Salesian Literature

12.   A Constant Challenge

 

Dear Francis de Sales,

 

Is it worthwhile trying to be good?  Every time I try things seem to go wrong; in fact, they seem worse than when I don’t make any efforts.  I was doing my best to help someone the other day, but they seemed to resent it, and ended by putting me in the wrong.  I really don’t know where I am or what to do.  I used to set my alarm for half an hour before I needed to get up in he mornings, and jump out of bed to say some prayers.  Recently I have been sleeping-in until the last minute.

 

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. A. Christine

 

 

Dear Mrs. Christine,

 

It’s quite obvious that the whole cause of your trouble is a disturbed mind.  This is the result of two unsatisfied longings.  One of these was a desire to serve God on the occasion in question; the other was a wish to know whether you had done your duty faithfully.  It’s your impetuous enthusiasm in both these cases that has made you worried and upset and is responsible for all the trouble.

 

Now, there’s no doubt at all in my mind that you’ve done your duty properly.  Naturally inclined as you are to be exacting, you tend to find your efforts insufficient.  For the same reason, since you want to fulfil your obligations and can’t completely convince yourself that you have done so, you’ve become a prey to discouragement and melancholy.

 

Come now, my child, you must forget all that and cheer up.  Humble yourself before our Lord and remember that your sex and state in life don’t allow you to prevent evil around you, except by setting a good example or by simply, humbly and kindly correcting the guilty parties or by bringing he matter to the notice of those in authority over them when that is possible.  I’m telling you this for another time.

 

Let me add, as a general rule, that when we can’t tell whether or not we have done our duty in a particular matter and are afraid we may have offended God, we should humble ourselves, ask his forgiveness and pray for greater light another time.  Then we must completely forget what has happened and carry on as usual.

 

To pry too closely and eagerly into our behaviour, to see whether we have acted rightly, is undoubtedly a sign of self-love.  This makes us want to know if we are successful, when true love of God tells us to humble ourselves in God’s mercy, always ask his pardon, renew our promise to be faithful, and go on trying to come closer to him.

 

I think it’s a good thing not to sleep-in as long as you can in the mornings, except occasionally when you need the rest.  You will need to take rather more exercise in place of the sleep, however, so as not to injure your health.  It will serve as a tonic to counteract the bodily effects of missing your sleep.  In this way you could cut your sleep by as much as an hour (getting up earlier, I mean, not going to bed later), and I’m sure you’d feel better for it.

 

As regards other austerities, don’t undertake anything out of the ordinary, since your constitution and state in life render them inadvisable.

 

If you want to acquire virtues, it’s better to practise them when there is most opposition.  Don’t be discouraged by the obstacles; treat them as a constant challenge to do your best.

 

May God be ever our only love, our motive in all we do.

 

I am entirely yours in him,

Francis de Sales

(Source:  Annecy, March 1609.  Annecy Edition, XIV, 135-137)

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