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exterior conduct. If you act with faith and religion, you will manifest yourself to your director with simplicity, telling him all you know, hiding nothing from him, disclosing to him your secrets and your most interior troubles, you will speak to him as to God, whom you would not wish to deceive, because He knows everything, even your most secret thoughts; you will speak to him as to God, that is to say, as to your father, with entire and absolute confidence, hoping everything from him, and abandoning yourself to him with the conviction that he will do what is best to enlighten you, and succour and aid in the conflicts or trials of your life. you You will submit to his will as to My will. You will not dispute with him. You will rely on his wisdom. You will be in his hands like an instrument gifted with intelligence to perform whatever shall be prescribed to it.

"Nevertheless, it is permissible for you, in certain cases, to offer an observation with all humility and deference, but you must always do so with the intention of not persisting and of following the will of your director after he has heard what you have to say.

"By acting thus, My daughter, your conduct will be irreproachable, it will be full of merit, and you will gain the reward I have promised to those who hearken to My word. I will come to you and I will make My

abode in you."

It was thus the Saviour Jesus bade me behave to my director. I do not know whether I have acted thus under all circumstances, but my most earnest desire is always to conform myself to this instruction. Yes, Monsieur, I wish to submit myself in all things to whatever you shall be pleased to advise or enjoin me. I desire to have no other will but yours.

As regards the candour or simplicity with which I may disclose to you all that passes within me, I assure you that my decided intention is to hide nothing from you, and if at any time I do not tell you everything it will be that I have forgotten it.

Permit me, Monsieur le Curé, my most revered father in our Lord Jesus Christ, to offer you all the sentiments of respect and filial piety, which the Saviour has enjoined me to entertain for you.

Your very humble and obedient servant,

MIMBASTE, 5th May, 1842.

MARIE.

LETTER III.

The qualities of a director.

MONSIEUR LE CURÉ,

The third instruction which the Saviour Jesus gave me was on the qualities of a director.

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"My daughter," He said to me, a director ought to show the way, consequently he ought to be prudent ; he ought to teach the truth, consequently he ought to be learned; he ought to fortify the supernatural life, consequently he ought to be full of charity.

"Prudence is the first quality of a director. Without prudence how could a director avoid the stumblingblocks which strew so thickly the path of life? How could he adopt the most appropriate means for arresting evil, avoiding sin, banishing tepidity, forming a piety at once sincere, solid, and firm? Without prudence how will a director be able to counsel souls

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Must he deal with

in all their varied circumstances? a sinner as he would with a person already advanced in perfection? with a weak soul, as with a soul full of vigour Without prudence he will be a false guide to the souls he directs; he will not show them the right way which leads to God.

"The second quality of a director is knowledge. Knowledge ought to be joined to prudence.

They

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are mutually a help and a succour to each other. director may have a certain rectitude of judgment, a certain natural wisdom, which will permit him in ordinary cases to be useful to the souls he directs, but, if he is not learned, will he not find himself impeded at evey step? Will he not be like a blind man leading another blind man, when both will fall into the pit? How will he be able to show the truth, if he does not know it himself? How will he be able to judge, if he does not know what judgment he ought to pronounce?

"It is to the director of souls that the Holy Ghost addresses Himself by the mouth of the prophet when he says: Be instructed, ye that judge the earth.'* Nothing is so necessary to a director as knowledge, for without knowledge he ruins others and ruins himself. Woe to souls that are directed by an ignorant man! Woe to ignorant directors of souls!

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My daughter, a director ought to be full of charity. He ought to live in the charity of God, that he may impart to others the life of charity. Charity makes him just, virtuous, zealous just, and by his justice permits him to labour for the justice of others;

virtuous, and by his virtue permits him to engage

*Psalm ii. 10.

and exhort others also to its practice; zealous, and makes him forget all else, so that he may think only of the salvation of souls. He does not think of his own advantage, his own happiness or peace. His repose is to weary himself in seeking the wandering sheep, and bringing it back to God; his repose is the salvation of that soul. He sacrifices himself, and his only desire is to sacrifice himself more and more in order to save souls.

"Such are the qualities of a director. Of himself he cannot be prudent, learned, or virtuous; or, rather, his prudence is only folly, his knowledge only ignorance, and his virtue only human virtue and without foundation. It is God who gives prudence. A director ought to ask it of Him every day in his prayers, in order that every day he may see it increase and grow to the profit of the souls which he directs. It is God who gives knowledge; above all, the knowledge of salvation. A director ought to ask it of Him in his prayers, in order that he may be always able to enlighten the blind whom he may find on his way. It is God who gives charity. A director ought to ask it of Him every day, that he may labour without ceasing for the salvation of souls, that he may communicate this virtue to them, and thus effect a perfect union between God and souls.

"All the qualities of a director are included in these three qualities. Happy are these souls whose director is prudent, enlightened, and virtuous ! Let them hearken to his voice; they will walk in the way of truth."

Such, Monsieur, were the three instructions which the Saviour Jesus gave me respecting a director. I do not know if I have omitted anything. I have

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repeated all I could remember, and as well as I could express myself.

Receive, Monsieur, the assurance of my filial obedience, and of the profound respect with which I am Your very humble servant,

MIMBASTE, 7th May, 1842.

MARIE.

LETTER IV.

The necessity of advancing in goodness. The motives and means of this advancement.

MONSIEUR LE CURÉ,

It was thus the Saviour Jesus spoke to me, or, if it be not He, it is some one whom I do not know and whom I cannot make known. I cannot say more, except that He has always the same voice, always the same features, and has held converse with me since the time I mentioned.

These are the words which He said to me: "My daughter, your life ought to be a life of progress in goodness and the love of God. It ought to resemble a light the brightness of which increases more and more. This is why, when I was on earth, I enjoined men not to look back but ever to go forward.

"I will show you the necessity of this progress. You have given yourself to Me, you have consecrated to Me your heart, your mind, your soul, all that is in you, all that belongs to you. You promised to love Me all the days of your life, and to use all your

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