List of points

Examine yourself: slowly, courageously. Is it not true that your bad humour and your gloominess, both without cause — without apparent cause — are due to your lack of determination in breaking the subtle but real snares laid for you — cunningly and attractively — by your concupiscence?

You want to hear all that I think of 'your way'? Very well, then…, listen: if you respond to the call, you will do your utmost in your work for Christ: if you become a man of prayer, you will be granted the grace necessary to respond and, hungry for sacrifice, you will seek out the hardest tasks…

And you will be happy here, and unspeakably happy hereafter.

You write: 'My joy and my peace. I will never have real happiness if I have not peace. And what is peace? Peace is something closely

related to war. Peace is a consequence of victory. Peace demands of me a continual struggle. Without a struggle I will never have peace.'

If you accept difficulties with a faint heart you lose your joy and your peace, and you run the risk of not deriving spiritual profit from the trial.

A visit to a well-known monastery. That foreign lady was moved to pity as she considered the poverty of the building: 'You lead a very hard life, don't you?' The monk's satisfaction was as obvious as his

reply was short! He seemed to be speaking to himself. 'You wanted it, brother, and you got it. Now it's up to you to keep it.'

These words, which I joyously heard that holy man say, I can only repeat to you with sorrow when you tell me that you are not happy.

You say of that friend of yours that he frequents the sacraments, that he is clean-living and a good student. But that he won't 'respond'; if you speak to him of sacrifice and apostolate, be becomes sad and goes away.

Don't worry. It's not a failure of your zeal. It is, to the letter, the scene related by the Evangelist: 'If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor' (sacrifice), 'and then come, follow me' (apostolate).

The young man also abiit tristis, went away sad; he was not willing to respond to grace.

Give thanks to God who helped you, and rejoice in your victory. What deep joy you feel in your soul, after responding to grace!