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

​

25. Think of no other place than paradise or purgatory

To a woman anxious about the fate of her deceased son

 

My dearest mother,

 

Having received your letter, I will tell you that I know distinctly the qualities of your heart, and above all its ardour and strength in loving and cherishing what it loves.  It is this that makes you speak so much to Our Lord of your dear departed, and which impels you to these desires of knowing where he is.

 

But, my dear mother, you must repress these longings that proceed from the excess of this amorous passion; and when you discover your mind in this occupation, you must immediately, and even with vocal prayer, return to Our Lord, and say to Him this or the like: “O Lord, how sweet is Your Providence!  How good is Your mercy!  Ah! How happy is this child to have fallen into Your fatherly arms, where he cannot but have good, wherever he is!”

 

Yes, my dear mother, for you must take great care to think of no other place than Paradise or Purgatory.  Thank God, there is no cause to think otherwise.  In this way, draw back, then, thus your mind, and afterward turn it to actions of love for Our Lord crucified.

 

And when you recommend your child to the divine majesty, say to God simply, “Lord, I commend to You the child of my womb, but much more the child of Your mercy, born of my blood, but born again of Yours.”

 

And then pass on: for if you permit your soul to dwell on this object, adapted and agreeable to its sense and to its inferior and natural powers, it will never be willing to tear itself away; and under pretence of prayers of piety it will give itself up to certain natural complacencies and satisfactions, which will deprive you of time to employ yourself with the supernatural and sovereign object of your love.  You must certainly moderate these ardours of natural affection, which only serve to trouble our mind and distract our heart.

 

So, then, my dearest mother, whom I love with a truly filial love, let us withdraw our mind into our heart, and bring it to its duty of loving God most solely; let us allow it no frivolous preoccupation, either about what passes in this world or in the other.   But having given to creatures what we owe them of love and charity, let us refer all to that primary, mastering love that we owe to our Creator, and let us conform ourselves to His divine will.  I am, very affectionately, my dear mother,

 

Your most faithful and affectionate child,

Francis

​

​

Back to Top

​