Part 2

LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR

THERE are moments when we are so wretched within, that we must needs hurry away from ourselves. The good God does not oblige us to remain at such times in our own company; indeed He often permits that it should be displeasing to us just that we may leave it. And I see no other means of going out of ourselves than by going to visit Jesus and Mary, that is, hastening to deeds of charity.

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

I APPLIED myself above all to practise quite hidden little acts of virtue; thus I liked to fold the mantles forgotten by the Sisters, and sought a thousand opportunities of rendering them service.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VII

HAD I been rich I never could have borne to see a poor person hungry without giving him to eat. It is the same in my spiritual life: knowing there are souls on the point of falling into Hell, I give them my treasures according as I earn anything, and I have never yet found a moment to say: "Now I am going to work for myself."

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

I FEEL that when I am charitable it is Jesus alone who acts in me; the more I am united to Him the more do I love all my Sisters. If, when I desire to increase this love in my heart, the demon tries to set before my eyes the faults of one or other of the Sisters, I hasten to call to mind her virtues, her good desires; I say to myself that if I have seen her fall once, she may well have gained many victories which she conceals through humility; and that even what appears to me a fault may in truth be an act of virtue by reason of the intention.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

TRUE Charity consists in bearing with all the defects of our neighbour, in not being surprised at his failings, and in being edified by his least virtues; Charity must not remain shut up in the depths of the heart, for _no man lighteth a candle and putteth it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house._ [1] It seems to me that this candle represents the Charity which ought to enlighten and make joyful, not only those who are dearest to me, but _all who are in the house_.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

[1] _Cf_. Matt., v, 15.

THERE is no artist who does not like his work praised, and the Divine Artist of souls is pleased when we do not stop at the exterior, but penetrating even to the inmost sanctuary which He has chosen for His dwelling, we admire its beauty.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

I OUGHT to seek the company of those Sisters who according to nature please me least. I ought to fulfil in their regard the office of the Good Samaritan. A word, a kindly smile, will often suffice to gladden a wounded and sorrowful heart.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X

OH! what peace inundates the soul when she rises above natural sentiment. No joy can compare with that known to one who is truly poor in spirit. If he ask with detachment for some necessary thing, and it is not only refused him, but an attempt made besides to deprive him of what he already has, he follows the counsel of our Lord: "_And if a man will contend with thee in judgment and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him._" [2]

To yield up our cloak means, I think, to renounce our last rights, to consider oneself as the servant, the slave of others. When we have abandoned our mantle it is easier to walk, to run; therefore Jesus adds: "_And whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him other two_." [3]

It is not enough that I should give to whosoever may ask of me, I must forestall their desires, and show that I feel much gratified, much honoured in rendering service; and if they take a thing that I use, I must seem as though glad to be relieved of it.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

[2] Matt., v, 40. [3] Matt., v, 41.

IF it is hard to give to whoever asks, it is still harder to let what belongs to us be taken, without asking it back, or rather, I ought to say it _seems_ hard; for _the yoke of the Lord is sweet and light:_ [4] when we accept it we feel its sweetness immediately.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

[4] _Cf_. Matt., xi, 30.

WHEN Charity is deeply rooted in the soul it shows itself exteriorly: there is so gracious a way of refusing what we cannot give, that the refusal pleases as much as the gift.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

TO want to persuade our Sisters that they are in the wrong, even when it is perfectly true, is hardly fair, as we are not responsible for their guidance. We must not be _Justices of the peace_, but only _angels of peace_.

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

JESUS wills that we give alms to Him as to one poor and needy. He puts Himself as it were at our mercy; He will take nothing but what we give Him from our heart, and the very least trifle is precious in His sight. He stretches forth His Hand, this sweet Saviour, to receive of us a little love, so that in the radiant day of Judgment He may be able to address to us those ineffable words: "_Come, ye blessed of My Father; for I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me._" [5]

XV LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE

[5] Matt., xxv, 34-36.

IF I were still to live, the office of Infirmarian is the one which would please me most. I would not ask for it, but if it came direct by obedience I should think myself highly privileged. It seems to me that I would discharge its duties with a tender love, thinking always of our Saviour saying: "_I was sick and you visited me._" [6] The Infirmary bell should be for you as Heavenly music. You ought purposely to pass along beneath the windows of the sick to give them facility in calling you and asking your services. Ought you not to consider yourself like a little slave whom everyone has a right to command? If you could but see the Angels who from the heights of Heaven watch you battling in the arena! They await the end of the combat to cover you with flowers and wreaths. The good God does not disdain these combats, unknown and therefore all the more meritorious. "_The patient man is better than the valiant, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh cities._" [7]

By our little acts of charity practised in the shade we convert souls far away, we help missionaries, we win for them abundant alms; and by that means build actual dwellings spiritual and material for our Eucharistic Lord.

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

[6] Matt., xxv, 36. [7] Prov., xvi, 32.

A NOVICE remarked to Sœur Thérèse: "I do not like to see others suffer, especially saintly souls." She replied instantly:

"Oh! I am not like you: to see saints suffer never moves me to pity! I know they have the strength to endure, and they thus give great glory to God: but those who are not holy, who know not how to profit by their sufferings, oh! how I pity them; they do indeed arouse my compassion, and I would do all I could to comfort and help them."

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

SEEING her extreme weakness the doctor ordered some strengthening remedies; Sœur Thérèse was distressed at first on account of their high price: then she said to us: "I am no longer grieved about taking these costly remedies, for I have been reading that St. Gertrude rejoiced at the thought that all would be to the advantage of those who do us good, since our Lord has said: '_As long as you did it unto one of these My least brethren you did it unto Me_.'" [8]

She added: "I am convinced of the uselessness of medicine for the purpose of curing me, but I have made a compact with the good God, that He is to allow some poor Missionaries to profit by it, who have neither time nor means to take care of themselves."

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII

[8] Matt., xxv, 40.

REMEMBERING that _Charity covereth a multitude of sins,_ [9] I draw from this fruitful mine opened to us by our Lord in His sacred Gospels. I search the depths of His adorable words and cry out with David: "_I have run in the way of Thy commandments when Thou didst enlarge my heart_." [10] And charity alone can enlarge my heart . . .

O Jesus! since this sweet flame consumes it I run with delight in the way of Thy new Commandment, and therein will I run until the blessed day when with Thy Virgin train I shall follow Thee through Thy boundless Realm singing Thy _New Canticle_ which must surely be _the Canticle of LOVE_.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

[9] Prov., x, 12. [10] Ps., cxviii, 32.

FAITH

WHAT helps me most when I picture to myself the interior of the Holy Family is to think of a quite ordinary life.

The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph knew well that Jesus was God, but wondrous things were nevertheless hidden from them and like us they lived by faith. Have you not noticed what is said in the sacred text: "_And they understood not the word that He spoke unto them_," [1] and these other words no less mysterious: "_His father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning Him_"? [2] Does not this imply that they heard of something new to them, for this wondering suggests a certain astonishment?

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

[1] Luke, ii, 50. [2] Luke, ii, 33.

DURING her temptations against faith she wrote: "I strive to work by faith though bereft of its consolations. I have made more acts of Faith in this last year than during all the rest of my life.

"On each fresh occasion of combat, when the enemy desires to challenge me, I conduct myself valiantly: knowing that to fight a duel is an unworthy act, I turn my back upon the adversary without ever looking him in the face; then I run to my Jesus and tell Him I am ready to shed every drop of blood in testimony of my belief that there is a Heaven, I tell Him I am glad to be unable to contemplate, while on earth, with the eyes of the soul, the beautiful Heaven that awaits me so He will deign to open it for eternity to poor unbelievers."

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

HE whose Heart ever watcheth, taught me, that while for a soul whose faith equals but a tiny grain of mustard seed, he works miracles, in order that this faith which is so weak may be fortified; yet for His intimate friends, for His Mother, He did not work miracles until He had put their faith to the test. Did He not let Lazarus die though Martha and Mary had sent to tell Him that he was sick? At the marriage at Cana, the Blessed Virgin having asked Him to come to the assistance of the Master of the house, did He not reply that His hour was not yet come? But after the trial, what a recompense! Water changed to wine, Lazarus restored to life. . .

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VI

A SISTER said to her that beautiful Angels clothed in white robes, and of joyous and resplendent countenance, would bear away her soul to Heaven. She replied: "These imaginations do not help me: I can draw no sustenance except from the Truth. God and the Angels are pure Spirits, no one can see them as they really are, with corporal eyes. That is why I have never desired extraordinary favours. I would rather await the Eternal Vision."

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

"I HAVE asked God to send me a beautiful dream to console me when you are gone," said a novice.

"Ah! that is a thing I should never do--ask for consolation! . . . Since you wish to be like me you well know that I say:

Oh! fear not, Lord, that I shall waken Thee: I await in peace th' eternal shore. . .

"It is so sweet to serve the good God in the dark night of trial; we have this life only in which to live by faith."

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

HOPE

TIME is but a shadow, a dream; already God sees us in glory and takes joy in our eternal beatitude. How this thought helps my soul! I understand then why He lets us suffer . . .

VIII LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE

A DAY . . . an hour . . . and we shall have reached the port! My God, what shall we see then? What is that life which will never have an end? . . . Jesus will be the soul of our soul. Unfathomable mystery! _"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man what great things God hath prepared for them that love Him."_ [1] And this will all come soon--yes, very soon, if we ardently love Jesus.

VI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE

[1] I Cor., ii, 9. _Cf_. Is., lxiv, 4.

LIFE is passing, Eternity draws nigh; soon shall we live the very life of God. After having drunk deep at the fount of bitterness, our thirst will be quenched at the very source of all sweetness.

_Yes, the figure of this world passeth away,_ [2] soon shall we see new heavens; a more radiant sun will brighten with its splendours, ethereal seas and infinite horizons . . . We shall no longer be prisoners in a land of exile, all will be at an end and with our Heavenly Spouse we shall sail o'er boundless waters: now our _harps are hung upon the willows that border the rivers of Babylon,_ [3] but in the day of our deliverance what harmonies will then be heard! With what joy shall we not make every chord of our instruments to vibrate! Today, _we weep remembering Sion . . . how shall we sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land?_ [4]

V LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE

[2] I Cor., vii, 31. [3] _Cf_. Ps. cxxxvi, 2. [4] _Cf_. Ps., cxxxvi, 1, 4.

HOW I thirst for Heaven--that blessed habitation where our love for Jesus will have no limit! But to get there we must suffer . . . we must weep . . . Well, I _wish_ to suffer all that shall please my Beloved, I wish to let Him do just as He wills with His _"little ball."_

V LETTER TO SR. MARIE DU SACRÉ-CŒUR

OH! What mysteries will be revealed to us later . . . How often have I thought that I perhaps owe all the graces showered upon me to the earnest prayer of a little soul whom I shall know only in Heaven. It is God's will that in this world by means of prayer Heavenly treasures should be imparted by souls one to another, so that when they reach the Fatherland they may love one another with a love born of gratitude, with an affection far, far exceeding the most ideal family affection upon earth.

There, we shall meet with no indifferent looks, because all the Saints will be indebted to each other.

No envious glances will be seen; the happiness of every one of the elect will be the happiness of all. With the Martyrs we shall be like to the Martyrs; with the Doctors we shall be as the Doctors; with the Virgins, as the Virgins; and just as the members of a family are proud of one another, so shall we be of our brethren, without the least jealousy.

Who knows even if the joy we shall experience in beholding the glory of the great Saints, and knowing that by a secret dispensation of Providence we have contributed thereunto, who knows if this joy will not be as intense and sweeter perhaps, than the happiness they will themselves possess.

And do you not think that on their side the great Saints, seeing what they owe to quite little souls, will love them with an incomparable love? Delightful and surprising will be the friendships found there--I am sure of it. The favoured companion of an Apostle or a great Doctor of the Church, will perhaps be a young shepherd lad; and a simple little child may be the intimate friend of a Patriarch. Oh! how I long to dwell in that Kingdom of Love . . .

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

A SISTER showed her a photograph representing Joan of Arc consoled in the prison by her Voices. Sœur Thérèse said: "I too am consoled by an interior voice. The Saints encourage me from above, they say to me: 'So long as thou art in fetters thou canst not fulfil thy mission; but later, after thy death--_then_ will be the time of thy conquests.'"

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

IN Heaven the good God will do all I wish, because I have never done my own will upon earth.

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

EVEN now I know it; yes, all my hopes will be fulfilled . . . yes . . . the Lord will work wonders for me which will surpass infinitely my immeasurable desires.

VIII LETTER TO MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS

HUMILITY

IT appears to me that humility is the truth. I know not whether I am humble, but I know that I see the truth in all things.

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

I HAVE understood what true glory is. He whose _Kingdom is not of this world_ [1] showed me that the only enviable royalty consists in loving _to be unknown and esteemed as nothing_, [2] and finding our joy in contempt of self. I wished that like the Face of Jesus, mine might be _as it were hidden and despised_. [3] _That none upon earth might esteem me_. I thirsted to suffer and to be forgotten.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VII

[1] John, xviii, 36. [2] _Imit_., I, ii, 3. [3] Is., liii, 3.

JESUS made me understand that the true, the only glory is that which will last for ever; that to attain to it we need not perform wonderful deeds, but rather, those hidden from the eyes of others and from self, so that _the left hand knoweth not what the right hand doth_. [4]

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IV

[4] Matt., vi, 3.

THÉRÈSE is weak, very weak; of this she has new and salutary experience every day. But Jesus takes pleasure in teaching her how to _glory in her infirmities_. [5] It is a great grace this, for herein is found peace and tranquillity. When we see ourselves so miserable, we wish no longer to look at self but only on the Well-Beloved.

II LETTER TO HER COUSIN MARIE GUÉRIN

[5] II Cor., xi, 5.

I AM a _very little_ soul who can offer only _very little_ things to the good God; yet, it often happens that these little sacrifices which give such peace to the heart escape me; but that does not discourage me, I bear with having a little less peace and I try to be more watchful another time.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X

VEILED in the white Host, O my Well-Beloved, how meek and humble of heart dost Thou show Thyself to me! Thou couldst not stoop lower to teach me humility, and I, to respond to Thy Love, desire to put myself in the lowest place and share Thy humiliations, that I may _have part with Thee_ [6] in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I beseech Thee, my Jesus, to send me some humiliation every time that I shall attempt to put myself above others.

HIST. D'UNE AME, APPENDIX

[6] John, xiii, 8.

WHAT pleases the good God in my little soul is to see me love my littleness and my poverty, it is seeing the blind trust that I have in His Mercy.

VI LETTER TO SR. MARIE DU SACRÉ-CŒUR

TO draw near to Jesus we must be so little . . . Oh! how few souls aspire to be little and unknown. . .

XIV LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE

I AM no longer surprised at anything, nor do I grieve at seeing that I am frailty itself; on the contrary I glory in it, and expect to discover new imperfections in myself each day. These lights concerning my nothingness do me more good, I affirm, than lights regarding faith.

HIST D'UNE AME, CH. IX

WHEN we commit a fault we must not think it due to a physical cause, such as illness or the weather, we must attribute this fall to our imperfection, but without ever growing discouraged.

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

SINCE Jesus has gone back to Heaven I can follow Him only by the path He has traced. Oh how luminous are His footprints-- diffusing a divine sweetness . . . I have but to glance at the holy Gospels and immediately I inhale the fragrance of the life of Jesus, and I know which side to take. Not to the first place do I run but to the last. I let the Pharisee go up, and full of confidence I repeat the humble prayer of the publican. Above all I copy the example of Magdalene; her amazing, or rather, her loving audacity, which so touched the Heart of Jesus, charms my own.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI

WITH a simplicity that delights me my little Sisters, the novices, tell me of the interior combats I arouse in them, in what way they find me trying; they are no more embarrassed than if it were question of some one else, knowing that by acting thus, they greatly please me.

Ah! truly it is more than a pleasure, it is a delicious feast which replenishes my soul with joy. How can a thing so disagreeable to nature give such happiness? Had I not experienced it I could not have believed it.

One day when I had an ardent desire for humiliation, it happened that a young postulant so fully satisfied it, that the thought of Semei cursing David came to my mind and I repeated interiorly with the holy King: _Yes, it is indeed the Lord who has commanded him to say all these things to me._ [7]

Thus the good God takes care of me. He cannot always offer me the strength-giving bread of exterior humiliation, but from time to time He permits me to feast upon _the crumbs that fall from the table of the children_. [8] How great is His Mercy!

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X

[7] Kings, xvi, 10. [8] Mark, vii, 28.

ALL creatures might incline towards the little flower, admiring it and overwhelming it with their praise, but never would that add a shadow of vain satisfaction to the true joy of knowing itself to be a mere nothing in the sight of God.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

BECAUSE I was little and weak, Jesus stooped down to me and tenderly instructed me in the secrets of His Love.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. V

I AM too little to have any vanity, I am also too little to know how to turn beautiful phrases so as to make it appear that I have a great deal of humility. I prefer to acknowledge simply that _He that is mighty hath done great things to me_; [9] and the greatest is His having shown me my littleness, my powerlessness for all good.

HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX

[9] Luke, i, 49.

THE only thing not subject to be envied is the lowest place, it is therefore this lowest place alone which is without vanity and affliction of spirit. Still, _the way of a man is not always in his power_ [10] and sometimes we are surprised by a desire for that which glitters. Then, let us take our place humbly amongst the imperfect, deeming ourselves little souls whom the good God must sustain at each moment. As soon as He sees us truly convinced of our nothingness and we say to Him: _My foot hath slipped: Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me up,_ [11] He stretches out His Hand to us; but if we _will_ attempt to do something grand, even under pretext of zeal, He leaves us alone. It is enough therefore that we humble ourselves, and bear our imperfections with sweetness: there, for us, lies true sanctity.

COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES

[10] _Cf_. Jer., x, 23. [11] _Cf_. Ps., xciii, 18.

THE most eloquent discourses would be incapable of inspiring one act of love without the grace that moves the heart.

See a beautiful, rose-tinted peach, of so sweet a savour that no craft of confectioner could produce nectar like it. Is it for the peach itself that God has created this lovely colour and delicate velvety surface? Is it for the sake of the peach that He has given it so delicious a flavour? No, it is for us; what alone belongs to it and forms the essence of its existence is its stone; it possesses nothing more.

Thus is Jesus pleased to lavish His gifts on some of His creatures, that through them He may draw to Himself other souls; but in His mercy He humiliates them interiorly, and gently constrains them to recognize their nothingness and His Omnipotence. These sentiments form in them, as it were, a kernel of grace, which Jesus hastens to develop for that blessed day when clothed with a beauty, immortal, imperishable, they shall without danger have place at the Celestial banquet.

XVI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE

THE Apostles, without Jesus, laboured long--a whole night-- without taking any fish; their toil was pleasing to Him but He wished to show that He alone can give anything. He asked only an act of humility: _"Children, have you any meat?"_ [12] and St. Peter confesses his helplessness: _"Lord we have laboured all night and have taken nothing."_ [13] It is enough! The Heart of Jesus is touched . . . . Perhaps if the Apostle had taken a few little fishes the Divine Master would not have worked a miracle; but he had _nothing_, and so through God's power and goodness his nets were soon filled with great fishes.