Salesian Literature

Letters on:

Overcoming Fear, Temptation, Failure and Discouragement

1. We must be patient as we seek perfection    ::    2. Have courage, for you have only just begun   ::    3. Be gentle and charitable to your soul

4. God loves greater infirmity with greater tenderness   ::    5. We must bear ourselves until God bears us to Heaven   

6. Self-love can be mortified, but never dies   ::    7. We must attain holy indifference   ::    8. Lean on the mercy of God

9. To change the world, we must change ourselves   ::    10. In patience shall you possess your soul   ::    11. Do not worry yourself about temptations  

12. We must not be fearful of fear   ::    13. Constrain yourself only to your serving God well   ::    14. True simplicity is always good and agreeable to God

15. We must do all by love and nothing by force   ::    16. Be then all for God

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12. We must not be fearful of fear

To a man fearful of judgement after death

 

Sir,

 

I am truly in great distress to know how much you have suffered in this severe and painful illness, form which, I hope, you will recover.  I should have had very much more pain if on every hand I had not been assured that, thanks to God, you have been in no sort of danger, and that you have begun to recover your strength, and are in the way of health again.

 

But what gives me more apprehensions now is that besides the evil you suffer through corporal infirmities, you are overcome by a violent melancholy.  For I know how much this will retard the return of your health, and indeed will work in the opposite direction.

 

It is here, sir, that my heart is greatly oppressed; and because of the greatness of the lively and extreme affection with which it cherishes you (beyond what can be said), it has an extraordinary compassion for yours.  If you please, sir, tell me, I beg you, what reason have you for nourishing this sad humour that is so injurious to you?  I fancy that your mind is still encumbered with some fear of sudden death and of the judgements of God.  Alas!  What a dreadful torment is this!  My soul, which endured it for six weeks, is very capable of feeling compassion for those who are afflicted with it.

 

But, sir, I must speak a little with you, heart to heart, and tell you that whoever has a true desire both to serve Our Lord and to avoid sin, ought not at all to disquiet himself with the though of death or of the divine judgements.  Although both of these are to be feared, still the fear should not be of that terrible and terrifying kind that beats down and depresses the vigour and strength of the soul, but should be a fear so mixed with confidence in the goodness of God that by this means it becomes gentle.

 

And we should not, sir, doubt whether we may trust in God when we find it difficult to keep from sin, or when we imagine or fear that in occasions and temptations we may not be able to resist.  Oh, no, sir; for distrust of our strength is not a failure of resolution, but a true acknowledgement of our misery.  It is a better state of mind to distrust our own power of resistance to temptation than to consider ourselves as sufficiently strong and safe.

 

Only we must take care that what we do not expect from our strength, we do expect from the grace of God.  Hence, many, with a great consolation, have promised themselves to do wonders for God, but, when it came to the point, have failed.  And many who have had great distrust of their strength and great fear of failing on trial, when the time came have suddenly done wonders, because this great sense of their weakness has urged them to seek the aid and succour of God, to watch, to pray, and to humble themselves, so that they may not enter into temptation.

 

I say that if we feel we have neither strength nor ever any courage to resist temptation if it presented itself at once to us (provided that we still desire to resist it and we hope that if it came, God would help us), and if we ask His help, we must by no means distress ourselves, since it is not necessary fro us always to feel strength and courage.  It suffices that we hope and desire to have it at the time and place.  It is not necessary to feel in ourselves any sign or any mark that we shall have this courage; it is enough that we hope that God will help us.

 

Samson, who was called “the strong,” never felt the supernatural strength with which God helped him except at the actual times; and hence it is said that when he met the lions or the enemies, the spirit of God came upon him to kill them (Judg. 14:6, 19; 15:14).  So God, who does nothing in vain, does not give us strength or courage when there is no need to use them; but at the necessary time nothing is wanting.  Hence we must always hope that in all occurrences He will help us, if we call upon Him.  And we should always use the words of David, “Why are you sorrowful, my soul, and why do you disquiet me? Hope in the Lord” (Ps. 41:6; RSV Ps. 42:5), and his prayer, “When my strength fails, O Lord, forsake me not” (Ps. 70:9; RSV Ps. 71:9).

 

Well, then, since you desire to be entirely God’s, why do you fear your weakness, in which you are not to put any sort of trust?  Do you not hope in God?  Ah! “He who trusteth in Him, shall he ever be confounded?” (cf. Ecclus. 2:11; RSV Sirach 2:10)  No, sir, he shall never be.  I beseech you, sir, to quell all the objections that might arise in your mind.  You need make no other answer to them save that you desire to be faithful on all occasions, and that you hope God will make you so.  There is no need to test your spirit, to see whether it would or no.  These tests are illusive; many souls are valiant while they do not see the enemy, who are not valiant in his presence; and, on the contrary, many fear before battle, to whom the actual danger gives courage.  We must not fear fear.

 

So much on this point, sir.  Meanwhile, God knows what I would do and suffer to see you entirely delivered. I am

 

Your very humble and affectionate servant,

Francis

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