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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18. Illness can make you agreeable to God

To a woman who is ill, on resignation to troublesome things

 

My dear daughter,

 

I understand that you have an illness more troublesome than dangerous, and I know that such illnesses are prone to spoil the obedience we owe to doctors.

 

For this reason, I tell you not to deprive yourself of the rest, or the medicines, or the food, or the recreations that are prescribed for you.  You can exercise a kind of obedience and resignation in accepting these that will make you extremely agreeable to Our Lord.

 

Also, consider in this illness the number of crosses and mortifications that you have neither chosen nor wished.  God has given them to you with His holy hand; receive them, kiss them, love them.  My God! They are all perfumed with the dignity of the place from which they come.

 

Goodbye, my dearest daughter, I cherish you earnestly.  If I had the leisure I would say more, for I am infinitely pleased that you are faithful in these little and troublesome occurrences, and that in little things as in great ones you say always Vive Jesus!

 

Your devoted and very affectionate servant,

Francis

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