Oh, Saviour of my soul! how blessed it will be for her if she persevere! I exhort all our dear novices to constancy, and I beg of them to take my word for it, that their peace will be perfect if they hold fast without swerving to the observance. May they forget themselves and all things else in order to achieve thoroughly this one thing, which is of so much importance. If they aim at it always faithfully and humbly, it will bring them inestimable happiness.
Daylight is failing me, my daughter.
Your very affectionate
XXI.
To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.
Vive ✠ Jésus!
Annecy,
10th April, 1617.
My most dear Daughter,
I am sending you back our good Sister (Madame Colin). I see nothing in her that merits rejection. Her manner is a little dry, but that is natural to her, and I think she will improve, for she is most anxious to be gracious. She certainly seems to me to have, in the service of God, a well-directed heart, and a well-disposed mind. She will give you all our news and tell you about his Lordship, who, I feel sure, is altogether overworked. She has seen how he is overwhelmed with business. Grenoble was the last straw, on account of the endless letters it has entailed; they are too much for him. If only those ladies would have a little more consideration and confine their correspondence with him to what is useful, or to their spiritual needs! I am told that some of them will be visiting you. For God's sake see if through them you cannot discretely manage to curtail unnecessary appeals to him. You know how kind he is and how he never fails to send them a reply, although we are told that if he does not greatly retrench his correspondence it will have a very injurious effect on his health, and will shorten his days—days which are wholly at the service of God and his neighbour. This is a matter which it seems to me ought to concern everybody: so I am writing to Dijon, Chambéry, St. Catherine, and everywhere I can think of, to ask them to spare him as much as possible and only to write in cases of absolute necessity, or at least utility; for in such cases it cannot be avoided.