That One Must Have Good Courage.
Light, though beautiful and desirable in our eyes, nevertheless dazzles them after they have been in darkness for a long time; and before one is accustomed to the inhabitants of a country, however courteous and gracious they may otherwise be, one finds oneself somewhat ill at ease there. It may therefore happen, my dear Philothea, that, at this change of life, several upheavals will take place within you, and that this great and general farewell which you have said to the follies and vanities of the world will cause you some sadness and discouragement. If this happens to you, have a little patience, I pray you, for it will be nothing; it is only a little bewilderment brought on by the novelty: wait, and consolations will soon come. Perhaps at first you will regret leaving the glory which fools and scoffers gave you for your vanities; but, O God! would you wish to lose the eternal glory which God will truly give you? The vain amusements and pastimes in which you spent the years gone by will present themselves to your heart to entice it and turn it back in their direction; but would you indeed have the courage to renounce the delights of Heaven for such deceptive trifles? Believe me, if you persevere, you will not be long in receiving such great and sweet consolations that you will recognize that the world has nothing but gall in comparison with this honey, and that a single day of devotion is worth more than a thousand years of worldly life.
Light, though beautiful and desirable in our eyes, nevertheless dazzles them after they have been in darkness for a long time; and before one is accustomed to the inhabitants of a country, however courteous and gracious they may otherwise be, one finds oneself somewhat ill at ease there. It may therefore happen, my dear Philothea, that, at this change of life, several upheavals will take place within you, and that this great and general farewell which you have said to the follies and vanities of the world will cause you some sadness and discouragement. If this happens to you, have a little patience, I pray you, for it will be nothing; it is only a little bewilderment brought on by the novelty: wait, and consolations will soon come. Perhaps at first you will regret leaving the glory which fools and scoffers gave you for your vanities; but, O God! would you wish to lose the eternal glory which God will truly give you? The vain amusements and pastimes in which you spent the years gone by will present themselves to your heart to entice it and turn it back in their direction; but would you indeed have the courage to renounce the delights of Heaven for such deceptive trifles? Believe me, if you persevere, you will not be long in receiving such great and sweet consolations that you will recognize that the world has nothing but gall in comparison with this honey, and that a single day of devotion is worth more than a thousand years of worldly life.
But you see that the mountain of Christian perfection is exceedingly high, and you say: Alas! my God, how shall I climb it? Courage, Philothea: when the little grubs of the bees begin to form, they are called nymphs, and then they cannot yet fly among the flowers, nor over the mountains, nor over the neighbouring hills, to gather honey; but little by little, feeding upon the honey which their mothers have prepared, these little nymphs grow wings and wax strong; so that at length they take flight and fly to the highest places. It is true, we are yet little grubs in devotion; we cannot climb according to our design, which is no less than to attain to the summit of Christian perfection; but if we begin to form ourselves by our desires and resolutions, soon wings will begin to grow upon us, so that one day we shall be spiritual bees, and fly quite at our ease. Meanwhile, let us live upon the honey of the many teachings which the saints have left us, and pray God to give us wings like the dove, that we may not only be able to fly during the time of this present life, but also to rest in the eternity of the life to come.