From Sister Marie‑Dosithée to Mr. and Mrs. Guérin. March 31, 1873.
Source: autograph fd 20,5 X 13,2 cm.
V. + J.
From our Mother of Le Mans
March 31, 1873
My dear brother and my dear sister,
I have just learned of the misfortune that has just happened to you (on March 27, M. Guérin's drugstore was destroyed by fire): Zélie wrote to her children and sent your letter to them in hers, those poor children were appalled, they have such good hearts and love everyone so much. Poor little Pauline was so pale that I thought she was sick. I reassured them by telling them that you weren't hurt and that no one was hurt. It is true that in your misfortune, we have many thanks to give to God, because unfortunately accidents could have happened to you, to you or your children and that would be another matter! And I have yet another consolation, that is to [lv°] see your resignation: you are right and believe that you will be blessed, the Lord is sometimes pleased to test his own and to see their fidelity. It is a sight that delights him as he once gloated in his servant Job. “Have you seen, he said to Satan, Job my servant, there is no such on earth Job 1, 8, and this envious and proud spirit dares to answer him: “Is it astonishing that Job serve you, you fill him with wealth, he has a beautiful and numerous family, everything is prosperous for him, but if you weighed your hand on him, you would soon see him curse you. And he received permission to afflict him as you know, misery, poverty and plagues were his lot and in the midst of this terrible disaster which is certainly without example he blessed God, and he received twice even from this life what he had lost.
So my dear friends, you are right, continue to receive as from the hand of God everything he sends you, nothing comes out of his heart so good and so merciful as by an excess of love. Oh, if we were truly convinced of this truth, evils [2r°] would no longer seem evil to us, as indeed they are not, for God only does us good and that which thwarts all our desires and our little views human beings are for us great goods which later will make us bless infinite mercy, believe it well because I foresee many troubles and setbacks, receive this very slowly, and reorganize yourselves as best as you can, abandoning yourself to the gentle Providence of your Heavenly Father who watches over you, his dear and beloved children: you will see that he will still make your little affairs prosper, I hope so, for I can clearly see that he loves you; he has already sanctified you through illness, through a loss that was very painful to you (the death of little Paul at birth), and now it is in your possessions, so all these visits announce to you that you will be blessed in your people, in your children and in your business, but all this among the hassles of life you know that thorns come before roses, it must be the same with our life, after misfortune comes happiness and Lord never fails to bind up the wound he has made himself (Hosea 6, 1). [2v°] Dear friends, you know that I share all your happiness and your misfortunes, but I am not too sad about this accident, because I know that the good Lord loves you and will protect you, but serve him well, and believe me everything will be fine; I will pray a lot for you as you think. See how good NTH Mother (the superior Mother Marie de Chantal Fleuriot) is, she enjoined me today to write to you as soon as I received the letter, although in Lent.
Farewell and good luck, take advantage of this cross it is an opportunity that will probably never come back, we can on these great occasions rise to great virtues. I kiss you with all my heart.
Sr. M. Dosithee Guérin
of the Von Ste Marie
D; S;B
