St. Paul of the Cross on Retiring from the Active Life for Good

Today is the feast day of St. Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionists.  Here is a portion of a letter he wrote to a nun who had retired from the superiorship to devote the rest of her life to prayer.   Mother Maria Cherubina Bresciani was the recipient of a number of his letters over the years.  St Paul of the Cross was about 67 years old when he wrote this letter from San Angelo, June 16, 1761, from Volume III of the Letters of St. Paul of the Cross.  I was reminded of it earlier this week when someone mentioned her aging mother whose apostolate now is in saying the rosary many times a day, a lesson both in how God can use people greatly at any stage in life and at how each of us has a usefulness to God appropriate to our own state in life:

Most Reverend Mother:

. . . I bless and magnify the mercies that blessed God continues toward your soul.  I rejoice that His Divine Majesty has taken away the burden of superiorship so that you will be better able to give yourself to the holy leisure of contemplation.  A very clear sign of what I am saying is that strong interior touch of holy love and contrition that you mention to me.  That is truly a great grace which purifies your soul and leaves it disposed for the holy union of love with our good God.  You need to be very grateful to the Lord, humble yourself always more, and consider yourself as unworthy.  Meanwhile, do not lose time, and see that your places of delight are only three, that is, first, the choir; second, your cell; and third and most important, the interior temple of your soul.  Never leave this interior temple, but there in pure and naked faith adore the Most High in spirit and in truth; there, take your repose on the loving bosom of God in a sacred silence of faith and holy love; there, take your repose in peace; and, if your soul, all absorbed in God, wishes to rest with a gentle sleep of love, which God grants to his beloved, take that sleep, for in the holy sleep the wisdom of the saints is acquired.  Do not arouse yourself without the permission of your Divine Spouse.

. . . Let your one thought be to please God, to do all for his glory, to remain in the interior solitude of your soul, and I assure you that your renunciation of the parlors will benefit you much."