S P I R I T U A L L ETT ERS

OF TH E

V E N E R A B L E L I B E RM A N N
 B U S T O F THE

VENERA B LE F RANC IS MA RY P A U L Ll BERMA NN .

 E S P I RI T U A L L E T TE RS

O F T H E V E N E RA B L E

is M a r y P a u l L i b er m a n n
F I R ST S U P ER I OR -
GEN E RA L

H E CO N G EGR A TI O N O F TH E H O LY G H O ST A N D TH E

IMM A C U L A TE H EA R T O F M RY
A

TR TE
A N SL A D B Y TH E

R EV . C H A S L G R U N EN W A L D
. .
,
c s
. . Sp .

VO L U M E I

D ETR O I T, M I C HI G N
A

TH E F AT H ER S OF TH E H OL Y G H OS T
1 90 1
 ALL R I GH T RE ER E
S S V D

J OH N BO R M
N AN S ON , PR TER
IN S

D ETR T OI ,
M I C H I GA N
 A P P RO B A T I O N

E P S COPA L R ES
I I D E N CE

31 and 33
W a sh i gt n on Av e e
nu

D ETR OI T ,
M I CH .
,
M ay I s t , 1 90 1 .

R EV D EA R . F GR U N EN W A LD
.
,
C S Sp
. .

I ha v e r ea d wi th m u ch p l e as u re,

and I h o pe wi th p r o fi
t y u x ll t t l ti f ,
o r e ce en r a ns a on o

th e l tt s f V
e er b l F M P u l Li b m
o en er a C S Spe . . a er ann , . . .

I n d i g thi s y u h v p l d w i thi n th
o n o h f
a u e a ce e r ea c o o r

E gl i h p k i g C th l i cs
n s s ea b k l ul t d t
n a om o a oo ca c a e o a cc

p l i h s i m m an m u t f g o d
ens e
o I ts i u
a s p e uos l n o . s er o r a

c ann t b u t gi v
o m t h l th f u l s ti m u l u t
. e a dv ce
os ea s o a an

m t i
en p i i t u l l i f e s o m th i g c t i l y m o s t d i
n s r a —
e n er a n es r

a b l i thi s m t i l i ti c g Th pi i t f t u f i th
e n a er a s a e . e s r o r e a ,

o f d t l v f Go d n d p f ct u b m i i t H i
ar en o e o a er e s ss on o s

h l y w i l l m n i f t th m l v s
o a v y p g T th e
es e se e on e er a e . o os

w ho l i v e i n th e w o r l d ,
as we l l as to th o s e who s e ek

th e pe r f e c ti o n of th e r el i gi u o s li fe ,
i t w i l l pr o v e a mo st
v l u bl
a a e aid .

Yo u rs f a i th f ul l y i n Xt ,

TJ O H N s . F O LEY ,
 A P P R O B A T I ON
OF T H E

RT . R EV . A L E XA N D ER L ER O Y
u
S pe r i o r -
Gen era l of th e C o n g g
re a ti o n

of th e H l y Gh t
o os

P A R I S, Fe b r u a ry 2n d , 1 90 1 .

R e v Elza s L
. . . Gr un en wa ld , C S Sp . .
,

MY D E A R F A TH E R
I a p pr o v e and b l es s y ou t n s l r ra a ti o n

of th e
“
S pi r i tu al L e tte r s
”
Of our Ve n b l e F the
e ra a r an d

Fo u n d e r . May th e i r p u bl i c a ti o n co n tr i b u te to t he

d v l pm t f
e e o en o th e s up e rna tu ra l l i fe i n t he C h r i s ti a n ,
rel i gi u do s, an s a c er d o ta l so ul s in th e Un i t d e S ta t es ,

for i t i s of thi s l i fe , wh i c h i s t h e o n ly thi ng n eces s a ry

fo r us all i n thi s w o r l d th t t h ,
a e Ven . Li b e r m a n n w a s
’

th e g tlen e and f i th f u l p tl
a a os e .

B el i e v e me,
Dea r Fa the r,

Yo u rs most a ff e c ti o n a te l y i n Ch r i s t ,

L
TA EX AN D ER L ER O Y ,

Sup e i G e e al
r or -
n r Of th e C o n g e g a ti
r o n Of th e Hol y G h st
o .
 T H E V E N E RA B L E

Fra n cis M a r y P a u l Li b e r m a n n
Fi rst u
S pe r i o r G n e a l Of
-
e r th e C o n g g re a ti o n o f

th e ol H y G ho s t a n d th e I m m a c l a u t e

H ea r t O f Ma r y .

HE way s of divine mercy are inscrutab l e

T h is trut h is at no tim e more manife s t
t han wh en God C h ooses h is i nstruments for th e
p ur p ose of accompl ish i ng His de s ign s Of l ove on
mankind F rom the very first days o f H is pub
.

l ic li fe and teaching He gat h ers around H im

, ,

not the h igh and mig h ty o f eart h to be t h e de

p o s i ta r i e s o f H is h eavenly doctrine and t h e
s h arers O f His aposto l ic labors but t h e poo r the , ,

weak and the despised o f men He calls them

, .

Hi s friends and makes t h em t h e associates o f

Hi s intimacy It is to t h ese t h at H e sends H is
.

Ho l y G h ost wit h t h e fullness o f H i s graces ; it

is into t h eir humble h ands that H e confides t h e
divine power o f forgiving sins ; it is on one o f
t h em th at He h as bui l t His c h urc h and to hi s ,

guidance He h as entrusted t h e numerous pro

geny o f His immacu l ate Spouse L ittle w ere .
viii I N T R O D U C T I ON

the s e ignorant and c o w ardly men c alculated in ,

an ordinary w a y to p rove themselves worthy o f

,

their s u b lime de s tinies But Je s u s their L ord .

,
‘

and Master who had conquered the world and

,

Satan promised that H e would remain w ith

,

them even to the con s ummation o f all age s It

, .

w a s no longer they w ho lived thought and , ,

governed but Christ Je s u s w ho lived thought

, , ,

and governed in th em H e exerted His o mni .

potence in their b ehal f and made H is in fi nite ,

Wisdom a fa c to r in the ac c ompli s hment o f their

.

m I S Sl O Il .

And thu s through t h e age s ha s the c ho s en

, ,

Spouse o f Christ flourished and held sway over

the minds and hearts o f men not by the po w er ,

and glory that a fi c kle worl d mig h t c on fer b ut ,

by the strength and love o f the only begotten

Word o f t h e F ather N or ha s t h e c onduct o f.

God varied in anything through the c ourse o f

, ,

centurie s W h atever h as b een done i n the

.

world for the glorification o f H i s name and o f

H is mercy ha s been ac c omplished through t h e
,

instrumentality o f tho s e w h o w ere held as fools

and w orthle ss b y the ungodly A St B enedict . .
,

a St F ran c i s o f A ss isi a St Dominic a St

.
,
.
,
.

Ignatiu s o f L oyola a St Alp h on s us L iguori a

,
.
,

St V in c ent de P aul and numberle ss ot h ers r e

.
, ,

j o i ce d in the folly o f the cross It merited for .

t h em t h e contempt o f t h e worldling but it w as ,

the pri c ele s s b oon that pro c ur ed for them the

 I N T R O D U CT I ON

glorie s o f an eternal re s urrection and made o f ,

them sh ining light s in the C h ur c h o f Chri s t .

T h ese and suc h as t h ese have been at al l

, ,

time s c hosen to sustain t h e interests o f the

Saviour among men and to shed new lustre
, ,

on His glorious name At no time in the ex .

,

i s ten ce o f the Church have there b een w anting ,

such te s timonies o f God s love mer c y w i s dom ’

, , ,

and power N or is t h ere a peo ple on earth

.
,

however small and insignifi c ant it may be that ,

has not contributed in some measure to the

glorification o f the Christ O ur o w n age ha s .

witne s sed such p rodigie s and t h e dead trunk o f ,

I srael w as selected to bring forth new branches

and bear abundant fruit to Him whom it h ad
nailed to t h e c r oss The vivi fying spirit o f Go d
.

went fort h and rested on the family o f L azarus

Li b er m a n n the rabbin o f Saverne in Al s ace
, ,
.

It w as h owever to the fi ft h son that t h e full

, ,

ness o f t h e li fe of grace w a s especially given .

I t is he t h ere fo re t h at forms the subj e c t o f the

, ,

present sketch .

This child o f God s predilection w as born to

’

L azarus Li ber m a n n and L ia Susanna Haller ,

on the 1 2 th o f April 1 8 04 and on the eig h th , , ,

da y a fter his birth was a c cording to Je w is h

, ,

custom given the name o f J a c ob F rom t h e

,
.

v ery earlie s t days o f his existence the S ign o f ,

h e cro s s w a s upon him and marked him as t h e

cho s en o ne o f Go d F or b e s ide s being t h e
.
,
X I N T R O D U C T I ON

haple ss c hild o f a ra bb in w ho wa s almo s t a

fanatic in t h e o b servance o f the Je w i sh tenets ,

h is early l i fe was far from being h appy Hi s .

delicate constitution subj ected him to many i n

fi r m i ti es w h ich were all t h e more aggravated
,

by the railleries and the persecutions o f hi s com

pa nions . N or c ould h e find a single heart
who s e b eatings w ere in s ympathy w ith hi s many
sorrows H i s mothe r died w h en he w as but
.

nine years old and instead o f finding suppo rt

,

in him w ho w as his first master he received ,

such inhuman and brutal treatment at hi s hand s

that he b ore to the grave their fatal co n s e
q u e n c es . He himsel f related in a fter li fe that
i n moment s o f frenzy thi s ma s ter seized h im
'
,

hy t h e feet and struck h is h ead against the w all .

Hi s edu c ation w as b ut little suited to bring

him under the influen c e o f divine grace L ike .

a ll J e w i s h children he was tho r o u ghl y i n s tr u cted

,

i n t h e maxims o f the Talmud and with every , ,

‘

w ord he im b ibed a thorough aversion for all

,

that w a s Christian H is fat h er f ound him an .

apt pupil and on more t h an one occa s ion his

, , ,

paternal pride was gratified to see hi s son s ,

S amson and J acob c arry o ff t h e honors o f Tal

,

m u d i c dis c ussion be fore t h e assembled J e w i s h

ari s to c racy H e predi c ted f o r them a brilliant
.

future and it w a s his fondest hope to see them

,

the s u cc e ss or s o f hi s learning and o f hi s o ffice .

Sam s on ho w ever very s oon yielded every a d

, ,
 I N T R O D U C T I ON xi

vantage to hi s younger brother H aving .

fi ni s hed hi s s tudies he became disgusted w ith

,

t h e sh allo w ne ss o f the doctrines that h ad hit h er

to been proposed to him and de c ided upo n tak
ing up the s tudy o f medi c ine at Stras b urg .

He there met s ome other Je w ish young men

“

w ho w ere a s little s ati sfi ed as himsel f with their

early tea c hing The S pirit o f unrest had s eized
.

upon them and b efore long the la s t vestige o f

,

t h eir ancient faith was entirely lo s t Samson .

barely retained a vague notion o f right and

w rong N or w ere his medical studies capable
.

o f di s pelling hi s anxietie s He indeed con .

, ,

ti n u e d to take part in t h e festivities and oc cas ,

i o n a lly visited t h e synagogue but from day to ,

day his aversion for the religion of h is fat h ers

gre w s tronger The young w oman w h om h e
.

h ad married w as similarly situated so t h at ,

neither could give the ot h er any c onsolation or

relief But t h e h our o f grace w a s near at hand
.

for bo t h .

It w a s in t h e h ouse o f a P rote s tant family

t h at Dr Lib er m a n n first sa w the N e w Testa
.

ment He took t h e copy along w ith h im and

.
, ,

obedient to t h e promptings o f grace read it , .

T h ese readings revealed to h imse l f and h is w i fe

some o f the glory o f Jesus the S on o f Mary , .

A ne w w orld was opened and their candor

urged them to take po ss es s ion o f it In expec .

ta ti o n o f the b i r th o f hi s fir s t child Dr L i b er
‘

.
,
xi i I NTR O DUC T I O N

mann addre ss ed him s el f to the P rote s tant a u

tho r i ti e s in regard to its b apti s m But little .

s at i s fa c tion w a s given him there and hi s mind ,

w a s again thro w n into d o u b t and anxiety .

I n the meantime the Je w ish c on s i s tory had

,

de c ided upon making s ome improvement s in it s

sc hool s and f o r thi s purpo s e appointed a c om
,

m i ttee to c arry out it s proj e c t s D r Li b er m a n n

. .

w a s made it s se c retary This c o mmittee in a

.

very s ho r t time b e c ame f o r the Je ws o f Alsa c e

w hat the Tra c tarian Movement w as for the
Chur c h i n E ngland It s mem b ers addressed a
.

memorial to the hierar c hy o f F ran c e in w hich ,

they laid b are the neces s ities o f t h e Je ws and ,

strongly urged the F ren c h clergy to e s tab li s h

mi ss ion s among them This doc ument w a s.

s u b mitte d to the Bishop o f Stras b urg w ho took ,

up the matter and held s everal consultations

w ith the s ignatarie s H e fi nally referred them
.

to hi s V icar General the Abb é Lie b ermann

-

, ,

for a further examination o f the plan The o ut .

c ome o f thi s inter c our s e w as that D r L i b er .

mann and hi s w i fe w ere received into the

Church o n the 1 sth o f March 1 8 2 4 They ,
.

w ere soon follo w ed b y Messr s M ayer Dreyfu s .

, ,

Go s hl e r Th eo dore Ra ti s b o n n e and Jules L evel

, , ,

all member s o f the c ommittee .

When the ne w s o f thi s c onver s ion rea c hed

the quiet village of S averne the ra bb in s family
,
’

put o n mourning a s f o r o n e who w a s dead .

 I N T R O D UCTI ON xii i

Ja c ob espe cially w as in co n s olable over thi s

, ,

de fe c tion and believing hi s brother w a s

,

prompted only by w orld l y interest in the ste p

that he had taken he resolved on bringing him ,

back to h is ancient allegian c e With thi s end in .

View he frequently visited the do c tor s family

,
’

and employed the best argument s w hich hi s o w n

ardent fait h could s upply H e s a w ho w ever .
, ,

that his e fforts w ere o f no avail and his sister ,

i n la w w ho admired hi s earne s tne ss and zeal

-

, ,

as w ell as the forbearance he s h o wed in the mo s t

h eated discussions told him that n o t only would ,

he too be c ome a C h ristian but even a priest

, , ,

and an apo stle There was little h ope at the

.
,

time t h at this prophecy w ould ever be fulfilled

, ,

for no doubt had yet assailed the young man s ’

faith .

When Jacob had attained h i s nineteenth year ,

h is fat h er sent him to Metz to pursue hi s ra b ,

b i n i ca l studies He naturally expe c ted that he

.

w ould be received w ith that ho s pitality wh ich

the Je w extends to his co religionist But in -

thi s he w a s doomed to disa ppointment The .

two teachers who w ere under obligation to

,

L azarus Li b er m a n n received t h e ne w pupil ,

w ith a marked degree o f coldne s s and even ,

treated him w it h h ars h ness w h en they be c ame ,

aware that he had s ecretly taken up the study

o f L atin and F ren c h It was during t h is pe riod .

t h at he fi rst observed t h e striking ignorance o f

xi v I N T R O D U C T I ON

hi s master s and the de fic ien c ies o f their do c

trine N o thing daunted he remained even a
.
,

sc rupulou s upholder o f the Talmudic traditions .

Thi s c onstancy ho w ever w a s s oon under

, ,

mined w hen he heard that two other b rother s ,

F elkel and Samuel had al s o be en received into

,

the Catholi c Chur ch Though separated from

.

them b y hi s religiou s c onvictions his love f o r ,

them w a s in n o w i s e dimini s hed and he kept up ,

a lively c orresponden c e w ith them E specially .

w as thi s the case w ith his elde s t brot h er Sam

s on The latter soon perceived how powerfully
.

the grace o f Go d w a s w orking in Jacob s h eart ’

.

The firmne ss o f faith w as gradually yielding to

doubts and perplexity H e could all t h e better
.

app 1 eci a te thi s transition as h e h imsel f had

pa ss ed through t h e same stages H e there fore .

kept a w at c h ful eye on his younger brot h er and ,

endeavored to t h e best o f his ability to b r i ng

him to the light o f truth .

It w as during thi s period o f mental struggle

that Ja c o b first s a w a copy o f the Gospel in H e
bre w H e read i t eagerly but could n o t co n
.

vin c e him s el f o f the reality o f Christ s miracles ’

nor w as hi s intelligen c e enlig h tened enough as

yet to gra s p the divine doctrine taught by the
Saviour o f mankind But wonderful to relate
.
, ,

w h at could not be ac c omplished by t h e w ords o f

Je s us w a s brought a b out by a b ook more c a lcu
,

lated to de s troy faith in a human s oul than to

xv i I N T R O D U C T I ON

to M Drach upon hi s arrival in P aris T h is

.
,
.

gentleman brought him to Stanislas College ,

w h ere a room was assigned him and Lh o ,

“ ”
mond s Hi story o f Religion w as given him
’

to read H is co mplete i s o l a ti o n ha d a tendency

'

to plunge him into the deepest sadness ; but t h i s

was t h e hour c h osen by D ivine P rovidence for
the triumph o f faith and regeneration In the .

midst o f hi s desolation h e bet h oug h t himsel f ,

o f the God o f his fathers and prayed to Him ,

with all the fervor o f a candid soul that He ,

might S ho w him where the trut h lay The .

e ff ect o f thi s prayer was immediate and h e ,

aro s e s trengthened E very doubt w as dispelled .

and the light o f God s grace clearly pointed out ’

to him the road t h at he w as to fo ll o w at the ,

s ame time giving him the c ourage to be faith ful

to the call .

O n Chri stmas eve 1 8 2 6 Ja c ob Li b er m a n n , ,

was baptized by the Abb é Auger hi s god father ,

—

being the Baron F rancis de Mallet and h is ,

god mot h er t h e Count ess A gl a é Mar i e

— -

d H eu z e I n ete r n a l commemoration o f this

’ '

happy event he took the names o f F rancis Mary

P aul and t h us it w as t h at t h e gra c e o f God had
,

at last captured him w h o w a s to become the ,

in s trument o f s o mu ch good in the C h urc h o f

Christ .

F rom o ut o f the darkne s s o f J udaism Go d ,

had led him in a w onderful manner into the

 I N T R O D U C T I ON xvii
.

fu lness and noon day splendor o f faith The

-

trans formation that took place in hi s s oul was

something exceedingly marvelous L ike St . .

P aul h e instantly and pe rfectly followed t h e

,

voi c e o f the Master O ne part o f t h e three fold

.

prophe c y o f Strasburg was fulfilled and t h ere ,

now remained but to see the accomplishment

o f t h e two ot h ers T h e sa c red w aters o f bap
.

ti s m had made o f h im a con s ecrated c h ild o f '

God and filled h is soul with the perfection o f

,

the Holy G h ost E very C h ristian virtue seemed

.

to b e implanted t h ere and t h e understanding o f ,

all that h e h ad so late l y detested came to him

intuitively Signed wit h the S ign o f the cross
.

fr om his tenderest in fancy this wa s but a part ,

of t h e consummation o f the design s o f P rovi

den c e in h is regard God had c h osen h im to .

make him a prince o f h is people and to intrust ,

to h im the sel f same mission t h at t h e E ternal

-

Word had re c eived .

The sanctuary is indeed still far distant and

many and great are t h e obstacles that will arise
in h is pat h to prevent h im from reaching the
end o f his vocation But t h e all powerful grace
.
-

o f his heavenly F ather t h at had brought him

from darkness into light will know h o w to ,

triump h and will even work miracles in order to

,

give him t h e place assigned to h im in t h e order

o f P rovidence H e will not falter nor w i ll
.
,

natu re b e ca pabl e o f exercisin infl u e n ce

g y
an
xviii I N T R O D U C T I ON

over him H i s resolution is taken ; he will b ear

.

the cross o f Je s us and in H i s foo tstep s will he

,

fol lo w P erish nature peris h sel f ! P raised

.
,

be Jesus and M ary prai s ed be God alone ! Thi s

,

i s hence forth his war cry and the s tanda rd o f -

his li fe .

A fter P rovidence the s ame charitable ladies , ,

who had taken care o f his every w ant during

his stay at Stanislas College made it possible ,

for him to enter into t h e house o f the F oreign

M is s ions o f F rance T h i s apparently solved .

every question t h at might arise concerning hi s

future and yet such w a s not the plan o f God
,
.

Something higher something greater was in ,

store for him H is zeal for the glory o f God

.

w as not to be narrowed down within the limits

o f one single country H is was to b e a mi ss ion .

as w orld w ide as that o f the Apostles To him

-
.

“
a s to them it w as said : Go forth to teach all
”
nations .

It was there fore in pursuan c e o f this divine

, ,
-

plan that a fter having received t h e clerical ton

,

s ure at the hou s e o f the M i ssions in 1 8 2 7 h e , ,

w a s directed by Mgr de Q u el en in O ctober o f .

,

the same year to continue h is studies in the

,

seminary o f St Sulpice He was there received

. .

by the Abb é George a fterwards Bis h op o f ,

P erigueux Here again h is future career

.

seemed decided for h e evidently h ad a vocation

,

t t e
o h ec c les i asti ca l s tate a nd he re wer e m en .
 I N T R O D U C T I ON xi x

eminently fitted to prepare him for it Be s ides .

,

at t h is period t h e greatest fervor prevailed at

t h e seminary The edi fying li fe o f Cali x te
.

F r eze was still fres h in every memory and t h e ,

per fume o f h is virtues was an incentive to a

perfect li fe for more t h an one .

Many and varied w ere t h e talents h ere dis

played ; those w h o possessed them formed a ,

galaxy o f brilliant minds t h at were in later ,

years to render t h e C h urc h o f F rance so glor

,

ious in h istory V irtue however was h eld in

.
, ,

higher esteem t h an talent or learning It w as .

into t h e midst o f the s e t h at our h umble neop h yte

wa s introduced Modest and retiring as he w as
.

by nature h e s hone in no parti c u l ar manner

,

be fore t h em He h ad entered upon t h e road of

.

sel f denial and union w it h God most earnestly

—

and perfe c tly Suc h virtue as his could not

.

long be h idden no more t h an the sun can h ide

,

h is face i n a c l oudless sky It took but a little .

time until h is simple earnestness attra c ted ’

around h im al l tho s e w ho were fi l led w it h t h e

“ ”
love o f God and before long t h e little J ew
,

w as univer s ally esteemed as a saint H i s li fe .

as an apostle w a s already b egun and h e obedi ,

ently follo w ed the interior voice w h ich urged

h im o n .

O ur neophyte no w enj oyed hi s Thabor but ,

he too like hi s Divine Ma s ter w a s to have hi s

, , ,

Calvary His past experience had alr eady

.
‘
XX I N T R O D U C T I ON

taught him that the s ouls whom God stamps

with the seal o f H is holiness were al w ays ,

marked with the sign o f the Cross He s oug h t .

no better for h imsel f Too late had h e learned

.

to know t h e divine b eauty too late did h e ,

become aw a re o f C h rist s unbounded love But

’
.

when the knowledge c ame to him h e found it ,

s urpassingly sweet And t h ere fore w ere t h e

.

trial s that awaited him all the more sensib l e ,

and there fore were t h e w ounds w h ic h they

stru c k all t h e more pain ful W h en t h ey c ame
.

he did not recoil nor depart a h air s breadth

,
’

from the t h orny path traced out for h i m ; for

w a s not C h rist Cr u ci fi ed with h im ?
The first severe blow that his a ffectionate and
devoted heart w as obliged to su ff er w a s assur
e dl y hi s struggle against h is fat h er Many and .

violent w ere t h e imprecati ons o f the aged rab

bin against his s on for h is apo stasy H e w as .

deeply wounded in h is filial love ; but he had

sw orn fidelity to the Christ and to Him w ould
h e belong even unto d eat h H is sorro w w as all
.

the greater when shortly after h e heard that

, ,

his beloved fat h er died an obstinate J ew .

And now t h e time came on apace w hen he

s h ould c onsecrate hims el f irrevocab l y to his
divine M aster T h e gates o f the san ct uary
.

s eemed open to receive him but at the la s t ,

moment the providen c e o f an all w i s e Go d i n -

terv en ed. H i s s ervant w a s n o t tried enough ,

 I N T R O D U C T I ON xxi

and more o f t h e su fferings o f the cross were in

st o re for h im His delicate healt h was t h or
.

oug h ly undermined by a nervou s a ff ection He .

was sent to I ssy to spend his vacation ; h e

returned seemingl y muc h benefited by t h e pure
country air T h is was in appearance only and
.
,

t h e signs o f epi l epsy were so evident t h at hi s

directors could not a l low h im to assume t h e
obligations o f subdeacons h ip A nd for years .

t h is dread fu l ma l ady was destined to dog h is

footsteps W h o can reveal to us t h e anguis h
.

of h is h eart when h e be h eld h imsel f apparently ,

forever excluded from t h e intimacy o f t h e

,

L ord ? T h o ug h t h e trial was severe h is fait h ,

did not w aver and h is trust was in Him a l one

,

w h ose h and weig h ed so h eavi l y u pon h im N ot .

only was he a fflicted in h is bodi l y h ea l t h but for ,

h im t h e j oys o f T h abor were too rapid l y suc

cee de d b y t h e sorrows o f Ca l vary Wit h t h e .

decrease o f h is ma l ady came a l ong period o f

spiritual dryness t h at cou l d not fai l to fi ll h is
sou l wit h bitterness and deso l ation N ot a mur .

mur or complaint ever crossed h i s l ips as h is ,

most intimate companions testi fy We can .

never su fficient l y admire t h e perfect equanimity

disp l ayed in his numerous letters w ritten during
t h is trying period .

It naturally followed t h at in view of h is seri

,

ous infirmity his directors were no l onger at

,

liberty to retain him at St Sulpi c e T h ey . .

xx ii I N T R O D U CT I ON

there fore w ere obliged to in form him that he

would have to retire It w a s tou c hing to s ee
.

the perfect pe ace and re s ignation w ith w hich he

received this sad communi c ation whi c h at one ,

blo w seemed to bring his holiest and most legi

timate a s pirations to naught At the sig h t o f .

s o much peace M Carb on could not re frain

,
.

from a s king him w hat he no w intended to do .

“
The reply was : I cannot return to t h e w orld ;
”
God I trust will provide for my w ant s
, ,
Thi s .

h eroi c c onfidence made s uc h an impre s sion on

h i s directors t h at they unanimously de c ided to
send him to their c ountry h ouse o f I ss y for as
long a s it should please God H ere his interior .

conflicts far from diminis h ing s eemed only to

, ,

increase H e wa s destined to b ear in h imsel f

.

C h rist Cr u c i fie d and for this purpose must t h e

,

old man o f fl es h be com plete l y destroyed .

Crosses and humiliations were not spared him ,

and t h ere fore hi s li fe at I ssy was one l ong s u c ‘

cession o f victorie s over sel f and one grand

progress i n the path o f virtue .

This edi fying conduct could not long fail to

exercise its influence on all hi s surroundings .

H is entire being belonged exclusively to God ,

and it was t h e most ardent wis h o f his heart

t h at all men s h ould be sacrificed and dedi c ated
to t h e service o f hi s divine Ma s ter Thi s s en .

ti m en t permeates h is entire c orre s ponden c e and

makes o f h im an apo stle In h i s o wn family w e
.
xxiv I N T R O D U C T I ON

t h e seed w i l l germinate and gro w to b e a sturdy

tree.

T w o Creoles Messrs F rederic L e V avasseur

, .

and E ugene Tisserand w ere c ho s en b y God to ,

form wit h him t h e new s ociety L ike him they .

,

both h ad to travel the road o f the cross ; like

h im they bot h were obliged to drink the b itter
,

cup unto t h e dregs F rederic L e V ava ss eur .

,

t h e descendant o f an ancient fami l y o f N or

mandy came to P aris from the isle o f Bourbon
,

to prepare himsel f for the P olytec h nical sc h ool .

This design h owever he was soon o b liged to

, ,

a b andon on account o f the violent h eadaches

w ith w hic h h e was atta c ked H e next turned .

his attention to t h e st udy o f l a w but t h is too , , ,

a fter a tim e proved I mpracticable T h en it

,
.

w a s that following t h e advice o f his friends he

, ,

applied for admission to the seminary He was .

fi rst received at Stanislas College and then s ent

to Issy w h ere h e became one o f t h e intimate
‘

f r iends o f M Li b e r m a n n and with him con

.
,

tributed not a little to t h e fervor o f t h e semi

nary While s ti l l a t home he h ad seen the
.
,

w retc h ed condition o f the slaves on h is father s ’

plantation and from t h e moment t h at h e had

,

a dopted t h e ecclesiastical state it was h is most ,

earnest desire to devote himsel f to t h eir reli

g i o u s regeneration .

E ugen e Ti s serand on the ot h er hand , ,

descended from an ancient governor o f San

 I N T R O D U C T I ON XXV

Domin g o h ad entered t h e seminary o f I ssy but

,

a s h ort time be fore h im He too was animated .

, ,

w ith a great zeal for t h e salvation o f t h e N egro

race .

And yet w hat ob s t acles aro s e in their path ,

ob s ta c les t h at threatened h umanly speaking to , ,

render t h e accomplishment o f t h eir desire i m

possible ' T h ere existed in b o t h o f t h em a
latent tendency t o ward the same end and a com ,

mon aspiration t h at found its centre in M .

Lib er m a n n w ho h ow ever w as not yet a w are

, , ,

o f their proj ect s o f apostles h ip .

T h ese t h en were t h e instruments c h osen by

, ,

God for t h e carrying out o f H is designs o f

mercy w ith regard to t h e abandoned N egro
race T h e one was stricken by a malady c on
.

s i der e d incurable ; t h e ot h er rej ected as incapa

ble and t h e remaining one despairing o f ever

,

being able to pursue h is studies N ot h ing s h ort .

o f t h e omnipotence o f God was required to

e ffe c t w hat His mercy h ad designed for t h e s on s
o f Cham .

J ust at this time M L ouis w h o was elected

, .
,

Superior o f the E udist F at h ers at Rennes ,

applied to the directors o f t h e s eminary o f P ari s

for s omebod y to undertake t h e direction o f h is
novitiate They unanimously recommended to
.

h im M Li ber m a n n wh o t h ough he w a s on l y
.
, ,

in minor o rder s w a s a s good a s a prie s t t h e y

, ,

said M Lib er m a n n h imsel f remained i n di f

. .
xxvi I N T R O D U C T I ON .

f e r e n t,ex p ressing neit h er regret n o r de s ire and ,

w hen the de c i s ion came that he s hould go to

Rennes he accepted it a s the h oly w ill o f God
, .

When h e arrived at t h e novitiate o f St Ga b riel .

he w a s n o t immediately pla c ed in charge but ,

with his beauti ful spirit o f h umility h e calmly

a ss umed for the moment all t h e duties o f a s im
ple novice T h is trial h elped to fas h ion him a ll
.

the be tter for t h e formation o f ot h ers .

It w a s only a fter the midsummer retreat

preached b y a Jesuit F ather t h at he was p l aced
a s dire c tor over the n o vi c e s God alone kno ws .

what trials and sorrows he h ad to undergo .

That t h ey were more severe t h an any he had

h itherto s u ffered was amply s h own by t h e let
ters w h ich he wrote at t h is period He never .

told anybody ho w ever t h e exact nature o f

, ,

the s e su fferings H is po s ition was indeed an

.
, ,

anomalou s one Without b eing a E udist h e

.
,

wa s in c h arge o f the novitiate H i m sel f on l y

.

in minor orders he had priests to direct in the

,

w a y o f religiou s per fe c tion It is therefore in

.
, ,

no w i s e astonishing that di fficultie s should

ari s e and in fa c t many out w ard o bs ta c les did
, , ,

pre s ent t h emselves ; but w ith his usual humility

and un w avering c harity he over c ame them all .

H i s only o b j e c t w a s to s ee Go d loved and s erved

per fe c tly and to w ard thi s end every energy o f
,

b ody and s oul wa s dire c ted H i s mo s t di s tin .

g u i s he d novice the B,
i s ho p o f R o s ea u sp ea ks ,
 I N T R O D U C T I ON xxvii

exceedingly hig h ly o f h im and pictures him to ,

us as t h e complete man o f God .

I f his stay at Rennes was not one o f p l easure

and sel f contentment it certainly proved o f
—
,

immense advantage to h im in a fter l i fe It .

taug h t him to kno w t h e spirit o f F ather E udes ,

and made h im more t h oroughly fami l iar with

t h e direction o f souls T h e Ho l y G h ost thus .

gradually traine d him to t h e task t h at w a s to be

h is li fe work and h is lasting memoria l in the
—
,

Churc h o f C h rist .

I n the meantime t h e friends whom he had

, ,

le ft at P aris felt h is absence very muc h Thi s

,
.

was especially the case wit h Messrs L e V avas .

s eu r and Tisserand Animated as t h ey bot h

.

'

were w it h z ea l f o r t h e sa l vation o f t h e N egro

race they had already begun to look upon M
, .

Lib er m a n n as their natural counselor and

l eader L ittle or no progress w as made wit h
.

t h eir proj ect nor indeed cou l d much progress

,

be made the real soul o f it h ad not yet been

—

found The Immaculate Heart of Mary had

.

reserved to itsel f the ri gh t o f assuming t h e pro

tecto r a te of t h e new Congregation w h ic h Mary ,

t h us wished to belong to h er by t h is title .

She desi re d to demonstrate be fore a l l the

w or l d t h at it was t h e l ove o f h er materna l h eart
t h at h ad made t h e cause o f C h am s forsaken ’

c h ildren h er own T h is was to be t h e case not

.

on l y for t h e ori gin o f t h e un dertaking but al s o , ,

xxviii I N T R O D U C T I ON

and more especially so in its ac c omplishment

,
.

F or t h e S piritual sons o f the venerable s ervant

“ ”
o f God the name o f O ur L ady o f V ictories
,

wi l l always be one to remind t h em most forcibly

o f t h e e ffective intervention o f t h eir beloved
Mother in t h e a ffairs o f the i r r e l i gi o u s family
'

It s early struggles its development and it s later

, ,

successes are all inseparably united with the

“
greatest graces o f the Re fuge o f Sinners .

During the vacation o f 1 8 3 8 F rederi c Le ,

V ava s seu r b etook him s el f to Rennes with the ,

avo w ed intention o f discussing the apostleship

o f the negroe s with his holy friend Th e two
~

conversed frequently upo n the subj ect and ,

prayed mu ch M L e V ava s seur being o f an

. .
,

ardent disposition w a s in favor o f going ahead

,

w ith the proj ect as soon as possible M L iber . .

mann ho w ever c ounseled prudence and calm

, ,

ness U pon his return to P aris M L e V ava s

.
,
.

s c ur w it h the other friends w h o were w illing

,

to devote themselves to the apo s toli c li fe r e ,

vealed thei r design to t h e saintly director o f the

Arc h con fraternity o f the Immaculate Heart o f
M ary t h e A bb é Des gen ettes He promised to
,
.

recommend it to t h e prayers o f the A r chco n f r a

te r n i ty The 2 n d o f F ebruary 1 8 39 was the
.
, ,

day on whic h t h e matter w a s first pub l icly men

ti o n e d With w h at de l ig h t did not t h e young
.

a postles h ear t h e touc h ing w ords with w hich it

w a s pla c ed b efore the m embers ! Th i s wa s
 I N T R O D U C T I ON xxix

really t h e day on which t h e Congregation o f the

Immaculate Heart o f Mary was conceive d M . .

Le V avasseur submitted t h e plan o f t h e n ew

Congregation to Messrs P inau l t and Gallai s .
,

directors o f t h e seminary o f St Sulpice and .

,

was overj oyed to receive their most hearty

approval He did not delay in in forming M
. .

Li b e r m a n n about it T h e latter sent h i s most

.

earnest encouragements wit h out h owever em , , ,

gaging himsel f to anyt h ing He urged them .

not to be precipitate nor to re l y upon t h em

,

selves o r their skill N eit h er s h ould t h ey allow

.

t h emselves to be cast down i f di fficu l ties arose

in the accomplishment o f their design He .

warned them not to grow discouraged even i f

pious people j udged un favorably of t h e matter .

He h ad indeed recognized t h e finger o f God

, ,

in the desires o f h is friend s but it w a s not yet ,

clear to h is mind w h et h er h e s h ould become

t h eir associate or not As w as cu s tomary with
.

h im h e waited in perfect abnegation and humil

,

ity until the wi l l o f God s h ou l d be made known

to him ; but once h e clear l y recognized t h at will ,

t h ere was no po w er on eart h to stay h im no ,

-

matter h ow much h is own nature might have to

su ffer by it .

It was at t h is time t h at far from consider ,

ing h imsel f ca ll ed to become t h e founder o f an

aposto l ic congregation h e felt h imse l f i r r es i s t
,

i b l y drawn to w ard a l i fe o f so l i tude ; indeed ,

XXX I N T R O D U C T I ON

nature and grace appeared to have traced out

s uch a c our s e for him T h e darkness ho w ever
.
, ,

gradually vanished and step by s t ep it b e

, , ,

came evident t h at God wi shed h im to become

a s sociated with his friends for the salvation o f
a b andoned s ouls H e follo w ed the c all t hough
.
,

his h eart still yearned for the peace and calm o f

a solitary li fe And many were the combats
.

that he had to wage and many the sorrows that

,

threatened to unman h im There w ere m o

ment s w hen these trials disappeared but the n ,

they returned at time s with redoubled vigor .

In t h e meantime a numerous progeny o f

,

fervent L evites fe l t t h emselves called to give

t h eir best e fforts to t h e proj ected w ork P rom .

i n en t among t h ese w a s M r P aul de la B r u n i é r e

.
,

who had j ust finished a brilliant cour s e o f the

ologi c al studies and had been ordained s u b
deacon As he possessed eminent talent an
.
,

honored name and a vast fortune, besides b e

,

ing a nep h ew o f t h e Bishop o f Mende his fam ,

ily had every rig h t to expect that h is future

c areer could not fail to b e a success ful one .

Yet such were not h is desires nor h is ambition

,
.

F ormed in the school o f abnegation and per fect

love o f God an ardent disciple o f Li b er m a n n
, ,

he h ad chosen to cast aside everyt h ing t h at

might advance hi s world l y interests and to de ,

vote h imsel f to a li fe o f h ards h ip and sacrifice

f o r the lov e o f hi s divine M aster A c cord
.
xxxii I N T R O D U C T I ON

ure but without success The call o f God had

,
-

come and there w a s no resisting it Accord

, .

i n gly t h e humble acolyte le ft for P ari s where

, ,

h e received t h e encouragement o f his dire c tor s

on t h e one h and and on t h e ot h er a s evere
, , ,

censure from a very pious man for his pre

sumption in wis h ing to go to Rome .

H is j ourney to the E terna l City b ecame a

true way o f t h e cross N othing short o f hi s u n
.

wavering trust i n God and hi s tender devotion

to our Blessed L ady wa s a b le to s ustain him i n
the many disappointments that he had to su ff er .

W h eneve r he mentioned his proj ect h e was ,

treated eit h er with cold contempt or ridicule .

Hence forward t h ere fore h e resolved to keep

, ,

hi s own counsel and speak about h is a ff airs

,

only to suc h persons and at su c h times as , ,

w ould appear most suita b le .

He arrived at lengt h at Marseilles and there ,

met M r de la B r u n i é r e E ver sin t e his depart

. .

u re from Rennes his soul had b een rent by

various interior trials and humiliation s whi c h .
, ,

in t h e simplicity o f his heart he revealed to his ,

companion M r de l a B r u n i er e too had

. .
, ,

trouble and anxieties but h e had taken the ,

stoical reso l ution o f keeping them to him s el f

'
,

and far from being e di fie d by h i s friend s frank ’

ness h e was inclined on l y to be di s couraged

,
.

This sentiment w a s accentuated a fter their ar

rival i n Rome o n t h e fea s t o f the E piphany
, ,
 I N T R O D U C T I ON xxxiii

1 8 40 .Things advanced too slowly to s uit the

fi ery tempe rament o f M r de la B r u n i é r e The . .

pi lgrims were indeed presented to Hi s Holi

ness Gregory X V I
,
on F ebruary 1 7 th .
, ,

t h roug h t h e good o ffices o f M r Drac h but .

,

M r de la B r u n i é r e persuaded him s el f more and

.

more t h at h is whole j ourney from P aris to

Rome was in pursuit o f an illusion The final .

out c ome was that he left Rome and returned

to P aris where h e entered the S eminary o f the
,

F oreign M i s sions F rom t h ere he went to .

Manc h uria w here he s u ffered a martyr s death

,
’

in 1 8 4 5 .

Abandoned b y hi s companion M L iber ,

.

mann found him s el f all alone at Rome Ob .

s ta cl e s seemed to sprin g up around him like

mus h room s over nig h t but at no time w as his ,

confidence ever s haken H e w as convinced that .

h e was doing t h e work o f God and t h at in ,

goo d time t h ere w ould be a solution to every

,

di fficulty .

He h ad no w reached a point w here all pro

gre s s cea s ed He had c ome to the E ternal City
.

without any recommendation ; and no w that

h is companion had le ft h im he had neither ,

counselor nor friend nor prote c tor His

, , .

e ff orts w ere unavailing and instead o f r ecei v ,

ing any encouragement h e met only rebu ff , ,

contempt and ridicule even at the hand s o f

, ,

those from w hom he might rea s ona b ly expe c t

x xxiv I N T R O D U C T I ON

b etter treatment and a better under s tanding o f

his intention s H e w ent to s ee F ather Ro z a v en
.

to get hi s opini o n He w a s attentively heard

.
,

b ut soundly rated for hi s presumption and e x

alte d I magination It w as pointed out to him
.

that in hi s wretched c ondition there c ould b e

, ,

n o thought o f his founding a c ongregation .

O ther s imilar e ffort s w ere equally unsu cc e ss

ful H e w as even ac c used o f having c ome to
.

Rome w ith the s ole intention o f fraudulently

gaining the good w ill o f t h e Holy F ather s o ,

that he might b e promoted to H oly O rder s ,

in s pite o f hi s s ickne ss And said they i f he .

, ,

s till remained in the c ity it w as only w ith the ,

vie w o f Obtaining hi s end .

M Li b er m a n n however lo s t neither hi s
.
, ,

courage n o r hi s w onted calm and j oy

, ,

although hi s li fe w as o n e o f extreme poverty .

and many hards h ips I n the meantime he .

,

worked a ss iduou s ly at a m em o r i a l i n w hi c h he ‘

expo s ed the c hief ends and cir c um s tances o f

the w ork that he and hi s friends w i s hed to
e s tablish H e point s o ut that they de s ire to
.

form a c ommunity and labor as mis s ionaries ,

under the authority o f vicar s and pre fe c t s

apostolic and under obedience to their o w n s u
,

p e r i o r s They
. w ish further to pra c ti s,
e po v ,

er ty and b ind them s elve s by vo w It i s their .

de s i re to be in immediate d ependen c e o n Rome

through the Cardinal P re fe c t o f the P r o pa -
 I N T R O D U C T I ON XXXV

ganda w ho i s to h ave j uri s di c tion over them

,
.

T h is document he presented to Mgr Ca do l i n i .

,

Secretary o f t h e P r o paganda on the 1 1 th o f ,

Marc h The immediate reply w as that be fore

.
,

any further steps could be taken in t h e matter ,

h e would have to be a priest This gave him s o .

l ittle hope for a success ful issue that he failed

to l eave h is addres s at t h e Secretary s o fli ce ’
.

Meanw h ile as every o pening seemed to b e

,

closed against h im he had recourse to prayer

,

and meditation It w a s in his intercourse w ith

.

t h e God o f peace and love that he acquired t h e

h eroic strength and t h e c ourage which enabled
h im to bear up against so many bitter di s a p
p o i n t m e n ts
. Deeds prompted b y hi s ch arity
were t h e only variety he allowed to t h ose exer
ci ses o f fait h .

S h ortly a fter h is arrival in Rome h e had ,

taken up h is residence in t h e humble hou s e o f

M P atriarca As he asked for t h e po ore s t
. .

apartment in the h ouse h e w as sh own to a ,

fourth story garret Hi s only though con .

,

stant visit ors were t h e pigeons And h ere

, , .
,

amid utter privation and po verty he wrote h is ,

“R “ ” “
u l es h is Glossary and hi s Co m m en
, ,

tary on t h e Gospel o f St J o h n ”
H e fo un d . .

t h at h e could make but little progress in w rit

“ ”
ing t h e Ru l es unti l one day when returning
, , ,

from a pious pilgrimage to one o f t h e s h rines

o f t h e E ternal City h e w as inspired w it h t h e
,
xxxvi I N T R O D U C T I ON

thought o f dedicating hi s s o c iety to the I m

maculate Heart o f M ary N o s ooner had he .

taken thi s de c i s ion than every di ffi c ulty seemed

to vani s h every doubt seemed to be solved
,
.

The details a ss umed a defi nite shape and he ,

rapidly broug h t his ta s k to completion .

But though he h ad found a name for hi s s o

c i et
y,
and its rules w ere already w ritten the ,

future appe ared none the brighter Just at the .

moment however w hen every hope seemed to

, ,

be lo s t the s ituation b ecame entirely clear

,
.

The fi rst c ommunications addres s ed to the

P ropaganda w ere timid and incomplete yet n o t ,

unheeded T h e Cardinal P re fe c t h ad made it

.
-

a point to o b tain al l available information con

cerning M Li b er m a n n and t h e other gentlemen
.

i nterested in t h e propo sed w ork Mgr Gari . .

baldi the P apal N uncio a t P aris attended to

, ,

t h i s The result was entirely favorable to t h e

.

proj e c t Cardinal F r a n s o n i P re fect of the

.
,

P ropaganda accordingly wrote to M L iber

,
.

mann announcing to him t h at thoug h the

, ,

Sacred Co ngregation reserved its expli c it a p

pro b ation until some future date still it w is h ed ,

to encourage h im and h i s c ompanions to per

’

severe in t h e design t h at promised so much for

t h e greater glory o f God .

It c an easily be imagined w hat j oy thi s ne ws

excited in the heart o f M Lib er m a n n H e . .

hastened to the Cardinal P re fec t to tha n k him -

 I N T R O D U C T I ON xxxvii

in his own name and in t h at o f h is associate s .

T h e Cardina l received h im most kindly and ,

advi sed h im to look for a Bis h op who would

be wi ll ing to assume t h e protectorate o f the
new re l igious society He furt h er added t h at .

eit h er t h roug h t h i s Bis h op or by addressing ,

h imse l f directly to t h e Ho l y S ee h e s h ould en ,

d e a v o r to advance to Ho l y O rders .

A t t h e same time t h at a f fairs had taken a

favorab l e turn in Rome t h e protecting B is h op ,

was found in P aris T h is w a s Mgr A llen Col

. .

l ier w ho at Rome h ad j ust been consecrated

, , ,

Bis h op o f M i lev i and V icar A p o sto l ic o f Mau

r i ti u s Upon h is arriva l in P aris Mgr Col
.
,
.

l ier immediately directed hi s steps to t h e Sem

i n a r y o f St Sulpice where h e h oped to obtain
.
,

some h e l p for h is numerous and abandoned

flock There h e made t h e acquaintance o f
.

F rederic L e V ava s seur and at t h e same time ,

h eard o f t h e pl an o f estab l is h ing a society for .

t h e conversion o f t h e negroes He readily prom .

ised to become t h eir protector and told t h em ,

t h at t h ey wou l d be free to fo ll ow t h e will o f

God in everyt h ing relating to t h eir religious
and community l i fe H e also o ffered t h em an
.

asy l um in t h e vicinity o f t h e E nglis h Co l lege at

Douay w h ere t h ey mig h t establis h t h eir novi
,

ti a te .

M L e V avasseur h astened to in form h is

.

friend in Rome o f t h e fortunate cour s e of

xxxviii I N T R O D U C T I ON

event s The t w o letters the o n e from Rome

.
, ,

the o ther from P aris c ros s ed each other on ,

the w a y .

O ne thing e s pe cially s truck M Li b er m a n n

, , .

in the o ffer made by Mgr Collier : for the first .

time l n the history o f the enterprise no condi ,

tions nor restrictions were laid down The .

B ish o p a cc epted t h e work and t h e mis s ionarie s ,

w ithout w ishing to dictate in anyt h ing con

cerning the rules The h umble a c olyte r ecog .

n i z e d therein a true supernatural spirit and ,

w as therefo re w illing to accept everything

, ,

that the Bishop o ff ered .

The work of God n o w seemed near its com

p l e t i o n and yet t h ere arose
,
another di f ficulty
,

T h us far all circumstances seemed to indicate

,

to M Li b er m a n n that h e was not called to t h e

.

priesthood And now Rome demands o f

.
, ,

him as a primary condition t h at h e advance

, ,

to H o l y O rders W h at s h all h e do i n t h is per

.

p l e x i ty
? Mary h as been h is protectress until
now and s he will see to it t h at there will be
,

not h ing wanting to t h e completeness o f her

w ork It is to h er t h ere fore t h a t h e h as r e
.
, ,

c o urse and a c cordingly in N ovember 1 8 4 0

, , , ,

h e resolve s upon making a pilgrimage to the

h oly hou s e o f L oretto He goes there on foot . .

H is poverty is extreme and his appearance

far from pnepo s s es s i n g Clad in a mant l e o f .

many colored pat c hes and w it h a visage o f

-

,
xl I N T R O D U C T I ON

be c ame a s sociated wit h him there w as none ,

more attached to h im than Ignatius Sc h winden

hammer w ho was a fterward dest i ned to b e
,

come t h e second Superior General o f the ne w -

Congregation .

As soon as the venerable s ervant o f God had

been ordained subdeacon and deacon he a c , ,

ce pte d the o ff er generously made by the

,

Bi s hop o f Amiens o f a house at L a N euville

,

for t h e novitiate T h i s eminent prelate at t h e

.
,

same time consented to ordain him prie s t At

,
.

t h e end o f twelve years trial s and a ffli c tions ’

o f every kind t h is crowning favor o f God s

,
’

mercy w a s con ferred upon h im on Sept 1 8 t h ,

.
,

1 84 1
,
by M gr M i o l a r d in h is private cha pel
.
, ,

at A miens T h ree days later the n ew priest

.

said his first M ass .

H is correspondence at t h i s time tells o f the

fl o od o f grace s t h at inundated h i s soul and o f ,

t h e j oy t h at superabounded in his heart H is .

brot h er S amson to w h om he owed so to

, ,

speak a filial gratitude w as t h e first to receive

, ,

t h e announcement o f the glad tidings M . .

D rac h h i s catechist was also remembered a s

, , ,

well as M P atriarca w h o h ad s o long been hi s

.
,

h um b le and constant friend in n eed .

A s the Society o f t h e Immacu l ate Heart o f

Mary was conceived at t h e foot o f t h e altar o f
O ur L ady o f V ictor i es it w a s only meet t h at ,

t h e first comm u nity mass of t h e ne w society

 I N T R O D U C T I ON xli

s h ould be s aid at h er altar This wa s the c a s e .

w h en M Li b er m a n n said h is second mas s

.

t h ere assisted by t h e pastor M Des gen ettes

, ,
.
,

and surrounded by h is first disci ples M e s s i s ,

'

L e V avasseu r Tisserand and Collin M e ss rs

, ,
. .

L e V avasseur and Col l in accompanied t h e ven

er a b le F ounder to L a N euville w h ere t h e ,

novitiate w as O pened on the 2 7 th o f Sept em

ber E ugene Tisserand h ad been appointed
.

su b dire c tor o f the Archcon fraternity o f t h e

-

Immaculate Heart o f Mary and therefore , , ,

co uld not j oin t h e novitiate until a year later

wh en M Sc hw i n den ha m m e r came to rep l ace
.

h im at O ur L ady o f V ictories .

A t the end o f two years t h e missionarie s ,

numbered only twelve but in 1 8 44 t h is num , ,

ber was doubled T h eir poverty wa s extreme

.
,

and t h e house w a s not over well furnis h ed .

W h en a new candidate arrived one o f t h e older ,

members surrendered to him his room and b ed ,

appropriating t h e dining room table for sleep -

ing purposes I f t h is was already occupied

.
,

t h e ot h ers were o bliged to be content wit h a

place on the floor in t h e corridor or on t h e
, ,

stairs T h e rest o f t h e h ouse h old was in keep

.

ing with t h is E ach one in turn w as obliged to

.

become the servant o f t h e others T h eir suc .

cess in t h e kitc h en may w ell be imagined .

Some o f t h e dishes t h at were prepared h ave ,

become histori c .
xl ii I N T R O D U C T I ON

The temporary rule s that M Li b er m a n n had .

drawn up i n Rome governed the Co ngregation .

He hi ms el f ob s erved them most faith fu l ly and ,

thus became a living model for hi s c o mpanions .

N or w as thi s the only thing that favored the

development o f the i n fant s ociety The vener .

a b le Superior had the eminent gi ft o f di recting

souls which more than anything el s e kept the
, , ,

fire o f love and the sp i r i t o f c omplet e sel f

denial alive in the hearts o f his dis c iple s .

With it s extension the Congregation al s o ,

began to work at the ends for w hich it had

been instituted A fter four months n oviti ate
.
’

F ather L e V avasseur went forth to the i s land

o f B ourbon to devote himsel f to the s alvation
,

o f t h e poor s laves F ather L aval had already

.

accompani ed Mgr Collier to the island o f .

M auritiu s In 1 8 4 2 F at her Tis s erand de

.
,

parted w ith t w o c on fr eres for H ayti and in ,

1 8 4 3 t h e first missionarie s w ere s ent to Guinea

,
.

O ne o f t h e first victims to hi s apo s toli c zeal

was F at h er T i s s er a n d who was lo st in a S hip
,

wreck T h e eye witne sses o f the s cene speak

.
-

o f h im i n the h ig h est terms o f admiration It .

was on January I s t 1 84 6 that t h e venerable , ,

servant o f God read in t h e newspapers o f his

untimely fate T h i s was t h e first blo w h e r e
.

ce i v e d b ut many more w ere yet to follo w

,
.

Guinea w as to b ecome h i s child o f s orro w .

 I N T R O D U C T I ON xl iii

Tho s e w ho fi r s t h ad the honor of b eing sent

to the Afri c an Mission s w ere F athers Be s
s i eu x Bouchet
, ,
Roussel Maurice de Regnier , , ,

A u deb e r t and P L aval

, . They arrived at their
.

destination on Oct ober l o th 1 84 3 but o ne by , ,

one they s u cc umbed to the murderous c limate ,

so that in 1 84 5 only F ather B es s reux and

Brot h er Gregory s urvived Mgr B aron the . .
,

V icar Apos toli c di s couraged b y s o many

-

losses re s igned hi s po s ition and returned to

,

the U nited State s H e repeatedly re fu s ed to

.

ac c ept a dioce s e preferring to devote his li fe

,

to the mi ss ions .

Though the s e trials c ould not b ut b e s evere

to the venerable s ervant o f Go d yet his energy ,

and activity w ere not in the lea s t a b ated In .

the autumn o f 1 84 6 he w ent to Rome where he ,

submitted a pro position o f uniting the admin

'

i s tr a ti o n o f the t w o Guineas and Senegam b ia .

Thi s w a s a cc epted b y the H oly See and F ather ,

B e s s i eu x w a s c on s e c rated the fi r s t V i c ar Apo s

‘

tolic o f the c ombined j uri s di c tion Aided b y .

t h e energy o f Mgr Kob e s h i s co n f r é r e he laid

.
, ,
.

t h e foundation o f the A fri c an mi ss ions on a

wider and fi rmer b asis so that at the pre s ent
,

day the Congregation e x erci s e s it s zeal in si x

!

vicariate s and a numb er o f pre fecture s a po s -

toli c both o n the E astern and the We s tern Coa s t

of Afri c a .
xliv I N T R O D U C T I ON

I n the meantime the Congregation w a s pr o

gres s ing in E urope to such an e x tent that in
1 8 4 6 the hou s e of L a N euville was a bandoned

and the motherhouse was trans ferred to the

anc ient Ci stercian Abbey o f N otre Dame du
Gard In 1 84 8 the Congregation o f the I m
.

maculate Heart o f Mary w a s united to that o f

the Holy Gho s t This w a s another important
.

s tep for w ard .

The Congregation o f the H oly Ghost w a s

founded toward the end of the s eventeenth
century by Claude F ran c i s P oulard De s pla c e s ,

a zealou s priest o f Brittany The cha r a cter i s.

tic o f thi s religiou s society was its s tead fa s t

adherence and loyalty to the H oly See amid
all the s t o rms and trials o f that trou b led
period A fter long year s o f faith ful and di s
.

ti n gu i s hed servi c e in the F rench colonie s in the

cause o f religion and humanity it too had to , , ,

“ ”
suc c umb to the fury o f the Reign o i Terror ’
.

U pon it s re s toration in 1 8 0 5 it again re s umed ,

t h e accomplishment o f it s mis s ion P rote c ted .

,

approved and persecuted in turn by the variou s

,

governments that suc c eeded the Revolution it s ,

career w as a che c kered one The num b er o f .

its mem b ers however h ad gradually declined

, , ,

so that in 1 8 4 8 but a f ew o f them w ere le ft .

Tho s e w ho w ere in t h e colonies and w ho s a w

the mi ss ionarie s o f t h e Immaculate H eart o f
M ary at work thought very highl y o f them ,
 I NT R O D U C T I ON xl v

and reported in this sense to t h e Seminary o f

t h e Holy G h ost in P ari s .

Both M Monet the last Superior General o f

.
,
-

the Holy Ghost and F at h er Li b er m a n n had

,

thought o f t h e union of t h e t w o societies H is .

Holines s P ope P iu s IX w armly encouraged

,
.
,

t h e proj ect N egotiation s were entered into

.
,

and the c onclusion was t h at t h e united society

“
be c alled the Congregation o f the Ho ly Ghost
”
and the Immaculate Heart o f Mary F at h er .

Li b er m a n n wa s ele c ted its first Superior Gen -

eral T h us t h e mercy of God h ad e ff e c ted t h i s

.

union for the mutual and greater good o f both

societies The advantages political and other
.
,

wise and t h e g l ories o f t h e elder w ere added to

,

the fervor and sel f s a cr i fici n g spirit o f the

-

younger .

With the additional dutie s that fell to the

share o f t h e saintly s uperior hi s zeal for the ,

h onor and glory o f God s eemed to increase

proportionately His energy w a s prodigiou s
.
,

and every good work c l aimed hi s sympathy

without h owever detracting from w hat h e o w ed
to h i s own Congregation At this time a l .
,

thoug h su ffering from the sickness t h at finally

carried him o ff w e see h im actively engaged in
,

having t h e islands o f Martinique Guadaloupe , ,

and Bourbon raised to episcopal sees He wa s .

po w erfully aided in this by the influential min

ister M de F a l lo ux Suc h c onfiden c e did the
, . .
xlvi INTR O D U C T I ON

government repose in him that they tran s mitted

to h im all the documents emanating from the
Holy S ee in connection with the matter They .

depended upon him to remove every di ffi c ulty

and to answer every obj ection H i s e ff ort s
-

were at length s ucce s s ful and he had the con ,

s olati on o f seeing on December 8 th 1 8 5 0 Mgr , , .

L a Carri ere appointed to Guadaloupe M gr L e ,

.

H er peu r to Martinique Mgr Des pr ez a fter ,

.
,

w ards Cardinal Archbishop o f Toulou s e to ,

Bourb on , and the Seminary o f the Holy G h ost

appointed by royal de c ree as t h e seminary for
t h e colonie s .

H i s influence for good wa s beginning to be

po wer fully felt in all c las s es o f s ociety Around .

h im gathered a nucleus o f learned men w ho

were to drink deeply o f hi s s pirit ; S in c e then
they have b e c ome illustrious in the cau s e o f
science hi s tory learning and loyalty to Rome
, ,
.

P rominent among the s e were the Ab b é Rohr

bacher Cardinal Gousset Archbis h op o f
, ,

Rheims Cardinal P itra and the Abb é Dom

, ,

ini e Bouix .

U nder the di s creet guidance o f the vener

able servant o f God t h e Seminary o f t h e H oly
,

Ghost be c ame wit h the Benedictine A b bey o f

,

S olesmes o n e of the prin c ipal centres o f the

,

pure teaching o f Rome .

But the in c reasing labors of the venerable

f ather had s o und ermined hi s health w hi c h ,
x l viii I N T R O D U C T I ON

the h ands Of his heavenly F athe r H is earthly .

cour s e w as run .

GOd had ca l led h im from a far to make o f

h im one o f H is elect Weak and poor t h ough
.

h e was in his origin stil l was he destined to

,

contribute largely to the glory o f the Church .

Centuries had passed since t h e curse o f N oah

h ad fallen on C h am and hi s progeny and the ,

e ff ects o f that curse are still visible among

t h em to t h e present day But the Heart o f .

Mary yearned for t h ese her abandoned chil ,

dren and she pleaded with h er Divine Son t h at

,

t h e fruits o f H is redemption mig h t be accorded

to them al so T h e Congregation o f t h e Holy
.

Ghost and t h e Immacu l ate Heart o f Mary i s t h e

ans w er to h er request and its e fforts in behal f
,
'

o f t h ese souls have been abundant l y blesse d .

F ran c e too was to profit large l y o f t h e second

, ,

mission entrusted to him b y the infinite mercy

o f Go d . J ansenism and rampant i nfide l ity h ad
culminated in t h e terrors o f the Revolution ,

“ ”
and le ft the E ldest daug h ter o f the C h urc h
desolate and forlorn F or years there h ad
.

been a tendency more or l ess accentuated

towards a separation from the See o f P eter ,

and Ga ll icanism was a deep rooted evil But -

t h e day h ad come w h en t h e a ffl icted daug h ter

o f t h e Churc h was to recognize t h at on the
Ro c k o f P eter alone could there be any sa fety
for her A decided impetus had already b een
.
 I N T R O D U C T I ON xl ix

given in t h is direction but unfortunately some

,

o f t h ose w h o were c h osen to guide it fe l l ignobly

by t h e wayside A l t h oug h t h e servant o f God
.

was not cal l ed to appear very much still h is ,

influence was none t h e less powerful In fact .

,

by t h e assistance w h ic h h e gave to the cause o f

fervor w h ile h e was a simp l e seminarian h e ,

h elped e ffectually to lay t h e foundation o f t h ose

virtues for w h ic h t h e later h ierarc h y o f F rance
w a s so j ust l y renowned And w h en h e h im.

se l f was at t h e hea d o f an institution h e became ,

t h e centre o f l oyal devotion to t h e Holy See .

T h is same S pl l lt h as become t h e distinguis h ing

‘

mark o f h is spiritual sons as it ever was t h e ,

c h aracteristic of t h e old members o f the Society

o f t h e Holy G h ost .

A l i fe so spent in t h e service o f God could not

but be fi l led wit h t h e c h oicest fruits of h oliness .

And suc h in fact was t h e case W h erever h e

, ,
.

went t h ere emanated from h im t h at spirit o f

,

peace j oy and unalterable c h arity t h at made

, ,

h im an obj ect o f universal veneration A l l those .

w ho h ave come in contact wit h him are unani

mous in t h ei r opinion t h at h e w as a saint o f t h e
first order Scarce l y h ad t h e ange l o f death
.

us h ered h is pure sou l into t h e presence o f h is

a l l merci ful Redeemer t h an h is spiritua l sons
-

were urged to take the first steps in t h e process

of h is canonization Men o f every st ation in
.

l i fe Cardina l s Bis h ops Sti per i o r s o f re l igious

, , ,
1 I N T R O D U C T I ON

order s P rince s o f the royal hou s e o f F ran c e

, ,

government O fficials simple w orking people , ,

all j o i ned in asking t h e Holy F at h er t h at the

c au s e o f F rancis Mary P aul Li b er m a n n be given
a hearing M any wonderful event s happened
.

that added w eight to the petiti on Accordingly .

,

the pro c ess o f the O rdinary was institut ed and ,

on the 2 7 th o f M ay 1 8 7 6 Hi s E minence C a r
, , ,

dinal O reglia di San Ste fano laid the cause ,

b e fore the S acred Congregation o f Rites N o .

s ooner had the a s sembled c ardinals h eard t h e

propo s al o f introdu c tion when from all seats
“
came t h e w ord o f approbation A ffir m a ti v e .
,

”
a n a bel l a c a a s a i n tr o da e a ta r O n t h e follo w
.

ing Thursday J une 1 s t H i s Holine s s P ope

, ,

P ius I X confirmed the resolution o f the Car

.
,

“ ”
d i n a l s and h ence fort h t h e title o f V enerable
,

w as prefixed to h is name Sin c e then the cause .

has b een going throug h the various canonical

stages and his S piritual sons h ave no more
,

earnest desire than t h at o f seeing t h eir V ener

able F ounder raised to t h e h onor s o f the Altar .

Thi s sketch wou l d be incomplete did we not

cast at lea s t a c ursory glance over t h e writings
o f the venerable servant of God C h ie f among .

”
these are h is Spiritual L et ters He wa s emi .

“
n en tl y fitted by t h e grace o f God for t h at a r t of
”
a ll a r ts t h e direction o f souls L ike the apos
,
.

tle s o f old he seemed to have h ad h i s P ente c ost

,
 I N T R O D U C T I ON li

w h en t h e Holy G h ost made h im His own and ,

filled him wit h t h e spirit o f discernment t h at

l aid bare be fore him t h e h eart and conscience
o f t h ose w h o consu l ted him His o w n l i fe w as .

one of suc h deep h umility t h at sel f was forgot ,

ten crushed and anni h i l ated in t h e presence o f

, ,

God God al o ne was t h e obj ect and motive o f

.

his every endeavor P eace and tranquil l ity w ere

.

purc h ased at t h e price o f t h e sacrifice o f every

incl ination and claim o f nature T h e old man .

of fles h never counted for anything and had to ,

be completely destroyed so t h at Jesus and Je s u s, ,

alone mig h t reign supreme in h im

, .

It is along these l ines t h at he conducted all

t h ose w ho h ad c h osen h im for their guide His .

doctrine so admirab l y portrayed in h i s spiritual

,

letters is the s ame for everyb ody but appl i ed to

, ,

t h e personal needs o f eac h one in a marvelous

manner The good odor o f C h rist breat h es from
.

every sentence and the pure soul o f the vener

,

able F at h er is unconscious l y delineated i n every

word We are gradua l ly led to l earn and to
.

admire t h e beauties o f t h e grace o f God and ,

ere long we too grow enamored o f t h e cross

, ,

o f J esus T h oug h h is teaching may appear

.

ab h orre nt to t he li fe o f t h e senses t h ere i s ,

naught in it that i s not hig h ly attractive to the

true C h ristian heart T h e principle s inculcated
.

a r e tho s e of the greatest saints and are based on

li I N T R O D U C T I ON

an intense love o f God Thi s love finds expres

.

s ion in total surrender to God and es pecially in

an ardent devotion to our D ivine Saviour h id
den in the Blessed Sacrament .

The V enerable Li b e r m a n n w a s an earnest

apostle o f t h e Holy E uc h ari st from the very first
moment o f h i s spiritual b irth N one w ere bet .

ter aware o f t h i s t h an t h o s e who h ad the happi

ness o f living wit h him T h ey a l l w i shed to b e
.

near h im eit h er when h e was in adoration before

t h e Bles s ed Sacrament or w hen he said his ma s s ,

for he then appeared to belong so entirely to

God t h at the beauty o f Heaven glorified his frail
body It was this devotion more than anything
.

else that wa s t h e well spring o f his many per

—

f ecti o n s and t h e secret o f his influence over hi s

,

associates When still a seminarian and later

.
, ,

on w h en as Superior General h e became the

,
-

center o f the é lite o f the F renc h clergy h is con ,

v e r s a ti o n s and h is instructions a l l tended to

esta b lish hi s hearer s firmly i n the love o f their

E uc h aristic L ord .

C l osely allied to t h i s was his chi l d like devo -

tion to our Blessed L ady It is touching to s ee .

wit h what love and tendernes s he speaks o f his

good M other H is confidence in h er w as u n
.

limited an d we fi nd too t h at h er protection w a s

, , ,

all po w erful in t h e s h aping o f h is entire li fe In

.

-
.

vie w o f all thi s need w e be a s tonished that hi s

,
 I N T R O D U C T I ON l iii

e ff orts were so visibly b l essed and that Go d ,

made o f h im one o f the ho l iest priests the cen

tury h as seen ? And w h at his li fe w a s h is let ,

ters more especia ll y reprodu c e w ith an indes

c r i b a b l e c h arm .

N o wonder t h ere fore that tho s e wh o w ere

, ,

s o favored as to possess s ome o f t h e s e letter s

c on s idered them and pre s erved t h em a s their
, ,

greatest treasure We h ave the testimony o f all

.

c l asses and conditions o f men t h at tell ho w the s e

letters w ere appreciated and wh at good t h ey
are capable o f producing Yielding to the soli .

citations o f h is friends h is spiritual son s h ad

,

these letters lit h ograp h ed T h e latter h o w ever .

, ,

proved insu fficient for the demand and they ,

were obliged soon a fter to have the collection

printed .

We find the s ame c h ara c teristics in all his

ot h er writings and t h ey are numerous He
,
.

wrote a s he s poke and thoug h t ; to s peak and to

,

think w a s for him to pray and t h is for him ,

was seeing He loved thi s w ord for he had

.
,

experienced w hat it means to see J esus and to ,

be seen by H im .

But t h e brig h test gem o f t h e whole ca s ket is

“
a s suredl y h i s Commentary on the Gospel o f St .

”
J ohn. In it the whole wealt h o f his beauty i s
exposed Wit h no library to consult with noth
.
,

ing but t h e ordinary edition o f t h e V ulgate b e

 iv I N T R O D U C T I ON

fore him he ha s contrived to make o f thi s w ork

,

one o f the s u b limest interpretation s o f the Gos

pel H I S i ntimate kno w ledge o f O riental lan
.
‘

guage s and custom s h a s thro w n ne w light on

the text it s el f a s well a s on some o f its inter
,

p r e t a ti o n s. He attac h e s himsel f ho w ever es

, ,

p e c i a ll y t o t h e supernatural sen s e o f t h e Gospel .

Beneath his pen the per s on o f our Divine

Saviour appears living to our eyes We hear .

H im speak w e s ee Him perform H is miracles

, ,

and admire H i s inter c our s e w ith H i s di s ciples .

The other c hara c ters too assume a li fe like a p

, ,
-

p e a r a n ce
,
and b e c ome a powerful factor in t h e
c omplete under s tanding o f t h is most beauti ful
o f all the Gospel s ; It i s thi s feature that place s
his c ommentary in a category by it s el f and ,

makes o f it o n e o f the mo s t valuable c o n tr i b u

tions to Catholi c exegesis U n fortunately it .
,

w as never c om pleted and it is on l y owing to t h e

,

positive command o f hi s con fe s sor t hat what

there is o f it h as been pre s erved to po s terity .

Yet w hat need have we o f expatiating any

further on the ex c ellencies o f hi s w ritings w hen
the H oly S ee itse l f by decree o f May 2 7 1 88 6 , ,

h as declared them free from all error s aying ,

“
that Seldom ha s the examination o f the writ
ings o f t h o s e w ho are propo sed for b ea ti fica ti o n
led to s u c h a favorable result What greater
.

meed o f praise than thi s c an b e given !

 S P I R I T U A L L ETT ER S

OF TH E

V E N E RA B L E L I B E R M A N N

L E TT E R I .

TO
M I N A RI A N A SE .

The gl y f G d i t b
or o ug ht
o s o e ,
so wi t h ca lm and

p a ti e n c e I f w wi h th H l y G h t t
. e s e o os o ta ke co m p l e te
po s s es s o
i f n ul w m u t t
o o ur so , e s se o ur he a r t s f r e e
f o m a ec f f ti tu
r f on or cr ea res .

{ Y
'4
Issy September
, ,
1 82 8 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI EN D
I had already made your acquaintance b efore
I received your letter but I am very sorry t h at ,

I am unab le to send you t h e volume for w hi ch

you ask sim ply because it h as not been broug h t
,

to me This is only anot h er occasion which

.

God makes use o f for t h e purp os e o f furt h er

,

trying your patience You c ertainly need t h is .

book but t h e g l ory o f God does not demand

,

t h at you be so impatient to get it ; and you kno w

very well t h at we oug h t to do all t h ings for t h is
divine glory .

U pon thi s o cc a s ion my dear brother you , ,

w i l l allo w me to give expression to a thought

that ha s been o cc upying me for a long time .
 S PI R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

It is a pleasure for me to give you a little a d

monition for I am s ure t h at y o u are al w ay s
,

ready to receive it in good part I am under .

the impression too t h at you will be delighted

, ,

with w hat I s ay and that you will try to pro fi t

,

by it i f it i s not an a bs urdity o f W hi c h I am
, ,

quite c apa b l e .

It seem s to me that thi s la s t retreat ha s n o t

b een a b le to empty your h eart entirely o f sel f ,

and o f the other t h ings by which you are sur

rounded A s an instance o f thi s I m a y men
.

tion among other things a s light impatien c e

, ,

which I have noticed What i s the c ause of it ? .

It is b e c ause you are too strongly atta c hed to

“ ”
the s tudy o f Greek But you w ill tell me , ,

“ ”
the glory o f God demands that I s tudy it .

N o doubt that i s very true but there i s no

, ,

necessity for s u c h haste ; no o n e ever lo s e s pa

ti e n c e for the glory o f God M ight it not be .

possible that you wi s h to study it on your o w n

account ? I do not s ay that you study it for
your sole plea s ure ; but i s not the glory w hi c h
you m a y reap be fore men one o f the in c entive s
for s o doing ? N o w t h i s i s only one in s tance
that I am quoting You should examine your .

w h ole c onduct and your interior to see i f y o u

, ,

still have this attachment for s el f and f o r cre

atures .

I beg your pardon a tho usand t i me s for w hat

I have j u s t s aid ; I a ss ure y o u that I do no t
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A NN
3

believe it my s el f b ut you kno w that it is the

,

duty o f a monitor to s a y with s impli c ity w h at

ever pas s e s through his mind concerning t h e
spiritual s tate o f his friend You may rest a s .

sured t h at it is through no i ll will t h at I s peak to

you t h us The more I love you the more f r e
.
,

quently w ill I addre s s to you su ch observations ;

for t h e friendship w hich w e s h ould have for
ea ch other mu s t be s o lely in our L ord J esus
Christ and for Hi s greater glory ; and as soon
as you feel for me any friendship ot h er than
t h roug h J esus C h rist and for H is glory I b e ,

seech you to tear it from your h eart as soon as

possible .

I shall there fore be so bold as to examine

, ,

you on t h is point ; for per h aps your h eart i s

more fi l led with yoursel f and w it h creatures
t h an you realize I f we are n ot fait h ful in ask
.

ing God to s h o w us our misery and i f we do ,

not seek to discover it b y a close examination o f

all our thoug h ts and actions it w ill b e di fficult ,

for us to know ourselves and as I have o ften , ,

told you already it s eems to me that you are

,

subj ect to i ll usions .

My dear friend do not be astonished i f I

,

insist so much on this point ; for I t h ink and am

convinced that i f w e are not complete l y freed
from a l l t h at is not God we cannot be perfect
, .

The Holy Ghost knock s every moment at t h e

door o f our h eart ; w e desire mo s t ardent l y to
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

have H im enter and by thi s de s ire we open the

,

door for H im ; but h o w can He enter i f He

finds no room t h ere i f He finds this h eart w h ich, ,

should belong unreservedly to H im filled wit h ,

hostile a fection s
f ? He i s t h ere fore obliged to, ,

remain outside ; and He has t h e inconceivable

goodness to w ait until He finds a little place in ,

proportion as w e rid ourselves o f the s e miser

able a ff ections The more the Holy G h ost en
.

ters into our heart t h e stronger do we become to

,

drive the enemies o f God from it It is t h ere .

,

fore essential for us to h elp t h is Divine Spirit

,

in put ting them out ; for wit h out a strong will

on our part H e alone w i l l not for c e t h em
,
.

Hence we should pray most ardently to Him ,

and employ all t h e strengt h that H e give s us to

co operate w it h H im in accomplis h ing t h is task
—
.

Another matter to which I wish to call your

attention is that you take care to form no p ar
,

ti cu l a r friend s hip nor to have any i ntercourse

,

with persons w ho are not filled with t h e eccle s i

a s ti c a l spirit This would be extremely i n j u r i
.

ous to you more inj urious in fact to you than

, , ,

to anybody else .

Adieu my dear friend ! I embrace you in t h e

,

b urning c h arity o f Ou r Saviour and am in our , ,

good Mot h er t h e Blessed V irgin your brot h er

, ,

and true friend .

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN S

LE TT E R I I .

To H I S B RO T H ER S AM SO N A ND H S I
SI S T E I N LA W
R— -

He e xp r esses ll g
hi s w i i n n es s to be s po nso r fo r a

l i ttl e n i ece .
—
Co u nse s l on du e c a ti o n .

Issy A pril ,
8 th ,
1 82 9 .

M Y D EA R F RI EN D S
You cause me inexpressible pleasure b y a p
pointing me sponsor for my newly bo rn niece ; -

I am c h armed to h ave a litt l e daug h ter in Jesus

C h rist May He keep h er in good h ealt h over
.
,

w h elm h er wit h His benefits and strengt h en ,

h er w it h His graces so t h at s h e may become ,

good pious and amiab l e be fore God and men !

, ,

Her dear and pious mother i s per fectly rig h t

not to ask o f me any ot h er sweetmeats t h an
prayers ; I w ould be unable to give h er the
sweetmeats o f t h is wor l d But I s h all do my .

best to procure for h er far pre ferable ones .

T h ey are sweetmeats h eaven l y and divine ,

w h ose sweetness and flavor wi l l l ast forever .

Yes certain l y i f God l ooks favorably upon

, ,

my prayers my dear little spiritual daug h ter as

, ,

we l l as al l o f you wi ll be perfect Christians and

, ,

you wi l l love t h e L ord wit h a l l your heart and

a ll your strengt h F or I can wis h no greater .

h appiness to those w ho are so dear to me as you

6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

are and when you have once tast ed o f thi s hap

,

p i n e s s you will
, not doubt the truth o f my words .

Will you kindly permit me to say a fe w w ords

concerning the education not only o f my little
god child in w h om I am as mu c h interested a s
—
,

you yourselves are but also o f your other chil

,

dren w ho are j ust as dear to me I would ask

, .

you to give more attention to their religious

education than i s u s ually the case Give t h em .

an education that is truly Christian ; make them

study their Catechism w e l l and train t h em to ,

solid piety The religious part o f education i s

.

usually neglected in the country And yet it i s .

especia l ly in t h i s po int that parents owe their

c h ildren the greate s t care Th ere is a tendency.

to procure for them temporal advantages which ,

are unreal and vanis h like smoke and to neglect ,

t h e real and stable treasures w h ic h must a c

company t h em one day into eternity and decide ,

thei r everlasting h appiness or mis fortune .

Do not I be s eech you act in suc h a way with

, ,

your dear children ; foster in t h em true Chris

tian piety You will see t h e sweetness and
.

beauty o f it w hen you have given it a trial .

Your children will not be t h e o nly ones to profit

by it ; you al so will be t h e gainers for w h at ,

child will S h ow more love a nd obedience to its

parents than the one w h o is pious and truly
Chri stian ? It cannot love J esus C h ri s t w ith
out tenderly loving its parents ; it c annot plea s e
8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R I I I .

TO TH E S A ME .

His resi g n a ti o n in sic k n es s —

The d g an er s o f a

C hr i s t i a n w ho liv es i n t he w o r ld .

J uly 8 th ,
1 8 30 .

M Y D EA REST B RO T H ER A ND S I ST ER
I am delighted to hear that our dear S ister
ha s given birth to a fine boy S o God has at .

last sent thi s long expect e d son May He keep .

h im in good h ealth and make him gro w in wis

,

dom and virtue so t h at one day he may b e the

,

consolation o f your o ld age ! I see by your let

ter t hat b oth mother and son are doing w ell .

M ay God be blessed for it ! I s h all be plea s ed

i f our dear sister will s en d m e a few w ord s as
'

soon as she can w rite .

But I must begin b y speaking to you about

mysel f I feel that I am very guilty for not
.

having given you any news for so long a time .

The whole cause o f my negligence is that fore

seeing how little I could say t h at w ould be
pleasant I decided to remain S ilent M y h ealth
,
. .

i s constantly improving ; my nerve s are mu ch

calmer than t h ey W ere tw o years ago I have .
,

h o w ever not been promoted to subdeaconship

, ,

be cause my S ickness ha s not completely left me ;

and ver y likel y I s hall b e trou b led w ith it f o r
 VE NE R AB LE L IB E R M A NN
9

quite a long time yet Con s equently it w ill b e

.
,

s ome years be fore I can b e promoted and per ,

haps I may never be .

-
Thi s i s very a fflicting annoying and even i n
, ,

supportable Suc h would certainly b e the lan

.

guage o f a child o f t h e wo rld w ho s eek s hi s ,

happiness in the good s o f thi s w orld alone and ,

w ho acts as thou gh there w ere no God for him .

But t h is i s not the w ay t h at t h e children o f God ,

true C h ristians act ; they are sati s fied with

,

everything that t h eir heavenly F ather gives

t h em because t h ey know t h at whatever H e
,

sends is good and useful for them and that it ,

w ould be a real mis fortune for them i f it w ere

otherwise .

All the evils w ith w hich God seems to a fflict

u s are real benefit s and w oe to the Chri s tian
,

w hose every wis h i s a c compli sh ed ; he i s not

overw h elmed with the favors o f hi s God But .

I c an as s ure you my dear friend s that my b e

, ,

loved sickness is for me a great trea s ure pre ,

f er a b l e to all t h e goods that the world o ffers to

its votaries because these pretended goods are
,

but filt h and w retchednes s in the eyes o f a true

child of God and they s erve only to dra w him
,

further a w ay from his F ather w ho is in heaven , .

F or mysel f I h ope that i f o tI r L ord J esus Chri s t

,

continues to besto w upon me the graces w hich

He h as given me until this moment ho w ever ,

u nde s erving I have b een o f them I shall lead a ,

 O S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

li fe per fe c tly poor and entirely devoted to H i s

servi c e I S hall then b e ri c her than i f I po s
.

s es s ed the w hole w orld and I de fy the w orld to ,

fi nd a happier man ; for w ho i s ri c her than he ,

w ho w i s he s f o r nothing ? w ho i s happier than

he w hose every desire i s fulfilled ?
And w hy s hould y o u b e s orry o n my a cc oun t
Are you a fraid that I s hall die o f hunger ?
Well the L ord feed s the b ird s o f the fi eld s and
, ,

w ill H e not fi nd the mean s to feed me al s o ?

H e l o v es m e more than H e doe s the b ird s o f the

'

fi eld s .

But y o u w ill s ay i f I w ere a prie s t I might

, , ,

o b tain a po s ition and help my family No my .

,

dear friend s that s hall never b e My soul my

,
.
,

body my b eing a n d my w hole exi s tence b elong

, ,

to Go d and i f I kne w that there w a s s till the

,

s mallest fib re in me that did not b elong to H im ,

I w ould tear it o u t and trample it under my fee t

in the du s t and the mire Whether I b e a prie s t
,
.

or not w hether I b e a millionaire o r a b eggar

, ,

w h atever I am and w hatever I have belong s to ,

God and belongs to none other than to H im ;

,

and I b esee c h you not to a s k me to a c t other

w i s e f o r this w ould be unj u s t o n your part a s
,

w ell as u s ele s s The b onds o f c harity atta c h

.

ing me to my L ord J esu s are to o s trong for y o u

to b reak even s uppo s ing that you sh ould wis h
,

to do s o ! w hi c h I do no t think ! provided a l ,

w ay s that i t plea s e my Lo rd to c ontinue to b e

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN I I

s to w u po n me the favors o f which I am s o un

deserving .

As for you my dear friends I mu s t a ck n o wl

, ,

edge that I often pity you on seeing ho w taken

up you are with t h e vanities o f thi s w ret c hed
world The dangers you incur are s o great
. .

that I w ould tremble for your salvation did I ,

not kno w the goodne ss o f our God I am s ure .

that He lavishes His graces on you and it de ,

pends only o n you to be H is dear friends by ,

being faith ful to w hat He asks of you and by ,

not becoming attached to t h ese miserable riches

o f t h e eart h You certainly are obliged to s ave
.

and acquire some w ealt h so t h at you may be ,

able to bring up honorably your dear little

family it is somet h ing absolutely nece s sary ;
—

but you can detac h therefrom your h eart and

your a ffections for t h e l atter must belong to
,

God alone .

I forgot to tell you that I shall remain at the

seminary as long as t h e superior w ill keep me .

I did not ask him nor w ill I ask h i n i why he

, ,

does not send me a w ay ; per h ap s he entertains

t h e hope o f having me ordained in a year or
tw o ; sti ll I rather think t h at he keeps me out o f

c h arity for h e knows t h at I possess nothing

, ,

and h e pities me At all events it i s in the o rder

.
,

of P rovidence tha t I still remain and it is my

.

duty to conform t h ereto .

I 2 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF THE

This is all I b elieve that I have to te l l you at

, ,

pre s ent Adieu ! I em b ra c e you mo s t tenderly

.

in the Hearts o f Je s u s and Mary .

YO U R B RO T H ER .

P . S w a s on the point o f forgetting to

.
—
I
s peak to you a b out our parent s It s eem s to .

me that thei r obduracy in infidelity h as sad

de n e d you very much ; I too am grieved : b ut
w hat can w e do ? L et u s try to c onsole o u r
s elves and pla c e our tru s t in the mercy o f God
,
.

I f He does not see fit to besto w upon them the

great grace w hich H e has given to us let u s ,

adore H i s divine j u s tice and o ff er up to Him the

s acri fic e o f the per s on s w ho are dearest to u s .

“
L et us say to H im O ur F ather w ho art in , ,

”
heaven Thy holy w ill be done L et u s t h ere
, .
,

fore continue to pray and hope for w e have

, ,

every reason to expe c t all from H im I f our

sister S hould marry at the present ti m
.

e w e ought
not to grieve to o much over it alt h ough at first ,

sig h t thi s w ould appear to take her further

away from the faith ; for w e do not kno w the
adorable secret s o f divine P rovidence P er .

h aps thi s marriage is but the means wh ich t h e

mercy of God employ s in order to bring her to ,

t h e light o f divine faith P er h aps i f She h ad .

,

not married this one s h e would h ave m arried ,

somebody far w or s e .
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 1 3

LE TT E R I V .

TO TH E S A ME .

A dv i ce o n t he o cca s i o n o f the m a r r i a g e o f a m emb er

of th e f a m i ly .

Issy September
, ,
1 8 30 .

M Y D EA R B RO T H ER A ND M Y D EA R S I ST ER
I h ave waited long for an opportunity o f
speaking to you about t h e marriage w h ic h F is .

about to contract but h aving found none I am

,

ob l ige d to write to you by mai l I saw from .

your l etter to F t h at you are not satisfied wit h

.

it and I am a fraid t h at you are going to h inder

,

it by not sending h im h is papers But my dear .

,

friends you wou l d be wrong ; for in my opinion

,

t h is is a very suitable matc h and very likely , , ,

h e could not h ave found better It is true t h at .

t h e young lady is not ric h granted even t h at —

S he h as not h ing but do you count as not h ing

—

h er virtue w h ic h is infinitely above everyt h ing

,

t h at we consider most precious And i f F h ad

? .

contracted marriage wit h a young lady ric h in

go l d and silver but poor in vir tue w h o would ,

h ave made h im un h appy for h is wh ole li fe ,

wou l d you h ave been better satisfied ?

F needs somebody to sustain h im in t h e r e
.

l egion w h ic h he h as practised we ll until no w

, ,

and none cou l d do it better t h an a virtuous

woman O n t h e contrary a w oman w h o cares
.
,
I
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE
'

little for her duties and w ho s eeks nothing but ,

her vanitie s and pleasure s c ould have pro c ured ,

for him only hi s eternal damnation And c er .

ta i n l y it i s far b etter to have no money than to

run s o great and imminent a danger o f being

damned .

But you w ill say w hat need has h e to get

, ,

married He c ould have waited until h e found

?

a suita b le person w ho ha s some money N o I .

,

do not think so ; I believe that you are wrong in

t h is for F is o f an age and is in a city in w h ich
,
.

h e run s the greatest ri sk o f being spoiled The .

bac h elor s ennui would o f itsel f be capable o f

’

corrupting the most virtuous young man ,

especially i f he is surrounded as F is b y peo ,

.
,

ple wit h out morals Besides I do not see any .

,

great need o f money ; I do not ev en know what

he would do w ith it H e dOes a great deal o f .

work himsel f and has enough beside s to keep

,

t h ree men and t w o boys busy It seems to me .

t h at t h is is enoug h to support a wi fe and b e , ,

sides w e must leave somet h ing to divine P rovi

,

dence w ho looks a fter all our needs i f w e only

,

have confidence in H im I believe that h e w ould .

not even kno w w h at to do wit h money ; t h e only

use h e could make o f it would be to buy a litt l e
bookstore and for t h at h e never would h ave su f
fic i en t Cease t h en my dear friends I beseec h
.
, ,

you cea s e to v a l u e m o n ey so muc h ; instead o f

'

i v m g happine s s it can only render unhappy

g ,
16 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R V .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

T o ta l u
s rr en d er o f se lf i n t o the ha n d s o f Go d .
—
In
w ha t t he ha pp i n e s s o f a C hr i s ti an c o n s i s ts .

P aris ,
O ctober 16 th ,
1 8 30 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI END :

We have returned to the Seminary ! St Sul .

pice ! to t h e number o f about s eventy ; when

,

all tho s e w ho are to come t h i s year h ave ar ,

rived w e shall b e a hundred We l eave turmoil

,
.

and trouble to t h e c hildren o f the w orld ; they

worry very much and go to a great deal o f ,

trouble for a nothing w hich w ill s oon escape ,

t h em O ur occupation is to live for God alone

.

in the most pro fo und calm and peace I f it .

plea s es H im that w e S hould die s o much the ,

better ; w e s hall go to see H im in heaven T h is .

h appines s has been a w aiting u s for a long time ,

and it i s the sole obj ect o f our endeavors and

h opes I f H e wis h es us to live so much t h e
.
,

better too ; we s h all h ave t h e h appiness o f su f

,

f e r i n g much and su f fering long for Hi s divine

glory A t all events may H is will be done in
.
,

every detail ! We are only the wretched and

unwort h y instruments o f this dear divine w il l :

All that w e have to do is to w ait in a l l pea c e and

tranquillity until the divine wi l l o f our h eaven l y
F ather may c onde sc end to employ us for H is
 VENE R AB LE L I B E RM A N N
7

greatest glory ; and t h en what diff eren c e i s it

, ,

to us whether He makes use o f us by letting u s

die or by having us live ?
,

You w rite to me t h at you w ould like to s ee

me happy I do not understand w hat you mean
.

by t h at Would you w is h to s ee me rich in

.
,

good h ealt h and having nothing to su ffer here

,

belo w ? U nhappy man ! you then w ant me to

be in h ell ! 0 my dear friend leave me my dear ,

p overty my dear
,
sickness and a h undred ,
t h ou
sand ot h er su fferings I t is only s uff ering that
.

can render me like unto our L ord Je s us C h rist .

I f you wis h to see me h appy come and s ee ,

me and your wis h will be gratified I am a

,
.

C h ristian ; our divine L ord Je s us Christ died ,

f o r me ; I am almost over w helmed w it h Hi s

favor s and gra c e s ; I h ave j ust a small portion
o f His su ff ering s and Hi s cross ; I hope t h at He
will give me s till more o f t h em I s h ould not .

be happy ! What then do we need in order to

be h appy ?
As for you my dear friend remain alway s in
, ,

quiet interior silence and peace Do not let

, ,
.

yourse l f be disturbed by the t h ings that are hap

pening in t h e wor l d ; do not seek to be informed
of them ; let people act and speak w h at t h ey
like and busy yoursel f on l y with your own per
,

f ecti o n You have but one t h ing to do and t h at

.
,

is to p l ease God and to fulfill H is divine wil l ;

all the rest i s vanity We are worri e d on the
.
18 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

pretext that the intere s t s o f religion are c on

n ecte d w ith the happening s o f t h e w orld ; thi s i s

o ften a false zeal and I am s u re that God di s ,

approve s o f it I could s peak at greater length

.

on this s u b j e c t and expound my rea s on s ; b ut

s pa c e i s w anting It i s su ffic ient f o r me to
’

quote the authority o f M r N w ho is angry . .

,

w it h tho s e w hom he direct s w hen they do not

think thu s .

I em b ra c e you my dear friend in the divine , ,

c h arity o f our L ord Jesu s Chri st and o f M ary .

LE TT E R V I .

To TH E S AM E .

A p r i est s ho uld b h a or the w o r d l —

A dv i ce f o r ti m e o f
sic k n ess —
R ul e fo r th e a ff e c ti ons —
How to d f d
e en

o neself g i t th t gi
a a ns e co n a on of t he w o r d l —
A h ly o

p i t h uld d t h hi m lf f
r es s o e ac se ro m t he w o r ld an d f m
ro

sel f Th d i
.
—
f t et es re o r e r ea .

P aris , January 2 6 th ,
1 8 30 .

M Y D EA REST B RO T H ER IN OU R L O RD J ES U S
C H RI ST
You s ee that I have made no delay in an sw er
ing your last letter I f we were c h ildren o f this .

w orld I should begin b y w is h ing you a happy

,

ne w year ; I w ould have even made it my duty

to do so long since ; but as w e are not children
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N I
9

of thi s w orld and b elong to heaven I am c on ,

tent to w i s h you i n the presence o f Go d a happy

, ,

eternity w hich i s w ell w orth a happy year I

, .

am sure that you w ill pardon me very w illingly

for not h aving anti c ipated your letter a s I s hould
h ave done .

I have learned w it h a great deal o f pleasure

that you are in a j unior seminary I f you had .

rem ained w ith your parent s you w ould not have

,

failed to acquire t h ose worldly manners which

a holy priest mu s t dete s t Thi s w orld is so
.

ugly and loathsome that it cau s e s a s hudder o f

horror in those w ho have had the happine ss o f
breaking w ith it for good I kno w that your
.

parents are very pious and love God w ith all

their heart s but you are w ell a w are that the
,

most pious per s ons living in the w orld can

scar c ely protect t h emselves against its con
ta gi o n at lea s t a s far a s their exterior manner s
,

are concerned Still they c a nnot b e b lamed for

.

t h i s b ecause it is ab s olutely i mpossi b le to w alk

,

in t h e mire and not be b e s mirched .

You inform me that your head still troubles

you So this nasty headache w ill not leave you ?
.

“
W h at is to be s aid in that c a s e ? So much the
”
better ! May God be b les s ed f o r it ! This su f
f e r i n g will not preve nt you from pro c uring H i s
glory ; for i f it w ere an obstacle H e w ould kno w
,

how to cure y o u That i s w hy I b elieve it a dv i s

.

able for you to remain perfe c tly quiet ab out it

20 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

and not to de s ire a t lea s t not to o vehemently —

to b e c ured Rather leave yoursel f entirely i f it

.
,

is at all po ssi ble in the hand s o f H is divine w i s

,

dom w hi c h accompli s he s all it s w ork s s o a d

,

m i r a b ly Recall to mind frequently the s e w ord s

.

“
o f the Imitat i on : P a a ci i n i n fir m i ta te m el l
”
o r a n tar V ery o ften we aggravate the evil
.
,

and fall from the per fection to w hi ch Go d c all s

us b y the exce s sive care we take not to s u ff er
, .

We mu s t put all o u r c onfiden c e in God yield ,

nothing to nature and su ffer w ith great plea s ,

ure in union w ith our D ivine S aviour Je s u s

,

Christ and H i s mo s t holy Mother Mary o n ,

Calvary .

P ardon me my dear friend my readine ss to , ,

give advice A man a s w eak a s I am S hould .

al w ay s keep hi s mouth c losed ; but the glory o f

God and your S piritual goo d s eem to require me
to s peak Beside s you remember that B a l a a m s
.
,
’

as s did as much f o f it s master and thus let y o u , ,

take what I tell you a s coming from the mouth

o f an a ss .

We are per fe c tly quiet here at the s eminary .

During the disturb ance s o f the month o f De

cem b e r several o f u s follo w ing the advice o f the ,

s uperior took the precaution o f going into the

,

city for two or three day s We made our r e .

treat this year w ith those w ho w ere to b e o r

dained b ut I wa s not numbered among the s e
,

latter It c lo s ed o n the Satur day b efore Chri s t

.
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N

mas God still gave u s Sunday to s trengthen

.
.

our resolutions ; on Monday He let t h e good

peop l e o f P aris have t h eir way and t h ey pro ,

cee de d to create a great h ubbub Then He o r .

dered t h em to be quiet so t h at Hi s chi l dren ,

cou l d ce l ebrate t h e feast o f C h ristmas in peace ,

and t h us it was You see ho w t h is adorable and

.

admirable F ather takes care o f His c h ildren .

T h at is w h y we rest in per fect peace h ere at t h e

seminary knowing the goodness o f our beloved
,

F at h er and o f our wel l be l oved Mot h er —

.

The seminary is i f possible more fervent , .

,

t h an ever ; thoug h t h e world mig h t turn upside

down i f it wi s hed we s h ou l d not know any
,

thing about it so little do we busy ourselve s

,

with it In the h ouse W e wear our cassocks ;

.
,

outside o f t h e seminary we wear se c ular

'

clot h es or a mantle over t h e ca s sock

, .

It i s very kind o f you to be so interested in

my healt h ; it is about t h e same and appears to ,

be b etter t h is year ; I h ave not h ad any attacks

yet May God do as it pleases Him !
.

Adieu my dear friend ! I embrace you in

,

t h e most holy c h arity o f our divine Master and

His dearest Mot h er .
22 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R V I I .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

H o w we s ho uld l v J u
o e es s and M a ry —
P u t a w a y t he
sp i r i t o f fe a r and tr e m b l i ng— D e t a c hm e n t fr o m
e x t e r i o r t hi n g s .

P aris , Oc to b er 3 o th,
1 83 1 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER

It i s a constant matter o f s urpri s e to see you

ask for m y advice and c ounsel and s till you ,

never fa i l to do so in your letter s But w ho am .

I that I s hould give advi c e a man s o poor a s I ,

am ? I really cannot understand you N ever .

the l e s s s ince you w i s h me to tell you what I

,

think I w ill explain mysel f frankly to you and

, ,

I w ill tell you w hat appears to me b e s t calculated

f o r your s alvation and perfe c tion Oh my dear .
,

friend ho w I w ould like to raise you to the

,
.

highest heaven ! You w ould n o t b e long in ’

getting there F or this reason I s h all al w ays

.

speak to you o f our great M a s ter and o f Hi s

divine Mother I should like to make your
.

heart melt with love for this dear F ather and

t h i s clear Mot h er ; s h ould it o ften happen that
I say s omething fooli s h you must not be a s ton ,

i s he d nor allow it to prevent you from i n c r ea s

,

ing daily in the love o f God It i s a matter o f .

indi ff eren c e to me w hether the letter s w hi c h I

have w ritten to y o u until no w are fi lled with ,
2
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

amine them F o r the purpo s e o f loving them

? .

You must pay no attention to yoursel f as ,

soon as this attention causes you even the lea s t

worry When this attention to yoursel f and to
.

your o wn actions causes you to fear and be di s

tu r b e d it i s a S ign t h at God doe s not w ant you
,

to revert to sel f ; but H e wishes to attract your

attention to something infinitely greater tha n
you : H e w ants you to consider H is divine Jesus
and H is w ell b eloved M ary N o w my deare s t
—
.
,

friend do w h at t h is great Master tells you : put

,

aside the thoug h t o f thi s w i ck ed sel f It is

.
.

w retc h ed ; you must detest it you mus t so de ,

spise it that you will not even t h ink o f it .

L et y our mind dwell on Jesus and Mary t h e ,

well b eloved o f ou r hearts ; occupy yoursel f

—

with them and love them with t h e strength o f

your soul ; b ut occupy yoursel f w ith them solely
and remove every t h ought o f fear and trouble
from vour mind Suc h t h oughts a re un w orthy
.

o f you since God w ants it thu s O bey your

,
.

F at h er child o f God child o f Je s us and Mary !

'

, ,

do not cau se your F at h er and M ot h er to feel

as h amed o f you on account o f your fears and
troubles and appre h ensions Did you ever see .

a c h ild in t h e arms o f his father or mother fear

the little dog that barks at h im ? And still this
is your case for what can the demon do to you
, ,

except bark at you like a tiny dog H e c annot

?

even bark ; he c an only make a fe w grima c e s

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA NN 2
5

at you you mu s t b e very fooli s h i f you fear him .

You believe perhap s that you are far from

, ,

God becau s e no doubt you have a fe w di s tra e

, ,

tions in your prayer s b e c ause you are a ss ailed

,

by temptations Thi s must in no wise m ake

.

you believe that you do not love God It i s the .

old s el f that has t h e s e di s tractions and these

temptation s but the ne w sel f does not t hink of
,

them the ch ild o f God really loves his F ather

'

, ,

no matter w hat the demon may s a y about it .

He w ishes to persuade you o f the contrary in ,

order to prevent you from loving God be c ause

‘

your former s el f kno w s very w ell t h at you love

Him w ith your w h ole heart and t h at it i s only
fear that can prevent you fr o m advan c ing .

L augh at him foil hi s s tratagems J e s us and

, .

Mary wi l l know very well ho w to triumph over

h im b y their love w h ich they will fina l ly estab
,

lish in your h eart This love does not consist

. .

pre c isely in s entiment L ove i s o ten strongest

f .

when it d o es not fee l so vividly a n d t h e great ,

est saints have had moments when t h ey did not

feel t h eir love for God ; at lea s t they did not ,

taste any o f those j oy s and del ig h ts w h ich are

experienced b y those w ho b e gin to w alk in the
path o f perfection But t h ey paid n o attention
.

to this sentiment ; they al w ay s sought to l ove

God more and it is this that led t h em to s uc h
,

h igh perfection .
26 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

But b ehold my letter must come to an end

, ,

and I have still so mu c h to tell you You a s k .

for in formation about the t h ings w h ich you left

at the seminary ; I found nothing I n the dre s s
ing table not h ing i n the room nothing any
-

, ,

where The bursar tells me that perhaps they

.

were stolen during the Revolution as ha s h ap ,

pened to several others for some w omen en ,

te r e d during the turmoil and took di f ferent

thing s from several rooms I n connection w ith .

thi s matter I should like to give expre ss io n to a

,

refle c tio n o f mine which I beg of you to receive ,

in a spirit of charity It seem s to m e th a t you .

trouble yoursel f a little too much about the

things o f t h i s earth We must be indi ff erent .

about all these little tr ifl es I b elieve that y our .

mother urge s you to c are for these t h ings ; but I

think you should no t follo w her advice on this
su b j ect I know that your mother i s a very
.

pious lady ; several persons hav e told me so ;

but in thi s she i s mi staken A per fect Chri s tian .
,

but especially an ecclesiastic should b usy h im ,

sel f only w ith God and laugh at all the things ,

o f t h e eart h I tell you frankly that i f I w ere

.

in your place I S h ould consider mysel f a poor

man and a s s u ch I w o u l d live sparingly from the
,

revenue o f my estate and t h e rest I would di s ,

tri b ute i n charity N everthele s s I shall tell you

.
,

as St P aul s aid I b elieve to t h e Corinthians :

.
, ,

”
“
P r a ee e pta m n or! k a be o , co ns lli a m a u tem do .
 VENE R A B L E L IB ER M A NN 27

It is on l y an evange l ical counsel t h at I give you

i f you do not fee l inclined to fo ll ow it t h ere is ,

no ob l igation for you to do so .

I embrace you wit h a l l my h eart and am in ,

t h e divine c h arity o f J esus and Mary .

YOU R B RO T H ER A ND S ERVA NT .

I was about to forget anot h er pie c e o f advi c e

t h at I oug h t to give you You are too prolix in
.

your l etters I do not w is h to say t h at your let

.

ters are too long ; but your sentences are long

and dragging You are a l ways a fraid t h at you
.

h ave exp l ained yourse l f imper fectly or h ave ,

left some obscurity and ambiguity ; and t h at i s

w hy you make suc h frequent repetitions You .

must try to avoid t h is I h ave observed that

.

w h en you speak o f God you do not commit this

,

mistake but on l y w h en you speak o f worldly

,

t h ings I f I could send you a copy o f your

.

letter I w ould S h ow you t h at you might reduce

,

it by hal f .

You ask me also i f I am going to remain at

t h e se minary I do not know ; for the present
.
,

I am at t h e seminary I do not kno w i f t h e

.

superior is going to keep me or not He h as .

kept me until n o w out o f pity but h e must finally ,

decide upon sending me a w ay ; for w h at could

they do wit h me I am o f no use for anyt h ing
? .

T h e on l y t h ing that I can do i s to eat drink , ,

sleep and scanda l ize everybody About ninety

,
.
28 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

o f us are at the s eminary thi s year and later on ,

w e shall b e a hundred E verything i s going on .

w ell and I am glad to s ee so many good exam

,

ples There i s quite a number o f fervent s em

.

i na rian s M E i s a priest and has been placed

. . .
,

in the paris h o f the As s umption He still love s .

God and the Ble s sed V irgin w ith his w hole

heart .

LE TT E R V III .

To HIS E LD EST B RO T H ER A ND HIS

T
SI S ER I N L A w - -

H e e x ho r t s h i s b r o the r t o t he p r a c t i c e of m e i t a ti o nd .

Ed i fy i n g d e ta i l s a b o u t the c ho l e r a a t P a ris —
D v
e o

ti o n o f t he s em i n a ri a n s in ca r i n gf or t he sic k .

A M D C . . . .

I ss y May 2 1 s t 1 8 3 2 , ,
.

MY D EA REST B RO T H ER A N D M Y D EA REST
S I ST ER
I have delayed s ome w hat in a n s wer i n gy o u
be c au s e I have b een S ick with a s light i n fl a m m a
tion o f the lungs w h ic h kept me in b ed for eight
,

or ten day s An abundant and uninterrupted

.

p er s piration s ent b y God has cured me ,

.

Your letter s edifie d and consoled me I am .

rej oi c ed be fore God to s ee y o u all s o w ell di s

po s ed to s erve H im in s pirit and in t ruth I .
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 2
9

beg my very dear brot h er especially to corre

s po n d wit h the great graces w h ich God deign s

to bestow upon him I am delig h ted to s ee you

.

so filled w ith t h e desire o f Christian per fection .

T h is alone will su ffice to sancti fy you w it h your

wh ole family i f you know h ow to profit by it
,
.

I s h all indicate to you an in fallible means o f

putting thi s great grace to profit : it i s the pra e
tice o f mental prayer It is in it that God w ill
.

enlighten y o u and sho w you the exer c ise o f

,

virtue and of evangelical per fection from t h eir

true point o f V ie w and w ill give you at the
, ,

same time the s trength to practise them

,
.

You mig h t devote h al f an hour every day to

t h is h oly exercise It w ould be advisable to
.

choose t h e first hal f h our a fter rising unless ,

some ot h er business cal l s you else w here Mon

“

seigneur de L amotte Bis h op o f Amiens cele , ,

b r a te d in his day for sanctity and w isdom said ,

I ans w er for the salvation o f a priest w ho de

votes h al f an hour a day to mental prayer and , ,

t h ere fore w ith stronger reason for the salva

, ,

”
tion o f a layman St V incent de P aul advised
. .

a l l those w h om h e directed even servants to , ,

make menta l prayer F or t h is purpose I send

.
,

you a method of prayer wh ich we h ave to learn

by h eart ; it is excellent and is recommended by
t h e most skill ful directors At t h e same time .
,

I send you some leaflets entitled T h e Interior

3 0 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

L i fe ; they may prove o f great h elp to you i f

you wis h to attain Christian perfection .

The c h olera h as done an immense amoun t o f

good in P aris ; it has been t h e cause o f man y
c onversions t h e most remarkab l e o f w h ic h is
,

that o f Ca s imir P erier I cannot let y o u remain .

in ignorance o f this admirable stroke o f God s ’

grace You know t h at as a consequence o f the

.
,

c h olera he had brain fever and comp l etely lost

,

his mind Hi s w i fe who i s very pi Ou s and i s

.
,

said to be a very saintly woman was i n c o n ,

solable espe c ially when S he considered t h e

,

wretched state o f h er h usband s soul and t h e ’

moral impossibility o f h is conversion She .

prayed unceasingly and h ad prayers said for ,

h im in all the religious c ommunities o f P ar i s .

God heard all these fervent supplications .

Three days be fore h is deat h P erier recovered

h i s reason and t h e first w ords h e said to h is
,

“
son who was at h is bedside were :
,
My son , ,

”
go quickly and get the Bi shop o f Meaux .

H is son told him t h at the Bi s h op o f Meaux w as

not in P ari s ! It i s to be observed t h at Mon
.

seigneur Gallard Bis h op o f Meaux w as for

, ,

mer l y the paris h priest o f M r P erier and t h at .

,

“
he is still t h e direct or o f his w i fe ! Well r e .
,

“
plied Casimir P erier take a post c h aise and ,
—
,

”
bring h im at once Hi s son did not h ave to be
.

told twi c e and le ft immediately

,
.
3 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

the month o f F ebruary o f last year I believe ,

.

When tran q uillity w a s re s tored hi s Gra c e had it ,

repaired A s s oon a s the c holera b roke out at

.

Co n fl an s his Gra c e had the hou s e arranged for

,

poor c holera patient s and had them c ared for at

,

h is expen s e the village being unab le to do a n y

,

thing for them It w a s noticed that the four

.

fi rst w ho died there had b een mo s t co n s pi cu

,

ous in ravaging that s ame hou s e during the

time o f the di s tur b an c e s Thi s made s u c h an .

impre ss ion upon the inha b itant s o f the pla c e

that o n e poor man s tri c ken w ith the plague
, ,

“
cried o u t My Go d w hy do you s trike me ,
?
”
I did n o t I n j ure hi s Gra c e s hou s e ’
.

The Ar c h b i s hop has moreover e s ta b li s hed , ,

c o ngregations o f pious per s on s w hose duty it ;

i s to vi s it the s ick in the ho s pital s to give them ,

a ssi s tan c e and perform the mo s t menial s er

,

vice s f o r them Yo u c ould have s een rene w ed

.

in P ari s w hat eli c ited the admira tion o f the

pagan s in the fi r s t Chri s tian s o f E gy pt w hen ,

that country w a S r a v a ged b y the plague H i s

‘

Grace him s el f vi s ited all the ho s pitals and con

soled the s ick O n coming to the s eminary one
.

day and entering into the room o f o n e o f tho s e

,

Struck do w n w it h the c holera he found him ,

asleep and w ithdre w The s ick man w ho w a s .

,

a w akened b y the noise asked w hat it w a s ; he ,

w a s very much s urpri s ed to hear that H i s Grace

had c ome to s ee him The Ar c h b i s hop w ho .
,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN
33

h ad continued on his c ourse o f vi s it s w a s i n ,

formed t h at the sick man w a s awake and r e ,

turned immediate l y ; on entering the room he

asked ho w h e w as and tried to con s ole him ,
.

T h e sick m a n w h o was o f t h e very lowest c las s

, ,

“
sighed heavily and said : Ah your Gra c e you , ,

”
are so kind and I have cursed you so o ften !
,

His Grace ans w ered him w ith hi s usual charity

“
and amiability : My friend you need not ,

worry ab out that ; you say that you have c ur s ed

”
me ; w ell I am going to bles s you no w
, A fter .

saying t h is h e b l essed h im and t h en kissed him

, ,

on t h e forehead Yo u may well imagine ho w

.

deeply t h i s must have a ffected the poor S ick

man .

The Archbishop s pastoral letter on the c hol

’

era i s very beauti ful ; h e has j ust publis h ed a n

other i n order to o b tain the means o f procuri n g
,

a h ome for the orp h ans o f t h ose w h o fell vi c tim s

to the plague .

It remains for me n o w to speak ab out the

seminarians The s uperior notified the s em
.

i n a r i a n s o f the o ff er which he had made to the

Minister and told them that those w ho w ould
,

like to nurse the sick had only to give their

names The s e w ere to remain in the s eminar y
.

in P aris while the bulk o f the community w as

,

to go to the country house and pur s ue t h eir ,

studies a s usual He added at t h e s ame time

.

that tho s e w ho w i s hed to return to their home s

34
‘

S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

mig h t do so P racti c ally all the seminarian s

.

gave in their names earnestly begging the s u

,

per i or to employ them ; only fou r or five a s ked

to go h ome le s s perhaps from fear t h an because
, ,

t h eir parents h ad cal l ed for t h em A S t h e .

.

superior could not allo w all to remain he cho s e ,

t h irty o f them and sent t h e ot h ers to the c oun

,

try h ouse T h ose w h o were disappointed felt

.

very sorry but at t h e same time resigned them

,

s elves to the holy will o f God and obeyed wit h ,

t h e same serenity o f mind a s i f t h ey had re c eived

everything that they desired Tho s e w h o r e .

mained w ere filled w ith j oy and took care o f ,

the sick w it h a s olicitude and a ffa b ility pro

portioned to their immense charity .

I believe that only forty t w o died out of all

-

t h ose w ho had been nursed at the s eminary and ,

t h at because their case w as already h opeless

,

when they arrived It was astonishing to s ee

.

with w h at c ourage t h ese seminarian s w h o had ,

never be fore even beheld the S ick or t h e dead ,

treated the poor c holera patients rub b ed them , ,

gave them t h eir medicines and s a w t h em die

,

in thei r arms A fervent seminarian one o f

.
,

my friends told me that h e trembled only on c e

,

w h en a poor man died in h is arms b ecau s e h e ,

believed t h at h e was badly dispo sed and h ad ,

not received t h e la s t sacraments ; but fortunately

t h is w a s not S O as t h e good man had made his
,

confession .
 VEN E RA B LE L I B ER MA N N
35

The kindness wit h w hic h our seminarian s

treated a l l t h ose w h o w ere brought to t h e sem
i n a r y converted t h em no matter ho w badly
, ,

disposed t h ey were before so that s ev er a l o f

,

t h ese poor people w h o are still at the s em inary

,

as con valescent s re c eive Holy Communion

,

every week and so me o f t h em even t w i c e a

,

week A goodly number o f those w ho h ave

.

already le ft come back to go to con fe s sion to

,

the director s o f the seminary ; for five directors

h ave remained to superintend t h e c h aritable
work o f t h e seminarian s and to administer to
,

t h e sick .

It is equa l ly note w orthy t h at no seminarian ,

w h et h er o f t h ose w ho nursed the sick or t h ose ,

who remained at t h e c ountry hou s e h as had the

c h olera yet alt h ough almost all t h e means sug
,

gested by h uman prudence for its prevention

w ere neg l ected The Blessed V irgin wh o is
.
,

our great patroness and t h e very dear Mot h er

o f t h e seminarians o f St Su l pice evidently pro
.
,

tec te d us and will protect us I hope to t h e

, , ,

end T h e generosity o f the s eminarians o f

.

P aris has not only increased the fervor in t h is

seminary but in all the s eminaries o f F rance
,
.

There is a disposition to follo w this example

every wh ere .

I concur most hearti l y w it h you in the novena

wh ic h you propo s e : We may c ommence it on
A scension day ; i f you like w e shall make it in
36 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

honor o f the Ble s sed V irgin and to the Sa c red

H eart s You may say every day the b ead s in
.

honor o f the Immaculate Conception o f the

Ble s sed V irgin Yo u may add the follo w ing
'

“
invo cation s at the end of ea c h de c ade : H eart
o f Je s u s s a fety o f those w ho hope in Thee
, ,
” “
have mercy on u s ; H ea rt o f Mary I m m a cu
late c on c eived w ithout the s tain o f s in pray for
, ,

”
us . It Would be pre ferable i f the w hole fam
ily re c ited these prayers together ; but i f thi s is
not po s si b le re c ite a part in the m o r n i n g and
, ,

the re s t at another moment w hen you are free

to do so It w ould al s o be advi s a b le for you
.

to assist at H oly M as s daily i f there i s any ,

po ss i b ility o f your doing so A s your b u s ines s .

,

however may not allo w it w e shall be satis fi ed

, ,

w ith the b ead s for the novena and H oly Mas s ,

will be a matter o f devotion I w ill o ffer up .

H oly Communion for thi s intention every time

that I have the happines s o f receiving You .

may do the s ame ; in fact you would do w ell to ,

re c eive of tener than usual I f you w i s h w e .

,

c an add at the end o f each decade o f the bead s

“
St V in c ent de P aul pray for u s
.
,
.

I was very much grati fi ed to re c eive a fe w

w ords from my dear sister B It is no w s uch .

a long time since I heard from her But my .

,

dear S ister you ask me to c ome to s ee you

,
.

I S h ould w illingly do s o i f it w ere possible ; w e

must not ho w ever despair o f anything I f it
, ,
.
 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN
37

is God s will He will know ho w to arrange

’

matters in suc h a way that we shall meet I .

w a s especially c h armed with P s little letter ;

’

s h e s peak s F renc h like a book and to all a p

’

, ,

p e a r a n ce s,
that is not the extent o f h er a e c om
p l i s h m e n ts for
,
she can play the piano too I .

send her a pretty little book and when I come ,

to see you I s h all bring h er a still ni c er one .

I request h er to be very good to love the Bles s ed ,

V irgin very muc h and to pray to her very o ften

,
.

S h e s h ould teac h her l ittle sisters to pray al s o ,

and to love t h e Blessed V irgin I am sure that .

S he is very obedient to h er papa and her mamma

I ask h er to embrace h er little sisters for me ,

her litt l e brot h er and especially little M A to

,
. .
,

w h om I s h all soon send a little rosary I shall .

send y o u at the same time some books and sev

eral engravings by express amongst others a ,

beauti ful engraving o f t h e Blessed V irgin to be ,

framed two o f h is Grace the Archbis h op and

, , ,

a dozen meda l s I shall exp l ain all thi s when I

.

send them to you I S h ou l d have addressed .

t h em to you be fore t h is but F has not yet ,

.

finis h ed binding tw o books which I gave him

long ago .

I embrace you a l l in the Sacred Hearts o f

J esus and Mary and am in their holy ch arity
,
.

YOU R B RO T H ER A N D FRI EN D .

Tell Samuel t h at I embrace him wit h all my

h eart L et him see thi s letter I s h a l l write to
. .
3 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

him when I forward the obj ects whic h I men

ti o n e d It mig h t fatigue my c h est which is not
.
,

yet very strong i f I wrote too muc h at a time

,
.

LE TT E R I X .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

R ul e fo r t he f
a f e c ti o n s —
Ho w to d f d
e en o nese lf
a g ain s t t he c o n t a gi on o f the w o r ld .

D ea s m ea s e t 0144 a .

I ssy July ,
2 7 th, 1 832 .

M Y V EN ERA B L E A N D D EA R B RO T H ER :
N o doubt you believe me very gui l ty because ,

I h ave not an sw ered your last letter ; stil l it is

not my fault I received it when I w as con
.

fined to bed wit h a fever w h ich lasted ten or ,

twelve days ; I am on my way to recovery n o w .

You S ho w me s igns o f friendship that S hould

touch me very mu ch ; but t h ey surprise me more
t h an t h ey touch me How can you love a poor .

wretch like me ! You w i l l t h ink I am go i ng to

make a pretence o f h umility ; no indeed suc h ,

is not my intention .

Would you t h en be l ike t h e worldlings w h o

, ,

love fles h and b l ood ? My dear brot h er let it ,

be deeply engraved i n y o u r memory t h at I am '

only S i n and corruption Do not love I beg o f . .

40 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

t hat it w ould corrupt even t h ose w ho are de s ir

ous o f rescuing it from the ho r r i b le s ta te in
whic h it lies ; and I know very f e w priests who
do not a l lo w themselves at least in s ome meas
,

ure to be taken b y surprise But you my dear

, .
,

est fr i end you must not let yoursel f be taken b y

,

surprise ; eliminate all t h e leaven t h at the w orld

h as le ft in you destroy its work thoroughly
, ,

surrender yoursel f wholly and unreservedly to

God ; do not fear t h e world ; appear be fore it as
a man who b elongs to God alone ; defy this
wretc h ed world ; do not w orry about what it
will say or think o f you ; its j udgments are vain
and o f no weight in the eyes o f a true prie s t .

God alone should know and j udge hi s action s .

Es teem yoursel f fortunate i f the w orld say s

that you have no refinement ; rej oice i f it de
s pi s e s you It i s t h en tha t you w ill be a true
.

priest that you will save s oul s

,
.

N o li te ti m er e said our Di v i n e Lo r d Je s us
’

Christ Ego v i ei m a n da m It i s not with the

,
.

spi rit o f the world that you are ab le to conquer

the world but only with the spirit o f o u r L ord
,

J esus Christ Ego v i ci m a rtdu nt H e say s ; it

.
,

is I alone and naught else that can conquer it .

But i f you tremble be fore the w orld i f y o u ,

fla tter it or even i f you assume its manner s you

, ,

must kno w t h at your mini stry will be st erile ,

t h at you will lose souls instead o f s aving them ,

and that you w ill have to b ear a ter r ib l e r es po n

 VENE R A B LE L I B E R MA N N 4 I

b efore t h e all j u s t J udge It is n o t I

s i b i l i ty -

w ho say this it is O ur L ord Himsel f

,
As f o r .

me I daily b eg o ur Divine Saviour and the

,

blessed V irgin not to leave me in thi s w ret c hed

wo r ld but to let me serve God perfectly in s ome
,

r el i i o u S o r de r
g
'

P ardon me
. I beg o f you on c e , ,

again all the disagreeable t h ing s that I h ave

,
-
.

said to you in this letter God kno ws that it is .

for His glory alone that I act I embra c e you .

w ith all my heart in J esus and Mary .

E nti rely yours in t h eir holy c harity .

LE TT E R X .

T O TH E SA M E .

The ho ly p ir es t d t h d f m th
e ac e ro e wo r ld a nd fr o m
se lf . The d ies r e o f r e t r ea t .

A ll f or
j es a s l /zr o ag/z M a ry
Mar c h 17 th ,
1 833 .

M Y V ERY D EA R SI R
Your letter gladdened my heart w hen I s a w
t h e good sentiments wit h w hich o u r Divine
Saviour deigned to inspire you You are o n .

t h e po int o f b ecoming a priest and the prospect ,

o f it seems to fill you w ith j oy and c onsolation ;

still you tremble upo n beholding yoursel f raised
to a dignity whi ch even the serap h im are u n
w ort h y o f approac h ing You h ave good rea .
4 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s on to trem b le ; for it matter s little ho w great i s

the pr o gr es s that you have made in Chri s tian
perfection it w ill never b e so great as to render
,

you entirely c apable and w orthy o f exer c ising

the holy function s o f the evangeli c al mini s try
Thi s i s all the more c ertain i f s ometh i ng o f the
old Adam s till remain s in you i f the w orld i s ,

not yet entirely o b literated from your heart i f ,

a spark o f its spirit still glows in your s oul i f ,

the lo ve o f pleasure ease com fort or any other

, , ,

kind o f Vanity or mi s erie s that have been the

cause o f s o many evil s among the prie s t s o f
the L ord ha s still a hold on your b eing But
,
.

I am c onvin c ed that your heart i s completely

detached from all the s e foolish thing s Yo u .
~

s ought and desi red b ut o n e thing and that w as ,

to ac c ompli s h the mo s t holy w ill of God at all

time s and in all pla c e s W hat you tell me in .

your last letter s eems to prove this b eyond a

dou b t I am there fore fi lled w ith j oy and co n
.
, ,

solation God alone my dearest friend God

.
, ,

al o ne and nothing el s e ! Yo u are w ell a w are

,

w hat our kind and dear L o rd s aid w hen He w a s

“
on thi s poor earth : It i s my food to do the
”
will o f Him w ho s ent me .

Such is the priest a nd the true prie s t ; to

accomplish the will o f his God is for him a s
a b solutely nece ss ary a s eating and drinking
are for all other men H e S hould s ooner b e .

a b le to a bs tain from meat and dri n k than from

44 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

Con s ider your s el f a s a w ret c hed o b j e c t in the

eye s of Go d a s a b eing in c apable o f doing any
,

good and fi t o nly to s poil everything that Go d

,

w i s hes y o u to do by y our ministry When y o u .

noti c e in your s el f s o many imper fe c tio n s and

miseries that al w ay s p ro ve an obs tacle to the
gra c e w hi c h i s in your s oul w hi c h endeavor s,

to do all it c an f o r the greater glory o f Go d and

the s alvation o f other s y o u s hould b e naturally

,

and tho roughly c onvin c ed that you are good f o r

nothing and usele ss for everything O ur kind .

M a s ter said to H is Apo s tle s that they s hould

look upo n themselve s as usele ss s ervant s even ,

though the y had done everything that Go d r e

quired o f them .

Thi s c onvi c tion o f hi s u s ele ss ne ss i s e ss en

ti a lly ne c es s ary for a good prie s t I n order to ,

dra w do w n the b lessing o f God on hi s w ork .

W ithout this c onvi c tion he w ill o ften la b or for

,

the demon and he w ill c ome to the end o f his

,
’

c areer believing that he ha s done a great deal

, ,

wherea s he has done nothing for Go d .

I f w e are c onvin c ed o f our poverty and u s e

le s snes s w e s hall not feel exalted w hen o u r
,

m i n i stry i s su c ce s s ful b ec ause We understand

,

t h at all the good w e have done comes from

God and that the w ork o f God w ould have b een
,

a thou s and time s more s u cc es s ful i f w e w ere not

s u c h demon s o f vanity W e s hall al s o feel .

per s uaded that w e have s poiled a large part o f

 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N

t h e goo d t h at we s h ould h ave done I f we are .

so disposed we s h all not worry over our w ant

,

o f success because being fu l ly convinced o f our

, ,

poverty w e did not expe ct to accomplis h muc h

, .

W h en w e are animated with t h ese sentiments ,

t h e less success w e h ave in our ministry t h e ,

more we S h a l l sancti fy ourselves becau s e t h e ,

c o nviction wi ll grow upon us t h a t we are pro

f o u n dly wretched and perfectly u s eles s All .

our t h oug h ts will be turned towards God our ,

h eart with all its a ffections and desires w ill be

more and more detac h ed from creature s in ,

order to be l o ng to God alone .

I h ope t h at w h at I say is not h ing new to you ,

but t h at on t he contrary you h ave long s in c e

entered upon t h e sub l ime road o f C h ristian per
f e cti o n and entire se l f denial -

a perfec tion and

—

a sel f denial t h at are abso l ute l y and essentially

-

necessary for every good C h ristian and still

more so for every good priest You need not .

be discouraged h owever my dearest friend i f

, , ,

y o u s ee t h at you are sti l l far away from t h e

summit o f this beauti fu l perfection o f the GO S
pe l It is su fficient for you to h ave an ardent
.

desire to attain it and you wi l l certainly suc

,

cee d . Moreover do you not know t h at t h e

,

B l essed V irgin h as specia l designs o f bounty

u pon you ? P roceed t h ere fore wit h out fear
and wit h out h esitation for t h is w e ll be l oved
,
-

Q ueen and M istress w i ll vanquis h all t h e de

46 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

mon s that would check your on w ard c our s e .

Did you not noti c e that she b egan long ago

to so w this desire for per fe c tion in your heart ?
Her e ff orts have not been in vain ; for unlike us , ,

she i s neither I n constant nor incapab l e o f r e ,

a li z i n
g the good which S he undertakes for tho s e
w hom she loves S he lives and reigns in the
.

splendor o f her Son who places H is o m n i p

.
,

o ten ce at her disposal and s hedi s poses o f it a s ,

she sees fi t .

Besid es your desire for retreat and co m

,

munity li fe is a positive proof that the de s igns

o f God upo n you are all merci ful E ndeavor -

.
,

I beseec h you to preserve this happy desire in

,

your heart Try to render yoursel f worthy o f

.

realizing it some day by aspiring w ith unin , ,

te r r u pte d yearning to t h e eminent per fection to

,

w hich God calls you Work day and nig h t for .

its attainment I f you strive to nouris h in your

.

heart this l o ve for retreat and community li fe ,

it w ill sustain you I h ope and wi l l bring you

, ,

all t h e more easily to the per fection to w ards

w h ich you are so earnestly tending .

Adieu my dear S ir !
,

Your very poor servant in t h e most holy

c h arity o f Jesus and Mary .

P S
. . P ardon me I beg you for playing the
—
, ,

tea ch er a s i f I w ere qua l ified to speak to you o f

C h ristian perfection I as s ure you t h at I am.

only a novi c e I b eg you not to be scandalized

. ,
48 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

gether w hen H e w i s hes u s to remain s epar

ated Let u s ob ey w ith o ut q ue s tioning the
.
, ,

order s o f our F ather and w e S hall not lose,

the fruits o f our s u b mission You kno w that .

He rende r s a hundred fold even in thi s world ;

and besides thi s re w ard H e promi s es eternal
, ,

li fe to tho s e w ho give up thei r heart s desire s ’

f o r H i s sake You c an not I magine my very

.
,

dear friend s ho w rej oi c ed I am from the

,

depth s o f my soul that I c an not come to s ee

,

you this year T h is will t each you h o w to

.

deny your s elve s and not to yield to every

craving o f your heart s .

P er h aps until no w you have though t it su f

fi c i e n t for a good Christian to deny him s el f all
forb idden plea s ures and that he could enj oy
,

as many o f t h e inno c ent ones as he w is h ed .

Thi s i s true up to a certain point But it is .

also true that a per fect C h ristian give s up even

legitimate pleasures e s pecially i f he see s that
,

the order o f God s w ill i s apparently Opposed

’

to t h em It i s not necessary t h at a prophet

.

s h ould come to announ c e to him the most holy

will o f our beloved F ather i f he w ishes to ,

kno w it T h e m ost insignificant event that ,

divine P rovidence seems to bring about natur

ally su ffices for him to rej ect all the desires
,

o f hi s s oul and he rej ects t h em with perfect

,

j oy and w it h out delay L et us do a s much .

,

my dearest friends let u s give up o u r w ish

,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N
49

to s ee ea c h other s ince the P roviden c e o f Go d

,

does not w ant it .

I beg o f our Divine Saviour Je s us C h ri s t to

give you the gra c e o f denying yourselves not
only in thi s s m a ll m a tter but in everyt h ing and
'

every w here s o that God alone may live and

,

reign in your hearts L et n o alien a ff ec

.

tion enter into them ; you w ill t h en b e

happy even o n this poo r earth It i s n o t a s
,
.

di ffi c ult as you may imagine The gra c e s that .

w e receive by w ay o f s el f denial a r e immen s e-

They give u s a great facility to perform the

most di fficult task s they pla c e u s above all
,

creature s they make us ma s ters o f o u r o w n

,

hearts and they give u s a li b erty o f spirit s o

,

great and a peace s o perfect that not h ing i s ,

capable o f w orrying us .

A man w ho s eek s to deny him s el f in every

thing and to give him s el f entirely to God i s ,

the master o f heaven o f earth and of h ell

!

.
,

God give s him all that h e desire s ; h e is cher

i s he d by t h e Ble s sed V irgin the angel s and ,

the s aint s All t h e c reature s o f earth may

.

unite against h im ; he doe s not fear t h em and ,

they can never make h im c h ange h is conduct ,

a s w a s illu s trated in St Ba s il and other s . .

T h e demons tremble before him b ecau s e t h ey ,

recognize in h im t h e s overeign power o f God

Himsel f .
SO S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

I must finish a s you see for w ant o f , ,

space I embrace you in t h e charity o f Je s u s

.

and Mary .

YOU R B RO T H ER A N D F RI EN D .

LE TT E R XI I .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

The e ff e c ts of ho ly c o mm u nion —
Ho w to p r ep a r e
o nes e lf f o r it .
—
In t i
er o r p ea ce —
T em p ta ti o ns of v an ity
a n d e s tee m o f c r ea tu r es .

P r a i s e d be Jes us a nd M ary !
I ss y July
,
2 4 th, 1 8 34 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
I can not allow t h is opportunity to pass by
without saying a few words about the 1m
men s e l ove of our Divine S a v i o u r J e s u s C h rist
for us I f you consider H im only for a mo
.
‘

ment in the Most Blessed Sacrament you w ill ,

be completely nonplus s ed When t h is de .

v o ur i n
g fire visits us it seems that it s hould ,

reduce u s to as h e s but no it doe s not In H i s , ,

.

extreme love H e w i sh es to tran s form and

,

c h ange us into Hi s very love He w ishes to .

make us one wit h H imsel f and Hi s F ather .

The F ather is in H im and He comes to u s in ,

order t h at w e may be consummated in Him ’

and in Hi s F ather w ho a re o n e ,
.
5 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

in c on c eivable prodigie s o f the love o f Je s u s in

H i s Mo s t Ble ss ed S a c rament .

I S hall tell y o u a fe w w ord s o f o u r dear Mr .

N on this s u b j e c t
.
, It w as on the fea s t o f the
.

Sacred Heart o f Je s u s He made the follo w .

ing refle c tion : The Chu r c h p re s ent s for o ur

a do r a ti o n the material Hea rt o f o u r D ivine
~

S aviour j u s t a s o n the fea s t o f Corpu s Chri s ti

, , ,

s he give s u s H i s material bo dy b ecau s e Go d ,

w i she s to s an c ti fy o ur s pirit b y the fle s h o f our

Lo rd Je s u s Christ W e mu s t therefore fi nd
.
, ,

the fullne ss o f our s a n cti fica ti o n in holy co m

munion and mu s t di sc over therein the di s po
,

”
s i ti o n s o f the Sa c red H eart o f Je s u s Thi s .

reflection appeared to me c harming and fi lled ,

me w ith j o y I f w e s hould try to prep a re o u r

.

s elve s w ell for holy communion it s eem s to me ,

that God w ould b e e xc eedingly glori fi ed in u s ,

and that w e should make great progre ss in the

w ork o f o u r s a n cti fica ti o n .

But w hat i s the nature o f that preparat i on ?

Although w e have o ften s po k en a bo ut it it i s ,

w ell to repeat it millions o f time s We S hould .

,

it seem s to me ab stain from every k i n d o f j oy

'

and natural compl ac en c y either in th e event s ,

t h at take place or in the things that s urround

,

us or in the per s ons w ith whom w e live o r in

, ,

the action s that w e per form o r in t h e gra c es ,

that w e re c eive or in all that w e pos s e ss and

,

that relate s to u s We s h o uld even avo id a too

.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 53

violent and pre c ipitat e j oy in s upernatural

things b ut should quietly follo w the plea s ure
,

o f t h e H oly G h ost w ho is in us
,
.

A fter t h at nee d w e speak about sacrificing

,

those coarse desires o f s atis fying ourselve s o f ,

taking our ease and com fort ? Still it is w ell ,

to remember that w e mu s t watch over o u r

se lves i n all those t h ings which w e are obliged -

to allo w our s elves in case o f s ickne ss .

The s econd dispo s ition , much more per fect

than the first and as it were its in s eparab le
, , ,

companion is I think to keep o u r heart in

, , ,

perfect pea c e Thi s peace must b e a calm a b n e

.

g a ti o n o f every kind o f earthly a ff ection and ,

a total deta c hment from all that i s not Go d .

But thi s i s not all ; w e must remain in thi s calm

determination be fore Go d ready to receive
eve r y impress that H e may deign to give u s
by His gra c e to be s atis fi ed and delig h ted w ith
,

everyt h ing that it seem s good to H im to do w ith

“
u s I f w e are S ick w e mu s t say So much the
.
, ,

better i f w e are in good health w e must al s o ,

b e content ; i f we su ff er w e must rej o i ce ; i f w e

,

do not su ff er we must still rej oice ; and so on ,

I n all the t h ings that may happen to us either ,

in the order o f nature or in t h e order o f gra c e .

We must treat ourselves j ust the same as w e

do a piece o f wood that w e find in t h e street .

Would we worry in any w a y i f t h is piece o f

wood w ere red or green rotten or sound good
, ,
54
”

S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

for anything or not We mu s t act in the s ame ?

‘

w ay with regard to our s elves The only thing .

that W e must do is to remain quietly united w ith

,

our God and to pla c e ourselves entirely at the

,

disposal o f His divine w ill b y keeping ourselves

be fore H im as a victim completely dev oted to
Hi s holy love W e s ho u l d b e totally abandoned
.
‘

to H im seeing only H im see king nothing but

, ,

H im b reathing but H is love w ishing only w hat

, ,

He wishes keeping constant w atch over our

,

w retchedness looking peace fully upon Him

,

w ithin us so that w e may obey c almly and w ith

, ,

out the slighte s t re s istance the sw eet and ,

,

amia b le graces b y mean s o f w hich H e al w ays

speaks to us And I believe that i f w e do this
.
,

our communions cannot fail to sancti fy u s I f .

we thus tend w ith all the s trength o f our soul

toward this holy union o ur Divine S aviour , ,

w ho has e s ta b lished the Blessed Sa c rament o f

the altar only fo r this purpose cannot fail to ,

communicate to u s the fulne s s o f H i s grace in .

,

proportion to the strength o f our disposition s

for this holy union .

You speak to me in your letter a b out the di f

fi cu lty whi c h you experience in pre s erving i n
te r i o r pea c e during vacation Wat c h over your .

sel f ; try to maintain great interior freedom ,

wherever you are and with w homsoever you

may be Do not s peak too mu c h ; S peak quietly
.

and w i th o ut a ff ec tat i on W hen you fi nd your .

5 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R X II I
TO HIS E LD ES T B RO T H ER A N D HIS

SI S T ER I N L A W
- -

Re s i g n a ti o n and p ea c e in the s a cr i fices tha t Go d

as ks of us .

I s sy August
, 2 4 th, 1 8 34 .

M Y D EA RES T B RO T H ER A ND M Y D EA REST
S I ST ER
I take advantage o f M r P s departure to
-

. .
’

write you a f ew wor ds H e i s pro fe s sor o f

,
.

P h ysics and Mat h ematics at the seminary and ,

h ence i s one o f t h e directors o f the h ouse H e .

belongs to a society o f learned men w hi c h i s ,

going to Strasburg to make some geographical ,

exploratio ns in the V osges mountains .

I should have b een delighted to go with him

'

for the purpose o f seeing you and o f en co u r

aging you to be come daily more p erfe c t Chri s
tians But it was not God s will I s h all take
.
’
.

good care not to murmur and I hope that on ,

your part you will make the sacrifice as willingly

as I do so that our divine L ord may love u s
,

more every day that He may be pleased to ,

dra w u s more closely to Himsel f by H is holy

grace and t h at He may make us more agree
‘

able i n the sight o f H is F ather We must r e .

j oice my dearest friend s at eve r ything that H e

, ,

condescends to do w ith us and e s teem o u r ,

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A NN
57

selves happy i f He b ut deigns to think of u s .

and to permit us to love H im and serve H im

wit h our w h ole soul I f H e S hould think it
.

proper that w e never see ea c h other again on

this eart h let us say to H im w ith all the tender
,

ness o f our soul : Lord may T h y mo s t holy ,

will be done ; i f T h ou only permit me to see

T h ee my h eart wi l l al w ays be filled w ith the
,

greatest j oy at all Thy c ommands and I submit ,

”
to them wit h all t h e love o f my soul .

I beg o f O ur L ord J esus C h rist w ith all my ,

h eart t h at He may h ave t h e kindness to i m

,
~

print deeply into your h earts these sentiment s

so dear so sweet and so conso l ing for a chi l d
, ,

of God I would like very much my dear

.
,

friends i f you did s incerely and fu l ly what I

,

tell you ; you mu s t feel w ithin yourselves ho w

sweet it i s and ho w h appy w e are when w e love
, ,

God in thi s manner .

L et your soul never be disturbed ; ignore

what worry is I f an a ffair does not suc c ee d
.

as well as you expected you must rej oice be fore

,

God at everything that H e is plea s ed to do The .

t h ings t h at appear mo s t important to nature ,

are on l y tr i fl es in the estimation o f a true

C h ristian because not h ing has any importance
,

for h im except w hat God w is h es Trouble and .

worry are for hell ; the children o f God oug h t

not to kno w t h em Work in all peace and tran
.

qui l lity ; do your utmost according to t h e nature

,
5 8 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF THE

of t h e thing s b y w hich you are surrounded and ,

to the circumstances in which you find your

s elve s ; leave the rest to the c are o f God s P rovi ’

den c e I f He i s pleased to crown your labor s

.

with s uccess rej oice b e fore Him and give H im

,

most hum b le thanks ; i f on the other hand

, ,

everything goes w rong b le ss H im s till with

,

your whole s oul A Chri s tian w ho a c ts thus

.

always pa s ses his li fe in pea c e in j oy and hap

,

p i n es s. At the end o f thi s misera b le li fe w hich ,

i s o f little a cc ount there will c ome a happines s

.
,

o f which I S h all not undertake to s peak to you

for fear o f not doing so worthily I beg o f you .

in t h e name o f the Blessed V irgin to be faith ful

in loving God in everything .

E nti rely your s in the holy love o f Je s u s and

Mary .
60 S P I RI T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

immen s e gra c e s w ith w hi c h s he w a s fi l led from

her child h ood to her h appy A ss umption The .

purity and holine ss o f the august V irgin from ,

the moment o f her b irth is b ut an earne s t o r ,

harb inger o f the eminent s anctity w hich she i s

to attain at the la s t moment o f her l i fe I f s he
,
.

i s already s o brilliant at her da w n w hat S hall ,

we say o f her w hen She ha s reached the height

o f her S plendor ? I f S he i s already s o pure w hen
s he has sc arcely c ome forth from the w om b o f
her m ot h er although still united to the impure
,

b lood o f S inful Adam w hat w ill it b e w hen she

,

is united in such an intimate a n d ex tr a o r di n a r y

,

manner w ith the E ternal Word , t h e Author

,

and Consummato r o f all s anctity ? O ur s oul s

s hould there fore b e filled w ith the deepe s t j oy
, , ,

at the thought o f the greatne s s a n d the i m

m en s i ty o f God s mer c y to w ard s the Bles s ed
’

Vi rg i n and o f H is incomprehen s i b le b ounty

,

to w ard Ou r mo s t ex c ellent Mother H e w i s hed .

‘

h er to be born H is s ervant in order to make her ,

the queen o f heaven and earth a s w ell a s the ,

mot h er o f Hi s Son Behold there fore thi s

.
, ,

dear little chi l d and thi s poor s ervant o f the

eternal F ather ; heaven earth and hell tremble ,

b efore her God copiously b e s to w s upon her

.

Hi s choi c es t favors ; H e adorns her w ith H i s

g reate s t beauties and t h e im m ense ri c he s o f H i s
gra c e He inve s t s her w ith Hi s o w n grandeur
.

and H i s glory ; the angels and s aint s are dazzled

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 61

by her s plendor and every creature bo ws in

,

awe before her

, .

P ardon me my dearest friend i f I allo w m y

, ,

sel f to be carried away by t h ese t h oug h ts ; they

s h ould not form t h e subj ect o f a letter in w hic h ,

w e can s ay only too little about them ; b ut I

S hould h ave deemed mysel f guilty o f disloyalty

to t h e Ble s sed V irgin i f I had not s aid at lea s t

,

a few words I n h er h onor and for h er glory .

I s uppose you have made much ni c er and

more edi fying reflections in your meditation ;
but it matters l ittle w hat thoug h ts present t h em
,

selves to our mind about the grandeur and holi

ness o f thi s go o d Mother provided w e lo ve her
o

w ith our w hole heart and try to be faith ful in

our turn to the grace s w h ich God besto w s upo n
us through her prayers and intercession ; t h at
s h ould be enough for u s and should form the
,

c h ie f obj ect o f our de s ire s .

I have received several letter s from the good

s eminarians w it h w h om I h ad relation s at the
seminary All o f them are very fervent and
.
,

cover me w ith con fusion be fore God T h ey are .

in t h e world but they are not o f t h e w orld ; they

,

live and a ét only for God and in Go d T h ey .

strive to w atch constantly and peace fully over

t h em s elves so as to a l lo w no desire nor a ff ec
,

tion t h at i s not entire l y for God During the

’

vacation as w ell a s during the year t h ei r aim ,

is to act in t h e sole view o f God s grace w h ic h ’

,
62 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

is in thei r s ou l N ot h ing for t h emselve s noth

.
,

ing for t h eir own interest nothing for t h e love ,

o f satis fying themselves God is the motive .

and t h e end o f all thei r actions and all their

thoug h ts H en c e my j oy is immen s e w hen I
.

think o f these good seminarians I am c on .

founded and ashamed b efore God b ecause it ,

has pleased H im to S how me somew h at o f H is

grace s and o f H i s favo r s to tho s e w h om He
loves and w ho are striving to s erve H im S i n
,

c er el y by giving themselves entirely to H im .

T h ere i s o n e amongst them w h o w a s prob

ably told t h at he must do s omething to distra t c

himsel f ; this c aused h im s ome embarra ss ment ,

ho w ever for h e did not kno w wh at it meant

, .

and i n t h e simplicity o f his h eart h e asked m e

ho w to distract him s el f I was overj oyed to see.

such a blessed ignorance It seemed to me as i f I .

s a w Adam in h is innocence and not knowing ,

sin You may j udge from t h is ho w c losely they

.

are united to God for what happened to t h i s ,

one h appens so to speak to all of t h em T h ey

‘

.
, , ,

h ave al l mani fested an extreme desire o f being

occupied wit h God from morning to night They .

are very muc h put o u t to find themselve s obliged

to converse w it h men for such a lengt h o f time ,

and t h ey would surely not do it were t h ey not ,

obliged to do so by c h arity and obedi ence

,
.

There no w my very dear friend are some

, ,
64 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s overeign grandeur and in the depth s o f o u r

o w n mi s ery rej oi c ing at everything that H e
,

may b e plea s ed to do w ith u s enduring c almly , ,

and lovingly the sadness that s prings from o u r

,

s el f love a ffli ct ed at seeing it s el f so small We

—
,
.

should pea c e fully turn a s ide our vie w from the

motives and rea s on s that arou s e o u r di s pleasure ,

and s hould raise o u r s oul to God in w hom alone ,

it S hould feel grati fi ed and in w hom alone it ,

should put all its j oy s all it s desire s all its , ,

a ff e c tion s and all its love .

I em b ra c e y o u w ith all my heart in the mo s t

holy c h arity o f Je s us a nd Mary .

YOU R V ERY P OO R S ERVANT .

LE TT E R X V .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

B a s en e s s and w r etc h d
e f m
n es s i p o an, n r e s en ce of

the s a n c ti t y and g ran d u f G d Pi u

e r o o —
o
’
s co n v er s a

ti o n s and p i o u s d es i r e s .

I ss y September
,
2 3 r d, 1 8 34 .

M Y D EA RES T B RO T H ER
May t h e grace and pea c e o f our L ord J esus
C h rist fill your sou l and con form its interior
to the mo s t holy and mo s t admirable interior o f
Je s u s and M ary ! O bserve w ell that the wo n
.
,

der f u l interior o f the Blessed V irgin i s per

f ectly S imilar to t h at o f J esus ; a ray o f l ig h t
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 65

and gra c e pro c eeds for all eternity from the

, ,

interior o f J e s u s illuminat ing a n d w arming

,

t h at o f Mary a s w ell as reflects it s el f admirably

,

in her as in a pure and spotle ss mirror L et us

,
.

beg o f the Ble s sed V irgin to make us al s o pure

and h oly be fore Go d s o that w e may put no ,

obs tacle to the light o f the gra c e o f o ur L ord

Jesus Chri s t and that H is mo s t holy w ill may
,

b e ac c omplished in u s entirely and without the “

slightest re s triction In the meantime let us

.
,

keep our s elves in the mo s t pro found h umility

b e fore the Mo s t Ble s sed Trinity in the Vie w o f ,

our extreme incapacity We mu s t keep our .

selves before God a s b eggar s and w ret ch e s co v

ered w ith mire and ulcer s s o feeble that w e c an ,

not move our memb er s in order to pro c ure r e

lie f and so c on fu s ed b y the splendor o f H i s
,

glory that w e s carcely venture to rai s e o ur eye s

'

to Him to obtain s ome help in the exce s s o f our

w oes Being thus pro s trate con founded and
.
,

annihilated be fore H im our heart s should b e in ,

t h e greatest peace and filled w ith the greate s t

,

con fi dence in His mer c y I n comparing H is .

in fi nite greatness the light the s plendor and

, ,

the glory that surround H im w ith t h e ex cess ,

o f our incompre h ensib l e littlenes s with t h e great ,

obs c urity in w hi c h w e are envelope d w ith o u r ,

ex c eeding interior and exterior poverty and

nakedne ss w ith o u r pro found abj ection and
,
.

humi l iation our soul S h ould be filled w it h j oy

,
66 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF T HE

and c on s olation u pon s eeing t h at our God i s

so great a nd so admirable t h at to H im alone ,

be l ongs all homage all greatness all glory and

, ,

a l l love and that to us be l ong sorro w su ffering

, , ,

a b j ection h umi l iation indi fference and neg l ect

, ,

on t h e part o f c reatures and even o f Go d H im ~

s el f
.
‘

I f w e were fi lled with these thought s w e ,

should not be very muc h preoccupied wit h our

selves T h e S ig h t o f t h e extremity to w hich w e
.

are reduced and o f t h e contempt that we de

,

serve s h ould make us carry our thoughts and

,

all our love to God alone We S h ould alway s .

be humbly prostrate before H im expecting ,

everyt h ing from Him and attac h ing s o little ,

importance to creatures that our h eart would

never b usy itsel f with them O ur desire s and .

a ffections wou l d be entirely in God and t h en

'

our Divine S aviour would not fail to Come to us

with the fulness o f H i s grace s and gi fts The .

Holy G h ost would act in u S ac c ording to the

wh ole force and to t h e full extent o f grace ;
, ,

and our interior w ould be a pe r fect image o f the

i nterior o f our Divine S aviour because all our ,

desires all our a ffections and all our love w ould

, ,

be the desires t h e a ffections and the love of

,

J esus in the bosom o f H is F ather We w ould .

be indi fferent and dead to the w h ole earth and

to everything t h at it c omprise s God alone .

w ould live and reign in u s ac c ording to the ,

68 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

our L ord Je sus Christ ; all the re s t i s u s ele ss and

in s ignificant L et all your love and c on fi den c e
.

b e in H im a l one Keep your s el f c on s tantly in .

a q uiet and p eace ful recollection so that y o u ,

may be able to follo w the h o ly inspiration o f

God s grace You mu s t o b ey thi s alone ex c lu
’
.
,

s i v e ly in everything every w here and al w ay s

, , , .

I wrote to you not very long ago through

M r N H e ha d s c arcely le ft I ss y w hen I r e
. .

ce i v e d your letter o f S eptember 2 n d Yo u .

in form me t h at you are sometime s at a lo ss ho w

to speak o f God Th i s need not worry you I f . .

you have nothing to say s ay nothing It seem s ,

.

to me w e S poke o f thi s once b e fore at the s em

i na ry .

The great principle from w hi c h w e s hould ,

never depart i s to act in all things according

, ,

to God s sole good pleasure and to do nothing

’

b ut from a movement o f divine grace w hi c h i s

within u s N ever s ay to your s el f : I mu s t do
.
“

thi s or that I mu s t s peak in this or that man

,

ner to M r So and s o I f it is pleasing to Go d

.
- —
.

that you S hould do it do s o ; i f n o t then remain , ,

quiet We s h ould be interiorly c on sc ious o f

.

w ha t God dema nd s o f u s and never trou b le o ur ,

selve s a b out the re s t .

No w you mu s t not imagine that it is human

,

respect w hich close s your mouth Human r e .

spect w ill c au s e you trou b le i f y o u allo w your

sel f to be influen c ed b y it b ut it c a nnot clo s e ,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 69

your mouth against your w ill It i s only a .

movement o f worry t h at make s you t h ink s o ;

you should make lig h t of such a temptation I f .

t h is thoug h t preoccupies your mind it w ill ,

o ften make your soul uneasy .

You d esire to be alone w ith God at all time s ;

t h is i s a very exce l lent thing and you w ould b e ,

h appy i f it w ere possible still do not w orry i f ,

suc h c annot be t h e case H ere is a maxim o f St

. .

F rancis o f Assisi which will teach you that this

is not necessary for a true servant o f God He .

“
said that o ur br o ther the bo dy i s a cell a n d
-

, , ,

o u r s o u l, the her m i t, w ho dw ells i n i t i n ,

o r d er
”
to thi n k o f Go d w i tho u t c eas iI f a religiou s
n g .

soul i s not at rest within the c ell o f its body ,

exterior cells will b e o f little use .

T h ese word s coming from the mouth o f a

,

great saint S h ow u s w h at t h e li fe o f a Chr i stian

,

should b e .

I must in form you that M r N w ill soon leave . .

us Thi s is a great loss for us I expect tha t

. .

this will be an additional trial for me during the

coming year because he su s tained us But i f we
,
.

cannot do as w e like for the service and greate r

glory o f God I shall have at least the i n co m
,
~

p rehensible pleasure o f su ff ering s ome little

opposition for H is holy love .

I have made no pilgrimage thi s year because ,

I am poor and nobody has given me any mone y

,

for t h at purpose I f the privation cau s e s a cer

.
70 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

tain disappointment the rea s on ought to cau s e

,

a great j oy O ff er I beg o f you my h omage

.
, ,

and my love to the Blessed V irgin P ray to .

God for me for I am a great wretch worthy o f

, ,

your pity .

I embrace you i n t h e most h oly charity o f

J esus and Mary .

YO U R V ERY P OO R S ERVA N T .

LE TT E R X V I .

TO HIS E LD EST B RO T H ER A N D HIS

SI S T ER I N L A W
- -

Ho ly mi ss ion of pa re n ts w i th re g d
ar to the i r c hi ld r en

P aris , J anuary 3 r d, 1 83 5 .

M Y D EA REST B RO T H ER A ND M Y D EA REST
S I ST ER
I see by your letter that God ha s blessed you
with a little boy : What a h appiness it w ill be
for you to see t h at goo d little family prosper !
-

for I have no doubt our Div i ne Saviour will b e

stow H is ble s sing o n your dear c h ildren i f you ,

try to educat e t h em according to the maxim s

which he came to announce upon eart h T h e .

eternal F at h er caused H is only Son to be born

for our salvation i t S h ould be your endeavor
:

also to b ear H im children for H i s greater

,

glory or rather s in c e they are already b orn by

, ,
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

pose o f making your c h ildren Christians and

fervent C h ri stians T h ose si x children that
.

God h as given to you are six talent s committed ,

to your care ; it rests with you to make them

prosper and incr e ase T h ey are an admira b le .

treasure w h ich you must retur n to H im in

h eaven and you will be rewarded a hundred
,

fold even i n thi s world i f you make it fru c ti fy

, , .

What a h appine s s for you to s ee yourselves in

heaven in the midst o f six elect ! E very ray o f
glory that God s h eds upon them will b e r e ,

fl ec te d in you and w ill render you more b ril

,

liant t h an the sun in the midst o f a happy as

,

s em b l y , w ho will r e j o Ic e and glori fy God with

you blessing H im fo r th e greatne ss o f Hi s

,

mercy upon you an d your famil y Do n o t .

worry there fore too much i f you cannot o r i f

, , , ,

you fear that you cannot l eave them a s mu c h ,

earthly wealth a s you might desire ; thi s i s n o t

the purpose for which they h ave b ee n created .

Moreover their F ather w ho i s in heav en love s

,

t h em and He will take b etter care o f them than

,

you ever could You are their father and

.

mother only temporarily w herea s H e w ill b e ,

their F at h er eternally i f they are willing to b e

H is c h ildren Give the mthe good example o f
,

fervor and o f a Christian li fe ; that w ill b e

worth more to them than millions in gold and
silver You w ill thu s sancti fy them and s anc
.
,

ti f y your s elve s w ith them ; y o u w ill prepare f o r

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 73

them as w ell a s for yourselves an immen s e

, ,

h appiness and glory in heaven .

Adieu my dearest friends may God b e s to w

, ,

His holiest blessings upon you during thi s

year so t h at you and your dear c h ildren may
'

b e most agreeable to Him P ray sometime s for .

me also and take very good care I b eseec h you

, , ,

o f our dear littl e Marie s o that s he may love .

God well and may b e very good ,

.

E ntirely your s in our L ord Jesus Chf i s t and

Mary .

LE TT E R X V II .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

The p ea ce of J es us Chr i s t , and the m ea n s po s s es s

ing i t .
-
A dv i ce f o r the di r ec ti o n of so ul s .

L et the di v i n e w i ll be o ur r u l e in a ll thi ngs .

Issy January
,
2 7 th, 1835 .

MY V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
May t h e mo s t sweet mo s t delight ful mo s t , ,

amiable and excellent peace o f O ur L ord Je s u s

C h rist fill your s oul s o a s to o ff er and immo ,

late it fully to Hi s heavenly F ather and render ,

it a victim mo s t pleasing to H im ! May H i s

angels and s aints rej oice bles s and glori fy ,

Him for condescending to cast a look o f mercy

,

on you and on your beloved brethren ! I beg

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

of Him W ith all my heart to b le ss and s an c ti fy

, ,

you w ith H i s all po w erful grace I f you fi nd

-

anybody t h at has a taste for this holy pea c e

which our Divine S aviour w ished to make
known to y o u in some degree speak to him ,

about it according to the grace o f the Holy

,

Ghost wh o is w ithin you But you mu s t b e .

thoroughly convinced my ver y dear brother , ,

that it is not your w ords that w ill procure f o r

,

him the inapprecia b le advantage o f the gra c e

o f our L ord J esus Christ It i s God alone that .

will animate him s ustain and strengthen him

,

in the holy paths o f Hi s s w eet love .

O nly try to mak e h im under s tand that pe r

fe et sel f abnegation prompting u s to deny o u r
—
,

selves even the slightest satis faction i s the ,

most fundamental dis position o f thi s holy

pea c e We should completely lay aside every
.

desire every sel f attachment taking care to

,
-

control our movements in every thi ng and ,

avoiding all interior ha s te ; thi s appe ars to me

important .

Calmly c heek your over lively a ff e c tions a s ,

w ell as your imagination It w ould even b e .

advi sable for you in t h e b eginning to moder

, ,

ate your exterior actions i n some mea s ure so ,

that you may b e able to keep your s oul in per

fe et immobility and may al w ays be quietly and
,

interiorly attentive to the grace o f the H oly

Gho s t w ho is w ithin you The s e are I b elieve .
, ,
76 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

P ardon me i f I allo w my s el f to b e c arried

,

a w ay b y the ardor o f my de s ire s and thought s ,

and i f I do n o t an sw er your que s tion s P er .

haps y o u w ill fi nd y our an sw er in w hat I have

j u s t s aid .

F ollo w the in sp iration o f Go d in everything ,

f o r w e should never tell other s ex c ept w hat w e

our s elves feel and w hat w e believe s hould b e
done ; and b esides w e s ho ul d not give it a s an
, ,

a c quired knowledge that i s in the tone o f a , ,

tea c her di s playing hi s s c ien c e When you w i s h .

to make other s pra c ti s e w hat you tea c h y o u do ,

not think o f them to o o ften but rather take c are ,

to reprodu c e your teaching i n your o wn co n

duct ; then apply to t h em what you e x
,

p e r i e n c e according
,
to the variety o f the c ircum
stances and the di f ferent w ay s b y which God
condu c ts them b ec ause they c annot resemble
,

u s in everything As s oon a s you become . .

a w are o f any re s i s tance stop there ; follo w ,

gra c e and never precede it You mu s t more

,
.
,

over b e hum b le mild and a ffect i onate to w ard s

, , ,

them ; always remembering that you are a poor

man and perhap s the most w ret c hed o f them
,

all Do not ex pect everyt h ing all at on c e

.
, ,

from the one w ho i s out w ardly active It w ill .

b e a great deal i f you get him to a c t in a le s s

,

lively manner and to per form o c ca s ionally

,

s ome interior practice more or le ss s ensi b le , ,

for in s tan c e s ome m o r ti fica ti o n o f the imagin

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 77

ation ; as we l l as to make frequent ej aculatory

prayers or somet h ing similar calculated to
, ,

reca ll h im now and again to h imsel f s o as to

, , ,

make h im enter into h is interior and not spread

h imsel f outward l y .

You see h ow I te l l you in a l l simp l icity what , ,

comes to my mind ; you can d o wit h it as you

l ike T h e on l y t h ing I desire is t h at you serve
.

God with al l t h e fervor o f your sou l .

M r N is pretty we ll ; h e is unab l e h owever

. .
, ,

to answer your note w h ic h caused h im great ,

p l easure I noticed t h at h e le ft a l l t h e ot h er l et
.

ters as long as po s sible wit h out reading t h em ,

but t h is one h e opened as soon as h e received

it He recommends h imsel f to your prayers
.
,

and I also recomme nd h im to you mos t ear

n es tl
y H e i.s exposed
.
to great danger and I ,

am not without some misgivings co ncerning

h im My sorro w wou l d be very great i f h e
.

l ost his fervor ; but l et us h ope for everything

from t h e goodness o f our Divine Saviour and ,

from t h e great a ff ection o f t h e Blessed V irgin ;

l et us pray and spare not h ing to obtain for
,

h im a still more po w erful grace than t h e one

t h at God h as given h im until n o w .

A dieu my dearest brot h er ; o n c e m o r e may

, , .

t h e peace o f our L ord J esus C h rist fi ll your

soul E ntire l y yours in His h o l y l ove and
.
,

in t h at of t h e B l essed V irgin .
 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE .

LE TT E R X V II I .

TO TH E S AM E .

The o b j ec ts o ur divi ne vi u h
Sa o r ad in vi ew whe n
H e i n s t i t u te d the H ly o Eu c ha r i s t —
M ea ns of cor r e

s p o n di n g w i th them .

M a y the di v i n e wi l l be d o n e i n . a ll thi n gs !

Is s y June,
2 8 th, 1 835 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
W h at a numb er o f t h ings I s h ould have to
tell you about the love w h ic h our L ord Jesus
C h rist S h ows us in t h e Blessed Sacrament !
But i f t h e saints t h e angel s and t h e serap h im
,

are unable to understand it h ow can you ask ,

me to speak about it ? And yet I cannot r e ,

main silent O ur Divine Saviour e ffects in us

.
,

t h roug h t h is wonder ful Sacrament too muc h ,

for me to have not h ing to S ay and t h en again , , ,

H e does far more t h an I can s peak about .

W h at s h ould I do my dear frien d E very ?

,

t h ing yes everyt h ing that we poor wretc h ed

, , ,

sinners can do L et us try to love H im wit h

,
.

a ll t h e power o f our soul L et us h ave no .

movement no desire that does not tend directly

,

t o ward Him H is lo ve s h ould be the only

.

mainspring o f all o u r actions I am going to .

remind you briefly o f the subj ect o f a conversa

tion t h at we h ad a s h ort time ago wit h Messrs .

N . w e meet for at least an h our every h oli

—
,

day .
80 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

u s a w ay from every c reature to make u s H i s ,

c herished children and to a cc ompli s h in u s the

,

immensity o f Hi s all merci ful plan May Hi s -

most h oly N ame be praised blessed and adored , ,

by all the angel s and saints and e s pecially b y ,

the Bles s ed V irgin Mary throughout all the ,

age s o f age s .

The four obj e c ts w hich our Divine S av iour

had in V i e w for u s w hen He instituted the ,

Blessed Sacrament are t h e followin g ,

F irst O ur L ord wi sh ed us to s h are in H i s

,

spirit of sa c ri fi ce for the Mo s t Holy E ucharist

,

i s a sacrific e O ur Divine Saviour com es down

.

to us for t h e purpo s e of immolating us w ith

Himsel f to H is F ather I f w e o f our o wn a c .
,

cord had o ffered our s elves a s a s acri fi ce to the

,

eternal F ather w e S hould h ave been an obj e c t

,

o f execration in H is eyes We s h ould have b e .

come t h e victim s o f H i s j usti c e and o f H is

anger j ust the s ame a s the da m n ed a r e in h ell
,
’

But O ur L ord the head and source o f all pre

,

destination come s to us with the abundan c e o f

,

H is grace and o f H i s sanctity in order to ren , i

der our sacrifice pu re and s po tl es s b e f o r e H i s

heavenly F at her He does thi s by making u s
.

s h arers in a l l t h e qualities wh ich he po ss esses

in H is essence and wh ich have made of H im
,

a victim o f agreeable odor to H i s F at h er .

It follo w s from this that t h e first preparation ,

for h oly communion is the spirit o f renun c ia

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N 8I

t i on o f every de s ire o f all a ff e c tion and s el f

,

w i ll We must re fuse our s elve s every s a ti s f a c

.

tion every j oy ; for the quality o f Victim de

,

mand s o f us a c omplete annihilation We .

must annihi l ate spiritually in our s elves every , ,

natur al b eing that sh ould be sacrificed to God ,

so that w e may live no ot h er li fe ex c ept t h at

o f Go d I shall s pea k to you at greater length
.

about thi s in the course o f t h i s letter E xam .

ine I beg o f you everything that your quality

, ,

of victim demands o f you E xamine al s o .

, ,

everyt h ing t h at O ur L ord did during H is li fe ,

especia ll y on Calvary w here He began H i s ,

sacrifice Imitate His interior in all this and

.
,

you wi l l h ave t h e first disposition requisite for

h oly c ommunion .

Secondly O ur L ord Jesus Christ comes to

,

u s for t h e purpose o f being t h e germ o f our

future resurrection S ince our b ody is a body .

o f S i n it i s o f its nature dead it al w ay s i n

, , , ,

c l ines to w ards c reatures it finds no pleasure ,

but in t h em it cannot enj oy God It i s an o h

,
.

j ec t o f malediction for God and c onseq uently , , ,

cannot be admitted to H is glory But our D i .

vine Saviour having pity on u s c omes to us

, , ,

a n d mak es us participate in the purity a n d

gl o ry

o f Hi s adorable body To o u r body o f sin cor .

,

ruption and deat h He gives a s h are in t h e sanc

,

tity t h e glory t h e incorruptibility and t h e i m

, , ,

mortality o f H is own .
 P
S IR IT UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

If w e w ould s hare in all the grandeur s that

the incomparable bounty o f J esu s deign s to
bestow upon us w e must deprive our bo dy o f
,

all the sen s i b le and c arnal enj oyment s t h at w e

can take a w ay from it We mu s t chastise it .

in every w ay so as to make it mo re cap ab le o f

,

receiving God s gi fts This body Which w ould

’
.
,

have its s hare in the b eauty the pleasure s the , ,

grandeur s and the splendors o f the glory o f

,

J esus in the bo s om o f H is F at h er should begin ,

by partici pating in the sorro w the bitterne ss , ,

t h e privation and the ignomi ny o f every kind

, ,

whic h H e bore with s o much love And I am .

sure the more our b ody has b een mortified and

,

humbled here upon eart h for the sake o f our ,

Divine S avi o ur the more brilliant will it be in

,

glory a fter it s re s urrection M Li é v i n c alled . .

my attentio n to a text o f St P aul applicab le to

'

.
,

“
t h is subj ect w here it i s s aid t h at i f w e w ould
,

s h are in the glory o f Je s u s w e must begin b y ,

participating i n H i s cros s and H i s ignominy .

P er h aps w ha t I h ere tell you give s you a

'

, ,

h eart ac h e because you cannot practise it Do

—
.

not worry about that ; t w o wretched men a s w e

are s h ould b e satisfied w ith t h e sorro ws that
,

God i s pleased to send them and S hould be ,

ready to accept t h em wit h t h e greatest j oy o f

,

t h eir h eart as a precious gi ft and a grace o f

,
.

predilection A single day o f sorro w s c oming

.
,

directly from t h e hand o f God i s more effica ,

84 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

There i s one di spo sition that s eem s to me

w ell c al c ulated to make u s pa r ti cipa te i n thi s '

great gra c e o f union and to preserve it ; it i s

,

the retreat o f our soul w ithin it s el f, to the p re s

en c e o f God who reside s there E xamine your .

sel f closely o u thi s point for I b eli eve it i s very

,

important Thi s retreat s hould b e c ontinual

.
,

quiet peace ful and w ithout the s lightest

, ,

sensi b le e ff ort Take care that you do n o t s ee k

.

it for the purpo s e o f satis fying yoursel f L et .

u s s imply aim at b eing united to Go d and ,

a cc umulating Hi s gra c e and H i s love .

F ourthly a s a con s equ en c e o f that hap p y

,

union o f w hi c h I have j ust spoken to y o u O ur ,

L ord wishes to make u s live H i s o w n li fe in

holy communion H e prove s thi s s u ffi c iently
.
,

b y the manner in w hi c h H e unite s u s to H im

s el f H e come s to us a s nourishment Ju s t a s
. .

our food i s the li fe o f the b ody and i s tran s ,

formed into our very su b stan c e s o like w i s e , , ,

our D ivine S avio ur be c ome s the li fe o f o u r s oul .

H e assures us that he w ho eateth H i s fle s h and

drinketh H i s b lood w ill have li fe everla s ting ,

and that he who eateth not Hi s fl e s h hath ,

not li fe in him And w hat i s that li fe i f it b e

.

not our Divine Saviour H im s el f ? E lse w here

H e say s : “Ego s u m r es u r r ec ti o e t v i ta : I am
”
the re s urrection and the li fe .

N o w the que s tion is w hat mu s t w e do in

, ,

order to live the li fe o f o ur L ord Je s u s Chri s t .

 V ENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 5

See ho w care ful w e s hould be to emerge from

sel f and to make abstraction o f it to remove ,

every a ffectati on of sel f love and every return -

u pon sel f in view o f our own s atis faction I f

,
.

it were at all pos s i b le w e s h ould have no li fe,

for anything outside o f God We s hould n o .

longer think no longer feel no longer taste no

, , ,

longer act no longer enj o y no longer have any

'

, ,

movement of t h e soul outside o f the impulse ,

o f the H oly Gho s t w ho is within us The nat

, .

ural man S hould die an d the s piritual man ,

alone S h ould live within us Thi s would

“
amount to what St P aul says : Vi v o j a m
.
,

n on ego v i v i t v er o i n m e Chr i s tus :

,
I live it ,

is no longer I it i s Jesus Chri s t w ho live s in

,

”
me . I kno w that man i s not c apa b le o f
strictly attaining all this and that it i s the i n ,

heritance only o f the elect in heaven ; b ut let

us try at least to come a s near to it a s w e c an
, , ,

so that we may parti c ipate a s per fe c tly a s po s ,

sible in the gra c es w hi c h our Divine Saviour

,

deign s to bestow upon us in the Hol y E ucharist .

You speak to me in your letter a bout your

desire to come to P ari s I do not think thi s .

d esire i s bad on the contrary i t ha s its or i g i n

*

,
'

in a good pr i nciple You must only moderate .

it remain calm and peace ful in regard to it

,
,

an d give yoursel f up entirely into the hand s o f

God .
86 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

I wi s hed to s peak to M r N a b out your little . .

children b ut I forgot all a bo ut it H e is at t he

,
.

head o f an establishment similar to that o f St .

N icholas You should try to pre s erve these

.

poor little angel s o f our L ord in their inno c ence

and purity I b elieve you s hould al w ay s a p
.

peal to thei r senses be c au s e they are not able

,

to under s tand otherwise It must b e very di ffi .

cult to make onesel f sma l l and s p eak to them

in the simple language o f childhood ; b ut s till
it ought to b e done .

You congratulate me ab out M r N ; you . .

w ere w rong at the moment you did s o for he ,

wa s far from b eing converted at that time He .

had a s usual a certain amount o f w illingness

, ,

to do well ; but h e did not have the courage to

carry out hi s good intent i on when I w rote to ,

you the la s t time H e w a s even doing w orse

.
,

and causing us much sorro w But s ince then .

, ,

God has moved h im so strongly that he ha s ,

finally taken the most effica c iou s and po w erful

resolution I have ev e r s een him take He le ft .

all and with wonder ful firmness completely

, , ,

broke a w ay from all those who w ould have de

ta i n e d him ; h e does not w ant to see them nor
speak to t h em any more H is resolution s are .

s o generous and so universal t h at I am over

j oyed and in the greatest admiration P ray .

for h im that God may grant him the grace o f

,

p er s ev eran ce H e need s.nothing el s e i n order

88 s

S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

LE TT E R XI X .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

Co n s o l a ti o n f o r t he d ea th o f hi s m o ther .
-

A dv i ce for
v a c a ti o n —
C ho i c e of a di r e c to r .
—
W or ki gn f o r the sal

v a ti o n o f o u r n e i ghb or .

P r a i s e d be J es us and M ary !

I ssy July ,
2 o th, 1 835 .

MY V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
I h ave learned o f your hurried departure
and o f t h e accident t h at caused it W h at shall . .

I say to console you God willed it ; this is all

?

t h e conso l ation and all t h e j oy o f a C h ristian .

We s h ou l d no longer have any l i fe upon this

e a r th ; o u r w h ole treasure is in heaven since
_

our L ord Jesus C h ri st h a s ascended thither .

Consequently our h eart s h ould be there entirely

, ,

because our heart is al w ay s w he r e o u r treasure

is ; and i f our h eart i s completely in heaven ,

w h at have w e in c ommon with t h e earth ? L et

us live like the angels and saint s in h eaven .

T h ey never have to weep nor to sigh over any

body T h eir soul is inaccessible to sorrow and
.

separation be c ause they are attached to one

,

thing on l y that is to God and God is n ever

, ,

wanting to t h em I f w e do likewi s e i f w e a t
.
,

tach ourselves to God a l one to t h e exclu s ion o f ,

all created b eings our soul w ill al w ay s enj oy

,
 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RMA N N 89

t h e mo s t pro found pea c e ; w herea s i f w e place ,

a l l our desires and a l l our a ff e c tion s in t h e

t h ings Of t h is earth w e sh all sooner or later
, , ,

be overcome wit h a ffliction and sadness ; for

w h at invariably happens i s that either w e are
obliged to abandon them or they ab andon us , .

You must not think my dear brother that I , ,

wi sh to blame you for the grie f that you mu s t

naturally experience at the death o f your
mother or even for the tears that you have
,

S h ed ,
as I have been assured I do not at all .

be l ieve that t h ere i s any harm in this a s long ,

as t h ese tears and this sorro w are properly con

tro ll ed and do not proceed from passion that
, ,

is from too l ively and too natural an a ffection

, .

or from deso l ation despair etc But it will b e

, , .

easy for you to determine i f they are w ithin

proper control for i f so far from rendering
, , ,

us grieved and troubled t h ey raise u s up to God ,

and leave us in per fect peace w ith a soul en

'
,

ti r el y free T h ey do not prevent us from

quietly attending to our meditation and to our
ot h er pious exercises nor do they disturb our
,

imagination to suc h a degree as to render u s

incapable o f any other thoug h t It is true the .
,

remembrance o f it c omes back to us quite f r e

quently and presents itsel f to the s oul under
various aspects It fil l s us with sorrow and
.
,

sometimes causes some anxiety ; but a l l t h i s

takes place peace ful l y ! at least it does not de
90 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

prive u s altogether o f peace ! and w ith per fe c t ,

su b mi ss ion to the h oly w ill o f God .

SUch a ffli c tion i f a c cepted in the right s pirit

, ,

w ill make us advan c e rapidly in the ho ly love

o f God It is j ust the same w ith su c h a vi s ita
.

tion as w ith every other cros s that w e re c eive

fro m the hand o f God We mu s t accept it w it h .

humility b ear it w ith j oy and great love reli s h

, ,

ing the s orro w that co me s to u s a s a glutton ,

enj oys the dainty morsel that he ha s re c eived

from the king s ta b le ’
.

You w i s h me my dear friend to say a fe w

, ,

words a b out t h e manner in w hich you s h ould

conduct yoursel f during vacation B eggar as .

I am w hat good c an I tell you ? I w ill not

, ,

however grieve you by my silence A s k me

,
.

w hatever you wis h and I will a nsw er you a s ,

well as I can .

There are c ertain rule s that you ought to o b

’

serve for yo ur interior and other s that apply ,

to your exterior .

A S for your interior you s hould be a perfe c t ,

Chri s tian and Should love God w ith all the

strength o f your soul a s much during va c ation ,

as during the year You mu s t b e j ust a s s el f

.

denying as united to our D ivine Saviour a s

, ,

retired w ithin yoursel f a s faith ful to grace and ,

a s mu c h an i nterior man a s at any other time ,

.

There i s not a moment in our li fe w hen all o u r

desire s all o u r a ff e c tion s o u r w hole w ill and all
, ,
9 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

The s e c ond thing you ought to do i s to pre ,

serve your s oul i n peace b efore God Al w a y s .

remain united to our D ivine S aviour so that ,

you may never do anything except f o r H i s

s a k e fi A ll the movement s o f your s oul should

have their or i g i n I n that s ource o f love w hi c h

He has pla c ed in y o u and w hich H e will i n
,

crease from day to day I f you s hould give .

way to a fault do not let your heart b e c ome a

,

prey to trou b le ; it s hould b e pure and hol y in

the sig h t o f God b ut it s hould never w orry
, . .

As s oon a s anxiety enter s therein you may re s t ,

as s ured that it i s not in the purity and s an c tity

o f God ; becau s e w herever God i s there al s o i s ,

pea c e Should it happen that annoyance and

.

uneasiness attempt to gain the mastery over

you ! and I b elieve thi s will o ften be the c a s e
during the time that y o u are o b liged to s pend
wit h t h e wo rld ! do n o t di s tre ss yoursel f about
it A s long a s it i s a mere temptation instead
.
,

o f doing you any harm it w ill serve only to

,

establish you in true pea c e and w ill attach y o u,

more and more to God b y c onv i nc i ng y o u ,

more t h oroug h ly o f the extreme w ret c hedne ss

o f this w orld and o f t h e vanity o f everything
,

that i s not God E ndeavor t h en to b ear w ith

.
, ,

humility and in t h e presence o f God the pa i n

, ,

that ari s e s from this ennui and trou b le that

w ould enter into your s oul .
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R MA N N
93

The thi rd thing i s to watch quietly over your

interior s o t h at no natural a ffection may s teal
,

in and t h at not even for a single moment you

, , ,

may cease to be intimately united to God wh o ,

dwe ll s wit h in you T h i s does not require on

.
,

your part any contention o f mind or e ff ort o f

,

t h e h eart We h ave o ften s aid and it h as been

.
,

express l y agreed b etween us tha t sen s ible e f ,

forts are not to be employed for t h ey are never ,

capable o f obtaining for u s the grace o f God s ’

presence wit h in us L et God Himsel f eff ect .

t h is c h oicest o f H i s graces The only t h ing we .

h ave to do i s to remain quiet and to be pre

,

pared for everyt h ing t h at He may be pleased to

do w it h us and in us never s eeking our o w n ,

advantage b ut on l y H is l ove You kno w very

, .

w ell that notwithstanding all t h at we may do

,

to w ards attaining t hi s end we are s o wretched ,

t h at w e are at every mome nt catering to our

, ,

sel f love We s h ould try at least to do all

-

, ,

in our po wer to find only God and H i s holy

love o r to approach Him as c l osely a s po s sible
, .

T h is rule will not prevent y o u from taking

your recreations and h oliday relaxations I .

need not d w el l any furt h er upon t h is subj ect ;

you kno w w hat I mean .

N o w in regard to your exterior conduct act

, ,

wit h pruden c e t h at is go along quietly do all

, , ,

t h ings for God in God and t h roug h God I

, ,

mean in union wit h our Divine S aviour We .

94. S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

s hould distrust our s elves a great deal and a l ,

w ays be convin c ed that we are capable o f doing

only foolish t h ing s ; but w itha l we oug h t not , ,

to lose our peace for that w ou l d b e pride L et

,
.

u s keep a c ertain reserve in our conduct that is , ,

let u s act with moderation w it h out haste and , ,

without abandoning ourselves to the vivacity

o f our mind and imagination It is s u fficient .

i f we remain quietly and peace fully in the pr es

i

ence o f God wit h out going outside o f our

,

selve s so as to h ear Hi s voice which fi nd s an

, ,

ec h o in our h eart s and to follo w meekly and

,

calmly the impulse o f H is grace doing w hat ,

we believe to be for H i s greater glory and ,

avoiding all ha s te as well as exces s ive activity .

It would be good and even neces s ary for you

, ,

to lay do w n a certain exterior rule for your

exer c i s e s.

A s to the c hoi ce o f anot h er con fessor I ,

w ould advise you to proceed with prudence and

ci rcumspe c tion so as not to run any ri sk of
,

being o bliged to leave him a fter w ard s You .

cannot c h ange your director as easily as you

c an change your c oat You oug h t to consult .

God then try to make a good c h oice and not

, ,

leave h im any more ; this i s very important .

Wit h regard to zeal for the s alvation of your

neighb or especially o f your re l ative s I think
, ,

it w ould b e advisa b le for you to attract them by

all po ss i b le mean s H ere i s w hat I think on the
.
96 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

May our D ivine S aviour always be the sov

e r e i gn and only Ma s ter o f your heart and then ,

H i s pea c e and holy love w ill fi ll you and pre

s erve you pure holy and without s tain in the
,

s ight o f Hi s F ather Yo u will b e an o b j e c t o f

.

tender a ff ection and delight for the F ather o f

our L ord Jesu s C h rist and for H i s mo s t holy
,

M other The angel s and saints w ill rej oice in

.

the sight o f God ; they w ill adore H im and

thank Him w ith love for having c onde s cended
to dra w unto H imsel f a c reature so poor and
w retched as y o u are N ever forget the s e t w o
.

things : t h e grandeur and beauty o f God and ,

your o w n baseness your unsig h tline ss and

,

pride .

May the most holy peace o f O ur L ord fi ll

yo ur s oul !
YO U R B RO T H ER A N D V ERY P OO R S ERVANT .
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA N N
97

LE TT E R XX .

TO TH E S A M E .

Me tho d f or re cei vi gn ho l y co m m u n ion —

Am u se

m t
en s .
—
Ex a m en of c o n s c i en c e —
B rin gi g
n a soul t th o e

p r a c ti ce of d t
m e i ta i o n —
Exte r i o r p r a ct i ce s of p i ty
e .

P r a i s ed be Jes us and M ary !

Issy August ,
1 9 th, 1 835 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
May the pea c e and grace o f our L ord Jesu s
C h rist fill your soul and preserve it in perfect
purity and h oliness in t h e sig h t o f God ! L et
us always re j o i ce I n our D ivine Saviour for
being pleased to make us t h e c h osen children
o f H is h eavenly F at h er L et us al s o endeavor .

to c orres pond properly to His gra c es and favors ,

by t h e s anctity o f our li fe and a love free from

every eart hl y a ffection to the exclusion o f every ,

a fter t h oug h t o f sel f love a s w ell a s every

— -

desire o f satis fying ourselves and o f enj oying

even t h e least t h ing outside o f H im May H is .

most holy name be blessed may H is holy love ,

alone reign fully in our soul ! L et us above all ,

things wa l k in H i s presen c e in the most pro

, ,

found humiliation o f our soul sincerely ,

acknowledging the height the breadt h the , ,

dept h of our misery our poverty our ab j ecti o n, ,

and our wickedness as well as t h e greatness o f ,

H is mercy to w ard u s who are s o ungrateful to ,

H im .
98 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

You ask me several thing s wh i c h With the , ,

grace o f God I shall answer to the best o f my

ability so t h at you m
,

a y s erve H im with the

,

w hole strength o f your soul a n d hen c e forth ,

live for H im alone .

Yo u ask me first w hat method you s hould

, ,

follow in order to profit w ell o f holy c om

munion It seems to me that the very essence
.

o f the S a c rament s hould s ugge s t to u s t h e man

ner o f preparing o urselves for it and o f dra w
ing real fruit from it What obj ect did o u r
.

Divine Saviour have in view w hen H e instituted

the Blessed E uchari s t ? I believe it wa s to unite
us with Him s el f in the most intimate manner to ,

make us S hare i n H is union with Hi s F ather '

,

and to make us live H i s own li fe thr o ugh the ,

plenitude o f H i s Spirit w ith w hom H e enter s

,

into us .

And do you kno w what kind o f a li fe o u r

Lord J esu s wishe s to lead in u s I t i s a li fe o f
?

separation from all creature s and o f total s ur

render into the hand s o f H i s heavenly F ather .

H e does not seek to b e honored loved and es ,

teemed by creature s ; H e doe s not pur s ue the

plea s ures and enj o y m en ts o f the earth H e turn s ,

aside from t h em ; H e doe s not live for the sake

o f being quiet and content up on earth ; He never
seeks to grati fy H imsel f nor to do anything ,

for H is o wn s ati s fa c tion O n the c ontrary H e

.
,

w i s he s to lead in us a pure and holy li fe w holl y

I OO S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

peace b e fore God by never allowing anxiety ,

and haste to enter into our s oul ; b y con s tantly

paying a c alm and spontaneou s attention to
God w ho dwells in the depths o f our soul w ith
, ,

the meek and peace ful desire o f corresponding

to all the movements o f gra c e w ith w h i c h H e
inspires us and o f following Him alone
, .

As for exterior and purely natural a c tions ,

such a s eating w alking etc we should per

, ,
.
,

form them with s implicity and as it w ere me , ,

c ha n i ca l ly that i s w ithout fi xing upon t h em t h e

, ,

attention o f our soul w hic h ought to be s olely ,

upon God It w as thus that J esu s and Mary

.

assisted at the marriage feast o f C a na ; they

ate drank S poke like t h e ot h ers b ut all the
, , ,

desire s o f their hearts w ere w ith God alone .

When you try to detach yoursel f from all na

tural li fe you ought at the s ame time to di s
, , ,

trust yoursel f and to be c onstantly a fraid o f

being deceived by your imagination Thi s .

fear however S hould not cau s e you any trou

, ,

ble nor impede your a c tion It w ill only pre

,
.

vent you from b ecoming a prey to a multitude

o f imaginary illusions ; it w ill quietly maintain
you in your lo w liness be fore Go d and it w ill ,

c ause you to act w it h less viva c ity and w ith ,

greater c alm and peace .

Try thu s to puri fy your heart a s a prepara

, ,

tion for holy c ommunion Add to it an ardent .

desire o f bei n g more and more united w ith your

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N OI

Divine S aviour and you w ill I h ope rea p w on

, , ,

de r f u l fruit from this Sacrament Your li fe .

wi ll be one conti nuous progress in virtue and ,

God will fina l ly comp l ete in you t h e grace o f

perfect union as He doe s in Hi s angels and
,

saints .

W h en you h ave received holy communion ,

remain quietly in t h e repo se o f w h ic h you s peak

to me and l eave aside all vocal prayers They
,
.

are o ffered up on l y for t h e purpose of elev a t

‘

ing our soul to God ; and since you are there

, ,

what more do you want ? A man w h o see s .

we l l does not need spectacles ; i f he p ut them on ,

t h ey would only prevent h im from seeing well .

I do not t h ink there i s any h arm in interrupt

ing t h is repose wit h s h ort aspiration s that i s i f , ,

you h ave a taste for t h e m i f t h ey he l p to sus

,

tain you in your recollection and i f t h ey b e ,

not too frequent .

With regard to the pastimes which you call

laziness I do not see any great h arm in them
, ,

as long a s they do not prevent your heart from

be l onging entirely to God But do not b eco me
.

attac h ed to t h em in any w a y and do all thi s as ,

t h ough wit h out t h inking Moreover they

.
,

s h ould not encroac h upon your exer c i se s nor ,

h urt your meditation ; otherwise it would b e a n

indication t h at your h eart is in s ome slight de
,

gree or other attached to t h em

, .
10 2 S P I R IT U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

As for your examen o f conscience I think ,

t h e best thing for you i s to place yoursel f calmly

i n the presence o f Go d leaving everything to
‘

H im alone When you feel that your heart

.

i s very peace ful and perfectly united to God ,

begin to open calmly the interior ey es o f your

soul upon yoursel f in order to examine in w hat
you have o ffended your God I told you to .

open them calmly b ecause I do n o t t h ink you , .

should seek to know your faults with too much

vivacit y or avidity Do not scrutin i ze your .

conduct with an exaggerated care in t h e fear

lest something may h ave escaped y OII r atten
'

tion Above all do not allo w your soul to

.
,

leave God in order to run a fter these faults but

, ,

rather re main peace fully in H is presence and

’

let H im discover t h em for you And for t h is .

purpose it may and o ught a l wa y s remain like

,
/

St J ohn on t h e bosom o f our Divine S aviour

.
,

ca s ting only a simple glance up on itsel f an d

its c onduct without leaving God in w h om it
, ,

reposes St J o h n did not cha nge H is position

.
’

o n the bosom o f J esu s

o
when he asked his ,

divine Master w h o it w as that would betray

Him H e did not seek t h is knowledge in H i s
.

o w n mind or in the conduct o f the Apostles ;

but by a glance at our Divine S av i our he
, ,

found out all t h at he wi s h ed to kno w .

I would rather have this method followed ,

even at the risk o f overlooking some o f o u r

10
4 . S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

po verty and incapacity L ook for everything.

“
from Hi s great mercy : S pi r i tus u bi v u l t
s pi r a t The Spir it breat h es where He w ill s
, .

It is our duty to try to lead s o u l s to God and

h elp them to rea c h t h e perfection o f the Go s pel ;
but we should beware lest w e rely too much on
our words and our e ff ort s I f w e s u cc eed let
.
,

us rej oice be fore God that He has deigned to

dra w a soul to H imsel f ; i f w e do not su cc eed ,

let us remain quiet be fore H im and w ait until

it pleases H im to hear our prayer s The most .

h oly wi l l o f God s h ould be the s ole o b j e c t o f

our love in everyt h ing .

Here i s w h at I think about exterior p ra c ti c e s

o f re l igion and c h arity It should be our c are
.

and occupation to es tablish t h e reign o f God in

our souls and to approac h H im w it h all the
,

love and tenderne s s and fervor o f o u r heart .

The most e fficacious means i s certainly the

pract i ce o f meditation and o f interior s el f de -

nial We should make it our serious occupa

.

tion to give up the natural desire s and a ff e c tion s

o f our h eart as w ell as our ow n will We
,
.

should endeavor j ust as earnestly to relinquish

, ,

all the movements of our sel f love and to a c —

quire true Christi an h umility .

T h is i s the great obj ect that w e ought to aim

at in all our religious practices either interior ,

or exterior The former are al w ays the better

.
.

O ut w ard pra c ti c e s are o f s ome value only in ,

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N 10
5

so far as they make us perfe c t in o u r interior ,

and lead us to God We must t h ere fore pay

.
, ,

parti c ular attention to our inte rior I f w e b e .

c ome aware later on t h at we have no ta s te f o r

, ,

exterior works w e n eed not wo rry about it .

This kind o f exterior w ork s may b e c om

pared to J acob s ladder whi c h leads to heaven
’

, ,

that i s to God O n c e We have rea c hed heaven

,
.
,

w e no longer troub le our s elve s ab out the ladder ,

b ecause we can get along w ithout it We mu s t .

,

however pay attention to the following poi n t s :

,

.1 E xamine in perfe c t pea c e w hether it i s

through negligen c e o r through s ome other
,

human motive that w e a bs tain from the s e

,

w orks ; t h is inquiry s hould b e made in the p re s

en c e o f Go d in meditation and w ithout pre
, ,

j udi c e aga i n s t one s el f .

.2 I f w e do not fi nd any human motive ,

s u c h a s e c onomy the de s ire o f repo s e human

, ,

i es pect o r other s imilar reason w e s hould r e

'

main perfectly c alm and a b andon our s elve s en

ti r ely to the holy guidan c e o f God We s hould .

follo w the vie ws o f Go d and the gra c e o f H i s

Spirit pea c e fully and lovingly Thi s divine .

Spirit al w ay s mani fe s ts H im s el f c learly w hen ,

H e w i s he s to be s to w any gi ft on H i s s erv ant s ,

and His voice i s s o sweet and amiab le that w e

a l w ay s follo w it most w illingl y ! F o r thi s as
well a s f o r the rest w e s hould al w ays ask the
,

advice o f our dire c tor .

1 06 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

3 . N otdespi s e exterior work s nor tho s e

to ,

who pe rform many o f them and have a liking

f o r them
i

These per s ons may b e as interior a s

.

w e are j ust as we may b e as plea s ing to God

,

and a s per fe c t as they are When it happen s .

a f ter w ard s that w e feel ourselve s attracted

to w ard s a work o f thi s kind we mu s t under ,

take i t We s hould ho w ever take all due pre

.
, ,

c aution not to lo s e interior pea c e w hi c h i s ,

much more important than s uch a w ork and ,

even nece s s ary for its exe c ution We S hould .

pay great attention to thi s and avoid e xc e ss ive ,

ha s te in a c tion .

4 I b elieve that without even having a de

.

c ided taste f o r it it w ould b e advi s ab le from

,

time to time to do s ome w ork e s pe c ially o f ,

charity w hen an opportunity pre s ent s it s el f

, ,

and w hen w e feel that w e c a n do s o w ithout

w orrying o r w ithout losing interior li fe b e ,

c au s e s u c h thing s al w ay s s u s tain us and p re

vent uS from b e c oming a prey to illu s ion s
-

With regard to the sc apular I s ee n o n eces ,

s i ty o f tr y ing to gain all the indulgen c e s a t

ta ched to it i f w e are disin c lined to do s o n o r ,

o f performing the exerci s e s pre sc ri b ed f o r the

a s sociate s I kno w a per s on who never doe s

.

the s e things and w ould even forget them i f he

,

w i s hed to do them H e neverthele ss c are full y

.

w ears the sc apular a s a badge o f the Ble ss ed

V irgin and a s an e x terior s ign o f hi s de s ire
,
10 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

L ETT E R X XI
‘
.

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

Ho w tolo ve Go d wi t h o ur w ho l e he a r t .
—
The w o r d s

o f O ur L d or co m m i tt e d t o t he G p l
os e s .

Amien s August , 3 o th,

1 835 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI EN D

You w ill doubtle s sly s ay that I am forgetting

you becau s e I am so slow in w riting to you ;
,

but you see the reason o f it no w I am travel .

‘

ing ; I am j u s t returning from N ormandy and ,

I s h all stop at Amiens for a few days w ith our

kind P icards And w hat good sh all I tell you
.

in t h is letter unle ss it b e to b eg o f you to love

,

God w it h your wh ole sou l w ith all your heart , ,

and w ith all your strength ? O utside o f that ,

t h ere I S nothing o f value either on eart h or in

Heaven I f w e thus love God eve rything be
.
,

comes good to us ; everyt h ing 18 sweet and de

l ig h t ful to our soul ; even the bitterness and
acrimony o f the sin s w hich w e formerly c om
m i tte d are turned into sweetnes s and honey
,

for us L et us there fore heartily rej oi c e in

.
, ,

the pre s ence o f God since He has deigned to ,

dra w us to H imse l f and to b esto w a s mall por

,

tion o f Hi s love upon u s .

But do you know h o w to love God w ith your

whole heart w ith your w hole soul and your
, ,
 VEN E R A B LE L IB E R MA NN 10
9

who l e strength ? I s h a ll let you kno w w hat my

opinion o f it is I must h o w ever c onfess t h at
.
, , ,

like so many ot h ers I h ad only a very vague

,

idea about it for a long time And yet O ur .

L ord says t h at the w hole evangelical la w i s

contained in these w ords It is t h ere fore we l l
.

w orth our w h ile to try to understand them in

t h eir strict meaning and to pra c tise them to
,

t h e letter Remember that all t h e maxims o f

.
,

O ur L ord should be fathomed and app l ied to

our souls as remedies to our ills He never .

spoke in a vague or undetermined way ; for ,

from all eternity H e foresaw t h e l east cir

,

c u m s ta n ces in wh ich He was to be placed and ,

t h e t h ings t h at H e w is h ed to teach u s O n t h e .

ot h er hand ho w cou l d t h e h eavenly F at h er

, ,

w ho also foresa w and regulated even t h e S light

est movement o f the ant from all eternity r e ,

main indi ff erent to the words of li fe and love

w h ic h H is we l l beloved Son w as destined to
-

bring to H is dearest children in order to ren ,

der t hem more p l easing in His sig h t ?

T h at i s w h y I believe that w e s h ould medi
tate upon and w eigh every word that our D i
vine Saviour has pronounced in order to i n
struct and to save us We s h ould apply it
.

a fterwards to ourselves in our inmost sou l and ,

a l ways put it into practice .

We sh ould l ove God wit h our w h ole h eart ;

t h at is wit h a ll our desires and a l l our a ff ec
,
I IO S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

tion s And w hen do w e love God in s u c h w i s e ?

.

It i s w hen w e have no de s ire and n o a ff ection

apart from God ; w hen t h ey are all co n cen
tr a te d in H im alo ne We S hould love nothing
.

upon earth or in Heaven b ut God a l o n e a n d all , ‘

el s e should b e loved only for H im and in H im .

This appear s di fficult ; b ut my very dear friend , ,

a s long a s our heart is divided b et w een God and

creatures a s long as we still seek enj oyments
,
.

in ever so slight a degree it i s impo s sible for us

,

to make any real progre s s in t h e mo s t h oly love

o f God W h at advantage is there in amu s ing
.

our heart w ith tr i fl e s during the S h ort time that ’

w e are cal led to remain upon earth Wi l l not

?

all these things pass away ? And even our de

sires are they not vain and W retched ? W hy
,

yield to them ? What di fference does it make

w hether I have a moment o f satis faction or a ’

moment o f pain ? All these t h ings vanish and ,

on the morrow w e no l onger t h ink o f them .

L et us profit o f the S h ort time that we have to

pa ss upon earth in order to learn ho w to love
,

our L ord Jesus C h ri st with our whole h eart .

It will be a little h ard in t h e beginning ; but as ,

soon as we h ave seriously put our h and to t h e

w ork we s h all h ave a ll imaginable faci l ities
,
.

I s h ou l d not feel satisfied to see you love God

above all t h ings i f you loved ot h er t h ings out
,

side o f H im You s h ould love Him alone and

.
,

love not h ing with H im unle s s it be all in Him

,
112 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

There i s no vacation in the matter o f the love

o f God L et us there fore al w ay s love God but
.
,

let us love H im only .

I e mb r a ce you my dearest friend w ith all

'

, ,

my h eart in t h e mo s t h oly love o f Je s u s a n d

Mary .

LE TT E R X XI I .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

The m a n n e r i n whi c h J u wi h
es s s es to r ei g n

so ul s -
The e xa m i n a ti o n o f o ur f a ul t s and

co min g s .

P r a i s e d be Jes us and M ary !

I ssy September
,
1 1 th, 1 83 5 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
May the pea c e and t h e confidence o f our
L ord Jesu s Chri s t in Hi s F ather be the heritage
o f your s oul !
Al w ay s live in the j o y and the most per fe c t
contentment o f heart Your heavenly F ather .

loves you and fills y o u w ith H is grace s and

,

H is favor s P re s erve your s oul there fore in

.
, ,

constant calm and in pro found tranquillity a s ,

beco m e s the cherished c hild o f Jesus and Mary .

I f your s oul feels and sees nothing it should ,

s till remain in the grea te s t peace and re po s e ,

entirely upon the b osom of its w ell b eloved -

.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN I I
3

He looks upo n it unceasingly with de l ighted

and l oving eye He wis h es to be it s support
.
,

its strengt h its h ope its light its on l y j oy its

, , , ,

sole happiness and its only love May thi s

,
.

dear love live and reign as t h e sovereign L ord

o f your soul ! May it fill you w ith it s all po w —

er f u l strengt h and dra w you to Him so that ,

,

He may be your o n ly p o r ti o n !
Do y o u kno w ho w t h is great this admirable , ,

t h is incomprehensible L ord wi she s to r eI gn I n

you ? He desires to be surrounded w ith the
ruins o f your wretc h ed sel f surrounded with ,

sorrows su fferings crosses and dishonor s

, ,
.

And i f it b e not displeasing to you your sel f ,

love must pass t h roug h all t h is It must be .

lost and anni h ilated by all t h ese mea ns in t h e

presence o f t h is universal and on l y love Re .

main t h ere fore i n pe ace and let H im act who

, ,
‘

g p e r a tes in you Since you

. are b l i n d l e t H im ,
’

who is t h e source o f a ll l ight lead you T h i s ,

.

may cause you pain ; it may grieve and worry

you ; so much t h e better for this i s t h e be st o f,

all You will at times b e in uncertainty con

.

c erning your condition be fore God ; so muc h

t h e better again ; you need not know it and it ,

will prove a power ful means o f detac h ing you

from sel f and o f giving yoursel f up to H im
, ,

w ho must be your all T h e more you live in .

doubt concerning your state t h e more y ou w ill ,

be convinced o f your entire de pendence upon

1 1
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

God ; and thi s ought to be your greate s t s ubj ect

for j oy .

My God alone is great my God alone is ,

beauti ful my God alone i s ric h powerful and

, ,

enlig h tened ; and I I am poor and wretched in ,

Hi s S ight all covered w it h w ound s and ulcers

, ,

blind halt de formed w orthy o f the greatest

, , ,

contempt and every humiliation W h at j oy .

,

what love should not fill our h eart at t h e s ight

o f this supreme grandeur on t h e part o f God
and thi s ex tr em e mi sery on our o w n ! H o w
'

close l y S hould not my soul be united to my L ord

Jesus from t h e first moment o f my li fe and
throug h out all eternity and remain in complete ,

dependence upon H im so t h at H e may be in ,

me all light all greatness all ric h es all happi

, , ,

ness and all love i n t h e presence o f H i s hea v

,

e n l y F at h er who by t h is Very fact become s '

, , ,

my F at h er a lso ! Oh h ardening of the human i

heart ! w hy does it not melt wit h love b efore

t h i s dear L ord ? It seem s to me that t h i s is
W h at St P aul means when he cries out : Cu m
.
“

” “
i n fir m o r tu n c po ten s s u m !
,
When I am f ee
”
ble and infirm t h en am I po w erful ! ,
It seem s
to me also t h at t h is answers t h e di fficulties o f
w h ich you speak to me in your letter .

J ust remain quiet and do not insult the gra c e

o f God for t h e one which you are receiving i s
, ,

a great one ; sel f love al one can prompt you to

—

wish the contrary Sel f love i s blind it al w ay s

.
-

,
1 16 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

pl i c i ty intention tran q uillity o f Soul et c

of , ,
.
,

w hi c h y o u need What advantage do y o u

.

hope to gain from all the s e resear c hes ? You

'

kno w w hat you are expected to do Well a c

.
.
,

c ompli s h it in peace and do not w a s te your

,

time in s eeking i f this or that i s w a n ti n g to .

y o u .I f any b ody i s lost and fi nds the path that

he s hould take in order to return to the road ,

w ill he retra c e hi s s tep s in order to see i f he,

has really lost hi s w ay and ho w ? N ot at all ;,

he w ill take the right road that he left and w ill ,

not w orry any more ab out the w rong o n e

w hich he had taken b e fore .

I sup pose it i s u s eles s for me to make any

further remarks here a b out the union w hich
we should have w ith God I can speak to you .

about it at another time Yo u S hould b e c on .

tent to w alk in the pre s ence o f God in all the

peace o f your s oul not paying any attention
,

to your s el f but rather to God alone ; you

,

S hould remain tranquil in the s tate in which

He deign s to place you w ithout returning to ,

sel f in order to find out w hether it i s through

any fault o f yours or not Thi s kno w ledge i s . .

absolutely useles s to you In thi s respect you .

,

s h ould content yoursel f with puri fy ing your

soul o f every a ff ection that is not in Go d alone
'

P a y attention to a maxim that I am going to

give you ; I believe it to b e o f the greate s t i m
portan c e f o r the s piritual li fe : W e s hould
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN I I 7

s e ek l es s to kn o w i n wha t we ha v e fa i l e d
a ga i n s t Go d ,
tha n to o ccu py o ur s el v es p ea ce

fu lly l o v i n gly i n pl ea s i n g H i m i n a ll the

and

m o v emen ts of o ur s o u l I f you try to keep.

your heart very pure and very peaceful before

God your union w i th Him is assured alt h ough
, ,

you may not be a w are o f it Do not therefore .

, ,

try to know whether you are united to H im

or not ; ot h erwise your heart will neither b e
,

very pure nor very peaceful in H is sight Do .

all that I have told you and I t h ink t h at it w ill

,

su ffi ce for everyt h ing both for your medita —

tion and for holy communion .

I remembered what you recommended to me

for t h e feast o f O ur L ady s N ativity and I r e ’

ce i v e d holy communion for the intention o f the

gentleman w hom you mentioned Sho w him ,

in what the true spirit o f t h e Gospe l e s pecially

consist s : in renunciation o f every crea t ure o f ,

sel f o f all our I nterior desires o f all our a ff ec

, ,

tion s o f every satis faction o f every enj oy

, ,

ment Make him understand that our s oul

.

must be entirely despoiled and completely

naked b e fore God posses s ing nothing willing
, ,

nothing desiring nothing looking for nothing

, ,

but Him alone He should be our whole li fe

.

and the main spring o f all the movements o f

-

our soul Show h im moreover t h at w e are

.
, ,

not ne c es s arily unhappy even though w e de

, , ,

sire no s ati s fa c tion o r enj oyment upon earth .

1 18 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

The more our soul i s void o f every a ffection

and desire the more it w ill b e fi lled w ith God ;
,

and i f God i s its only master and fi lls it it c an ,

not fail to b e supremely happy Be s ide s ex .

,

p e r i e n c e has proven t h e truth o f thi s a thou

sand times over N everthele ss our happine ss
.
,

i s not to be s ought in the s e di s position s b ut in ,

God alone .

This my dear b rother is what I had to tell

, ,

you for t h e greater glory of Go d the s alvation

, ,

and perfection o f our souls and o f tho s e o f ,

our dear b rethren in the community .

I embrace you in the most holy charity o f

J e s us and M ary .

YO U R V ERY H U M B L E B RO T H ER .

LE TT E R XXII I .

To H I S E LD EST B RO T H ER A ND HI S

T
SI S ER I N L A W - —

How to S ho w o ur g r a ti t ud e to Go d a n d t o t he

Bl es se d Vi gi r n —
The l v
o e o f Go d .
—
The g r e a tn e s s o f a

C hr i s t i a n .

Issy September
,
13 th ,
1 835 .

M Y D EA REST B RO T H ER A ND MY D EA REST
S I ST ER
I was tou c hed by the trial w h ic h God sent
you throug h the sickness o f my very dear S I S
ter But I a m ver y glad to s ee the rea s on why
.
1 20 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

T h is c h ange w hich the livelie s t g ratitude

,

will e ffect in y o u sh ould b e invisible but , , ,

above a l l and in a more s pecial manner should

, ,

it be interior E nter into yourselves and ban

.
,

ish from your hearts all the de fects that you

find there You s h ould sub du e all the inclina
.

tions desires attachments and a ffections for

, , ,

t h e things o f t h is eart h You know what .

“
Jesus C h rist asks o f all C h ristians You S hall ,

love the Lo rd your God w i th y o ur w ho le hea r t ,

.

T h i s means that there S h ould be no desire or

a ff ection in our h eart which is not for God ,

alone to the exclusion o f a l l creatures And i f

,
.

w e are obliged to seek them and make use o f

t h em by reason o f t h e ties t h at bind us in con
,

science to live in society and in intercourse

wit h ot h er men w e S h ould love them only for
,

God and submit ourselves i n e v er y thi n g to the

,

orders o f H is holy Will which mani fests i t ,

sel f to us by the ordinary co ur s e o f events that

‘

Hi s P rovidence brings to pass or allow s I f .

we so love God we are alway s tranquil and ,

peace ful We are b eyond the influence o f men

'

.
,

and o f everyt h ing t h at may happen ; w e are

masters o f H eaven and o f earth .

Be h old my dearest friends ho w great we

, ,

are i f w e are Christians ! T h e sublime char

,

acter o f child o f God is displayed in our w hole

conduct ; we are princes o f t h e blood royal o f
'

our L ord Jesus C h ri s t ; and the greatne ss o f

 VENE R A B L E L IB E RM A NN I 21

our extraction s hould be mani fe s t in all o u r

acts and all o u r inclination s E verything .

should be grand in u s ; and su c h will indeed b e

t h e case i f everyt h ing i n us is directed to ward
,

God our very dear F ather and L ord

,
.

We s h ould love God wi th o u r who l e s o u l ;

that is all t h e po w er s o f our soul should tend
,

toward God alone O ur will should b e fixed

.

in God alone ; w e should wish but God alone ,

and w h at He wishe s and nothing el s e O ur,

.

will s h ould h ave no exi stence but in t h e w ill o f

God Reflect care fully on t h is subj ect and
.
,

you will there find treasure s o f gra c e And .

not only our will which is the p rincipal fa culty

,

o f our soul but also our mind our imagina

, ,

tion and all our other fa c ulties S hould w ork

, ,

for God alone .

This i s t h e rea s on why for some time past, ,

I desired you to a pply your s el f to mental

prayer s o that you might occupy your mind
,

more intimately wit h t h e things o f God and ,

t h us learn ho w to serve H im perfe c tly and ,

live entirely according to His h eart .

It is al s o w ritten t h at w e S h ould love God

w i th al l o ur s tr en gth : that i s all o u r de s ire s
, ,

our inclinations and all the faculties o f our

,

soul S hould tend to w ards God with all the

,

vivacity and all the force t h at H is great grace

,

give s u s as w ell as with unwavering persever

,

ance O h my dearest friends ! i f you indeed

.
, , ,
1 22 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

ob s erved the la w o f our L ord Je s u s C h ri s t you ,

would be true C h ristians truly pleasing to God

,

and to our Bles s ed L ady And i f the

sickness o f my kind S ister and her restoration
to h ealt h should become the cause o f your s a n e
ti fi ca ti o n ,
and make o f y o u really perfect
Chri stians a favor I expect o f the mercy o f
—

God w e mig h t with every rig h t apply to

—
, ,

her the words o f our D ivine S aviour w h en H e ,

“
was told o f t h e sickness o f L azarus Thi s
s i c k n es s i s n o t u n to d ea th bu t f o r the gl or y o f
,

”
Go d . We mig h t add : and in order that the
M other o f God also be glorified .

I am very muc h grieved at my inability to .

S pend some time with you ; I ex pected to b e u s e

ful to you in some small degree for the good o f

your soul s I should especially like to teac h
.

you how to make meditation I am very a u x .

ious for you to do s o because I am convinced

,

t h at i f you applied yourselves s eriousl y to t h i s

,

h oly exerci se but for h al f an h our every day

'

you would make rapid progress in t h e per f ec

tion o f the C h ristian religion and your salva ,

tion would almost b e assured But i f it please s .

God to postpone our meeting for t h e pre s ent ,

let us patient l y and lovingly await t h e time

when H e wis h es to reunite u s again in this
world be fore consummating our union in a
,

h oly and mo s t happy eternity May H e be in .

,

the mea ntime the only bond o f our union o f

, ,
12
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R XX I V .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN O N VA C AT I O N .

The d g
an ers o f v a c a ti o n —
A se l f d yi g
-

en n so ul is
a lw y a s and e v y wh
er er e u n i te d to Go d .
—
Ha pp i n e s s o f
s u h
c a so ul .
—
W a rm e x ho t a ti o n
r to li ve f or Go d l
a one .

I s sy Septem b er
,
1 9 th, 1835 .

M Y V ERY DEA R B RO T H ER
The holidays are pa s sing and they w ill c ome ,

to an end like everythin g else What S hall w e

’

.
,

gain i f we give our heart over to di ss ipation ,

to the love o f earthly things to plea s ure s and ,

s el f satis fa c tion and to all the vanitie s and

-

miseries by whi c h w e are only too ready to b e

enticed ? What levity and w eakness w e dis
play i n leaving God in order to w aste o u r time ,

o n tr i fl es ! God alone mu s t b e our only i n her

i ta n ce our only j oy and o u r only love
,
Watch ,
.

c are fully over your s el f for fear l est in the , ,

midst o f the distraction s and recreations w hi c h

you take and w hi c h you are even obliged in
,

conscience to take your heart delight in them ,

and become attached to them Your heart ha s .

neith er vacation n o r re c reation ; it must al w ay s

go on in c rea s ing in the love o f God and in the
renoun c ement o f earthly things o f natural ,

plea s ures and s ati s fa c tion s

,
.

Y o u s hould pay parti c ular attention to o n e

thing that indolence and indi ff eren c e into
—
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A NN 12
5

w h ich we fall so easily w h en t h ere is nothing

.

to stimulate u s and to urge us on in t h e service

o f God We run a very great risk in t h i s r e
.

gard during vacation especia ll y i f we are not ,

yet fully estab l is h ed and ex perienced in inter

ior li fe T h e reaso n o f it is t h at unless w e are
.

completely disengaged from every creature and

se l f and have made very great progress in sel f
,

denia l we allo w ourselves to be diverted more

, ,

or less from turning our soul to God by the

, ,

recreations and re l axations t h at we are obliged

to give our m i nd As long as we h ave not a t
.

ta i n e d t h is point an immense weig h t dra w s

,

us irresistibly to weakness and tepidity : w e

cannot protect ourselves against t h is enti c e
ment except by a strong and uninterrupted
,

application o f our soul to God ; this is the per

p e t u a l prayer spoken o f in Holy Scripture .

By means o f this ap plication we endeavor to ,

find God in everything and to live only for ,

H im ; t h e grace o f God t h en comes to our

assistance and dra ws us completely to Him
, .

As soon as w e take part in t h e exterior pleas

ures o f the senses our s oul necessarily forget s
,

to s eek God alone and immediately falls ba c k ,

to it s natural s o ftness and relaxation All .

t h i s hap p ens be c ause the soul has not yet a t

ta i n e d that great degree o f love which place s it
above all creatures and prevents it from seeing ,

anyt h ing but God alone w ho in t h is case i s , , ,

12 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

exc l usively and definitely the only obj ect o f all

its desires and a ffections .

W h en a soul h as t h us completely broken

with all creatures and denies itsel f fully and ,

entirely every pleasure and S ati s faction and all

sel f love it alway s retire s wit h in itsel f near
-

God It i s like a sanctuary o f all purity and

.

holiness wh ere God dwells uninterruptedly

, ,

and w h ere it reposes and S leeps u n cea s m gly on

H is bosom in t h e s weet and delig h t ful sleep o f
H is h ol y love E xterior things do not disturb
.

it in t h e least ; it converses with men and does ,

outwardly everyt h ing t h at others do ; it plays ,

it laughs it speaks wit h its brother it takes a

, ,

walk and S hares in all t h e exerci ses and re e re

,

a ti o n s o f Vacation without t h e least sign o f ,

w orry In the midst o f a l l t h ese t h ings it does

.
,

not forsake its union wit h God because it is ,

not attac h ed to any o f t h ese t h ings and does ,

not per form t h em for its own pleas ure It is .

indi fferent to everyt h ing and does everyt h ing ,

only in God and for God Wit h all t h is it .

,

passes an excel l ent va cation distracts itsel f ,

perfectly ; because t h i s li fe costs it no e ff ort no ,

contention o f spirit .

It is filled with t h e love o f God alone w ho ,

produces in it these h appy e ff ects so w orthy o f

our admiration and whic h are for t h at soul , , ,

a source o f grace o f inconceivable blessings ,

and h appine s s A s tream o f pea c e and love .

1 28 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

cu s tom o f listening to H i s voi c e and y o u w ill ,

be faith ful to H i s gra ce s .

L et u s b eg o u r D ivine Saviour that H e may

give y o u strength to accomplish all the good
de s ire s that y o u have formed or rather w hich , , ,

He ha s formed in y o u and w hi c h He continues

,

to produce I should be very glad to see you

.

return to the s eminary s u c h a s I w ould have

you be M ay the mo s t holy name o f our L ord
.

J esus Christ be b les s ed and glorified ! I hope

that H e Will realize in you all that H e ha s m ade
y o u experien c e s o o ften ; and i f s uch be the
ca s e ho w b eauti ful and grand your s oul w ill
,

b e in H i s S ight ! It w ill be pure holy amiab le

.
, , ,

and full o f the love b eauty splendor light and

, , ,

glory emanating from the person o f O ur L ord

Je s us Christ H imsel f Does not all this give
.

y o u a de s ire to o b tain the s e b eauti ful and good

thing s ? I hope so ; and more yet for I do not ,

doubt that God in H i s mercy w i s he s to over

w helm you with H i s gi ft s and H i s favors He .

i s ac c ustomed to be s to w them only on a s mall

number o f chosen s oul s w hom H e detache s ,

f r o m a l l earthly things in order to make them

,

live b ut o f H is l i fe w hi c h i s a li fe o f s epara
,

tion holine s s and love Be faith ful then my

, ,
.
, ,

very dear b rother to all the gra c e s and all the

,

b ountie s o f Go d to w ard y o u N urture in your .

s oul the s e great de s i re s pray un c ea s ingly for

,

their a cc ompli s hment and a c t in pra c tice a s

,
 VENE R AB LE L IB E RM A N N I 2
9

though you already po ss e ss ed all the s e grace s ;

that i s act as the greate s t s aint s have acted
,
.

They denied them s elve s in all t h ing s and ,

soug h t only God ; t h e interior eye s o f their

soul were unceasingly fixed upon H im : H e w as
the sole love o f t h eir heart the on l y foo d o f ,

their sou l t h e all powerful s trength o f their

,
-

wil l and the great obj ect o f all their de s ire s

,
.

The s ame Holy G h ost who has produ c ed ,

s uc h wonder ful thing s i n them i s I n y o u He , .

.

there take s up His abode as in a sanctuar y in ,

o rder to produce the same e ff ect s The s ucce ss .

o f His e fforts depends upon you alone Re .

main calm w ithin yoursel f silen c e every pa s ,

sion and all sel f love pay attention to H i s

-

graces and H is I mpulse s so that you may let

.
,

H im freely a c t in you P u t aside every fee ling

.

and every movement o f s el f love de s i re s atis -

, ,

faction enj oyment and natural love and all

, , ,

that might become an ob s tacle May your only .

desire but your most ardent desire be to live

, , ,

so l ely o f H is li fe and to be entirely faith ful

,

to His voi c e You may then rest as s ured that

.

He w ill op erat e in you the greate s t marv els o f

His grace .

Be s trong and courageou s You have a

'

right to aspire to s u c h great things ; and you

are such a c o w ard a s to w i s h to live in w ant
and littlene ss and let yoursel f be dragge d
,

do w n into the mire o f s en s i b le and natural a f

1 30 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE .

L et suc h a thing be far from you

f ec ti o n s ! .

God h as drawn you to H imsel f and H e w ill ,

never release you You yoursel f have chosen .

H im as your in h eritance It would be the .

h eig h t o f fo l ly to abandon H im with H is gran

deu r s and Hi s ric h es and to forfeit the glory ,

t h at is destined for you in Heaven He b e .

longs to us and we belong to H im as it is s aid

, ,

“
in H o l y Sc r i ptu r e : Di l ec ta s m eus m i hi e t ego
'

i lli. What need w e a fter t h at ? I f we belong

enti rely to H im we posse s s all imaginable,

wealth L et us there fore belong to H im and

.
, , ,

to H im alone so t h at H is most h oly will and

,

H is designs o f mercy and o f love may be a c

complished in u s .

A s for the re s t do not grieve i f y o u d o n o t

,

f eel that vivi fying ardor w hic h H i s l Ov e and

H is grace alway s produce in our soul : it is not
ne c essary that you feel i t P rovided you vigor .

o u s l y deny yoursel f in all things an d remain ,

peace ful and tranquil in H is presence ready to ,

follow H is holy will in everyth i ng and every

w h ere to t h e exclusion o f all else I b elieve that
, ,

you have no reason to complain about t h e re s t .

You know very w ell all t h at I mi gh t tell you

on this subj ect ; I have repeated it to you many
times Maintain your s el f in calm and peace
.

be fore Go d ; be a truly interior man and never ,

w orry about anything on eart h .

1 3 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

The follo w ing i s almo s t all that w e have agreed

upon .

E very meeting held in the name o f o u r L ord

J esus Christ mu s t have a s it s only ob j e c t the
, , ,

greater glory o f God and a s its foundation , , ,

the greater holines s o f tho s e w ho c o m e to

gether The more pure holy w ithout s tain
.
, ,

and filled w ith the s ole love o f o u r Divine Sav

i o u r are the mem b er s o f the s e b and s the more
, ,

our kind L ord w ill b e delighted to b e i n their

midst ; and the w o rk w hich they undertake in ,

H is most holy name and for Hi s greater glory ,

w ill b e the more per fect and complete b e c ause ,

H is grace s and H i s b le s sing s w ill b e b e s to w ed

upon them in very great a b undan c e and w ith
a kind o f pro fu s ion .

You are w ell a w are to w hat thi s w ill lead .

I f we w ere all saints and very great s aint s , ,

w e c ould do anything we W i s h ed in the sem

i n a ry What conclu s ion S hould we dra w from
.

this It i s that w e S hould try to b e c ome s aints

?
,

and very great s aint s and b et w een ourselves, , ,

take the mean s b e s t adapted to make u s such .

Consequently the fi rst ground w ork o f the s e

,

meetings mu s t b e an a n gel i ca l l i f e and the con ,

cen tr a ti n g o f our de s ires and a ff ections in God

alone We shall endeavor to b e continu a lly

.

united to H im in that loving union w hi c h will

fi ll u s w ith gra c e and w ill al w ay s m
,
ake u s a ct
w ith God and for God and w ill render u s pure , ,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN
33

holy and pleasing in Hi s s ight It i s f o r the .

purpo s e o f obtaining more effi ca ci o u s ly the s e

happy e ffects whi ch w e s o much desire that w e ,

s h all unite in taking t h e proper mean s T h ose .

means that appear to be the best are the fol ,

lowing
T h ere should be perfect union bet w een th e
members union o f mind and o f heart we
—
.

s h ould love each ot h er very tenderly and inti

mately so that w e may mutually communi c ate
,

to eac h ot h er t h e graces and t h e love o f God

which are in our h earts an d w h ic h we o we to
,

t h e prayers t h at we Offer up for each other .

T h is union must be pure unal l oyed with ,

natura l sentiment w h ich is an in fection in t h e

,

h eart o f a servant o f God and poisons hi s ,

w h ole interior I f we allo w natural sentiment s

.

to gain the mastery Over us we S hall be good ,

for nothing ; our brot h er instead o f helping ,

. u s to a dvance in perfection w ould on l y make

,

us lo s e what we h ad a l ready wo n and the evil ,

t h at might follow for bot h o f u s wou l d be i n

calculable .

I f suc h a feeling presents itsel f w e s h ou l d ,

combat it and l ove each ot h er with a Charity ,

pure h oly and wit h out stain a ll in God and

, , ,

for God O ur a ff ections in general s h ould

.
, ,

brea th e an air o f sanctity and purity ; t h is is

especia l ly necessary for t h at c h arity we aim at ,

w hich is essentia l ly a spotless c h arity

, ,
.
1
34 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

This union and tenderness o f charity should ,

t h ere fore be based upon the mo s t perfe c t i n

,

te r i o r and exterior s el f denial upon the purest

—
,

and most intense love o f God and upon the ,

most ardent desire Of serving God w ith all the

fullness o f our sou l T h e a f fection t h at w e
.

must have for eac h ot h er s h ou l d be the same ,

that we feel for t h e saints and for God Him ,

sel f one that shou l d lead us to H is most h oly

—

love It s h ould likewise create in us a desire o f

.

encouraging t h e bret h ren wit h whom we are ,

i n co m m ri n i o n o f prayers to attain t h e h ig h est

,

per fection ; we S h a ll t h erefore take al l t h e

, ,

necessary means in order to obtain t h is result .

We s h all endeavor to profit o f every Oppo r

tu n i ty in order to communicate to eac h ot h e r
our great and on l y desire o f acquiring per fect
purity and evangelical holiness We sha l l ad .

monis h and exhort each other and s h all mutu ,

ally call each other s attention to the things

’

w h ic h we believe to be an obstacle to per f ec

tion We sha ll meet occasionally eit h er sev
.
,

eral or all toget h er for t h e purpose o f speaking

,

about t h e means t h at are necessary to reac h

t h is perfection w h ich we desire so muc h We .

s h all di scuss t h e di fficulties t h at we h ave e n

countered etc j ust as we did l a s t y ea r We
,
.
,
i
‘

shal l maintain an u n i n te r r upte d co m m u n i o n

o f prayers and good works W e S h all more .

over c hoo s e some special day in the week

,
 3 6 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

on the gra c e o f our L ord Je s us Chri s t and ,

s h all be united by H i s L ove and in H i s name .

We shall do good not only for other s in the s em

i n a r y b ut each w ill begin to reap ample fruit s
,

o f grace and heavenly ble s sings f o r himsel f .

But i f one w ants to do thi s and the othe r , ,

something else i f every one w ants to follo w hi s

,

own idea w e shall no longer have the s trength

,

nor the extraordinary gra c e w hich God give s

to those who are a s sem b led in H i s name .

E very one will try to do s omething and w ill , ,

in fact accomplish it a c cording to the measure

, ,

o f gra c e that he has re c eived b ut that i s all ,

.

It is j ust the s ame a s among s o l di er s ; i f every

one w is h ed to get a w ay from hi s regiment and ,

do hi s o w n firing he might possibly do s ome

,

damage to the enemy i f his aim i s good ; b ut

, ,

i f they fight together and do their duty w ell ,

an incompara b ly greater re s ult w ill b e

a c hieved .

I am there fore o f opinion that we choo s e

, ,

only those who are determined to s erve Go d

w ith their w hole s oul w ho have the s ame o h
,

j ce t in vi ew ; t hat i s w ho w i s h to give up all

,

earthly things and sel f love and w ho tr y to l i ve

-

only an interior li fe and entirely in God They .

should b e e s pecially o f a docile dispo s ition and ,

without attachment to t h eir o w n Opinion and

w ill ; they should be h um b le meek and mode s t , , ,

and thei r w ay o f looki ng at thing s s hould n o t

 VENE R AB LE L IB E RM A NN 1
37

di ff er entirely from that o f the other memb er s ;

they should be friendly to each other and not ,

be prej udiced against ea c h other They .

s h ould in genera l be such that w e may have a

, ,

well grounded hope o f their entering co m

-

p l e te l y into our views o f perfection o f the love ,

o f God and o f the rules o f conduct w hich are

,

to be observed to w ards c on fr ere s a s w ell a s ,

towards t h e member s o f this asso c iation .

We should moreover have an ardent zeal

,

founded upon t h e purest love o f Go d and de

ta che d entirely from all s el f love a prudent
- —
,

h umble and peace ful zeal .

I do not w i s h to enter into detail s ; w hen w e

meet w e shall have an o ppo r tu i ty o f s peaking
at greater length about thi s matter Remem .

b er simply t h e obj ect o f our mee ting : viz the .

,

highest perfection o f all t h e brethren w ho form

part o f the s eminary I think that w e s hould
.

direct the greatest care and t h e greatest a ppl i

c ation o f t h e member s w ho compose thi s little
band towards generous s ouls and to w ard s all
, ,

those w ho are disposed to b e very fervent .

T h is does n o t mean that w e s hould negle c t the

less fervent and the more dis s ipated ; I only
think that w e ought to apply in a s pecial man,

ner to t h ose w ho h ave a certain degree o f con

,

fi de n ce in us for the purpo s e o f in c rea s ing

‘

t h eir fervor and o f leading them to higher per

f ecti o n This I deem most important We
. .
 3 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

s hould give them the greate s t attention and ,

S ho w them a holy a f fe c tion entirely in God and ,

empl oy all kind s o f mean s in order to make

t h em holier and more perfect We mig h t for .
,

in s tance propo s e novenas f o r thi s I ntention

, ,

c ommunions and prayers in c ompany with the

mo s t fervent ; introdu c e them to the latter ;
bring them together ; u rge them to m eet Oc c a
s i o n a l ly for the purpose o f s peaking a b out Go d ,

and ad opt a numb er o f similar mean s likely to

attain the s a m e end We sh ould pray much
.
,

and have many prayers o ffered up f o r them .

We should urge the good and the fervent

there will al w ay s b e s ome o f them in the s em
i n a ry
—
to scatter through the c o m m un i ty and ‘

implant piety and the love o f God in all heart s .

In thi s manner the most fervent w ill b ecome

,

your instrument s and w ill carry o u t w ithout ,

kno wing it the thing s that you have agreed

,

upon f o r the good o f the community They .

mu s t b e kept in ignoran c e o f the s pe c ial end

w hich you have in vie w .

In your o w n meetings w hen y o u come to

,

gether privately s ometime s i f ci rcumstance s

,

will permit you may propo s e at t h e end o f

, ,

your conversati ons w h atsoever i s likely to be

,

use ful for the go od o f the community and sug ,

gest the means that oug h t to be taken in order

to in s pire s ouls w ith fervor I f you kno w o f
.

an y b od y who i s in troub le ha s tem ptation s

,
.
,
1 40 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R X X V I .

T O AN OT H ER SEM I N A RI AN O N VA CAT I ON .

The v ani ty o f a ll cr e a e t d thi n g s .

—
Sa n c t i t y m a d e up
o f l i ttl de ev o ti o n s and se lf d—
enial .

I s s y S eptem b er
, 2 8 th, 1 835 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI END ‘

I S hall w rite to y o u again b e fore the end o f

vacation s o that you may not think that I for
,
.

get you N o indeed I do not forget you in

.
, ,

the pre s en c e of God ; and I b eg H im with all

my h eart that H e may pre s erve y o u in all the
purity o f your s oul and in the mo s t ardent de ,

s ire o f loving H im w ith all t h e fullnes s o f your

a ffections V acation like everything else cre
.
,

ated w ill s oon b e ended A ne w year w ill b e

, .

gin shortly a fter w ard s and w ill end the s ame ,

w ay God alone i s permanent and w ill never

.
,

end L et u s take care not to let o u r h earts be

.

amu s ed w ith the vanitie s and miserie s o f earth .

I hop e that Go d w ill give u s the gra c e o f pre

paring our s elve s during the remaining days o f ,

vacation to begin the year w ell and that in

, ,

future He will make us advance far di ff erently

from what w e have done until no w Thu s w e .

may hope that during the wh ole o f the time ,

that it w ill plea s e H i m to leave us upon earth ,

w e m a y b e employed only in s an c ti fying o ur

 VEN E R A B LE L IB E RM A N N 1
4 1

se l ves and for Hi s greater g l ory w h i c h i s a ,

necessary consequence o f o u r o w n s a n ctifica

tion W h at advantage m a y we h ope to gain
.

from a l l t h e tr i fl es and vanities wh ich fill and

amuse our h eart W h en will our soul : with all
?

its desires and a l l its a ffections fina ll y belong ,

entirely to God ? When shall we acqu i re that

stead fast peace and pro found interior spirit ,

w h ic h are the in h eritance o f the saints and a

necessary consequence o f the love o f God
w h ol l y pure and entirely detac h ed from creat
ures and a ll sel f interest
— ?

I h ope my dear friend t h at by t h e end o f

, , ,

next year we shall possess a l l t h ese virtues and

,

even greater ones ; but you understand t h at in

order to attain t h em we m
,

,
ust w alk courage
o usl
y in the pat h o f evangelical perfection I .

am confident that you will begin your year thus ,

a n d t h at you wi l l persevere unto t h e end Do .

not be satisfied with being a saint addicted to

little devout practices content to say a little
,

prayer to t h e Blessed V irgin in w h ich he tells ,

h er a number o f nice t h ings We s h ould w alk

.

in t h e road that our Divine Saviour has traced

out for us by H i s words and H is example and ,

w h ic h t h e Blessed V irgin and the saints have

fait h fully fo l lo w ed We s h ou l d pray unceas
.

i n gly in order to obtain this grace deny our ,

se l ves carry our cross and fo l lo w O ur L ord ;

,

t h at is we s h ould give up our se l f l ove wh ic h

,
-

,
1
4 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

makes us w ish to be loved esteemed and r e , ,

s pec te d b y everybody which al w ays fears le s t

—

it lose somet h ing i n t h e esteem o f men w hic h —

makes our h eart vain and t h e victim o f caprice

-

w h i ch i s pained gro ws angry and dis c our

,

aged as soon as anything h appens that is not

,

entire l y suited to its tastes or its good pleasure ,

or when men think or act di fferently from w h at

it w ould h ave w ished Sel f love alw a ys con
.
-

dem n s ot h ers ; it is distrust ful easily suspects ,

evil and never j udges itsel f

,
.

We s h ould renounce every pleasure and s el f

ti fi a ti o n ; nor should we amuse our heart
g r a c

with tr i fl es but tear it away from every sen

,

sible pleasure from every enj oyment o f creat

,

u res in order to app l y it to God a l one and

, ,

make it enj oy but H im alone A man w h o i s .

t h us completely detac h ed will obey wit h the ,

greatest perfection ; he will never j udge hi s

superiors ; muc h less will h e say t h at t h ey are
not doing well t h at t h ey s h ould h ave acted
,

ot h erwise .

He w h o has comp l etely abandoned sel f and

a l l t h e satis factions and j oys o f earth carries ,

h is cross wit h t h e greatest facility H e is h eart .

i l y g l ad i f any pains or h umiliations fa l l to h is

s h are He wis h es to c h oose neit h er h i s sorrows
.

nor his pains ; h e leaves t h e c h oice o f t h em to

God a l one to w h om h e has surrendered a ll h is
,

wis h es H e no longer h as a wil l ; it is t h e w il l

.
 S P I R I T U A L LE T TE R S OF T HE

expan s ive chara c ter Seek God s imply .

,

frankly and w ith your w hole s oul ; and y o u

,

w ill s uc c eed with the grace o f God H e ha s .

begun too w ell not to w ish to perfe c t hi s w ork .

Adieu The bell for examen is j u s t r i ng i ng ;

. .

I embrace you cordially in the Sa c red H eart s o f

J e s u s and Mary .

E ntirely your s in their holy charity .

LE TT E R XX V II .

TO TH E S A ME .

Ea r th ly j y d th i
o s ff t
an H w e r e ec s —
o re t u r n
to Go d aft l v i g H i m
er ea n .

I ss y Oc tob er 8 th , ,
1 837 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI END
It seemed to me from your letter t h at not ,

w it hs tanding the dis s ipation and the agitated

kind o f li fe which you are leading you are ,

wearied and as it w ere borne do w n b y the

, ,

w eight o f vacation This could not fai l to hap

.

pen ; i t i s a necessary con s equen c e o f di ss ipa

tion What di fferen c e between the s entiment s
.

that w e experience in the midst o f the

j oys and the satis factions that creature s
give u s i f w e are foolish enoug h to aban
—

don our s elves to t h em and those that —

God gave you to taste w hen you sought to

 VENE R AB LE L IB E RMA N N 1
45

p uri fy your s oul and to render your s el f w holly

pleasing in H is sight ! When your s oul r e :

poses in God alone w hat transports o f pea c e

, ,

o f j oy of delig h t and love doe s it not feel

, ,

wit h in itsel f ! and w hat sweetness w hat deli ,

cacy does it not experience in these en j o y m en ts

T h ey penetrate it t h oroug h ly give it a pr o ,

found c on s ciou s ne s s of it s true greatnes s and ,

fi l l it with strengt h and courage .

T h e delig h ts o f earth are not in any w ay en

do w ed w it h t h e same qualities ; t h ey are only
superficia l and factitious t h ey trouble t h e soul
and deprive her o f every taste for the love of
God T h ey are a source o f dissipation and en
.

tice our mind a w ay from t h e pursuit o f true

h appiness They are coarse carnal ; t h ey drag
.
,

us into t h e mire o f sin and lead us to t h e gates

,

of h ell They debase our soul and taint it

.
, ,

j ust as death and corruption destroy every

beauty o f t h e body T h ey render u s incapable
.

o f undertaking anything for t h e g l ory o f God ;

and w h at is sti l l more inconceivab l e instead o f ,

humbling u s on account o f the profou nd abase

ment into w hich they have p l unged u s they ,

make u s prouder t h an ever i f God doe s not,

deign to come to our aid in o rder to dra w good

,

from t h e very evil t h at we have committed .

W h en t h ese days o f foolis h delig h ts and carnal

satis factions draw to a close t h ey leave u s in
,

mortal abeyance and overwhelming sadne s s .

1
46 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

O h happy grie f ! ho w s alutary for the s oul s

which n o w truly love God but which on c e s o ,

far forgot H im as to abandon them s elves to

di ssipation o f h eart and to i n ha l e t h e poi s oned
,

odor o f earthly pleasure s ! O h w orld ! O h , ,

horrid w orld ! w hy do you not leave t h e s er

vant s o f God in peace ? Is it not enough that
you s educe so many millions o f w eakly hearts ,

which w allow in t h e filth o f sin and s hame ?

I am deeply grieved to see that you have
yielded i n some measure to di s sipation I .

know my kind and dear b rother that t h ere i s

, ,

no very great harm done and t h at t w o month s

,
,

in t h e seminary will su ffice to restore it all ; b ut

I see tw o mont hs o f vacat i on lo st for you ; and it
is t h at which grieves me so What you have .
,

h ad t h e c ourage to forget for w hole day s at a ,

time our very dear and very kind L ord Jesus

,

and our very kind and most amiable Mother !

H o w could you dare to s eek natur al pleasure
’

and satis faction o f your own heart and negle c t ,

t h e delight s o f the love o f God ?

But pardon me my very dear b rother ; I am
, ,

h eaping reproaches upon you and you need

.

consolation Your s oul is rent asunder and I

.
,

lacerate it still more by communicating to you

a hundred fo l d t h e sorro w whic h I mysel f
experience ! Console your s el f brace up your ,

s oul s trengthen your courage

,
O ur God i s at .

a l l times meek kind dear and lova b le He

, , ,
.
1
4 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF ,
T HE

pea c e ful ; w e s u ffer b ut w e s hould b e w illing to

,

su ff er al w ay s like thi s I f w e really l o ve Go d .

,

we seek H im more ardently after having co m

m i tted a fault ; and the greater the fault i s the ,

more our l o ve for H im s hould in c rea s e and

gro w strong in o u r s oul O ur heart i s filled .

with j oy when it realize s that we are w ret c hed ;

b ecau s e w e s ee that God alo ne i s great ; that
God alo ne i s b eauti ful ; that God alone i s lov
able replenished w ith all perfe c tion and w orth y
, ,

o f all o u r love .

Take courag e there fore ; b e s trong and r o

b ust i n your love for o u r Lord Je s u s Christ .

You need no t w orry even i f y o u w ere s o me ,

w hat dissipated during vacation o r i f you co m ,

m i tte d s ome fault s The love o f our g o od Lo rd

.

Jesu s i s s till in you r heart ; an d H e w ill triumph

,

there through that holy gra c e w hich H e i s pre

paring to b e s to w upon y o u s uperab undantly .

“
Yo u are s ad b ut you must s ay So mu c h the
, ,

”
better Cordially and j oyou s ly b ear w ith thi s
.

annoyance and thi s s adne ss Regard th em a s .

a puni s hment due to your sin s ; rem ain c alm in

the presence o f God and s u ff er patiently and ,

lovingl y .

There i s o n e thing ho w ever that astonishe s , ,

me ; it i s t h at you t h ink o f remaining on va c a

tio n till the 2 3 r d or 2 4 th The opening u s ually .

take s place on the 1 8 th o f O cto b er : this year

it is o n the 1 7 th My de are s t b roth er I b e s ee c h
.
,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA NN 1
49

you by t h e love of J esus and M ary not to de

, ,

prive yoursel f o f t h e treasure s o f graces and

blessings which you w ill re c eive during t h e r e
treat Be firm and resist the w orld Why
. .

would you close your h eart to t h e tender plead

ings of our Divine Saviour and the Blessed
V irgin May God prevent you from doing s o
?
,

my very dear friend Do not falter I beseech .

,

you once again by t h e d ear love that reigns in

our souls Be firm and vigorous as become s a
.
,

true servant o f J esus Christ S h o w the w orld .

that you absolutely wis h to be at I s s y on the

1 7 t h and do not let yo ursel f be l o oked upon a s
,

a weakling and a c oward .

I embrace you w ith all my heart in Je s u s and

Mary .

LE TT E R XX V III .

TO A SE M I NARI AN .

H e i n v i tes hi m to r e o i ce j i n hi s c o n s ec r a ti o n to Go d
thr o ugh u b d s ea co n s hi p .
—
The c o n s eq u en c e of thi s co n

t r a ct —
Se e k Go d l
a one .

'

Issy J anuary
,
8 th, 1 8 36 .

M Y D EA R SI R
I rej o ice with all my heart in o u r L ord J esus
C h rist upon s eeing you consecrated entirely
and w ithout re s erve to H is mo s t holy love .
I
S
O S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Hence forth there can no longer b e any question

,

o f hesitation or h al f h eartedness I n His s ervi c e—

.

He must posses s you fully ; and t h ere must be

nothing in y o u that i s no t s olely for H im and in
H im alone By ton s ure you w ere a lready a c
.

c epte d into H is s ervice alt h ough it was o nly in ,

an indefinite and pr o b a ti o n a r v manner so that ,

you might understand w hat it i s to belong to

God alone It w as still in your po w er to w ith
.

dra w and to leave H im ; b ut no w this is n o

longer po ssible you are Hi s eternal slave H e
—
.

has set the s eal and ch ara c ter o f H is love and

s an c tity upon you in return for the perpetual,

contract o f eternal servitude that you have

made w ith H im Yo u may glory in it be fore.

the angels and saints w ho are ravished w ith ,

admiration at the s ig h t o f God s unb ounded ’

mer c y t o w ard you .

But be n o t content with re j oicing and t h ank

fully admiring the great glory w ith w hic h our
well b eloved L ord Je s u s h as deigned to clothe
-

you for all eternity Consid er also w h at it b e .

h ooves you to do in the s ervice o f this great and

amiab le L ord w hose eternal s ervant you have
,

become through your irrevoca b le c on s ecration .

It foll o ws necessarily from your donation to

God that you no longer pos s ess anyt h ing t h at
,

you may rig h t fully call your o w n W h en you .

re c eived the tonsure you gave Him all that you ,

are and all th a t you c an do ; b ut H e did not

,
1
5 2 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

j ust quoted ; you w ill readily under s tand there

from how neces s arily s el f annihilation fo llo ws -

from a real consecration to God and ho w s u ,

p r e m e l y happy your soul i s i n being able to de .

vote itsel f to Him ac c ording to it s full c apacity .

It i s onl y then that you will feel ho w great and

incomprehensible i s the immense grace o f s ub
'

deacons hip and o f vocation to the e c clesia s tical

state I do not w i s h to exp a tiate any furt h er on
'

t h is subj ect ; when M r C comes h e may be ab le. .

,

to explain it more ex h austively for we had a ,

conversati on on thi s topi c w ith several others

some time ago I even remem b er that s ome
.

body very pleasantly remarked that my three

nullities were not very pleasing to nature But
’

never mind let our foolish nature cry a little it

, ,

w ill finally quiet down and w hat i s b etter it ‘

, ,

will b e gladdened through all eternity b ecause

o f the pain s that we have I n fli cted upon it on
earth Thi s i s all very appropriate for va c a
.

tion for you can during that time exer c ise

, , ,

yoursel f all the b etter in the univer s al w ar

which you mu s t w age again s t s el f .

Remember t h e words o f O ur Lord J e s u s

”
Va s es ti s s a l ter r a e Go d w ishes us to spread
.

the go od odor o f H is sanctity among all those

who surround us ; j ust as t h e salt give s a relish
to all dis h es so should w e also give the ta s te
,

and odor o f t h e love o f God to all tho s e who

frequent u s We ought to s pread every w here
.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A N N I
53

the s w eetness which God put s into a faith ful

soul and inspire other s wit h res p ect for relig
ious person s and the desire o f loving Go d with
,

their w h ole heart We mu s t obtai n t h e s e r e

.

s u l ts b y o u r meekne ss our s implicity and mod

, ,

esty founded upon pro found humility and per

,

fe et se l f denia l in all thing s

-

We s hould be care ful n o t to exaggerate any

thing What w ill i t profit u s to a s sume a pre
.

tence o f virtue ? We should w alk simply and

frankly in the presen c e of God a n d l i v e i n the ,

w or l d as tho ugh w e w er e a l o ne wi th Go d i n a

d es er t . this maxim ; I believe t h at it

Remember
will prove o f great advantage for your sancti
fica ti o n It maintains us in a great spirit o f r e
.

treat dur i ng our walks our amusement s and , ,

other occupation s that w e are ob liged to e n

gage i h wit h people o f the world It keeps o u r .

mind at liberty when men blame u s as well as ,

when they praise u s things for w hic h we must

—

have the utmost indi ff erence I f w e live w ith .

God alone in a desert we do not perform our ,

work in order to plea s e men nor to be j udged ,

by them : let t h em criticise and talk ab out us as

muc h as they like it matters very little to u s
,
.

N or do w e wish to attract attention to ourselve s .

We see God only and we wish to be seen by H im

alone It is a matter o f indi ff erence to us
.

w h ether men t h ink o f us or forget u s O ur sole

°

occupation i s to please God and to s ancti fy our

1
54 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

selve s in all simplicity meekness and modesty , , .

We t h us draw down the blessings of God on all

tho s e who surround us without seeming to b u s y
ourselve s with them You can easily learn from.

thi s ho w we should conduct our s elves dur i ng

vacation .

God alone God alone and al w ay s God alone !

, ,

V acation j ust the same as the rest o f t h e year

, .

i s given to y o u for the purpose o f sancti fyin g

your s el f ; the question i s how to pro fi t by it .

God should be the only obj ect you have in vie w

in all things and He ought to be ever pre s ent
,

to your mind ; I mean t h at in a l l things and , ,

everywhere you should keep your will di rected

,

towards God ; do nothing out o f mere sel f lov e -

and for the sake o f grati fying yoursel f or w it h ,

a vie w to please men Make use o f the di ver .

s ions o f vacation in a simple manner and do ,

not even fear the interest they in s pire H o w .

ever turn your soul with all its a ffections a n d

, ,

desi res to w ards God al o ne in all things a n d

, , ,

at a l l times .

It will b e a great assistance to us i f we have

a particular rule for vacation in which medita ,

tion general and particular examen are n o t for

,

gotten We should besides w atch over e r r

.
, ,

selves live i n continual distrust o f our o w n

,

strength preserve in our s oul a great pea ce b e

,

fore God an d according to God We s hou l d .

never take anybody as our model e s pe c ia lly in ,

I 5 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

happened We have all the greater rea s on to b e

.

faith ful w hen w e find no oppo s iti on in doing

w hat promote s our s a n cti fica ti o n We s h o uld .

not try to prea c h to tho s e w ith w hom w e live ;

but w e may put in a w ord appropriatel y i f w e ,

s ee that it i s well re c eived It i s only a w a s te o f

.

time to s peak a b out God to a man w ho i s n o t

di s po s ed to li s ten to y ou ; it w ill not help him
to do hi s duty any better We s hould pray r e .
,

main tranquil in the pre s ence o f God and w ait ,

till He o ffer s u s an Op p ortunity o f doing good

to a so ul .

I do not w i s h to enlarge any further o n thi s

matter ; I mu s t leave s ome space to M C s o . .
,

that he al s o may say a fe w w ord s to y o u a s y o u

desire I shall urge him to decide w ith you
.

u pon some means that w ill b ene fi t y o u mutually .

It w ould be advisab le for both o f y o u to o b s erve

a common rule and to perform t h e same ex er
,

cise s I b elieve that this would b e o f great s er

.
‘

vi c e to b oth o f y o u I am going to bid y o u fare

.

w ell no w leaving you i n the p ea c e o f our L ord

,

J esus Christ Keep it c onstantly in your heart

.
,

and consider yoursel f hig h ly h on ored and ex

c eed i n gl y h appy since H e has deigned to
,

choo s e you to live on l y for H im and in H im .

L ive in s uch wise and H e will reign in you and

,

w ill s ancti fy you .

E ntirely yours i n H i s most holy love and in

, ,

that o f H i s and our mo st holy M o ther .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N I
57

LE TT E R X XIX .

To H I S E LD ES T B RO T H ER A N D HIS

SI S T ER I N - -

LA W
H e di d f
n o t co n o r m to the us g a e of the w o r ld f o r the
n ew y ea r .
—
W ha t the wo r ld i s, and i ts s p i r it .

The I st Sunday in Lent ,

1 8 36 .

M Y D EA RES T B RO T H ER A ND MY D EA REST
S I ST ER
I w as wrong in not w riting to you at the b e
ginning of t h is year I t h oug h t t h at you w ould
.

not mind m y silence because I kno w that you ,

w ere a w are o f the cordiality o f my fee ling s to

w ard you and my great desire to see y o u over
,

w h elmed with graces and ble s sings As I do .

not aspire to belong to t h is w orld and as I ,

s h ould like to see you as far removed from it a s

my s e l f I t h oug h t t h at it would not b e ne c essary
,

on t h is occasion to conform to its usages h o w ,

ever laudable t h ey may be in themselves .

O ur L ord J esus C h rist dec l ared that H is

kingdom w a s not o f t h i s w orld w hich H e had ,

cursed You understand my very dear friends

.
, ,

t h e great lesson w h ic h He wis h es to convey to

us in t h e s e words It is my most ardent desire
.

to see you apply yourse l ves wit h all y p ur

1
5 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

strength to establi sh t h e reign o f our dear L ord

in your souls They are so dear to H im and
.
,

H e bestows s o many graces and favor s upon

them ! L et it b e your greatest care to cleanse
your hearts from all worldly spirit s o t h at O ur ,

L ord may n o t disdain them but ere ct His king ,

dom I n t h em That is the reason w h y you

.

sh ould b e very pure and very empty o f t h e ,

w orld and its s pirit w hi c h i s an Obj e c t o f s u c h

,

horror and abomination to this D ivine Ma s ter

t h at unwilling to reign o ver it H e but aban
, ,

dons i t to H is enemy Ho w un fortunate t h is .

.

poor w orld is in being thus cast aside by our

God and Lord Jes us w ho is so meek so lov , ,

able and so delig h t ful to t h ose w h o serve H im

, ,

and make H im the o bj ect o f t h eir j oy and satis

faction ! L et u s love our kind J esus ; but let us
love Him c rucified covered with Opprobrium , ,

weighed down wit h sorrow and h umiliation .

Behold and see i f H e loved H is s ervants ; but

,

see al s o i f H e a c ted acc ording to the spirit o f

t h e w orld Do n o t t h ere fore love t h e world
.
, , ,

nor anyt h ing t h at i s in t h e w orld .

T h e s pirit of theworld is a spirit o f pride o f ,

untrut h o f vanity of boasting and o f malice ;

, ,

in a word it is t h e s pirit o f the devi l w h o i s the

, ,

ma s ter o f thi s w orld a n d w ho breat h es h i s ,

spirit into all his servants in con stant Oppo si

tion to the intere s ts and to the most s w eet love
, ,

o f Je s u s Thi s s pirit inspire s the w orld

I 6o S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

hen s i b l elove w hi c h H e ha s s ho w n you b y

all t h e hard s hips that H e b ore for your s alva
tion and your perfe c tion Adieu deare s t b ro .
,

ther and sister L ove God w ith your w hole .

soul and do not love the w orld

, .

It i s in the most holy love o f Je s u s and Mary

that I am your very hum b le b rother .

LE TT E R XX X .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

Go d l
a one —
The p r es en c e o f Go d du r i n g r ecr eat i o n
an d t udy
s .
—
Co n te n tm e t o f tho s e who g i v e them s e lv e s
n

en t i ly t
re o GOd .
—
A s s o c i a t i o o f p i e ty
n .

I s s y A p ril
,
1 0th, 1 836 .

M Y V ERY D EA R SI R
I w a s over j oyed to s ee b y y our letters the dis
po s ition s whi c h Go d ha s deigned to put into
your heart and the ardent de s ire that y o u have
,

o f persevering in the di fficult but delig h tful

paths o f the love o f our Divine S aviour May .

it live and reign in your heart this dear and ,

h oly l ove but m ay it live there all alo ne ! L et

,

a l l your thoug h ts all your desires a ll your a f , ,

f ec ti o n s and all t h e movement s o f your s oul be

, ,

for God alone and in God ! W h at mu s t w e and ,

w hat may w e seek upon earth and de s ire in ,

heaven except our goo d and w ell b eloved Lord

,
-

Jesu s ?
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A NN 61

Ho w happy w e are wh en He i s the delight o f

our hearts ! It i s only then that w e reall y begin
to live E very desire every a ffection every
.
, ,

w ish every thou gh t and every movement

, , ,

w hic h i s not for Je s u s alone is dead and l o st ,

.

Conse quently i f we w ish to live in reality it

, ,

must b e only in Him for Him and b y H im , ,

.

Le t the w ho le earth and all it c ontain s peri s h “

.

L et ourselves rather perish than put o ur de

lig h t s our j oy s even the s lighte s t sati s faction
, , ,

in a nyt h ing on earth or in ourselves ! Let u s

not mistake filth and corruption for pe rfume ;
otherwise w e shall never smell the true goo d
,

odor exhaled by the delicious perfume o f the

love o f Jesus and Mary God alone Go d alone .
, ,

and nothing more and not h ing less Be c are .

fu l t h erefore not to busy yoursel f w ith tr i fl es

, , .

N ever let your mind or heart be c arried a w ay

by t h e nothingness O f earth .

I tell y o u thi s my very dear brother be c ause

, ,

it O ften happens that w e begin w ith great

t h ings and finish with very s mall one s We s ee
, .

the b eauty o f evangeli c al perfe c tion and God ,

gives us the courage to undertake it earnestly ;

b ut on ac c ount o f t h e levity o f spirit w hich i s
natural to us w e allow ourselves to be gradu
,

ally preoccupied b y al l kinds O f frivolous t h ings .

We forget o u r resolution to live for God alone ,

or else t h i s re s olution exi s ts onl y in our i m a g

i n a ti o n I do n o t mean to s ay that I believe y o u
.
162 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

are in su c h a p light NO certain l y s uch i s n o t

.
, ,

my idea ; but I like to warn you s o that you ,

may frequently renew your ardent desire to live

for God alone t h at you constantly be on your,

guard against luke w armness and that the ,

t h ought o f God may be al w ays wit h you .

I must also warn you against another temp

ta ti o n that o f t h inking yoursel f something
,
—
.

DO not imagine for a moment that s ince you ,

have a great desir e of serving God with all your

heart you h ave already a ttained t h e summit
,

o f perfection O n the contrary have a great

.
,

dist rust in and a small opinion o f yoursel f and

, , ,

never compare y oursel f to those w ho do not

seem to see clearly t h e road that t h ey are follo w
ing Give particular attention to this matter ;
.

for the devil w hen he s ees t h at a soul is goin g

,

to live for God alone and to consecrate itse l f ,

entirely to H is love alway s attacks it in it s s el f

,

love becau s e he can scarcely find an other point

,

w h ic h he may assail .

I know that it is very painful to s ee h ow i n

capable w e are of doing anything for t h e love
o f God and to feel that we are good for not h
,

ing except to w aste our time and to sink deeper

, ,

and deeper into the love o f creatures But thi s .

should n o t cause us any anx iety ; on the con

tr a r y t h is s h ou l d be for u s a subj e c t o f j oy and
,

anot h er motive to love God We s h ould r e .

j oice when w e see t h at o f our s elve s w e can do

16
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

r ec tly to war ds Go d, s u ch a s s tu dy a n d r ecr ea

ti on . I bel i ev e i t i s i n thi s s en s e tha t w e m us t

“
ta ke the w or ds o f the H o ly Gos pel : Opor te t
semper or a r e et n o n defi cer e .

The li fe o f a true Chri s tian i s a constant

prayer b e c au s e he w i s he s o n every oc c a s ion
, , ,

even during h i s slee p to p lease God alone Hi s , .

every d esire and his w hole w ill are al w ay s di

recte d towards God al o ne Yo u see therefore .
, ,

ho w great we are be fore Go d and Hi s holy

angels i f w e try to practi se the s e words o f O ur
,
“
Lo rd : A bn ega tem eti ps u m e t s eq u er e me ,
.

We s h ould there fore neither w orry nor tie

, ,

d o w n our mind either during recreatio n or dur

,

ing study in order to have the co ntinual pre s

,

ence o f God During study w e should re frain

.
,

from giving ourselves over to o u r w ork w ith

pa s sionate ardor and during recreation from, , ,

allo w ing ourselve s to be carri ed away b y a di s

sipating j oy We s hould always b e ready to b e
.

agreeable to our brethren L et u s ever have a .

smile upon our lips ; but let us never allo w our

selve s to b e dra w n into transpo rts o f j oy A .

modest and temperate j oy carries piety and con

te n tm en t into the he art s o f tho s e wh o surround
us .

We should take still anot h er precaution dur

ing s tudy as well as during recreation ; and that
i s to recall from time to time t h e great obj ect
, ,

o f o u r o nly love B esides let the pea c e the.

, ,
 V ENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 16
5

love and the meekness o f our Divine S a viour

, ,

al w ays be in o u r mout h and our heart and then ,

we need have no fear o f o ffending God during

our recreation s .

Yo u a s k me whence comes that openne s s O f

h eart and mind in t h ose w h o giv e themselve s
entirely to God It s eem s to me that it come s
.

naturally and as it were necessarily from thi s

, , , ,

perfect love A man w ho desires not h ing upon

.

eart h fear s not h ing either ; and a man who de

sires nothing and fears not h ing must n eces ,

s a r i ly h ave his mi nd and h is heart in perfect

'

freedom F o r w h ere do pains troubles w orry

.
, , ,

and embarrassment o f mind and h eart co me

from especial l y in those w h o wis h to serve
,

God They arise from t h e fact t h at such per

?

sons do not give t h emselves entirely to Him ,

or do not leave to Him the entire care O f their

spiritual progress T h ey propo se to t h emselves
.

the acquisiti o n o f suc h a vi rtue or t h e posses ,

sion o f such a sentiment T h ey wis h to s erve .

God in such or such a manner and they imagine ,

that t h ey cannot sancti fy themselves in any

ot h er way t h an according to these ideas A .

man of perfect se l f denial on the contrary

—
, ,

places h imsel f entirely in the hands o f God and ,

never seeks himsel f ; and on t h is account his , ,

h eart i s always in profound peace and great

freedom You do ubtlessly know t h e words of
.

“ ”
St A ugustine : A ni a e t f a c q u o d v i s
.
, ,
.
1 66 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Thi s i s all for the pre s ent that I c an tell you

, ,

on this s u b j ect .

Wit h regard to your little association I be ,

lieve that it w ill prove a great h elp in fur thering

your s a n cti fica ti o n Su c h a sso ciations are a
.

noticeab le feature i n our lives at the S eminary

o f St Sulpi c e But let it b e your s pe c ial care to
. .

establish as t h e basis o f your association p er

, ,

f ect sel f denial and great c h arity among all o f

—

you Al l your desires should be directed to

.

ward God alone ; and the charity w h i c h ought

to reign among you s h ould tend directl y to ,

your mutual s a n ctifica ti o n Just as you h ave .

not and must not h ave any natural desires for

, ,

yoursel f o r for your own satis faction in any

t h ing so also s h ould you refrain from enter
,

taining such de s ires for one another You .

should not wis h for yourselves any enj oyment

or contentmen t upon earth but y o u should de ,

sire only your mutual s a n ctifica ti o n Behold .

M r N w ho is sick and obliged to retire from

. .
,

t h e seminary ; do you think t h at we are grieved

or t h at we h ave s h own h im t h at we compas
s i o n a te h im I mean in a human or natural
—

w ay ? Assuredly not nay he would not have , ,

been s atisfied i f any of us h ad condoled wit h

h im L et you do t h e same Be strong and
. .

robust and love each ot h er in God alone

,
.

I think you would do well i f your rules a l ,

low i t to meet from time to time in order to

, , ,
 1 68 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

w h en the time to advance had arrived ; but

t h e prevalence o f this fear cannot j usti fy it .

Its presence in newly ord a ined subdea cons has -

always astonished me What h appiness for .

you to consecrate yoursel f to Go d in an i r r ev o c

able manner ! A soul t h at desires to belong en
ti r e ly to God s h ould rej oice w h en it is able to
,

“
say : Hence fort h I am no longer allowed to
,

live for mysel f nor for the world nor for any
, ,

t h ing i n the world God i s my only heritage

.
,

my love and my all ; my well beloved is h ence

,
—

”
fort h mine a nd I am H is
,
.

I am well aware that we assume serious obli

g a ti o,
n s that we are as it were forced,
to love ,

God alone and put aside every creature ; but

,

suc h Obligations shou l d form t h e subj ect o f our

j oy our triump h and our g l ory A subdeacon
, ,
.

renounces every pleasure and sel f sati s facti on -

by t h e vow o f c h astity H e declares a relent .

less and exterminating war against the flesh .

But what is t h ere i n this that s h ould grieve

h im ? W h at is there to make him tremble ?

H is soul on t h e contrary s h ould be fi l led wit h

, ,

j oy for our great and goo d L ord J esus gra

,

c i o u s ly wi l ls to l i ft h im out o f the filt h and mire ,

in order to fill h im wit h H is love H is peace , ,

and His glory F o r you must not imagine that

.

you are going to wage t h ese combats unaided .

O ur L ord Jesus has already triumphed over the

w orld and the devil and He exhorts u s not to ,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA N N 16
9

fear t h em : N o li te ti m er e ego v i ci mu n du m ,
.

It is He who w ill fig h t and gain the victories ;

or rat h er He has a l ready gained them ; Hi s
, ,

victory is complete We wa l k over t h e ruins of

.

the enemies w h om O ur L ord has overthro w n ,

and He delivers them to us t h at we may

‘

trample t h em under foot We insult H im i f .

,

we tremble before the devil and t h e flesh I .

h ope t h ere fore t h at you will be overj oyed to

, ,

bind yoursel f to God and to His service by i n

disso l uble ties .

God wis h es you to be not only a man de ,

ta c he d from eart h but also a man o f prayer

,
.

No w this is anot h er ob l igation whic h need

,

strike no fear into the h eart o f a faith ful servant

o f J esus and o f Mary. You s h ou l d on t h e ,

other h and be glad t h at you have it in your

,

power to draw closer to your kind and well

beloved master He wil l embrace you wit h re
.

newed comp l acency .

You are n o w l ike the A postles w h en O ur

L ord still lived upon eart h T h ey were in fact .
, ,

closest to H is adorab l e person whilst t h e other ,

disciples spoke to H im and h ad intercourse ,

with Him solely through the instrumentality

,

o f the Apostles M oreover it was only at the

.
,

end o f a certain time and a fter having filled,

t h em wit h H is gi fts and Hi s signal favors t h at ,

O ur L ord sent t h em to teach and to labor for

His glory .
I
7O S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Yo u h a ve even a great advantage over them .

They w ere ignorant and did not recog n ize the ,

treasure that w a s theirs in being a b le to a p

proach s o closely the M a ster o f all light and all
grace They did not kno w w hat it w a s to deny
.

them s elve s ; and o n thi s ac c ount t h ey Could not

, ,

profit o f everything that O ur L ord wished to

do for them But y o u on the contrary kno w
.
, , ,

at lea s t partly all the wealth o f grace that God

,

destines for y o u in addition to w hat you have

already found in the intimate communion w hich
y o u are required to maintain w ith our w ell
b eloved .

H o w happy you are to be under the s tri c t

-

o b ligation o f uniting yoursel f more and more

to O ur L ord and o f living only for H im and
,

in H im ! Ho w s w ee t i s Hi s yoke ! and ho w l o v
a b le Hi s s ervi c e even for t he simple faith ful !
,

H o w mu c h more is our goo d L ord Jesu s ri ch ,

sw eet and lova b le to tho s e who m H e ha s

, ,

sele c ted in order to make o f them the prin c e s o f

,

Hi s people ! I f Jesus i s the treasure the j oy ,

.

and the happiness o f tho s e w ho are s imply I l i s —

servant s w hat will He b e to those c ho s en ones

,

whom H e calls H is f riend s ? I f it i s s o sw eet

to renounce all creatures f o r Hi s s ake w hat i s ,

the happiness O f those whom H e admits into

H i s intima c y ? What love o f predilection does
H e s how to tho s e happy men whom He attaches
to H im s el f b y the indi ss oluble bo nd s o f H i s
1 7 2 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

t h is w retched world and di s trust yoursel f a

,

great deal Try to keep your heart free from

.

every earthly a ff ec tion and to place all y o u r ,

love in our L ord Jesus our Master H e w ill , .

give you the light nece ss ary to avoid the strat

a e m s w hich t h e w orld will use a s w ell as t h e
g ,

snares that w ill be set to surprise you A s long .

a s your heart i s pure and detached as long a s ,

you keep your soul in per fect peace a n d you ,

seek only to unite yourse l f more closely to Go d ,

you w ill h ave no enemy to fear P ersevere .

,

t h ere fore, in holiness O f li fe and God w i l l sus ,

tai n you .

I do not w ish by w hat I have said to condemn

every kind o f fear I do not b elieve that there
.

is any harm in feeling a certain respect ful fear ,

when t h ere i s a question o f presenting o urselves

to God for t h e purpose o f approach i n g l I i m —

more closely and o f enter i ng into co mm un i ca

,

tion w ith Hi s most admira b le most secret and , , ,

most intimate mysteries This fear is even very .

g o od I can imagine t h at with t h e distrust o f

.
,

our own strengt h w h ich should always abide

,

in u s we may at times feel ourselves incapable

, , ,

o f do ing anyt h ing w h atsoever for the g l ory o f

God But worry and disquietude must not e n
.

ter i nto our soul on t h i s account F ar from it . .

The greatness o f t h e ministry to w h ic h we h a ve

been called and t h e extreme misery in w h ich
,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RMA NN 73

we behold ourselves s h ould increase our peace , ,

and our love for our good L ord Jesus .

L et t h is t h oug h t con found and h umble us in

H is presence L et us rej oice w h en we see h ow
.

wretc h ed we are and w h en we rea l ize t h at God

,

a l one is great t h at Go d alone is b eauti fu l fi l led

, ,

wit h every perfection wort h y o f a l l praise all , ,

love and all adoration

,
.

T h e sight of our incapacity and our nullity

oug h t to be for us a great source o f peace by ,

convincing us t h at God H imse l f wis h es to go

to work in order to accomp l is h in us and ,

t h roug h us a l l t h e great t h ings for w h ic h He

,

destines us He knows our poverty and misery

.

far better t h an we do ourse l ves But w h y h as .

He c h osen us since He knows t h at we can do

,

not h ing un l ess it be for t h e purpose o f s h ow

,

ing even unto evidence t h at it is He w h o wi l l

, ,

do t h e work and not we ,

?

It seems to me h owever t h at w e h ave a still

, ,

greater reason to be glad O ur extreme misery .

and a bomination make it absolute l y necessary

for us to h ave continua l recourse to God and to ,

remain united wit h Him at every moment and , ,

in a l l t h e circumstances o f our li fe We depend .

more upon H im t h an our body depends upon

,

our sou l But i s it so grievous a h ards h ip for

.

our body to be in a continua l dependence on our

sou l and to receive from it a l l its l i fe and move
,

ments ? O n t h e contrary it glories in t h is de ,

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

p e n de n ce and is pl ea s ed w i th it b e c aus e for '

, ,

t h is very reason it participates in a far nobler

,

and more elevated li fe t h an it could attain by

itsel f T h e same is true o f our dependence
.

upon God only in a s uperior degree T h e

, .

more w e depend upon H im the more our soul ,

acquires greatness beauty and glory s o muc h

, ,
—

so that w e can bold l y glori fy in our i n fi r m i ti es

,
.

The greatness o f our j oy and happiness s h ould

be commensurate wit h t h e greatness o f our i h
fi r m i ti es because with them grow s our de
,

p e n d e n c e upon God and our need of H im

,
D O .

not trouble yoursel f t h ere fore i f you feel t h at , ,

you are weak Rat h er be glad o f it for God

.
,

will be your strengt h Yo u r o n ly care s h ould .

‘

be to keep your soul constantly directed to

wards Him in t h e greatest peace and t h e most
per fect abandonment the greatest con fusion ,

and humility ‘
.

Yo u n ee d not worry when these t h oug h ts

and temptations o f vanity whic h you men ,

ti o n e d present t h emselves to you

,
It i s a r e .

sult o f our extreme corruption : w e s hal l be rid

o f it only at t h e last moment o f our li fe But .

it does not inflict t h e greatest h arm upon us .

We need only to keep ourselves peace fu l ly

united to God We need only to humb l e our
.

s elves be fore Him and to watc h quiet ly over,

ourselves ; and i f t h ese t h oug h ts stil l continue ,

we should go on our way as t h oug h we h ad

 1 7 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R X XXII .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N ON VA C A T I O N .

H o w m u c h he s ho uld gu d g
ar a a inst the fl
a se a tt ra e

ti o ns of the w o r ld .

Il k i r ch ! Al s ace ! , Augu s t 2 7 th, 1 8 36 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI END
M ay God grant you Hi s pea c e and His love ,

and may H e protect you against the spirit o f

t h e w orld in the midst o f w h ic h you are no w
living ! DO not love t h e world nor w hat is in ,

t h e world Do not love its manners its pleas

.
,

ures its frivolous amusements its id l e and

, ,

wicked words its spirit o f pride and vanity its

, ,

selfis h ness its fal s e j udgments its indi fference

, ,

for t h e service and love o f our good L ord J esus .

This wretc h ed world loves wh at is evil goes in ,

quest O f w h at is valueless and troubles itsel f ,

but l ittle about t h e on l y Obj ect t h at is wort h y

o f its a ff ections and its solicitude O ur kind .

L ord Jesu s is at t h e door o f its h eart for t h e ,

purpose o f en l ightening it ; He flas h es H is great

and wonderful lig h t be fore its eyes ; and yet it
does not recognize t h e l ig h t but runs a fter ,

darkness Just see h ow wicked it would be to

.

fo l lo w t h e world and to let ourse l ves be fascin

,

ated by its caresses and its poisoned ch arms .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A NN 1 77

I beg your pardon for speaking to you in

suc h a way but I fear lest you be seduced by it s
,

fa l se attractions I scarcely know upon what

.

I base my appre h ensions but I must con fess ,

t h at I am a litt l e worried You will not love its .

vices in t h e beginning nor will you be induced,

by anyt h ing in t h e world to wis h to s h are in .

t h em You would only enj oy t h e pleasures t h at

.

you consider inn ocent ; but even t h ese on a c ,

count o f t h eir consequences are not always

h arm l ess ; t h ey o ften taint t h e sou l wit h a cer
tain cowardice and beget an indi fference for a l l
,
'

t h ings supernatura l Th ey excite your pas

.

sions and entice you to de l iver yourse l f up to

t h em ; t h ey p l unge you into discouragement ,

and l eave your sou l void o f God and o f His

grace I f you h ave once abandoned yourse l f
.

to t h ese pleasures and to t h e associations o f t h e

wor l d you wil l soon acquire a taste for t h em
,
.

T h e passions w h ic h are very strong in you

, ,

wi ll blind you and wi ll prevent you from seeing

,

w h at t h e goodness of God demands o f you in

your inmost h eart and w h at great advantage
,

t h ere is in serving God T h is once a cco m .

p l i s he d your
,
loss is certain ; b ut I h ope t h at
suc h a t h ing wi l l never h appen .

Be o f good courage t h ere fore and fig h t my

, , ,

very dear friend ; you may per h aps h ave less , ,

p l easure and satis faction for t h e moment but ,

y o u wi l l h ave infinite l y more o f it even in t h is ,

1 7 8 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF THE

w orld although s o far O ur L ord h a s not

, , ,

s h own H imsel f in all Hi s sple ndor and H is

glory to the sensible eye o f your h eart Be .

fait h ful and H e w ill not fail to c ome to you

,

with all H is ric h es and His beauty But a b o ve .

,

all yo ur su fferings and your sorro ws are writ

,

ten I n t h e book o f eternal li fe ; a syllable s h all

not be erased from t h is book be fore God h as
given you j oy and happines s not a hundred ,

fold but un to infinity Adieu my very dear

,
.
,

friend I em b race you most cordially in t h e most

,

holy charity o f J esus and Mary .

LE TT E R XX XI II .

To A D I REC T O R O F A SE M I N A RY .

N ews a b o ut hi s tr i p to I l k i r ch — D e ta i s l l
r e a ti n g to

the co n v er s i o n o f o n e o f hi s b r o the r s .

I l ki r c h ,
August 2 8 th, 1 8 36 .

M Y D EA R SI R
It is about time that I fulfil my duty and ,

keep my promise to w rite to you I should .

h ave done so and indeed wi shed to do s o s ome

,

time ago but I pre ferred to wait a little, so that

I mig h t be able to give you some additional
news in case God ha d pleased to grant my w ish
wit h regard to the conversio n o f one o f my s i s
1 80 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

virtue he ran the risk o f being lost and t h at

, ,

God does not take into account for eternal li fe ,

tho s e v i r tu es w h ich are not founded on fait h

=
.

He w as deep l y touched by our words and hi s ,

reasoning pride was very much humb led H e .

promised me that he would be instructed in the

Christian religion ; that he would read some
“
books and then said to me : I shall read them
,

simply not examining t h e things that I read

, ,

lest my incredulity gain the u pper hand ; I s hall

delay my examination unti l I find someb ody
capable o f g i v i ng me s olid explanations and o f
”
solving my di fficultie s These di s po s ition s
“

appear very good to me I le ft him thoroughly .

decided to become a Chri s tian H e i s impa .

ti en tly a w aiting t h e moment when he may leave

his business in order to go to P aris for the pur
,
.

pose O f b eing thoroughly instructed b ecau s e ,

this i s almost impossi b le here I w ent last week .

to see a s ister who is married to a Je w and I , ,

found no hope o f conversion I was very much .

g rieved b ecause ,
this poor un fortunate girl
could have b ecome a very good Christian ; but
once again may the mo s t holy w ill o f God b e
,

done !
I have received no ne ws from M r N . .

Would you have the kindness to speak o f it

to M r P and present to him my sincerest r e
. .
,

gards I have written to M r N to fi nd out

. . .

w hat I should do ; on hi s an sw er depend s

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 1 81

w h et h er I s h all leave for N ancy or P aris I .

s h all see two more J ewis h relatives on my w ay ;

this wil l take me about two days .

I have j ust received a l etter from my dear

M D I am delighted wit h it ; I hope God wi ll
. .

strengt h en h im to accomp l ish t h e good p l ans

wit h w h ic h He h as inspired h im I do not give .

you my address because I t h ink it is s carcely

,

wort h w h i l e and besides you h ave doubtlessly

, , ,

somet h ing els e to do t h an to write letters to a

wretc h ed man .

I embrace you wit h all my h eart in t h e mo s t

h oly c h arity o f J esus and Mary .

YOU R V ERY H U M B L E S ERVA N T .

LE TT E R XXXI V

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

S lf
e t -
r e s r a i n t, v yp
a er o w er f ul help t bto o a in i n te r i o r
l i f T hi i
e —
s i
n te r o r li f t e o be so ught w i th en er gy by,

t ki g J
a n u es s for m d l o e .

Ilk i r c h ,
September 4 , 1 8 36
th .

MY V ERY D EA R F RI EN D :
May t h e peace o f our L ord J esus Christ be
wit h you and may His love grow unceasing l y
,

in your sou l ! I did not remember t h e advice

t h at I h ad given you and ab out whi c h you ,
1 82 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

speak to me : that you must restrain yoursel f ,

and that you have not h ing else to do during

vacation b ut I find that you are right in pay
ing c lose attention to it T h e principle appear s
.

to me extrem ely im p ortant at all times for all

w h o wish to lead a truly interior li fe and one
w h olly in God We cannot succeed in uproo t
.

ing all ou r natural inclinations and de s ire s w ith

one s ingle e ffort We must aim at t h is w it h all
.

our strength and propo s e nothing les s t h an

,

t h e complete destruction o f every species o f nat

ural desire We must take the s tr o n ges t and
.

the most comprehensive resolution s o n thi s

point ardently desiring b e fore God the death
,

and entire destruction o f all natural li fe and ,

tending in everything to b e united w ith God ,

and to live only O f H i s li fe In thi s manner .

,

all our a ffections all o u r action s all o u r de

, ,

sire s and all our thoughts w ill tend to take u s

, ,

away from creatures and unite u s to God alon e .

Thi s i s the only re s olution w orthy o f u s and ,

the only obj e c t o f our s oul in its whole s uper

natural li fe .

But a s long as w e have not s u c ceeded in com

p l e te l y vanquishing our fl esh w it h all it s po w
ers it will continue to molest us w ith its ignob le
,

a ff ections its vain desire s and it s levity It

, ,
.

will always try to fil l and permeate our s en s e s

wit h the m; and t h rough their instr umentality ,

l
a l these a b ominations w ill a ff ect o u r inner
18
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

W h at a treasure t h is interior li fe is ! What

happiness not only in its possession but al s o
, ,

in working at its acquis ition ! But we mu s t a c t

ear nestly and not go at it in a h al f h earted w ay
,
-

O ur kind L ord J esus accompanies us support s ,

us L et us keep H im constantly in V ie w and

.
,

consider him unceasingly in all t h e cir c um

stances O f H is li fe We al w ays find H im in a
.

state o f adoration love humiliation and union

, , ,

wit h H i s h eavenly F at h er It could not b e .

ot h erwi se for H im ; but we poor wretc h es can , ,

not take a step without its being di sputed for ,

our enemy i s wit h in our soul .

L et us not be di scouraged on this account ;

our w ell b eloved and all powerful J esus will be
— -

ever w ith us ; and i f He fights for us w ho can ,

do us any h arm ? He is not only w ith u s but ,

He d w ell s within our soul We must there .

,

fore retire into H is presence and look upon

, ,

H im w ith a spirit o f meekness humility a n , ,

n i hi l a ti o n and love for the purpose o f asking

, ,

Him to draw u s ful l y to H imsel f to preserve ,

us from bei ng corrupted by the impurity o f o u r

wretc h ed flesh and from abandoning H im

.

throug h t h e levity o f our nature .

I am well aware t h at I am w riting a s ome

what mystic letter ; but it is written and it w ill ,

have to go I woul d on l y add t h at it i s very

.

necessary for you to be an interior man and to ,

aim at the mo s t perfect s el f denial in all thing s -

,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A N N 1 85

because i f you do not constantly endeavor to b e

come a saint o f t h e first order you will remain ,

a very poor w retch indeed Your c haracter .

and natu ra l disposition incline y o u dire c tly to

wards relaxation and t h at kind of nonchalance
and indi ff erence which w ould infallibly render
you one O f the priests o f the co mm on o f the
s a i n ts—
a man who might fulfill the b ulk o f hi s

duty b ut who w ould love eart h ly j oy s and

,

w ould try to sati s fy himsel f b y leading in the

, ,

eyes o f God a natural and indi ff erent li fe F or

, .

this reason you must keep your s el f firmly united

to O ur I D r d w h o i s in your soul Be an i n .

te r i o r man a man o f God and His grace w ill

, ,

rain down upon you ; you w ill run no further

risks on account o f your flesh You are s till .

tortured a little ; later on when you h ave con

,

quered yoursel f you s h all be above everything

, ,

and your en em v ca n no longer attack you at his

plea s ure .

I h ope to meet you next year fu l l o f li fe a n d

o f love : n o t fu l l o f li fe and t h e love o f creatures ,

but o f t h e h oly li fe and t h e h eavenly love o f

J esus and o f Mary I real l y think t h at you
.

h ave worked a l ittle in t h is direction in t h e past ;

but you cannot doubt t h at a great deal is still
wanting in you because you have not labored
,

vigorously enoug h I h ope t h at God will

.

ac h ieve during t h is last year w h at He h as b e

,

gun wit h so muc h kindness and mercy May .

1 86 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

H i s mo s t holy name be forever blessed praised ,

and adored !
We be l ong to God and to Mary I e m brace .

you in thei r most holy c h arity .

YO U R B RO T H ER .

LE TT E R X XX V .

TO A SEM I N A RI A N .

The g t
si h of o ur mi i
s er e sN tu l d
—
a ra e s i r es —
Chi ld
i s hn e s s .

M a y the di v i n e w i ll be o ur r u le in a ll thi n gs !

I lki r c h, September th
7 , 1 836 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER :
I h ave some good new s to tell you God .

seems to be willing to s h ed Hi s blessings upon

us and we h ave only to bless and to p raise Him
,

for H is kindnes s and H is grace s w h ich He

gives us for really He mani fests a special pre
,

dilection toward us H o w muc h t h erefore

.
, ,

shou l d we not endeavor to be fait h ful to His

love ! I h ave h ad new s from I ssy ; eve ry t h ing
is going on splendidly O ur bret h ren at first .

encountered some di fficulty in getting w h at

they wis h ed for t h e greater g l ory o f God ; but
it appears t h at P P f to o k a h and in it and they
.
,

c an do now what t h ey please The di ffi c ultie s .

1 88 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

them and He i s largely the Master o f their

,

s oul s I have al s o heard o f M C who per

. . .
,

s ev er es in the b est o f di sposition s I expect to .

see him at the s eminary next w eek ; he i s to

come to pa s s the octave there Messr s N and . . .

N are s tead fast at their po s t firmly resolved to

.
,

deny themselve s in everything and to unite ,

them s elves w ith God in H is pea c e and in H is

holy love M D is charming ; he encourage s
. . .

everyb ody H e has w ritten to several and h i s

.
,

letter s have rene w ed their desire o f loving Go d

'

alone I n the o n e that he addre ss ed to me he

.
,

reveals the ni o s t per fect di s position s a n ardent —

de s ire to live for God alone to l eave everything , ,

and to keep himsel f in per fect peace be fore God .

He al s o s peaks to me in very live l y terms of the

charity and the union whi c h he desires that w e
should entertain for each other I w a s very .

much c onsoled to s ee that h e has made great

progre s s even during va c ation M N h a s s ent . . .

me very co n f o r ti n g ne ws ab out all t h e b reth

ren at Amien s P ray for all o f them espe c ially
.
,

for M D to the end that he may per s evere

. .
,
.

M L i s cured and that i s all I c an tell y o u

. .
,

about him I have al s o b een in formed t h at he

.

is always absolutely in t h e same de s ires and di s

po s ition s .

N o w let u s come to your own a ff air s I h ave .

noti c ed in your letter t h at you c ontinue to be

grieved on s eeing your s el f s o void o f Go d and
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A N N 18
9

so full o f miseries ; but I I am glad o f it There

,
.

are many ot h ers w h o h ave not t h is happine s s ,

and w ho would make much greater progre ss i f

t h ey w ere blessed w ith similar knowledge .

Try to profit by it not for the purpose o f tr o ub

,

ling yoursel f ! whic h I do not t h ink that you

do ! nor even for t h e purpose o f cau s ing your
,

sel f t h at kind o f pain wh ic h i s not in God and ,

w h ich does not raise you to Him becau s e i t ,

proceeds from nature It is not a loving sorro w

.

of humi l iation and anni h i l ation be fore God .

but a c ha grin o f se n sibility and s adness that

brings us back to ourselves Yo u mu s t avoid .

t h is I know t h at it is one o f yo ur great

.

temptations perhaps t h e greatest and mo s t dan

,

gerons one because it h olds your soul in c h eck

,

and hinders it from profiting by its miserie s .

and from uniting itsel f wit h God in t h e union

o f love and p eace .

F or t h is reason every time t h at you are

,

pained by a consciousness o f your miseries a n d .

your weaknesses consider such pain from the

'

very start as a temptation raise your s oul to ,

Go d h umble yoursel f before Him and ac c ept

, ,

your poverty Submit yoursel f fully and lov

.

i n gly to t h e most h oly w ill o f God w ho w is h e s ,

to tarry aw h i l e be fore admitting you int o H i s

full and only l ove You must s ub s equ c ml v en
.

de a v o r even to use t h is pain in order to go to

God and to unite yourse l f wit h Him DO not
,
.
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

w o r ry i f t h e remains ; look upon it as a

so ro w

cross that you must carry w ith love I f y o u .

act t h us I expect t h at by the mercy o f God it

, , ,

will prove o f great advantage to your sp i ritua l

advancement DO n o t fear for t h e co n s e .

q u e n c e s , but abandon yourse l f fully into the

h ands o f God We h ave only to seek to be .
,

agreeable to Him in everyt h ing He w ill do .

what seems good to H im for He is t h e Master ,

.

But w e can and we must count upon Hi s , ,

mercy w h ic h is infinitely superior to our mal

,

ice althoug h t h e latter be very great

, .

I believe t h at you s h ould not worry about

natural desires ; we oug h t to know what w e are
able to do O u r un fortunate and wicked fles h
.

is always with us : w h y s h ou l d we wis h not to

feel its s ting ? Would it be better for t h at ?
N o let us not fear it ; t h e L o rd will overcome
,

it It i s a matter o f great trouble and o f great

.

labor for us to be t h us continually exposed to

warfare and to t h e danger o f fa l ling But who .

are we t h at we s h ould wish to be quiet ? L et -

us combat let us w ork never growing discour

, ,

aged a t t h e sig h t o f our constant pains and a n

guis h O ur L ord will conquer t h oug h we shall
.

su ffer T h i s must be our j oy But you will

. .
,

tell me I do not k n ow in w hat state I am

, ,

whether I h ave conquered or succumbed S o .

much the better We s h all not be appointed .

t h e j udges o f t h e living and t h e dead H e w h o

1
9 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

I emb ra c e y o u my very dear friend , . Em

ti r ely yours in Je s u s and Mary .

LETTERl XXX V I .

T O A SEM I N A RI AN .

A d v a n ta g es Of the t d i c ti o
co n ra ns and t he c o n te m pt
of m en —
How to p o fi t b y t he m
r .

I ss y Septem b er
,
2 I s t, 1 8 36 .

M ay Go d pre s erve you my very dear b rother , ,

i n H i s pea c e and most h oly love ! Yo u mu s t

c onsider me a very guilt y wretch for having r e
ce i v e d your two letters and not having a n
s w er e d a single one o f them It is unpardon .

ab le . But no matter ; provided you

love God and I also w e can b ot h o f us b e
, ,

satisfied I S hould have b een very glad to s ee

.

you at I ssy O ne o f the rea s ons w h y I ha s tened

.

to leave Strasburg w a s t h at I mi ght c ome in

time ; Go d did not w ish it M ay H is holy name .

be blessed !
It appears t h at God i s pleased to try you a
little ; so much the better M ay H is h oly name .

be bles s ed again ! We must heartily rej oice at

this I am not a w are o f the nature o f the pain
.

that you are su ff ering ; but w hatever it b e a s ,

long a s you do not o ffend God w e have every ,

 VENER A B LE L I B E RM A N N

reason to rej oice It is astonis h ing t h at God

.

be s tows t h is grace upon you you wh o are but —

j ust beginning to serve him Take care not to

p ride yoursel f on this great favor En

dea v o r to profit by i t N ot h ing e qually w ith

.

contradiction can form our so ul to perfect sel f

denial in all t h ings to the love o f God and to
, ,

per fe c t union I h ope that the Ble ss ed V irgin

.

wil l not allo w you to neglect suc h b eauti ful o p

p o r tu n i ti e s for your s a n c tifi ca t i o n .

O nly beware t h at t h e di fficulties and the c on

tr a di c ti o n s w h ic h men oblige you to experience ,

do not make you too serious c h agrined h ar sh , , ,

indi ff erent toward your neighbor sti ff in your ,

speech and your manners tenacious o f your ,

opinion or au s tere of c h aracter O n t h e c on

, .

tr a r y they s hould render you humble before

,

God and meek to w ard s yoursel f and to w ards

,

men When you find that your heart i s o p

.

pressed bear suc h oppression wit h love and pro

,

found humiliation be fore God K eep y o u r sel f

'

simp l y in His presence in t h is state o f laceration

or o f any other kind o f pain that may fall to
your s h are and cast upon Him a simple look o f
,

meekness o f peace and tenderne s s All this

, ,
.

you mu s t do in t h e most pro found h umi l iation

o f your soul and w ith a great and peace ful de
,

sire to be ever more closely united to H im and ,

to dra w from that union all j oy a l l h appine s s , ,

all love and all light

, .
 94 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

I f men despise neglect and humble you it i s , , ,

t h e greatest happiness that could be fal l you .

Make these humiliations and contempt serve

you as a nouri s h ment o f suavity and love be fore
God F i l l your soul wit h it and God w ill sate
'

.
,

o u w ith H is love and will clot h e you wit h His

y ,

sanctity I embrace you w it h all my heart my

.
,

very dear brother and am h appy to see you ,

h umiliated despised and contradicted by creat

, ,

ures ; for God wi ll repose in you place you on ,

H i s b osom and make o f you an obj ect o f His

,

particular love Console yoursel f t h ere fore

.
, ,

and bravely support these little miseries whic h

God deigns to send you Be ardently d es i rous .

o f outrage and contempt and God will sate you ,

with j ustice love and h oliness I f men despise

,
.

you i f t h ey are indi f ferent to w ards you retire

, ,

within yoursel f ; h old yours el f in s till greater

contempt and in greater abj ection before God ,

in w h om alone s h ould be a l l your j o y all you r ,

h ope all your happiness all your love all your

, , ,

greatness all your glory and a l l your light

, ,
.

W h at need h ave you o f anything else i f you a re ,

wit h H im and i f you h ave no li fe but in Him

,

and t h rough H im ? May t h e eart h and all its

desire s pe ris h but let God alone wit h H is love
,

live and reign in you !

O f w hatsoever nature may be the pains and
contradictions t h at you experien ce keep your ,

sel f always i h peace be fore God and in God ;

1
9 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

from troub le I hope that you will con s tantly

.

grow in the renunciation o f s el f and o f every

creature for the love o f God alone .

I embra c e you in the c harity all holy all pure , ,

all s w eet all mild and all pea c e ful o f Je s u s and

, , ,

M ary .

YOU R H U M B LE B RO T H ER A N D S ERVANT .

LE TT E R XX X V I I .

TO HIS B RO T H ER A ND H I S

SI S T ER I N L A W
- -

I n te r i e w w i th v a J ewi s h ha lf -

s i s te r .
—
He d f d
e en s

hi m s e lf g a ains t t he ca lu m ni es th t a we r e s prea d g i t
a a ns

hi m .
—
V f
a i n e f o r ts to co n v t er hi s s i s te r .

Issy Septem b er
,
2 3 r d, 1 8 3 6 .

V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER A ND S I S T ER :
It i s a b out time that I should sen d you some
news O therw i s e you may think that I died
.

on my way hither N o rest assured ; God did .

,

not w ant me yet : I arrived here in very good

health .

I stayed at Saverne Sunday and Monday I .

used the means s uggested to me to see Sara ,

and they succeeded perfectly U nder the di r ec .

tion o f the parish prie st a kind person sent w or d ,

to poor Sara that s he had something to tell he r ,

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E R MA N N I
97

and that it was pres s ing The poor girl imme .

~

d i a te ly suspected w h at it was on ac c ount o f the ,

letter that s h e h ad received t h e week be fore from

t h e Rabbi Isaac He told the family that h e
.

would come to pass a f ew days w it h them and ,

that he had something very sad and very a ffli ct

ing to tell them He would have liked he .
,

added to te l l t h em t h ere and t h en but he did

, ,

not dare Sara guessed what it was and ex

.
,

p ec te d to be called some day to see either N or .

me S h e did not fail to come at t h e appointed

.

h our ; and I on my side had already betaken

, ,

myse l f to t h e p l ace decided upon I wore my .

cassock because my trunk was sti l l at the s tage

,

o ffice and I cou l d not get it as the day w as

,

Sunday .

O n entering she cast a slight look upon me

, .

but did not recognize me at first At t h e time .

there w a s a stranger in the room speaking with

the person who had sent for Sara I was very .

muc h embarrassed because I feared some out

burst as happened in fact Sara turned agai n
, .

towards me and looked at me fixedly for sev

,

eral moments I wi s h ed to turn aside s o tha t

.

s h e could not see me until the stranger had

'

gone but it was too late She recognized me .

,

t h rew herse l f on a chair t h at w as fortunately

c l ose by and h id h er h ead between h er
,

h ands A l l t h i s w a s accompanied with a cry

.

of surprise and of apparent terror The mi s .

1 98 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

tre s s o f the house upon noticin gthis movem en t

, ,

quietly sent o ff the man w h o was speaking wit h

h er and le ft us alone T h en Sara w eeping
, .
, ,

t h rew h er arms around my neck and said to ,

“
me in a heart rending tone :
—
O h ! I am so
unhappy ! I answered h er t h at I knew very
w ell w hat s h e meant and that s he could coun t
,

on all o f us ; t h at we a l l loved h er as much a s

we loved C ; t h at we were very muc h gr i eved
.

to be separ ated from them and that we would,

always be ready to h e l p h er in case o f need .

T h e po or girl wept nearly the w h ole time tha t

I was wit h h er S h e spoke to me about N
. .
,

w h o treats her with a great dea l o f h aug h tiness

and in an unworthy manner In consequence .
,

s h e does not love h im as s h e loves us and t h at ,

i s w h at makes h er unhappy S h e is separated .

from a ll t h ose w h om s h e l o v e s and s h e I S with ,

t h e one w h om she does not l ove at all and who ,

treats her worse t h an i f S he were a s ef v a n t .

I s h owed h er h er brot h er s letter S h e wept

’
.

again I n order to turn aside h er sad t h ou g h ts

.
,

I asked h er some j oking questions about J acob

and I saac ; this c h eered her up a l ittle W h en .

I S h owed h er t h e letter from our dear A s h e .

,

wept so muc h t h at I cou l d not finish reading it

t h e first day I nevert h eless made use o f t h e
.

occasion to speak to h er about religion T h is .

I did in consequence o f t h e ca l umnies t h at t h e

Rabbi I saa c is spreading against me I told h er .
2 00 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

not wish it at fi r s t ; I sa w through the rea s on ,

and I promised her that I w ould never s peak

about religion in my corre s pondence S he a c .

cepte d my o ff er on this condition and a s ked me ,

for my first letter for the feast o f Tabernacles .

Thus I le ft h er without having Obtained any ,

t h ing positive though with hopes for t h e future

,
.

Here is a summary o f what I think a b out this

poor girl T h e mis fortune o f b eing in darkne s s
.

renders her very interesting She ha s a very

'

sensib l e heart and would make a good Chri s

,

tian S h e loves us very much She i s still very

. .

far from t h e Christian religion b ut s he gives ,

great h ope s for the future All n o w depends .

upon Go d L et us pray a nd perhap s H e will

.
,

save h er I f she h ad more intercour s e w ith

.

C h ri stians especia l ly good C h ristians and less

, ,

w ith the Je w s her prej udices would gradually

,

di sappear L et us leave her entirely in the hands

.

o f God I f an occasion o ffers show her a great

.
,

deal o f a ff ection and render her all the service s

,

t h at you are able I assured h er that you loved .

her very muc h and that you we re specially i n

,

te r es te d in her As for the rest she i s un favor

.
,

ably a ff ected by t h e reading o f a great many

novel s I have u rged her to give up such bad
.

reading ; she has promised to do so .

Adieu I must leave you so that F and hi s

.
,
.

wi fe may also w rite a fe w w ords L et us love .

Je s u s and Mary and al w ay s pray for ea c h ,

 VE N E R A B LE L I B E RM A NN 1

ot h er my dear sister i n la w You w ill pray f o r

,
- -

me I promise you that I shall not forget you

. .

YOU R D EVO T ED B RO T H ER I N J ES U S A N D M A RY .

P S. D o not forget me when you see M r

.
—
.

and Mme H T h ey showed me so many

.

acts o f friendship that I sha l l never forget them .

I recommend mysel f to t h eir prayers P resent .

my respects to t h e Rev P astor and his a s si s tant.

for all their kindness to w ards me I shall a l .

ways b e infi nitely grateful to them F and E . . .

s h ould not get angry because I did not w rite

specia l ly to each one of them When they gro w .

older and are able to read my letters and write

to me I will not fail to write to them They
, .

must be good and love each ot h er with their

,

w h o l e h eart They s h ould never speak ill o f

.

each other Tell them that I love them very

.

mu ch May God protect you all and make all

.
,

your children perfect C h ristians !

 2 02 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R XXX V I II .

TO A SE M I NA RI A N .

The ho ly an g l e s as mo d l
e s o f t he li f e o f u n io n w i th
Go d .

I ss y Septemb er
, 2 8 th, 1 8 36 .

V ERY D EAR B RO T H ER
I am going to b e more pr o m pt thi s time : I .

have s carcely re c eived your letter and already I ,

answer it .

You should b e heartily glad b e c ause God ha s

deigned to in s pire you with devotion to the holy
angel s It s eems to me that these b lessed s pirit s
.

are great model s for us They are worthy o f .

our admiration on account o f the great things

which God is pleased to Operate in them ; w orthy
o f o u r tenderness b ecau s e o f all the b eauty and
the s uavity that H e ha s given them ; w orthy o f
o u r re s pe c t b e c ause w e s ee the po w er and the
,

light o f God s hining forth in them in an extra

ordinary manner In Heb re w this w ord a n gel
.

s ignifie s s en t The angel s are c on s tantly the

.

executor s o f the holy w ill o f God and this holy ,

w ill reigns uninterruptedly in them All the .

fa c ultie s o f their being are c on s tantly applied

to God and pe rmanently disposed to be faith ful
,

to H i s holy w ill w hi ch God imprint s o n th em

,

b y H i s gra c e A s s oon a s an all hol y im p r ess i on

.
20
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

who dwelt per fectly in them and made t h em

triump h over the apostates ? Besides it is n eces ,

sary for us to imitate t h em since holy Scripture ,

calls t h e prie s ts the a ngels o f the L o r d o f H os ts .

This passage stru c k me to day during t h e read

'

ing at table We must be angels o f purity h oli

.
,

ne ss simplici ty and abandonment to Go d ; all

, ,

these Virtue s must be confirmed in our s oul s ,

since Go d dwells in us j ust as He dwells in the

,

angels In speaking o f the ange l w h o w a s des

.

tined to guide the I sraelite s into the H oly L and ,

God said to Moses that H e recommended to

t h em fidelity and t h e observance O f Hi s will ,

fo r H e added M y n a me i s i n hi m
“
,
Well ! .

t h e h oly name o f God ; that is H is power and ,

H is grace resides in us as well as in t h e h oly

,

angel H e does not dwe l l there j ust as per

.

f ec tly because we are neit h er pure enoug h nor

,

h o l y enou gh for t h at ; but l et us be more fait h ful

and He will d w ell t h ere more nobl y and more
abundant l y .

Anot h er thing that strikes me in t h e h oly

angel s i s t h at t h ere are always seven o f them
,

before the face o f God How blessed t h ese .

privileged angels are to receive t h e lig h t and

,

t h e perfe c tions o f t h e Divinity more intimately

and more direct l y t h an t h e ot h ers ! H ow pure
they mu s t be in order to remain constantly b e
fore t h e adorab l e face O f God ! How this per
feet sight must keep them elevated and in a dm i r
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R IVIA NN 2 05

ation ! ho w t h ey must be penetrated w it h t h eir

not h ingness t h eir misery w h en t h ey be h old so
, ,

muc h beauty and so muc h grandeur ! It is t h is

union and t h is V iew O f God t h at we must desire ;
t h ere is no h o l iness outside o f it W h en we .

lose sig h t o f t h is union we come b ack to eart h ; ,

w h en we turn our l ook away from God we ,

immediately bring it back on ourse l ves Ther e .

i s n o thi n g s o i m po r ta n t f o r o u r s a n c ti fi ca ti o n as
thi s l i f e o f r ec o l l ec ti o n a n d o f u n i on wi th Go d . .

A l l t h e virtues t h at we ha Ve to acquire are i m

possib l e outside o f t h at l i fe and we can rea l ly ,

acquire t h em on l y in God a l one A l l t h at i s not .

drawn from t h i s on l y source o f purity and sanc

tity is o f no value I h ave never seen true .

knowledge or so l id Vi rtue in a man w h o did

not aim at thi s l i fe o f u n i o n a n d i n ter i or r ec o l
l e c ti o n w i th Go d .

You ask me h ow to acquire it You kno w .

very we ll L ay down as your first principle

.
, ,

t h e firm sincere and on l y desire o f per fect and

, ,

universa l denia l o f se l f and o f al l t h ings .

W h en t h is reso l ution is once taken and fo l ,

lowed out in practice t h ere are only two t h ings ,

to be done T h e first is to tend towards God in

.

a ll your a ffections in a l l t h e desires and move

,

ments o f your sou l but wit h great peace wit h

, ,

meekness wit h abandonment o f sou l worry

, ,

ing about not h ing n ever giving yourse l f over

,

to the sti ffness or vivacity o f your c h aracter ,

2 06 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

or letting yoursel f be troubled by any event

w hat s oever You understand me I suppose
.
,
.

I mean t h at in all your t h oug h t s all your a c ,

tion s either interior or exterior and in al l t h e

, ,

movements o f your soul you must ta k e t h e ,

habit o f dire c ting yoursel f to w ards God in

your innermo s t being and that in a pea c e ful ,

manner as I have j u s t t o ld you

,
.

We must take care not to make any sensible

e ffort in this direction ; becau s e in t h e first ,

pla c e t h i s union does not reside in t h e senses ;

,

and further we would not be a b le to acquire

, ,

it b y our e fforts ; God alone can give it to us .

All t h at w e can do is to desire it and to dispose ,

our s elves to r eceive it God gi v es u s a great .

grace by implanting in us t h i s desire and this

di s position All must be suave peace ful and
.
, ,

mild .

The second t h ing w hic h must be done and ,

which i s nece s sary to the first i s t h at w e mod ,

e r a te our a f fections and our desire s in every

t h ing I f we let them obtain their full vivacity

.

and ardor w e shall never succeed in estab l is h

,

ing ourselves in t h is li fe o f union and interior

recollection We must t h ere fore moderate
.
, ,

them and that s o lely wit h a V iew to be united

,

wit h God alone towards whom we must tend ,

in all things .

We b elong to Je s us and to Mary my kind ,

and very dear brother I embrace y o u in their .

m o s t hn l d lo i
a n ha r i t v n g c
2 08 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

or in a w holly co rrupt man Rai s e y our .

heart s to God and expect everything from ,

H i m These papers c an be o f use to you as a

.

topic o f c onversation ; they will be like a s eed

planted in your sou l s w hich God c an cause to ,

fructi fy i f it so p leases H im But i f such i s .

not H i s w ill these conversation s w ill only

,

s erve to pu ff up your hearts You and all .

those w ho are wit h you must pay attention to

this A l w ay s reduce things to practice and
.
,

never remain in s p ecu l ation T h ese conver s a .

tions must render you meek humble and per , ,

f ec tly plea s ing to God T h ey must inspire you .

w it h a great desire to deny your s el f i n every

thing and to live only for God alone It must
, .

b e your endeavor to come out o f t h ese conver

s a ti o n s possessing your souls in peace and
,

calm and your imaginat i ons free from exalta

,

tion All your int erior faculties must be ear

.

n es tl
y applied to God and your h earts must
,
be
filled wit h H im .

I advise you not to admit many into your

bands i f you w is h to ad h ere to the contents O f
,

t h e l ittle notes t h at were given to you a s I am ,

told There are few peop l e who kno w h o w to

.

s eize upon and taste t h e t h ings o f God in the

perfe c tion o f total sel f denia l A nd t h o s e who -

do not understand t h em or h ave not t h e cour ,

age to fo l l o w wh at t h ey see wi l l speak ill about ,

t h e matter will cavil at everyt h ing will dis

, ,
 VENE R A B L E L IB E RMA NN 20
9

pute sometimes and t h ere is nothing w orse

,
'

t h an discussion in suc h t h ings E veryt h ing .

must be done in a spirit of pea c e and meeknes s .

I f anybody says anyt h ing t h at is not exact you ,

shou l d not contradict him but pa ss it over and ,

it will be o f no consequence Everybody .

s h ould contribute i n some measure to render

t h ese c onversations fervent by making his r e
fl ecti o n s wit h out embarrassme nt and in a man
ner suite d to t h e subj ect But pea c e and h ar .

mony are necessary for t h is purpose It w ould .

be advisab l e for you not to stray away from

t h e subj e c t I f anybody h as departed from
.

t h e subj ect you may l et h im finish w h at h e h a s

,

to say and then come back to the point that

,

you h ad reached before t h e digression All .

t h is s h ould be done in peace and meekne ss .

God must be in your gathering and in your ,

souls ; but He will not be there i f neit h er pea c e ,

nor meekness nor c h arity is in you and among

,

you I f you wish to h ave t h is peace you must

.
,

be pe rfe c tly united among yourselves w ith a

union all pure all holy and full o f benevolen c e
, ,
.

You S h ould mutual l y love each o th er as J esus ,

and Mary love you with a very strong and

!

supernatural love and w h olly in God

,
.

B e w are o f natural a ffection : it i s a cancer

that consume s your ch arity even unto t h e ruin
o f your soul I f t h i s natural a ffection gains a
.

foo thold among you your c h arity can no ,

 IO S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

longer exi s t E verything in y o u and among

.

y o u mu s t b e founded o n per fe c t s el f denial ;

-

there mu s t b e n o s el f seeking o r de s ire o f s el f —

s ati s fa c ti o n Be holy a s Je s u s your well be

.
,
-

loved F ather i s holy and love ea c h other a s

, ,

Je s u s love s y o u This pure and c ele s tial char .

ity reign s among the angels and s a int s in

H eaven It i s s tronger aye infinitely s tronger
.
,

and more deli c i ou s than the dep aved enj oy r

ment s o f the fle s h Rememb er that I s peak o f .

s imple natural friend s hip I f you become

,
.

a w are that it i s a b out to mingle w ith your c har

ity do not worry a b out it and do not fail to go
, ,

w ith the b rother for w hom you fee l su c h an a f

f ecti o n ; b ut ke ep a guard over your interior ,

pray mu ch have an ardent desire o f loving God

,

alone Avoid only natural familiarities w ith

.

him and keep your i n ter i o r i n great reserve

,
'

ag ainst the enj oyment o f thi s a ffe c tion .

You mu s t avoid an ex c essive nat ural famil

i a r i ty among your s elve s Do not meet for i n .
,

stan c e to play o r to participate in natural en

, ,

j y
o m e n ts Your wh o le union mu s t b e in God
.

and in t h e thing s o f God ; and the familiarity

t h at exi sts among y o u s h ould b e great and per
fe et b ut pure holy and entirely s u pernatural
, ,
.

I f you w i s h to posses s this great charity and

union you must be care ful to kno w w hom you
,

choo s e and al s o to limit their numb er Yo u

,
.

al w ays have the o ppo r tunity o f admitting

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

must b e o f a lighter nature than your o wn u n ,

le s s the s e pe r s on s are prepared to reli s h a

s tronger and more s olid c onver s ation B e .

sides I think that you should be prudent c on

,

c erning your a ffai rs and c onduct your s elve s in

'

s u c h a w a y that the other s eminarian s may not

b e c ome a c quainted w ith them They w ill i n .

deed s ee s o mething b ut they w ill not kno w

,

what it i s Yo u mu s t there fore thro w a veil

.
, ,

o f s e c re c y over w hat you do a nd never have ,

the appearan c e o f having any proj e c t on foot .

I b eg you and most earne s tly recommend to

you not to reveal at you r seminary w hat take s
place at St Sulpice b e c au s e all the w ork s o f
.
,

God mu s t b e done in secret ; other w i s e the ,

devil w ill inj ure them a s much a s h e can .

P rofit o f w hat M de B and M C h ave told

. . . .

y o,
u and keep it quiet .

Adieu my dear friend I em b race you w ith

,
.

all my heart in Jesus and Mary E ntirely .

your s .
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 2 13

LE TT E R X L .

To A SE M I N A RI A N 8 1 01: A T HOME .

The d g
an er s to w hi c h he i s e x po s e d
—
Ho w to a v id
o

t he m .

I ss y O ctob er
,
2 2 n d, 1 8 36 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
May t h e peace o f O ur L ord be w ith you !
Do not worry because I ha ve not w ritten to
you since you le ft I did not fail to think o f
.

you be fore God and to beg H im t h at He may

,

always preserve you in His peace and holy love .

T h is is the great and onl y desire that my heart

entertains for you I confess t h at your illne ss
.

cause s me great uneasiness You are sick in .

the midst o f the world c onsequently in a ho s

, ,

tile country Th ere i s per h aps nobody to r e

.

mind you O f t h o s e important and e s sential

truths which formed the constant to p i c of ou r
conver s ation when we were still surrounded by
our very dear and very fervent b rethren What .

will you be told from morning until night ?

This soup is very good ; you are beginning to

get better ; spring w ill see y o ur health entirely
restored ; this medicine has had a good eff ect ,

and a hundred thou s and similar pretty thing s .

Those w ho surround you will even do every

thing they can to prevent y o u from fulfi lling
21
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

your exercise s o f piety under the pretext that ,

they are inj uriou s They will try by every .

,

means in t h ei r po w er to make you dis si pated , ,

and forget the thought of God and the s an c ti

fi ca ti o n o f your s oul They will amu s e y o u .

with games ne ws and all kind s O f tr i fl es

, ,
.

Take c are and do not let your s el f b e t a k en b y

,

s urprise .

Avoid ho w ever an y kind O f s ti ffne ss ; f o r

, ,

t h i s would b e only another danger The .

fear of gro w ing indi fferent make s you run

'

the ri s k o f lo s ing that freedom O f mind w hich

i s so necessary to you It is for the purpose o f .

en c ouraging and s tren gthening you in the path

o f love for our good L ord Je s us that I w rite
these fe w words to you .

The first maxim that y o u mu s t put into pra e

tice i s tha t y o u m us t n ev er s eek y o ur s el f i n
—

a n y thi n g Abandon your s el f entirely into the

.

hands o f God Be ready to accept from H im

.

everything that H e deigns to s end y o u Yo u .

are nothing in your s el f and you po ss e ss noth ,

.

ing ; all that you have and all that you are b e , ,

longs to H im alone It i s H e who i s the sov .

e r e i gn ma s ter and s upreme di s pen s er o f it ;

and c onsequently he can dispose o f it at H i s

,

good plea s ure D o not there fore s eek the

.
, ,

s ati s faction o f relie f in anything Nev er the .

le ss you mu s t tak e a ll thing s that are n eces

,

s ary o r ev en u s e ful for your c om fort f o r s u c h ,

2 16 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

I do not wish to say any more o n thi s s u b

j c e t for fear o f tiring you I s hould like to .

kno w how you are b oth as to body and to s oul

, .

Try to write to m e or at least dictat e a short ,

letter to a c h ild o f seven years for instan c e , ,

w ho would be una b le to under s tand w hat y o u

say about spiritual matters .

I embrace you wit h all my h eart in the c har

ity o f Jesu s and Mary .

YOU R V ERY H U M B L E B RO T H ER A N D S ERVANT .

LE TT E R X L I .

TO TH E S AM E .

Joy at the a pp r o a c h of d th D
ea —
e t a c hm e n t, p ea ce

a n d co n fid e n ce .

I ssy N ovember
,
2 3 r d, 1 8 36 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER ‘

I did not re c eive an ans w er to my la s t l et

ter Your silence I take as a S ign o f s eriou s
.

illness b ut at the s ame time o f perfe c t ab an

, , ,

do n m en t to God w ho dwell s in your inmost

,

soul F or t h i s latter reason the spirit o f God

.
, .

however small it may be in me gladden s and ,

console s my soul He fills me at thi s moment

.

wit h a ffection and gratitude to w ard s o ur

heavenly love w ho reigns in H eaven ab ove in
,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A NN 21 7

the angels the saints and e s pec ially in the

, ,

B lessed V irgin our swe etest Mother

,
.

Ho w my heart yearn s to make you a S harer

I n t h i s love and this j oy ! I am al w ay s a fraid ,

my brot h er t h at t h e w orld will in some mea s

, ,

ure corrupt the great grace which O ur Lord

,

h as deigned to besto w upon you P re s erve thi s .

pre c ious treasure Do not let t h e flesh and the

.

thoughts o f t h e flesh w orry you You kno w .

very w ell that w h at comes f rom t h e flesh i s

fles h w h ile all t h at i s born o f t h e s pirit o f O ur
,

Lor d is l ove and love wholly pure and c elestial

,
.

Do not be a fraid t h ere fore o f being obliged

, ,

to part wit h t h is w orld w h ich is so full o f cor

ruption and h orror where w e love everyt h ing ,

e xcept our on l y l o ve our all lovable all admira ,

-

,
-

ble and all adorable J esus t h e well beloved o f

,
-

,
-

our h earts and the only j oy o f our souls

, .

My dear brot h er I embrace you most a ff ec ,

ti o n a tel y in t h is ine f fable and incomparable love .

L ove t h is dear and great love Sacrifice your .

sel f entirely for it L et not t h e li fe o f the flesh

.

be t h e obj ect o f your solicitude and t h e care

o f your soul No w ho w should we live o f the
.
,

love o f our most amia b le J esus ? Would you

wis h to make Him dwell in you in company
with fles h and blood ? N o such should not be ,

the case He w ould live and reign in you but

.
,

a l l alone a l l a l one May everyt h ing peris h and

,
.

be anni h ilat ed be fore H im ! M ay your man o f

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

fle s h decay and part from you pie c e meal ! So -

mu c h the better i f he does You do not need,

.

him to live ; his li fe i s naught but death ; b ut you

need essentially and solely our good and w ell
b eloved Je s u s L ive therefore in H im b ut
.
, , ,

in H i m alone .

E xpe c t nothing from the earth and think o f ,

nothing o n earth L et t hi s wretched earth .

perish so that you may at length b e free to l o ve

,

our only J esu s in peace and to live H is li fe ,

alone Think o f Heaven and o f the great

.
,

things that are being prepared for you there .

Con s ider for a moment ho w great you r j oy

ought to b e on leaving thi s earth of fi lth and
mire . What happiness already h ere upon
earth w hat j oy what love fo r a contemplative
, ,

s oul ! And yet the knowledge w hich it ha s is

,

very small It s union w it h God is poor i n

.

deed interrupted a s it i s at every moment b y

,

its imperfe c tions and its i n fi del i ti es But in .

,

Heaven w hat current s o f grace and o f li fe of

, ,

glory o f grandeur and o f love ! Make haste

, , ,

there fore and let not a single thought tarry on

,

thi s earth o f mi s ery .

Do not worry about the little faults that you

have committed during y o u r s i ck n es s ; a mo _

ment o f love o f renouncement o f every crea

,

ture and o f abandonment to Go d w ill e ff ace

, ,

everything .
2 20 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

desire o f it I have noti c ed thi s in a multitude

.

O f pers o n s .

It i s true that they are u s ually more faith ful

than you are and they go to w ork w ith j oy and
,

delight N everthele s s it o ften happens that

.
,

they are langui d f o r a long time either on a c ,

co unt o f the malice o f the devil w ho de c eive s ,

u s in one w ay or another in order to make u s

give up or on account o f natural w eakne ss and
,

negligence But God as a rule fi nally tri

.
, ,

ump h s in o u r s oul God i s not l ike men w ho

.
,

parade t h eir riche s but do not be s tow them o n

,

those to whom they S ho w them H e l i kes to .

S how Hi s treasures to those whom He w ishe s

to favor with H i s love but H e sho w s them to

us only for the purpose o f giving them to us .

Take c ourage t h ere fore and do not grow de

, ,

s po n den t over your pre s ent w eaknes s You .

have been un faith ful until no w Ask for the .

grace to b e more faith ful in the fu ture It is

t h e enemy w ho stops you with all kinds o f fear s
and h eartache s Why do you let him j eer at
.

you in suc h w ise ? P u t y our w hole trust in

God and trample this s c orpion under foot
,
.

God i s for you ; h o w can this Vile in s e c t hurt

you ? E levate your heart above creatures .

W h y should you al w ays pay attention to men ?

They are flies t h at buzz around your ear s And .

i s there any rea s on w hy you s h ould thro w your

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 221

s el f i n tOgreat trouble and labo r on a cc o unt of

buzzing flie s ?
I no w repeat the advice I already gave you .

You must go to con fe s sion to the Rev .

M N. . You s h all begin b y making a gen

eral confe s sion This point is o f the greatest i m
.

portance A fter t h is confession you will see

. .

ho w light your h eart is and w ith w hat ease you

,

c an make your ordinary confe s sion s You w ill .

a fter w ards approach the tribunal o f penance

every fortnig h t You might at first re c eive
.

Holy Communion once a month i f you are ,

a fraid o f receiving t h is great s acrament o ftener ;

but your desire w ill gradually increase T h e .

love o f O ur L ord will gro w in your soul and ,

then a fortnig h t wi l l appear very long to you .

You wi ll wis h to receive Holy Communion

o ftener ; you can easily do thi s t h en for your ,

soul will be purified more and more and you ,

w i ll fina l ly become a true Christian whose j oy ,

and true li fe are no longer upon eart h You .

w ill no longer l ive but o f t h e faith and the love

o f our L ord J esus C h rist w h o w ill be your ,

happine s s H e wil l t h us achieve your sancti

.

fi ca ti o n h ere below by Hi s love w h ich alone ,

will fil l your heart ; and a fterwards H e w ill be

, ,

your re w ard and t h e consummation o f your

holiness and o f your supreme h appiness .

Strengt h en your courage t h ere fore ; act V igor,

o usl
y As. soon as you h ave given t h e decisive
222 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

blow the devil who keeps you entan g

, ,
led in
his net will be obliged to leave you to hi s s ha m e
, ,

and con fusion ; and the grace o f our Divine

Saviour will triump h fully in your soul .

P a y attention to t h is al so L ook upon the .

H oly Ghost residing personally in your inmost

soul t h rough the power o f O ur Lord It is
, .

H e w ho urges you to give yoursel f entirely to

God H e i s willing to act but you bind H is
.
,

h ands by you r inde c isio n and your fears B e .

hold with what love H e urges you and you ,

impede H is actions ! Give H im lib erty and ,

you will perceive what great t h ings He will

operate in you .

You are a frai d o f approachi ng H oly Eu cha r

ist for fear o f pro faning it ; but w h y not take
measures in order to leave no room for such
fears ? Make t h e state o f your soul known to
an enlightened man and your fear will di s a p
,

pear O ur L ord comes to us w ith a spirit o f

.

love in t h is incomparable sacrament A l l is .

love t h erein ; then w h y fear ? I f y o u are

,

a fraid t h at your fait h is not strong e noug h go ,

t o Him and He wi l l forti fy it more a nd more

,
.

Keeping away from Him i s t h e surest me a ns

o f al w ays remaini n g weak and languishing .

J esus said t h at He is t h e way t h e truth and , ,

t h e li fe Try to wa l k in this way and you will

.
,

reach H is h eavenly F ather ; for it i s throug h

J es us o nly that w e ca n reach Go d the F ather ,
.
22
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

The de fect o f preparation and the w ant o f

method are the se c ond and third obs ta c le s .

I w ould s a y o n thi s s u b j e c t that meditation

i s c ompo s ed o f four p art s ; preparation en ,

tran c e the b ody o f the p rayer and the co n

, ,

e lu s ion .

The pr epa r a ti o n i s mani fold ; but the mo s t

.

important i s w ithout c ontradi c tion the di s tant

, ,

prepa ration which con s i s t s : F ir s tly in a great

, ,

purity o f heart ; that i s in freedom from every ,

mortal s in ! thi s i s a bs olutely ne c e s sary ! and ,

in a fi rm w ill not to o ffend God even venially .

We mu s t avoid every atta c hment and a f fe c tion ,

for creature s e s pe c ially i f these s entiments are

,

l ively It is not ne c essary for u s to po ss es s all

.

the s e di s positions in a perfect degree ; b ut the

pure r w e are the greater i s the ease with w hich
,

w e can make medi tation and the more grace s ,

w e draw do w n upon our s elve s Secondly in .

,

w at c h fulne s s over ourselve s a w at c h fuln ess —

void o f worry and sel f seeking We mu s t w at c h -

'

o v e r o u r senses n o t a l l o w i n g them to b e o ccupi e d

,

too much with creatures and suppres s ing their ,

unruly movements Avoid for in s tan c e.

, ,

vivacity anger trou b le and all the other pa s

, , ,

s ions that agitate the mind and take a w ay the ,

peace o f the heart Thirdly in a sincere fi rm .

, , ,

and true de s ire o f advancing in the per fec tion

o f the love o f our Divine S aviour b y s el f denial -

and by pra y er Thi s desire I think exi s t s in

.
, ,
 VENE R A B LE L IB ERMA NN 2 25

you ; b ut you let your s e l f be worried too muc h ,

and you are too easily discouraged .

T h e s e preliminary dis p ositions are o f the

h ig h est importance But you mu s t take noti c e
.

that it is not necessary to h ave t h em from the

beginning ; it is enough i f we aim at t h em and ,

quietly endeavor to acquire t h em w it h t h e grace

o f God F or in all this w e mu s t put our con
.

fi den ce in God never in our s elve s or in our

, ,

resolutions .

Your meditation w ill not be so good in the

beginning as later on w h en you h ave made some
progress in t h ese dispositions But do not be .

discouraged When you began to s tudy ear

.

n e s tl
y ,
you c ertainly encountered di f ficulties ,

and experien c ed s ome annoyance But this did .

not deter you from continuing Well ! Are you .

not willing to do for t h e love o f God w h at you

h ave done for the sake o f knowledge or for ,

your own sake The interest t h at urges you to

the holy exer c i s e o f meditation is infinitely
greater than all other interests in this miserable
earth Try therefore my very dear brother
.
, , ,

to over c ome all the s e ob s tacles T h ey are not .

so hard to conquer a s you think O ur Divine .

Saviour w ill c omb at for you You have only .

to go ahead with a firm wil l to love and to serve

Him w it h your whole heart and wit h fu l l con
,

fi den ce in Him and you are sure o f triumph

,

ing And He Himsel f wi l l be your reward for

.
2 26 S P I RI T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

all eternity and even already in this li fe W hat

,
.

a recompense for so small a lab or ! What a

happines s for s o trifling a pain !
The immediate preparation consists in fore
seeing on the previou s evening the subj ect of
meditation for the morro w and in preparing ,

it in your mind This is indispensab le because

.
,

otherwi se we do not know where to c ommen c e

or w hat consideration to make When thu s le ft .

to itsel f our mind gives access to all kinds o f

,

t h oughts j ust for w ant o f something positive

,
-

on w hich to fix its atte ntion We mu s t more .

,

ove r recollect ourselves a little in the evening

,

be fore going to bed rid ourselve s o f all thing s

,

foreign to the subj ect and occupy ourselve s ,

wit h nothing except for a motive o f charity .

F inally we must keep our mind disengaged

,

from a l l creature s and in s w eet pea c e be fore

,

God as much as lies in our po w er until the

, ,

next morning a fter meditation .

Thi s is all f o r preparation N o w let us c ome .

to the meditation proper It is advisab le to b e .

gin immediately a fter rising for God wishes ,

u s to o ff er up to H im t h e fir s t fruits o f the day .

Withdraw in all peace and interior tranquillity

into a room w here no b ody will disturb you .

There kneel down while recolle c ting yoursel f

interiorly Recite some vo c al prayer c alculated
.

to dispose your mind for a more pro found

re c ollection b ut you mu s t recite i t w ith a feel
2 28 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

A fter these fe w acts w e pa ss over to the co n ,

sideration o f the s u b j e c t that w e propo s ed to

ourselve s L et us take for instance the me c e s
.
, ,

s i ty or the utility o f frequent c ommunion We .

shall b egin I s uppo s e w ith the consideration

, ,

o f O ur L ord in the Mo s t H oly Sa c rament o f

t h e E u c harist I f it i s another truth w e con
.
,

sider our Divine Saviour in the cir c um s tan c es

relating to thi s truth We may al s o i f w e .
,

wi s h direct our attention to the p erson o f the

,

F ather t h e Holy Ghost the Mo s t Holy Trin

, ,

i ty or to a s aint ; but w e must al w ays b egin by

,

giving our homage to God with a vie w to the ,

subj ect o f our meditation It is b etter I n gen .

,

eral to t urn our c onsideration to w ard O ur

,

L ord because thi s enab le s u s to fi x our atten

,

tion more easily .

We begin there fore b y fi xing o u r mind i n

, ,

te r i o r ly upon our D ivine Saviour in the Mo s t

Ble s sed Sa c rament We then enter into a pr o .
‘

found sentiment o f a doration and o f love to

ward s H im con s idering the love w ith w hi c h
,

H e a w aits us in thi s s acrament and the desire s ,

which animate H im in over w helming u s w ith

H is grace s and favor s We may c on s ider H i s .

grandeur H i s glory H is po w er H i s kindne ss

, , , ,

H i s w isdom as well a s H is humiliation H is

, ,

annihilation and t h e homage w hich the angel s

,

and the saint s render H im in thi s s a c rament .

We may al s o unite our s elve s in he art and in

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N 2
9

mind with t h e angels and saints especially with ,

t h e Blessed V irgin for t h e purpo s e o f render

,

ing at t h e same time wit h them our own hom

, ,

age s o feeble and so w retched It is not n ece s

,
.

s a ry to produce all these sentiment s ; a single

one may su ffi c e .

Having a c compli s hed this fir s t point which ,

is the en tr a n ce we pas s o ver in s ensi b ly to the

'

b o dy o f o u r m e di ta ti on w hich contains t h e c on
,

siderations o f t h e subj ect upon w h i ch we have

dec ided to meditate These considerations
.

must tend first o f all to convince us o f t h e

, ,

trut h upon w hich w e are meditating They .

s h ould l ead us to t h e practice o f t h e virtue or ,

t h e avoidance o f t h e V ice w h ic h forms the s ub

,

j ec t o f our meditation by means o f the c on ,

v i c ti o n w h ich t h ey produce in our soul It is .

t h us that we gradua l ly learn how to give our

selves entirely to God We are encouraged and
.

strengt h ened by the grace o f God w h ich pro ,

duces this intimate conviction in us through ,

t h e instrumentality o f t h e meditation or the ,

application o f our mind and o f our heart to

t h ese trut h s T h us in the subj ect whic h w e
.
,

hav e supposed a fter rendering t h e h omage due

,

to O ur L ord in t h e B l essed E uc h arist we try ,

to convince ourselves o f t h e importance o f r e

ce i v i n H im as o ften as possible in this sacra
g
ment .
2 30 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

This may be done first by t h e consideratio n

, ,

o f the love which O ur L ord disp l ays and o f ,

H is ardent desire to dwell wit h in us in orde r

to communicate to us the same love We c on .

sider ho w ungrate ful we should be i f we r e

fused t h e great benefit which He o ff ers us ; h o w
great an inj ury we infli c t upon O ur L ord who ,

desires so ardently to come to us i f we re fuse ,

H im this satis faction and i f we rej ect this

,

grace We may also consider ho w H e comes

.

full of love and not for t h e purpose o f j udging

,

us ; and consequently ho w w rong w e are in

, ,

fearing to approach H im since instead o f com , ,

ing with an air o f severity He comes wit h the ,

meeknes s o f a lam b a nd with an admirable love .

we may consider finally t h at in remaining at

, ,

a distance we render null the desi gns o f sancti

,

fi ca ti o n which O ur L ord h as formed for us in

thi s adorable sacrament etc ,
.

Secondly by t h e consideration of our o w n

,

advantage We must recognize on t h e one

.
,

hand t h e incomparable good o f which we de

,

prive ourse l ve s by re fusing to partake o f the

Blessed Sacrament and on the other t h e love
, , ,

w h ic h will fi ll our h eart i f w e approach our ,

Divine Saviour We must consider t h at we

.

shall there find our real li fe, our s tr en gth and ,

the s o u r ce o f a l l gr a c es O ur L ord J esus comes

.

into our soul for t h e purpose o f nouris h ing it ,

and making it live o f H is own s ubstance and ,

232 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

the s e sentime nts the b etter w ill our medita ,

tion be .

We a fterward s pass to the third part w hich ,

i s the c o n clus i o n Thi s con s ists in the return to

.

sel f for the purpo s e o f examining in w hat w e

,

have failed again s t the truth upon w hich w e are

meditating w hat we ought to do in order to
,

con form ourselves to it or w h at i s the cau s e o f ,

our failures In o u r s upposition it may b e the

.
,

fear o f not b eing in a condition to re c eive O ur

L ord W e therefore take the resolution to r e
.
, ,

move the o b stacles ; for instance to prepare ,

ourselves as b est w e can for Holy Communion ,

to calm our mind to surrender our s elve s en ,

ti r e ly to God etc These resolution s mu s t b e

, .

taken with great fi rmness and con fi dence The y .

must be practical and not to o vague and w e ,

mu s t make it our duty to c arry them o ut a s s oon

a s there is an opportunity o f doing s o Kno w .

ing our w eakne ss w e mu s t earne stly b eg o u r ,

Divine Sa v i o u r to make u s faith ful and c all

~
,

to our as s ista n c e the Ble s sed V irgin o u r guard ,

ian angel our patron s aint and the other s aint s

, ,

to w h om w e have any devotion .

F inally w e s hould choose a good thought o r

,

a holy a ff ection whi c h ha s touched u s mo s t

,

during our meditation for the purpo s e o f r e ,

calling i t very o ften during the day ; f o r i n

“
stance a text o f H oly Scripture : I n i ps o v i v i
,
”
mus m o v emur e t s u m a s
,
Thi s i s w hat St
,
. .
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 2
33

F ran c is de Sales c alls a s piritual b ou q uet It .

w ould b e good to u s e the text s o f H ol y S c rip

ture h ab itually for the purpose o f c onvin c ing
our s elve s o f some truth o r ex c iting a ffe c tion
,

for some virtue In thi s ho w ever there mu s t

.
, ,

be no appearan c e o f re s ear c h We mu s t make

.

these c on s ideration s in a very s imple very ,

a ff ectionate and a very pra c ti c al w ay ; thi s i s

,

the great art o f a man o f prayer .

I beg our Divine S aviour to give you an u n

de r s ta n di n g o f these things and to enable y o u
,

to execute t h em I hope H e w ill give you the

.

grace to do so B e care ful not to b e discour

.

aged i f the first attempts are not s o s uc c es s ful

as you wish ; rememb er that gra c e i s given to
all those w ho per s evere .

We belong to Jesus and to Mary ; thi s i s

the foundation o f all our hope .
2
34 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R X L II I .

TO A M I NA RI AN
SE .

d ti
Co ns i era ons on th f t f C h i t m s Th
e ea s o r s a —
e

C hi ld J u wi
es s s he s t b
o b e d t li i u
o rn a n o ve n s .

I s sy Chri s tma s Day 1 8 36

, ,
.

M Y D EA R SI R
M ay the peace and love o f the In fant Je s u s
fi ll your s oul !
I am delighted to be able to w rite to y o u
o n s o b eauti ful a day a s thi s I hope that the ‘

dear In fant i s speaking to y o u in the intimacy

o f your heart at the present moment H e c an .

tell you far more b eauti ful thing s than men

and angel s com b ined can expre ss L isten to '

H im attentively and do not lose a w ord o f w hat

,

H e tell s you ; for H i s w ord s are w ord s o f pea c e

and love and they w ill pour s u a vity and sw eet
,

ne ss into your s oul .

It i s in your s oul in fa c t that H e w ishe s to

, ,

estab lish the place o f H i s rep o s e and o f H i s

delights When H e ha s on c e for all pre p ared
.

this po or soul b y besto w ing upo n it H i s meek

ne s s H is pea c e H i s s uavity and H i s love H e
, , , ,

w ill come there H imsel f w ith the mo s t e xc ellent

and very s w eet odor o f H i s virtue s and H i s
holine s s .

Yo u may then fully rej oi c e b e c ause y o u w ill ,

p o ss e ss a trea s ure o f grace o f b eauty o f light , , ,

2 36 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

ber that the Word made fle s h ha s b e c ome o u r

,

b rother The little In fant the clear little I n

.
,

fant i s o u r dear little b rother ; and co n s e

, ,

quently w e are t h e children o f H i s F ather

, .

We may c on s ider the amiability the meek ,

nes s the sw eetne ss o f this dear Child ; H e i s

,

the marvel and the delight o f Heaven and

earth .

We may con s ider H im a s the great trea s u re

whi c h contains all the gra c es o f the eternal
F ather and then approa c h H im f or the purpo s e
,

o f gathering t h em in abundance .

Con s idering thus O ur L ord in thi s mystery ,

we oug h t to be fi lled with s entiments o f love ,

o f respe c t and tendernes s for thi s d ear Child

,
.

We ought to enter int o the sentiments o f the

Blessed V irgin Mary reflecting on all that i s ,

passing within her on this beauti ful o cc asion ,

and not forgetting good St Jo s eph w ho on a c .

, ,

count o f be i ng with Je s us and Mary i s usually

‘

neglected at s u ch times N obody think s o f .

him b ecau s e more beauti ful and greater spe c

,

taeles are o ffered to our contemplation H e .

doe s not gro w angry ab out it it is true but he , ,

also mig h t teac h u s some very b eauti ful le s

s on s .

We may further consider the child Je s u s in

H i s relation w ith us This is the gate through
.

which w e are enabled to enter into the depth s

and the greatne s s o f the mystery W e ought .
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 23 7

to inquire into the reason of His coming pene ,

trate into his interior in order to see what is ,

passing t h ere and render ourselves partaker s

,

o f t h e sentiments and t h e dispositions o f t h e

tiny In fant J esus .

W h y does He come ? He comes solely for

t h e greater g l ory o f H is F at h er and for the
s a n c ti fi c a ti o n o f our sou l s We oug h t there .

fore to establis h t h e glory o f His F at h er in our

selves and sancti fy our souls by a complete
,

separation from every creature He comes .

into t h e world complete l y naked and des poiled

o f a l l t h ings T h is i s a symbo l o f t h e great
.

bereavement and o f the interior detac h ment o f

His soul F or in the mysteries o f O ur L ord
.
, ,

t h e t h ings t h at take p l ace outwardly are like

sacraments and indicate H i s interior senti
,

ments and dispositions T h us t h e soul o f the .

C h i l d J esus w as more destitute and detached

fr o m created t h ings and sel f than H is body ,

w a s outward l y The latter was clot h ed in a

.

few o l d swadd l ing clot h es t h at did not belong

—

to Him but w h ic h H is mot h er h ad prepared

,

wit h out t h e assistance of t h e Divine Child In .

like manner in His interior n a kedne s s His

, ,

admirably holy sou l allowed itsel f to be c lothed .

by His heavenly F ather with all t h e virtues

and all the gr a ces w hich o v er fl o w e d and envel
oped it The s w add l ing clot h es o f t h e C h ild -

J esus w ere very wretc h ed and contemptible in

2
38 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

the eye s o f the world The s ame is true o f i n .

te r i o r gra c e s wh ich the w o rld despises because

,

it i s incapable o f understanding them lost a s it ,

i s in its h orror s and con c upiscen c es You may .

already imitate Him in this E stab l is h in your .

soul these three great enemies o f t h e world ;

poverty h umility and denial o f every pleasure
, ,

and s atis faction T h is h atred and t h is op po

.

s i ti o n to t h e world and its manner o f looking

at things and o f j udging are very apparent

already in the D ivine Child H e not only .

despise s the w orld but H e wishes to b e and , ,

really is despised i gn o f e d and abandoned by

, , ,

it And not only H e but all those w h o belon g

.
,

to H i m and are dearest to H im are similarly ,

a f fe c ted to w ards it .

Moreover t h e C h ild Jesus comes with the

,

spirit o f sacrifice immolating H imsel f a n n i hi

, ,

lating H imsel f be fore H i s h eavenly F ather ,

and devoting H imsel f to every k i nd o f pain

and torture Thi s sma ll C h ild so pure so
.
, ,

innocent and so dear to His h eavenly F ather

, ,

i s already covered with our sins wit h out being

sulli ed by t h em H e already exp e riences a
o
.

great j oy i n s o r r o w s and su ff erings ; He a l

'

ready abandons H imsel f to H is great t h irst for

s u ffering and huim i l i a ti o n ; and His F at h er
gives H im a portion o f t h e c h a l ice o f bitterness ,

which later on He i s to drink to the dregs fo r

, ,

t h e salvation o f H is bret h ren T h i s dear Child .

2
40 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF T HE

l o v es ,
bu t i n Go d , f or Go d
,
a n d a c c o r di ng to
Go d .

We may also consider ourselves in our rela

tion to thi s mystery ; and thi s i s a sequel to the
li fe o f Jesus in us The great e ff ect w hich H e
.

produce s is to make us be b orn and live in H i s

F ather H e there fore make s u s b e c ome the
.

c h ildren o f H is F ather j ust as H e became the ,

Child o f H i s most holy Mother And wh at .

re l ation exist s b etween a child and its mother ?

It i s always w it h her and parts from her w ith
'

regret Thi s s hould also b e o u r disposition

.

toward o u r heavenly F ather w hen once w e ,

are born in H im .

A litt l e child opens w ide its heart only to I ts

mot h er ; it tells h er all its little thoug h ts and ,

mani fests t o h er all its little w i s hes The mo .

ment that S he reprimands it it leaves aside ,

everything that might cause her pain Its look .

i s alway s turned toward it s moth er I f it i s .

a fraid o f anything it w ill immediately thro w ,

itsel f o n her bosom ; it tells her its pleasure s as

we l l as its s orrows and look s to none other for
,

consolation or en c ouragement L et u s do .

likewise with our heavenly F at h er and w e shall ,

be saved ; w e s h all be perfect men .

We may consider furt h ermore the a b ando , ,

n

ment o f the C h ild J esus into t h e h ands o f H is

most h oly M other S h e t o ok Him up into he r .

arms enve l oped H im in H is s w addling clothe s

,
-

,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 2
4 1

and laid Him in the manger She took H im .

up again undid H is clot h es and pla c ed H im in

, ,

the h ands o f St J oseph S h e did with H im

. .

w hat she liked and t h e dear and divine Child

,

never resisted in the least I f He c ried it w as .

,

only b e c ause He sa w w hat trouble it c o s t u s to

s urrender ourselves into t h e hands o f H i s and
our F at h er He abandoned Himsel f to our
.

w e l l b eloved Mother the Ble s sed V irgin and

-

, ,

gave H imsel f up to her without re s erve .

You perceive my dear sir ho w full o f gra c e

, ,

this mystery i s and h o w capable it is of fully

,

sancti fying us .

I should like to kno w ho w things are getting

along among you It i s a long time s ince I
.

h ave h ad any news from you E verybody here .

,

w ith God s grace i s very fervent

’

, .

I embrace you with all my heart in the mo s t

holy charity o f Jesus and Mary .
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E RS OF T HE

LE TT E R X L I V .

TO H I S S I S ER I N T - -

LA W .

Pi o u s w i s he s f o r t h e n ew y ea r .
—
Do not l ove t he

wo r d —l Live in a ho ly mann er in or d er to s a n c ti fy
c hi ld r en .

Issy Decem b er
,
2 7 th, 1 8 36 .

M Y D EA REST S I ST ER IN J ES U S A ND M A RY :
I wish you a happy ne w year in the name o f
our go o d F ather and L ord Jesus and o f M a ry ,

our w ell b eloved Mot h er I w ish you not

-

.
,

what you desire b ut rather w hat Je s u s and,

Mary desire for you ; for our o w n de s ire s are

not always what i s best for us O n the c on .

tr a r y it i s a great good fortune for a Chri s tian

,

when God deprives him o f w hat hi s heart

w i shes according to nature ho w ever rea s on ,

able t h is desire may other w ise appe ar .

I exhort you the refore my very dear s i s ter

, , ,

to rej oice w ith me that Go d deign s to try you at

times and to deprive you o f thing s that y o u
,

t h ink are nece s sary to render you happy in thi s

world Oh ! I beg you do not try to be for
.

tu n a te and well considered in this poor w orld ;

-

for t h e h appy ones o f t h is w orld are scarcely s o

in the eyes o f God Th e most o f them w ill b e .

w ret c hed throughout all eternity ; and those

w h o are esteemed and re s pe c ted in thi s w orld
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

c an flatter nature s o that w e may b ecome tru e

,

c hildren o f God I f w e are the c hildren o f

.

God all our j oy and all our happine ss mu s t b e

,

in God ; and all our des i res mu s t be limited to

rendering ourselve s agreeab le to the F ather
who i s s o dear to us The true mean s o f plea s
.

ing H im and o f b eing agreeab le to H i s eye s i s ,

n o t to s eek our w ell b eing and our s ati s fa c tion

—

on earth and in the things o f earth .

The Apostle St John w ho loved Je s u s and

.
,

Mary so much and w ho w a s SO tenderly b e

.

loved b y them in ret urn re c ommended to the ,

faith ful not to love the w orld and w hat w a s in

the w orld The reason that he gives i s that
.

in the world w e s e ek only plea s ure w ealth and ,

honor ; and he s ay s that they who desire the s e

thing s are c ursed b y God and they s hall never ,

be H is c hildren until they h ave renoun c ed the s e

evil de s ire s whi c h are an ab o minatio n b efo re
H im As long a s we s till esteem thew orld a s
.
,

long a s w e think that there is s omet hing w ant

i n g to o u r happines s b e c au s e w e do no t c ut a
very b rilliant fi gure in it w e c annot b e in pea c e
, ,

we c ann o t b e true s ervant s o f Je s u s Ch ri st w ho ,

W i s he s u s to de s pi s e the w orld w ith all it s ,

grandeur s and to forget it c ompletely It i s

,
.

only then that we b egin to b e happy b ec au s e ,

God fi lls u s w ith H i s gra c e s a s ingle o n e o f ,

w hi c h give s u s more j o y and hap p in es s than

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E R MA N N 2
45

t h e w h ole world w ith all it s grandeu r s w ealth , ,

and plea s ure s .

F or you my dear sister who are the mother

, ,

o f a family and w ho desire to raise your c h il

,

dren according to t h e maxims o f the faith and

o f t h e h oly religion to which God has graciou s ly
called you it i s a duty and one of your great
, ,

est duties to conquer in your s el f every move

,

ment o f sel f love because you are ob liged to

-

give t h e example to your dear children so that ,

they may imitate you in everything that they

see you do ; and they certainly wi l l imitate you .

I f you live in a holy manner they w ill try to r e ,

produce t h e sentiments o f fait h piety mee k , ,

ness love o f God and o f the Ble s sed V irgin

,

that they see in you and they will sancti fy ,

themselves ; but on the contrary i f they notice

, ,

in you a remnant o f sel f love Or o f regret b e —

,

cause you cannot enj oy the world o r b ecause ,

you have not the wealth the honors and the , ,

esteem that you would de s ire they will nour ,

ish the same feelings in t h eir s oul s .

It is there fore dou b ly your duty to s an c ti fy

, ,

yoursel f .

Take care to avoid everything that might

proceed from s el f love ! for men are full o f it !
-

such as suscepti b ility when you think that oth

er s have not sho w n you the attention to whi c h
you are entitled ; the suspicion t h at they have
been speaking ill o f you or that their o p i nion ,
 40 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

o f you is not good etc You must fi ll your ,

sel f wit h the thoug h t t h at all o f us de s erve the

ill treatment o f t h e w orld on a c count o f our
sins and that w e are bles s ed i f men contradict
,

us We must even love them as much a s

.

though they had done us the greatest po s si b le

good ; such is the will o f O ur L ord We mu s t .

likewise never speak ill o f ot h ers I assure you .

t h at it i s a very great mis fortune i f we so far

forget ourselves as to speak ill about our neigh
bor I t is very di fficult for such a t h ing not
.

to produce a b ad impres sion upon children and ,

give them t h e habit o f doing the same It has .

a tendency to em b itter t h eir h ea rts and make

them bad M oreover it is very di fficult i f
.
, ,

not almost impossibl e to make reparation for ,

w ords thus S poken .

I tell you a l l this b ecause th e worl d is full

,

o f these faults You must also have meeknes s

.

and pea c e in yo ur heart ; be mild and pea c e ful

’

towards ever y body even towards th o se w ho

,

wish you harm St i ll you must not ea s ily b e

.
,

lieve t h at anyb ody i s against you on the con

tr a r y forget all the inj uries that you have r e
,

c e i v e d at t h e hands o f other s .

I f you do t h i s my dear si s ter I can assure

, ,

you that you will sancti fy yoursel f and yo ur

family : the b lessing o f God will be shed upon
you ; y o u w i ll p as s y ou r da y s i n j oy a nd p ea c e ,
248 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Hence forth you mu s t think only o f attain

,

ing the hig h est per fection .

L et us first speak a b out dire c tion W ith .

regard to this I must warn you again s t an

,

abuse t h at I h ave ob served in certain semi

n a r i a n s who were animated with t h e best o f

intention s but h ad little courage They b o ast .

ed they praised t h ey fe l l into ecstasies over

, ,

the skill fulness o f t h eir director ; they said w ith

“
a great deal o f j oy and satis facti on : Oh ! I
cannot help b eing a saint ; my di rec tor w ho i s ,

a saint and has t h e reputation o f being a very

skill ful guide wi l l in fallibly make me advance
,
.

Suc h j o y and such language would have b een

perfectly proper had not these persons stopped
there But instead o f makin g use of t h e s anc
.

tity o f their director in order to imitate him ,

and o f th e wisdom which God gave him they ,

fell asleep in their hopes and made no e ffort

,

to conquer themselves and to arriv e at the holi

ness that they wished to acquire You must .

be aware that it i s not the dire ctor w ho m a ke s

us holy but our fidelity to grace and the s in
, ,

cere and e fficacious d esire o f advancing .

T he importanc e t h e necessity o f having a

, ,

good director is exceedingly great ; b ut the

firmness and the perseverance o f our w ill in
the s ervice o f God and the continual and fer
,

vent desire o f living for H im alone are i n fi ,

n i tel y more important and m ore ne c e ss ary .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A NN 2
49

O ur D ivine Saviour did not s ay in His holy

Go s pe l t h at he w ho wished to be perfect should
“
take a director : but H e said : A bnege t
s em e ti s u m,
p et to l l a t cr u cem s ua m q u o ti di e e t
”
s eq u a tu r me . We have need o f a director ,

j ust the same a s an army has n eed o f a general .

N evertheless an army without a general w ill

,

do more t h an a general w ithout an army You .

w ould not have made great progress without

a director ; you w ould have only vegetated .

It is t h erefore a w onderful grace that God

, ,

has bestowed upon y o u in giving y o u an e x

p e r i e n c e d guide It is.now a question O f mak
ing use o f that grace by an ardent desire and
a firm will to die hence forth to the w orld and
to all that it c ontains and to live f or Go d alone
,

and in God alone You will have to w age

.

great battles and they w ill la s t a long time

, ,

espe c ially i f you are not truly generous from

t h e ver y beginning I f on t h e contrary you
.
, ,

go at it in a large hearted manner you w ill -

succeed b eyond your expectation s Do not let .

these comba ts frighten you ; you have an i n

numerable army o f the gra c es and the b lessing s
o f God enclosed within your soul Your di .

rect o r is their general and he will kno w ho w ,

to use them against the enemy Do not be .

cow ard ly and timid ; for i f you are h e will ,

not dare to dis pose o f the fo r c es that are in you .

He w ould be ob liged to humor you and to ,

2 50 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

allo w you t h ings that he w ould not con c ede to

a fervent seminarian I f you are full o f the .

most ardent and persevering desire s and are ,

guided b y a g o od dire c tor the a ffair s o f your ,

soul w ill get along splendidly .

O n this occasion I shall quote to you a fun

da m en ta l maxim o f conduct adopted b y t w enty
fervent s eminarians whom I kno w at St Sul .

pice so that you may mould your li fe b y it i f

, ,
“
fi d it good G d ha s not placed u s upon
‘

y o u n o .
-

earth for t h e purpose o f enj oying and s ati s fy

ing ourselves but to su ffer and to please H im
,

”
in all things T h at i s w h y t h ey s eek to deny
.
'

t h emselves in everything everywhere and a l , ,

ways I f t h ey perceive in t h e course o f the

.

day that they h ave taken pleasure in anything ,

and that they have not re s isted this natural

feeling they reproach themselves w ith it they
, ,

take the resolution o f correcting and wat ch ing

more closely over themselves and they make it ,

a po int to ask God s pardo n : to such a degree

’

are they anxious to lead a pure holy and a n ,

geli e l i fe upon earth 5They aim in all thing s

.

to detach t h emselves from sel f and from ever y

creature and to live for God alone
,
.

When w e lead t h is crucified li fe the love o f ,

God grows so strongly in our soul that w e are ,

at length co mpletely filled with it O nl y in the .

beginning we are tempted to believe that s u c h

a li fe is a hardshi p We s ay to our s elve s :
.
 5 2 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

o f heart and thi s pro found peace c ome and

, ,

ho w to pre s erve them ; b ut I c annot do s o in

t h i s letter b e c au s e I fi nd that I am obliged to
,

s p eak to you ab out other things .

Do not there fore allo w your s el f to b e de

ce i v e d by thi s false rea s oning ; b ut take u p ,

with heroi c c ourage the important and onl y ,

a ff air o f the perfe c tion and the advan c ement

o f your soul Je s u s and M ary w ill be w ith
.

you and w ho c an th en inj ur eo r s t o p you ? Do

,

“
not say : I am to o feeb le too c o w ardly too , ,

vain and shall never attain this high degree o f

,

holines s I have kn o w n other s much more

fee b le and more w ret c h ed w ho neverthele ss ,

succeeded in breaking w ith everything in a

very s hort time B e o f good cheer th ere fore ;
.
,

w it h unlimited con fi dence in Jesu s and M ary ,

w e can su cc eed in everythi ng .

A fe w word s no w ab out the mode o f a c tion

follo w ed by the s e fervent semin a rians who
pla c e all the a ffe c tion o f their heart in Go d
alone to the ex c lusion o f all c reature s In the
,
.

morning w hen they a w ake they immediatel y ,

raise their soul to Go d t h e only o b j ect o f their ,

great love Thus they c ontinue to b e inti

.

mately united with the God o f their love until .

evening and the moment that they are again

to go to s leep And a s t h eir h eart i s al w ay s
.

full o f l o ve fi nding its only j o y and light in

,

Go d alone it w ake s even in their s lee p n ev er

, ,
 VE N E R A B LE L I B E R MA N N 25 3

being dis posed to do anything from any other

motive than from t h e love o f God At the .

fir s t s troke o f the bell they get out o f b ed s o

, ,

t h at they do no t yield even an instant to lazi

ness or to the satis faction o f the fle s h They .

begin by putting on t h eir c a s so c k ; then they

throw t h emselves on their k nees in order to .

renew t h e o ffering o f all they h ave to Je s u s

and to Mary T h ey prepare or continue to
.
,

prepare the subj ect o f meditation tha t they

,
'

c h ose t h e evening be fore They then go to

.

meditation and a s sist at h oly Mas s continually ,

renewing t h eir resolution o f living for God

alone A ll t h eir exercises o f piety tend to thi s
.

one end .

T h ey Study very ca re fully but for Go d

alone T h e passion for study and the natural
.
,

desire o f curiosity or ambition does not enter ,

into their design T h ey constantly endeavor

.

to stren gthen t h emselves in the angelic purity

o f their souls unceasingly preoccupied to de
,

sire nothing and to do nothing but for Go d

a l one
.

T h ey are very care ful to make their general

and particular examen every day ; and i f the
short time determined by the rule for thi s ex
e r c i s e do es not su ffice t h ey supplement it dur
,

ing t h e c ourse o f t h e day .

During recreation t h ey are gay frank and , ,

fu l l o f c h arity mildness h umi l ity and atten

, , ,
254 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

tion for each other Thi s conduct pro c eeds .

from t h e deat h o f the passions t h e great free ,

dom o f mind the a ngelic purity o f h eart and

, ,

t h e sweetness o f God s love with w h ic h t h ey ’

are filled T h ey make it a point to meet from

.

time to time for t h e purpose o f mutua l ly ex

ho r ti n g and urging eac h ot h er on to the h igh
-

est per fe c tion These co nversati o ns are so fer

.

vent t h at all are fired wit h t h e burning love o f

God T h ey propose novenas o f pr a yers b e
.
‘

fore the feasts o f the Blessed V irgin and other

great feasts in order to o btain t h e grace o f per
f ecti o n w h ic h t h ey de s ire so ardently
,
Dur ;

ing t h ese novenas which are passed in the ,

spirit o f retreat t h ey w ork and per form all

, ,

t h eir exercises as usual and in great union w it h ,

God and in a state o f special reco l lection

,
.

T h ey sometime s propose to receive H oly '

Communion for the mutual advancement o f

t h eir souls .

I f y o u can imitate some o f t h ese practices ,

I promise you that t h ey will do you good .

T h i s must h owever be in entire con formity

, ,

w ith your rules F or obedience i s a b ove all

.

t h ings It i s also a criterion o f true fervor

.
,

and it is a point in wh ic h our seminarians are

exceedingly faith ful It causes them no t rou .

ble since they make pro fes s ion o f being a t

,

ta c he d to not h ing upon eart h and o f conquer ,

ing t h em s elves in everyt h ing I f they ob ey .

2
5 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

LE TT E R X LV I .

TO A ‘
SE M I N A RI AN SI CK AT H O M E .

Ex ho r t a t i o n to p ea ce co n fiden ce
, ,
and co m p l ete
d e ta c hm ent f ro m a l l t hi g s n .

I ss y January
,
2 2 n d, 1 837 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
I s hould like to kno w w hat is taking pla c e
around you and w it h in you in order to b e ,

b etter a b le to contri b ute to your con s olation

i f you are in sorro w to stren gthen you i f y o u ,

are feeble and to en c ourage you i f the fle s h

,

ha s a tendency to drag y o u down N o m a t .

ter w hat your condition i s I exhort and b e

.

s eech you b y the love and for the love o f , ,

Jesu s and M ary to keep your s oul in great ,

peace and gr eat meekness b efore Go d He .

sees your trials your su ff er i ngs and your la

, ,

b ors H e kno ws all the depths o f your mi s ery

and your w eaknes s and H e i s c on stantly w ith ,

y o u in order to s ustain and to strengthen y o u

in the combat H e has besto w ed great grace s

.

upon you during the c ourse o f your li fe ; y o u

may r es t a s s u r ed that He w ill not ab andon y o u
in t h e pre s ent c risi s .

P a y close attention to the great p r i nc i ple

w hich w a s the constant theme o f your co nver
s a ti o n s at St Sulpi c e viz peace and union
.
,
.
,

w ith God b ased upon the c omplete denial o f

,

s el f and the intimate kno w ledge and c onvi e

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 2
57

tion o f the ex c eeding greatne ss o f our mi s ery

and w eakne s s Re c all this great prin c iple u n
.

c ea s i n l
gy .

Do not be c ome di s couraged i f you fi nd your

sel f oppre ss ed with all kinds o f w eaknesse s and
imperfe c tion s ; but o n the c ontrary the poo rer
, ,

and smaller y o u s ee that you are the more y o u ,

must place your trust and complacen c y in Go d

alone The mo ment has arrived w h e n you
must attain a perfect and entire ab andonment
o f sel f into the hands o f Go d .

You are a fflicted w ith a l o ng and very dan

ger ous sicknes s and at the s ame time you are
, , ,

i solated from all tho s e who love y o u truly w ith

t h e holy and great love o f J esus and o f Mary .

You are surrounded by m en only ; the angel s

no lon ger s ho w themselves in your vi c inity ;
w ill you allo w your s el f to b ecome dis c ouraged
and s ad ? Will you think yo ur s el f lo s t o n
t h at a c count ? N o my very dear brot h er o u r
, ,

Divine Saviour the God o f our love in w hom

, ,

w e a r e al w ays perfec tly united i s w ith y o u , .

He ha s made your soul Hi s d w elling pla c e and -

He w ill not depart from it H e H im s el f .

w i s he s to make it enter into the b le ss ed repo s e

“

o f H i s ele c t and pre s ent it to Hi s F ather L et

, .

your j oy there fore be complete and your love

, , ,

perfec t Do not hope any more f o r anything

.

on earth o r w hat is o f the earth M ay the .

flesh pe rish dec ay and be confounded w ith

, ,
 2 5 8 S P I RI T U AL LE T T E R S OF THE

t h e du s t from w hich it w as taken until it plea s e ,

our w ell b eloved L ord Jesus in the i n co mpr e

—
,

hen s i b l e mercy o f H is F ather to glori fy it b y ,

clothing and filling it with H i s o wn light and

wit h all the splendor o f H i s o w n glory !
Do not fl atter yoursel f with the idea that
you w ill h ave pleasures en j o y m en ts and a long
, ,

li fe o n this earth o f misery God alone God .

,

alo ne and not h ing else ! T h i s i s w hat I s hould

,

like to impress up o n your soul and I hope that ,

t h ese thoug h ts and t h e s e sentiments have never

le ft it I f you have had and i f at thi s moment
.
,

you h ave any temptation s again s t them do not

, ,

worry b ut unite your s el f to God and establi sh

, ,

pro found peace and great meekne s s i n your ~

soul .

I em b race you my very dear and re s pe c ted

,

brother N o w you are deare r to me than ever

.

be fore because you bear in your soul t h e s tig

,

mata o f our Divine S aviour

’

E ntirely your s in Hi s most holy love and in

that o f H i s w ell b eloved Mot h er -

.
26 0 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

mu s t take c are that n o vain c ompla c en c y mingle

w ith th i s j o y w hich S hould b e all pur e a n d all
,

heavenly This is w hy w e must endeavor that

.

our j oy be w holly I nterior pe a c e ful mild w ith

, , ,

out trou b le w ithout agitation and very hum

, ,

b le w hen w e behold the s u cc e ss o f the thing s

,

that w ere undertaken f o r the greater glory o f

Go d .

I did not make thi s ob s ervation be c au s e I think

that you have fallen into a n y su c h fault ; b ut
I w ish to warn you again s t an evil from w hi c h ,

God has s urely preserved you until no w and ,

which might assail you later on Yo u are n o t .

s a fe from thi s illusion .

I emb race y o u all in the mo s t holy love o f

Jesu s and o f Mary Be faith ful to the grace s
.

that God i s pleased to b e s tow upon you ; they

w ill increase grea tly i f you go ahead c ourage
o u s ly and with a fi rm re s oluti o n Do every .

thing for t h e greater glory and love Of Je s u s to ,

wh o m alone w e belong with all the fa c ulti es

,

and po w ers o f our soul s and f o r w ho m and in

'

, ,

whom alone w e w ish to live and die

,
.

I shall try to ans w er the re s t o f your letter

at another time ; I must no w c ontent mysel f
w ith emb racing you w ith all my heart a s w ell ,

as all your con fr eres I n t h e most h oly love o f

Jesus and M ary .
 LE TT E R X LV II I .

TO A RE I L GI OU S .

H i s ho p e s a o
b ut v a o c a ti o n —
Hi s d esires o f r e s ti n g
u p o n Go d a l o n e —
N e ws a b o ut se v er a l s em in a r ia n s .

M a y the bl es s i n g o f J es us be gi v en to me
thr o u gh y o u, my F a ther !

M ay 2 7 th, 1 837 .

MY V ERY D EA R A ND HO NO RED S U P ERI OR

All our bret h ren o f St Sulpice and I w ere .

v ery much rej oiced in our L ord Jesus Chri s t

upon t h e arrival o f M D who h as b een con. .

,

s ta n tly speaking to us about you and our breth

ren o f Rennes ; h e could not h ave given u s a

greater p l easure .

I noticed t h at this holy man is very much

interested in our poor congregation I spoke .

to him about it and I to l d h im t h at this inter

,

‘
est was not t h e usua l interest taken in any kind
o f good work but t h at it appeared like the b e
,

ginning o f an attraction He told me that he .

did not feel any attraction and t h at it w as a b ,

s o l u tely t h e same kind o f interest which he h ad

in every good work ; t h at h e very much d esired

t h e success o f our congregation on account o f
t h e good w h ic h it wou l d do for the dioc ese o f
Rennes and t h at b esides h e did not be l i eve that
, ,

h e cou l d ever decide for h imsel f in anyt h ing

wit h out an interior impulse from God I a n .
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s w er ed him that thi s w as t h e true w ay o f serv

ing God faith fully o f knowing and follo w ,

ing on e s vocation and I did not in s ist any

’

further But in trut h whatever M D may

.
, . .

say to the contrary I b elieve that the intere s t

,

which h e displays for our congregation is not

ordinary .

I f this holy prie s t w ere called b y God to w ork

with us for the salvation o f s ouls it would be ,

a great favor for us to h ave in our midst one

more saint w h o could help us to san c ti fy our
selves But o n the other hand o n e t ho ug h t
.
, ,

c onsole s me very mu c h for t h e repugnance

which he feels interiorly ; it is t h at in a natural
way t h ere is too muc h in M D S favor H e . .
’
.

h as w ealt h a name and social standing and

, , ,

all thi s is not God O ur brethren are over .

j oyed t h at t h ey can see no creature on w hom

they may rely in order to mak e the designs o f
God more succe s s ful It appea rs to t h em that .

t h e earth S hould be not h ing for us so t h at w e ,

may pro c eed in poverty and contempt placing ,

a l l our hope in Go d a l one I f God w i s hes to .

h ave M D wit h us h e w ill come becau s e he

. .
, ,

i s a ho ly soul w h o w ill not resist gra c e H is .

coming h owever will be delayed and it will

, , ,

benefit us greatly i f we h ave not h ing t h at ,

humanly spea king can be o f any a s sistan c e

, ,

especia l ly in t h e beginning w h en we h ave

great need o f b eing firmly anc h ored in God ;
26
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

conver s ant w ith the langu age to e x pre ss my s el f

in terms as respect ful as I should I imagine .

that I am writing to our Divine Saviour H im

sel f w ho allows and pardons me so many
,

things that I dare tell H im everything I hope .

t h at you also will pardon me y o u who are H i s ,

representative to me on eart h It i s in thi s .

capacity that I b eg y o u my very dear and hon ,

o red F ather to accept all the a ff e c tion and the

,

pro found re s pect o f your very unworthy child .

LE TT E R X L I X .

TO H I S SI S ER I N L A W T - -

He gi v es so me d l
e ta i s a b o ut t he b a p ti s m o f one o f
hi s b r o the r s —
T hi v t
s e en s ho uld b e f o r the m a m o ti v e

of r en e wi n g the i r f v
er or .

I ssy M ay ,
2 9 th, 1 837 .

M Y V ERY D EA R S I ST ER IN OU R L O RD J ES U S
C H RI ST
’
I desire to give you an ac c ount o f ye s terday s
b e ati ti f u l and h oly day I count thi s day .

among t h ose o f my li fe when I was mo s t fi lled ,

w it h j oy and content D at last belongs to o u r . .

Divine Saviour and how can I re frain from r e

,

j o i c i n
g
? H e i s become my brother ac c ording
to the spirit the only true fraternity w hich w ill
, ,

last throughout all eternity Thi s gra ce i s .

 VENE R AB LE L I B E RM A N N 26
5

very great L et u s pray Go d that he m a y

.

profit of it .

H is baptism took place yesterday at eleven

o clock ; the c eremony lasted almost or per
’
,

h aps more t h an an h our It w as very b eauti ,

.

ful and very touc h ing ; tears bedewed the eye s

o f all T h e god fat h er who i s a man o f faith
.
—
,

and piety was very mu c h moved D him s el f

,
. .

was not less a ff ected I found him well pre .

pared muc h better t h an I w a s in the same

,

cir c umstan c es He is full o f faith and goo d .

desires at present ; I h ope that he w ill per s e

vere in t h e good sentiments w h ich God has
given h im H e is obliged to take s trict pre
.

cautions because h e wil l not find hi s b rother

,

in Ameri c a o f very muc h help P erhaps he .

w ill even find h im ready to turn him aside from

his duties rather than urge him to ful fi l them .

I merely mani fest my fears w ithout having ,

any positive reasons to a ffirm that such i s the

case Still I h ave cause to doubt ; perhaps
.

D s arriva l will do him some good

’
. ;

But we must come back to the history o f our

neophy te He arrived in P aris at the place
.

decided upo n and o n the morning that you a h,

n o u n c ed to me I aw a ited him at F s where .

’
.
’

w e breakfasted toget h er I too k D to a J esuit . .

Father for t h e purpose o f h aving him instruct

,

ed i n the Christian religion The F ather w a s .

j ust w hat w a s need ed and they w ere the be s t ,

 2 66 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

of fri end s from the very fir s t day I did n o t .

,

ho w ever dare to tell him at fi r s t th at I w a s

,

going to take him to a Je s uit F ather le s t I ,

s hould frighten him ; it w a s only w hen I s a w

that he w as w ell satisfied w ith him that I told
him w ho he w a s They arranged matter s very.

ami c a b ly together during eight day s and the ,

F ather found him s o w ell in s tructed that he

did not hesitate to give him b apti s m o n the
Sunday o f Corpu s Chri sti .

M D to o k c are to pro c ure f o r him a go d

'

. .

father and a go d mother M R and hi s w i fe -

, . . .

I c on fe s s that I w a s sorry for thi s at fi r s t ,

on a cc ount o f the b ad imp re s sion it might make

on D w ho had expre ss ed the de s ire o f having
.
,

either F or me w ith our sister i n l a w No w

.
,
- -

I am delighted with it b e c au s e M R i s a ,
. .

s aintly man so full o f faith th a t I am a s ton

,

i s hed .I hope that hi s e x ample and hi s

p raye r s w ill influence our b ro ther to make him
persevere in hi s good di s po s itions .

O n the other hand w hen I s a w the great i n ,

ter es t that M D takes in all o f u s I w a s i h

. .
,

deed very mu c h moved H e w a s all attention .

to D during the ceremony w a s by hi s s ide

.
, ,

made him rise and kneel do w n w hen ne c es s ary ,

s ho w ed him the prayers and in s tr ucted him in

everything th at he had to do H e w en t to all .

kind s o f trou b le to arrange the d etail s He .

~ negle c ted hi s o wn o c cupation s in o rder to giv e

2 68 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

family gra c e s w hi c h w e had in n o w ay mer

,
—

i te d . L et u s al s o remem b er the s ignal fa vor s

He ha s c on ferred o n ea c h o n e o f us in parti e
ular as w ell a s o u r numerou s i n fi del i ti es to
,

the s e great favor s See ho w full o f mer c y o u r

.

good Je su s i s f o r u s : He ha s taken u s from

mire and mi s ery in order to atta c h u s to H im
,

s el f We w e re un faith ful and He should have

.
,

abandoned u s ; b ut in s tead o f do ing that H e , ,

redou b led hi s favor s and at length c ompelled ,

u s to give our s elve s to H im and to love H im

tenderly L et u s love I entreat you thi s clear
.
, ,

L o rd this sw eet Je s u s Ou r F ather and o u r

, , ,

well b el o ved S a viour ; let us give H im our

-

w hole hea rt w ith all its desire s and a ff e c tio n s .

L et us part w ith ourselv es part w ith o u r s el f ,

love ; let us renoun c e Satan hi s w ork s and hi s , ,

pomp s .

We renoun c e S atan by giving o u r heart s to

God alone by l o v i n g J e s u s w ith the deepest
,

a ff ection o f our s oul s We renoun c e the pomp s .

o f Satan w hen w e deta c h our mind s and o u r

,

hearts fro m the world s deceit ful vanitie s and ’

when w e close our ear s against the prai s e o f

men and the expression s o f e s teem they may
entertain for us We renoun c e t h e w ork s o f.

Satan when w e re fuse to give ourselve s up to

the de s ire s o f the w orld s frivolous j oy s w hen ’
,

w e resist the di s orderly a ff e c tio n s o f our heart ,

w hen w e love God alone when w e s eek to ren ,

 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 2 69

der o ur s elve s pleasing to H im in all thing s ,

and when for H is sake we love o u r neigh bo r

, , ,

our enemies and all t h o se w ho w i s h u s evil

, ,

dis l ike us and s peak ill o f us Thi s i s w hat

,
.

w e h ave promised to God in o u r b apti s m .

L et us pray to our dear L ord J es us and to

the Blessed V i rgin t h at we may obtain the ,

gra c e to accompli s h this holy promise per

f ectly ; its fulfilment will make us true Chri s
tians .

We belong to God and to Mary .

LE TT E R L .

To H I S N I Ec E .

He anno u nces t o he r t h e co n v er s io n of he r u l
n c e,

and e x ho r ts he r t o l v M y w i th a
o e ar n ar d ent a n d pra e
ll v
.

ti c a o e .

I ssy J une , oth,

1 8 37 .

M Y D EA R N I EC E
You h ave been waiting a long time for a
l etter from me and it has been long in c oming
, ,

h as it not ? But h ere it i s at l ast I s h all not .

answer yours ; a fter I h ad read it once I gave ,

it immediately to your uncle F w ho mis l aid it

as soon as he received it and un fortunately it , , ,

h as not been found S ince I am so rry for it .

,

because I neede d it to see w hat you to l d me in

order to answer you I s u ppose you h ave .

passed t h e E aster h o l iday s wit h papa and

2 70 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

mamma What j oy it mu s t h a ve b een f o r y o u

.
,

a s w ell a s f o r them ! C and M w i s h to s ee . . -

you s o mu c h It w ould have b een a great.

plea s ure fo r me al s o to pa ss at lea s t eight day s

w ith you ; b ut Go d did n o t w i s h it W e ha d .

to b e s ati s fied w ith a f ew momen t s to s ee ea c h

other .

I have s ome goo d ne ws to tell you that w ill

cau se you great pleasure I am s ure Yo u ,
.

kno w how impiou s uncle C w a s Whe n he . .

came to I lk i r ch he never w anted to go to ,

chur c h We could not per s uade him to pray

.

to God H e al w ay s w anted to eat meat o n

.

F riday s and S aturdays You did n o t like him .

,

and that w as your onl y rea s on for your aver

sion to him All that i s very ugly and det e s ta
.

ble is it n o t ?
,

During thi s vacation he w as at home eight

day s w ith me O w anted to make him s ay .

the b ead s and all the c hildren c onst antly urged

,

h im to pray b e fore and a fter meals All w a s .

usele ss ; he was hardened in hi s b ad conduct ,

and s tub b ornly re fused to serve God o r to pray

to H im T h i s caused much sorr o w to papa
.
,

to mamma and to me We prayed a great deal

, .

for him and Go d h e ard us H e wa s c on

,
.

verted b efore going to America w h ither he

!
,

w ent to j oin uncle A H e p romised me that .

then c eforth he would be faith ful to Go d He .

re c ei ved H oly Communion o n the fea s t o f Co r

2 72 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s ome s pe c ial exerci s e d evotion in ho nor o f

of

your dear and divine M other in order to ren ,

der your s el f more a greeable to her You may .

h ave o ne o f your teacher s de c ide upon thi s

exer c i s e for you .

Yo u must ta ke s ti ll another re s olution w hi c h

'

wi l l c ause great pleasure to the Ble ss ed V irgin .

Here it i s I f one o f your companions ha s

.

o ffended you a n d y o u h ave b e c ome angry w ith

,

her forg i ve her f o r the lo v e o f the Ble s sed

,

V irgin Do not harb or any ill w ill again s t

'

h er b ut love her w ith all your heart and s peak

, ,

to her w ith gen tlene ss f o r the s ake o f the

Bles s ed V irgin your Mot h er ,
Regard the .

Bles sed V irgin as not only your Mother b ut ,

als o t h e Mother o f t h e companion who ha s

o f fende d you That i s w hy you must forgive
.

her and love her w ith all yo ur heart

,
.

Give my re s pects to your good tea c her w ho ,

w as kind enough to w rite me a f ew w ord s at

t h e end o f your l etter Although I c annot .

recall the content s o f that letter , o n ac c ount o f

t h e accident wh ich happened to it still I kno w ,

t h at it fi l ls me w ith gratitude to w ard t h i s kind

mistress w ho l ove s you very much and inter
,

ests h ersel f espec ia ll y in your w el fare Give .

h er my t h anks and S h o w yoursel f Obedient and

,

gratefu l to her .

Adieu my dear niece B e good gentle and

,
.
, ,

piou s Thi s i s all that I ask o f God and the

.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA NN 2 73

LE TT E R L I .

TO A SE M I NA RI A N .

D p tu
e ar re fo r Ren n e s —
T tl u o a s r r en d er in to the

ha n d s of Go d .

I . M I . .

Is s y July ,
13 th ,
1 837 .

MY D EA REST B RO T H ER ‘

May t h e peace and the love of our Divine

S aviour fill your soul ! I announce to you i f ,

not t h e exact at least t h e probable date o f my

, ,

departure .

It i s possible and even probable that a fort

nig h t from Sunday I s h all no longer be in
P aris God must be t h e principle and the mo
.

tive of our conduct in t h is as w e l l a s i n all other

t h ings He a lo ne s h ould be t h e li fe and move
.

ment o f our sou l j ust as our soul is the li fe and

,

movement o f ou r body L et your li fe and .

your existence be entirely in H im and t h rough

Him .

I wo uld rat h er see you dead at my feet than

t h at you s h ou l d l ive l ocked up wit h in yoursel f
and outside of Go d I f you t h us acted in your.

se l f and by yoursel f outside o f God it w ould ,

be far better i f movement ceased bot h interiorly

and exterior l y in b ody a s wel l as in sou l Re
,
.

main quiet and peaceful be fore God in every

t h ing and for everyt h ing L et the w o r l d w ith .
27
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

all that it c ontain s take it s c our s e a cc ording to

God s good plea s ure P re s erve your equ a n i m
’
.

ity and indi ff eren c e in everything that m a y

h appen ; b ut let y o ur s oul remain in Go d and ,

let it live f o r H im alone .

H e directs and arrange s al l thing s and event s .

It is o u r w ell b eloved F ather o u r love and o u r

—
,

li fe w h o w ills them and t h is i s for us a rea s on

, ,

to rej oice O ur w hole attention our love our

.
, ,

j oy our happines s and our li fe are in H im alone

, ,
.

W h y s h ould w e noti c e aught b ut o u r li fe and

our love ? Why should w e meddle w ith a n y
thing els e ? I f your man o f fle s h decay s and
disappear s do not o cc upy y o ursel f w ith it
,
.

Rej oice in your God and L ord who doe s all ,

t h ings everyw h ere according to H i s sole good

pleasure Do n o t w orry n o r be gladdened i f
.

this man o f corruption and Si n regain s s trength

and sho ws s igns o f re c uperation But rej oi c e .

in your God and L ord Jesu s t h at He doe s w ith

you according to His goo d plea s ure May .

H is mo s t h oly name be bles s ed prai s ed and , ,

adored by all o f u s as w ell as b y Hi s angel s

,

and H is saints !
P raised b e J esus ! M ay H is love reign in
your soul ! It is in Him in H i s mo s t holy love
, ,

and t h at o f our w ell b eloved Mother that I

-

embra c e you with my w h ole soul and t h at I am ,

YOU R V ERY H U M B LE B RO T H ER A N D S ERVANT .

 76 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

s o that they may allo w Je s us their only li fe ,

and l ove to a c t and live in them w ith p erfe c t

,

li b erty I f it plea s es this dear L ord to live

.

and act in them with rigor they keep them ,

s elves as dead w ithin themselves they forget ,

themse lve s they neglect themselve s they ab an

, ,

don themselves for the purpose o f fi xing their

interior gaze upon their w ell b eloved Jesu s -

alone The divine Master labors in them to

.

the full extent o f H i s love ; H e strikes c ut s ,

o ff immolates annihilate s and the poo r s oul

, , ,

maintains it s el f i n pea c e and immob ility It .

s ee s only Jesus and the pleasure o f H i s w ell ’

beloved heart It i s per fe c tly re s igned to ev e r y

.

thing that H e does or rather it rej oice s in , , , .

Jesus and does not e ven busy itsel f w ith what

,

H e is doing Thi s i s so b ecause it forget s it s el f

.
,

b ec au s e it forget s all sel f interest and s el f —

s eeking .

Take note especially o f the s e last w ord s .

the s o ul mus t not be o ccu pi ed w i th the o p er a

ti o ns f o I es us wi thi n i ts elf
It seem s to me that .

this i s very im portant Do not c ontent your .

sel f w ith s u ffering patiently o r even w ith c om ,

pl a ce n c y Do not even
. tell your s el f that the s e
things will b e u s e ful to you for your san c ti
fi ca ti o n .

All this is very good and excellent But .

you have s omething better to do i f you w i sh

to b e agreeab le in the s ight o f Go d I t i s to .
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 2 77

negl ec t a n d fo r get ev er y thi ng i n or d er to thi n k

o f J es us a l on e a n d o ccu py y o u r s el f ex cl us i v ely

wi th H i m There fore do not worry when you

.
,

are encompas s ed w ith t h ese annoyan c es and

this s piritual fatigue b ut try to reduce your
'

mind to a s tate o f repose w it h out busying it or

applying it to any particular t h ought or idea .

Do not even fix its attention upon the thought

o f God but keep it in a condition o f ope nness
, ,

calm independence and interior liberty in the

,

sight o f God in such a manner t h at your mind

.

is turned to God w it h out b eing fixed upon

Him It is di ff icult for me to explain my mean
.

ing but you feel tha t to ha v e the m i n d fixed o n

,

Go d o r i n H i s pr es en ce expresses up to a c er , ,

tain point a c o n di ti on of c o ns tr a i n t a cer ta i n

, ,

n a tu r a l m o v em en t or i mpu ls e ; thi s i s o f n o
u s e to
y o u f y
o r o u r pr es en t i n ter i o r s ta te .

When your mind has attained such liberty

’
and repo se b e fore God continue to oc c upy your ,

s el f w ith everyt h ing that comes along through

out t h e day and at the same time b usy your
,

sel f wit h nothing ; t h at is take everything a s ,

it comes without making an occupation of it

,
.

Act in meditation a s at table ; I mean preserve ,

t h at liberty o f s pirit that comp lete forget ful

,

ness o f sel f and tranquil pe ace be fore God

, .

Maintain yoursel f t h us all day long If .

manual labor w ill render this easier for you ,

take it up but I do n o t think that it w ill b e

,
 2 7 8 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

ne c es s ary You in form me that you have a fter

.
,

your meditation one or two hour s at your

,

di s posal to spe nd either in further meditation

or in r e ading ! But w hy s hould you do that ?
A fter your meditation you must pla c e your s el f
in the s ame frame o f mind as during recreation .

I b elieve that you ought to read nothing a fter

coming out o f meditation unle s s you are per ,

f ec tly pea c e ful and entirely your s el f I here .

al s o include the reading o f Holy Scripture for ,

I think it would be b etter to have it at some

other moment o f the day .

Do not w orry about your reading ; do a s I

told you some time ago that i s keep your s el f
, ,

simply b e fore God and read thus in H i s pres

,

ence w ithout precisely determining that you

, .

are going to read or that you are going to

,

profit by the things which you are reading o r

,
,

t h at you are going to impres s them on your

memory or even on your heart S i mply deter .

mine that you are going to k eep yoursel f in the

pre s ence o f God and that i s all
,
I f y ou .

p re s cri b e for yoursel f any other reading or any

rule wh atsoever it w ill be I sup pose whe n
, , ,

God gives you t h e taste to execute your design ,

but you s h ould not o bstinately ad h ere to it The

‘
.

interior condition o f your soul demands that

you do not bind yoursel f down in any manner .

There is nothing t h at could do you more harm

than to subj ect yoursel f to c e r tain practi c e s .
2 80 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

regains his h ealt h let him regain it s ince

, ,

everything comes from our All let everyt h ing

take its course according to God s sole good ’

pleasure L et H im be everything in all of u s

.
,

s o that each one counts for nothing in himsel f

or in hi s brother J esus and J e sus all alone !

.

t h e rest i s nothingnes s misery and abomina , ,

tion .

I tell you frank l y t h at t h is is the reason why ,

far from being saddened by the kno w ledge

t h at you are su ffering in your fles h as w ell as
-

in your soul I experience a sensible j oy on

,

beholding t h e wi l l o f our God accomp lished in

you according to t h e extent o f Hi s plan .

Abandon yourse l f entirely and in everyt h ing

into t h e h ands o f O ur L ord We belong to .

Him and to H im alone We t h ere fore h a ve .

, ,

n o right o ver ourselves but everything be longs

,

to H im and consequently H e can do in us

, , , ,

and with us whatsoever He wishe s What is

,
’

most beauti ful and wonderful in all this is tha t ,

no matter how H e acts in us H is action i s ,

“

always supremely h o l y and sancti fying We .

are b l essed i f we abandon our s elves entirely

to Hi s divine and incomparable operations F o r .

t h e more complete our abandonment i s t he ,

more admirab l e and fu l l are H is operation s in

us ; and the more complete God s action i s in our
’

s oul t h e greater s a n cti ty w i ll He best o w upon

,

it We con form in fact most perfe c tly to Hi s

.
 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 281

Divine action t h roug h t h is c omplete abandon

ment t h roug h t h is perfe c t conformity we par ,

ti ci pa te in His spirit o f sanctity wh i c h Operate s

in us and throug h t h is incompre h ensi b le par
,

ti c i pa ti o n t h e sanctity o f Jesus is in fu s ed into

,

our soul and renders it h oly J ust as a bar o f .

iron t h rust into t h e fire i s covered and pene

,

tr a te d wit h the fire so that as it w ere it b e

, , ,

comes one and the same thing w ith it ; so al s o

by our abandonment our union and perfect
, ,

ad h esion to the spirit o f J esus w e are pene ,

tr a te d and saturated wit h His spirit We .

possess and represent in ourselves the qualitie s

o f t h is supremely lovab l e and adorable spirit ,

especia ll y t h e c h ie f quality sanctity w hich H e

, ,

wishes to reproduce in us ;

It seems to me t ha t i n this world the entire

action o f the Holy Spirit o f O ur L ord J esus
C h rist tends to our h oliness ; and consequently
He wishes to be our spirit o f sanctity
'
The .

spirit o f separation from all creatures is nearly

the same t h ing as to be united to God to be so ,

plunged into t h e bosom o f God as to have no

li fe but His In Heaven w h ere God lives fully
.
,

in us and where not h ing created can approach

,

us H is action will be an operation o f reward

,

and o f glory w h ilst h ere upon eart h H e b e

,

comes our li fe o f separation a li fe co n s e ,

—
,

quently o f merit and o f su ffering whose

, ,

recompense H e Himsel f will b e

2 82 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Adieu my very dear b roth er I emb r a c e

, .

you in the most holy love o f Jesu s and Mary .

LE TT E R L I V
TO A M I N A RI A N
SE .

I n w ha t m a n n e r J u h uld b
es s st i ly o e en re i n Hi m .
‘

P r a i s e d be Jes us and M ary !

Renne s ,
Augu s t 2 1 5 t, 1 837 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER '

May the pea c e and love o f O ur L ord fill your

soul and make o f it a victim o f love before H i s
,

F ather ! F or thi s purpose you must c ast o ff ,

more and more all that still remai ns o f the o l d

,

creature w hich i s forever in c apable o f b eing

,

sacri fi ced and consecrated to the F at h er o f our

L ord Je s u s Christ b e c au s e it is w holly impure
,
.

It i s in c apable o f submitting itsel f to God ; it

has no other thoughts no ot h er movement s ,

t h an towards itsel f for it s el f and in itsel f

, ,
.

J esus alone can become a victim o f love in u s ,

because H e alone has w ithin H imsel f all s u b

stance o f love whic h he w ishes to communi
,

cate to us or rather to represent in u s by the

,

li fe o f holines s and l o ve w hi c h H e lead s in o u r

soul .

O h w hat an incomparab le victim H e i s !

,

Jesus living in us b y H is s pirit o f s a c ri fic e be

'

,
2 84 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s acrifice be fore H im Have a c onstant c are to.

forget yoursel f s o that your interior may be

al w ay s turned to w ard Go d who i s y o ur All ,
.

You mu s t be noth ing in your s el f for your s el f ,

and to yoursel f i f you w ould h ave H im b e all

,

in you and for you Your mind and your heart

.

must not revert upon or to yoursel f ; but in

everything and everywhere they mu s t b e turned
to God a n d must keep them s elve s at Hi s di s
,

p osal in H is presen c e so that H e may dire c t

,

them and do w ith them according to His good

pleasure Thi s is all my very dear b rother that
.
, ,

I h ave to tell you at present concerning your

a c tual c onditio n .

We are tolerably w ell here We are reading .

the constitution o f our poor little c ongregation ;

I admire it very mu ch I have not read much .

o f it yet ; but the little I have read i s w onderful .

Good F at h er E ude s require s o f us an extra

ordinary perfe c tion such a s we read o f in the
,

most elevated w ork s P ray to God that H e .

may give it to us .

We belong to Jesus and Mary Sincerely

yo urs in t h eir m
.

ost holy love .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 28
5

LE TT E R LV .

To A S E M I N A RI A N .

The fi di g
n n o ut and co r r ec ti o n of hi s d f e e c ts .

Nat u l u
ra c r i o s i ty —
Ho w to p p re a re a s er mo n —
I n di f
f er e n ce f o r the j udgm en ts of m en .

P r a i s e d be Jes u s and M ary !

Rennes ,
S eptember 5 th,
1 8 37 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI EN D

It is wit h genuine pleasure t h at I answer

your letter and I owe it to our good F at h er
,

and L ord J esus C h rist and to Mary our kind

'

, ,

and most holy Mot h er .

J esus saved us a ll and su ff ered for all o f us ;

Mary carries a l l o f us in h er most holy heart .

It t h ere fore becomes a duty and a necessity

, ,

for us to animate and to urge eac h ot h er m u

'

tu a l ly to serve our kind and dear Master to ,

p l ease our good and amiable M ot h er and to

imitate h er Woe to us i f we exercise t h is min
.

i s tr y o f l ove faint h earted l y or wit h bad grace

-

You tell me t h at you h ave not h ing to give me

“
for all that you t h ink I do for you ; I say w h at
you t h ink for a fter a ll I do not h ing a b s o
, ,
~

l u tel y not h ing But I maintain t h at you have

.

t h e means o f repaying me beyond a ll price for .

t h e trouble t h at I may take in promoting your

 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

spiritual w el fare That would be to make the .

grace o f our Master fructi fy w it hi n you and ,

to remain fait h fu l to t h e most hol y charity and

love o f God w hi ch our good L ord J esus wis h es
,

to establish in your soul Anything that y o u .

mig h t W i s h to give me in the natural dr der ,

w ould b e for me a c ont emptible re w ard and

even un fortunate .

The goods o f this earth are dust and clay

that o ftenest in fect the soul o f those w h o po s
s e ss t h em V alue t h em t h ere fore for w h at
.
, ,

they are and do not worry i f you have n o t so

,

much as others Your pride is crus hed thereby

.

in regard to many t h ings : so muc h the b etter ;

you mu s t destroy and anni h ilate it The s e are .

the true means t h at God employs to over

come it .

At present I am going to follow your letter

, ,

que s tion for question and I shall an sw er you ,

in t h e proportion that God deig ns to e n

lig h ten me .

Do not w orry about t h e shortcomings o f

w hic h you are not aware Do not always o c .

c u py yoursel f in seeking t h em out for the pur

pose o f knowing them Think o f a c quiring .

.

the virtues t h at make saints ; humility meek ,

ness peace moderation love o f Go d s pirit of

, , , ,

prayer etc,
Yo u bus y y o ur s elf en ti r ely to o
.

m u ch w i th y o u r s elf ; thi s i s o ne o f the gr e a t

o bs ta cl es to the tr i u mph o v er y o u r d efec ts .
2 88 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

so guilty as one might suppose The c ure o f

all this i s not accomplis h ed i n a single day Be .

patient there fore and c ontinue to apply your

, ,

Sel f to meekness peace and interi o r modera

,

tion ; place your whole confiden c e in God and ,

H e w ill finally h ear you H e will even give .

you grace to c orre c t these de fect s little by little ,

and the patience wit h w h ic h you su ffer t h em

w ill be ac c redited to you i n t h e pre s ence o f God
Bear t h em t h ere fore patiently and meekly ;
, ,

h umble yoursel f quietly and pea c e fully be fore

H im and wait until He deigns to attach y o u
,

completely to H imsel f O nce again d o not

”

.
,

busy y o iI r s el f s o muc h w it h yoursel f but oc ,

c u py yoursel f with t h e love o f God constantly ,

wa l king in h umility be fore H im and t h is in all ,

p eace all meekness and wit h interior modera

, ,

tion Why do you al w ays worry be c au s e you

.

fi nd it di fficult to conquer your de fects Thi s ?

is pure pride God does not precisely ask o f

.

you to conquer t h em but h e w ants you to have ,

t h e d es i r e to overcome t h em and to make the ,

e ffort so that you may render yoursel f pleasing

,

in Hi s S ight Strive to eradicate t h em meekly

.

and peace fully wit h t h is end in View and r e ,

main tranquil I f you t h u s place your w hole

.

confidence in H im alone you w i l l patiently and ,

quietly bear w it h t h e s h ortcomings w h ich God

is pleased to leave you yet a little longer I f .

you worry and gro w impatient it is a sign that ,

 VENE R AB LE L I B E RM A N N 89

you w is h to rid yoursel f o f t h em for other rea

sons t h at ar e faulty ; for instance to be more ,

estimab l e and esteemed etc But as long as,

.

you are impatient about t h em you w il l not

vanqui s h t h em .

Here is what I think I oug h t to c ounsel you

about your sermon Do not read bits o f elo
.

q u e n ce or even books o f sermons but a s piritual

,

aut h or or a theologian who treats the s ubj ect

about w h ic h you intend to Speak W h en you .

h ave studied h im well and know h im t h or

oug h ly begin to t h ink about t h e plan o f your
,

sermon Do not try immediately to determine

.

t h e manner in wh ic h you w ill say things nor ,

ho w you can render t h em pat h eti c and interest

ing : Make your plan s h ort w ith its divisions
and subdivisions A fter that you may go to
.

work to develop your matter Do not easily .

c h ange eit h er t h e plan once you h ave decided

,

upo n it or t h e manner o f developing it I

, .

know that notwith standing t h ese precautions

you w ill experien c e some trouble in restraining
t h e vivacity o f your imagination ; b ut you will
be less tormented and i f perchan c e any dis
,

appointment s h ould still remain you will h ave ,

to bear it wit h patience and meekness :

The manner of conducting yoursel f to w ards
pe ople and even to w ards e c clesiastics wh en ,

you h ave your exercises o f piety to perform i s ,

not to l et yoursel f b e di sturbed by t h em With .

2
9 0
‘

S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

draw from t h eir company without telling the

reason w h y I f you tell them that you w i s h to
.

recite your litt l e o ffice etc t h ey w ill s ometime s

,
.
,

find something to o b j ect ; and that w ill c au s e

you to have human respect N o w thi s human .
,

respe c t is bad ; we must not tran s gres s our rule

on ac c ount o f the shame that w e may feel ab out
it be fore men But i f you s a y that you have to
.

ab sent yoursel f for a quarter o f an hour o r ,

h al f an h our w ithout giving a rea s on for it no

, ,

one w ill h ave anything to say and everyt h ing ,

will go on s m oothly .

Your character forci b ly incline s you to c on

ce a l m en t and under handedness in s ome thing s
-

and to be too communicative in other s Avoid .

bot h extremes Do not on the one hand reveal

.
, ,

secrets to other s nor on the other take s o

, , ,

many precaution s to hide them in anxiou s fear ,

t h at they may b e di sc overed L et all thi s b e .

done in peace meekness suavity and interior

, , ,

m oderation .

You should not make s uch great e ff ort s to

kno w w h ether you are a c ting ac c ording to the
wi l l o f God or not whether thi s action that , ,

sentiment pro c eed s from Go d or the devil Be

, ,
.

disposed to follo w God w ith your w hole s oul

.
,

and do s imply what you think i s plea s ing to

H im Do not fear ; t h e evil one w ill not i n
.

spire you w ith s uch a s entiment Try only to .

be moderate in all your actio n s to re s train ,

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R LV I .

T O A D I REC T O R O F A SE M I NA RY .

A tt a c hm e n t to the s em i n a r y of St . S ul p ce
i —
.
J oy
whi ch go d o n ews ha s ca u d se hi m .

Renne s ,
Septemb er th
7 , 1 8 37 .

M Y KI N D A ND V ERY D EA R SI R
I c ertainly appear very guilty for having
le ft you so long without w riting to you My .

only reason w as that I did not kn o w w h en my

letter w ould find you at Issy b e c ause I had for ,
'

gotten to ask you b e fore m y depa r tu r e w hen

you would take your va c ation A s you are .

usually b ack for t h e N ativity o f our very good

and dear Mother I hasten to w rite to you on,

the Vigil o f thi s beauti ful feast .

You are undoubtedly very b u s y a nd loaded ’

do w n w ith w ork for to morrow but it i s very —

,

pleasant w ork S i nce the Blessed V irgin i s the

,

obj ect o f it ; and all that w e do to honor her to ,

s h ow her our love the re s pect and the homage,

that w e wish to render h er i s a great s u b j ect ,

o f j oy E very drop o f perspiration that w e

.

shed fo r her honor i s an o c ean o f mildness and

,

s w eetne s s .

We s hall all o f us take part i n your dear feast

o f to morro w as far as lies in our p o w er ; w e
-

,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A N N 2
93

sha l l be united to you in desire and intention .

You are t h e c h eris h ed c h ildren and w e are t h e ,

exiles ; but we do not love our good Mot h er the

less for all t h at We also love t h e h ouse w h i c h
.

s h e favors wit h h er kindness and in wh ich all ,

o f us h ave received so many signal gra c es and

favors We a l so love a l l t h ose w h o dwell ther e
.
,

wit h a very lively and very tender c h arity in ’

J esus and Mary I h ope wit h t h e grace o f God

.
,

and t h e kindness o f t h e Blessed V irgin our good ,

Mot h er as we l l as yours I sha ll never forget

, ,

t h at dear h ouse Yes my dear F at h er a nd

,

friend you wi ll belong to me and I s h a l l still

, ,

be l ong to you alt h oug h we are so far distant

,

from eac h ot h er My h eart and my soul will

.

always be united to a ll o f you w ho serve God

fait h fully at St Su l pi c e and during my w h ole
.
,

l i fe I s h a l l always be glad to h ear o f t h e favors

and the blessings that it p l eases our good L ord
J esus to bestow upon you and your work for
-
,

t h e salvation and t h e s a n cti fica ti o n o f t h e sem

i n a r i a n s w h o are confided to your care .

1 s h a l l soon be a stranger to a l l t h ose who

l ive wit h you in t h e h ouse o f my M Other but ,

I s h a ll not be a stranger to t h e graces whic h

God wil l bestow upon t h eir souls ; t h is will
always be a great j oy to me T h at i s w hy I .

beg o f you to give me or to h ave sent to me

, ,

news about t h e good t h at i s being done at I ssy .

It appears t h at everything is getting on very

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

well at pre s ent The seminarians are fervent

.
,

or at least the fervent ones help ea c h other

, ,

very much in t h eir fervor This must be a .

great satis faction for you and w e must give ,

thanks to God who favors u s so mu c h It

, .

appears also that everyt h ing i s being made

ready for next year and I hope t h at t h e fervor

,

o f all w ill be greater t h an ever be fore Several .

director s are as full o f ardor as the most fervent

seminarians in order to make the w ork o f the
,

s a n c ti fi ca ti o n o f the seminary advan c e God .

will surely bless t h e labors that they have s o

generously undertaken .

You now h ave M C at Issy w h o wi ll r e . .

,

main wit h you H e will be very use ful to you

.

eit h er for t h e good o f t h e Solitude or o f t h e

seminary You have somebody with w h om
.

you may speak about Christian and eccle s i

a s ti c a l perfection You may converse w h en
.

ever y o n wi sh about M O lier y our h oly and .

,

venerable F at h er and about h i s Virtues I a s

,
.

sure you my dear sir that this cause s me a

, ,

great deal o f p l easure for I know ho w muc h ,

you desire such opportunities o f piou s c onver

sation .

Kind l y excuse me for not h aving w ritten to

you until now I am very w ell Messrs L
. . . .

and L are wit h me for some time past We

. .

S h all b egin our retreat On the 2 o th o f t h is

month P ray to God for us O ur novitiate
. .
2
9 6 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

your w hole interior b e silent be fore H im Yo u .

kn o w and we have o ften repeated it in our co n

,

v e r s a ti o n s t h at w hen our interior i s moved the

, ,

Holy Ghost c an not make H imsel f heard O ur .

soul s h aken up and tossed ab out b y it s o wn

,

powers turned from right to le ft ca n not give

, ,

itsel f up to the Holy Ghost ; and thus to o u r

greater mi s fortune t h e D ivine Spirit b e c ome s
,

null and without an occupation within us .

This soul which H e w i s hes to attach to

,

H im sel f, and w hich He w ishes to fill w ith Hi s

own kno w ledge and H i s own strength depart s ,

from H im and acts independently H e w ishe s .

to bestow H imsel f upon it and it c lo s e s every ,

passage ; He wishes to become its spirit o f

peace and it does not consent preferring to b e
, ,

i n agitation anguish and t rou b le What mi s

,
.

ery ! It would find its stre ngth it s w ealth and ,

its perfection in the spi rit o f O ur L ord i f it , ,

would only abandon itsel f t o H is guidan c e .

But b ecause it departs from H im and w i s he s ,

to act b y itsel f and in it s el f it fi nd s i n i t s el f ,

naught but trouble mi sery and the mo s t pr o

, ,

found incapacity with a uni ver s al privation o f

,

all goo d o f all beauty and per fe c tion

, ,
.

What should we do s urrounded a s w e are ,

with so many ills ? The soul must part w ith

itsel f a fter leaving all creature s It mu s t not .

only seek no j oy no satis faction nor any co n

, ,

solation in c reature s thi s i s only the b egi n

—
 VENER A B LE L IB E RM A NN 2
97

ning o f the spiritual li fe b ut it mu s t co m —

p l e te l y part w ith itsel f in thi s s ense

,
first that , ,

it mu s t not seek it s delight in spiritual thing s ;

that it must avoid all c omplacen c y in sel f o n
account o f the good that it pretends to s ee in
itsel f or all s adness on ac c ount o f the real evil
,

t h at it ob s erves there .

All t h ese things are very e xc ellent b efore

God ; t h ey are the foundations that must be laid
i f we would become interior men ; but thi s i s
on l y t h e beginning o f perfection for a Chri s tian
s oul To complete it w e must add the r e
.

n o u n cem e n t o f all t h ings including s el f for , ,

the purpose o f living only for God and in God

alone This i s an essential point from w hich
.

w e must never depart

. We should un c ea s ingly
.

work for this end but al w ay s in great ab andon

,

ment to Go d .

And yet so far we are only dying to our

selves ; w e must go further we must be d ead in ,

ourselves When it pleased God to create the

.

universe He worked on not h ing ; and behold

.

w hat beauti ful t h ings He made ! It is equally

true that i f He wis h es to work in u s in order to
operate t h ings infinitely above all the natural
beauties that came forth from H is hand He ,

does not need our action to help Him

We should rather let H im act ; it pleases H im
to w ork upon nothing L et u s maintain our .

selves i n all peace and tranquillity be fore Him ,

2
9 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

and let u s follo w simply the impul s e w hi c h H e

gives u s We S hould never pre c ede H im b ut
.
,

remain i n our sp i r i tual nothingnes s until H e

deigns to give u s a s upernatural s piritual e x
i s ten ce We a r e dea d and w ithout li fe It i s
.
'

from H im alone that w e c an expe c t li fe w hi c h ,

H e will give us b y communi c ating H im s el f to

our s oul and by in s inuating H im s el f into all
o u r facultie s for the purpo s e o f a c ting in them

according to H i s sole good plea s ure L et u s .

,

there fore keep our s oul in repo s e b e fore H im

, ,

in the expe c tation that H e alone w ill give u s

every movement and all li fe Thi s i s w hat a .

“
young s eminarian c alled b eing annihilated in
”
onesel f b efore God And let u s try to have
.

neither movement nor w ill nor li fe b ut in Go d

, , ,

and b y the spirit o f God .

Thi s s piritual li fe i s very b eauti ful and very

perfect ; b ut it demands great calm and modera
tion i n b oth exterior and interior a c tion It i s
-
.

not through activity haste di s quietude and , , ,

spite again s t our s elve s that we attain pea c e ,

mu c h le s s that condition o f per fection and lo ss

in God We must b e s ide s w ish to advan c e in
.
, ,

pe rfe c tion only in s o far a s it i s given u s f rom

ab ove .

We should aim at thi s pea c e and thi s s tate o f

interior moderation w ith a Vie w to live only in
Go d and b y God But all thi s s hould b e done
.

w ith s uavity and s ub mi ss ion e xp e c ting ev ery ,

3 00 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF THE

thing that it w ill plea s e H im to do w ith y o u

and in you .

It is i n Hi s mo s t holy love that I am al w ay s

united to y o u .

LE TT E R LV I II .

TO A D I RECT O R O F A SE M I NA RY .

J oy up o n l e i g th t h h
ar n n a e a s cr o s s es to b ea n —
A ba n
d o n m en t to J u es s .

P r a i s e d be J es us and M ary !
Renne s ,
S eptember 1 1 th, 1 8 3 7 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F A T H ER A ND F RI END
I thank O ur L ord wit h all the j o y o f my
soul for what He is plea s ed to do w it h you in ,

you and for you I think I may b oldly u s e

,
.

this language w hi c h i s s o b arbarou s and c ruel

,

for men o f fle s h instead o f putting on a look

,

o f sadness and o f sorro w in order to con s ole

you in the trial to w hich our good L ord Je s u s
subj e c ts you It would besides be a po s itive
.
, ,

lie for me to talk to you other w i s e F or w hy .

S hould I no t rej oice when I behold that Je s u s ,

i s pleased with your s oul t h at He attache s it to ,

H imse l f and places it in H i s eart h ly paradi s e

,

in order to operate in it a little o f w hat H i s

F ather a c com p lis h ed in Him dur i ng H i s mortal
li fe ? He admit s it to Hi s tab le ; H e nouri s he s
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 30 1

it w it h that heavenly and sancti fying food w ith ,

w h ich He nouris h ed Himsel f during the time

t h at He dwelt among u s !
You comp l ain t h at until no w you have only
su ff ered in p atience Well ! this i s s omething
.

already and patience leads to greater per f ec

,

tion :

P a ti en ti a o pus per f ec tu m ha be t We .

begin by su ff ering patiently ; little by little thi s

disposition i s perfected and finally at the end
, , ,

o f a very Sh ort time w e abandon our s elve s en

,

ti r e ly to our L ord J esus to be a plaything as it ,

were in His h ands

,
.

In t h is condition we no l onger t h ink o f our

selves nor of anyt h ing t h at relates to us nor o f
, ,

w h at we have done nor of what we mig h t do

,
.

T h e same is true for sickness and for h ealth ,

for pains and for well being We lose s ight —

.

o f ourselves entire l y for t h e purpose o f fixing

:

our mind on J esus alone o f directing al l our ,

intentions towards Hi m t h e we ll be l oved and ,

-

on l y treasure o f our sou l We t h en enj oy great .

repose in t h e midst o f a l l t h e pains su fferings , ,

a fflictions and contradictions t h at w e ex per i

,

ence ; or rat h er real su ff ering and real contra

,

diction no longer exist for us .

We feel the shock o f t h e sorrow t h at ha s

stricken us ; our fles h is even at times do w ned
by it B ut deep in our interior w e belong to
.
,

God and are in God alone ; and this terrible

s h ock w hich w ould have overpowered us at
,
3 0 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

another time can n o t penetrate into o ur soul

,

n o w b e c au s e it i s united to O ur L ord w ho r e
,

s id es there H i s throne i s fi rmly e s tab li s hed

.

in o u r inmo s t s oul .

O h ! ho w true it i s that patie nc e c ontain s a

perfe c t work ! E ntire perfec tion is found there .

Thi s i s the great re w ard for su ff ering s and f o r

c ro ss e s Ble s sed there fore i s he w ho i s
.
, ,

favored w ith them and w ho makes good u s e

,

o f s o b eauti ful an opportunity in order to a t ,

tain total f orgetfulness o f s el f and o f all creat

ure s and per fect un i o n with J e s us living in
,

h i s innermost s oul ! You have indeed a golden

Oppo rtunity
Do me the chari ty of b eing al w ay s united
w it h me in the h oly love o f Jesu s and Mary .

Your very humble s ervant in thi s h oly c har

ity .
 0
3 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

sp irit o f sovereign san c tity a nd H e w ill no t,

only live full y in you b ut your li fe w ill no

,

longer b e your s it will be that o f the Spirit o f

,

Jesu s Christ who w ill b e all thing s in you

,
.

F or thi s purpo s e H e mu st be the only light

,

o f your mind the only motive o f your w ill and

, ,

o f all your acti o n s t h e only desire o f your

,

heart the centre and origin o f all t h e a ffections

,

O f your s oul There mu s t b e no impres s ion in

.

you foreign to this Spirit o f holine s s and love .

Your soul must experience no s entiment no ,

movement no impre s sion w hat s oever i t mu s t

,
—

h ave no li fe b ut i n t h is Spirit and by this Spirit

o f t h e love o f Jesus You can then s ay that H e
.

l ives in you and that He is you r li fe ; and i f He

is your li fe your li fe wi l l be one o f holine ss
, ,

since H e po s sesses all sanctity i n Himsel f a n d

H is li fe i s sanctity itsel f .

Rej oice there fore with all your heart i n the

, ,

most holy love o f our good Ma s ter and L or d

J esus but rej oice in all the lowliness and h umi
,
l

i a ti o n o f your soul before H im He has .

deigned to look upon a poor and w retched soul

and to approach it ; He w is h es to attach it to
H imsel f ; forget yoursel f and love your s el f in
t h e interior o f J esus L et t h e interior eyes o f
.

your soul be turned upon H im alone Rema i n .

t h ere by a motive O f pure fait h and let Hi m ,

act in you a cc ording to H is great plea s ure .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN
3 5
0

These interior and outward su fferings w hich

it has pleased Him to send you have caused me ,

great pleasure be c ause I expect t h at t h ey will

,

sancti fy your soul I may certainly rej oic e at

.

t h em in t h is lig h t be fore our good Maste r A S .

f o r yoursel f I advise you not to think o f them

,

in any w ay w h en you have t h em When our .

dear L ord i s pleased to act in t h e rigor o f sa n c

tity w it h you keep your s el f in your nothing
,

ness and do not try to attac h y ourse l f to a n y

,

t h ing DO not tell yoursel f tha t thes e s u ff er i ngs

.

are oi n
g g to be us
f
e ul to
y ou th a t the
y w,
i ll

p r o du c e s u c h o r s u ch a n e ff e c t o f ho li n es s i n

y o ur s o ul .

F orget yoursel f and keep your s el f S imply in

,

your poverty your detachment and your a b j ec

,

tion be fore your s weet and amiable Master ,

w h o strikes you or makes use o f the enemy s ’

h and to strike you Keep yoursel f t h us in H is .

presence and say y es to everyt h ing t h at He per

,

mits Say thi s y es w it h great complacency in

.

thi s dear Master not because you are delig h ted

,

at H is having struck you ! unle ss He urges y o u

special l y and evidently to do this for you kno w ,

t h at everyt h ing must come from Him ! but b e ,

cause you are p l ea s ed t h at it i s He w ho has

struck you Yo u kno w t h at we must mi s trust
.

every reflection upon Oursel f We must not .

even recall the examples and the words o f the

306 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s a i nt s who have b een in s imilar s trait s ; thi s i s

s till more dangerou s .

I believe that I told you all thi s in an an sw er

,

that I gave you c on c erning thi s topi c w hen y o u ,

w ere troubled the fi r s t time I do n o t need to .

remind you that you mu s t not s eek c onsolation

from men Besides n o matter ho w mu c h s o
.
,

ever you tried you w ould fi nd only th e co n

‘

tr a r y Still I think that in the s e cir c um

.
,

Stance s you must communi c ate everything that

takes pla c e to somebody w ho i s ab le to guard

you against illusions be c au s e w e are mor e e x
,

po s ed to let ourselves b e de c eived at s u c h a m o

ment I b eg o f you there fore my dear b rother
.
, , ,

to w rite to me at such time s o f vexation i f y o u ,

think t h at I can be use ful to you for the greater

glory o f God .

A l ways live i n a s pirit o f immolation and o f

sa c rifi c e a s long a s it please s God to urge you to
it To a c quire this de s ire o f immolatio n and
.

sa c rifi c e you must keep yoursel f in a s tate o f

,

abstraction and annihilation b e f ore Go d and in

God w h o must b e all thing s in y o u I f H e
, .

w i s h e s to immolate or s acrifi c e y o u live in H im ,

or let Him live in you in the s pirit o f vi c tim ,

and sacrifice but never let s el f to b e c ome prom

,

i n en t H e must operate all thing s in you

.

Your activity o f s pirit doe s not alarm me ,

be c ause I expect that the spirit o f O ur Lord -

w ho w i s he s to live alone in y o u w ill trium p h ,

3 08 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

s a c rificed in the Spirit and b y the Spirit o f o ur

, ,

L ord Je s u s .

Sincerely your s in H im and in H i s mo s t holy

Mother .

LE TT E R L X .

T O A S EM I NA RI AN .

Ex h rt tio t hu m i l i ty ; th
a on o m e a nn er o f l ki g
oo n

up d p
on an t i i g thi v i t u O b d i
rac s n s r e —
e ence a n d di r e c
ti o n .

P r a i s e d be Jes us a nd M ary !
Rennes ,
Septem b er 3 o th,
1 83 7 .

M Y V ERY D EA R SI R
I wish that the love o f O ur L ord Je s u s and
o f Hi s mo s t holy Mother may fill your s oul ,

and accompli s h in you w hat He is ac cu s tomed

to accomplish in the soul s w hi c h Go d call s to ,

walk in H i s presen c e in great per fection and

detachment from every creature ; that i s that ,

He may alway s keep y o u in pro found humilia

tion and perfect annihilation b e fore H im and
in Him so that you see but H im alone both in
,

your s el f and in other creature s M ay H e .

make you perfectly understand in w hat true

h umility consi s ts that it i s neither a di s play
—

o f w ord s nor an amusement o f the mind nor

, ,

a play o f the imagination .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 3 0
9

I f you really wish to practise thi s virtue do ,

not content yoursel f with talking humility from

morning until nig h t O ur L ord J esus s aid that
.

He did not c onsider as belonging to Him all

tho s e who c ry L o r d L or d So it i s w ith h umil
,
.

ity I h ave seen gr eat abu s e s w ith regard to

.

t h is virtue E veryone considers it very meri

.

to r i o u s to speak c ontinually about h umility and ,

scarcely anyone possesses t h is virtue You can .

scarcely open your m o n th about anything

w h atsoever be fore somebody immediately
,

“
answers Oh ! t h ere i s nothing like humility !
T h e true means o f acquiring it is not to h ave
its name constantly upon your lips I have .

o ften had t h e opportunity o f Ob serving that

t h i s word has scarcely any meaning in the
mouth o f most seminarians This i s what pre .

vented me from naming it o ften in our con

.
V e r s a ti o n s b ecause the word has been so abused
,

t h at scarcely anybody understands its true

meaning .

Many o f t h ose w h o claim they understand it ,

wis h to acquire it by their own stren gt h by ,

t h eir natural activity by the great eff orts they

,

make by t h e trouble and the worry t h ey give

,

t h emse l ves Admirable h umility ! You must

.

take great care t h at your virtues be not merely

in the mouth and on t h e tongue in your imagi ,

nation or in your work and activity nor yet in

, ,

t h e researc h o f your mind w hi c h gro ws ,

 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF T HE

trou b led hasty and torments it s el f to kno w

,

w hat must be done to determine whether you

are humble and unto what point you are S O
, .

True humility doe s not consi s t in this no ,

more than it doe s in out w ard actions or in the ,

care that w e take to s eize upon everything that

outwardly hum b le and to appear be fore the ,

eye s o f others in a lowly and humiliating posi

tion o r action This may indeed b e and often is
.
, ,

an e ffect o f tr u e hu m i l i ty which is a kno w ledge

‘

,
.

and intimate interior convi c tion b y which w e ,

pea c e fully meekly and lovingly re c ognize b e

, ,

fore God that we are nothing b ut misery pov ,

e r ty
,
incapa c ity and detesta b le on ac c ount o f
,

the s i n s w ith which w e are laden .

Kn o wledge full o f love and S ilent s ub mi s sion

before Go d caus e s u s to ke e p ourse l ve s lovi n gly
pea c e fully and meekly i n H i s pre s en c e in the '

full depth o f our basenes s We there s ee ho w .

b ase ho w V ile ho w a b j e c t and contempti b le we

, , ,

a r e in ourselves and b e fore God At the same .

time w e are ravished with j oy to b ehold that

,

He alone c ontains w ithin H imsel f all b eauty ,

all grandeur and all possible perfe c tion s

,
.

We look with peace ful and loving eye upon

this abyss not only o f our miserie s in the a ggr e
gate but also o f each one in detail F ar from
,
.

being disturbe d and worried by the sight o f s o

much w ret c hedne s s W e keep our s elve s b efore
,
3 12 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Thus y o u see that w ith all thi s s pe c iou s a p

p ea r a n c e w e are really not hum b le True .

h umility must be founded upon the total extin e

tion o f sel f and upon per fect union w ith God
, ,

from whom alone we can Ob tai n it .

N ow let u s come to o b edien c e I tell you ‘

'

frank l y b e fore God and in a spirit o f charity

t h at I t h ink you h ave practi s ed it very imper
f ectly ever s ince I made your acquaintance .

You never performed any action ho w ever small ,

it might be you never made the least s tep you

, ,

did not even wis h to have t h e slightest thought ,

nor t h e least i dea without having it pres c ribed

,

or set to rule by your director You i mm edi .

ately went to your direc tor in your smallest

do ubts and slig h test di fficulties for the pu rpose
,

o f h aving him solve t h em and you did not do

,

this according to the discret i on and prudence o f

God You acted like the I s raelites before
.

M ount S inai t h ey told M oses that they w i s hed

to hear the w ord o f God on l y throug h H i s medi ‘

ation ; t h i s w as all very well but would it not

,

have b een be tter to hear God H imsel f s peak ?

I must exp l ain in ord er to mak e mys elf
,

und erst o o d I wis h t o s e e you p ractise ob edi

.

en c e in acc ordan c e wit h t h e foll owin g su g

gestions Try t o c onqu er and d eny yourse l f
.

in eve rythin g ; let t h e carna l man b e d ead and

anni h i l at ed ; ren oun c e y ours e l f and a ll creat
ures K e ep yo urself co nstantly unit ed to Go d
.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 1
3 3

in pro found humility s u c h as I have de ,

s crib ed it t o yo u ab ove in th e mo st p erfe ct

,

sub mission and abandonment to H is p l easure ,

and in a spirit o f great faith and love .

T h is disp o sition must animat e you in a l l your

actions and in all your ways ; and it is t h erein
t h at yo u must plac e your spiritual advan ce
ment not in t h e mask o f obedien c e that
,

you formerly h ad p l ac e d on th e c o unt enan c e of

your soul S e ek all your l ig h t and a ll yo ur
.

spiritua l l ife in God a l one and in th e sacri ,

fi c e Of a ll l O Ve and a ffectio n for se l f .

B e faithfu l to render an a ccount to your

dire ctor o f everyt h in g t h at takes p l ac e in you ;
and do it tran qui ll y wit h out research and
,

worry in a ll simplicity of mind and h eart B e

, .

faithful in carrying out p ro mptly n ot only his

orders but als o h is counse l s I t is not t o
, .

a noth e r M o ses t h at yo u must l o o k for th e

knowl edge and ligh t of God ; you must exp e ct
it dire ct l y fro m H imse l f wit h great h umility
, ,

doci l ity m e ekn e ss and p eac e o f mind and

,

h eart W h en yo u de cide ac c ordin g t o yo ur

.
,

l ig h ts what y o u ou g h t t o d o in your di ffi c u l
,

ties go to your director make kno w n to

, ,

h im yo ur di fficu l ty t e ll h im w h at you b e l ieve

,

to b e t h e wi ll o f God ; t h en ask his advic e and .

do what h e reco mm ends B ut n ever go t o .

him w it h out h avin g first consu l t e d God .

Moreover do not go to him for every trifle

, .
3 1
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Ac cu sto m yours e l f t o l et Go d s li ght guid e ’

y o u .GO t o s e e h i m at t h e tim e d et ermin ed

f o r yo u an d t ell him simply h o w y o u have
,

a ct e d in t h e past W h en confront ed by an .

u nl o ok e d for and sudde n event yo u b eli eve

—
,

it dan gerou s fo r you t o de cid e for yours elf

b efore Go d go to c onsu l t h im ; in th e ab sen c e
,

o f p erpl exity an d doubt transact your bu si ,

n ess wit h God and t h en sp eak t o your di ,

re ct or ab o ut i t aft erwa rds D o n ot t h in k that .

a sup ernatural attra ction has urged this Ob edi

en c e u p o n you this is n ot at a l l tru e
,
—
'

Adh ere strict l y t o w h at M P wi ll advise . .

yo u con cernin g t h e ch oi c e of a dire ct or L et .

him read t h is l ett er so t h at h e may exp l ain ,

t o yo u w h at ever n e eds an exp l anation .

I d o n ot answ er yo ur ot h er di ffi culti es b e ,

cau s e I have n o tim e to do so D o everythin g .

t h at M P t e ll s yo u ; h e w ill pro cure fo r you

. .

a l l t h e m ean s n e c e ssary t o avoid t h e dan gers '

to wh i c h yo u may b e exp osed as well as to ,

rid yours e l f o f t h e annoyan ce ab out w hich you “

sp o k e t o m e This l atter w as a m ere i l lusion

.

of t h e imaginati on acc o mpani ed with a natura l

d esire t o practis e a virtu e which aft er all th e , ,

prais e it h ad re c eiv ed app eared to you very ,

beauti ful Its practice w ould b e hurt ful to

.
‘

yo u and wo u l d rend er y o u incapab l e o f doin g

,

anythin g wh atso ev er fo r t h e salvation o f soul s

and for t h e great er g l ory of God Apply .
3 1 6 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

an interior li fe to deny your s elve s and e xc lude ,

every earthly a ffe c tion from your s oul s that ,

you may overcome the defe c t s of mind and

c h ara c ter The s e are : levity a c tivity i n co n
.
, ,

s ta n cy ha s te preo c cupation viva c ity pr e s u m p

, , , ,

tion s ti ff ne ss hardness sadness concentration

, , , ,

in y o ur o wn thoughts an ex c e ss ive gravity , ,

rudeness w orry tenacity and s tubb ornne ss

, , ,
.

We have all these shortcoming s and many ,

more and they keep u s far a w ay from God

,
.

F or every time that w e are under the influen c e

o f any o f them w e do not act according to
‘

H i s s pirit and w e prevent H im from living and

,

acting i n u s You mu s t kno w that God alone

.

s hould live and reign in your s oul s As long .

a s y o u are not entirely in H im and He i s not ,

all in you you w ill not be w orth mu c h You

,
.

c an not b e looked upon either a s truly H i s ’

children b ecau s e the child o f God should have

,

w ithin him s el f the li fe o f God Hi s F ather ; or

a s H i s s ervant s b ecau s e the s ervant should ,

live only for hi s M aster a nd have neither ,

movement nor action b ut a cco r di n g to the w ill

‘

o f his ma s ter .

E xamine care fully w hat you have to do .

DO not act like little children w ho do not ,

.

kno w w hat they are doing W ork like the .

children o f God w h o are filled w ith H i s hol y ,

Spirit and w ho are i llu in i n ed and penetrated

,

from all s ide s b y Hi s light s .

 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 1 7

But w hat must we do to live thi s b eauti ful

li fe w hich i s s o wonderful so delightful and so
, , ,

holy ? You know ver y w ell ; w e S poke about

t h at during the w h ole O f last year D o not .

forget what w as said o f this flesh o f s in .

Above all do not forget w h at t h e Spirit o f

,

Jesu s told you all la s t year in your innermost

, ,

soul I re c ommend to you most earnestly

something m
.

ore s pe c ial ; t h at is that you pre ,

serve your so uls in meeknes s and peace be fore

God I mean the m eekness and peace o f God
—
,

not insensibi l ity and indi ff erence Keep .

your soul s pure and void of everyt h ing created .

F orget yourselves moderate yourselves in ,

everyt h ing and under all circum s tance s A p

,
.

ply y o ur s elve s meekly and peace fully to pre

se r ve your s oul s i n a state o f pove r ty and pri
vat i on in interior moderation and in sweet
, , ,

tranquil and re c ollected liberty in pea c e and

, ,

repo s e in abandonment be fore God your s ov

, ,

er e i gn L ord and most lovable and very dea r

,

F ather E xpect everything from Hi s hand

. .

P lace yourselves simply at His divine disposal ,

so that He may ab s olutely and fina l ly do w ith

, ,

you as H e pleases Be co ntent tranquil full .

, ,

o f j oy and gratitude for everyt h ing t h at He

gives you and also for w hat He doe s not give
, , ,

you Whether He take you and atta c h y o u

.

s t rongly to H imsel f or s eem to desert you ; ,

w hether He precede or fol l o w you ; w hether

 18 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

H e lead you by the hand or let you s eemingly ,

go alone ! I s ay seemingly for w hat w ould ,

become o f u s i f He really did s o w h ether H e

a c t in y o u in an apparent manner or a h idden
one ; wh ether H e make you s upremely ma s ter
o f your de fects or leave you w allo w ing in your
,

mi s ery ; whether H e mai n tain you in pea c e or ,

allo w you to b e a ss ailed by trou b le temptation ,

o r w orry ,
all thi s mu s t b e a matter o f i n di ff er
—

en c e to you b ecause you must fix your soul in

,

H im alone and in H is mo s t holy and most lov

,

ing go o d pleasure .

Remain quiet meek and pea c e ful in the

, , ,

midst o f so many di fferent condition s and ,

—

n o t only peace ful but even full o f j oy and

,

gratitude becau s e your F at h er and your s u

,

preme and well beloved Master doe s as H e

-

w ill s in you ac c ording to the plenitude o f H is

wisdom and H is love .

Thi s is the w ay o f li fe that I tea c h you a —

b road and easy road to arrive at t h e s a n ctifica

tion o f your s ouls and at the perfect love o f
your most dear L ord Be o f good cheer there .

fore ; deny yourselves subdue yourselves as , ,

mu c h as you can Cru s h the flesh w hi c h a l

.
,

w ays wishes to live and which s hould be dead ,

lo ng ago You mu s t renounce your s elve s even

.

to the la s t retrenchment O f s el f love w hi c h -

,
'

s eeks b ut it s el f B e n ot fee b le like children O f

.

a day ; w alk o n vigorously ; the j ourney i s pain

3 20 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

many day s pas s w ithout your c ommitting s om e

material fault s against God ? S till y o u do not
w orry over them be cau s e they are not real,

faults It i s you r s el f love therefore that

.
.
-

, ,

gro w s tro ub led w hen y o u fail be fore men o r

, .

to w ard s men Do not allo w yourselves to b e

.

taken b y s urprise When trouble is brewing .

,

try to c alm your s elve s and do not w orry about

anything .

B e frank plea s ant and c ourteou s to tho s e

, , ,

o f your brethren w h om you wish to b ring to

Go d A b ove all b e meek with interior and
.
,

spiritual meeknes s that i s in O ur L ord But ,

.

be on your guard t h at you do not form any

natural atta c hment for anybody what s oever ,

and under any pretext whats o ever

B e perfectly united among yourselves L ove .

each o ther tenderly and c ordially b ut i n D o mi ,

n o i n Je s us and M ary
,
L et everyt h ing among .

y o u be heavenly and angeli c L et nature w ith .

,

her corrupt a ff e c tions never gain a foothold ,

among you and in fe c t your s oul s I tell you

“

on c e again be w are o f natural familiarity L et

,
.

your w hole deportment b e grave and mode s t ,

not only in your mutual rela tions ! thi s i s indi s

pen s able to pre s erve your virtue ! b ut al s o o n ,

all other occasions Keep your s o ul s in sw eet .

gravity and interior mode s ty w hich w ill a fter ,

w ard s com municate them s elve s to your e x

 VENE R AB LE L I B E RM A N N 21

a c tions w ithout any n eed O f attention on

ter i o r
your part .

Moreover my dearly beloved bret hren you

, ,

kno w that you are and al w ay s w i l l be infinitely

dear to me by t h e grace o f our adorable Ma s
,

ter My s oul will al w ay s b e intimately and

.

tenderly united to yours May Jesus our s w eet

.
,

Master w h om we w is h to please al w ays r e

, ,

main in our midst and inflame u s all w ith the

inten s ity of Hi s heart s charity ! M ay H i s
’

spirit O f s a n ctifica ti o n reign in all O f us and ani ,

mate us all as one and the same per s on !

I hope from my who l e heart that this Di v m e
Spirit w ill always keep you t h us united in the
love o f J e s u s and Mary and that H e w ill per
,

feet and c onsume you in this divine charity ,

in w h ich I am my very dear brethren

, ,

YOU R V ERY H U M B LE B RO T H ER A N D S ERVA N T .

3 22 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

LE TT E R L XII .

TO A SE M I N A RI AN .

Nat u l
ra c a r el e s m ess —
A pp l i c a ti o n t o wo r k —
Ej a cu
l a to r y p ayer s
r .
—
M o r ti fy t he fl e s h . S u pp l e n e s s , ca lm ,

and p ea ce de s i r a ble .

Renne s ,
Oc to b er l o th, 1 837 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B R O T H ER
M ay the pea c e o f our L ord Je s u s b e i n you ,

a n d alway s keep o u in H i s love and in perfe c t

y
submission to H is divine w ill in everything , ,

everywhere and al w ay s !
DO not w orry a bout the c ondition o f yo ur
soul You are in no danger for it i s not in a n y
.
,

past s erious s in that you mu s t s eek the c au s e

o f your miseries but as you s ay very truly in
, , ,

your chara c ter Yo u have o n y o u r s ho u l der s

.

a heavy cros s that you mu s t b ear for a long

time You must neither w orry n o r fret a b o ut
.

it Be o f good c heer and quietly pur s ue the

.
,

pat h in w h i c h y o u are no w w alking : Go d w ill

com fort you The only thing y o u have to do
.

i s to be faith ful and generou s i n making the

sacrifices that H e asks o f you .

Take t h e most e ffica c ious mean s to prevent

yoursel f from falling into natural c arele ss ne ss .

Yo u ne e d great vigilan c e and to b ind y o u , ,

3 2
4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

It i s true that from time to time your mind

harb or s a thought o f Go d Thi s i s s omething .
,

b ut it i s not enough the more s o b e c ause thi s—

thought is very s uperficial You say for i n .

,

stan c e I must remember God Well ! I w ill

,
.

remember H im I must make some ej acula .

”
tory prayers Well ! I wi ll make them Thi s
. .

touches i n a measure only t h e s urface o f your

, ,

mind w hereas it should penetrate it to the very

,

essen c e .

I f ej aculatory prayers are to be really good ,

they must pro c eed from a s oul that tend s

strongly towards God and w hose every de s ire ,

goe s directly towards H im j ust a s an arro w ,

parts force fully with the impulse o f the b o w ,

and wings its flight straight toward s the target .

As long a s t h e b o w when bent i s held in r e , ,

straint t h e arro w remains i mmovable though

, ,

al w ays directed to w ards the mar k ; b ut a s s oo n

as the hand wh ich holds ba c k the b ow i s r e
moved the arro w speed s away I t must b e
,
.

t h e same w ith o u r soul .

E ven while you are busy w ith your studies ,

your mind and your heart mu s t be continually

di s posed to act for t h e greater plea s ure o f God .

DO not occ u py yoursel f so much in reading

annals or other things outside o f the time O f
study but accustom yoursel f to leave to your
,

mind the s e moments o f re pose Why s hould .

it al w ay s b e o cc upied and w orking ? Bet w een

 V ENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N 25

exerci s e s I mean w h en you go from o n e ex

—

e r c i s e to another kee p it in prayer before God

—
.

I f you can not o c cupy yoursel f without the h elp

o f a book take t h e Imitation or the N o v um ;
,

read a verse and t h en ponder on it It is s till .

better i f y o u can do s o without a book Why .

should you always be wrapped up in book s ?

I have another advice to give you ; it i s to ,

apply yoursel f to some particular virtue P r o .

po se to yoursel f one o f t h e most important and

most di fficu l t for you ; such as the s pirit o f
prayer h umility or interior m o r tifica ti o n A p
, , .

ply yoursel f strongly to acquire it and o c cupy

'
,

yoursel f with i t da y and nig h t employing all ,

t h e means that God will suggest to you T h is .

may b e very use ful to you b y giving you some ,

t h ing serious to exercise your mind upon .

Choose wit h t h e approval o f your director the

, ,

v irtue for whic h you have the greatest taste .

But when you oc cupy yoursel f with it es p ecial

ly you must not neglect the rest
, Devote your .

sel f to the practice o f universal sel f den ial A l -

ways be very sober i nteriorly seeking your sat ,

i s f a c ti o n i nnot h ing : this is ver y important .

I h ave a second advice to give you in order ,

to protect you against t h e de fects o f your c h ar

acter It is a peculiar advice b ut one which I
.
,

consider very important and almost necessary .

Wit h its he l p you will be morally certain a c ,

cording to my opinion O f persevering in fer

,
3 26 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

vor You are dou b tle s sly very curiou s to kno w

.

what it is seeing t h at I comment upon it w ith

,

out coming to the point Here it i s Yo u . .

have O ften seen w h at peasants do when their

d o nkey doe s no t want to move They beat .

him from morning until night and in this way ,

t h ey get the poor old animal to go along w ith

the load that he has to carry ; o c casionally h e
will even run Well ! imitate them
. Your .

body i s t h at donkey and he w ould r a ther

,

brows e upon thistles than work for the love o f

h i s Master s greater glory Beat h im and h e
’
.
,

will pursue hi s j ourney ; s ometimes he will even

run in the ways o f t h e love Of Jesus He w ill .

not al w ays run ; you cannot expect it But you .

wil l have the consolation o f see i ng h im always

on t h e w ay, always alert I believe be fore God
.

that exterior m o r tifica ti o n s w h atever they be , ,

will ever be use ful to you .

Beware o f being too tenacious o f your o wn

opinions ; accustom your mind to be supple and
easy in t h e hands o f God .

You need not be astonis h ed that your desire

to be l on g to God i s neither arde nt nor very
sensible ; t h is i s neit h er necessary nor possible .

Try only that t h is desire be sustained c ontin ,

ual and practical S incerely ask t h is o f God

.
,

and expect it from H im alone .

M aintain v o u r s e l f in great h umi l ity and l ow

l i n e s s b efore Go d and in a c o n s ta n t de sire of
‘

,
3 28 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

b e yo ur rep os e your re l i ef your su fferin g

, , ,

your hu mi l iati on yo ur death your life your

, , ,

l ove yo ur happin ess and yo ur All

,
M ay ,
.

H e th en b e you r A l l b ut yo ur A l l ex clu sively

,
.

M aintain yo urself c o n stantly in yo ur not h

i n gn e s s ; l et H im fas h io n t his mis erabl e noth
in g as H e p l eases L et H i m fre ely and
.

w illingly tran sform and repro duc e H i mself

in this vil e and abj e ct n othin g ac co rdin g to
H i s F at h er s d esi gn o f m ercy O h ! if y o u
’
.

kn e w how glad I am wh en I think o f this reign

o f m ercy o f love
,
an d o f j ustic e which H e
,

wis h e s to exercise i n yo ur soul M ercy and .

l ove w i ll b e yours not h in gn ess and sinn er

,

t h ou g h y o u b e I n your soul H e will tak e

.

j u stic e u p o n H imse l f H e w i ll n o u r i s h H im
’

s elf H e wi ll satiat e Hi mself with it That is

,
.

w hy I t ell v o u : l et H i m act ; b e n o t o f little

’

fai th ; b e n ot w eak ; re sist H im n o t H e w ill .

p e rfe ct H is und ertakin g ; fo r H e is infinitely

p owerful e ssentia l ly w ise an d p ossess ed o f
, ,

the plenitud e o f love w ithin Him s el f L et .

H i m act a c cordin g to H is power d em olishin g ,

and annihi l atin g th e fl e s h L et H i m fre ely .

u s e H is divin e wisdo m to enli g h t en and brin g

o rd er int o th e dark c hao s o f your soul and ,

H e w ill su cc e e d in establishin g th e life and

th e reign o f H is l ov e in y o u .

H e will do s o to your detrim ent ; t hat is ,

to th e ruin o f th e fle s h to t h e annihilation o f ,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N
3 2
9

th e animal in y o u I t app ears t h at t h is w ill

.

co st you dear l y sinc e o u r swe et love wish es

,

to employ fire and sword B ut you se e at th e .

sam e tim e t h at inst ead o f su fferin g y o u wi l l

, ,

enj oy ; b ecaus e as I t old yo u ab ove Jesus

, ,

su ff ers and wi ll su ffer in you Wonderful and .

inco mpre h ensib l e e ff ect o f H is love ! M an is

a sinner and s h ould feel all the w eight o f
,

divin e j ustic e b efore b e h oldin g t h e kin gdom

of Go d H is l ove and H is life establish ed in
,

h im Jesus s h ould enj oy l ove an d l ive in o u r

.
,

soul s ; and it is w e t h at sh ou l d su ffer sin c e all ,

evi l resides in u s and a ll go od in Hi m a l on e

, .

B ut by His in con ceivab l e mercy H e takes a l l ,

t h e weight Of justic e and al l o ur sorro w s up on

Himse l f and H e se ems to d e l iver H is life H is ,

reign and His l ove unt o u s an d p l ac e th e m

,

at our discretion .

It is inde ed H e who lives w ho reigns and , ,

w ho love s in u s B ut w e may say w ith truth

.

that H e l eaves th e enj oyment o f t h es e to u s ,

and appropriat es on l y th e sorrows t o Hi m

se l f B e th erefore i n c ontinua l p eac e b efore
.

H im and in Him A bandon yourself fu l ly to .

His g uidan ce what ever t h e p l ac e o r conditi on

‘

, ,

eith er int erior o r exterior that H e put s you ,

in L et everythin g in vou b el on g to J e sus

.
.

and l et J esus b e all in you L et Hi m do with .

you as H e pl eases .
 330 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF THE

M ore over try to k e ep yours elf in yo ur

,

mi s ery yo ur p overty yo ur abj e ction yo ur

, , ,

l o w lin ess and your i gn oranc e Wat c h over

, .

yo ur s elf yet p eac efu ll y an d qui etly an d in

, ,

abandon m ent to th e S pirit o f J esu s who ,

w ish es to d o everythin g in y o u B ut tak e .

care le st y o u thin k your s elf o f any c o n s e

q u e n c e o r valu e F orget yours
. elf m o re and
m o re This is n o w m ore n e c essary to y o u
.

t han ever b e cau se livin g isolat ed fro m all

,

o c c upation o f t h e mind y o u h ave m ore o f ,

an o p p ortunity to revert to yo u rs elf Th e .

ruin o f t h e w h ol e edific e w hich Je su s w ish e s

t o rais e in your s oul w ould oth er w is e result .

Away w ith p resu mptio n ! away with sati s

'

factio n O f s elf ! away with co mplac en cy in your

s elf and your d e eds ! a w ay w ith t enacity and ,

the w hole sw arm o f vi c es w hi c h your s el f

l ove en gend ers F orget yo urself and b e f o r
.
,

gott en by every b ody I do n o t m ean that .

y o u sh ould strive t o b e forgott en b ut that y o u ,

s h ould act in everythin g indep endently o f th e

thought o f sel f and other people L et Go d .

al on e act in y o u and throu gh y o u L et Hi m .

c ontinually b e th e Obj e ct Of all your a ct ions

and all your i mp ulses an d l et yo ur w ill al w ay s
,

b e in c o mpl et e d ep enden c e o n Go d al on e .

I e mbrac e y o u w ith all my h eart in th e only

and m ost h oly l ove o f Jesu s and Mary in w h o m ,

al on e I ard ently w ish to b e entirely your s .

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

b el ove d F ath er an d everythin g in my

,
t o do
p o w e r to ren der th e m w orthy o f H i m N o w .

d o n o t t hin k that I sp eak thu s in order t o

hu mbl e my s elf NO ! NO ! it is th e truth that
.

I t ell y o u I kn o w fo r a c ertainty that I am

.

only a s ervant in Go d s C hurch I hav e n o t ’

.
,

like y o u t h e ri ght to nu mb er mys e l f amo n g

,

t h e fr i ends o f th e h eavenly Sp o use but amon g ,

th e s ervant s o f H is h ouse .

This i s th e reason why I have at all ti me s

tri ed faithfu ll y to s erve v o u as w ell as all th e ,

c h eris h ed children o f my d ear M ast er H en ce .

fo rth th en call m e yo ur s ervant inst ead o f

, ,

yo ur F ath er Still I shall c ontinu e to d eal

.

wit h y o u in all lib erty as h eret ofore an d I s h a l l ,

t e ll y o u in a l l simp l icity w hat may b e useful

f o r th e s a n c ti fi ca ti o n o f your soul whi c h w i l l ,

a lw ays b e v ery d ear to m e in o u r L ord Je sus

C hrist .

C o ntin ue t o maintain y o u r s e l f i n m ee k n es s
an d p eac e b efore Go d DO n o t try to make to o
.

many refle ctio ns N ever force your int erior .

in anythin g K e ep yourself in a l l s imp l i city

.

and in all p eac e b efore Go d I t is n o t n e c e s .

s ary that y o u have s p ecia l int entions fo r your

di ff erent actions ; b e s atis fi ed to do everythin g
in Vie w Of God w ith a great de s ire O f plea s ing
,

H i m an d o f l ivin g o nl y in H i m and f o r Hi m .

If y o u t hu s ke ep yourself int eriorly d etach ed

fro m everythin g that might b e displ easin g
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A N N 333

to Go d and if y o u always remain fu ll y and

,

simply unite d t o H im a ll your actio ns wi ll b e ,

p l easin g in His sig h t ; your s o u l wi ll b e

strengt h en ed m ore and more and you wi ll ,

succ e ed in b e i n g indi ff erent t o creatures and

t o s e l f If your mind in a ll t h in gs t ends
.
, ,

simp l y t owards God it wi ll at l en gt h b e fre e ,

fro m every o bstac l e .

In t h e m eantim e b ear patiently a ll th e dif

fi c u l ti e s t h at arise D o not worry if yo ur
.

m editation s are sti ll very imp erfe ct Lo ok .

up on t h is and up on a ll t h e t emptation s t h at
,

you may have as so many cro ss es t h at God

,
.

is pleased to l a y upon your s h oulders When .

you surprise your mind in t h ese distractions ,

raise your so u l qu i et l y t o Go d and wit h great , ,

p eac e of h eart and wit h out c ont ention app l y ,

yourse l f tranqui ll y t o your m edi tation o r t h e

o ccupatio n of th e m o me nt DO n ot w orry if .

yo u do not imm ediat e l y get rid of your S h ort

comings Yo u must not even work too ear
.

n es tl
y ,
or desire too ardently to be free from ,

t h em Surrender yourse l f unreserved l y into

.

t h e h ands of God and b ear your d efects and

,

your miseries as l ong as H e p l eases Simp l y .

take e ff e ctua l m eans of riddin g yourself of

'

t h em and resist your defe cts at every e n

,
.

count er but with m eekness and p eac e l ike

, ,

a man w h o b elon gs e n tire l y t o God and w ho ,

p l ac es his w h ol e tru st in Him I re co mm end .

334 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

this p eac e co ntinually to y o u Still y o u mu s t

.
,

n o t w orry if y o u have any tro ubl e in a c q u i r i n

it an d p oss essin g it habitually and in a l l

,

thin gs . M ake n o viol ent e ff ort s eit h er te ,

p ro du c e a ff e ction s o r to ke ep your s elf in thi

,

p ea c e and suavity o f h eart b efore God o r t ,

avoid an d retren ch th e d efe ct s th at st op y O I

in t h e way o f God C o mpl etely a ba n do n y o ur
.

s el f i n to the ha n ds o f the de a r M a s ter s o tha ,

H e d o e s w ith y o u i n eve rything and every

'

wh ere acc ordin g to H is go o d pl easure B .

ready to b e t h e last in th e Church of God i ,

H e j ud ges prop er Ac cept with j o y and grati

.

tu d e everythin g that H e i s pl eased to giv

y o u .

B e in p eac e in j oy an d great c o n te n tm e n
, ,

b efore H i m wit h regard to t h e v ery t h in g

t h at H e s e e ms to refuse y o u se ekin g t h us o n l
,

H is go od pl easure b oth in yourse l f and every

thin g els e .

Try to e s tablish H i s reign within you an ,

to live only o f H is li fe but al l this in peace an

—

m eekness abandoning yoursel f to H im alone

,

because H e alone can accomplish so great

task
336 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

thus to you w ith the s ole o b j e c t o f reminding

you that you are still very w eak and that y o u ,

w ill not gro w strong before God until you have

learned through t h i s de light ful experien c e that
you are a w ret c hed man and t h at you should,

be dragged in t h e mire You w ill perha ps .

, ,

never attain true a b andonme nt w itho ut humil

i a ti o n s ; it w ill I a ss ure you be very di ffi c ult
, , ,

at the lea s t I tell you not h ing ne w here ; I

.

merely repeat to you what I said many a time

la s t year At pre s e nt I am more convin c ed o f
.

the truth of it than ever Remain in pea c e. .

E very thing goe s on grandly h ere I behold .

.

marvel s o f grace that I never sa w at St Sul .

pice I am not at li be rty to tell y o u w hat

.

p ro digy God is working h ere at pre s ent ; but I

am in the gr e ate s t a s tonishment at it My .

good F ather E ude s i s a W onderful man ; the

c on s titution s he ha s dra w n up are b eyond any
’

t h ing I c o uld have ever dared to hOpe Give .

t h anks to the good Master who has so highly ,

favored u s I see no w that we s hould h ave

.

vegetated al w ays had the divine b ounty not

brought us hither .

I expect great things at the least for the ,

s a n cti fi ca ti o n O f our good gentlemen ; as to m v

sel f I a m alway s and I fear very muc h that I

, ,

will always remain the same P ray for me

,
. .

The devil is pe rsecuting me at present in order

to for c e me to give up an undertaking t h at i s
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN

driving him mad w ith rage Still thi s mat ter .

,

appears to be turning again s t me and perhap s ,

I am very guilty be fore God It i s an enigma .

for y o u ; but I cannot tell you more about it .

L et it s u ffic e for you to kno w that I b eli eve I am

.

in very great danger ; I s ometime s feel s u c h

great pain t h at you cannot fo rm an idea o f it
,
.

Stil l I must act ; the Master wis h es it and He ,

i s very mu c h glori fied by it The devil i s b e .

s ide himsel f w it h rage and make s me undergo ,

unheard O f torm ent s

-

But our good Lo rd

.

gives me great s tren gt h and I am not S hak en ,

notwit h standing the enemy s rage P ray f o r ’

.

me S O that the most holy name o f God b e

b l e s sed praised and g l orified
, ,
Keep pro .

f o u n dly secret w hat I have to ld you ; pray and ,

t h at i s all DO not w rite to M r N

. a ny .

more and prevent the ot h ers from w riting to

,

hi m ; everybody h ere is dead to the w orld I .

alone a m al w ay s living and devoid o f virtue .

Believe me I beg you and do not laugh O ur

, , .

novitiate s h ould be l ike a cemetery wh ere t h ere

ought to be none but t h e dead DO n o t b e .

a fraid to w rite to me Although I no w have .

much le ss time t h an formerly s till I s hall a l ,

w ays have enough for you and for the other

fr iends o f my heart no not o f mine b ut o f
, , , ,

and in the h eart o f J e s u s .

You as k i f you should con s ider t h e my s tery ,

w hic h you meditate b y w ay o f the under s tand

,
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

ing N 0 b ut b y the w ay o f abandonm ent I

.
, .

fore s a w very w ell that the holy man w ould n o t

do you any great harm A l w ay s abando n your .

s el f into the hands o f Go d H e al w ay s ar .

range s matters ac c ording to H i s good plea s

ure H i s holy n a me w ill al w ay s b e b les s ed
. .

Be w are o f your reading Al w a y s read in the .

manner that w e agreed u pon b e fore my de

parture M istrust yoursel f c onstantly
.

I em b race you my very dear b rother in the

, ,

c h arity o f Je s u s and Mary .

LE TT E R L X V I .

TO A SI C K S E M I NA RI AN .

D iv ers co u nse sl c o n cern in g hi s co n d i ti on .

J . M . J .

Renne s ,
Oc to b er 3 I s t,
1 837 .

V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
M ay the divine will b e your guide in every
t h ing ! T h is is the acceptab le time for y o u to
belong to Jesus and Mary I learned that y o u .

were sick and I con fe s s I w a s very mu c h co n

,

soled to hear it because I thought th a t it w a s

,

a stroke o f God s mer c y to make you forget the

’

w orld and enter o n the w ay o f the love o f o u r

kind Ma s ter I had formed great hope s be
. ,
340 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

DO read mu c h at a time Try to O b tain

no t . .

for your s oul that permanent pea c e and interior

silence w h i ch i s b ased on the death o f the p a s
s ion s and natural in c lination s Moderate y ou r .

s el f i n everythin gs o that you m a y al w ay s po s

,

s es s yours el f in thi s p ea c e and s ilen c e The .

companion s that you mu s t avoid are : the

learned one s literary pe ople tho s e w ho s tud y
, ,

H eb re w people o f a lively imagination i f they

, ,

do n o t h old pi ou s c onver s ation s tho s e w ho ,

c laim to have the piety o f St F ran c i s de Sale s .

,

et c
. et c Remain perfec tly united w ith
.

M es sr s de la B r u n i e r e and M a i gn a t Yo u
. .

must have s omething s olid s o mething inter ior ,

.

Tell our ver y dear b rot her M r L that ,

.

everything i s getting along s plendidly in o u r

novitiate At fi rst I expected to pro fi t o f the
.

rich favor s w hich God a s I very w ell fo re s a w, ,

w as to sc atter broadca s t through o u r dear lit

tle sanctuary ; but I pe rceive w ith s adne ss that
I shall c ome out o f it a s po or a man a s I en
te r e d it b e c ause I am the same here a s at P ari s
,
.

M ay the mo s t holy name o f God b e b le s sed !

My very dear b rethren w ill at lea s t pro fi t b y
them and thi s is a very gre a t con s olation for
,

me I already s ee great ma r vels ; I alone r e

.

main constantly in my nothingn ess and po v

er ty . O nce again may God s holy name b e ,
’

b less ed a thousand times ! Th a t H e may n ot

drive me a w ay from b e fore H i s fa c e i s all th a t ,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 34 1

I a s k I ask it earnestly and I be see c h y o u

.
,

and our dear b rethren to j oin your prayer s and

theirs with mine .

We b elong entirely to Jesus and Mary Sin .

c er ely your s in t h ei r S acred H eart s .

LE TT E R L X V II .

TO S E ER V AL SE M I NA RI AN S .

S e lf d
—
en ia l .
—
L o ve and uu
m t a l c ha r i ty .

P r a i s e d be Jes us a nd M ary !
N ovember 12 th ,
1 8 37 .

To my well b eloved brethren in J e s u s and

-

Mary gr eeting pea c e and love in our L ord

, ,

J esu s the so urce and fo undation of all pea c e

,

and pure and holy love !

I asked our dear brot h er M r N to ,
.

w rite you a few words b ut I c annot re frain ,

from w riting to you aga i n w it h this ne w o c ca

sion because my desires for your s a n ctifica ti o n
,

are intense My h eart i s dilated wide open

.
,

and enlarged w h en I think o f yo u and the

,

spiritual advancement o f your s oul s that s eem ,

de arer to me t h an my o w n s o mu c h am I —

moved on reflection I kno w t h at you a re s till .

a little w ea k in the w ay s O f the holy love o f

our s weet e s t Jesu s You are s till c hildren in .
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

perfe c t faith But take c our a ge the hand o f

.
,

God i s w ith you Je s u s and Mary a re in your .

m idst and w hat need you fear ?

,

Walk c onstantly in the path o f the mo s t per

fe et s el f denial and the c lo s e s t s imple s t and
-

,
-

, ,

sw eete s t uni on w ith our divine and very dear

Master P ractise thi s sel f denial e s pe c ially
.
-

w ith regard to your s elve s and w ithin yo ur

soul s L ive as t h ough you w ere angel s F o r
. .

get yourselves for the purpo s e o f b r i ng i ng your

soul s nearer to your dear and ever amia b le love .

Ke ep your s elve s bo n s ta n tly b efore H im a s ,

though yo u r interior eye w ere i n c apab le o f s ee

ing anything b ut H im alone A cc u s tom y our .

selve s dear children o f Je s u s and Mary to live

, ,

in continual s el f denial so that your s oul s see

-

naught b ut Je s us and what i s more s ee onl y —

, ,

through the eye s o f Je s u s F o r thi s rea s on .

preserve your s elve s in a great p ea c e great ,

meeknes s and great s uavity ba s ed on the sight

, ,
-

o f Go d a l one and on c omplete for g et fulnes s o f

sel f P re s erve yours elve s c o n s tantly in great

.

freedom o f mind ; that i s take c are that your ,

mind b e not embarras s ed tos s ed a b out o r di s ,

tu r b ed or s u b j ec t t o s o many other trial s that

,

h a ve thei r origin in our w retched fle s h O n .

the contrary let your mind al w ay s be s ubm i s

,

sive and docile b enea th the hand o f God Kee p .

your s elve s in a c ontinual depend en c e upo n H i s

di vine w ill a nd H i s de s ign s upon y o u Re
,
.
 S PI R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

mann e r L ive in ea ch other a s Je s u s live s in

.

you Jesu s the sovereign love o f all l o ve s the

, , ,

per fection o f all perfe c tions your only good ,

and your only li fe H e lives a li fe o f pea c e in .

each o ne o f you a li fe o f tendernes s o f holi

—
,

ness and wholly in H is F ather and for H i s

,

F ather Thi s li fe in each other s hould be mod

.

cled a fter the w ord s o f our D ivi ne Lord : be

ho ly ,
be a ll be ca u s e y o u r hea v enly
c ha r i ty ,

F a ther i s ho ly a n d cha r i ty P ossess your mind

.

and your heart free from all s el f love Aban —

.

don yo ur s elve s fully to the guidan c e and good

pl easure o f God DO not c ontract your mind .

and your heart in the fear that you w ill not fi nd

w hat to say w hen you are together Why do .

you always think o f yourselve s ? W h y not b e

all love all a b and o nment all li fe fo r God and
, ,

in God alone who w ill be your li b erty your

, ,

peac e your love and your li fe ?

,

I embrace you my very dear brethren in the , ,

mos t holy love and peace o f Je s us and Mary .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N 345

LE TT E R L X V III .

T O A D I RECT O R O F A SE M I NA RY .

Bl ess Go d f o r a ll Hi s b o u n ti e s —
Re s t i n a ll p ea ce
b e fo r e Him .

N ovem b er 12 th ,
1 837 .

O n c e again I wish you the peace o f our Lo rd

J esus and o f His most h oly Mother L et us .

bless u n c ea s m gly t h is dear F at h er and t h i s

dearest Mot h er for all t h e beauties wh ich they
deign to s h ow to such poo r and wret ch ed c hil
dren w h o deserve only t h e lash But i f they
,
.

are pleased to delight in t h ese vessels o f corrup

tion and to make o f the m ve ss els o f honor
, ,

w hy s h ould w e n o t rej oice ? L et u s there fore , ,

kee p ourselves in all peace all meekness and all , ,

interi o r suavity be fore t h e divine Goodness s o ,

t h at He may form and fas h ion us according to

His sole good pleasure Be docile and peace .

ful in your interior be fore t h i s dear F at h er and

Mot h er so t h at you may be al w ays faith ful to
,

the spirit w h ic h animates t h em and d w ell s in

y o u .
 46 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R L XIX .

To A D I REC T OR OF A SE M I NA RY .

P a ra ll l b
e e tw e e n F a t he r Eud e s and M . l
O ier, t k
s ri

ing rese m bl a n ce b e tw e e n th i e r wo r ks —
G d oo n e ws

f ro m the s em i n a r y Of St . S ul p i c e .

P r a i s ed be J es us and M a ry !
N ovem b er 14 th ,
1 8 37 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F A T H ER A ND F RI END I N OU R

L O RD J ES U S C H RI ST
Two months have passed al ready and I h a ve
not yet answered your letter I have n o doubt .

t h at your charity will pardon me You kno w .

very w e ll for all that I do not fail to b e i n

, ,

ti m a tely united to you in the mo st holy charity

o f Jesus and Mary Yo u your s el f de s ire thi s .

charity and this has caused me great j oy

,
.

O ur L ord wishes us to be united in H i s

holy love ; w h o can s eparate us ? N ei ther li fe
n o r d ea th provided t h at we are alway s united
,

to O ur L ord who should b e our li fe on thi s

,

ear th as He w ill be our glory in heaven

,
.

O ur tw o c o ngre gation s are v ery c l o s ely

relat e d to eac h oth er Th e ulti mat e end i s .

th e greate r glory o f Go d an d H is s ol e go o d
pl easure Th e prin cipa l Obj e ct o f b ot h i s th e
.

e du cation o f th e c l ergy o r rath er th e s an cti ,

fi c a ti o n Of all th o s e w ho are in th e C hurch

348 S P I R I T U AL LE T T E R S OF T HE

al s o have th e m under t h e nam e o f th e Sa c red

H eart D evotion to th e Sa cre d H earts w as
.

propagat e d by F ath er E ud e s b efore th e

c o min g o f Sist er M argaret w ho m h e n ever ,

k new T h e view s o f F at h er E ud es o n t h e
.

Sacred H eart are admirabl e ; he was b e s id e

h im se l f w ith l ove f o r t h e divin e int erior o f
Jesus and M ary T h is is p re emin ent l y o u r
.

d evotion and th e foun dati on o f everythin g

t h at w e h ave Th e B l ess ed Sacram ent i s also
.

o n e o f Ou r great d evotio ns as w ell as yours ; ,

a n d th ere is a feast t o co m m e m orat e th e pri est

h ood o f O ur L ord b ut less s olemn than at

,

St S ulpic e
. .

F o r t h e p erfe cti on w hich h e de mands o f

us h e i s a bs olutely M O lier It would s ee m
,
. .

t hat th ey had co m e to s om e und erstandin g

o n thi s subj e ct Th e only di fferen c e i s that
.

F ath er E u de s e mpl oys m ean s m ore ri gid and ,

e stablish es an ord er o f things m ore severe ,

th an M O l ier We c an th erefore say that

everythin g is in co m mo n b et w
, ,
. .

e en u s Je s u s .

an d M ary divid e t h e ms elves b et w een u s o r ,

rath er j oin u s t o geth er in this h oly l ove .

W h at i s th ere l eft fo r u s to do ex c ept to

be faith ful to the greatnes s and the beauty of
o ur vo cation ? to abandon ou rselve s fu ll y a n d
entirely into th e hands o f this very d ear F at h e r
an d this very d ear M oth er to love each oth er
?

a s b e c o m e s th e c hildren Of this great l ove o f

 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N
349

Jesus and Mary and to l ive a l ways in t h e

,

d esire o f c orresp ondin g w ith a ll t h e grand eur

and a l l t h e l ove Of t h eir designs up on o u r sou l s
and up on t h os e w ho must b e sanctified by o u r
ministry ? May Jesus and M ary l ive in o u r
s ouls ! B ut may th ey live t h ere ful l y and
entirely to th e exclusion o f s elf and to th e f ul l
,

ext ent o f t h e most h oly w il l Of o u r h eaven l y

F ath er.

F ro m its origin o u r congre gation was

,

unit ed to St Su l pice and o u r se co nd sup erior

.
,

gen era l passed h is s eminary days under M .

Tr o n s o n h avin g b e en sent th ere by F ath er

,

E udes him s elf H is nam e w as M r B l o n e t d e

. .

Cami l ly H e w as a mo del o f fervor fo r h is

.

brethren M r d e B r e to n v i ll i e r s w as a l ready
. .

l o o ked up on as a b enefactor o f t h e C on gre

ti n o f Jesu s and M ary as is m ention ed in
g a o ,

its anna l s ; and it app ears that fro m t h eir time

a cl ose union exist ed b et w e en t h e two insti
t u ti o n s. I h op e t h at t h is unio n w i ll go on
in creasin g in stren gth T h us my very dear .
,

F at h er th e spiritua l and h o l y union whi ch y o u

,

w is h to have b et w e en us tw o i s favored n o t ,

onl y b e caus e it pl eased God to unit e us inti

mat ely t h rou gh ho l y c h arity at St Sulpic e .
,

but also b e caus e a mu l titud e of ot h er ti es

dra ws it c lo s er and clo s er Though s eparated .

in app earanc e and in body my mind and my ,

h eart w ill a lw ays b e i ntimat ely bound to y o u

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

ac cordin g to th e s pirit and by t h e s pirit o f

l ove w hic h O ur L ord w il l maintain in o u r “

soul s .

What y o u t old m e ab out M r d e B a ff e ct e d . .

m e and cause d m e very great p l easure but in

, ,

n o w is e asto nish e d m e b e caus e I have al w ay s ,

s e en hi s co nversatio n s p ro du c e th e s am e e ffe ct .

A l l th e s e minarian s who are in any w ay w ell

disp o s e d h a ve al w ays ex p eri en c e d aft er hi s
, ,

c onver s ation s p rofo und re coll e ctio n an d a

,

great d e s ire to giv e th e mselve s entire l y to Go d .

Th at is w hy h e did a great deal o f go o d in

th e s e minary D O n o t b e vexed at o u r having
.

taken him a w ay from you ; w e have left s ome

m en ab l e to replac e him If y o u have an o ppo r .

t u n i ty o f makin g t he ac quaintan c e o f M es s r s .

C d e la B and M y o u w i ll b e e di fi e d
.
,
.
,
.
,
I .

r e c eive marvel ou s n e ws fro m th e se minary o f

P aris .I t ap p ear s that everyt h in g is goin g o n
even b ett er than last year ; and yet I s h o uld
h ave s carc e l y dared wish fo r b ett er s o satis ,

f a c to r i ly was everyt h in g getting o n Go d is .

pl ease d to s h ower do w n sti l l great er bl essings .

T h e j o y o f th ese gent l e men as min e a ls o is , ,

very great up on b eh o l din g t h at Go d is p l e ased

t o stren gth en t h em an d t o en courage th e m
,

m ore an d more by H is bounti es .

W e b elon g to Go d an d M ary my very d ear ,

F ath er and F ri en d I h op e that by th e grac e

.
35 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

M a s t er B e c o mpl et ely d e p end ent u p o n H im

.
,

S O that y o u s e e
!

kn o w un derstan d d e s ire, , , ,

w ish m ove live an d b e b ut in H im and by

, ,

H im alone I am very glad that M r N

. .

h as at last yi elded an d t h at h e l eave s y o u ,

entirely in t h e han ds o f Go d YOu will t h ere .

fi n d th e life o f J e s us so on er than in all th e

w o rks o f m en h o w ever h oly and p o w erful th ey
,

may have b een o n earth .

O ur kind Master told u s admirab ly S i q ui s ,

s i ti t, v en i a t a d me et bi bo t, fl u mi n a
flu en t de j I f w e are
v en tr e e us thir s ty it i s .
,

n o t in b o o ks th at w e s h ould se e k t o sat e o ur

s elves ; but w e must go straight to o u r ador

abl e fou ntain partak e O i it an d suavely plun ge
, ,

int o it T h is w el l b e l oved so urc e wi ll so o n

.
—

fi l l us an d wi l l mak e us sup erab o und in su ch

,

a w ay th at rivers w ill c o m e forth fro m o u r soul

,

t o overflow and fill an innu m erabl e multitud e

o f oth er sou l s w h o m th e divin e M ast er will
,

mak e u s m oist en and fi l l w ith t h e same a b u n d

an c e It is n o t w e w ho sha ll moist en and fil l
.

t h em b ut H e H i mself w ho has fi ll ed u s an d
'

, , ,

w ho lives in us in H is plenitude NO it i s not .

,

w e who s h all fill t hes e sou l s ; w e sha ll n o t in ,

fact h ave anythin g o f ourse l ves in us sin c e

, ,

th e Spirit o f J e su s w i l l fill u s to su ch a de gre e

th at H e will overfl ow in u s and wi ll co m e ,

fo rth fro m u s in s treams ; that is w ith s up er ,

abundan c e stren gth gravity su avity and

, , , ,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 353

wit h out disorder but carryin g everythin g

,

a l on g wit h H im .

B ehold w h at wea l th an d sup erabundan c e

in a sou l whic h is entire l y in J esus w h ic h ,

p l aces it s a ll in J esus whi ch is n ot h in g in itse l f

,

and in a l l t h in gs and which wit h draws fro m

,

a ll things to live only o f Jesu s an d in Jesu s !

L et yours elf go unt o H im in compl et e aban
do n m en t . F o r s a k e yo urs elf and a ll creature s ;
abandon yourse l f fu l ly to Jesus and in Jesus ,

and H e w i ll live ful l y in you .

With regard to the bands o f piety do not ,

take th em up t o o so o n Yo u w i ll b e urged.

t o o c cu py yourse l f wit h t h em ; do n o t b e in

a h urry If O ur L ord w is h es y o u to dire ct

.

any of th em t ak e as many o f t h em as H e wi l l
,

inspire yo u ; sp eak acc ordin g t o th e abundan c e

'

o f His love and H is Spirit in yo ur sou l B ut .

if you n e ed an argum ent to convinc e you h ave ,

nothing to do w ith them God keeps you no w .

in weakn ess and p o w erl essn ess ; ke ep yourse l f

t h ere v e r v tran qui ll y despit e t h e reasonin g of
,

our dear brethren I f nevertheless you, ,

int erior l y h ear th e voic e o f th e M ast er w ho

t e ll s y o u to advan c e h owever b l ind imp ot ent
, , ,

and w retch ed you may b e go wit h out furt h er ,

c on s traint and w ithout ca l cu l ation but in al l ,

meekness and s uavity all peace and abandon,

m ent .
35 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

I f it plea s e O ur L ord to leave y o u during

th e w h ole p e r i o d o f your life i n lo w lin es s ,

abj e ction an d u sel essn ess re main in that stat e

,

in a l l l ov e and aban donm ent an d do n o t even ,

m ove th e litt l e fin ger o f yo ur l eft han d to c o m e

o u t o f it . I have n o n e e d o f in s i s tin g up o n
this matt e r Yo u are p ersuad e d o f w hat I
w o uld say O ur go o d L ord Je s u s h a s mad e
.

y o u feel it t o o p o w erfully that y o u sh ould f o r

g e t i t s o ver y s o on .

Th e en e my s V i ol en c e again st m e ha s dimin
’

i s he d s o m ewhat .I as s ure y o u h o w ever that

I do n o t quit e kn o w w h ere I s tand M ay th e .

m o st h oly nam e Of o u r w ell b eloved M ast er -

b e bles s ed p raise d and ad ore d ! We are n oth

,

in g an d H e i s everyt h in g in u s and in a l l
, , ,

t h in gs I t b e l on gs t o H i m to d o in u s an d
.

w ith u s w hatso ever pl eas e s H im I as s ure .

o u that it i s n o t go o d t o b e pla c ed over oth ers

y .

Th ere w ere mo ments w h en I th ou ght that o u r

go o d L o rd and M a s t er w as goin g to a b ando n
m e an d cast m e O ff C onti nu e to p ray to H im
.

t h at t h is may n o t happ en fo r I am n o t yet ,

d e l ivered fr om this fear I abandon and en .

tru st my s e l f to th e adorabl e and divin e dis

p o sition o f th e h eavenly F ath er SO tha t H e ,

may fulfil H i s go o d pl easure in everything ,

an d esp e cial ly in m e In life an d death i n

.
,

ti m e an d et ernity everyt h in g f o r H ini and in

,

H i m al on e ! May H e alon e w ith H is m o s t ,

35 6 S P I RI T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

Th e first thin g is a m essage to M r F w hich . .

,

I b e g y o u to transmit to hi m ; it w ill p erhap s

caus e h im so m e pl easure an d w ill give him
more light o n w hat M O lier c all s the my s ter y ;
.

th at is t h e rest oratio n Of t h e Church T h e

,
.

annal s o f o u r Co n gre gation o n th e life of

F ather E udes are being read in the re fe c tory .

They are in manus c ript form written a b out ,

fo rty years a fter his death Thing s S imilar to

.

this mystery are mentioned O ur good F ather .

E udes has had hi s Marie Rousseau a s well a s ,

O lier S h e w a s a poor pea s ant s daughter

.
’

s c ar c ely able to read and w rite i f at all ; and ,

w hose li fe is at least as extraordinary a s that o f

Marie Rousseau In N ormandy and B rittany
.

s h e had the same influen c e that Marie Rou s seau

had in P aris over the holiest and mo s t enlight
,

ened personages o f her time She w a s a c on .

temporary O f M O lier and died at a b out the

.
,

same epoch as thi s holy man H er name w a s .

Marie Des v a ll é es H er li fe w as w ritten b y

.

F ather E udes himsel f ; but he kept it in manu

s cript and it w a s l o s t during the Revolution .

Thi s lo s s is a very great one b ecause w e no lon,

ger have any exa c t data ab out her It w a s a d .

mirable a s may b e s een from the fe w extra c t s

,

that have b een preserved from the manu sc ript .

Thi s mu st have b e e n ext ensive sin c e a pas ,

sage i s qu ot ed fro m th e fourth b o o k ninth ,

chapt er and el eventh s e c tio n

,
.
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A NN 35 7

This h oly p erson l ived in th e world S h e .

w as like th e spiritual m ot h er of F at h er E udes ,

and h e in turn was h er spiritua l fat h er What

, ,
.

h as b een preserved in t h es e annals con c ernin g

the restoration o f the C h ur c h is regrettab ly
brief B ut we see with p l easure t h at Go d pro
.

d u c e d t h e same e ff e ct in N o rmandy amon g ,

t h e great s ervants t h at H e found th ere as in ,

P aris amon g th e admirabl e me n w ho w ere

,

th en in that city All t h at w e kn ow is t h at

.

O ur L ord told Sist er Mari e a nu mb er of

times i t is t h us F a t h er E udes calls her that
— —

H e would restore H is re l i gion t h roug h h er

i nt erc ession and H e made h er vow to su ffer
,

t h e torments of h el l t o this end Sh e fu l fi l l ed

.

t h is v o w by su ff erin g a t on e ti me fo r twe l ve
years ; this is what she called her hell o f t w elve
years She su ff ered again but I do n ot kn ow
.
,

for h ow many years Sh e b ore t h ese pains

.
,

excruciating beyond expression altogether ,

for th e p eriod of t h irty seven years h er b ody

-

po ssessed by th e d emon durin g a l l t h e time ,

but h er soul p o ssessed by God In conn ection .

with this ren ewa l of t h e C h urc h mention is ,

:

mad e o f t h e int erc h ange of h er wi l l w ith t h at

of O ur L ord Ac co r din g to what w e are t old
.
,

w e can p erc eive that th ere were so m e extra

ordinary thin gs ; and it se ems t o m e t h at th e
w h o l e l ife O f Sist er Mary c entere d on this
singl e p oint .
35 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

All th es e thin gs are relat ed in an o b s cure

mann e r an d d evel op ed to but a small ext ent
, .

H ere i s th e rea s o n o f it F ath er E ud es had .

sp o k en a great d eal ab out t h e m in th e life

w hic h h e h ad writt en b ut h e did n o t wish ,
-

t o p ub l ish t h e m b e caus e th ey w ere s o extra

ordinary .The Jansenists w ho p erse cut e d ,

hi m in t h e direst man n er durin g h is w h ol e

,

life would n o t have miss ed th e o pp ortunity

,

Of aro usin g a t erribl e sto rm again s t him and

hi s c ongregation H e there fore kept hi s
.

manu script c o n ceal ed but s h owed it t o s everal

,

p e rsons for t h eir e di fi ca ti o n It ap pears t h at .

it was rep eat edly c o pied w ith out h is k n o w ll

ed ge but t h e co pi e s are s e e min g l y wantin g
,

in exactness It happened that a Janseni s t

.

w as inform ed o f t h is life writt en by F at h er

E ud es ; h e brib e d his s ecretary t o give hi m a
c opy o f it T h e J ansenist wrot e a scandalo us
.

lib el a gainst F at h er E ude s in w h ic h h e give s ,

a Jansenisti c turn t o everyt h in g that F ath er

E ud es says in t h is l ife Th e lib e l was refut ed
.

by a saint l y man a fri end of F ath er E ud es ;

,

b ecaus e F at h e r E u des h imself refu sed t o take

t h e l east st ep to exp o se th es e ca l u mnies and
th e ma l ic e o f th e J ansenist An ana l ysis of t h e .

refutation is giv en in t h e anna l s w h ich are

b ein g read to u s and it i s t o t h is a l on e that W e
,

o w e ou r informati on Th e auth or o f t h e anna l s

.

do es n ot treat th e matt er t h orou ghly wh en

3 6 0 S P I R I T U A L LET T E R S OF T HE

Of an h our Wh en th e Sup eriores s asked hi m

.

w hat h e h ad se en h e repli ed th at th e B le s s ed
,

V irgin had ap p eared to him that sh e oft en ,

visit ed hi m and call ed him h er child h er ,

broth er h er sp o us e and s o m etim es even h er

, , , ,

fath er ; I did n o t u nderstand this last ap p el

lation .

W e fo und a c o ntract o f his marriage w ith

t h e B l ess ed V irgin H e w rot e it an d S ign ed it
.

with his b lood and he wished to have it pla c ed

,

on hi s b ody a fter death He there lay s d o w n .

th e c ondition s o f h is marriage an d all are to ,

th e advantage o f his sp ous e Thi s contract .

ann oun c e s hi s spiritual marriage whi ch I b e ,

l ieve to b e a m o st extraordinary gra c e and ,

whi ch it is relat ed w as acc o rd ed to an oth er

, ,

o f his co mp an i on s .

Th ere exists a rev e lation made to a saintly

dau ght er o f th e t hird o rd er o f I do n o t kn o w
what re l igio us b ody w hich gives a l ofty id ea ,

o f F ath er E ud es Thi s p erson s d i re ct or w as ’

.

o f th e sam e o rd er ; h e c o mmande d h er t o a s k

o u r L ord and th e B l essed V irgin at th e fi rst

ap parition what soul w a s mo st p l easin g to

,

Go d O u r L ord and th en th e B l essed V irgin

.
, ,

showed her F ather E udes w hom thi s lady ,

—

seem s to have known and dre w her an e x a c t —

portrait o f him More than that O ur L ord men

.
,

ti o n e d s ome detail s that are appli c a b le only to

F at h e r E ud es Th e B l esse d V irgin told h er
.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 3 6 1

that thi s p riest was m ost d ear to h er in th e

world an d added th at th e love o f h er So n
,

so m etim es mad e him as on e insan e ; sh e als o

said that sh e app eared very oft en to him I n .

t h e wh ol e life of this go o d F ath er y o u may ,

plainly se e that h e absolut e l y wish ed to co n

ceal all these extraordinary gi ft s and he ,

w ish ed to leave u s o nly t h e exampl e o f his

p erfection w hich is I assure y o u o f th e very
, , ,

h ig h est order H e abso l ut ely requires o f hi s

.

c h ildren th e acm e o f t h e high est c on ceivabl e

p erfe ctio n an d t h at to o as it ap p ears to m e
, , ,

in t h e most p erfe ct d egre e H e prescrib es th e

.

mean s to enab le them to attain it at the s ame ,

tim e h e ke ep s in a stat e o f fe rvor th ose w h o are

in capabl e o f arrivin g at a p erfe ctly int erior
life We are all admiration over o u r go od
.

F ath er .

This my very d ear broth er is what I h ave

, ,

to t ell y o u o n this s ubj e ct at th e present tim e .

I have cit ed for y o u trait s w hich go to S h o w

t h at th e go od F ath er wa s a very great servant
Of God Th ere is still a multitud e Of oth ers
.

that denot e an emin ent d egre e o f grac e An d .

besid e s th e aggre gat e o f th e facts and th e

,

ton e o f th e wh ol e l ife as w ell as a m ultitude

,

of oth er circumstanc es prove t h e sam e thin g

, .

Th e aut h or o f o u r annals far fro m tryin g to,

fath o m th es e extraordinary favors passe s o n , ,

th e contrary very lightly over t h e m ; eith er

,
36 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

b e caus e h e w as a man su ffi ci ently int erio r

not

an d vers e d in th es e matt er s as very Oft en —

hap p en s t o th e h istorians o f saints w ho are n o t

capabl e o f produ cin g a p en picture o f th e .
-

int erio r o f th o s e w h os e liv es th ey w rit e ; o r

b e cau s e th e fear o f th e Jan s enist s mad e hi m
re s erved o n thi s subj e ct .

I b e g o f v o u al s o to ask M r F f o r th e . .

explanation o f an exp ressio n whi ch app ears

four o r five time s in the letter s o f F ather
.

E ud e s Wh e n h e w rit e s to a v ery pio us lady

.

o n s ubj e ct s c on c ernin g th e gl ory o f Go d o r

so m etim e s c on c ernin g t hat lady s in terior h e ’

“ “
says : Th e E agl e t old m e that or Th e ,

E agl e told m e t h is o f his o w n ac co rd He .

s e ems to l o o k u p on t h e auth ority o f this E agl e

as ab ove qu e sti on This E agl e cann ot b e
.

F ath er d e C on dren b e caus e th e F ath er w as ,

already d ead th en n o r Sist er M arie D e s v a ll é e s

, ,

eith er W e hav e found n on e w h ose auth ority

.

c o ul d have s o great a w eight w ith F ath er

E ud es .

We b elon g to Jesu s an d M ary I shall .

sp eak to y o u in th e n ear future ab out your

o w n a ff airs I e mb rac e y o u with all my h eart
.

in Je su s an d M ary .

Sin c erely yo urs .

P S
. Tell M r E if y o u please that w e
.
—
.
, ,

w ere v ery glad h ere wh en w e h eard that Go d

had plac ed hi m in th e S olitud e We pray to
-

.
 64 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

w ith u s . We mu s t go un que s tioningly w hither

H e l e a ds u s an d n o t wish thi s o r that but
, ,

o nly H i s m o s t h oly an d adorabl e w ill which ,

al o n e mu s t b e o u r stren gth o u r l ove o u r w ay , , ,

an d o u r life To H i m al on e b e l on g all glory

.
,

all adoration all h o mage all praise and all

, ,

l ov e A s fo r u s w e can exp e ct o nly confusion

.
,

an d di s gra c e B l essed are w e if it pl eas es H i m

.

t o give u s at l east a fe w dro p s o f it P rovid ed .

H e al on e b e p rai s ed bl e s se d and gl orified o u r

, ,

j y
o s h ould b e p erfe ct T e l l all o u r d ear
brethren that th ey sh o uld re j o i c e with th eir
wh ol e soul fro m day to day o u r F at h er E udes
S h o w s hims elf m ore admirabl e an d m ore i n

spired in all th e prayers w hich w e h ave to

say daily We were in e c stasie s to day over
.
—

h i s A v e J os eph All th at you read i n P ari s o f

.

M O l i e r ab out St Jo seph i s c onta i n ed in this

. .

littl e p rayer .

The vie ws O f F ather E ude s are as elevated a s

those o f M O lier and are o f a s imilar nature
.
,
.

No w l et us come to your a ff airs Yo u are .

an impe rfe c t man no dou b t but w hat are you , ,

going to do about it ? You m u s t b ea r w ith

'

your poor fl esh and you must c arry it w i th you

,

during the whole time t h at you live u pon thi s

wret c hed earth Drag it along w ith you as long
.

as li fe lasts b ut in a l l pea c e all s w eetne ss and

, , ,

all meekne s s o f s oul b e fore God Walk quietly in .

Hi s pre s en ce and never worry a b out anyt h i ng

,
.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 6
3 5

We are b o rn in t he midst o f misery and w e ,

s h all die in the midst o f misery W e s hould .

bear w ith thi s great and in c omparable mi s ery ,

t h erefore in peace be fore Go d as long a s H e

, ,

is pleased to leave it to us ; that is during the ,

wh o l e time o f our s ad pi l grimage on this u n

h appy earth We must not gro w s ad i f w e are
.

overburdened We S h ould b e content to po ss e ss

.

t h e li fe o f Je s u s and s hould make good u s e o f

,

our very misery to make H im live and reign in

us more and more .

They exist c hiefly in the mind as far a s y o u ,

are con c erned I b elieve that it is only b y a

.

rebound t h at your h eart is atta c ked T h at is .

why you s hould al w ays calmly quiet your mind

be fore Go d and pursue your w ay without
, ,

noticing annoyance s .

Here are some explanations on this topi c .

God has given us a soul w h ic h is whol ly spir

“
,

i tu a l ; and a body w h ic h is w h olly carnal and ,

wil l rem ain subj ect to S i n during the w h ole o f

our li fe It wi l l not participate complet ely in
.

the per fe ct li fe whic h J esus gives to our soul s

until after t h e resurre ction T h is s Ou l is bound .

to the body wit h ties t h e nature o f w hich w e ,

do not kno w It fol l ows from t h is union t h at

.

t h ere are t w o men in us ; the interior and purely

intell ectual man independent o f t h e fles h by t h e
,

grace O f O ur L ord and t h e s ensual o ne O ur

, .

soul bein g in c on s equence o f t h is union w ith

,
3 6 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

the bo dy s ub j ect to s ensible a ff ections and

,

impul s e s the s e t w o men are not alway s in har

,

m o ny The one may be in perfe c t peace and

.

co mpletely devoted to God w ho reside s in him ; ,

w hi le the other may b e agitated b y all kinds o f

a ff ecti ons and movement s w hich o f themselve s , ,

w ould te nd to take a w ay our mind fr o m God ,

or to distract it .

Some o f these movements are called v i ces

and they are bad ; th ey tend to a complete
estrangem ent ; ot h ers are called d efec ts ; t h ey
have no di r ect tendency to e s trange us b ut they ,

are obsta c les Yours are O f the latt e r kind

. .

Still God resides in your innermost soul and ,

these impulses o f t h e sensitive part o f your mind

can not tear t h is treasure away from y o u .

T h ese Obstacles are to be overcome by patience ,

meekne ss peace and calm ; as lon g as t h e se

, ,

latter r e ign in your sou l t h e former w ill find ,

no place in your interior and you Will no ,

longer be influenced by them You w ill find .

it best to pay the least po s sible att ention to

t hem and to proceed in peace be fore God
,
.

Carry y o u f c ross as long a s H e is pleased to

leave it to you Ca l m your anxi eties moderate
.
,

your activity k eep yoursel f in peace in t h e

,

midst o f the assaults and agitations to w hich

your mind may be ex posed to yield .

As for arguments you must guard yoursel f ,

against them b ut in all pe ace a n d suavity

,
.
3 6 8 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R L X XIII .

TO A SE M I N A RI AN .

wo r ds of o ur Lo r d : Ego su m v er i ta s ,

P r a i s ed be J es us a nd M ar y !

Rennes ,
De c emb e r 9 th,
1 8 37 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER

M ay the pe ac e o f O ur L o rd and the s w eet

ness O f H is most amia b le and ad o ra b le H eart
fill your o w n Thi s is all you have to do in
.

t h is world : let yoursel f b e filled by the Spirit

o f our kind Master w it h a l l t h e meekness the ,

sw ee tness and peace w ith wh ic h He has fi lled

, ,

and w ith whi c h He c ontinues to fill the m o ther ,

a n d mistre s s o f hol y love .

All you have to do i s to render yoursel f do

cile and tractable in the hand s o f the Spirit o f
li fe which O ur Lord and s w eet M aster ha s pu t
,

into your soul in o rder to be all thin gs in it

,
.

H e sh ould be t h e origin and source o f all your

a ff ec tions all your desire s and all t h e m o ve
, ,

ments o f your sou l H e sh ould be t h e main

.

sp ring o f your mind and t h e guide of your

,

soul in the movements wh ic h He imprints upon

it It belongs to H im alone to give you an
.

impulsion any impression whatsoever ; and it

,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 6
3 9

belong s to Him al s o to make you reduce thi s

'

impulsion and this impression to practice F o r .

i f your own violent action inte r vene s you w ill ,

only spoil thing s .

P a y strict att ention to this expre ss ion o f

“ ” “ ”
O ur L ord Ego s u m v i a I am the wa y
. .

Your interior eye ; that is your mi nd mu s t a i

, ,

w ays b e turned peacefully to w ards Je s u s d w el

ling in your soul and you mu s t n o t go to H i s
,

F ather but b y this divine w ay o f Jesus This .

w ay is neit h er di fficu l t to find nor is it far a w ay ,

from you It is in t h e depth s o f your soul ;

.

you n eed only remain t h ere and y o u will go ,

straight to the F ather J esus has le ft you Hi s

.

Holy Ghost to direct and lead you in t h i s heav

en l
y w ay It
. i s only the H oly Gho s t who
knows it and w ho can make you w al k in it
,
.

“ ” “
O ur Master adds : Ego s u m v er i ta s ; I
”
am t h e tr u th; an admirable name and one b e
yond all expression J esus is t h e tr u th Co n s e
. .

quently by ke eping ourselves with the gra c e of

,

His divine Spirit in t h e w ay w hich is Himsel f , ,

w e possess supreme t r ut h ; and therefore i f we , ,

are in t h e w ay we h ave already attained it

,
.

And w h at more do w e n ee d ? Hence you s hould

remain in peace in t h is w onderful way w h i c h
i s in you S ince this way is in you and in the
.
,

ver y depths o f your int e rior k eep yoursel f ,

there ; it is and always w ill be all t r uth in

, ,

you .
370 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

It w ill b e the light o f your mind and the love

o f your h eart K eep your s el f united w ith thi s
.

very de a r and amiable L ord w ho re s ide s in ,

you and w ho i s all truth in y o u and He w ill

, ,

be y o ur l i fe .

When H e i s thu s the light o f your mind and

the love O f you r heart and w hen yo u are thu s
,

a b and o ned into the hand s o f H i s H oly Ghost ,

H e w ill o cc upy y our s oul and po ss e ss it i n s u c h

a w a y that H e w i ll b ec ome it s w hole li fe .

It i s then my dear b roth er that you w ill

, ,

b egin to live in rea l ity f o r Je s u s i s th e true,

li fe
.

You s ee in w hat s en s e Je s u s s aid : Ego s u m

”
v i a v er i ta s e t v i ta
,
Make goo d use o f it ; be
.

docile and simple in H is hand s s o that you do ,

not go your o w n way You would fi nd only .

falsehood and real death t h ere Do n o t w orry .

i f y o u still h ave a fe w o f you r scruple s ; laugh

at them and go you r w ay as i f they did not
,

exist at all Dea den your natural a c tivity and

.

vivacity more and more Be m o derate in your .

o cc u pations o f zeal ; a ct on ly in a cc ordan c e

with t h e principles w hich I laid do w n to you SO
o ften last year ; that i s do everything in a ,

spirit o f peace meekne ss and calm b y foll o w

, , ,

ing pea ce fully t h e interior m o vement o f your

soul united to Go d .

I emb ra c e y o u in the mo s t holy c harity o f

Jesus and Mary .
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

p urity o f mind and o f heart Be no t a nx i o u s .

a b out the s e preo c cupation s o f your m i nd ; aim

a t pu ffing a w ay these va p or s and then pa ss o n ,
.

Be c are ful in your m o rti fica ti o n s ; i f y o u ta ke

i t i n to y o ur hea d to m or ti fy y o ur s el f, i t wi ll
ca us e y o u tr o u bl e Go your w ay, eat and dr i nk
.

w hat Go d gives you and do ,

lo s e y o ur time
n ot

i n torm en ting yoursel f abo ut tr i fi es There i s .

no rea s on for mo r ti fy ing our s elve s b eyond

w hat Go d a s k s of us W e c an morti fy o u r
.

s elve s and even desire to do s o b y o ur o wn w ill ,

b ut it w ill do no g oo d I f w e m o r ti f y o ur
'

selve s b y for c e o f reason b y proving to o u r

,

s el v es that we must do s o it w ill b e o f little

value b efore God and s ometime s w
,

,
ill be more
hu r t ful than use ful You may do w hat your
.

c o nfe s sor allo ws y o u ; b ut do no t w orry ab out

thi s matter .

When you are with seminarian s w ho are b ut

hal f fervent you m a y s pea k ab out indi ff erent
,

thing s ; b ut it s eem s to me it w ould b e danger

ou s to do so w it h the fervent one s not exa c tly ,

on a c count o f yoursel f b ut o n a cc ount o f the

,

goo d o f the seminar y Tr y S i mply n o t to b e

.

di s tracted b y y our c o nver s ati o n s ; accordin gto

'

my o pinion we must not lay do w n a s a rule to

'

speak ex c lusively ab o ut edi fying sub j ect s .

E very bo dy is ge tting al o ng s plendidly here .

M ay God b e b lessed and prai s ed !

We b elon g to Je s u s and M ary Sin c er el y
‘

o ur s in t h e i r m os t ho l lo v e .
 VENE RA B LE L I B E R M A NN 373

L E TT E R L X X V .

TO HIS B RO T H ER A N D H I S SI ST ER I N L A W - -
.

D e ta c hm e n t f o m e a r thly thi n g s The e du c ti o

r —
a n of

the i r c hi ld r en .

P r a i s ed be Jes us a nd M ary !
R enn es ,
D ec e mb er 3 1 ,
1 8 37 .

MY D EA REST B RO T H ER A ND MY D EA REST SI S
TER I N O U R L O RD J ES U S C H RI ST :
I pray t o Jesus and M ary tha t t h ey m a :

overw h e l m you with th eir spirit u al l l e s i n gs ‘

s

du ring th e year which is ab out to b e gin a s .

t h ey h ave blesse d y o u in a t em p oral m ann er

durin g th e o n e that has ju st passed Rais e .

your minds and your h earts t o Go d and do ,

n o t alway s remain co mpl et ely o n earth Yo u .

se e ho w fast th e earth passes A few mome nts .

yet like th os e w h ich we have already sp ent ,

and we must se e everyt h in g end ; th en shall

b egin a great year whic h sh all n ever end .

Th erefore raise your h earts o n high wh ere

, ,

you are d estined t o pass this et ernal year in

t h e light th e l ove th e spl endor and th e gl ory
, , ,

o f o u r F ath er and L ord Jesus t o wh o m alon e ,

w e b el on g with al l that w e are all t hat w e ,

posses s and all that w e can do

, .

L ive lik e soul s who b e l ong to Him entirely .

He H imsel f deigned to pas s s ome year s in thi s

3 74 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

w orld ,
th e purp ose o f dra w in g us to H im
fo r
self an d o f t eachin g u s ho w to l ive sol ely for
,

H is F ath er to W ho m b elo ngs al l h o mage all

, ,

glory an d l ove B e faithful th en as y o u are

,
.
,

resolved to b e D O all thin gs lik e s ouls w ho are

.

h ere only tran siently and w h o lab or only fo r ,

th e g l ory and th e love o f t h at great M aste r ,

w h o S hall b e so m e day all t h eir light all t h eir ,

gl o ry a l l th eir love and all th eir inh e ritan c e

, ,
.

N ever s e e k your satisfaction and enj oym ent

h ere b el ow ; do n o t b e co m e attach e d t o this
w ret ch e d earth Go d has given y o u many
.

c hildren : i s it t o provid e th e m li b erally with

earthly go o ds ? N O n ot fo r t h at ! H e has an
,

o nly S on w h o m H e has b e gotte n fro m a l l

,

et ernity ; H e s ent H i m u p on earth an d place d

all H is co mplac en cy in H i m Well ! did H e .

besto w the goods o f this w orld freely upon

Hi m ? F ar fro m it H e wish ed this w ell
.

b el ove d So n to b e in co ntinual p overty and

p rivation An d do yo u th en l ove your chil
.

dren m ore than H is F ath er l oved Jesus L ove ?

t h em I b e g o f yo u in th e sam e mann er that

, ,

Go d th e F ath er l ove d H is S on ; that is with ,

a holy and a heavenly love P rocure for them .

w hat al on e is imp ortant th e sa l vation and th e —

s a n c ti fi c a ti o n of th eir souls E st e e m yo ur .

s elves v ery fortunat e i n that Go d w as pleased

to us e you to have s even souls m ore d estin ed ,

to glori fy Him eternally i n heaven Do not b e

'

.
376 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

th e m w ort h y o f t h eir h eavenly F ath er and ,

cap abl e o f ent erin g so m e day int o H is kin g

do m .

D istribut e to t h ese ch ildren t h e go o d that

t h eir F at h er h as c onfid ed to y o u fo r th e m ; it
“
is n ot fo r yo u to ask of H im : L ord why d ost ,

”
Thou not give them more ? H e kno ws b etter
t h an yo u w h at is suitab l e f o r t h e m L ab or .

p eac efu ll y to maintain t h is fami l y o f Go d but ,

w it h out anxi ety and with full abandon m ent

t o yo ur h eaven l y F at h er w h o is a l so you r ,

c h i l dre n s F at h er If you s e e k th eir t e mp oral

’
.

pro sp erity wit h su ch gre ed and worry and if ,

you d esire it so anxi ous l y is t h ere n ot ro o m ,

t o fear that it is throu g h ambition o r throu gh ,

an overestimation of th e go ods of t h is earth ?

W ret ch ed go o ds t h at fi ll th e world wit h a ll

'

kinds Of S in s and p e op l e h el l ! L eave aside

‘

th en t h ese vain d e sires and th es e us el e s s o r ,

rath er p ernici ous anxieties .

H ave re c ourse t o th e B l e ss ed V irgin o u r

’

go od and t end er M oth er P lac e yo ur children .

i n h er arm s an d b e g of h er t o tak e care o f

,

t h e m n ot for t h e p urp o se o f enrichin g th em

,

o n earth but o f enab l in g t h em to san ctify

,

t h e mselves in w h at ever state God may d eign

to plac e th e m .

Adieu I embrace you with all my heart in

,

t h e mo st h o l y c h arity of J esu s an d M ary I .

e mbrac e al l yo ur d ear c h i l dren an d wish th em ,

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA NN 3 77

esp ecially F and E a happy N e w Year I

. .
,
.

c h arge E to wis h l ittle L a h ap py N e w Year

. .

for m e .

E ntirely yours .

LE TT E R L XX V I .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

Ho w to s ec u re the l i fe f J u i
O es s n us .
—
Ma n n er of

m a ki n g d
m e i ta ti o n .

R enn es ,
1 8 37

MY V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
Ke ep yourse l f a l ways in t h e p eac e of o u r
go od Master and in H is great est love S ee k .

Him in a l l things N ever turn yo ur mind and .

h eart towards creatures ; dire ct th em un ceas “

i n gl y t oward t h is d ear L ord Try to live o f .

t h is int erior and w h o ll y c elestial life of t h e

spirit which was in su c h plenitude in Je s us
,

and M ary and whi ch s h ou l d fl ow fro m Jesus

,

into t h e h earts of all of u s w h o are H is me m ,

b e r S an d w ho nouris h and sat e ours elves w it h

,

His sup erabundanc e .

Th e life of Jesus and M ary is o u r life ; it is

a l ife wh o ll y c e l estia l and divin e D o not .

h enceforth pay any att ention to vil e creatures

an d t o yourself R emain p eacefu ll y in your
.

int erior w h ere yo u h ave th e sourc e Of yo ur

37 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

life ; t h at is t h e spi r it o f J esu s w it h all H is

,

b eauti es all H is gifts al l H is grac e s and al l

, , ,

H is l ove R e main t h ere in a l l p eace and

suavity by th e fait h whic h thi s S pirit o f love
has p ut into yo ur sou l .

If yo u wo uld le ad this l ife y o u must as I , ,

have t o l d y o u s o oft en m o derat e your a c ti v

,

ity your imp etuo sity and your n atural l evity

, ,
.

N o w d o n ot go and t orm ent yourself o n

account o f w hat I say but aim peace fully at ,

t h is m o derati on It i s n ot n e c es s ary t h at y o u
.

exp eri en c e t h is l ife in a s ensibl e mann er ; con

t ent yo urs e l f wit h brin gin g your min d fro m
ti m e to ti m e back into your int erior w ith ,

ke e pin g yo urs e l f in p eac e b efore Go d an d ,

wit h h avin g n o ot h er d esire but t h at o f l iving

fo r H i m alon e an d o f sacrificin g yo urse l f every
,

day fu l ly to H is m ost h o l y and o n l y love This .

s h ould b e su ffi cient for you Ab a ndo n every .

t h ing to H is good pleasure w hich should be ,

d earer to you t h an s e l f W h e n you b e h o l d .

yours e l f fi l le d wit h distractions an d a ll kinds

“
o f ot h er miseri es say : ,
O my swe et J esus ,

mays t T h o u b e b l esse d and g l orifi ed a th ou

san d ti m es fo r it ! T h o u w i s he s t that it b e s o ;
I co nsent wit h a l l my h eart s o that T h y m ost ,

”
h oly wi l l m ay triu mp h co nstant l y over m e .

M o r e v e o r go to God in everythin g and every

, ,

where c o r de ma gu o e t a n i m o v o l en ti
,
.
3 8 0 S PI R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

it self w ith it ; b ut this w i l l n o t b e yo ur m edi

t a ti o n
. D urin g t h e tim e t hat th e s ensual man
d evot es his att entio n to thi s th ou ght y o u w ill ,

k e ep yo u rself unit ed int eriorly to Go d in th e

u sual mann er Wh en so m eb ody i s at tabl e
.

and his littl e do g b arks at hi m an d w orrie s .

him u n c easin gly an d p u l ls him by th e clot h es

, ,

b e c au s e it wants to have s o m ething al so w hat ,

do es th e ma s t er do ? H e t h ro w s hi m a bit e .

and t h en i s at l eisure to eat D O th e sam e w ith

.

your min d ; thro w it a bit e fro m tim e to ti m e

in ord er to sati s fy it an d remain en clo s ed in
,

your interior in all pea c e and tranquillity Y our .

m editatio n wi l l n o t c on sist in t h e go o d t h ought

w it h which y o u o c cupy yo ur mind but in th e ,

int e ri or rep ose o f yo ur soul b efore Go d I .

kn o w very w ell that this m ean s w ill n o t al w ays

b e o f u s e to y o u; but do y o u n ever w orry GO .

ah ead at yo ur ordinary gait a n d se ek Go d ,

alo n e in a l l thin gs .

I b e s e ech O ur L ord to liv e a nd re i gn all

alone in your dear s oul in the s ame s pirit in
,

which an d by w hi ch H e live s in o u r very d ear

and m o st h o l y M oth er I b ese e c h H im to o
.
, ,

to en kind l e in y o u th e s am e ch arity w ith w hich

H e SO s tron g l y in flam ed th e h eart o f Ma r y .

E ntirely yours in this sam e charity o f Jesus

an d M ary .
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA N N 3 8 1

L E TT E R L X X V I I .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

I n te r i o r and e x te r io r pea ce .

P r a i s ed be J es u s and M ary !

M Y D EA REST B RO T H ER
May t h e p eac e of o ur L ord Jesus b e a l ways
ful l y in your so u l Try to maintain yourse l f
.

in t h is p eac e ; and litt l e by littl e your spirit

w ill take on a firmer and more s table tone
b efore God Watc h over your s elf t h erefore
.
, ,

gently and p eacefu ll y in ord er t o ke ep your ,

se l f i n t h is p eac e and t h is reserve or int erior

mo deration A nd if yo u estab l is h your soul in
.

Go d in a ll p eac e a ll gentl en ess and a ll suavity

, ,

t h e rest wi ll b e easy T h e Spirit o f Go d work .

in g in yo u in t h e mids t of t h is p eace t h is ,

m e ekness this calm and int erio r do ci l ity o f

, ,

your h ear t wi ll not fai l t o fashi on you accord

’
,

ing to t h e go o d p l easure O f t h e F at h er and our

we l l b el ov ed L ord Jesus
-

This p eac e t h is me ekn ess t h is suavity and

, , ,

thi s sedat e mann er ca l m and m oderat e must , ,

exist n o t on l y in your int erior w h ic h is th e —

essentia l t h in g but a l so in a ll yo ur words and

—

in a ll your actions D o not h urry your w ords .

3 8 2 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

nor yo ur id eas ; p ut order cal m and mo d era , ,

tio n i nt o t h em N e v er allo w yo ur min d to go

.

t o ssin g ab o ut ; b ut always pro c e ed grave l y and

s edat e l y in all you r actions k e epin g yours e l f ,

unit ed to Go d in yo ur inn er b eing an d by a, ,

c ontinual w il l L et your min d work in p eac e

.
,

suavity an d m od erati on as a c onse qu en c e o f ,

this fundam ental union .

Act w ith p ea c e m o d eration and gentl en e ss ,

even in yo ur ext erior action s N ever b e .

abrupt in you r m ov em ents s o th at yo u m ay ,

suppre s s and deaden that interior viva c ity

w hi ch p revent s yo ur so u l fro m remainin g fix ed
in Go d .

B e m o d est gentl e and p eac efu l t oward t h e

, ,

n ew l y arrived an d in gen era l t oward a ll yo ur

. , ,

bret h ren Torm ent n ob ody ; n ever rep rimand

. ,

anyb o dy un l e ss h e himse l f h as aske d you to d o

so . B e m o d erat e mild and court e ous in , ,

everythin g D O n ot worry wh en y o u h av e
.

fail ed in anythin g but en d eavo r to re pa i r t h e ,

f a u l t i n all p eace m e e kn ess and suavit y

’

.
, ,

Give yo ur fervent att enti on t o th e s a n c ti fic a

ti on o f your bret h ren but with a great i n t eri or ,

spirit n ever l eavin g Go d even fo r an inst a n t

, ,

n ever a l lo w in g yo ur mind to yie l d to it s gi d

di n e s s its n at ural in constan cy but remaini n g
, ,

s edat e grave in your int erior and n ever l osin g

, ,

p eac e .
 8
3 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

L X XVIII .

T O A Y O U N G N I ECE .

Div ers co u nse s l in v i ew o f he r futu r e v o ca ti o n to

t he re l i gi u
o s t t
s a e .

P r a i s ed be Jes us a nd M a ry !

M Y D EA R C H I LD
’

I w rit e y o u this littl e l ett er fo r th e purp o s e

o f indu c in g y o u to plac e you r trust in J esus

and M ary an d to love th e m with a ll your h ear

,

I h op e t hat y o u sti l l p ersevere in th e h o l y

th ou g h t o f co nse cratin g yours e l f entirely to
th eir servi c e B e co urageo us an d p atient d ear
.
,

child o f Je su s an d M ary C onse crat e yo urself .

fro m this very m o m ent to th eir l ov e P ro mi s e .

th e m that y o u w i l l lov e th em w ith all your

h eart if th ey give y o u t h e gra ce to w ith dra w
,

y o u fro m this c orrupt ed w orld which is n o t ,

mad e fo r y o u Yo u mu st b e p ati ent yet fo r

.

so m e years I h op e t hat in ti m e yo ur b onds

.

w i l l b e bro ken an d th at y o u w i l l o btain t h e

o bj ect o f you r m o st ard ent d es i res .

P ersevere in t h e m eanti m e in great piety ;

d o n o t fre qu ent th e w orld in any w ay ; d o n o t
mak e f o r yo urs elf any fri ends in th e w orld .

Take n o part in its pl easures and sati s facti ons .

 VENE R AB LE L I B E RM A N N 8
3 5

If you are fait h fu l dear c h i l d Go d wi ll over

, ,

wh e l m y o u w it h His graces and favors and ,

t h e B l essed V irgin w i ll l oo k up on y o u as h er
ch eris h e d c h ild I s it n o t far b ett er t o p ossess
.

t h e favo r o f O ur L ord than t o b e loved by t h e

w orl d ? H enc eforth aspire on l y to pl eas e
,

H im wh o wis h es y o u to conse crat e yourse l f

entirely to Him Rej oice w ith all your h eart
.
,

dear c h ild O f Jesu s and Mary ; your j oy S h o u l d

b e immens e . T h is divin e and a l l l ovabl e
Jesus h as cast H is eye up o n yo u ; and wh at
did y o u do to p l ease h im ? N ot h in g I t is .

t h rou g h H is great l ove for you t h at H e has

c h osen you to b e H is sp ouse I s t h is n o t a .

great kindn ess o n H is part ? B e fait h ful t h en ,

and preserve yourse l f with out stain Avoid .

S i n a s t h e evil m ost t o b e feared in t h e w or l d ;

as t h e great est misfortun e t h at can happ en to

you b ecaus e by it you displeas e o u r go o d L ord
,

Jesus L ead a retired l ife ; d o n ot visit any

.

body outside B ut t h is wi l l n ot su ffi ce fo r y o u ;
.

your life must b e w e ll re gu l at ed H ere t h en

-

is a rul e t h at y o u may fol l ow

As soo n as y o u awake in th e mornin g give ,

your h eart to J esu s and Mary and ask t h e m ,

f o r th e grac e o f l ovin g t h e m m ore t h an th e

day before Have a fixed hour for rising and
.
,

a s soon a s it has struck d o n ot d e l ay a minute

, ,

but get up i mmediat ely in ord er to pl ea s e

,

Jesus your go od F at h er and M ary your d ear

, ,
3 8 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

M ot h er : D ress pro mptly kn e el d own to o ffer ,

yoursel f again to God and recite a Gl or y be to ,

the F a ther an Ou r F a ther and a H a i l M ar y

, ,
.

Th en finish your t oil et an d im m ediat ely say ,

yo ur mornin g praye r unl ess y o u have to d elay

,

it fo r so m e l e gitimat e rea s on I w o u l d advis e .

y o u t o assist at h oly mass every day and I ,

b e g your mamma kindly to allow y o u to do s o .

I n t h e m ornin g and in t h e evenin g durin g ,

a quart er o f an h our read an asc eti c w ork and

,

al so th e life o f so m e saint D o n o t fail to say .

your b eads every day ; have a great devotion

t o th e B l e s s ed V irgin B e ob edi ent and do cil e
.

in eve ryt h in g that yo ur mam ma t ells y o u B e .

kin d an d charitabl e t o ward s your b rot h ers and

S ist ers an d ev eryb ody I m ention pa r ti c u
.

l a r l y yo ur brot h ers an d S ist ers b ecause yo u ,

h av e mo re o pp ortuniti es o f fai l in g in kindn e s s

and ch arity t owards th e m Yi el d to t h e m in .

everything and do everything that can plea s e

,

t h e m N ever gro w impati ent over th eir littl e

.

faults b ut s upport them w ith tranquillity Do

,
.

n ot b e in a h urry to corre ct th em f o r fear o f ,

irritatin g th em If y o u w ish to repri mand

.

t h e m fo r t h eir fault s n ever d o s o b efo re havin g

,

prayed to Go d and t o th e B l esse d V irgin f o r

them then you may gently advi s e t h em not
,

to co m mit th es e faults again .

If t h ey happ en to b e an gry w ith y o u it is ,

n o reason f o r
y o u t o b e an gry al s o ; o n th e co n
3 8 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R L XXI X .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

L i fe oJes us in
f o ur so ul s — Th e s p i r it i n w hi c h w e
s ho uld a c c o m p l i s h o ur d i ly
a a c ti o n s .

P r a i s e d be Jes us a nd M ary !

Renne s ,
January 4 th,
1 8 3 8 .

MY V ERY D EA RB RO T H ER
M ay Jesus b e all things in you and may H i s ,

Holy Spirit be the o nly li fe o f your s oul ! Go

your w ay or rather follo w your divine guide
, ,

w ho reside s in the c enter o f your s o ul Al .

ways pres e rve peace l o ve and suavity there

, ,
.

Rej oice over your w eakness your a b j e c tion , ,

your u s eles s ness and your nothingnes s Re

, .

main thus engul fed in O ur L ord w ho i s w ith ,

i n you ; and b e annihilated in y o ur s el f s o that ,

He alone exist .

Your meditation i s goo d you need only co n ,

ti n u e ; do not w orry a b out t h e distraction s and

other de fec t s th at happen to you in it A s tag .

nant pool can not give forth an agreeable odor .

B ut the fa c t that y o u ar e only c orruption i s

one reason the m o re w hy you s hould surren der
yo ursel f en tirely into t h e hand s o f o u r g o od
M r d w ho w ill kn o w ho w to b ring fort h glo r y
,

and holy l o ve from o ut o f your w eak ne ss Die .

 VENE R A B LE L IB ERMA NN
9

to yoursel f and in yoursel f and the li fe o f Jesus,

will be establi s hed in y o u When we see ho w .

ab ominable our o w n li fe i s sh ould w e not w i s h

,
‘

to be entirely dead so that Je s u s may live an d

reign in H is a dm i r a b le l o v e ?
O h what a b eauti ful li fe Je s u s lead s in o u r
,

so uls ! But our souls must b e crushed and

de a d s o that we po sse s s neither m o vem ent n o r
,

li fe o f our o w n Th a t i s why you S hould co n

'

ti n u e to act in your meditation as you have done

until now L et your faith be pure T h rough
. .

faith o u r divine M aster lives abundantly and

a l l alone in us DO not worry ab out anything
.
,

and go right on .

Your S piritual darkness doe s not astonish

me Your sensi b ility has nothing to sustain
.

it and t h e s pirit sees nothing by itsel f Je s u s

, .

l ives in it t h rough faith ; that is w ithout com ,

m u n i ca ti n g anything to it that w ill make it act .

He is pleased to keep it dead Let it there .

,

fore remain dead May J esus live in it as He

,
.

wills and according to Hi s o w n go od pleasure !

,

I thi n k you would do w ell i f you ha b itually

.

frequented the s ociety o f the mo s t fervent s em

i n a r i a n s ; you would establis h your s el f more
and more in that interior and perfe c t way .

Still do not compl et ely neglect the other s ; b e

,

frank and peaceful wit h everyb ody .

When an interior impulse urge s us to hum

b le ourselve s and to unite ourselves to God ,
390 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

we nee d fear no tri c k o f t h e devil F ear noth . .

ing there fore ; mi strust your s el f only ; keep

,

a w atch over yoursel f in peace be fore God and

'

in Go d always advancing by hum b ling your

,

sel f abasing yoursel f and uniting yours el f mo re

,

and more to your divine M aster w ho wishes to ,

live fu l ly in your soul P re s erve a p erfect calm

.
,

and tend quietly humb l y towards God in a ll

, ,

t h ings and all t h is v e ry S imply w it h ou t a

—
,

thou g h t wit hout sensitiven ess but by the s ole

, ,

interior impulse o f faith Aim at denying .

your s el f in everyt hing and everyw h ere at puri ,

f y i n g your h eart and at forgetting yoursel f

,

com pletely i n order to dir ect your mind and

your h eart to God alone T h is is the f o u n da .

tio n o f t h e calm o f t h e soul and o f t h at union ,

with GOd w h ic h we must attain and in w h ich ,

alone o u r perfection consists .

W h en you s a y the b e ads do not try to enter ,

a b solut ely into all the s entiment s and all the

t h oug h ts o f the prayer w hi ch you are reciting .

K eep yoursel f pe acefully united interiorly to

Go d and to t h e Blessed V irgin You may al so .
.

unite yoursel f in t h e same manner to t h e i n

tentions and to t h e desires o f t h e Blesse d V ir
gin U nion wit h God is all t h at is necessary
. .

Distractions and t r ouble s amount to nothing .

It i s t h e same wit h t h at as wit h meditation ; t h e

same rule o f c o nduct holds f o r b ot h A S a rule .
,

pro ceed S imilar ly in t h e exterior and interior

39 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

s piritual c on so lations ; s eek Go d alone p u rel y , ,

a nd in ac c ord a nce w ith H i s mo s t hol y w ill .

D o n o t i magin e that Go d i s far a w ay fro m

y o u in th e midst o f al l th es e t e mptations Yo ur .

reason is s ound and even b ett er s o m etim e s in

,

t h is stat e than if y o u had any grati fi catio n .

A l l th e imp erfe ctions ab o ut whi ch y o u sp eak

to m e may exist aft er a very go o d m e ditati on .

Always t end qui etly towards Go d ; ke ep yo ur

s elf i n H is p res en c e in th e h u mi l ity an d anni
‘

hi l a ti o n o f yo ur soul an d l et H i m do with y o u
,

an d in y o u w h at H e pl ea s es With regard .

to re creation follo w your in clination as in

,

o t h er t h in gs . I m ean that y o u S h ould re main

,

in th e sam e int eri o r conditio n as durin g prayer .

Sp ea k wh en Go d op ens your m outh an d s e e ,

to it t h at you do S O moderately Avoid ex .

trem es .
 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 39 3

LE TT E R L X X X .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

Na tu l ra ac ti v i ty .
—
Pi us
o co n v e r s a ti o n s .

P r a i s ed be J es us and M ary !

R enn es ,
January 4 , 8 38
t h 1 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
M ay J esus b e t h e o n l y M ast er th e life and , ,

a ll o f yo ur sou l !
I sh ou l d have l iked to answer y o u so on er ;
but it w as n o t th e Mast er s wi ll B esides y o u ’
.
,

ask me not t o answer y o u if Go d do es n o t

wish it ; that is su ffi ci ent f o r m e Yo u are .

rig h t in sayin g that you w ish to live on l y by

t h e move ment which Go d gives y o u at a l l
times That is assured l y th e h o l y wi l l o f O ur
.
, ,

L ord f o r y o u D e l iver yo urse l f int o H is

.

h ands and do n othin g but by H im B e n oth

,
.

in g in your eye s d elig h t in your nul l ity s o t h at

, ,

Jesu s a l on e b e som et h in g in y o u If so me .

time s I app eared i n my l ett ers as th o ugh I

wish ed to make y o u act b e l ieve m e t hat suc h ,

w a s n ot my int ention ; t h e idea n ever present ed

“
its e l f t o m e That is why I say to you : Re
.

main in your death and your int erio r ext er

”
mination S O t hat J esus may live and act
, .

B eside s th e go o d Master w i l l kno w ho w to

,
394 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

bind y o u s o th at you cannot m ove even

, ,

th ou gh I had t o l d y o u to do s o and y o u w ere ,

w illin g to fo l low my co uns els .

M ay Jesu s a l on e live ! L et everyt h in g else

p erish and b e crush e d b efore H i m ! I sti l l have
an oth er re c o mm endation to make t o y o u I t .

c on c ern s yo ur c onversation s I b eli ev e th at .

I said so m ethin g t o y o u ab o ut t h e m last year .

Ta k e care not to a l l ow yourself t o b e carri ed

away by th e t orrent o f w ords and ideas B e .

mo d erat e ; b e gentl e If w e have the habit o f

.

piou s c onversatio ns and if it pl ease s O ur

,

L ord to put th e wo rds o n o u r l ip s all go es ,

easily We sp eak al mo st w ith out thinkin g

.
,

an d run t h e risk o f overst ep pin g th e mark and

l ettin g o u r mind SO to say Ho w in o u r m outh
, ,
.

We sp eak un c easin g l y w it h a great d eal o f

.

rapidity an d with out j udgm ent in w hat we

,

s ay sometime s at the b eginnin go f a s en

,
—
,

t en c e w e d o n o t kn ow what w e s h a ll say
,

at t h e end I think t h erefore that w e

.
, ,

have to p ro vide against such a w ay o f acting .

It is prefera b le to restrain o u r mind gently and ,

not to expa n d it i n a fl o w o f w ord s O ther .

w ise W e S ho uld have to fear that O ur Lord

i s no l o nger the wisdom o f our mind a n d ,

that it i s no longer H e w ho made u s s peak b ut ,

rat h er that freedom and movement o f our

spirit whi c h is like a ma c hine in a c tion O ur .

L ord s ets the ma c hine going ; it w ill c ontinue

396 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

of keeping yoursel f in prayer b e fore Go d I n .

your actual interior c ondit i on i f you keep your ,

sel f for a n o t a b le length o f time in thi s dis po

s i ti o n o f pra er a nd w ithout a n other o cc upa
y , y
tion the s en s itive and o rganic p a rt w ill me c e s
,

s a r i ly gro w r e s tive and w ill strive to tend to

God or to attach it s el f to H im Thi s w ill tak e

, .

p l a c e without your being a w a re o f it and in ,

spite o f yoursel f Thi s is w hy I think you

.

s h ould n o t remain idle O f the tw o I r eco m.

,

m e nd manual l abo r rather than reading be ,

cause the o rgans and the s ensitive part o f your

being w ill then remai n at re s t a nd interiorly ,

y o u w ill be unit e d to Go d j ust a s i f you w,

ere
engaged in meditation The very thought o f .

oc c upying your s el f w ith meditation and the ,

actual and sen s i b le pre s ence o f t h is thought in

your mi nd a r e o f them s elves a spur to the
, , ,

acti o n o f the s en s e s Sco ff at these latter and

.
,

give t h em n o S hare in thing s heavenly The .

donkey must eat thi s tle s while the master dine s ,

at the king s ta b le Y o ur s o ul is t h e ma s ter and

’
.

your body is the po o r donkey .

F or t h is reason there fore make n o re s o lu

, ,

tion and do not s a y mentally t h at you are go

,

ing to meditate P as s your d a y peac e fully in

.

the S ight o f Go d busying you r s el f w ith s o me

,

material w ork and maintaining the interior

,

c ommunica tion s o f Go d with your s oul w ithout ,

mingling any action o f your o wn w ith it .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 39 7

Your s oul S hould go to God and li ve in Him in

,

t h e gre a test unity and purity o f faith It .

S h ou l d be without li fe and w ithout movement

by itsel f S o t h at J esus a l o ne live in it I f y ou

,
.

find t h at manua l la bo r doe s n o t furnis h you

wit h a distracting oc cupation I mean one t h at
,
—

will h ave an attracti o n for the s en s ible part o f

yo ur nature content your s el f w ith w alking in
,

t h e little garden DO not ho w ever ente rtain

.
, ,

t h e idea o f making meditation ; b ut keep your

sel f tranquilly at O ur L ord s dispo s al in co m
’

p l e te renunciation and pass

,
your time looking
at a fly a bi rd a blade of grass or similar
, , ,

tr i fl e s
. Try t h is I beg o f you i f God wills it
, , ,

and l et me kno w afte rwards wh at s u cc es s you

h ave had .

I embra c e you with all my heart in the h oly ,

love o f t h e Divine Infant and H i s mo s t a dm i r

able M othe r .
39 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

LE TT E R L X XXII .

TO A M I N A RI A N
SE .

M o de o f co n du ct w he n Jesus a c ts s e n s i b lv i n t he
s o uL

P r a i s e d be J es us and M ary !

Rennes ,
J anuary l o th, 1 8 38 .

M Y D EA REST B RO T H ER :

May t h e love o f J es us be the li fe and t h e nour

i s hm e n t o f your soul ! Cast yoursel f
wit h closed eyes into t h e b osom o f your w ell
belov ed Let H im encompass you pen etrate
.
,

y o u communicate
,
to you H is substance w h ic h ,

i s all love and swe etness ; let H im fill you wit h

them in s uc h wi se t h at you no lon ger see no ,

longer u n de rstand no longer h av e a taste but

,

for Hi s hol y l ove in H is h oly l o ve and wit h

, ,

H is h oly love I h av e but few counsels to give

.

you co ncerning your actual c o ndition W h en .

t h e great Master h as tak en a soul in h and we ,

must l et H im act and not inter fere wit h H im

for fear o f spo i l ing His work A ba ndon y o ur .

sel f entirely to Hi s divine grace be fait h ful , ,

place yoursel f in His h a nds so t h at He may do ,

w it h you according to H is so l e goo d p l easure ,

a n d according to t h e most h oly and ami a b l e will

o f Hi s F athe r which i s a wi ll o f love In a

,
.
4oo S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

o f o peration b ut it ha s a po w erful tenden c y to

,

sancti fy you r s oul ; and i f you are faith ful the

, ,

subsequent condition w ill be ve ry s an ct i fy in g .

E verything that t a ke s place in you is done for

the purpo s e o f puri fying your s en s es A cc ept .

all t h ings w ith thi s desire o f purity and sancti

fi ca ti o n
. Yo u w ill be aid e d in this by a spirit
o f renunciation in w hich you S h ould live I n
O ur L o rd desiring on ly H i s glor y and t h e a c
,
‘

co m pl i s hm en t o f H is F at h er s will Should ’
.

t hi s state then b e succeeded b y anot he r you w ill ,

’
always rem a in in pe rfect pe ace and the Master s ,

grace c an w ork acco r ding to the g o od ple a s ure

o f His h e a venly F ather Beware o f vanity of.
,
’

s el f esteem and S imilar fault s o f a like nature

—
, ,

to wh ic h you are s ubj e c t They are rep lete w ith

.

danger .

Hence I believe t ha t as y o u s ay y o u S hould

'

, ,

maintain yo ur s el f in continual re po s e b efor e

Go d and in God allowing H im to a c t in y o u
,

a s He thinks pr o per and i n any w ay H e plea s e s

, ,

w it ho ut mingling you r own action w ith the

grace o f O ur L ord .

I s h ould h ave liked to correspond w ith you

abou t a l l t h i s in order to kno w t h e deta il s o f
,

yo ur interior a little better You do not e x plain .

to me the d isposition o f your s oul in t h e s e con

d i ti o n s nor d o you tel l me ho w God w ork s in
,

you Do n o t let t h is trouble you DO not

. .

w orry ab out the repugn a nce you feel against

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A N N I

exp l aining your s tate ; such repugnan c e i s quite

natural Write to me o ften and explain not
.
,

wit h standing t h e repugnance and the di fficulty ,

but in a l l pe ac e and suavity wi th o ut making ,

any s ensib l e e fforts B e not annoyed i f you.

find this impossible ; God wi l l no t fail to be your

guide and you wi l l not run the ri s k o f entering
,

upo n the wrong road Simply let yoursel f be .

carri ed along a n d do not interfere with Go d s

,
’

action Mistrust yoursel f but keep y o ur s el f in

.
,

p eace .

S incer ely yours in the most holy love o f

Je s us and Ma r y .

LE TT E R L XXXIII .

TO A Y O U N G P RI EST .

F o g e tf ul s s o f s
r ne elf I t i
.
—
t n er o r s a te b f
e o re Go d
s u i t a b l e t o e a c h s o ul .

P r a i s ed be J es us and M ar y !

Rennes ,
J anuary l o th, 1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R SI R
M ay t h e pe ace o f O ur Lo rd fi ll your soul and ,

communicate to it t h e mo st h o l y simp l icity of

t h e divine In fant so nec essary to you in your
,

conduct towards God !

There is one t h ing to wh ich you must c h iefly
apply your s el f and t h at is entire forget fulnes s
, ,
40 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

of sel f You think to o much of sel f in every

.
'

t h ing that you do and you t h ink o f it W ith a n x

,

Th is con tinual thought o f sel f i s essen

'

i ety .

ti a l ly o ppos ed to t h e h oly Christi an childhood .

L ive i n God s S ig h t as i f y o u did not exist at all ;

’

that is let your interior be oc c upied S imply

,

wit h God W h en you notic e t h is return to sel f

.
,

reti re quietly int o your int erior an d rest in all ,

peace and sw e etness be fore Go d Maintain t h is .

co n tinual peace in y o ur s oul a nd let nothing ,

interpose to trou ble or distra c t you Kee p .

y o ursel f in a ce rtai n sw eet and peace ful li b er ty

before God T h is state sh o uld b e uni form
. .

Maintain your s el f sedately in this inter i or co n

dition b e fo re God during meditation during , ,

wo rk in t h e c on fessional in you r sermons and

, , ,

in all your action s Av o id as much as po s sible

.

all e ffort O f your o w n .

O n certain o ccasions when you are o b liged to

act with more vivacity and vigor you may find ,

it somew h at h a r de r to p re s er v e t h is st a te o f in
But you will s uc c eed in recon
'

ter i o r repose .

c i l i n g t h ese two t h ings little b y little n o tw i th ,

sta n ding t h e di fficulties you may en c ounter .

W h en y o u meditate Or whe n you are r eco l ,

lecte d for there are mom e nt s when you are

—

you r So ul assumes a certain interior po s ition b e

fore God ; it takes on as it w ere a c ertain s hape , ,
.

I f you examine it we ll you w i l l s ee tha t thi s ,

'

position is always the same ; it is called the s tate

 0
4 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

the interio r po s ition in w hi c h w e s hould be be

fore G o d ? P re s erve your s el f there fore in thi s
, ,

w ay and thi s po sition o f your s oul dire c t your ,

s el f towa r d God a n d do n o t go to the trou b le o f

,

fi nding out whether you are pra y ing or work ing

f o r H im or n o t B e sati s fied to keep y o ur s el f
.

in this dis po sition ; to turn t o w ard H im a n d to ,

a c t w ith the intenti on o f plea s ing H im It mat .

ters little whether it b e in a s en s i b le manner o r

n o t ; provid ed you are t hu s dispo s ed you w ill ,

alway s b e united w ith Go d w ho w i l l w o rk ,

fr eely i n you r s oul to perfect it to direct it as

, , ,

w ell as to bes tow o n it the light s that are de s

ti ned for it fro m all eternity .

This is the true means o f b eing faith ful to

grace and o f living the li fe o f the Holy Gho s t
,
,
,

wh o s hould be all things in us You s hould .

fo llow this mode o f acti o n in everything and

everywhere T h is will demand of y o u great i n
.

te r i o r renun c iation a to tal forget fulne ss o f

,

sel f and a per fect and oo n ti n u a l nakednes s o f

,

mind and heart wh ich will b e b e s t a ttained b y

,

fol low ing the mode o f action that I have indi

ca te d to y o u .

Do thi s and you w ill infalli b ly realize in you

,

the holy ch ild h ood o f Jesu s w hi c h I w i s h y o u

,

w ith all my heart .

All your s in Jesus and Mary .

 VENE R A B LE L IB ERMA NN
4 5 0

LE TT E R L XXXI V

TO A SE M I N A RI AN .

The t u e s p i it
r r o f prayer .
—
The d esire fo r k no wl dg
e e,

and ho w t o m o d er a t e it .

P r a i s ed be Jes us an d M ar y !

Rennes ,
J anuary 2 3 r d, 1 8 3 8 .

M Y VERY D EA R B RO T H ER
May t h e Infant J esus be the ab s olute master
o f your so ul o f all your a ffections o f all your
, ,

moveme n ts of all your t h oug h ts and may He

, ,

make it live o f Hi s divine li fe I am very glad

to h ear that you are a pplying your s el f more
seriously t h an e ver to i nteri o r li fe and habitual
rec ollection It is a grand t h ing to l ive contin
.

u a lly in t h e S ight o f God He w h o h as attained .

this point of perfection will s oon b e ma s ter o f

his soul a n d o f all its movements a n d w i l l be ,

able to abandon them into the hand s o f the g reat -

Master so t h at h e may no longer live but o f

,

His li fe and in His li fe W ithout this r eco ll ec .

tion and t h is sp irit o f continual prayer w e act ,

I n a l l t h ings or in nearly all thing s by o u r

, ,

selves and oftenest for ourselve s E ven the

, ,
.

go o d and pious acti o ns t h at w e perform for

God are very imper fect and o f very little merit ;
w e a r e al w ays w rapped up in our o wn a c tio n ,
406 S P I R I T U AL LE T T E R S OF T HE

and hence are v ery li ttle su s cepti b le to the

m o v eme n t o f the Holy G h ost Go d has there .
,

fore besto w ed a great grace upon you by i n

,

spiring y o u w i th a d esire o f t h is continual

prayer and o f applying you rsel f earnestly to it
, .

But take care not to have your prayer consist

merely in t h e labor and the s o le exerci s e o f your
mind In order that the state O f prayer be real
.
,

the prayer i tsel f should be made by an a ffection

o f the heart or by an elevat i on O f the mind or
, , ,

also by th e repose o f t h e soul in God thro ugh

, ,

the application o f our fa c ulties to H im or by a ,

simple vi e w o f t h e presence o f God b e fore ,

w h om we per form all our actions in order to ,

please H im But we must n o t make our medi

.

ta ti o n by the tho u ght o f o u r m i n d seeking to ,

attach ourselves h ere and ther e to some thoughts

that h ave relation to Go d This would not be
.

exactly bad but it would be very o rdinary and

, ,

o f little fruit No r should it be a mere play of

.

our mi n d trying to o ccupy and en j oy i t s el f in its

o w n way and to amuse it s el f wit h thoughts that
,

appe ar to it b eauti ful and str iking all t h e time ,

con sidering them a nd reconsidering t h em in

, ,

order to understand t h em tho roughly o r s im ,

ply to keep itse l f busy wit h them .

Try to yield as little as po s sible to your mind ;

si m pli fy as much as you can its action in your
meditation and recollection It w ould b e all .

the be tter i f i t c ea s ed altogether ; s till i f it do es ,

408 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

study . Apply yoursel f to the ne c es s ary

s c iences b ut w ith an interior spirit You
, .

s hould never yield to the craze for memorizing

text s and b eauti ful thoug h ts f o r the pu r po s e,

o f using them w h en occasion o ffer s N ever .

cram your mind I charge you with c reated

, ,

k n owledge ; t h is h as a tendency to render it

S loth ful in a plying itsel f to the lights o f grace
p ,

which are incomparab ly greater W h en you .

are obliged to study a subj ect t h at plea s e s you ,

do n o t seek en j o y m en t o r delig h t in it Remain .

interiorly in sobriety and reserv e Yo u did .

well to determine t h e time to be devoted to the

study o f He b rew ; ne ver use any other time for
it I f a craving for it S h ould overcome you
.
,

take up t h e Go s pel Read t h e mildest and

.

divinest wor ds t hat O ur Lord has uttered and ,

you wi l l find wherewit h to be con fused be fore

H im ; for you will fi nd that y o u h ave no taste
for H is word and t h at your mind i s altogether
,

the slave as it were o f its natural a ffections

, ,
.

You will find that your mind pre fers natural

cur iosity to t h e w ords of eternal li fe Go d .

alone ! God a l one ! What else do we need ?

J esus our well beloved s hould su ffice us as the

,
-

, ,

light o f our intelli gence and t h e happines s o f

our soul .

U n derstand t h is truth well : the abundan c e

o f earthly w ealt h is exceedingly inj uriou s to u s ,

and prevents the acquisition o f h e a venly w eal th

 VENE RA B LE L IB E RMA NN 0
4 9

a w ealt h t h at alone is real All the re s t i s

,
.

not h ing B l essed are the poor in spirit for

.
,

t h eirs is the kingdom of God Blessed are they .

w h ose mind is p oor w h ose mind does not de

,

l igh t i n nor ardently long for created knowl

, ,

edge w h ic h fo rms its earth l y riche s ! Ble s s ed

'

is t h e mind t h at does not relish nor enj oy nor , ,

de l ig h t in these riches w h ic h are in r eality but

, ,

poverty ! Your mind s h ould be poor and ,

empty and bare be fore God It wi ll po s sess

, ,
.

Go d wit h t h e superabundanc e of H is l ig h t and

His graces W h en your mind is purer it will
.
,

be more detac h ed from t h e pursuit o f pious sen

ti m e n ts . T h is purity of mind is essentia l ly
,

necessary to ac q uire t h e perfect gi ft o f faith ,

t h e virtue o f t h e inte l ligence a virtue that can

—

n o t exist perfect l y wit h t h e defect opposed to

t h e purity and abnegation o f t h e mind .

I embrace you in t h e h oly l ove of t h e Ador

able Heart o f J esus and Mary .
4 10 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

LE TT E R L X XX V

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

The hi dd e n lif e o f Jes us in us .

—
A b s lu te
o and blin d
’

a b a n d o n m en t to J es u s .

P ra i s ed be Jes us and M ary !

Rennes ,
F ebruary 3 r d, 1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
M ay t h e Divine In fant continue H is li fe o f
l o ve and a b andonment in y ou r so ul He is our .

All ; let us b e lo s t and annihilated in H im He .

is h idden in our innerm o st soul and H e w a s ,

h idden in t h e po or house o f N azaret h a fter Hi s

return from E gypt L et us keep our souls in .

poverty and privation so t h at t h i s dear Child

may deign to live in us and hide H imsel f in t h e
intimacy o f our heart s O h yes ! the divine .
,

Child must be h idden in u S h id den not only — '

to t h e eyes o f other men but even to o u r o w n ,

eyes L et us not worry about fi n ding the place

.

o f concealment that He h as e stab lis h ed in our

sou l s L et us rej oi c e wit h our w hole heart b e
.
,

cause this dear Master deigns to live c oncealed

in us It i s bette r that He live t h ere in a hid
.

den rat h er than i n an Open manner and thi s

, , ,

for s everal reaso ns Le t it suffi ce for me to tell

.

y o u that suc h i s H is g o od pleasure and a fter ,

 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

within u s ?N o my w ell b eloved b r o ther let

,
‘
-

us not look any more ; let u s no longer have eye s ,

or rather let us pla c e the eye o f Ou r s oul in the

,

hands o f Jes u s in order to have no S ight b ut

,

through H im and i n H im and i n order not to

’
,

see at all i f H e s o wish it Oh blessed b lindne s s .

,

by w h ich our soul no longer se e s no longer

.

under s tand s no longer feel s no l onger lives

, , ,

because Je s u s holds it w ithin H i s hands and ,

b ecomes all thing s in it ! This i s what I have

to tell you for the pre s ent .

I saw by your last lett e r that I made a mi s

take i n s peaking to you about your meditation .

You s ee w hat confidence i s to b e placed in

men T h ey are a ll blind alt hough in di fferen t
.
,

degrees a n d n o t a single one is a b le to see t h e

,

things o f Go d i f our g o od Ma s ter d o e s not

,

S ho w them to him But I am very glad that I

.
,

made that mist ak e ; it called forth some e x

planation s t h at gave me a better insight into
y our int e rior M ay O.ur Lo rd be blessed for
every t h ing that He deigns to do wit h y o u and ,

in you ! Abandonment abandonment and , ,

nothing but abandonment !

Yo u dou b tlessly know that dear Mr N .

i s w ith u s T h is dear child i s a s well dispo s ed

.

no w a s when I left him Temptat i on h as n ot .

at all changed him He is entirely freed from .

it at present and pe rfe ctly tranquil H e i s

‘

advancing very well in the wa y o f Go d a n d I ,

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA N N 4 3 I

exp ect t h at our goo d Master will make h im the

instrument o f t h e g l ory o f His Heavenly
F at h er May H is mo st h o ly N ame be bl e ssed !
.

W h en t h e seminarians h ear this t h ose O f t h em ,

w h o do no t yet perfec tly understand the

str engt h a n d t h e grace o f our good Master will ,

not fail to bestow praise upon me as i f I h ad

'

delivered this dear child Do not a l lo w them .

,

my dear friend to make t h i s mistake but con

, ,

vince th em of t h e trut h : I count for absolutely

nothing in t h e good e ff ected ; it is the Divine
Master w h o h as accomp l is h ed t h is work in h im ,

and I have only spoiled it in part .

May J esus alone be a l l things in you ! Eu

ti r e ly yours in His h o l y love and in that o f H is
h oly Mot h er .

LE TT E R L XXX V I .

TO A SE M I N A RI A N .

The lif e o f f a i th co mp are d w i th th w y e a s o f the

s en s e s —
Co n du ct w i th l ti t
re a on f ul t
o o ur a s .

Jes us
.

P r a i s ed be and M ary !
Rennes ,
F ebruary sth,
1 8 3 8 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
May t h e Divine In fant reside in your soul ,

and lead there the admirably hidden li fe whi c h

He led in t h e l ittle h ouse of N azaret h ! I kno w
 1
4 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

that you wo uld o ften sigh i f J esus concealed

H imsel f from your eyes as H e concealed Him ,

sel f from the eyes o f the in h abitants o f N aza

ret h But no matter I f it please Hi m to h ide
. .

H im s el f you must be ar it w h et h er it be h ard

, ,

for you or not B e satisfied t h at H e lives in

.

your soul and that H e l ives t h ere a li fe hidden

,

to your senses L ive by fait h and do not

.
,

w orry a bo ut the rest I f you live according to .

pure faith you will not by means o f the senses

, , ,

perceive clearly and certainly t h e presence o f ,

Je s us in you F or as soon as your senses are

.
,

convin c ed o f it it i s no longer faith It is far

,
.

better for you to h ave no perception o f the pres

ence of the D ivine Child in yo ur soul so that ,

you may posses s H im in the h eavenly purity o f

your fait h .

T h e advantag e s o f this faith are immense ’

°

fir s t o f all t h is li fe o f fait h by itsel f i s more ex

ce ll en t and interior than all the sentimental

w ays God works in our soul in a purer more

.
,

delicate and more intimate manner ; and hence

,

t h e fruits t h at result are more perfect We ren .

der ourselves more agreeabl e to God We a t .

tain more quickly mor e easily and more c om , ,

p l et e l y t,
h at perfect sel f denial and purity o f —

h eart which is SO im portant in the interior pat h

o f perfection .

M oreo v er we do not run the risk o f falling a

,

prey to vanity to sel f love and the ot h e r defect s

,
—
,
4 16 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

you are doing nothing that y o u are co w ardly ,

and luke w arm i f you s ee that you are s till s u b

,

j e c t to natural a f fections to thought s o f s

,
el f
love and to sadness Try S imply to forget all
.

t h ese things and turn your mi nd to w ard God

, .

Keep you rsel f be fo re Him i n a pea c e ful and

continual de s ir e that He w ork H i s good pleas
ure with you and in y o u Seek but to for get .

yoursel f and to w alk be fore H im in your pov

,

e r ty w it h out ever looking upo n your s el f Al .

w ays go ahead and live w it h in your o w n s el f

a s i f you did not exist paying att enti o n to God
,

alone de s pising your baseness and po verty b e

, ,

ing fi rmly resolved to live only f o r God and in

God in S pite o f y o u r w retched nature A s long
,
.

a s you w orry about t h ese movements o f nature ,

you will be occupie d wit h your s el f ; and as long

as y o u are occu p ied with yoursel f y o u w ill not ,

make much progress in pe rfe c tion The s e .

mo vement s w ill c ease only w hen you despise

and forget t h em Beside s I a s sure you they
.
, ,

are neither o f any impo rtan c e nor any co n s e

q u e n c e ; laug h at them and give your,
a ttention
to God alone by pu re and S imple faith .

I embrace you in the holy love o f Jesu s and

Mary .
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R MA NN
4 7 1

LE TT E R L XXX V II .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

He u g
r es hi m t o pa rt w i th s en s i bl e m ea n s —
The
m ul t i p l i i ty
c o f in te n ti o n s and p i o u s p r a cti c e s .

Rennes F ebruary
,
1 1 th, 1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
I am exceeding l y rej oiced in O ur Lord to r e
c e i v e a letter from you at last You know h o w .

great my desire h as a l ways b een to s ee God

reign in your h eart and I assure you t h at t h is
,

desire is always t h e same .

I beseec h you by t h e l ove o f our L ord J esus

and h is most ho ly M o t h er to b e o f good c h eer , .

O ne o f your great fau l ts is t h at you have too

bad an opinion o f your spiritual condition You .

do not value t h e grace o f God enoug h and you ,

a ll ow yourse l f to be cast down too e asi l y by t h e

idea o f your i n fi del i ti es and your natural ,

cowardice T h is fau l t h as its origin in sel f

.

love I f you wis h to make any progress in per

.

f ec ti o n you must not reflect so muc h on your

,

cowardice your w eakness and your miser y

, ,
.

S ur s um C or da ! Ra i s e your Sou l and keep it ,

in Go d s presence by putting your w h ole co n fi

’

dence in J esus and M ary and by forgetting to a , ,

4 18 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

certain p oint your im per fections and even your

,

fault s .

Another defec t o f yours is that you grieve

to o muc h w h en you cannot go to God in a cc ord
ance w ith your desi res You then make some .

momentary e fforts which a re not succes s ful b e

, ,

cause you cannot force t h ings in thi s w ay Your .

e ffo r ts are pure l y organic Your w ill belongs .

.

to Go d ; and this is even a cause why you are

'

pained to be but a tissue o f distraction fl i ghty ,

t h oughts and all kinds o f fanc ies T h is i s

,
.

something excellent a l ready : you will belong

to God ; but you do n ot know what to do in o r
der to succe e d in uniting yoursel f w ith this dear
obj ect You r fault lies in the fact t h at you
.

employ your sensib l e o rgans to seize u pon Him ,

and c l ing to H im You a re at fault Thi s . .

h a ppens to you not o nly in prayer but in every ,

t h ing t h at rela tes to God In the practice o f the .

virtues you wi sh to seize u pon t h em in a s en

,

sible manner and to render an account o f them

,

to yoursel f ; but God does n o t want you to act

in such wise And w h at i s the result o f this ?
.

You do not suc c eed ; you live in grie f and dis

co u r a geme n t .

F ollow anot h er course and I am convinced ,

that you wi l l succeed better Thi s co ur s e will .

at t h e same time be easier Try to acquire the .

s o li di t a n d t h e tr u th not t h e s en s i bl e i mpr es
y ,

s i o ns ,
o f v i r tu es U ntil no w you aimed at
.
 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

'

very S imple and hen c e very ea s y It i s a great

, .

p rinciple in spiritual li fe to simpli fy matter s a s

mu ch as po ssi b le The s i mpl er a n d m or e u n i
.

for m o u r c o n du c t is ,
the m o r e per fec t i t i s a n d ,

the m or e ea s i ly we ca n a ls o s us ta i n o u r s elv es

in i t.

I am there fore o f opinion that hencefor w ard

, ,
‘

you should not attach yoursel f to a multiplicity

o f p ractices but that you s houl d try only to
,

perfect t h e interi o r o f your soul giving yoursel f ,

ent i rely to God in t r uth and reality and not in

sentiment and a ff ection only Do n Ot there .
,

fore resolve to practise such or such a virtue in

,

this or that ci rcumstan c e or to have s uch a sen ,

ti m e n t or suc h an intention in your a c tions Do .

not attach you r sel f to anything o f t h is kind -

:

attach yoursel f directly to Go d alone for whose ,

s ake you S hould do all thing s Se e ho w simple .

'

is what I mean Aim only at one point in every

.

thing ; viz to mai ntain your s oul in peace b e

.
,

fore Go d not in a s ensi b le manner but in sim

, ,

ple repose in the S ight o f Go d Your w hole .

care will con s ist in rej ecti ng peace fully without ,

trouble without agitation w ithout worry and

, , ,

without vi olence everything that might disturb

,

thi s repose There i s a question o f calming

.

every passion in y our soul and o f putting ,

silence a n d pea ce there You have acted o n ly

'

throug h passion until n o w even in the things ,

o f Go d Do so no longer No more o f thi s

. .
 V E NE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN
4 21

violence t h is grie f this worry t h is vexat i on

, , , ,

but a l l things in pe ace and repose ! Do not

'

w orry when you see t h at some virt ues are want

ing to you E veryt h ing consist s in removing
.

t h e obstac l e s t h at prevent the reign o f God in

your soul ; no t a few but all must be removed, ,
.

I f you wish to advance in t h is way you must

“ ” “
not say : I s h ould wi l lingly do this I should ,

l ike to preserve t h at Q uietly rej

. ect every
t h ing t h at is oppo sed to t h is permanent peace .

I promise you that by t h is means you w ill attain

very gre a t pe rfection in a very S h ort time .

T h us everything depends on not wis h ing to live

,

but for God and in God alone and on doing all ,

t h ings even b reat h ing and feeling for H is

, , ,

sake only and according to His good pleasure

,
.

T h i s state o f t h ings will exist at first only in

desire and intention ; and t h ough w e fail very
often we s ha ll be strengt h ene d gradually In
,
.

practice t h e only thing t h at oug h t to occupy

-

our attention w e must keep ourselves in r e

—

p ose,
and in a certain state o f p e ace interiorly
be fore Go d ; that is with a view to God doing
, ,

everything in this peace .

O ur soul S ho uld remain in a c ertain uni form

po sition wit h respect to God and not quit a cer ,

tain state o f repo se even for indi ff erent t h ings .

Q uietly remove all Obstacles to t h i s repo s e and

p eace L et
. t h is be y our whole li fe your whole ,

mo r ti fica ti o n your whole resolution

, in a ,
—
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

w ord the w hole o c cupation o f your

, In a da y .

simple S pirit o f gravity avoi d contention and ,

e ff or t for these are diametrically opposed to

,

p eace and repo se .

T h is is all you have to do ; it is very S imple a s

y o u see But you .w ill enc o unter some obstacles
to the execution of t h ese counsels The follo w .

ing are the pr i nc i pal ones : a spirit o f plea s

a n tr y w h ich is opposed more t h an you can
,

im agine to the true spirit o f prayer ; levity o f

,

mind and inconstancy o f will ; curiosity O f the

mind w hich busies itsel f with one t h ing then
,

another which likes to vary its obj ect and

,
’
,

easily betakes it s el f to s o m e thi n g new ; t h e pre

occupation o f t h e mind in t h ings that please it ,

and i n whic h it i s obliged to apply itsel f

strongly especially when t h ese Obj ec ts are mul
,

ti p l i e d .

Such are the principal Obsta c les in addition ,

to t h os e I s poke to you o f above Nev er the .

l e ss do not give yoursel f over to the l ea st worr y

,
.

E nter into the arena and you will see yo ur ,

enemies fall at your feet I guarantee y o u s uc .

ces s i f you set yoursel f to work God will

,
.

fight for you and what can you fear ?

,

Adieu my very dear brot h er I am in Jesus

,
.
,

and Mary your very humble se r vant ,

.
 2
4 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

total O b livion o f all exi s tence out s ide o f H i s

F ather It i s wonder ful to see Je s u s all hidden
.
,

enveloped plunged engul fed a bs orb ed l o s t

, , , , ,

and annihilated in t h e immen s ity o f H i s

,
.

F ather s glory We admire in that hidden or

’
.
,

retired li fe o f J esus in the h ou s e o f N azareth ,

a multitude o f t h ings that are as n o thing co m

pared wit h this loss and prod igious su b mersion
i n H is heavenly F at h er whose spl endor glory , , ,

and immense grandeur envelope d H im sur , ,

rounded and enclos ed H im fro m all S ides and

, ,

prevented in H im a l l communication out s ide o f

the bo som o f H i s F ather H o w I s hould like .

to see you h idden in such a w a y ! F rom thi s

so u rc e a l l t h e rest flowed It was the origin
,
.

o f all the incom prehensible and marvelo u s

t h ings that w e admire I n t h e h idden li fe o f
J esu s It is in this w ay espe c ially that w e
.
, ,

S hould look upo n t h e h idden li fe o f o u r goo d

Master It was a little thing to b e hidden and

.

closed up in the hou s e o f N azareth and u n ,

kno w n to men This cost Him no trou b le f o r

.
,

He loved only H is F ather and could enj oy H i s ,

Fa t h er only and the mo s t holy will o f H is

,

F ather I f we w i s h to s ee the h idden li fe o f

.

Jesus we must s ee H im hidden in Hi s heavenly

,

F ather in complete forget fulne ss o f all c reat

,

u res and o f H imsel f a n d liv i ng only in H i s

,

F ather fo r H is F ather and with H i s F ather

, ,
.

We must see J e s u s thu s hidden I n H i s F ath er ,

 VENE R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 4 25

and solely moved and animated by the Spir it

,

o f His F at h er w ho pro duced in H is holy

,

humanity as incomprehen s ible e ff e c t s a s it s

union wit h the Word F or the s e e ffe c t s and .

operation s o f t h e Holy Ghost were pr o po ntio n ed

to t h e union o f the most ho ly humanity with the
Word We S hould endeavor to penetrate into
.

this sanctuary and get a glimp s e o f the extra

ordinary dispositions o f t h e divine h umanity
so sub merged and lost in the bosom o f H is
F ather We sh o uld obser e that in the mid s t
.
v

of all H is exterior lab ors even during the ,

p eriod o f H i s public l i fe J esus w as a s mu c h ,

hidden in H is F ather as during H i s soj ourn in

t h e litt l e house N evert h eless the mystery o f
.
,

Hi s h idden li fe should be espe cially honored in

His soj ourn at N azareth F or w hen H e mani .

‘
f e s te d all these mysteries o utwardly He did so ,

to S ho w H imsel f to our eyes and to fill u s w ith

respect love adoration and gratitude and
, , , , ,

also to merit for us and communicate to u s

, ,

in a special manner t h e di ff erent graces of the s e

,

my s teries T h us He lived thirty years in the

.

house o f N azareth or at least He remained hid

,

den for t h irty years in order to make u s par ,

ti c i pa te largely in this heavenly li fe and in o r ,

der to impress us with t h e importance O f thi s

li fe
.

T h i s hidden l i fe contains great trea s ure s .

P ea c e meekne ss humility o f the heart be for e

, ,
4 26 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Go d re p o s e o f the s oul and do c ility to the

, ,

Holy Gho s t obtain for us thi s in c o mpara b le

,

and e ss entially necessary gra c e for the great

ministry to w hi c h we are c alled To attain it .
,

w e m ust b e a s it were dead and Obliviou s o f

, , ,

all thing s and o f sel f The only true mean s o f

.

attaining it i s by total forget fulness o f every

c reature and of s el f by the death and exter m i
,

nation o f all human li fe but w ithal in pea c e and

,

rep o s e o f th e soul before God and b y c almly ,

waiting for the Divine Spir i t to produ c e it in

our soul s F o r w e cannot attain it b y o u r o w n
.

str ength and by the activity that we display ;

on the contrary these e ffo r t s and the s e move
,

ment s s erve only to carry u S a w ay and delay u s .

We S hould abandon ourselve s c ompletely into

the hand s o f o u r dearest and s overe i gn Master .

It i s for Him to give to us and to do w ith u s , ,

a s H e thinks fit in Hi s admirable w i s dom and ,

for u s to keep our s elve s in repo s e and in c alm

ex pe c tation be fore H im .

Yo u w ill find s ome hindran c e s in your tend

ency to contention o f spirit N everthele s s k eep .
,

yoursel f in repo s e and advan c e until o u r dear

Master deigns to deliver you from your s el f In .

the m eantime be ar w ith this tendency w ith

,

tranquillity pea c e and renun c iation W hen

, ,
.

you surpri s e y oursel f in an e ff ort do not griev e , ,

but b e c ontent to s et your mind in r epos e b e fo re

Go d and p ro c eed o n your wa y a s i f nothing ha d
,
4 28 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s hould s trive c onvin c e your s el f o f the co n

to
tr a r y and place your c on fi den c e in your very
,

kind Mother w ho w ill never abandon you It

,
.

would b e an outrage to think con s tantly that

w e are going b a c k a s i f S he w ere not w ith u s
,
.

V ery o ften b y dint o f per s uading our s elve s that

w e are doing SO w e w ind up by really going
,

w rong and w e gro w w eak and lo s e co n

,

fi den ce I loo k upon thi s c allou s ne s s o f w hi c h

.
-

y o u speak as really
,
a gra c e o f God be c au s e it ,

w ould seem t h at w ith all the s e di sc ouraging

thought s you l ive in the mid s t o f w
,

,
orry ; but
I see the hand o f Mary w ho keep s you in pea c e ,

in spite o f your s el f Thi s i s an important po int

.
,

and you S h ould try to do all you can to pre

s erve your peace o f mind E xcu s e my speaki ng .

to you in this w ay : your ch arity emboldens me .

W ith regard to t h e failings w h ich you called

to my attention it seem s to me : first t h at you
, ,

alway s try to overdo thi ngs We must u n .

doubtedly do the b est w e c an b ut w ithout to r ,

turi n g our s elves or without b e i ng continually

,

on t h e watch a s you are You h ave to a cq uire

,
.

much in t h i s re s pect I believe that you S h ould .

be a great deal more peace ful in a l l t h at con

cern s your occupations I kno w t h at you are .

not quick in the discharge o f your dutie s and ,

that you need more time than other s ; but thi s i s

no reason w hy you S h ou l d be in a con s tant
w orry and activity in order to fini s h Do y o u .
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A NN 2
4 9

t h ink that your prede c essors did things a s per

f ectly as you know t h ey S hou l d h ave been done ?
I am sure that t h ey did not ; and yet they are
h oly priests and t h ey were at rest on thi s s ub
,

j ec,
t because t h ey tried to do a ll they morally ,

could .

You are at N fi r s t to sancti fy your s el f , ,

to s erve God perfectly and to please H im Yo u ,

.

S h ould there fore employ the greatest care in

, ,

t h e interior t h ings t h at regard your soul and ,

keep it in great peace avoiding t h i s extreme ,

worry and activity .

You are t h ere secondly to s ancti fy other s

, ,
.

Consequent l y t h e sa l vation o f the s eminarians

,
.

S h ould o cc upy only the s econd place in your

mind and be the second t h ing o f importance

,

for you especially in so far a s your penitent s

,

are concerned I s h all take t h e l iberty o f s peak

.

ing to you about this later .

Third l y to fu l fil t h e function that has been

,

intrusted to you and this at present i s the, , ,

bursars h ip You should discharge t h is duty

.

a s well as you can ; but the first two take pre

c e den c é I t h ink that you are too oc c upied and
.

too worried about material t h ings .

You tell me indeed t h at you do not pretend

, ,

to perform your duties perfectly but only pass ,

ab l y wel l That is not enoug h You wis h to

. .

attain only a relative perfection and that to ,

t h e detriment O f t h e pea c e and t h e re pose o f

43 0 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

your s oul Try to keep from worrying b ut do

.
,

n o t neglect your dutie s .

In the s econd pla c e I think that you really

,

negle ct your penitents a little too mu c h on a c

count o f your employment Som etimes you do .

not allo w them to c ome to s ee y ou as o ften a s

they need ; and when they do come o utside o f
the quarter o f an hour determined for them and
you happen to be busy you O ften get rid of them
,

very quickly w ithout giving them the c onsola

tions that t h ey de s ire At times there mu s t b e a
.

certain degree o f harshness in your manner b e ,

cause your mind i s preoccupied and you wish

to fi nish the w ork you have in hand I believe .

that you should not determine a limited time for

those w hom you direct Be care ful to give .

them more tha n a quarter o f an hour i f the y

need it and never appear to b e in a hurry When
,
.

you see that everything i s finished send them ,

away in peace Be always very kind toward s

.

them b ut without ever flattering them or giv

, ,

ing them s ensible marks o f a ffection .

In the t h ird place I believe t h at in j udging

,

the seminarians o f your community y ou take ,

too much into consideration their talents their ,

science their birt h their connections and t h e

, , ,

exquisite politeness t h at r esu l ts from their we l l

rounded worldly education ; it happens even
sometime s that you mani fest these partialities
out w ardly I think that this proceeds from
.
4 3 2 S P I R I T U AL LE T T E R S OF T HE

formed b y your letter o f all the b lo ws that H e

ha s given your s oul and I must c onfe ss that ,

I c ould not b ut re j oi c e fully in H i s divine love .

I did not even have a thought o f c ompa ss ion

ating your ill s although in the e s timation o f
, ,

men t h ey s eem to b e immense and a bs olutely

,

un b earable E very w ound infli c ted on your

.

soul is a po w erful blo w given to your fle s h b y

the adorab le hand o f Jesus May it suc c umb .
,

may it be crushed s o that Jesus o u r mo s t holy

, ,

All may alone live reign and e x ist in your s oul !

, ,

It s eems to me that I s ee H im in your inner

mo s t soul moving every machine w ishing to
’
, ,

r u l e an d govern that flesh b ut v i r ga fer r ea ; ,

He subdues crushe s it b ecau s e it i s i mpure and

, ,

rebelli ous L et the divine King o f our s oul s

.

act L et H im erect H i s throne in you ; a b andon

.

yoursel f entirely into H is hand s a n d live only ,

o f H is li fe Do not b reathe or have any move

.
,

ment b ut b y Him alone And a s H is li fe in

,
.

you mu s t b e a li fe o f c ro ss e s and extermination ,

your only happine ss and your only li fe must

be s orro w prostration night death and the
, , ,

destruction O f everything that i s in you and

belongs to y o u .

All that you have to do there fore i s to , ,

repo s e blindly on O ur L ord who live s and ,

works in you a s your sovereign Master but

, ,

the s overeign Master o f a perver s e c reature ,

w hom H e w i s he s to c lothe with H i s s upreme

 VE N E R A B LE L I B E RM A N N 43 3

h oline s s Kno w t h at the s an c tity o f Je s u s

.

wis h ing to mani fest itself in our s oul s mu s t ,

necessarily cast down cru sh and annihilate , ,

everything o f property t h at it finds t h ere I —

mean everyt h ing that in our souls 18 o f t h em

and belongs to t h em because a l l li fe that is not ,

His own and all existence that i s not in His

,

F at h er and from H i s F ather cannot sub s ist

, ,

be fore Him and is essentially excluded from

His sovereign and adorable sanctity Be faith .

fu l there fore in abandoning yoursel f as you

, , ,

desire into the arms o f our good Master in

, ,

order t h at He may govern and direct your i n

te r i o r and exterior Desire not h ing but through
.

J esus and in Je s us enj oy love nothing but , , ,

t h roug h J esu s and in J esus or rat h er allo w ,

Jesus to wi l l to desire to kno w and to l ove in

, ,

you Be dead and null in yoursel f and by your

.

sel f Imagine yoursel f entirely dead A corpse

. .

no longer h as any thoug h ts any desires any , ,

wi l l any enj oyments ; h a s no longer any move

,

ment or impression in itsel f and by itsel f ; be ,

j ust like it It is certain that such is the good

.

p l easure o f t h e Master S ince He e ffects all this ,

in you wit h out asking your permission or your

,

h e l p He keeps you in t h is complete nul l ity ;

.

remain in it and follow His movement and t h e

,

divine impulse wh ic h He gives you Throug h .

t h em He wil l act in His supreme most pure , ,

and most adorab l e sanctity .

434 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

I admire w ith inexpli c able j oy the c om b at s

O f thi s adorable s an c tity again s t the fle s h It s .

blo ws are terri b le ; this w retched fle s h i s a s ton

i s hed to s ee it s el f attacked in S O formidable
a manner M ay this divine s an c tity o f J esu s live
.

and reign in your soul ! may it Spread there ,

oc c upy it and take c omplete pos s e ss ion o f it !

,

I kno w very well that it will meet w ith so me

resistan c e ; but i f it did not meet s o mu c h it s ,

progres s w ould b e far greater and it s reign

far more po w er ful Do not w orry our M aster
.
,

w ill al w ays b e w onder ful i n H i s w ork s and ,

w e wret c hed It mu s t b e thu s s o that all the

,
.
,

glory and all the prai s e b e b e s to w ed upon H im ,

and that our S hare b e all the ignominy and c on

fusion It i s for this too t h at our s oul s should
.
, ,

b e full o f j oy and love for this w ell b eloved -

Ma s ter and L ord Renunciation i n thi s a s in

’

everything else ! I f it plea s e H im to let u s

creep in the mire and du s t in the midst o f Hi s ,

operations all holy and all full o f love purity ,

and mercy w hat need w e do but s ay to Him :

,

“ ”
Be Thou b lessed oh w ell beloved o f my soul !
,
-

Besides is it not supreme h appines s for u s to b e

,

all owed to c rawl b e fore H im ? It seem s that

this S hould b e more de l ight ful than to w alk w ith
h e a d ere c t : b ecause H is glory His bea u ty H is , ,

sweetness H i s h o l iness and all H is ot h er per

, ,

f ec ti o n s w h ich He deigns to display in our

,

abode o f clay are for this reason b ut the more

,
436 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R X CI .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

F g t f ul
or e n es s o f s e lf .
—
Ho w to u s e s ens i bl e g r a ce s .

P r a i s ed be Jes us a nd M ary !

Rennes ,
Mar c h 2 n d, 1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
-

May the pe a c e and the love o f O ur L ord fi ll

your soul ! Try to advance in all peace and
meekness in the path o f the most holy love of
our divine Master ; let the interior eye o f your
soul be c onstantly turned to w ards God and ,

fixed on H im alone F orget everything that .

surrounds you b ut forget your s el f espe c ially ;

,

you know ho w im portant this i s A s long a s .

the eye o f your s oul i s turned ever s o little

towards yoursel f your heart c annot b e pure
,
.

And as long as your heart is not perfe c tly pure ,

divine love cannot b e the only li fe o f your s oul .

And still it i s thi s that you mu s t realize What

, .

I S i n fact our li fe but the love o f Jesu s ?

, ,
Keep
yoursel f in lo w liness and poverty b e fore the
sovereign L ord o f your s oul Make it your .

chie f o cc upation to keep yoursel f united w ith

thi s all lovab le L ord by the divine love w hi c h
H e deigns to b e s to w upon your s oul May thi s .
.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N 43 7

dear love live and reign in you ! I de s ire it

with my whole heart and I expect it from the
,

in fi nite bounty o f our mo s t amiab le a nd kind

Master In s eeking the heavenl y gi ft o f divine
.

love you s hould maintain your s el f in your lit

,

tl en es s and entire forget fulnes s o f sel f Mi s .

tru s t yoursel f c onstantly i n the presence of

Je s us Be re s erved i n u s ing the gi fts w hich
.

He deign s to besto w upon your s oul Be even .

timid in their use and never allo w your s el f to

,

relish the s e gi ft s or to make o f them an obj e c t

,

O f your delight When t h ere fore divine gra c e

.
, ,

is s howered upo n your soul do not give your ,

s el f up to the ta s tes o f the s en s e s but pas s on ,

t h rough all the s e torrent s in order to unite your

sel f with the di v m e Master by a faith pure and
deta c hed from all c reature s Swim in thi s .

river o f love but do not remain in it Let your

, .

eyes contemplate on l y the divine obj e c t which

i s its source Cros s this river for the purpo s e
.

o f j oining t h e divine source and do not lo s e ,

your time amid t h ese waters however s w eet ,

and agreeab le they may be .

You have another thing to do and that i s , ,

not to attach too much importan c e to the s e s en

sible favors and grace s P a y no attention to
.

them as I have j ust told you b ut aim only at

, ,

divine union by mean s o f the most perfe c t a h

negation the entire forget fulness o f s el f and
, ,

the c ontinual vie w o f your basene ss and abj ec

43 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

tion Be lo w ly and a b j ect in the S ight o f Go d

.

and men in everything and everywhere

, .

Do not ho w ever perform any exterior

, ,

action s in order to a b ase your s el f in the eye s of

men b ut b e so dispo s ed interiorly Think noth
,
.

ing o f yoursel f and do not desire to b e e s

,
’

teemed either in your o w n mind or in that o f

ot h ers U nite your s el f to God in thi s fash
.

i o n living only i n H i s love and b y H i s love

, ,

I f it plea s es God to take these s ensible grace s

entirely a w ay fro m you you need not w orry , ,

nor s hould you look for the cau s e o f it Be con .

tent then to be united w i th H im b y a faith pure

and despoiled o f all sentiment by a continual ,

desire and intention o f living for H im and in

.
,

H im alone N or S hould you w orry b ecau s e

.

you do not directly think o f Jesus and Mary .

That i s unimportant ; you are u nited to them

j u s t a s w ell a s i f you thought of them And .

everything that God b e s to ws upon you interi

orly ha s Je s u s and Mary a s it s s our c e Jesu s —

fi rst and then Mary M ay t h is divine love o f

,
.

Je s u s and Mary there fore live in you !

, ,

E ntirely yours in this dear love .

440 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

er f u l will And w ho can resi s t it And w ho

? ?

w uld wish to resi s t it i f he c ould This w ill

o ?
,

i s rich in power greatness glory and love ! L et

, ,

us no t resist ; it will inundate u s with t h e treas

ure s o f J esus and will drown u s in Hi s love
,
.

And besides w h o would wis h to resi s t a will

,

so dear S O sweet so beauti ful and gracious

, ,
?
,

N o indeed we will not resi s t ; w e will allo w

, ,

t h e divine h and o f Jesus to accompli s h the w ill

o f H is heavenly F ather in our poor nothingne s s .

We will allow H im to labor in us according to

H i s sweet pleasure and e ffect the destruction ,

and anni h ilation o f everything that i s corru pt

in our soul s We S h ould indeed be wretched i f
.

w e resi s ted S O great a M aster who aspires to ,

fashion a masterpiece de s tined for the glo r i fi ca

tion o f H is F ather .

This subj ect suggests a very i mportant Oh

servation When O ur L ord deigns to cast a
.

look o f tenderness and o f per fect love upon us “

when H e wi shes to apply H imsel f with H i s

omnipotence to the work O f destroying the old
l i fe in us our mind always finds a reason and
,

a means o f j usti fying our desire to quit thi s con

dition and live according to our ideas N o w I .

maintain that this is a great mis fortune When .

J esus is thus engaged in destroying all human

li fe all sel f will e very n atural movement and
,
-

contentment our soul S hould keep itsel f in pro

,

found respect be fore Him O ur mind S hould .

 VENE R AB LE L IB E RM A NN
44 1

t h ink only o f keeping itsel f in respect ful and

s w eet repo s e before the great Master It should .

be constantly but at t h e same time calmly and

,

peace fully turned toward H im so t h at it never ,

raises an impediment to His divine w ork We .

should sc ar c ely dare to move for fear o f i m

‘

p e d i n
g His divine will and H is action ; for the
action of J esus in our soul i s an extraordinary
t h ing .

T h is action i s i ndeed pain ful to the fle s h ,

because it has a tendency to destroy and

anni h ilate it ; but it is glorious for our soul b e ,

cau s e J esus w ill co mmunicate His o w n li fe to

it by t h is means and t h is li fe is all h oly and
,

hidden in His F ather And the more He keep s

.

our own natural li fe chained do w n the more ,

abundant will be the divine li fe that he wishe s

to lead in our soul .

That is w hy I rej oice with a ll my h eart at the

sight o f your perfect nothingness a n d useless
ness in which He is pleased to keep you And
, .

why should t h is sadden you ? I S it because you

can no longer work for H is glory ? O n the
contrary you are really w orking for H is
,

greater glory ; since it is for you a question o f

annihilating t h e old creature so that you may ,

h ave no other li fe no other movement but that

,

o f J esus and His holy Spirit He wis h e s to be

.

t h e absolute master and the mainspring o f your

,

soul.
44 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Beside s w hy S hould w e w ish to procure

,

H i s glory in spite o f H im and in a manner ,

di ff erent from the one that i s plea s ing to the

divine w ill o f H i s F ather i n a manner more
'

glorious and more plea s ing to man ? It i s far

b etter to b e cru c i fi ed w it h Jesus and to b e noth ,

ing in everything and for everything than to ,

act a cc ording to our taste and c onvert t h e w hole

,

w orld .

There i s one thing that cau s e s me real

j oy w hen I b ehold you in your pr es ent s tate ,

and it i s thi s thought : the j unior s eminary o f

N c an be managed w i thout you provided ,

the gra c e o f God i s w ith him w ho i s at the

head o f the i nstitution wh ereas you c annot b e
sanctified w ithout crosses And the heavier .

these cro s se s are and the more they are oppo s ed

,

to your de s ire s and tastes the true r w ill b e your

‘

s a n c ti fi ca ti o n .

Jesus could not arise and a s cend into heaven ,

until H e had died upon the cro ss Thus our .

poor a ffli c ted nature w eeps and laments ; we

let it w eep and lament Thi s w ill fi nally cost
.

it its li fe b ut as a compensation we Sh all

, , ,

possess the li fe o f our divine J esus and H i s

well b eloved Mother
-

I there fore beg o f our good Master t h at He

may c omplete in you for H i s greater glory a nd
,

Hi s mo s t h oly love this admirab le operation

,
444 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

L ive together in thi s li fe o f Je s u s Love .

ea c h other as Je s us love s you and as you love ,

J e s us ; for the li fe o f J es u s I S i n all of y o u ; and

i f the li fe o f Jesus is in you y o u are no longer ,

yourselves b ut Jesus in you You s hould

,
.

there fore love Jesu s in each other you s hould ,

lo v e ea c h other w ith the s ame love w ith w hi c h

you love Je s u s And i f anyone o f you doe s n o t
.

love hi s brother he doe s not love o u r divine

,

Master and well beloved Je s u s ; w hat i s more

-

t h e li fe o f Je s u s i s not in him I f the li fe o f .

Je s u s were indeed in him he w ould have the ,

same desires a ff ection s and love that are in

, ,

Jesu s It is not he who w ould love b ut Je s u s

.
,

w ho w ould love in him .

As the love o f Jesus is unbounded for ever y

o n e o f these dear brethren wh o a ss emble in H i s

holy and mo s t adora b le name and for the great ,

and mo s t admirab le glory o f H is F ather you ,

should have an immen s e love for your dear

b ret h ren i f you w ish to have the li fe o f Jesu s in
you T h at i s why I be s ee c h and implore you
.
,

by t h e most h oly love w hi c h Jesus has for all

O f you to love each other
,
.

I f you are all animated w ith thi s divine

charity the li fe o f J e s us our divine Master
, , ,

w ill be complete in you and your s ouls will b e

,

per fectly agreeable in t h e S ight of Hi s heavenly

F ather Be w ell united t h ere fore ; for y o u c an
.

not love each other w ithout being united in

 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 5

heart and mind in w ill a f fection and de s ire

, , ,
.

But kno w well and you kno w it t h i s long time

, ,

t h at i f you wis h to h ave t h i s per fect unity it

'

is absolutely necessary that one and t h e s ame

spirit animate you all I mean t h e Spirit of our
—

sweetest and most amia b le J esus .

As long a s t h is divine Spirit is not the only

master and mainspring o f your souls there w ill ,

be a multipli c ity o f desire s a ffections wills and , , ,

t h oug h ts But i f t h e Holy G h ost is the vital

.

principle t h e very l i fe o f your souls you w ill

, ,

in fa l libly l ive in t h e h oliest and most perfe c t

union and t h is union w i l l ac h ieve your pe r
,

f ecti o n ; t h is is t h e only t h ing desirable If .

you do not advan c e rapidly in sacerdotal per

f ecti o n in this union w hic h O ur I xn d ha s
deigned to esta b lis h among you it i s indeed ,

somet h ing extraordinary and you are very

g uilty i n H is S ig h t Mutually. bear wit h the
s h ortcomings that still exist in you in order ,

to preserve and to increase this union .

Be free from t h e t h oug h t o f s el f seek Go d ,

alone in all things keep your soul i npeace b e

,

fore Him as w ell as i n meeknes s in t h e great

, ,

est lowliness and poverty and you w ill not be ,

dis s ati s fied w it h t h e de fe c ts o f your b rethren .

It is a S ign that there is but a small s hare o f the

Holy Ghost in a soul w h en you behold it get ,

ting a n gfy w orried and s h ocked at the fault s

, ,

o f its b ret h ren It is a proo f t h at t h e merely

.
 P
S I RI T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

natural spirit i s still alive They who are in .

thi s predi c ament S hould h umble t h emselves

be fore God ; look upon them s elve s as w retched
men and redouble their tenderness for t h ose
,

w ith w hom they are angry They S h ould never .

gro w har s h about the things t h at S hock them ;

but on the c ontrary they should be filled w it h
, ,

a great mildness and tenderness towards t h eir

b r o ther v i s i t him b e courteous to him in every
, ,
,

w ay and make of them s elv es his s ervant s

, .

But tho s e among you who have any faults

S hould re form them and not wallo w in these ,

w ret c hed de fe c ts and vices All o f you s h ould .

be men entirely devoted to God A l l o f you .

s h ould have no other inclination or desire t h an

to b e pleasing to our dear divine Master L et .

every one there fore strive to correct h is faults

, , ,

to puri fy himsel f o f all natural affection to ,

exterminate all sel f love all sel f seeking to -

,
~
,

annihilate hi s whole h uman will so t h at the ,

w ill o f Jesus our b eloved L ord and M aster

, ,

may reign all alone I f you are care ful to act .

in suc h wise your de fects w ill soon disappear

,
.

U nder all circumstances be meek pea c e ful , , ,

modest recollected full o f fervor kindness and

, , , ,

true love as becomes t h e wel l beloved children

,
-

o f our adorable J esus Be h oly for our F at h er .

, ,

t h e divine Je s us i s most h o l y L et everything

,
.

in you be holy and per fect ; otherwis e you can

not truly say that you belong to Jesu s .
44 8 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF T HE

ignorant and c orrupted even to the marro w o f

hi s b one s .

L i s ten attentively to thi s divine Spirit and ,

b e very do c ile to H i s gentle voice Keep your .

s oul far away from all creature s in forget ful ,

ne s s o f sel f in great peace in great interior

, ,

c alm and quiet watc h fulness in the pre s en c e o f

H im w ho penetrates you and fill s you from all
S ide s w ith H is spirit o f holine s s H e w ill then .

posses s y o u c ompletely and H e w ill per fe c t ,

you in the s anctity and the sw eetne s s o f H i s

love in w hich H e s o admirably per fected H i s
,

holy Mother and in w hi c h I emb race you all

, ,

kno w n and unknown with the greate s t tender ,

ne s s o f my s oul .

YOU R V ERY H U M B LE S ERVA N T .

LE TT E R X CI V .

T O A SEM I NA RI AN .

A nn i hi l ti
a f s lf b f
on o G d e e o re o .
—
The d t o c rine of

th e i t
s a n s co mp d w i th th t hi g
ar e e ea c n o f J us i
es n so ul s .

Re a d i g f w k f p i ty
n o or s o e .

J . M J .

Rennes ,
March 3 I s t,
1 8 38 .

V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
May Je s us alone live and reign in H eaven
and on earth in tho s e w ho belong to H im ! And
w hat el s e have w e to do but to w ish that He
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN
9

live and exist in us and by us ? There remain

for u s and can remain for us only deat h de
, , ,

struction and anni h ilation be fore the adorable

,

maj esty o f our sovereign Master and L ord

J e s us May He t h ere fore live and rei g
. n in us
to the detriment and the ruin the a n nihilation ,

and the complete de s tru c tion o f our li fe and

existence o f s el f !
This triump h o f J esus over sin and sel f w ill
cost u s many a hards h ip and many a tear many ,

a sorrow and anguish o f every ki nd Be fore

,
.

our abominab l e fles h and wretc h ed s el f are

dead they must receive many a blo w from the
,

po w er ful hand o f our all lovable Ma s ter Thi s .

is at least His most holy will for i f H e wished

, , , ,

He could easily crush them w ith a s ingle b lo w .

But no ! He wi l ls that this fle s h which i s s o ,

oppo s ed to our God and L ord die in prolonged ,

su ffering and angui s h .

.

W h at else can we do but rej oice in all H i s

w ishes and H is good plea s ure ? I f it please s
Him that our agony be a long one let it be ,

long O h yes ! long very long and longer s till

.
, , , ,

i f t h us it p l ease our good L ord J esus ! We are

good for nothing ; we can do nothing w e are o f ,

no value we are not h ing S h ould w e not be

,
.

exceedingly glad that w e are at least obj ect s

u pon w hich our divine Ma s ter may exercise H i s
h oly will ? We w ill therefore remain in o u r
nothingne ss and lo w liness before H im We
’

.
45 0 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

will there fore remain in a state o f death and

interior extinction whi ch is devoid o f all
,

movement all li fe and all being b efore Him L et

, .

us be and remain a s nothing be fore H im s o ,

that He may operate with thi s nothing accord

ing to H is incomparable good pleasure .

We s hall say not h ing do nothing and t h ink

, ,

not h ing s o that Je s us alone may speak may

, ,

act and think in u s When S hall w e at length

.

be as nothing b e fore H im ? When will H e

work in u s according to the full extent o f H i s
adora b le w ill ? When s oever H e will deign to
do s o May it reign this dear love thi s ador
.
, ,

a b le w ill thi s all lovab le All o f our soul s ! I

,

am very glad to see you subdued b y the violent

b l ows which you have received .

Tell M r de la B r u n i é r e the same thing for

.

me i f you please for I am very glad to kno w

,

t h at our divine Ma s ter i s plying H im with po w

e r f u l blo ws Both o f you sh ould remain in t h e
.

most pro found humility be fore thi s w ell b eloved -

L ord lest your heart s b e pu ff ed up by all the

,

divine mer c ies o f this great Master ; for I am

astonished to s ee ho w much H e deign s to c ru s h
and anni h ilate you be fore H i s F ather Co r .

respond w ith thi s spirit that w ould annihilate

you All that He does should sho w you ho w
.

full you are o f horror and corruption J u s t .

see ho w your fle sh still lives even a fter H e has

sent you all thi s s u ffering and angui s h But I .
45 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

sel f you c an never b e aught el s e than pr es u mp

,

tion I llusion s are very numerou s and dread

.

ful ; b ut w hat can w e do ? Are we capable o f

de fending our s elve s again s t them ? Will
human reading and words prote c t u s again s t
them ? Certainly not I f reading prote c t s me .

again s t one illu s ion and then makes me the ,

prey o f another w hat have I gained ? No ! n o !

,

my dear brother do not place your tru s t in ,

men ; Je s us alone and not h ing more and noth

,

ing le s s !
Thi s i s w hat w e ought to do to protect o u r
s elve s against illu s i on s : F irst we should mis ,

trust ourselves that is never c onsider ourselve s

, ,

sa fe and avoid that kind of human boldnes s

,

wit h which we t h ink and act ; s e c ond we s hould ,

fo rget ourselves and not think o f our s elve s

,

our soul must be S imply borne to ward s God ,

O ur L ord Jesu s Christ by con s idering H im

.
,

alone s eeing H im alone and thinking o f H im

,

alone S O that we ab andon ourselve s headlong

,

to H is divine love ; third we should never value ,

great graces ligh ts etc but esteem and see God

, ,
.
,

alone without paying attention to these extra

,

ordinary graces ; fourth w hen the Ma s ter ,

deigns to take us and fill us w ith His li fe in one

way or another w e S hould surrender ourselve s
,

into H is h ands and keep our eye on H im alone

, ,

b y tending or allo w ing ourselve s to b e b orne

, ,

to w ard s H im alone and all thi s purely and ,

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A N N 45 3

S imply We S hould not consider t h e things

.

t h at take place in us but be indi fferent to them

, ,

and let them bring us to our Master T h e i n .

te r i o r eye o f our soul S h ould be constantly

turned toward t h is dear Master and o u r soul ,

should tend toward Him alone I f we examine .

or consider w h at takes place in us we are in ,

great danger from our sel f love secret co m —

,

p l a c en c,y and presumption Illusion.s will then

come spontaneousl y and w e can no longer pre
,

vent t h em .

I f you follow t h e advice I h ave given you ,

can proceed at the same time in t h at fear and

abandonment be fore God and illusions will ,

cause you no h arm You wi ll occasionally

.

h ave som e ; but w h o h as never had any There ?

is probably no saint in h eaven w h o h as not had

a great number o f t h em in his li fe excepting , ,

however t h e B l essed V irgin and a f ew ot h ers

, .

I tell you wit h confidence t h at t h ose who make

great e fforts to avoid t h em h ave a greater num
,

ber o f t h em and worse ones Wa l k in all S i m .

p l i c i ty and confidence be fo re God abandoning ,

yourse l f into His h ands and letting H im do

,

in you and wit h you wh at He p l eases .

We are to l d t h at it is presumptuous to expect

an extraordinary lig h t from God to guide u s .

But t h at signifies not h in g We do not expect

.

any extraordinary lights but very ordinary,

ones and such as are besto w ed o n every one

,
45 4 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

who denie s him s el f and give s hi m sel f com

p l e te l y to God I f H e cannot mani
. fest H imsel f
and c ommuni c at e Himsel f to everybody it i s ,

because everybody i s not willing to empty him ,

sel f O f s el f .

The greatest impediment to this divine li fe

and this c ommunication o f God to our s oul s ,

come s fro mthe li fe o f sel f and from t h e activity

o f our mind w hich w ishes to be all s u ffi c i en t
,
—
.

Did our M a s ter have no end in Vie w when H e

came upon earth ? He ca me to c ommunicate
H imsel f fully to our s ouls to our mind as well , ,

as to our heart And ho w can H e communi c ate

.

Himsel f to our mind in any other w ay than by

being our light as w ell as t h e love o f our ,

hearts ?

Jesus is our model ; we s h ould do in a small

way what He accomplis h es on a l a r ge scale t

or rather it is H i s Divine Spirit who should

,

e ffect in us in a limited manner what He did s o

li b erally in the most holy humanity o f our
Master But did the human mind o f our L ord
.

ever see anything by its own light ?

M oreover in a di ti o n to what He teaches us

,

H imsel f in a number o f passages o f the holy

Gospel St P aul repeats unceasingly that
,
.

J esus alone s h ould be our light T h i s Divine .

Master te ll s us t h at H e i s the lig h t o f the world ,

t h at w e must walk in H is light etc F ear not ,

. .

There i s no presumption in t h is ; on t h e c on
45 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

We S hould be content with keeping our s elve s

united to H im w it h aiming at Him in every
,

thing with trying to act b y H is movement

,

alone with h aving no opini o n b ut in H im alone

, ,

with living only o f H i s li fe and then with a d ,

v a n c i n g in all simplicity doing all things in ,

H im for H im and by H im Thi s i s all and

, ,
.
,

I assure you that there is no presumption in

such conduct b ut on the contrary a very great
, , ,

perfection ; unless it be s aid that it i s pre

sumptuous to wish to b e per fectly agreea b le to
our kind M aster and to b elong to Him w ithout
reserve I f s uch i s the ca s e let u s b e a s p re
.
,

s umptuou s a s w e c an .

With re s pect to the study o f my s tic theology ,

I b elieve that the reading o f certain b ooks may

b e u s e ful to certain per s ons But as a general .
,

rule in the beginning before the s tate o f o u r

, ,

soul i s w ell settled b e fore God and firmly fi xed ,

w e should not at all read any mysti c auth o r s .

At lea s t w e should make a good c hoi c e and

, ,

read only those who s peak about perfe c tion in

a general manner w ho lay do w n t h e funda ,

mental principle s and do not enter into the de

,

tails O f special modes like M O lier and other s ,

.

o f the s ame kind O therwi s e w e w ould fi x o u r

.

mind upon a mode of action which might b e

pleasing to us w it h out being agreeable to God ;
be c au s e in the b eginning w e are full o f s el f
 VENE R AB LE L IB E R M A NN 4 S7

love ; w e al w ay s s eek what appear s grand and

beauti ful and w e are filled w ith illusion s
,
.

We s h ould read very little e s pecially in the ,

beginning and aim by pre ference at establi s h

,

ing our s oul in interior li fe by the pra c tice o f

perfect s el f de nial We s h ould not give our
-

selves up to the craving for reading under one ,

fine pretext or another I f w e w ish to read .

,

w e s hould not read books o f theory but live s o f ,

t h e saint s N or s h ould such reading be done

.

with an imagination that delights in brilliant

actions nor w ith an activity that devours page
,

a fter page nor with a w i l l engro ss ed w ith the

,

idea o f putting into pra c t i ce everything that w e

see the saints do We should read w ith the .

desire o f our s a n ctifi ca ti o n exciting our s elve s ,

to fervor on beholding t h e b eauti ful thing s in

these h oly sou l s and in the desire o f un i ting
,

ourselves more closely to God o f conquering ,

and den y ing ourselves in everything and every

w here .

As for you my dear friend read St John o f

, , .

t h e Cross s ince you must read it But thi s i s

, .

ho w I think you S h ould read : never try to gain

instruction from books O ur L ord alone is our .

teac h er It i s He wh o w is h es to instruct us and

.

make us learn all the t h ings that w e ought to

kno w It is in H im that w e should s eek all our
.

lig h t This I b elieve holds true for every

.
, ,

bo dy All should deny them s elve s and See k

.
,
45 8 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF T HE

their only light in O ur L ord in the c on s tant

union o f their soul s w ith thi s dear and adora b le
M a s ter I f you read b ook s it s hould not b e
.
,

w ith the purpo s e o f finding ru le s o f c ondu c t

in them There i s n o harm in reading b ut
.
,

read little I f w e read in s u c h a w ay w e re c ti fy

.
,

quite a number o f thing s that w e under s tood

b adly It i s w ith reading a s w ith s tudy w hi c h
.
‘

c orre c t s many idea s .

This reading moreover give s u s a greater , ,

fa c ility o f expre ss ing our s elve s exa c tly When .

you b egin to read let your s oul b e simply united,

and abandoned to God a s it s hould al w ay s b e ,

s o that it i s more clo s ely applied to God than

to what you are reading DO thi s w ithout r e
straint b ut in your u s ual m
.

,
anner God alone .
,

God alone and al w ay s God alon e ! L et every

,

thing di s appear b e fore H im and let nothing ,

out s ide o f H im exi s t in your s oul Th e read .

ing o f St John o f the Cross w ill have thi s a d

.

vantage for you : it w ill render you more r e

s erved and w ill prote c t you again s t pr es ump
tion becau s e you w ill gro w more timid and di s
,

trust ful I believe that thi s will b e the greate s t

.

advantage that you will dra w from it This i s .

a great deal and will help you to put you in per

fe et annihilation o f s el f before God .

I do not know w hy you are in any danger

at home It is doubtle s sly far better generally
. ,

sp e aking to be in the s eminary o r in s ome relig

,
460 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R X C V .

TO A YO U NG P RI ES T .

Nat u l ff
ra a e c ti o n —
Ho w to anno u n ce the w o r d of

GO d —. C u
o l nse s f o r the t ibu al
r n of p ena n ce .

J . M . J .
“

Renne s April 2 n d, 1 8 38
‘

.
,

M Y V ERY D EA R SI R
M ay Je s u s live in your s oul ! H e s hould b e
'

your li fe and nothing in you s hould hamper

,

Hi s a c tion other w i s e t h e s ame thing w ill hap

,

pen to it a s happen s to a mem b er o f t h e b ody ,

t h at i s paralyzed through the e ffects o f si c k

nes s O ur mind can not move it any longer
. .

It is the s ame w ith our Divine Master H is .

Holy Ghost i s the li fe O f our s o ul ; He alone

ought apply it move it and c ommunicate to , ,

it every a ction and all li fe But i f some evil .

a ffection o f our heart or some natural activity ,

o f our mind o r some other de fe c t impede s H i s

,

divine influence it i s like a more or les s malig,

nant disposition that paralyze s our s oul and

prevent s the Holy Ghost the s oul o f our s ouls , ,

f r o m m o v i n g our faculties ; thi s produce s s ome

'

times even sterility and c omplete usele ss ne ss .

M ay Jesu s t h ere for e live ! May H e live

fully in you and may H e deign to destroy every
,

ob s tacle B e c ause there are some you fi nd S O

. ,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN
46 1

much trouble in exercising the holy ministry .

DO not attribute this trouble to a natural i n

capacity but to a supernatural in c apacity to
,
—

t h at paralysis o f w h ic h I spoke to you above ,

and w h ic h exists in your innermo s t soul .

Consider a moment the admirable words o f

our kind Master : S i qu i s s i ti t v en i a t a d rn e e t ,

bi ba t,
Qui cr edi t in W ,
fl u m i n a fl u ent de v en tr e

j
e us a q u a e v i v a e W h at are these
. rivers o f liv
ing water o f wh ic h He says : fl u en t de v en tr e
ej us ? T h ey are t h e gi fts o f t h e Holy Gho s t ,

w h ich are communicated to us for t h e sancti

fi ca ti o n o f our s oul s in the first place and then , ,

for t h at o f all those wh o surround u s and ,

.

especially for t h e exercise o f our h oly functions .

A nd take notice t h at He compares t h em to

rivers tlu rni n a flu en t Take t h e means o f e s
,
.

ta b l i s hi n g in your soul that s uperabundant

fountain from whic h w ill proceed rivers o f
grace and divine words Do not always r e .

main o n eart h but raise yoursel f and w alk

, ,

with h ead erect i n t h e presence o f our good

.

L ord J esus .

W h y s h ould you attribute everyt h ing to na

ture ? I f you do not speak t h e word o f God ,

it is not for w ant o f capa c ity : it w ou l d be very

dangerous for you to t h ink so P u t t h is h uman .

t h oug h t aside look at t h ings from a h ig h er

,

p l ane It i s not the capacity o f t h e fles h whi c h

.

qualifies us for the s alvation and t h e s a n cti fica

46 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

tion o f so ul s Do not lo w er y o ur s el f do n o t
.
,

allo w your s el f to gro w di s heartened Seek .

your s upport in God ; kno w that you are a prie s t

o f the Mo s t H igh a su cc e s sor and repre s enta
,

tive o f O ur L ord .

The w ord w h ich v o u announce i s the w ord

o f H is F ather You must be a b le to say : M ea
.

d o c tr i n a n on es t i n e a s ed B j us q u i m i s i t m e
, ,

as our s w eet Je s u s said to t h e wicked Je ws .

N o w I ask i f you dare say that ? You may

,

w ell say : M ea d o c tr i n a n o n es t i n ea but you ,

can not add s ed Ej us q u i r ni s i t m e It i s t h e

, .

doc trine o f men that y o u announce as a man ,

and you w ish to succeed in t h e holy ministry !

T h e incapacity i n which God is pleased to
leave you is a very great grace t h at ha s been
,

be s towed upon you Why S hould you have .

recourse to men ? W h y copy dead letters ?

H ave you not the eternal w ord o f t h e F at h er

w ithin you And i s it not far better than the
?

most eloquent language o f men ? Raise up

your soul and take on mo re o f God s vigor
,
’
.

The spirit o f our Divine Master is in y o u ; let

H im be the Ma s ter in everything but espe c ially ,

in the word o f God whic h you announce .

Could you not arrange for your sermons in ,

a spirit o f recollection and peace a f e w good ,

practical reflections on the h oly Go s pel ? W h en

you have to preac h it seem s that you are like
,

a pupil w ho appears be fore hi s teac h ers o n a

 6
4 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

tions whi c h the Spirit o f O ur L ord ha s s ug

ge s ted to you and then give them for the
,

greater s a n cti fica ti o n o f soul s Do not go and .

preach w hat you h ave c opied at the expen s e o f

a fatiguing and fruitles s la b or O f what u s e .

can s uch a sermon be It i s a dead w ord pr o

?
,

n o u n c ed in a dead manner and leaves every

,

b ody i n their li fe o f death .

The w ord s o f the priest should be like the

w ord s o f Jesu s H imsel f w ho makes H imsel f
,

heard by the dead ; all tho s e w ho hear H im

must revive It i s not ne c essary that you say
.

su b lime and beauti ful things ; s peak a s it i s

given to you from above Deliver simply w hat .

you h ave conceived S i mply Animate yoursel f .

when t h e Spirit o f God urges and animates you ,

and do not constantly remain man .

This t h en i s my advice to y o u con c erning

, ,

the preparation o f your sermons : fir s t o f all ,

be animated b y interior dispositions o f s el f

denial ; avoid re s ear ch ; rid yoursel f of every
thought o f fear and di fficulty and especially o f ,

t h e convi c tion that you are in c apable and t h at ,

you will not succeed DO not be frightened at

.

t h e di fficultie s t h at you w ill encounter in pra e

tice pla c e your entire tru s t in God , a b andon
,

yoursel f entirely into Hi s hands w is h ing to ,

live only o f H i s li fe and to preach only H i s

,

word P repare your sermon therefore in an

.
, ,

interio r s pirit w it h t h e simple desire o f a n

,
 VENE R AB LE L I B E RM A N N 6
4 5

n o u n ci n g the divine word and putting a s ide ,

all pusillanimity and all human fear .

I am not o f opinion t h at you should prep are

only at t h e moment w h en you are going to
preac h ; you are not advanced enoug h for that .

P repare be forehand ; w rite even but do s o in ,

t h e Spirit o f God Ta n qu a in po tes ta tern ha bens

, ,

and like a man w ho should p reach the love o f

O ur L ord .

L et everyt h ing that you say be practical and ,

lead to piety P reac h a holy doctrine to all

.

t h ose w h o listen to you ; but proportion your

words to t h eir spiritual capacity I mean to —

t h e degree o f t h e interior advan c ement o f your

h earers F or t h e re s t speak with simp l i c ity
.
, ,

say what you know say it with recolle c tion

, ,

with love and in union wit h O ur L ord Do

,
.

not be a s l ave any longer You are a prie s t .

,

and consequent l y you are a master in Israel ;

but you are t h is only for t h e purpose of a n
n o u n c i n g the word of God and not the word ,

o f men DO not pro fane t h is divine w ord do

.
,

not dis h onor it by your timidity and w eakne ss .

Above a l l preac h agreeably to God and in God .

In t h e confessional do not c ontent yoursel f

,

wit h m er ely a b s o lv i n g t h ose w h o accu s e them

.

selves ; try to make souls advance I f you find .

some w ho are we l l disposed induce t h em to ,

aim at perfection Go to work gently and a l

.
,

w ays agreeab l y to God ; H i s l i ghts w ill not be ,

466 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

w anting to you I f you dire c t any w ho are

.

some what advan c ed urge them o n to greater ,

perfection by using w ord s that are propor

,

ti o n e d to their respective di s po s ition s F o r in .

,

general you s h o uld give eac h one the kind o f

,

food that suits h im con s tantly a i m i ng at the

’

same time to make him advan c e Wit h re s pe c t .

to the soul s w hi c h you find very w ell di s posed ,

speak to them about more ro b u s t thing s in

a cc ordance w ith the teaching o f the holy Go s
pel and o f St P aul U rge them o n to greater
. .

sel f denial choo s ing and apply i ng your w ord s

-

in a manner agreea b le to Go d .

Adieu my dear fr i end pardon poor me for

, ,

my boldnes s o f speec h I s hould kneel do w n to .

render you all t h e respe c t and homage that i s

your due as a priest of the L ord and yet I speak ,

to you a s i f I w ere something gre a t and as i f ,

you w ere b eneath me ; w hereas it is j ust the c on

tr a r y . You are really very great b e fore God
and Hi s holy angels and I am the poore s t man ,

o f the Church .

May the most holy name o f God b e b les s ed in

all things ! P ray for p o or me w ho i s all your s ,

in the most holy love o f Jesus and Mary .

46 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

selves as i f there w ere any need o f po ss e ss ing

,

u s And w hat will He have gained when He

.

has a w orm o f th e earth in H is possession a ,

being o f no value a soul rebelli ous again s t all,

H i s wish es N o matter ; He w i s he s to hav eu s ,

and He perseveres in Hi s design Take cour .

age there fore H e w ill finally triumph and po s

, ,

se ss you entirely .

You tell me that you are al w ay s the s ame ,

and that you have made no progre ss To kno w .

this is very di fficult not to say impossi b le I ,

.

am co n v i n ced o f the contrary You c ertainly

'

have not made a s much progres s a s you w ould

have made had you b een faith ful to our kind
Master But this doe s not prevent H im from
.

being more your Master than He ha s b een i n

the pa s t The proo f o f it is t h at you s till per
.

severe i n the resolution of belonging to H i m

alone and that you still detest the w orld All
, .

these di s po s itions as well a s other s w hi c h O ur

,

L ord deign s to cherish in your heart s urely ,

give evidence o f a certain amount o f progre ss ;

for i f there w ere no pr ogress you c ould not , .

have these dispositions and you w ould n ece s ,

s a r i l y fall very low But no my dear friend ; .

,

take confidence in our kind L ord Je s u s and in

our good Mother .

Your character pre s ent s certain di ffi cultie s

for your s piritual advan c ement ; b ut they are
n o t in s urmounta b le Moreover w hat man doe s .
,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 6
4 9

not encounte r di fficulties in the path o f holi

ne s s ? We bear t h e w h ole weight o f our S i n in
our flesh ; we must drag along t h is wretched
fles h w h ic h doe s not and can not belong to our
, ,

Master What can w e do but go ahead all the

.

same with t h e full confidence that our s weet

J esus w ill not abandon us ? He knows b etter
than w e do ho w great are our poverty and our
weakness and He promise s to be our strength
,

and our support Rememb er that H e is not a

.

liar as w e are W h en this dear L ord has s aid

.

anything He a c complishe s it What else can

,
.

we do but pla c e our w hole confiden c e in Him ?

You certainly can have great confiden c e ; all
that He has already done for you and the dis ,

positions that He give s you even no w in the

midst o f the weak nes s w hich grieve s you are ,

a proo f that He has some design of mercy upon

you Do not grieve there fore SO mu ch over
.
, ,

your weakne ss and your mi s ery but rej oi c e ,

over thi s very w eaknes s in our good L ord ,

J esus L et it be your glory and your j oy to see

.

yoursel f so incapable by yoursel f and there ,

fore obliged to h ave continual re c our s e to your

well beloved Saviour J e s u s
-

This poverty and weakne ss s ubdue u s and

place us in great dependence on t h is dear L ord .

O ur eyes should b e turned towards H im at all

time s Thi s i s a great advantage DO not fear
. .

your fle s h there fore ; de s pi s e it It w ill c er

,
.
4 70 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

ta i n ly at time s influen c e your s oul b ut take ,

c ourage and c onfiden c e in Je s u s It can never .

dominate you be c ause you belong to Jesu s B e .

long entirely to Jesu s there fore b ut completely

, ,

and w ithout reserve Try to avoid the fault s

.

that relying on your charity I had the b old

, ,

ness to p oint o u t to you in my last letter Do .

not look SO much on the pa s t nor on the future .

‘
S u filci t di ei rn a li ti a s u a We S hould o cc upy
'

ourselve s only w ith the pre s ent Maintain c on .

ti n u a l ly in your s oul the de s ire o f livin gfor Go d

alone and try to render your s el f plea s ing in
,

H i s eyes i n everything .

It matter s very little w hat road you follo w i f ,

your director indi c ate s it to you P rovided you .

w ish to live for God alone and apply your s el f ,

earnestly to H i s mo s t holy love y o u are al w ay s ,

Sure o f b eing perfe c tly agreeable to God and o f ,

making some progre ss I implore you by the .

mo s t holy name s o f Je s u s and Mary never to

w orry about your weakne s s and c o w ardi c e ,

never to b e di sc ontented w ith your s el f P r o .

cee d in all gentlene ss and suavity a s a child o f ,

God S ho u l d n ev er c ease to do Always look

‘
.

upon your s el f as belonging to O ur L ord and a s ,

being the o b j ect o f Hi s kindnes s and c ompla

ce n cy even w hen you are in fault
,
Do not give .

yoursel f up to a certain di s trust to a c ertain ,

timid re s erve in the thought that H e is not s at

,

i sfied w ith you Be c on fu s ed be fore H im in all

.
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R X C V I I .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

Ho ly d f
in if e r e n ce in v y thi
e er ng— A v i d p ki g
o s ea n

a b u t p i t y f th
o e o e
“
ac ti v k i d
e n .

P r a i s e d be Jes us and M ary !

Rennes ,
E aster Sunday ,
1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
I have j ust learned that you are at N
M ay t h e holy N ame o f Je s u s b e blessed for it ,

as well a s for everyt h ing else ! He kno ws w hat

to do with Hi s servants It i s o f very little i m ,

portan c e whether w e b e here or there provided ,

we are where our M aster wi s he s u s Your s ur .

r o u n di n gs a r e entirely ne w ; you have to deal

’

with people whose usages cu s to m s a n d man , ,

*

ners are s trange to you ; do not be a s toni s hed at

anything Be like a dead man in a c emetery
. .

L et everyb ody do as he like s w ithout your b e

ing excited by it N ever undertake anything .

w ith worry or eagernes s A c orp s e in the c eme .

ter y never trie s to kno w i f anyb ody i s going to

b e pla c ed b eside him or how he i s going to b e ,

pla c ed H e examines nothing think s o f noth

.
,

ing w orries a b out nothing but remain s dead i n

, ,

hi s pla c e w ithout the s lighte s t movement w ith

,

regard to a ll that i s happening around him .

This i s ho w y o u S hould b e ‘

.
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN
47 3

I f those w ith w hom you live do things that

are di s plea s ing to you ; i f they have neither the
sentiments nor the di s position s w hi c h y o u have
or would like to s ee them have or i f their con ,

versation and their habits are not in a cc ordan c e

with your ta s tes and spiritual desires do not ,

in any way w orry there for Yo u ar e free and

.
,

you should be s o in w ardly s till more than o u t

w a r dly . I f you find that a con fr ere s company ’

or conver s ation causes you to su ff er any harm

or b ecome troubled do not go w ith him Obs er v
, ,

ing h owever all t h e rule s o f charity

, , .

Es tabli s h great pea c e in your interior Con .

verse gently and peace fully Avoid c onversa .

tions in w hich piou s s u b j ects relating to e x

ternal w orks are discu s sed ; a s for i n s tance the
, ,

mani festation o f zeal a nd all outward a c t s o f r e

l i gi o n
. A s a rule avoid everything that may
,

cau s e you interior w orry activity and vivacity

, , .

Take c ourage my dear brother ; the reign o f

,

God i n your soul seem s to b e clo s e at hand .

Keep yoursel f in repo s e b efore Him and pla c e ,

your w hole li fe in H im alone .

Do not worry i f you are in a s tate o f per

p l ex i ty annoyan c e and inter i or i n c apa c ity o f
, , ,

w hich you have so much expe rien c e ; thi s w ill

not prevent you in the lea s t from being entirely
in Go d Advance w ith that meek and peaceful
.

interior li b erty s o b ec oming to the c hildren o f

,

God w ho b elon gentirely to H im .

4 74 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

Rej oi c e w ith your w hole s oul b ut in all ,

sw eetne s s and gentlenes s on the glad day o f

,

our b eloved Ma s ter s re s urre c tion from the

’

dead It w a s only a fter he h ad undergone u n

.

heard o f torture s and a cruel death that He at ,

length attained that supreme glory which form s

the s u b j ect o f j oy for H is children and Hi s very
poor s ervants H e w ishes you al s o to pa ss
.

through sorro w and to s u ffer a c ruel death in

,
’
,

order to attai n H i s great most admirab le and

, ,

glorious resurre c tion Rej oice a n d glori fy

.

your s el f in your i n fir m i ti es your pains your

, ,

w eaknes s and poverty Jesus i s w ith you ; H e

,
.

w ishe s to live in you and H e will live there to

,

the detriment and c omplete de s tru c tion o f that

wretc h ed flesh which re s i s ts Him .

Adieu my very dear b rother ! I emb r a ce you

, ,

w ith all my heart in t h e mo s t holy love o f Je s u s

and Mary .
47 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

your great model the Ble ss ed V irgin po s

, ,

s e ss ed Yo u s hould al s o feel kindly to w ard

.

everybody even toward tho s e w ho do n o t w i s h

,

y o u w ell . Y o u s hould never b ear a grudge

again s t them never s peak ill o f them
,
Yo u .

s h ould even rej ect all thought s that might b e

un favora b le to them F orgive and love them .

in your heart j u s t a s i f they had rendered y o u

,

a great ser v i c e w ithout retaining a n y b itterne ss

,

or di ss ati s fa c tion aga i n s t them DO all thi s w ith

.

a good gra c e f o r God s s ake and in order to

,
’

please H im .

Guard again s t vivacity b y avoiding anything

that might indi c ate a certain te s tine s s Of s pirit ,

w hen a s ervant o r a c hild doe s anything that

displea s e s you o r that i s no t right Reprove
,
.

gently puni s h even i f ne c e s sary b ut do not let

, , ,

your vivacity gain the upper hand Thi s i s very .

di ffi c ult ; b ut think o f the Ble s sed V irgin very

o ften and c on s ider w hat she w ould have done
,

in the cir c um s tan c e in w hi c h you have failed ,

and take the resolution o f imitating this kind

Mother at another time .

When y o u have been at fault in anything

w hatsoever do not get angry w ith your s el f ; w e
,

should b e gentle to w ard our s elve s a s w ell a s ,

to w ard other s Ask God to forgive ; take t h e

.

re s olution not to c ommit the s ame fault again

on a like o cc asion and do n o t give your s el f over
,

to sorro w and w orry on a c count o f it I f y o u .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 47 7

fall repeatedly in spite o f your re s olution do ,

not b e c ome di s couraged ; have recour s e to Go d ’

and to the Ble ss ed V irgin and try to amend ,

gradually Con s tantly remember that you mu s t

.

corre c t your faul ts i f you w i s h to atta i n tru e

piety Remember also t h at you w ill fulfil the
.

la w o f God i f y o u have true ch arity for yo u r

neighbor Keep a guard espe c ia lly o ver yo ur
.

w ords : it i s through them that w e o ftenest fail

in the w orld .

H ave a great devotion f o r the incompara b le

Mot h er o f God ; think o f her frequently during
t h e day and o ften addre s s a s hort pr a y er to her
, ‘

in a cc ordan c e w ith the Spiritual and temporal

needs o f the moment Co n fi de all your s orro ws
.

and j oys all your fears and hopes to thi s ten

,

der Mother P la c e y our w hole tru s t in her and

.
,

t h at f or the sake o f her w ell b eloved Son P er -

form all t h e a c tions o f t h e day for the love o f

God and for the purpo s e o f pleasing H im Say
, .

to H im o ften from t h e depth s o f your heart :

“
Oh my J esus how I love you ! O h ! ho w I
, ,

w ould w ish to love you with my wh ole s oul !

My God I w i s h to do everything to plea s e you
, .

L et w ord s suc h as these be very O ften on your

lip s I f you do all this I expect t h at you w ill
.
,

s oon attain true piety I sh all p ray w ith all my.

heart for this intention In this s w eet hope I .

,

am in t h e h oly love o f J esu s and Mary your

, ,

very devoted brot h er .

47 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

F or Ca r o l i n e .

Your l i ttle letter has caused me great j oy b e

fore God Remain stead fast in your resolution
.
.

Watch over yoursel f ; t h e world would like to

s educe you ; do not let yoursel f be taken by sur
prise L ove solitude and retreat ; do not f r e
.

quent so c iety Take care not to commit Si n

. .

Be filled wit h devotion for Mary your Divine ,

M other Have recourse to h er in all your need s

.

and troubles I do not think you better than

.

you are b ut I gave you s ome advice in my last

,

letter in order t h at you might b ec ome b etter .

Make constant progress in the love o f God .

F or M a r y .

Dear c h ild you r letter tells me that you w i s h

,

to love God I noticed t h is sentiment in it a l

t h ough you did not tell me in so m
.
,

any w ord s .

You are rig h t to h ave this desire and you ,

S hould strengt h en yoursel f in it more and more .

L ove t h e Blessed V i rgin with all your heart .

S h e is your good M ot h er more s o even t h an ,

mamma or your god mother You s h ould also -

love h er more t h an mam ma and more t h an ,

papa more than your god mot h er and more

,
—
,

t h an your fond unc l e S he loves you so muc h .

that S he wis h ed to have you named a fter h er .

Render yoursel f wort h y o f so beauti ful a name .

Be gentle modest pious obedient to papa and

, , ,

mamma and also very kind to your dear little

,
4 8 0 S P I R I T U AL LE T T E R S OF THE

it other w i s e y o u w ould have treated me a s I

,

de s erved But I b elieve it w a s the divine w ill

.

that made me s ay thing s s o har s h and s o o ut

rageou s in the mouth o f a w ret c h w hom Je s u s
re fu s es to admit to H i s very great very a d
'

mirable and very divine prie s thood

,
.

I s ee that God ha s made all thing s t urn to

the goo d o f your s oul ; may H i s mo s t holy
N ame b e b le ss ed prai s ed and adored f o r it !
, ,

H e u s e s all things f o r the goo d o f H i s ele c t

and the s a n ctifi ca ti o n o f their s oul s .

By s uper na tura l i nca pa ci ty I mean that i n

ter i o r we a k ne ss that pu s illanimity o f mind
, ,

t h at s piritual non c halan c e o r indi fferen c e w hi c h

prevent s y o u from b eing an in s trument in the
hand s o f God I t i s a w ant o f energy a s pirit
.
,

o f fear w hich prevents you from keeping your

s el f a b ove men and above yoursel f in order to ,

a b andon your s el f really into the hand s o f Go d .

Thi s w ant o f e nergy o n the part o f your mind

make s it remain w ithin itsel f ; and a s it i s a w are ,

o f it s s terility it b e s tir s it s el f to fi nd w hat it

,

need s Whereas i f it did not remain thu s

.
,

plunged and at rest w ithin it s el f and i f it ,

p laced its confiden c e in God it w ould

,
b etake i t
sel f vigorously to the sovereign s our c e o f light ,

and have n o need o f getting anxious ; it w ould

be active and vigorou s without being trou b led
and w orried It w ould not have thi s pu s illani
.

mou s di s tr us t It w ould m a ke y o u s p eak w ith

.
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN
4 8 1

boldness and an authority full o f meekne ss and

modesty .

W h en I told you y o u s ho u l d cho os e a n d a p

,

”
l
py y o u r w o r ds I believe
,
there was que s tion o f
your ministry in t h e confessional and it s eems
to me t h at I told you not to s peak i n di s cr i m i
n a tel
y o f evangelical per fe c tion and o f the
maxims o f a perfect li fe Yo u mu s t discern .

t h e dispositions o f eac h soul and gauge it s Spir ,

i tu a l c apa c ity ; that is a s certain w h at the i n

,

te r i o r condition o f t h at soul can bear I f the .

soul is w ell advanced in piety you s h ould give ,

it more solid food than to one les s s o Gi v e ea ch .

on e w ha t s u i ts i t bes t We give milk to children

.
,

medicine to the sick delicate food to deli c ate,

constitutions s olid and substantial nourishment

,

to a strong stomac h In the s ame manner we .

s h ould treat w ith gentlene s s t h e souls that are

w ell disposed b ut only commencing ; w e s h ould
smoot h t h e w a y for them give them only w ords ,

o f j oy and consolation until t h ey are better

qua l ified ; t h en it is c orrect to speak a stronger
language to t h em We should give remedies to
.

the s ick to t h e sinners wh o have the desire o f

—

conversion to t h e s crupulous and to the di s

, ,

conso l ate and discouraged T h o s e w ho are .

fully decided but wh ose souls are still w eak and

,

si c kly need delicate t h ings and w e s h ould

, ,

s peak to them in a w ay t h at pleases and tou c he s

them The s e latter are sometimes very numer
.
 82 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

ou s Tho s e w ho are strong who h ave a s trong

.
,

will s incere and strong desires and who are

, ,

ready to abandon everything and give them

selve s to God those S hould b e filled to s atiety
—

and urged on to the highest perfection .

We should exhort every one to b e per fe c t ,

but more or les s according to w hat the souls are

a b le to s upport You s h ould not reveal to all
.

your views about perfection ; reveal them only

ac c ording to the di sposition o f your penitents ,

dis c erning their interior in order to apply the

words o f love and perfection whi c h you w ill a d
dress to them agreeably to God s vie w s ; that ’
‘

i s in a c cordance w ith the interior movement

,

that you have and a cc ording to the movement

,

t h at you h ave perceived in these souls But I .

,

repeat you should urge a ll tho s e w h om you

,

dire c t to the highe s t per f e c tion that they are

able to attain .

What s h ould especially preo cc upy you in

your sermons is the saying o f pious and pra e
tical things calculated to instil the spirit o f O ur
Lo rd to teach the faith ful t h eir Christian du
,

ties and to inspire t h em w ith real fervor Be

,
.

not troubled as to w hether your sermons are

per fect or imperfect consistent or incon s i s te n t
,

w ith the rules o f rhetoric .

L et people speak ; you do not need t h eir a p

proval It is not necessary that you prea c h like
.

other s a s w ell a s the others in the s ame man n er

, ,
 8
4 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

We b elong to God and Mary I am .

,

pro found respe c t and true veneration ,

very humble s ervant .

LE TT E R C .

T O A D I REC T O R O F A S EM I N A RY .

The d i g i ty f p i t d th
n o a t i ty i t d
r es an e sanc ema n d s .

A dv i ce f o r m a i n ta i n i n g the
‘

s em in a ri a n s in a s a t t e o f
f erv o r .

P r a i s e d be J es us and M ary !

Rennes ,
April 2 3 r d, 1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R M R N .

I perceive that you are permanently stationed

at the s eminary and destined to form the prie s t s
,

o f O ur L ord Thi s i s incontestably t h e nob le s t

.
’

fun c tion that can b e confided to a man in the

Church o f Go d A priest is something s o great !
.

He i s a man who S hould posse ss all the per f ec

tions o f our Divine Saviour ; for the s ub lime s t
quality w ith which Jesus our good Ma s ter w a s , ,

clothed was H is divi n e priesthood That i s

,
.

w hy I find it truly distressing to see s o fe w

prie s ts r ea lly ho ly It seems to me and it is c er .
,

tain that a priest should no longer po ss e ss any

,

human li fe ; it s hould not b e perceptible at all

that he i s a man H is whole li fe should be di .

vine H o w c an one b ehold without b eing pene

.
,

tr a te d w ith s orro w s o m a n y p rie s t s w ho lo s e

'

,
 VENE R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 8
4 5

their time on eart h wh o t h ink only o f their

,

pleasures and t h eir satis fa c tion s !

Did the Sovereign P rie s t w ho c ame to b e ,

their model act in such w ise E verything w a s

,
?

divine in J esus ; all Hi s desires w ere divine de

sires ; all H i s love all His a ffe c tion s w ere in
,

H is F ather ; all H is thought s all the movement s ,

o f H i s mo s t holy soul w ere in God only by God ,

and for God H is heavenly F ather ; and all thi s

,

in an incomprehensible manner And ho w c an .

w e explain that priests who are other Je s u s ,

Christs continue to be men like other men lead

, ,

a human li fe entertain human de s ire s and a f

,

f ec ti o n s h uman conversations seek t h emse l ve s

, ,

in t h eir actions and wish to live in the spirit o f

.

other men sinner s like themselve s ?

,

A natur al prie s t one w ho ha s the external

,

appearan c e o f a priest without having his li fe ,

seems to me like an abortion He represent s .

J esus our great and most holy M aster but he i s

, ,

alway s s mall and contemptible be fore God and

His holy angel s A priest should not have hu
.

man li fe w ithin himsel f ; he s hould no longer

act and move as a man ; the s pirit o f J esu s Chri s t
should be h is w h ole li fe and movement H OW .

unfortunate it i s to see a prie s t atta c h to created

t h ings a body and soul con s ecrated to God
alone fashioned to spread the greate s t h eavenly
,

favors in the Church .

48 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

What S hould w e s ay o f one w ho w ou l d seize

u p on a c onsecrated chalice for the p urpose o f
giving it up to un worthy usage I assure you
?
,

ho w ever that I s ee far les s evil in this than in

, ,

a priest w hose li fe i s human It i s not su ffi c ient .

for him to b e a good man to fulfil exactly all ,

the exterior duties o f hi s dignity I f he gives .

up his soul to pleasure enj oyment human sat , ,

i s f a c ti o n s and sel f love h e yields up his tacul

,
—
,

ties to pr o f a n e a n d unworthy usages These are .

entirely con s ecrated to Go d and are impre s sed

with the sacerdotal character which c o u se ,

crates t h em more per fe c tly and in a more ex

ce ll e n t manner than a material vessel can b e

con s e c rated .

The directors o f a semin a ry can there fore it , ,

seem s to me render a very great s ervice to the

,

Church and to the most glorious priesth o od o f

O ur L ord b y taking care o f the clerica l f orma
,

tion o f their pupils But t h ey must fir s t o f all

.

b e model s and their li fe must be a li fe of holi

,

ne ss and c onsummate per fection .

There is another great evil We imagine that .

w e do a great deal w h en w e teach theology well ;

with that and at times with moderate piety
, , ,

w e think w e can form good prie s ts We are .

very much mistaken A h oly and very holy di.

rector w ill form many good pr i ests ; a dire c tor

o f ordinary piety will form none at all And .

i f per c hance a good priest c omes forth from

, ,
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

will or a ffection s upon earth b ut w ho b elong

’

entirely to God .

I f they w ish to enter upon a li fe o f prayer a ,

li fe truly interior and hidden in God w e s hould ,

tea c h t h em how to forget them s elve s ho w to ,

act to the ex c lusion o f every motive o f sel f love —

,

vanity and o s tentation Go d alone should b e

, .

thei r w hole desire ; Go d alone S hould b e in their

mind their heart their desire s their a ff e c tion s
, , , ,

thei r in w ard and out w ard action s in all their ,

intention s their movements their w hole li fe

, ,
.

We should make them avoid c ontention o f

spirit and the de s ire o f s en s i b le gra c e s ; w e
,

should make them w alk in the purity and s im

p l i c i ty o f faith o f a real
,
and energeti c love liv ,

ing upon earth like dead men having Je s u s ,

alone and H i s divine Spirit in them He s hould .

be the motive o f all their interior and exterior

actions F or this purpose we S hould keep their
.
,

soul i n peace and repose mak e them avoid u n ,

due haste activity agitation anxiety w orry

, , , , ,

and every violent emotion They s houl d kee p .

themselves calm and peace ful b e fore Go d in

everyt h ing and everywhere in the sole de s ire o f ,

rendering themselves plea s ing in H i s s ight and ,

o f living only for H im and in H im .

It i s b etter to induce them to apply them s elve s

more to the care o f the i r interior than to call ,

their attention to s ome exterior fault We .

S hould a s a rule atta c h very little im po rtan c e

, ,
 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN 89

to external de fects simply telling them to avoid

,

them w h en they are c onscious o f t h em b ut w e ,

shou l d urge them to keep t h eir mind and the i r

heart pure and angelic far from every amuse ,

ment and natural a ffection T h ey ought not to .

be content with simply loving God ab ove all

thing s ; they ought love God alone and nothing ,

else b ut Him .

An e fficacious means o f Obtaining this grand

result and o f s preading its influence through
,

t h e whole s eminary is to choo s e a s mall num

, ,

ber o f young men w ho are very generou s and

per fectly decided to give them s elves entirely to
God They should be small in numb er for very
.
,

few men are capab le o f aiming s o high at fi r s t .

And i f in the b eginning w e as s ociated w ith

, ,

them a young man w ho should b e w illing to go

only hal f way he would do them a great deal
,

o f harm These chosen f ew S hou l d be united in

.

perfect harmony They should busy them s elve s

.

only with their s a n cti fica ti o n ; thi s mu s t b e the

principal motive o f their association .

When they meet t h ey s hould speak only o f

t h eir own perfection and o f the mean s that ,

are to b e employed for the purpo s e o f attaining

the h ighest sanctity In their meetings there
.
,

s h ould never be question of w orks o f zeal for

the others It i s only when they kno w that
.

som e one i s capable o f a dvancing and o f urging

them to greater fervor it i s only then that th ey,
490 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

may s peak to hi mabout perfection and exhort

him to give himsel f entirely to God O n c e they .

are s ure o f hi s disp o s itions they may receive ,

him into thei r as s ociation They S hould meet .

o ften and have a very pure and holy love f o r

,

each other O ut s ide o f these private meetings

.
,

the mem b er s may s c atter through the co mmu

mity in a cc ordance with the rule s o f their a ss o
c i a ti o n but without ever fi lling their head w ith
,

proj e c t s o f zeal thinking only o n the contrary

, , ,

o f their own s a n cti fic a ti o n I have not enough

.

space to e x plain the s u b j ect more fully ; the

matter i s ho w ever o f the greate s t importan c e
, ,
.

I f thi s can be done the go od that w ill re s ult

,

from it for t h e seminar y will b e very great .

Their band w ill gradually increase and their ,

fervor will grow i f they are well united and

per fe c tly determined ; for you have no idea ho w
power ful gra c e i s I should like to meet you f o r
.

the purpose o f s peaking to you a b out all thi s I .

have w itness ed w ith regard to it marvelou s ,

thing s in the s eminary o f P aris and I have ,

never seen nor do I ever expect to s ee their

, ,

equal I do not kno w w hether I have made my

.

s el f su fficiently clear or not .

E verything is in t h e hands o f our kind Mas

ter in whose love and in that o f H i s most ho ly
,

Mother I am your very humb le s ervant

,
.
 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

i s all H e i s unab le to di s tinguish the s kill ful

.

s troke s that the painter dra ws o n the c anv a s .

A S s oo n as the ma s ter leave s the s tudio he take s

hold o f the b ru s h di ps it into the paint and a p
,

plie s i t to the pi c ture A w onder ful j o b i n

.

deed ! he make s a dau b o f everything W ell .

,

s u c h is our w ork .

We have not the s lighte s t idea o f w hat o u r :

divine and most adora b le M a s ter w i s he s to do

in our s oul s ; w e cannot di s tingui s h a s ingle
s troke Still w e s ometimes wish to interfere
.
,

w ith Hi s w ork and reproduce in ourselves the

w onderful lineament s o f this dear love L et .

us be w are o f that W h y not leave our kind

.

Master a c t ? He will execute H i s design pr o ,

v i ded we c ast ourselve s entirely into H i s hand s ,

and give H im c omplete freedom o f action a c ,

cording to the full extent o f H is sovereign w ill

and H is most lova b le good pleasure In the .

s tate o f c ruci fixion in w hich you are you have

, ,

urgent need o f keeping your s el f dead be fore

H im and lost in H is divine Spirit .

What w ould you do i f Je s u s did not w ork a s

M aster and as sovereign Master ? Keep your
,

s el f con s tantly as nobody and not exi s ting b e -

fore H im N ever look upon your s el f Your

. .

attitude towards your s el f mu s t be t h e s ame a s

though you had never existed I have told you .

this repeatedly The divine will mu s t W ork in

.

you and w it h you as it did w ith not h ing W e

,
.
 V ENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN
493

must make it a point to annihilate w hat exist s ,

s o that it may b e replaced by w h at does not

exist Your flesh must there fore be destroyed
.
, ,

wit h everyt h ing t h at it h as that it c an do and , ,

t h at it wi sh es as well as with everything t h at

,

is in it so t h at J esus and H is divine Spirit may

,

take their pla c e .

W h en God in H is divine goodne s s and wi s

,

dom condescended to turn H is attention to

,
’

not h ingness t h e latter did n o t r es i s t ; it allowed

,

t h e divine will to act fully freely and com , ,

p l e te l y P reserve
. t h e same attitude be fore your
divine Ma s ter He imposes upon you H i s most
.

lovable and admirable cross for t h e purpose o f ,

e ffecting in your person t h is disposition o f not h

i n gn es s H e destroys cru sh es and anni h ilates
.
,

t h e fles h wit h it s po w ers and He alone will r e ,

main the Master .

N ot h ingness paid no attention to itsel f It .

did not consider the divine operation s t h at w ere

in action ; neit h er did it reflect upon t h em nor ,

did it h ave any comp l acency in t h em Try to .

do the same N ever look upon yoursel f nor

.

upon anything that re l ates to you L et a ll t h e .

events t h at concern you eit h er interior or ex ,

te r i o r happen w it h out an a ftert h ought upo n

,

yoursel f .

L et everyt h ing take its course like t h e water ,

t h at flows in a river T h e drops pass on and are

.

immediately su c ceeded by ot h ers T h e river is .

49 4 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

al w ay s the same and no b ody pay s any attention

,

to this su cc ession o f drops In like manner you

.
,

s hould pay no attention to the event s and things

that happen to you They are j u s t s o many .

drop s o f w ater that t h e M aster w ishes to have

pas s there .

Your s oul S hould al w ays be firm and i m

movable i n God indi fferent and heedles s o f all
,

those t h ings You must even look upon t h e

.

very graces that t h e M aster deigns to b estow

upon your s oul in the same w ay Accept them
,
.

all but do not fix your attention upon them

,
.

Your soul should always be in re po se and w it h

out movement b e fore God expecting accept , ,

ing and letting all the graces crosses and tribu

, , ,

l a ti o n s pass by that H e makes flow in it You .

should do all t h is for t h e purpose o f uniting and

attaching yoursel f to t h e divine Master alone ,

by the purity and in the purity and h oline ss o f

faith N o doubt you understand my t h ought
.
, ,

w hen I say m o ti o n l es s It i s not t h at you S hould

.

re fuse to yield to t h e interior impu l se w h ic h O ur

L ord deigns to give you ; you S h ould on t h e con
tr a r y al w ays fol l ow it .

I wis h ed to write to you several times a l

ready but it w a s impossible for me to do so
,
.

N o matter h ow o ften I began to write I never ,

found eit h er w ords or ideas T h is was for me .

an evident sign t h at the divine Master did not

w ish it then for a rea s on t h at I can readily see
,
.
496 S P I R I T U A L LE TT E R S OF T HE

Yo u w ould have entertained a good op i n i on o f

your s el f Yo u w ould have taken a delight in
.

your interior and thu s you w ould have lost

, , ,

everything You w ould at lea s t have entered

.

upon the road to perdition b y c ontemplating ,

your s el f and thi s w ould have been a great mi s

,

fortune ; w herea s a t pre s ent you have n o time

, ,

to con s ider yoursel f but are o b liged to b e a l

,

w ay s o n your guard You no w s ee that all .

that you pOS S€SS dO€ S not amount to very mu c h

'

and you c ontinually feel a ce r tain apprehen s i on

that you w ill not attain the desired end Thi s .

w ill pro b ably give y o u a grain o f di s tru s t f o r

your s el f.

Yo u mu s t kno w that i f w e w ish to give o u r

s elve s to Go d by w ay o f a b andonment w e have ,

an urgent need o f a good do s e o f di ffi den ce o f

our s elves I f it i s other w ise w e run the ri s k
.
,

of falling into the a b ys s or o f b uilding i n the ,

air w ithout a foundation o r on a foundation o f ,

s tra w and du s t That i s the rea s on w hy I tell

.

you that God b e s to ws a real favor upon you by

leavi n g y o u in your misery Be sati s fied t h ere .
,

fore with your c ondition Be little and poor

,
.
,

s ince O ur Lord w ishe s it s o W h en the h our .

o f your deliverance arrive s a c cept it grate fully ,

and s tay in your basenes s poverty and mis , ,

tru s t o f s el f be fore God U ntil such a time .

comes keep yoursel f in meekness interior r e ,

serve and peace You can do thi s by quietly r e

.
 VENE R A B LE L IB ER MA NN
49 7

calling your mind i f it s h ould have forgotten ,

itsel f by stopping it wit h out e ffort or c onte m

,

tion and by keeping it in all s w eetne ss and

,

peace be fore God and united to O ur L ord ,

.

Do not t h ink you are less united to God than

you were before nor more spread out w ardly
,
.

T h is belie f results from the fa c t that at pre s ent , ,

you are s ometim es wit h out sentiment At lea s t .

you are not conscious o f all the attention and

c are t h at you should take and that you really ,

do take for t h e purpose o f repressing thi s a c

,

ti v i ty P er h aps you even miss a certain sensi

.

ble attention to repressing it ; b ut w hat matter ?

T h i s i s no great evil .

You need God a great deal more than you

did be fore You find yoursel f more incapable
.

and more dependent on O ur L ord Try to keep .

yoursel f quiet ly united to t h is dear Master s o ,

t h at He may take upon H imse l f all your

miseries for w h ich you kno w no remedy
,
.

Maintain yoursel f constantly be fore H im in all ,

the dept h o f your poverty your misery your i n , ,

capacity your not h ingness and your use l e ss

,

ness N ever be anxious to be anyt h ing or to

.
,

do anyt h ing ; L et your only desire be to lie

crus h ed and prostrate at t h e feet o f O ur L ord ,

to be nu l l and abj ect in yoursel f be fore God and

.

all creatures to forget yourse l f and to be for

,

gotten by everybody s o t h at J esus may be ,

praised blessed and glorified by His F ather in

, , ,
49 8 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

H i s F ather a nd w ith H is F ather and b y all

, ,

creature s What el s e s hould w e or could w e

.

desire in heaven and upon earth ?

That i s the rea s on w hy you S hould never b e
plea s ed w ith what you are nor with w h at y o u ,

can do nor even with the gra c es w hich Je s u s

,

besto ws upon your soul But let all your c om .

p l a ce n cy and all the e f fort s o f your mind all ,

the j oy s o f your heart be c oncentrated in Je s u s ,

alone F o r to H im alone in Hi s F at h er and

.
, ,

w ith the Holy Gho s t all homage all glory and , , ,

all love b elong ; and to us all contempt all di s , ,

gra c e all ignominy and all con fusion This is

,
.

your whole li fe But all thi s should take place

.
,

in great p ea c e mee k ness and suavity and w it h

, , ,

Ou t a n e ff ort o f t h e fle s h .

Yo u may remain in peace concerning your

meditation and c ontinue as you h ave done b e
,

fore Do not s crutinize what take s place dur

.

ing and a fter your meditation Seek but o n e

, ,
.

t h ing for it alone is important viz : to live for

, ,

God and in God alone at the expense and to the , ,

detriment o f your sel f love and o f all sel f s eek

,
- —

ing It matters little what manner or method

.

you adopt in order to attain your Obj ect pro ,

v i d e d you succeed that i s w h at i s ne c es s ary

,
.

Keep your s el f in repose during and after your , ,

meditation Remain quiet t h roughout the

.

w h ole day and l et your every wish and desire

,

be be fore God and for God alone It w ould b e .

5 00 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

in the holie s t things But you need n o t on that

.

ac c ount discontinue your intimacy for that a t ,

traction is not purely natural There i s al w ay s .

a mixture o f the natural even w ith true charity

We must overcome ourselves in this b ut w e ,

need not rej ect charity on this account .

E ntirel y your s in Jesu s and Mary .

LE TT E R CI II .

T O T W O SEM I NA RI AN S .

P u r i ty w hi c h f tra l h i ty m u t h
erna c ar s av e —
M i str u st
of se lf .

P r a i s ed be Jes us and M ar y !
Rennes the Sunday within the
,

Oc tave o f Corpus Chri sti 1 8 3 8 ,

.

To my well b eloved brethren i n the most

’

holy love o f Jesus M e ss r s N ,

and N .

greeting love gra c e and the ble ss ing O f Je s u s

, , ,

and Mary .

I w rite thi s letter to b oth o f you b ecau s e the ,

thing s I speak o f t h erein concern y o u b oth I .

hope moreover that the H oly Gho s t unites

, ,

you and make s you one and the same thing in

,

t h e divine love o f J esu s Be pure and holy a s .

our Ma s ter i s above all thing s holy And ho w .

can w e live b e fore H im and in H im i f w e are , ,

not altogether holy and s eparated from all

creature s ?
 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA NN
5 0 1

L ove eac h other b ut with the s ame love w ith

w hich Jesus loves you Be united with each .

other b ut with t h e same union in w hich your

,

souls are united to Jesus and wit h H im in H i s ,

heavenly F ather But i f you should be thu s

.

united with a holy and heavenly love S hould ,

not each one o f you with much greater rea s on

, ,

love himsel f with the s ame Ov l e ? I kno w that

O ur dear L ord Je s us has filled you with horror
at the s ole thought o f loving yoursel f b ut I ,

cannot re frain from s aying a fe w w ords o n the

su b j e c t .

I have no fear for the love o f the flesh D i .

vine love ha s deigned to banish it from your

souls although t h e basi s o f it still exi s t s in the
,

fle s h But I do fear the complacency and s at

.

i s f a c ti o n o f the mind T h i s is to b e dreaded

.

even in mutual charity We must be united b y.

the b ond o f the Holy Ghost who e ff ects all ,

c h arity in our souls But this union mu s t b e

.

exempt from all complacency o f the mind .

Keep your minds free from thi s wret c hed

contentment and complacen c y L et everything .

in you b e pure and holy and may the s an c tity o f

,

God b e mani fested in you b y Hi s undi s turb ed

existence in your souls i n your mind s a s w ell
,
—

as in your h eart s This exi s ten c e o f God in

.

you must Sho w and produ c e it s el f in all the i n

ter i o r a c tions all the tendencie s and all the
,

mov ement s o f your mind s and h eart s The .

5 0 2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

fl es h w ill alway s keep going it s o w n w ay and

w ill not cease to annoy you w ith it s evil inclina
tions But you r soul will al w ay s remain i n
.

violate and pure b e fore God and in God who ,

w ill dwell in it will live in it and will govern

, ,

it in all things as it s sovereign M aster Thi s .

compla c ency i s far more harm ful and dan .

g e r o u s in regard to yourselves .

I beg o f our L ord J esus that H e may w at c h

over you for I know o f no man in this w orld
,

that is exempt from it s o fright ful are our cor

,

ruption and our folly The greater God s.

’

grace s are the more we strive to live and to

,

serve God a cc ording to the purity o f faith a nd

the s pirit o f per fe c tion And the more s ub tle
.

and delicate are the a fterthoughts or rather the ,

s ubter fuge s o f our c omplacency the more di f ,

fi cu l t they are to b e di s tingui s hed Do not a n .

noy your s elves and w orry a b out thi s H e who .

has w ithdrawn u s from the deep abyss o f cor

ruption and perdition w ill kno w ho w to de fend
,

us against the malice o f the enem y and against

o u r own fles h L et us surrender our cau s e into
.

the hand s o f our divine Ma s ter s o that He ,

alone may procure our s a n ctifi ca ti o n in a cc ord ,

ance with the eternal design s o f Hi s heavenly

F ather .

When I s ometimes con s ider my o wn mali c e ,

all the wile s o f the enemy all the s nare s that he ,

ha s continuall y s et a n d s till s et s for me s nare s

,
—
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

yoursel f for w ard for anything w hat s oever even ,

i f the s alvation o f the whole world depended

upo n it Do not desire w hat i s useful for the
.

glory o f God and for the s a n ctifica ti o n o f s oul s ,

i f it is calculated to raise you in the esteem o f

men or i n your o w n eyes I f God should i m.

print this desire i n your hearts remain in fear ,

and trembling b e fore H im .

I f you feel a certain esteem for the gra c e that

Go d gives you and for the kno w ledge that you
have o f interior li fe i f you are s till a fraid th at
,

people may have a b ad opinion o f you on t h i s ,

or that point and may j udge you wrongfully ;

,

i f it happens that you wish to set o ff in the eye s ,

o f men t h e things you b elieve e s tima b le in y our

,

sel f in your thoug h ts in your action s or in

, , ,

your w ords or i f s ome other S i milar illusion

,
.

pre s ent s itsel f to your mind and i f it i s only a

,

tem p tation t h at O ften return s I think you ,

S hould then break O ff all relation s o f piety w ith

men even were the latter entertained for the

,

purpose o f bringi ng t h em to God whatever b e ,

t h e good that might other w ise result there from .

I do not mean that you should leave them for

ever but for a certain length o f time until the
,

flesh i s subdued .

How much I would like to s ee you in order ,

to make my meaning clear in ac c ordan c e w ith ,

the divine charity o f our Master ! N everthele ss ,

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN 5 5
0

may all t h ings be accompli s hed according to

the designs o f O ur L ord .

I frighten you perhaps with my fears Thi s

, ,
.

would not worry me provided you remained in ,

t h e pe ace o f our goo d Master I confess t h at .

,

f o r mysel f I have not yet gotten rid o f the ex

,

treme terror into w hich God w a s pleased to

cast me by the terrible puni s hment that i s s till
present to my eyes Do you w ish me to tell y o u
.

more about it ? F or w ell n i gh t w o mont h s I

have su ff ered great anguish on your account .

My God I do not kno w why I h ave no re s t

, .

Why c an I not be with you for at lea s t a fe w

days ?

J esus my kind L ord maye s t Thou b e b lessed

, ,

above all things ! Do not worry about my ex

treme a ffliction and my pain My sins which .
,

are more numerous than the hai r on my head ,

are the c au s e o f it all I s ee nothing particular .

in you at present that c ould make me fear I .

have not even got a n y lig h t ab out anything

w hatsoever ; but God strike s me because I de ,

s erve i t May H is most holy N ame b e blessed

. .

Still the pain in w hich I am and w hich ha s ,

c ost me many tear s make s me fear lest the devil

,

may be setting a s nare for you and t h at you ,

may be i n danger O n the other h and I think

.
,

that my S ins which h ave already ta u s ed so

,

many evils to soul s are perhaps t h e only cause

,

o f my trouble But I am a fraid that I may y et

.
5 06 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

c au s e you harm E xcuse my s orrow it is to o

.
,

great But in the adora b le N ame o f J esus and

.
,

in the name o f the Ble s sed V irgin M ary I beg ,

o f you to listen to w hat I tel l y o u without

’

, ,

ho w ever giving your s el f up to ex c itement and

,

w orry .

I f I w ere not the cau s e o f all the evils o f

those whom God ha s b rought into relation w ith
me I might o b tain from God the gra c e o f s eeing
,

you and o f s peaking to you a little ; b ut I

s c ar c ely venture to expe ct it And yet I do .

hope so for the mercy o f God i s great In the

,
.

meantime and whether it please God o r not to

,

bring you here I b e s eech you to give up for

,

some time all intercourse o f piety with whom

soever it may be Take your time in order to .
,

consider be fore God t h e pains and di fficultie s

that you experience and exam i ne i f it w ould ,

no t b e better to remain i solated until the enemy

is s u b dued Write to me about thi s i f you
.
,

t h ink it use ful and in c onformity w it h the di

vine will But I am o f op i n i on t h at you s hould
.

give up your relations o f piety wit h your friends

from outside L ive in a great mistrust o f your
.

selves P ass your time as well a s you can b ut

.
,

wit h out appearing before the eyes o f men .

Keep yourselve s b e fore God in the humilit y and

lowline s s Of your S oul N ever consider your .

selves nor what is taking place w it h in you

, ,

e xc ept to tremble b e fore God and to ask for

5 0 8 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

LE TT E R CI V .

T O A D EA CO N .

G ra n d u e r o f t he d i g i ty
n t o whi c h he i s g o in g to b e
p r o m o te d —
R ul es of sa cer d t l lif
o a e .

P r a i s ed be J es us a nd M a ry !
Renne s ,
May 2 0th, 1 8 3 8 .

M Y V ERY D EA R F RI EN D
May Je s u s establish H is re i gn i n your s oul ,

and may He fi ll y o u w ith H is divine Spirit .

You need it very much at the pre s ent time I f .

Jesu s did not e ffect everything in you o f w hat ,

value w ould you be e xc ept to b e a fagot f o r ,

hel l ? You feel it very w ell and you tell me s o ,

in you r letter I bles s our amia b le L ord and

.

H is most holy and w ell b eloved Mother fo r it -

F ill your s el f with the sentiment o f your

poverty and in c apa c ity We s u cc eed thu s in .

really pro c uring the greater glory o f o u r

D ivine Ma s ter You have b een silly until no w
.
,

but t h e goodnes s o f our kind and very dear

Mother was wat c hing o ver you and s h e has ,

al w ay s preserved you in spite o f all yo ur i n fi

d el i ti es Grieve dear brot h er and humble your
.
, ,

s el f for h aving been unfaith ful for su c h a ,

length o f time to so dear s o great and s o , ,

adorable a Ma s ter ; but do not w orry about it .

Yo u see that He still loves you w ith e x treme

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R M A N N 5 9
0

tenderne s s not w it h standing your past i n fi del i

,

ties . He overw h elms you w ith favors and

gra c e s H e ca ll s you to His divine priest h ood
,
-
,

and He inspires you w it h a great de s ire for .

your s a n ctifi ca ti o n O h ! ho w kind i s this

.

meek and most lovable L ord Je s u s ! I s He not

s w eet and delicious for t h o s e w ho have been
given to Him by His F ather ! To w hom do
you owe all t h is ? To our w ell b eloved M other -

It i s S he w ho doe s a l l these good and b eauti ful

t h ings Be full o f courage therefore
.
,
.

You h ave never been w icked You have a l .

w ay s h ad t h e desire o f serving God and o f

pleasing Him but you were feeble and thought
,

l ess What can you do no w ? The time is past

.

and you h ave no means o f bringing it ba c k I f .

it returned you mig h t per h aps be the loser

,
.

L eave t h ings a s they are and do not w orry ,

about t h e past Rat h er pla c e your whole co n fi

.

dence j oy and love in H im wh o ca lls you to

,

suc h great things and w h o bestow s upon you

such great favors Keep your s el f in lowline s s
.

and h umiliation be fore Him w it h in sight o f

your past u s e l e ss ness and your di ss ipation and ,

fi l l yoursel f with salutary desire s for your sanc

tifica ti o n Ho w great and beauti ful your voca
.

tion i s ! O h i f you kne w h o w s ublime it

,

is h o w h oly and elevated above all human

,

s trength ! You have indeed a s light idea o f it

, , ,

as I c an per ci ev e by the letter w hi c h you w rote

5 10 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

to me But w hy have you not the same opinion

.

about it whi c h O ur L ord H im s el f has namely , ,

a complete idea and one that ans w ers to t h e .

full extent O f the truth ?

Be holy ; for a prie s t w ho i s not holy is a

monster in the order o f grace When we are .

on the point o f entering upon the priest h ood w e ,

usually take reso l utions for ot h ers We picture .

to our s elve s the di fferent w orks o f zeal that w e

are going to undertake h o w w e are going to
,

c onduct ourselves towards our paris h ioners ,

ho w w e w ill arran ge our sermons a n d homi

lies and a t h ousand other similar thing s It i s
,
.

far better to take resolutions for your s el f alone ,

for your greater s a n cti fica ti o n .

Here is w h at I think you mig h t do to be a ,

h o l y priest Apply yoursel f we l l to your medi

.

ta ti o n during t h e little time t h at i s sti l l yours

,
.

Take some good resolutions on t h i s head and ,

strengt h en yoursel f in them as much a s you

can A fterwards examine care fully w h i c h are
.

your principal S hortcomings You w ill fi rst .

,

o f all give your attention to t h ose t h at are hurt

,

ful to you by preventing you from giving your

sel f entirely to Go d T h ese are interior de fects
.

t h at stop the good desire coo l ing o ff t h e soul

, ,

and preventing us from remaining recollected .

You w ill then take h old o f t h ose t h at h inder

you in your relation s wit h your neig h bor You .

shou l d examine w h at t h ese re l ations o ught to

5 12 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

adorning your c hur c h and o f fe eding the poor .

That i s your hou s e that i s your fa mily ; every ,

thing el s e mu s t b e a s tranger to you DO not .

u s e your money fo r the purpo s e o f decorating

your d w elling b ut look upon your s el f a s the ,

foremo s t poor man o f your pari s h living ,

s ob erly from your in c ome and u s ing the re s t ,

for your b rethren the poo r o r for the hou s e o f , ,

Go d .

Be care ful al s o not to b e ruled b y your hou s e

keeper S ho w her very little familiarity Be
. .

kind to her but re s erved N ever s peak to her

, .
,

and never allo w her to s peak to you a b out par ,

ish matter s N ever enter upon a di sc u ss ion

.

w ith her Speak to her only a b out w hat co n

.

cern s the hou s ehold and do s o quietly char , ,

i ta b l y and w ith humility o f heart I f she s ay s

anyt hing to y o u listen to her and an sw er her ,

kindly b ut w ithout entering into long explana

,

tion s .

In general b e more re s erved w ith everybody

,

than you u s ually are ; do not meddle too mu c h

w ith Out w ard thing s b ut devote your s el f ex ,

e lusively to your o w n b u si ness Do not gro w .

familiar w ith anyb ody ; be kind and plea s ant

toward all ; be moderate in your w ord s and de
portment and from a pure s pirit o f c har
,

ity When your ministry doe s not c all you

.

a w ay remain at home and s tudy o r prepare

, ,

you r s ermon s Set a s ide certain moment s for .

 VENE R A B LE L IB E RMA NN
5 3
I

your recreation during t h e day and do all thi s ,

S imp l y and w ithout spe c ial e ff ort and i n fl ex i

b i l i ty .

P ay attention to the shortcoming s that may

cause inj ury to your ministry for instance , ,

vivacity levity childishness weaknes s o f c h ar

, , ,

acter e ff usion o f h eart

,
T h ese tendencie s
.

easily make us say t h ings that cause pain or

j oy provoke a multiplicity o f w ord s and de
, ,

v el Op the inclination o f attaching ourselve s to

those w h o are pleased with us and w ho S ho w

u s good w ill or w ho flatter us etc N ever give ,
.

up prayer and the practice o f t h e pre s en c e o f

God P repare your s el f w ell for h oly mas s and
.
,

never fail to make your thanksgiving for at

least a quarter o f an h our Do not borro w the.

tone and the manners o f the w orld but retain ,

ecclesiastical simp l icity and modesty .

I advise you earnestly to put do w n in your

rule all t h ese point s and others wit h w hi c h God
may inspire you A l ways persevere in a great
.

devotion to t h e Ble s sed V irgin your very kind ,

and very dear Mot h er P ray to her continu

.

a l ly t h at s h e may protect you against luke

warmness and di s sipation and that S he may ,

render you fait h ful to the good resolutions you

will take upon entering t h e priesthood and to ,

the rule s that you have w ritten down for this

end O n my part I s h a ll p ray w it h my w hole
.
,

heart I emb race you very a ff e c tionately I

. .
5 4
1 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

am glad to see the good desire s w hich O ur

L ord put s into your soul and I have the sw eet ,

h ope that H e will also pro c ure t h eir ful fi llment .

E ntirely yours in Jesus a nd Mary .

LE TT E R C V .

T O A D I REC T O R O F A SEM I NA RY .

Lo ve f J u livi g
o es s d ti g i
n an tu ac n n cr ea res .

P r a i s ed b e Jes us and M ary !

Renne s the 2 5 th o f t h e month o f Mary ,
1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R FAT H ER A ND F RI END IN OU R

L O RD
It appears that O ur L ord has gathered all
possible ills upon your head a s tho u gh H e ,
»

wis h ed to over w helm you H e s ees that your .

h eart i s still too sen s ible to the evils o f this

eart h and there fore He use s it in order to a c
, , ,

complish H i s designs H e pier c es it He rend s

.
,

it asunder H e c rushe s it This is ne c e ss ary

,
. .

All o w me i f you plea s e to tell you a w ord o f

, ,

trut h Be pitiless toward s yoursel f P resent

. .

yoursel f to our good L ord and tell Him to tear

out your h eart and to trample your soul under
foot L et t h ere b e no pleasure nor enj oyment
.

for you on eart h not even t h at satis faction

,

which w e experience i n our relations with

fervent s ouls w h o give great promise for t h eir
,
 I 6 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

o ur s adne ss
houl d include an immense j o y
S
,

through the mo s t intimate union w ith our

divine All in w hic h that Joy keeps u s and ,

through the entire and complete abandonment

to H is mo s t holy w ill There w ill be sadness .
,

in c on s equence o f the s h are w e take in the s or

r o w o f our b rethren and j o y upon b eholding
, ,

the Master H imsel f and H is divine w ill estab

, ,

l i s hi n g H i s reign over every c reature .

Such a j oy is not a lively and impetuous one ,

nor a gloriou s one b ut a s w eet j oy that forms

, ,

a s it were the vital principle of this sadnes s

,
.

It i s communi c ated to u s b y the s ame Spirit o f

Je s u s whi c h operates in the s oul thu s tried
, ,

and w ith w hich w e are united a s participant s .

T h e fruit o f the Spirit o f J esus i s always j oy

and peace ; but as He operates in this ca s e by
means o f cro ss e s and a fflictions H e operates in ,

t h e sa me w ay in u s Ho w beauti ful it is there

.
,

fore to b e void and b are o f all ex i sten c e either

, ,

i n creatures and by creatures or in our s elve s ,

and by our s elve s !

May J esu s alone in H is divine Spirit and b y
,

His divine Spirit animate and posse ss our

,

souls He w i l l for t h is purpo se e ff ec t therein

.
, ,

a dread ful tearing o f t h e heart But i s H e not .

the Master and may He not a c t according to

H is good pleasure ? Beside s w hat happiness ,

it ought to b e for us to s ee H im acting in this

fa s hion ! Must He not tear up and pull out i f ,
 VENE RA B LE L IB E RM A NN 5 7
I

He wis h es to annihilate us in our s elve s that ,

He may live and exist t h erein a l l alone ? I tell ,

you frankly t h ere fore alt h ough t h ere may be

, ,

a kind o f cruelty in it t h at my h eart is glad to

,

See Him act wit h that power ful force which

you will never be able to resist You might try .

to do so as muc h as you like but it w ould b e

, ,

all in vain J esu s triump h s and you cannot

.
'

tear away His prey from Him He i s like a .

lion h olding a poor little animal trembling all

,

over W h o would wish to tear it away from

.

H im Oh ho w I pr aise and bless H im for H i s

?
,

incompre h ensible kindness !

T h is i s ho w He proceed s when He wi s he s
absolutely to possess a soul for w h ich He ha s a
S pecial predilection He does not wait for
.

reasonin g but He uses force And w h en H e

,
.

undertakes to use force H e goes at i t in such ,

a way t h at t h e poor creature not knowing wh at ,

to do is obliged to yield into His h ands i n

, ,

capab l e o f tearing itsel f a w ay .

T h ere is a beauti ful road w h ereby to reach ,

nakedness o f sou l and perfect abandonment .

But it may be said that there is no merit in thi s .

S h al l we always be wretc h ed ? Sha l l we always

seek only ourselves ? L et u s not grieve over
t h is s o called want o f merit and over t h at vio
-

lence w h ic h our dear l ove makes u s su ffer It .

is His business L et us be content wit h belong

.

ing to H im b ut to Him all alone

, .
5 18 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF THE

I feel sure that O ur L ord wis h e s to e ffe c t in

you entire forgetfulness o f s el f and indi ff erence
for everything that relates to your per s on .

Whether you b e useful or useles s or hurt ful ,

does not concern you He w ishes furthermore .

,

to puri fy your soul from everything that may

b e too natural in your c h arity for those w it h
w hom it has pleased the D ivine Master to unite
you in H is holy N ame and H is Spirit .

I b e s ee c h you to have the kindness to pardon

this poor man for darin gto speak to you a s
though he w ere s omething and as though he ,

had the right to do so I hope that you will .

forgive me and that you w ill also b eg O ur

,

L ord to have pity on me and to c ure my pride ,

which is very great .

Your very po or servant in J esus a nd Mary .

LE TT E R C V I I
T O A S EM I N A RI A N .

His a pp r o a c hi g
n d i ti
or t ubd
na on o s e a c o n s hi p .

His c ha r a c t e r , i
nc li d t pl
ne t y
o H li ea s a n r .
—
o n es s w hi c h
hi s t t d
s a e eman d
s .

P r a i s e d be Jes u s and M ary !

Rennes ,
May 2 9 th, 1 8 38 .

MY V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
I w as delighted in O ur L ord to see by your ,

letter that you are going to be subdea c on .

5 20 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

happine ss w ill no w b e in Go d alone to w ho ,

it entirely belong s ? Do not worry therefore ,

.

a b out your w eakne ss and your temptation s .

Give up your s oul to H im w ho has s uch grea

c la i m s upon it and w ho w ill take it never mor
, ,

to relea s e it .

I think it w ould b e nece s sary for y o u t

acquire a little more s eriou s ness H ence forth . .

b eing a man o f God you s ho uld live like one .

and o n that account yo u should maintain your

, ,

s el f in great modesty as well as inte rior and ex

,

ter i o r gravity and S h ould not give yoursel f u

,

to pa s time s and pleasantrie s .

I s hall take the li b erty o f calling your atten

tion to a habit which I think is hurt ful to you
, ,

V i z : that o f s aying pleas ant thing s I do no .

think thi s i s founded in your c haracter I .

seems to me that it i s only a habit of c h ildhoo d .

F or your ch aracter may indeed be a little light

, ,

but I think it is s u fficiently in c lined to gravity ,

and i s naturally b orne towards it The levit y .

o f yout h has been an obstacle until no w but I

am convinced that subdeaconship w ill gi v e t hi s
levity a strong b low This turn o f mind w hi c h
.
,

makes us amuse our s elves all the w hile w it h , ,

plea s ant thought s c au s es great harm to the i n

,

te r i o r spirit nurture s vanity and s el f love o fte n

,
-

inj ures charity keep s us preo cc upied w it h

,

tr i fl es w herea s w e have need o f filling and en

,

te r ta i n i n g our s elve s w ith the most inten s e de

 VENE R A B LE L IB E R MA NN 5 21

sires for our s a n ctifica ti o n It i s al s o a po w er

.

ful obstacle to the a c quisition o f true divine ,

prudence and even o f real human pruden c e

, ,
.

I besee ch you for t h e love o f J esus and Mary

, ,

not to worry about t h is nor about the oth er,

di fficulties w h ich you wi l l encounter in the

spiritual progre s s o f your s oul It i s s uffi cient .

for you to a c knowledge your de fects I think .

that you are now a l most acquainted w ith them

all at least w ith the most dangerous and
,

tena c iou s ones And with this knowledge c an

.
,

you fail to triumph ?

Thank s to the divine mercy you have a real ,

and very strong desire O f completing your s a c

r i fi ce s
. It is certain t h at God h a s some de s ign s
o f bounty and spe c ial predilection upo n you .

And you s hould you fear ! Should you not b e

,

con fi dent ! D o not inflict this inj ury on your

dear F ather and L ord J esus and on H i s w ell ,

beloved Mother w h o would s eem to exhau s t

,

themselves for the purpo se o f enri ch ing you ,

i f thev w ere not inex h austible But my dear .

,

brot h er do not i gnore t h i s incompre h ensible

,

love O f our Master for you Give Him love .

for love correspond fully with His admira b le

,

designs He wi shes you to co n s ecr a te yoursel f

.
'

to deliver yoursel f entirely to Himsel f Well !

, .

consecrate and deliver yoursel f entirely to our

sovereign L ord Be H i s friend as He ha s s aid
.
,

in Hi s holy Go s pel but H i s friend alone Je s u s

, .
5 22 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

i s the Spo use o f the holy Church ; to H im b e

l o ng s this b ride s o holy in w hom He i s w ell ,

plea s ed And you my dear b rother you are

.
, ,

H i s friend to s erve Him and enter into H i s

,

s e c ret s f o r H e w ill tell you everything that H e

,

has learned from H i s F ather provided you are ,

pure and holy in H is s ight .

Your j o y w ill be great on account o f the ,

pre s en c e o f the divine S pouse whose voi c e you ,

w ill hear in your soul ; and thi s voice will fi ll

you with love and will be your s upreme happi
,

ne ss But you must b e pure and holy for that

. .

Be full o f confidence in your dea r and divine

friend It is not for nothing that H e w ill con
.

s ecrate you irrevocably You w ill henceforth .

, ,

be a vessel o f choice and election w holly set ,

aside for the use o f the most h oly Master w ho

has chosen you A chalice that is consecrated .

to God must not be used for anyt h ing el s e b ut

H is divine service It would be a dread ful sac .

r i l ege to use it for pro fane things and the more ,

so i f it were fi l led wit h filth Thi s is what you

,
.

w ill be hence forward : an Obj ect o f veneration

for the a n gels and saints a vessel o f election , ,

consecrated to t h e use o f t h e Master alone w ho ,

has cho s e n it for H imse l f All t h e facu l tie s o f .

you r body and soul must be employed only in

t h e service o f God and never to the profit o f ,

sel f l ove for you no longer belong to yoursel f

-

, ,

but to God No r must you ever give them up

.
.
5 4
2 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

You are making thi s sacrifice w illingly w ith ,

t h e h elp o f t h e Blessed V irgin to whom y o u ,

o w e everything You are on l y a fraid that the

.

victim i s too un w orthy You are right in .

t h inking so it i s indeed un w ort h y ; but that i s

, , ,

none o f your business He who c h ose it kne w .

,

t h at far better t h an you Abandon yo ursel f .

,

t h ere fore fully into t h e arms o f Jesu s and

,

Mary and make your sacrifice w ith fear b ut in

, ,

peace j oy contentment o f heart confiden c e

, , , ,

love and w ithout consideration or reserve

,
.

I shall pray and S hall have others pray for

you I am in the charity o f J e s us and Mary
.
, ,

YOU R V ERY P OO R S ERVA NT .

LE TT E R CV I I .

TO A SE M I NA RI AN .

D v ti
e o on to t he Bl e ss e d Vi gi r n —
D i p i ti
s os o ns in
r e ga r d to cr o s s e s .

P r a i s e d be J es us and M ar y !
Rennes ,
the 3 1 s t o f t h e mont h o f Mary ,
1 8 38 .

MY V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER
Ho w happy you are to have learned , in a
Special manner the kindne s s o f Mary f o r her
, _

c h ildren ! It has co s t y o u an e ffort and w i l l ,

per h ap s c o s t y o u man y more But b le ss ed are

,
.
 VE N E R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 5 5 2

t h e su fferings that procure for us s u c h a great

advantage ! E verybody kno ws the i n co mpa r a
ble tenderness o f Mary for h er children b ut it ,

is not everybody t h at has h ad the happine ss o f

becoming s o intimately acquainted W ith them ,

and in so clear a manner P l ace your entire co n.

fi den c e in h er and do not fear You may be s ure :

s h e w ill not abandon you That i s w hy you .

s h ould always quietly go to h er in all your

troubles and anxieties And w h enever your .

soul experiences t h at pleasure and s w eetne ss

w h ich we sometimes fee l w hen w e are obliged ,

to have recour s e to the d i v m e Mother then , ,

quietly and frequently pour out your heart into

,

h ers Do s o wit h love and confiden c e and she

.
,

w ill h eal your w ounds s trengthen your h eart

, ,

and fi ll you with rene w ed c ourage and love

’

And i f in t h e midst o f your sorrows you

, ,

drag yourse l f along with di fficulty even w hen ,

you are betaking yoursel f to t h is kind and b e

loved Mot h er do not l et t h is deter you from go
,

ing to h er Drag yoursel f along but al w ays

.
,

wit h meekness and peace at lea s t as mu ch as , ,

you can and wit h out wis h ing to do yoursel f too

,

muc h violence for t h e purpose o f expres s i ng to

,

h er t h e tenderne ss o f the love which you feel

w hen you are touched .

E steem your s el f for w hat you are at the mo

ment and act as suc h The Bles s ed V irgin can
, .

ea s ily di s tinguish bet w een the real love and

5 26 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

con fi den c e that re s ide in the intima c y o f your

soul and the sensi b le e x pre s sion o f that l ov e
,

and c onfidence A c hild w ho tenderly love s

.

hi s mother run s to her to emb ra c e her w h en

, , ,

he i s glad and contented and the m o ther ,

replie s w ith an equal return o f tendernes s

which is al s o full o f j oy and c ompla c ency .

When o n the other h an d the poor c hild

, ,

ha s d o ne w rong and is in trouble he s till ,

goe s w ith confidence to his mother But he doe s .

s o in tear s and t h e kind mother r ecei v eS hi m

, ,
'

w ith the s ame tenderness as b e fore t h ough n o t ,

pre c i s ely w ith the s ame j oyou s and compla c ent

l oo k that s he w ore b e c ause the s ame maternal
,

love c hange s it s form according to c ir c um

s tan c e s I t is thu s that o u r k ind Mother k no ws
.

ho w to discern the love and c on fi den c e o f her

dear child under w hatever fi gure it may pre s ent
,

itsel f DO not a s k o f her an yt hing el s e b ut w hat

.

s he a c tually doe s ; s he kno ws b etter than y o u , ,

w hat s he ha s to do I f y o u are s ometime s s o

.

po or that you are not even a b le to have r ec our s e

to her as you s hould b e c ontent w ith rai s ing ,

your eye s to her em b ra c ing o n e o f her pi c

,

ture s and pla c ing it upon yo ur heart Do thi s

,
.

gently but w ith your entire w ill .

Your pain s h ave dimi ni s hed ; may Go d b e

ble ss ed for it a s w ell a s for all the re s t Thi s .

do es n o t mean that it i s reall y good f o r y o u to

be w ithout a ffli c tion s ; for w hat w o u ld b e co me
5 28 S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

you do n o t love H im It i s perhap s at s u c h

.
, ,

time s that y o u love H im mo s t and that H e i s

'

nearer to you than ever Do not mea s ure your .

love for O ur L ord by your s ensibility ; it i s b ut

a very small mea s ure at the b est Thro w your .

sel f into H is h ands w ith c onfidence Your love .

w ill gro w mor eand more though you w ill n o t ,

perceive it nor i s that in any w ay ne c e ss ary

,
.

O h se nsitive and c urious man do be c ome a

, ,

s piritual man and a man a cc ording to the heart

,

o f God !
F or the re s t in t h e moments o f angui s h and
,

fear : A dv o ca tu m ha b er e v i s a d J es u m ? a d ’

M ar i a m r ecu r r e, ha ec pecca to r u m s ca l a ; ha ec
m ea m a xi m a fidu ci a es t .

With regard to your vocation I do not s ee ,

w hy you s h ould fear P ut everyt h ing into the

.

hands o f Je s us and Mary I f there is an i m .

pediment it w ill only delay it s execution H ave

,
.

full confidence and live like a child o f Jesu s

,

and Mary May their love and peace live in

.

your soul b ut in su ch a w ay as to complete y our

,

s a n cti fi c a ti o n .

Remem b er
t h at I always look upon you a s
my dear b rother in J esus and Mary .
 VEN E R A B LE L I B E R M A NN 5 9
2

LE TT E R C V II I .

TO A SE M I N A RI AN .

W a tc h ful n es s over s e lf and p ra yer .

—
The r e a di n g o f

a s ce ti c a u th ors —
Pi uo s co n v e r s a ti o n s .

Renne s ,
June 3 ,
r d 1 8 38 .

M Y V ERY D EA R B RO T H ER

Rene w yoursel f daily in the s ervice and love

o f God ; for w h o can ever do enoug h to render
h imsel f agreea ble to God That is w h y you
'

s h ould spare nothing in order to please Him .

B e especially attentive not to take any satis

faction i n yoursel f but to please God alone ; not
,

that I t h ink you capable o f su c h a horrid crime ,

but t h at I W ish to warn you against t h is mis

fortune Watch quiet l y over your soul in o r
.
,

der to give the enemy no room to surprise you

S pi r i tus q u i dem pr o mptu s es t ca r o a u tem i n ,

dr m a W h en t h e devil h as once caught a soul

.

by this detestable s el f love it is di ffi c ult for it -

to get away from him You cannot imagine .

ho w weak our souls are in t h is point and you ,

especially you run a great ri s k

, .

I told you only agreeable t h ings in my let

ters until n o w ; mu s t I grieve you no w ? Yes , ,

my dear friend I must do so lest you allo w

, ,

your s el f to be taken by s urpri s e s u c h i s the dan ,

530
,
S P I R I T UA L LE T T E R S OF T HE

ger f o r man in thi s respe c t and f o r y o u more ,

than anyb ody else H owever b e full o f c on

.
,

fi den ce n o t in your s el f but in Jesu s and Mary

, ,
.

Do not b egin to w orry o n a cc ount o f all that ,

but go o n in the presen c e of God w ith great ,

fear and di s tru s t o f sel f .

I think you m a y continue your meditation in

the manner in w h i ch you make it I think also .
, ,

it w ill b e use ful f o r the s a n cti fi ca ti o n o f your

soul notwithstanding the temptations and di f
,

fi c u lti es you may ex perience But you ought .

to be w are lest it be for y o u an o c ca s ion o f c om

placency and confidence in your s el f F or as .
,

s u r edl
y I tell
,
you that thi s state o f prayer al ,

though mo s t ex c elle n t and c apab le o f sancti fy

ing a soul i s liable to prove a sour c e o f illu s ions
,

and error f o r a great many people w ho do not

'

mistrust them s elves enough You are not free .

from danger in this respect b e c ause your i m a g ,

i n a ti o n w ould w illingly indulge in su c h error s .

Your c haracter ha s a fund o f s el f love , that -

would furnish material to the imagination or ,

would at lea s t favor it in all its w anderings .

The means o f p rotecting your s el f again s t all

the s e error s i s very S imple ; it i s to have your ,

mind plia b le and obedient to the advice o f your

dire c tor to distrust yoursel f hab itually and to
,

h ave a real interior fear in the S ight o f Go d ,

but w ithout trouble or w orry though quietly ,

5 3 2 VENE R A B LE L IB E RM A NN

we fi nd th e life o f o u r so ul w hi c h life i s H i s ,

H oly S pirit O ur sou l S h ould act in all thin gs

.

fro m an int erior m otive with th e sol e d es i re o f ,

pl easin g Go d an d with great p urity o f i mt en

,

tion I t sh ould n ev er t a k e it self into co n s i d

.

e r a ti o n in what ever it do es n o r even co nsider ,

th e grac e o f God w ithin its elf fo r it w ould run ,

th e ris k o f takin g sati sfaction th erein and thi s ,

would b e a very s erio us dan ger .

N o r S h ould you st op to c o nsid er your stat e

o f m ental p raye r If y o u d o s o it o u ght to
.
,

b e only w it h t h e int enti on o f se ein g w h eth er

anyt h in g bad is in it s o th at y o u may b e abl e ,

to rend er an acc ount o f it to yo ur direct or .

M editati on is only a m eans Yo u sh o uld stay .

in Go d al on e an d in th e si mpl e d esire o f p l eas

,

in g H im in a l l t hin gs L o se sight o f yourse l f .

entirely but n ever o f Go d ; for a l l your

,
.

th ou ght s all yo ur d esire s a l l y o ur a ff e ctions

, , ,

a ll t h e m ove m ents of your s ou l as w ell as all ,

you r ext ernal action s mu st b e c on c entrat ed

in H i m D o all this in a spirit o f l owlin ess
.
,

p ov erty n othin gn ess and forgetfu l n ess of se l f

,
.

Aim at Go d i n ev er y thi n g, bu t ai m at Hi m in
the s pi r i t
f
o p o v er ty .

Yo u sh oul d watch over a certain n e g l i gen c e

in you r sp e e ch durin g re creation and in th e
ban ds Do n o t tax your i maginati on to o
.

mu ch B e gent l e s edat e and reserved in

.
,

yo ur int eri or Maint ain your mind in a c er

.
 VENE R AB LE L IB E RM A NN
5 33

tain tranquillity be fore God and then s ay , , ,

quiet l y and simp l y w h at co mes t o y o u F o r .

if w e oug h t not t o yie l d to t h e craving for

conversation o r t o t h e ardor of our imagina ,

tion w e sh ou l d n evert h e l ess h ave a gent l e

, , ,

eas e in our words We say what we have to .

say quiet l y una ffe ct ed l y wit h o ut embarrass

, , ,

m ent and in a spirit of re co ll ection and p eac e .

You sh ou l d l et t h e t h ou g h t s fl o w qui et l y from

your mind wit h out crowdin g t h e m o n e up on
,

t h e ot h er D o n ot try t o b e t h e on l y o n e
.

sp eakin g As so on as anyb ody b egins to

.

sp eak l ist en to h im confirm what h e says add

, , ,

so me explanation t o t h e d evelo p ment if ne c ,

essary and contradict but rare l y If anyb ody

,
.

sp eaks t o o mu c h you may int errupt h im fro m ,

time t o tim e wit h out app earin g t o noti c e any

,

t h in g I f t h e ot h ers do n ot sp eak enou g h

.
,

you must try to make t h em sp eak if t h ey h ave ,

a d esire t o do so and if t h ey are to o timid , , ,

try t o urge t h e m on un l ess t h ey b e of th ose ,

t h at w ou l d turn t h e conversation int o ot h er

c h ann e l s Supp osin g t h ere h as b e en a di
.

g ressio n you may

,
qui et l y brin g t h e m b ack ,

W ith out l ettin g t h e m grow di ffu se Yo u .

S h ou l d d o a ll t h is in a spirit of c h arity p eac e ,

'

and gentl en ess A l ways aim at h ig h er p er .

f e c ti o n in your conversations w ith out ho w , ,

ever disapp earin g in t h e c l ouds L et every

,
.

thin g b e simpl e a nd practica l Sp eak about .

5 34 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

s elf d enial an d renun ciati on o f all thin gs m ore

-

fre qu ently than a b o ut anythin g els e Sp eak .

also a b o ut unio n w ith O ur L ord ab out r e c o l ,

l e cti on p eac e et c
, ,
.

Sin c erely y our s in Je s u s and Mary .

L E TT E R CIX .

TO A D I RECT O R O F A S EM I NA RY .

He o pens hi s he a r t t o hi m .
—
W e s h uld
o no t see k to
k n o w the co n du t
c o f O ur Lo rd in us .

P r a i s e d be Jes us a nd M ary !
R enn e s ,
Ju n e 1 0 th, 1 8 3 8 .

M Y V ERY D EA R FAT H ER A ND FRI EN D IN OU R

L O RD J ES U S :
Sin c e it i s th e w ill of O ur L ord that I s h o uld
w rit e and sin c e y o u d esire it fo r H is
to y o u ,
love and in H is love I supp os e I shall have,

to d o it B ut I a s sure y o u in a l l sin c erity that

.

I do s o in th e great est fear and ap preh ension .

If y o u kn e w ho w w ret ch ed I am and ho w I ,

p ois on everythin g I t ou ch y o u would n o t ,

even w ish to l o o k up on me mu ch l ess to have ,

an intimate union O f c harity w ith me I w a s .

b l in d durin g th e w h o l e tim e of my soj ourn in

the s emina r y o f P ari s and I s s y O ur goo d .

L ord h a s d ei gn e d to S h ow m e cl early a part

o f th e h arm th at I am doin g in th e spiritual
536 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

w ho give th e ms elv es to H im w ith o ut reserve -

th at it s e e ms as th ou gh every c reature S h ould

re main S ilent re sp ectful an d admirin g in
, ,

o rder to let H im act a ccordin g to H is go o d

pl ea s ure an d ac co mplish th e p erfe ction and
,

s a n c ti fi c a ti o n o f th ese sou l s Th ey b el on g to .

H im an d n o t to th e mselv es ; h en c e H e w is h e s
to a ct as Sov e rei gn M ast er an d we sh ould n o t
,

call H im to a cco unt eith er for w h at H e do es ,

o r ho wo r w hy H e do e s it W e mu st yi eld .
,

und er H is p rot e ction to H is divin e guidan c e

,

and to H i s divin e and in co mp reh ensibl e o p

e r a ti o n s. Wh en H e op erat es p o w erfully
t hrou gh H i s cro ss w e sh o uld b e more d ead
,

than ever in H is han ds ; w e s h o uld n o t stir .

I n su ch a cas e it se e ms to m e th at H i s w ays
,

are far m ore o bscure f o r u s than o n any oth er

o cc asion . W e s ee H im c ut retren c h tear , ,

o ut ,
ruin annihilat e an d w e kno w n eith er
, ,

w h at n o r ho w n o r w hy W e fe el th e v i o
, ,
.

l en c e o f th e bl o w s H e infli ct s up on u s ; but
we do not see c learly The more violent H i s
.

blo ws are th e m ore H e p l ac es u s in a c ertain

,

stu p idity b efore Hi m B ut o u r h ap pin ess is

.

i m m en s e durin g th es e w oful m o m ents b e ,

cau s e w e s e e nothin g do n othin g an d can d o

, ,

n othin g J e s u s alon e acts b ot h w it h p ower

.
,

an d sovereign auth ority Aft er t h at w hat

.
,

els e c an w e d esire ? Th erefore it se e ms to m e ,

t h at o u r only duty is to remain in o u r stupid

 VENE R AB LE L IB E RM A NN 5 37

ity and incapacity b efore Him I am o f opin .

ion t h at O u suc h an o c casion w e s h ou l d n ot

even op en our mout h to manifest o u r j o y and
,

our d esires t o O ur L ord S h ou l d w e d o s o

.
,

it s e ems t o m e t h at it s h ou l d at l east b e don e

, ,

bri efly in as f ew wo rds as p ossibl e and n o t to o

,

oft en It woul d b e b est in my o pinion to

.
, ,

re main in H is presen c e so t h at H e may strik e

,

us according t o H is go od pleasure an d to ,

l o ok up on H im doin g so but wit h a swe et j oy

, ,

a l o o k o f co mp l acen cy and a union of love

, ,

of resp e ct of p erfe ct c onsent and abn egation

,
.

Sti l l if w e fe l t w e w ere growin g weak or if w e ,

fe l t a n e ed of expressin g our d esires and i n

t e r i o r disp o sitions t o o u r D ivin e Mast e r I ,

b e l ieve it w ould b e a go od t h in g instead o f ,

b ein g w ron g B ut it wou l d b e b ett er ac cord

.
,

in g to my w a y o f t h inking t o ke ep ourse l ves ,

in resp e ct and adoration b efore H im ; fo r

w ho wou l d dare t o stir w h en J esus manifests
,

Himse l f in o n e of His op erations of sanctity ?

We S h ou l d b e crus h e d and anni h i l at ed b e

n eat h H is fe et It is certain t h at t h e action
.

of the divin e cross is o n e o f t h e m ost h o l y ,

and p er h ap s t h e most h o l y t h at J esus e mp l oys

,

for t h e p urp o se of estab l is h in g His life and

His reign in a sou l t h at h as b ecom e th e obj ect
of His sp ecial predil ection .

T h ere is on e t h in g w e s h ou l d b eware of ,

and t h at is t o b e anxious t o kn ow and se e th e

,
 S P I R I T U A L LE T T E R S OF T HE

course o f o u r Ma s ter i n our s ouls a s w ell a ,

H is inte ntion s and vi ews W e S h ou l d b e sat .

i s fi e d w ith o u r i gn oran c e and give o u r s e l v e

up blin dly to th e spirit o f O ur L o rd w hic h ,

is w orkin g p o w erfu l ly in u s This voluntar y .

blin dn ess an d ign oran c e w i ll n o t p revent u s

fro m b ein g enli ght en e d very oft en by grea t
ray s o f light B ut w e sh ould n o t s e e k th e m
. .

We S hould leave our kind M a s ter do every

t hin g th at h e se e s fi t and as H e se e s fit
, .

With resp e c t to th e th ou ght that it w oul d

b e go o d f o r y o u to l ose every h uman sup p ort ,

as w ell a s to t h e d esire O f p oss essin g n othin g

up o n earth s o t hat y o u may b e abl e to s a y
,

tru l y : Go d al on e ! Go d al o n e ! it wou l d cer

’

ta i n l y b e a grea t grac e an d th e l ast bl ow to

b e given to th e fl esh but t h e M ast er H imself,
’

mu st e ff e ct this It s e e ms to m e tha t in your

.

p osition w h en o u r kin d L ord do es everything

,

in su c h a p owe rful and d ecisive mann er y o u ,

S h ould n o t s tir I sh a ll t h erefore tak e t h e

.
, ,

lib erty of t ellin g yo u h ow I fe el o n t h e subj e ct .

D O n o t d esire but l et J esus act l et H im d e

, ,

sire i n you I t i s c ertain t h at a l l th ese d esires

.

that are in y o u are d esires o f th e cro ss and

, ,

cons equ ent l y are gen era l ly th os e o f J esus

,
.

I t h in k it is H e t h at s h ould n o t on l y originat e
t h em but also continu e th em p erfe ct an d
, ,

ex e cut e th e m H en c e it se ems to m e t h at
.
, ,

wit h regard to t h is de sire and ot h er S imi l ar ,

 T A B L E O F C O NT E NT S

IN T ROD U C T I O N
L ET T ER I To S M N R N Th gl y f Go d ,
A E I A IA .
—
e or o

i to b
s ught w i th l m d p tie so If w ca an a e n ce —
e

W i h th H ly G h t t t k
s mp l t p
e i o os o a e co e e o s s es s o n

of u ul w m u t t u h t f
o r so f m , e s se o r ea r s r ee ro

aff ti f ec tu
on or c r ea r es .

L ET T ER I I T H S ROT R S A M SON A N D H S , o I B HE I

S ST R N L w
I E H -

xp hi w i ll i g
I -

t A .
—
e e r es s e s s n n es s o

b ep f s l ittl i
on sor C u l Ed or a e n ec e .
—
o n se s on u

c a ti o n .

L ET T ER I I I, To TH E SA M E — Hi s r es i g n a ti o n in
S i c k n es s — The d g
an er s of a Chr i s ti a n w ho liv es

i n the wo r ld
M
’

L ET T ER I V, TO TH E SA E —
A dv i c e on the oc

ca s ion o f the ma r r i a g e of a m e m b er of the f a m i ly .

L ET T ER V ,
To A SE M I N A RI A N .
—
T o ta l u s r r en d er

of se lf i n to the ha n d s of Go d .
—
I n w ha t the ha p

pi n es s o f a Chr i s ti a n c o n s i s ts .

L ET T ER V I To , TH E SA M E .
-
A p r i es t s ho uld
b ho r the w o r l d
a —
A dv i ce f o r ti m e of s ic k n es s .

-
R ul e f o r the a ff e c ti o n s —
Ho w to d f d
e en one

se lf g a a in st the co n ta gi on of the wo r d l —
A ho ly
p r i es t s ho uld d eta ch hi ms elf fr o m the wo r ld and

f o m s elf The d e s i r e o f r e tr ea t
r .
—
.

L ET T ER V I I To A SE M I N A RI A N H o w we s ho uld , .

l o v e J e s u s a n d M a r y P ut a wa y the Sp i i t o f .
— r

fea r a n d tr embl i g D eta chme t fr o m e xter i o r n — n

thi n s g .
54 2 TA B LE OF C ON T EN T S
Pa g es

L ET T ER V I I I ,
To HIS ELDE S T B ROTH ER A ND HI S

S I S TER— I N LA w -

b r o ther to the
.
—
He e x ho r t s hi s
p r a cti c e o f m e di ta t i o n Edi fy i n g d eta i l s a b o ut .
—

the cho l e r a a t P a r i s D ev o ti o n o f the s em i n a r —

i a n s i c a r i n g f o r the S i c k
n . 28

L ET T ER I X To A S E M I N A RI A N Rul e f o r
, .
—
the
a ff ect i o n s H o w to d e fen d o n es elf a g a i n s t
—
the
co n ta gi on of the w o r ld .

L ET T ER X , To TH E SA M E —
The ho ly p i t r es de
ta che d f ro m the wo r ld an d f rom se l f Th—
e de
s i re of r e r ea t t .

L ET T ER XI ,
To HI S ELDE S T B ROTH ER A ND HIS

S I S TER I N LA W - -

. S e lf d -

en i a l and s u bm i s sion to
the wi ll of Go d .

L ET T ER XI I ,
To A SE M I N A RI A N .
—
The t
e ff e c s of

ho ly c o mm u n i on . H OW p r ep a r e
to o n es e lf
fo r it .
— In t er i o r p ea ce —
T em p t a t i o n s o f v an i ty
and e s te e m of c r ea t u r es

L ET T ER X I I I , To HI S E LDE ST B ROTH E R A ND HIS

S I S TER I N LA W
- - — Re s i g n a ti o n and p ea ce in the

s a cr i fic e s tha t Go d as ks of us .

LETTER XI V , To A SE M I N A RI A N ON VA CA TI ON .

F ea s t o f the N a ti i v ty Of the Bl es s e d V i gi r n .

M o d el s f o r a se mi na r i a n on v a ca ti o n .

L ET T ER X V , To A SE M I N A RI A N .
—
B a s en e s s and

w r etche d n es s of ma n ,
in p r e s en ce o f the s a cti ty n

g d u P i o u s co n v er s a ti o n s a n d
”

and ran e r of G od .
—

p i o u s d es i r es .

L ET T ER XVI , To HIS E LDE S T B ROTH ER A ND HIS

S I S TER I N LA W
- -
.
— H o ly mi s s i on of p a r en t s wi h t
reg d to th i
ar e r c hi ld r en .

L ET T ER X V I I To ,
A SE M I N A RI A N .
—
The p ea c e of

J u s Ch i t
es d r s , an the m ea n s of p o s s es s i n g it .

A dv i f th d i
ce or e r ec ti o n Of so ul s
5 44 T AB L E OF C ONT E NT S
Pa ge s
L ET T ER XX V I I I ,
To A SE M I N A RI A N .
—
H e i n v i t es
hi m to j
r e o i ce i n hi s c o n s ecra ti o n to Go d t hr o u h g
s ub d e a c o n s hi p .
—
The c o n s eq u en c es of thi s co n

tr a ct —
Seek Go d l
a one .

L ET T ER XX I X , To H I S ELDE S T B ROTH ER A N D H I S

S I S TER I N LA W - -

. He di d no t co n o r f m to the
u g f th w ld f th
sa e o e or or e n ew y ea r .
—
W ha t the
wo ld ir d it pi i t s, an s s r .

L ET T ER XXX To A S M N R ,
E I A IA N . Go d a onel !
Th p e f Go d du i g
r es e n c e o ti o a d t udy r n r ec r e a n n s .

—
C o t tm t o f t ho
n en w ho g i v e t hem s e lv s e m
en se e

ti ly to Go d
re A s s o i a ti o of P i ty .
—
c n e .

L ET T ER XXX I To A F U TURE S U B DEA CON F ea , .

— r

and j y t the pp o c h o f the o d i

a ti o to s ub
a ro a r na n

d co s hi p T m p t ti o s to v a i ty
ea n .
—
e a n n

L ET T ER XXX I I To A S M I N A RI A N ON VA CA TI ON ,
E .

H o w m u ch he s ho uld gu a d g a i s t th f a l s e r a n e

a ttr a c ti o n s of the w o r ld
L ET T ER XX XI I I To , A DI RE CTOR OF A SE M I NAR Y .

N e w s a b o u t hi s tr i p to I lki r c h —
D eta i s l l
r e a ti n g
to the co n v i er s o n o f one o f hi s b r o the r s
L ET T ER To AXXX I V S E M I N A RI A N S elf r e
, .
— -

s tr a i n t a v er ,
y p
o w e r ful he l p to o b t a i n i n t er i o r

li f e . T hi s i n te r i o r l i fe to b e s o ug ht w i th en er gy
—

by ta k i n g J e s u s f o r m o d e l
L ET T ER XXX V To A S E M I N A RI A N The s i ght , .
—

of ou m i s er i es
r N a t u r a l d e s i r es Chi ld i s h
— —

n es s

L ET T ER XXX V I To A SE M I N A RI A N A dv a n ,
.
—

ta g es o f the co n t r a d i c t i o n s a n d the c o n te m p t o f
m en H o w to p r o fi t b y them
—

L ET T ER XXX V I I To H I S B ROTH ER A N D H I S ,

S I S TER I N LA w I n t er v i ew w i th a J e w i s h ha lf
'

- - -
.

s i s t er H e d e fen d s hi m s elf a g a i n s t the ca lu m

.
—

n i e s t ha t w e r e s p r ea d a g a i n s t hi m Va i n eff o rts .
—

to c o n v er t hi s s i s t e r
 TA BLE OF C ON T EN T S 5 45
Pa g e s
L ET T ER XXX V I I I , To A S E M I N A RI A N .
— The ho ly
an gl mo d l
e s as f th l i f o f u i o w i th Go d
e s o 2 02 e e n n

L ET T ER XXX I X To A S M N R N R li , E I A IA .
—
e a n ce

up onG d lo A dv i
o f ath b d f
ne — ce or e an s o

p i ty e Ch i ty—
ho uld u i t ar it m mb s n e s e er s .

Rul t es g v d mi i
o o er n a ss on s

L ET T ER X L To A S M N R N S C K A T H OM ,
E I A IA I E .

Th d g e tan w hi h h i er s xp d H w t o c e s e ose —
o o

a v i d th m
o e

L ET T ER XLI To TH E SA M J o y t th pp
,
h E . a e a r oac

o f d th ea D t hm t p —
d fid
e ac en , ea c e , an co n e n ce

L ET T ER X L I I To M N N TH W ORLD
,
H A A I E . e

u g hi m t th p ti f i t i l i f
r es o N e rac ce o n er o r e . ece s

s i ty f m d i t ti o
o P ti l m th d f m k i g
e a n .
—
rac ca e o o a n

i t w ll e . 2 9 1

L ET T ER X L I I I To A S M I A RI A C id , E N N .
—
ons er a

ti ons on th f t f Ch i tm e Th C hi l d J u
ea s o r s as — . e es s

wi h s t b b
es d t li v i
o e orn an o e n us .

L ET T ER X L I V TO H S S ST R N L w P i u ,
I I E -
I -
A .
-
o s

wi h s f th
es w yor D t l v th wo ld
e ne ea r . o no o e e r .

Li v i
-
eh ly m n i a d t ti f y
o a n n er n or er o s anc

c hi ld r en .

L ET T ER X L V To A S M I N R N A b u t d i t ,
E A IA . o a r ec

or of i n
co s c eTh t u m
n ce — f ti fi . e - r e ea n s o s anc ca

ti on Th p — t i l l i f f g d em i i
e rac 2 47 ca e o oo s na r a n s .

L ET T ER X LVI To A S M I N A RI N S CK A T OM
’

,
E A I H E .

—
Ex h t t i o t p or a fid n d o mp l t o e a c e, co n en c e, a n c e e

d t hm t f m l l thi g
e ac en ro a n s

L ET T ER X L V I I To A S M I N ARIA N W h t o u ,
E .
— a r

j y i
o u cces ho uld be
n s s s

LET T ER X LVI I I To A RELI GI OU S Hi s ho p es ,

.
—

a b ut v oca ti o
o a D es i es o f es ti g up o Go d n — r r n n

a lo N ews a b o u t s ev
ne — l s emi a i er a n r a ns .
546 T A B LE OF C ON T EN T S
Pa g e s
L ET T ER X L I X ,
To H I S S I S TER I N LA W - -

. He gi v es

so me d e ta i s l a bo ut the b a pti s m of o ne of hi s
b r o the rs —
T hi s e v t en S ho uld b e f o r them a mo
ti v fe w i g th i
o r en e n e r f v er or .

L ET T ER L To H S N CE H e , ou t h I IE —
ann n ce s o er

th e v i
co n f h u l
er s o n d xh t h t o er n c e, an e or s er o

l o v M y w i th
e ar d t d p ti l l v an a r en an rac ca o e .

L ET T ER LI To A S M N R N D p tu f ,
E I A IA .
—
e ar re or

R en n e s T tl u -
d i t th h d f Go d
o a s r r en er n o e an s o . 2 73

L ET T ER LI I To A SE M I N RI N Rul f , du t A A .
—
e o . co n c

in gi t ti o t u b l
a a d n, y H o ly l i b
ro e, an anno a n ce —

et ty d p an b f G d e a ce e or e o .

L ET T ER L I I I To S CK S M N R N J y d , A I E I A IA .
—
o an

a b d m tt J u i i k
an on en Th ti
o f es s n s c n es s .
—
e ac on o

J u i u
es s ul
n o th d i h v
r so o n ea r an n ea en .

L ET T ER LI V To S M N A R A N I wh t m , A E I I .
—
n a an

n er J u ho uld b
es sti l y i hi m
s e en re n .

L ET T ER L V TO A S M N A R N F i d i g ut d
, E I IA .
— n n o an

c o rre ti f hi
c d f t N t u l u i i ty
on o s e ec s .
—
a ra c r os .

H w t p p
o o mo re I d i ff aref th a s er n —
n e r en ce or e

j udgm t s o f m en en .

L ET T ER LVI To A DI R CTOR OF A S M RY A t , E E I NA .

t hm
ac t to th
en mi y t St Sul p i J oy e se nar a . ce .
, ,

whi h g o d
c w h o u s d hi m ne s a s ca e .

L ET T ER L V I I To A D R CTOR OF A S M I N A RY , I E
.
E .

R u c m t d i hi l ti o o f lf befo Go d
en o n e en an ann a n se re

M i ld e d p cn ss an ea e .

LETTER LVI II To A DI RECTOR OF A SE M I N A RY , .

J o y u p o n l ea r n i n g tha t he ha s c r o s s e s to b ea r .

A b a n d o n m en t t o J es u s .

L ET T ER LI X To A S E M I N A RI A N The Sp i r i t
, .
—
of

J es u s wi ll b e hi s l i fe i n s uff e r i ng Hi s s ta te —
of
p r a y er .

303
 54 8 T AB LE OF C ON T EN T S
Pa g e s
L ET T ER L XX II, To A SE M I N A RI A N .
—
F a ther
Eud es . S u pp o r t of o ur m i s er i es —
Two m en
in us

L ET T ER L XX I I I To A SE M I N A RI A N On the , .

w o r d s o f O u r L o r d : Ego s u m v i a v er i ta s e t v i ta , ,
.
3 68
L ET T ER L XX I V To A SE M I N A RI A N H i s l e s s o n s , .
—

i n ca tec hi s m D i s cr eti o n i n e x ter i o r mo r ti fica

—

ti o n .

L ET T ER L XX V , To H I S B ROTH ER A N D H I S S I S TE R

I N LA w-
. D eta chm en tf r o m ea r th ly thi g n s . The
edu ti o f th i hi ld
ca on e r c r en .

L ET T ER L XX V I To A S M N A R N H w to ,
E I IA .
-

o se

cu th l i f f J u i u
re Me f m ki g e o es s n s .
—
a nner o a n

m d i t ti
e a on .

L ET T ER L XX V I I To A S M N A R A N I t i , E I I .
—
n er o r

and e xt er i o r p ea c e .

L ET T ER L XX V I I I , To A YOU N G N I E CE .
—
Div er s

co u l i i w f h fut u v ti t th
n se s n V e o er re o ca on o e

re ligi u t t o s s a e .

L ET T ER L XX I X To S M N R N Li f f , A E I A IA .
—
e o

J u i
es sul Th p i i t i whi h w h uld
n o ur s o .
—
e s r n c , e s o

a cc o m p l i h o u d i ly ti s r a ac ons

L ET T ER L XXX To A S M N R A N N tu l ,
E I A I . a ra ac

t i i ty
v Pi u .v ti o s co n er sa on s .

L ET T ER L XXX I To S M N R N H w t , A E I A IA .
—
o o

k p hi m lf u i t d t G d w i th u t
ee se t ti n e o o o c o n en on .
39 5
L ET T ER L XXX I I T A S M N R N M d f , o E I A IA . o e o

co n du t wh J u t c i b ly i th ul
en es s a c s s en s n e so .

L ET T ER L XXX I I I To Y OU N G PR ST F g t ,
A IE .
—
or e

ful f
n es s lf I t i t to b f Go d u i t
se —
n er o r s a e e ore s

a bl t e h o ul o ea c s .

L ET T ER L XXX I V To S M N R N Th t u , A E I A IA .
—
e r e

S pi it f p y
r Th d i
o f k wl dg
ra er d .
—
e es r e or no e e, an

h w t
o m d t it o o er a e .

f
’

LETTER L xxxv To A SE M I N A RI A N ,
.
—
The hi d
de n l i f e o f J e s u s i n u s A b so lu te .
-
and bl i n d
a b a n d o m en t t o J es u s
n .
 TA B LE OF C ON T EN T S
Pa g e s
L ET T ER L XXX V I To A SE M ,
The l i fe I N ARI A N .
—
.

o f f a i th c o m p a r e d w i th the w a y s o f the s e s es n .

C o du ct w i th r e l a ti o n to o u r f a ul t s
n .

L ET T ER L XXX V I I To A SE M I N ARI A N H e u r g e s ,
.

hi m t o p a r t w i th s sibl m eans The m ul ti en e .

—

p l i c i t y o f i n te n t i o s a n d p i o u s p r a ct ince s

L ET T ER L XXX V I I I To A SE M I N A RI A N The h
.

,
id .

d en l i f e o f Our Lo d a t N a a e th a n d i the b o s o m r z r n

of H i s F a ther .

L ET T ER L XXX I X To A DI RECTOR OF A SE M I N ARY , .

T ha t he s ho uld n o t to o r ea d i ly b el i ev e tha t he i s
d ecl i i g i p i ety Ho w he S ho uld a cco mp l i s h
n n n —

hi s dut i e s Rul f o j udg i g o ther s

—
e r n .

L ET T ER XC To A S E M I N A RI A N , T r i u mp h o f .
—

J es u s i the s o ul thr o ugh the c r o s s

n .

L ET T ER XC I To A SE M I N A RI A N Fo r g et ful n e s s
, .
—

o f s el f Ho w to u s e s e s i b l e g r a c e s
—
n .

LE ER TT CI I X , To A DI RE CTOR OF A SE M I NA R Y .

The w o r k o f d e s tr u ti o c n e ff ec te d by J u i es s n hi s
so ul H w t
.
—
o th o t p u roc re e gl y f th M
or o e a s er .
439
L ET T ER X C I I I To S V R L S M N A R A N S U i , E E A E I I .
—
n on

Of f t l h i ty f v o
r a er n a clf d i l Th i ar , er r, se -

en a .
—
c n

t i
er o r v i f th H ly G h t i th ul
o ce o e o os n e so .

L ET T ER X C I V T S M N ARI N A i hi l ti
, o A E I A . nn a on

of lf b f
se G d Th d t i
e ore f th i t o .
-
e oc r ne o e sa n s

co mp d w i th th t hi g f J u i
ar e ul e ea c n o es s n so s .

R di g
ea f w k
n f p i ty
o or s o e

L ET T ER XCV T A YOU N G PR S T N tu l i , o IE .
—
a ra a

f ti
ec on H w t —
u th w
o d f Gd o a nno n ce e or o o .

C u o l f th t i b u l f p
nse s or e r na o e n a n ce .

L ET T ER X CV I T S M N R N W , h uld o A E I A IA .
—
e s o

j i b f O L d
r e o ce e ore u t f mi yur or o n a cco n o o ur s er

an d w k ea Fili l b d m t t G d
n es s . a a an on en o o

LET T ER X CV I I To S M I N A R N H ly i di f , A E IA .
—
o n

f i
e r en ce v ythi g Av i d p k i g b ut
n e er n —
o s ea n a o

p i ty f th
e oti v k i d e
“
ac e n
55 0 TA B LE OF C ON T EN T S
Pa g e s
L ET T ER X C V I I I , To H I S S I S TER I N LA w A N D H I S - -

Two Y OU N G N I E CE S —
They s ho uld pp ly a them
se lv es i n a s p ec i a l m a n n e r to the p r a c ti c e of mee k
n es s and p a t i en ce .

L ET T ER X C I X ,
To A Y OU N GP RI E S T .
—
S up e r l l a t
u r a l i n c a p a c i ty a nd di s ce r n m en t i n the di r ec ti o n

of so ul s .

LET T ER C ,
To A DI RECTOR OF A SE M I NAR Y .
r d

I ne
?

d i g i ty n of a p r i est an d the s a n c ,
t i ty it d em a n d s
—
A dv i ce f o r m a i n ta i n i n g the s em i n a r i a n s in
s ta e t '

of f v er or .

L ET T ER CI , To A S E M I N A RI A N . Lea v i n g to J es us
the w ho l e ca r e o f r e p r o du ci n g H i s i ma g e in us .

d
I n i ff e r e n c e
d an fo r g et ful es s o f n se lf .

L ET T ER C I I To , A SE M I N A RI A N .
J oy up on be
h ld i g hi m s p
o n o oor a man . M i st r u s t , and u n ion

t
w i h Go d .
—
P y ra er and co n s ec r a ti o n of p i ety .
49 5
L ET T ER CI I I , To Two SE M I N A RI A N S .
—
P u r i ty
w hi ch f t
r a er n a l c ha r i ty m ut s ha v e —
M i s tr u s t
of se lf .

L ET T ER C I V , To A DE A CON . G ran d e ur o f the di g

mi t y to w hi c h he i s g oin gt o be p r o m o te d . R ul es

of a s a c er d t l li f
o a e .

L ET T ER CV To A DI RECTOR OF A SE M I N A RY L o v e
, .

o f J e s u s l i v i g a n d a c ti g i c eat u r es
n n n r .

L ET T ER CV I To A S E M I N A RI A N H i s a pp r o a ch
, .
—

i g o r d i n a ti o n to s u b d ea co n s hi p
n H i s c ha r a ct e r .
—

i n cl i e d n to p l e a s a tr y H o l i n e s s whi ch hi s n .
-

s ta te d em a n d s .

L ET T ER C VI I T , o A SE MN N I A RI A . Dv e o ti o n to
the Bl es s e d Vi gi r n —
D i p iti
s os ons in re g d ar to
c r o s s es .

L ET T ER CV I I I , To A S E M I N A RI A N .
—
W a tc h ful n es s

v lf d p y The di g of a s ce ti c
‘
—
o er se , an ra er . r ea n

au th Pi u
ors v . o s co n e r s a ti o n s

L ET T ER CI X To A D R , I E C TOR OF A SE M I N A RY .
—
He
o pe ns hi s hea r t to hi m .
—
W e s ho uld n o t s ee k to