JMJT
Jesus
In Carmel on August 2, 93
My dear little Celine,
Your letter filled me with consolation, the way you walk is a royal way, it is not a beaten path, but it is a path that was traced by Jesus Himself. The bride of the Songs said that, not having found her Beloved in her bed, she got up to look for him in the city but it was in vain; after leaving the city she found Him whom her soul loved!... Jesus does not want us to find his adorable presence in rest, He hides himself, He wraps himself in darkness; this is not how He dealt with the multitude of the Jews, for we see in the gospel "that the people were taken away as soon as they spoke." Jesus charmed weak souls with his divine words, He tried to make them strong for the day of trial... But how small were the number of Our Lord's friends when He was silent before his judges!... Oh! what a melody for my heart that this silence of Jesus... He makes himself poor so that we can give him charity, He stretches out his hand to us like a beggar so that on the radiant day of judgment, when he will appear in his glory He may make us hear these sweet words: "Come, blessed ones of my Father, for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I do not knew where to stay and you gave me refuge, I was in prison, sick and you helped me. It is Jesus Himself who uttered these words, it is He who wants our love, who begs for it... He places himself, so to speak, at our mercy, He does not want to take anything without our giving it to him, and the smallest thing is precious in his divine eyes...
My darling Céline, let's rejoice on our behalf, she is so beautiful, let's give, let's give to Jesus, let's be stingy for others but prodigal for Him...
Jesus is a hidden treasure, an inestimable good that few souls know how to find because he is hidden and the world likes to shine. Ah! if Jesus had wanted to show himself to all souls with his ineffable gifts, no doubt not a single one would have disdained him, but he does not want us to love him for his gifts, it is himself which must be our reward. To find something hidden, we must hide ourselves, so our life must be a mystery, we must resemble Jesus, like Jesus whose face was hidden... "Do you want to learn something that will serve you, says the Imitation: Love to be ignored and counted for nothing...” and elsewhere: “After having left everything, you must above all leave yourself”; "Let this one boast of one thing, that one of another, for you only rejoice in self-contempt". May these words give peace to the soul, my Céline, you know them, but don't you know all that I would like to tell you?... Jesus loves you with a love so great that if you saw him you would be in an ecstasy of happiness which would give you death but you do not see it and you suffer...
Soon Jesus “will arise to save all the meek and humble of the earth”!...
