Salesian Literature

Letters on:

Loving and Serving God in Your Daily Life

1. Marriage is an exercise in mortification   ::   2. As far as possible, make your devotion attractive  ::   3. Have patience with everyone, including yourself

4. Keep yourself gentle amid household troubles  ::   5. Do what you see can be done with love  ::   6. Parents can demand more than God Himself

7. Avoid making your devotion troublesome  ::   8. Have contempt for contempt  ::   9. Lord, what would You have me to do?  ::   10. Take Jesus as your patron

11. Remain innocent among the hissing of serpents  ::   12. Never speak evil of your neighbour  ::   13. Extravagant recreations may be blameworthy

14. We must not ask of ourselves what we don't have  ::   15. If you get tired of kneeling, sit down  ::   16. You will not lack mortification

17. We must always walk faithfully  ::   18. Illness can make you agreeable to God  ::   19. You are being crowned with His crown of thorns

20. Often the world calls evil what is good  ::   21. Rest in the arms of Providence  ::   22. In confidence, lift up your heart to our Redeemer

23. We must slowly withdraw from the world  ::   24. This dear child was more God's than yours  ::   25. Think of no other place than Paradise or Purgatory

26. How tenderly I loved her!  ::   27. Calm your mind, lift up your heart  ::   28. Miserable beggars receive the greatest mercy

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17. We must always walk faithfully

To a childless woman

 

My dearest daughter,

 

Since you have given all to God, seek nothing but Him, who is doubtless Himself the good you have received in exchange for the poor little all you have given Him.  Oh, how this will increase your courage, and make you walk confidently and simply!  Also, it is well to think always that your sterility comes from your fault, yet without occupying yourself in thinking what the fault is; for this thought will make you walk in humility.

 

Do you think, my dear daughter, that Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, Anne (the mother of Samuel), St. Anne (the mother of our Lady), and St. Elizabeth were less agreeable to God when they were barren than when they were fruitful?  We must walk faithfully in the way of Our Lord, and remain in peace as much in the winter of sterility as in the autumn of fruitfulness.

 

Our sisters are consoled by the hope of peace.  They deserve to be all the more consoled by the word of the heavenly Spouse, who preserves those who are His own “as the apple of His eye” (Deut. 32:10).  St. Jerome said to one of his spiritual daughters that he who walks upon the earth has no need of a plank; he who is covered by the heavens has no need of a roof.[1]  Will God, who makes houses for the snails and turtles, who neither think of Him nor sing His praises, leave without a convent His servants who assemble for His praise?

 

My daughter, I am more and more entirely

Your very humble servant,

Francis

 

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[1] St. Jerome, Letter 43 ad Marcllam.

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