Page 23 - LETTER 1829_1830

Dear Lucia, how fortunate you are! ... For charity’s sake,
be you at least there to comfort the beloved Jesus who is
continually receiving countless offences. Comfort him with
your love, your fidelity, your loyal service: do what you can,
also, to obtain mercy for the unfortunate who offend Him. But
be especially kind to Bortolamea, your friend and sister. One
thing I tell you: I find myself in dire need of your charity: I
greatly fear that I may be contemptible in God’s sight; At every
moment I seem to see myself forsaken by God and so falling
headlong down a precipice. This time you must simply be a
sister to me and pray with all your heart to God that if he
foresees that I am about to stray from him, he may give me at
once a sincere sorrow for my sin and then make me die
immediately. This thought weighs really heavily on my heart,
and I have a dreadful fear that it may come about. What gives
me a sweet hope, though, is the union and charity that you have
towards me, and so I hope that your merits will keep me up.
There is another kindness I want from you. Since we
have agreed to ask from Jesus Christ the conversion of some
soul every time the clock strikes the hour, I beg of you that at
the sound of midday you ask from Jesus Christ the perfect
1
conversion of all the girls of my Oratorio and at 2 p.m. to ask
from him my sincere and total conversion. The same thing I,
though unworthy, will do at the same time for your Oratorio; for
you, I will ask from Jesus the sublime heights of holiness.
This time I am bent on tiring you out with my lengthy
letter.

1 See footnote pg 55.

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