Salesian Literature

LETTERS OF SFS

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Madame de la Flechere

Patiently accept being less than perfect

Do faithfully all the things you have to do

Indifference

We must hate our faults

 

We must hate our faults

January 20, 1609[1]

 

Of course you would be able to explain yourself better and more freely in person than by letter; yet, until such time as God grants us this opportunity, we have to use the means at hand.  You see, you cannot experience drowsiness, apathy, and dullness of the senses without feeling a kind of physical sadness; but so long as in your will and your heart of hearts you are seriously resolved to belong totally to God, you have nothing to fear, for these are flaws of nature and more weaknesses than sins or spiritual failings.  Nevertheless, you should stir yourself to courage and spiritual activity, as soon as you are able.

 

Death is grim, of course, my dear daughter, but the life beyond, which God in His mercy will give us, is most desirable.  Truly, in no way must we lose heart because, even though we are weak, our weakness is not nearly as great as God’s mercy toward those who want to love Him and place all their hope in Him (cf. Pss. 33:18; 37:40).  When blessed Cardinal Borommeo was dying, he had someone bring him an image of Our Lord after His death; this was in order to soften the dread of his own death by uniting it to that of his Saviour.  Such contemplation of Him who is our life (cf. Col. 3:4) is the best remedy against the fear we have of our own death; we should never think about the one without also thinking of the other.

 

O dear daughter, don’t be examining yourself to see if what you are doing is little or much, good or bad, provided that it is not sinful and that, in all good faith, you are trying to do it for God.  As much as possible, do well what you have t do, and once it is done, think no more about it but turn your attention t what has to be done next.  Walk very simply along the way Our Lord shows you and don’t worry.  We must hate our faults, but we should do so calmly and peacefully, without fuss or anxiety.  We must be patient at the sight of these faults and learn from the humiliation which they bring about.  Unless you do this, your imperfections, of which you are acutely conscious, will disturb you even more and thus grow stronger, for nothing is more favourable to the growth of these “weeds” than our anxiety and overeagerness to get rid of them.

 

There is a real temptation to become dissatisfied with the world and depressed about it when we have of necessity to be in it.  God’s providence is wiser than we are.  We imagine we would feel better if we were on another ship; that may be, but only if we change ourselves!  I am the sworn enemy of all those useless, dangerous, unwise desires, for even if what we desire is good, the desiring itself is pointless since God does not want that kind of good for us, but another, toward which He expects us to strive.  He wishes to speak to us from the thorny bush, as He did to Moses (Ex. 3:2), and we would like Him to speak to us in the gentle breeze, as He did to Elijah (1 Kings. 19:12).

 

May His Goodness watch over you, my dearest daughter, but be steadfast, courageous, and rejoice in the fact that He has given you the grace to want to be entirely His.  I am, in this Goodness, all yours.

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[1] Oeuvres, XIV, 119-121: Letter DXII.

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