arose he practised what he taught.
That admirable but little known maxim, _Ask for nothing, desire nothing,
refuse nothing_, which he faithfully carried out to the very end of his
life, could not originate with one who was not entirely indifferent and
dead to self. In regard to his actions such incomparable equality of
mind did he possess that there was no changeableness in his attitude. He
unquestionably felt keen resentment when subjected to rudeness or
insult, above all when God was offended, or his neighbour oppressed; but
on such occasions, as is mentioned in his memoirs, he exercised complete
self-control and would retire into himself with God and remain silent.
Yet he none the less set to work, and that promptly, to remedy the evil,
for he was the refuge, the succour, the support of all.
Because he had acquired a perfect mastery of his passions, there reigned
in his soul complete submission to God, and in his heart an
imperturbable peace. "What is there that could disturb our peace?" he
said to me at Lyons. "When all is in confusion around me it does not
trouble me, for what is all the world besides in comparison with peace
of heart?" This power was the outcome of his intense and virile faith,
for he regarded all things, the least and the greatest, as ordained by
that divine Providence in which he reposed with more tranquility than a
child on its mother's bosom. He used to say that Our Lord taught him
this lesson from his youth, and that if he could be born again he would
despise human prudence more than ever, and would let himself be still
more entirely governed by divine Providence. He had very great
illumination on this subject, and conveyed it forcibly to the souls he
counselled and governed. All the undertakings God committed to him he
placed under the protection of this supreme government, and never was he
more certain of an affair or more content amidst vicissitudes than when
he had no other support than God. On the contrary, when human prudence
foresaw the impossibility of the execution of a design his firm
confidence in God alone remained unshaken. Therefore did he live without
solicitude. I remarked this to him when he had made up his mind to
establish our Congregation, and he replied: "I have no light as to how
to do it, but I am sure that God will do it"; and so it came about, and
that far more quickly than he anticipated. Speaking of this confidence
in God, I remember once many years ago, when attacked with a violent
temptation, which he bravely resisted, he wrote to me: "I feel very much
under its pressure. It seems to me that I have no strength to resist and
that I should succumb if the occasion were presented to me, but the
weaker I feel the more do I trust in God, and I assure myself that were
the object to present itself, I should be invested with the power of
God, and that my enemies would be as lambkins before me."
Our Saint was not exempt from the stirrings of passions nor did he wish
nor think it desirable to be so. Except for the purpose of governing and
checking them, which he said gave him pleasure, they were disregarded by
him; and he looked upon them as excellent opportunities for practising
virtue and establishing it more solidly in the soul. His own were so
absolutely under his control that they obeyed him as slaves, and in the
end hardly showed themselves at all. His was a manifestly bold and
generous soul, very dear Father, strong to bear burdens and
responsibilities and to carry out the undertakings with which God
inspired him. Nothing, as he said, could induce him to abandon these;
not an inch would he abate, and he had a courage that conquered all
difficulties.
Certainly such perseverance as his, required wonderful strength of mind,
for who has ever seen him out of humour, or losing one iota of
self-control? Who has ever seen his patience ruffled or his soul
embittered against any one whomsoever? and all because he had a
guileless heart.
That he was gentle, humble, and gracious none could fail to remark. His
mind was clearer, freer, and broader than any other I have come in
contact with; the prudence and the wisdom natural and supernatural with
which God had endowed him were excellent and solid.
Our Lord indeed forgot nothing in perfecting His work. "Charity," as he
says, "entering into a soul brings with it every other virtue sweetly
and unostentatiously in the degree and measure by which charity animated
it." He made no mysteries, and did nothing that might excite admiration;
there was no singularity about him, no display of great virtue to exalt
him in the eyes of the vulgar. He walked the common way, but in so
supernatural a manner that it seemed to me that of all to be admired in
his life this was the most admirable trait. He had no affected ways,
neither casting up his eyes nor closing them, but he kept them modestly
lowered and made no unnecessary gestures. His face, passive, sweet, and
grave, portrayed the profound tranquility within.
Whoever observed his outward bearing was unfailingly impressed. Whether
at prayer, reciting the office, or saying Mass, his countenance shone
with angelic splendour, but it was above all at the consecration of the
Mass that it seemed to radiate. This has been remarked to me a thousand
times. He had a special devotion to this adorable Sacrament. It was his
true life, his sole strength, and when carrying it in Procession he
looked like one on fire with love. As his outpourings of love when
before the Divine Sacrament, and his wonderful devotion to our Lady are
treated of elsewhere I will not speak of them here.
Oh, how worthy of admiration was the order with which God had endowed
this blessed soul! so much was it under the control of reason, so calm,
and so lucid the light shed by God within it that absolutely nothing
passed therein that was hidden from him.
So clear was his view in regard to perfection of spirit that he could
distinguish between the most subtle and intangible sensibilities, and
never willingly would he tolerate the less perfect in his soul; his
burning love could not suffer it. It was not that he did not commit some
imperfections, but they were always from frailty or pure surprise, and I
never knew him to leave in his heart one single attachment, however
small, that was contrary to perfection. Purer than the sun, whiter than
the snow in every act, resolve, and desire, he was united to God not
only by his purity, but in humility and simplicity.
To hear him speak of God and of perfection was a delight, for his terms
were precise and intelligible, so that they easily brought home to the
understanding the high and subtle points of the spiritual life and this
great gift he used for the guidance of souls. Reading the depths of
their hearts and clearly seeing the motives from which they acted, he
guided and governed them with a skill other than that of this world. His
indefatigable charity for souls is well known, and the incomparable
delight with which he laboured amongst sinners, never resting till he
had put the conscience in peace and set the soul on its way to heaven.
What care did he not bestow upon the weak and repentant sinner, making
himself one with him, weeping together with him over his sins, and
becoming so one in heart with his penitent that none could conceal
anything from him.
Zeal for the salvation of souls was, I consider, his dominant virtue,
and in a sense it may be said that he preferred the service of his
neighbour, for whom he wore himself out, to the immediate service of
God. His charity was regulated in a remarkable manner, for he loved the
many souls for whom he had a special regard, and they were great in
number, not equally yet perfectly, and purely, recognizing the most
estimable virtue and the measure of grace in each and giving it place
accordingly in his regard. While to all he bore the utmost respect
because he saw God in his neighbour and him in God, yet his humility
never prevented him from reverencing the dignity of his position as
Bishop, and with what gravity and majesty he bore himself in it.
I now venture to repeat what so many persons have said to me--that when
they saw this man it seemed to them that they looked upon Our Lord on
earth. And to me he always appeared the living picture in which the Son
of God, Our Lord, was portrayed, for most truly the order and economy of
his soul was divine.
I remain, my Reverend Father,
Your very humble, obedient, and unworthy
daughter and servant in Our Lord,
SISTER JANE FRANCES FRÉMYOT
(_Of the Visitation of Holy Mary_).
FOOTNOTES:
[A] This letter is taken from "Sainte Jeanne-Françoise Frémyot de
Chantal: Sa Vie et ses Oeuvres," Vol. II.
[B] The treatise on the Love of God.
LIX. _To a Religious of the First Monastery of the Visitation at Paris._
Vive [+] Jésus!
ANNECY, 1625.
MY DEAREST DAUGHTER,
The wings of this little butterfly that thrusts itself out into the
light before its time need to be clipped; otherwise it will come to
destruction. And in like manner, my daughter, as soon as you perceive
your mind taking these high flights you must bring it down to the foot
of the crucifix by a profound but gentle act of humility, holding
yourself there all confused and abashed. Your doing this will put an end
to the trouble. Walk simply, my daughter, and you will walk happily.
Crush self-love, stamp it out; and with it self-esteem. Let true
humility take its place, that humility which always and in all
circumstances aims at oblivion and at being under the feet of all. This
lesson is a difficult one, but God invites you to the practice of it.
Follow His will and His example and He will lead you on until you attain
that perfection to which His Providence has called you. Strive to keep
your thoughts off yourself, and never scrutinize what is passing within
you. Let this truth dwell in your heart and have it always before your
mind that whatever little good there may be in you is from God, and that
therefore you have no right to take pride in it, nor to think any the
better of yourself because of it. Remember that of yourself you are mere
nothingness, possessing only the abjection of your sins and of your
countless imperfections. And bearing this in mind, welcome contempt and
all that kills pride. Make use for this end of that thought of yours
that the Sisters may very justly think you to be full of self-love and
self-esteem, or of any other such humiliating reflection. Desire to be
employed in low and abject things. Not that you should seek them, but
that you be always disposed willingly to accept them. Beg your good
Mother to help you to acquire this dear virtue of humility, without,
however, asking for anything in particular; for to choose would spoil
everything. If you do all this you will find the source of true life,
and if you do it not, you will never have any peace nor be able to
correspond to your vocation and to the designs of God over you. I
beseech His Goodness to grant you this precious grace.
Yours, etc.
LX. _To the Countess de Toulonjon._
Vive [+] Jésus!
CHAMBÉRY, 1625.