CHAPTER XXXIX.

How he drew light-minded persons to God, and comforted those who were in suffering.

THE Servitor had once been a long time without sending any message to his spiritual daughter. Upon this she wrote a letter to him, telling him that she was in great need of a message from him to cheer her suffering heart, 186and adding:—The poor find a little consolation when they see those who are poorer than themselves, and sufferers draw a little courage from healing that some among their neighbours have been in greater straits than they are, and have been helped out of them by God.

The Servitor wrote thus to her in answer:—In order that thou mayest be more patient in thy sufferings, I will tell thee for God’s glory something about suffering. I know a man on whom by God’s appointment there fell cruel sufferings in regard to his good name in this world. This man’s unceasing desire was to love God from the very bottom of his heart, and to win all persons to the same love of God, and to withdraw them from all vain affections; and he brought this about in the case of many, both men and women. Since, however, by doing this he estranged from the devil those who had been his, and brought them back to God, the evil spirit took it ill, and appeared to certain holy persons, and threatened that he would avenge himself on the Servitor.

It happened once that the Servitor came to a monastery belonging to a certain Order in which the religious men are accustomed to have a special dwelling-place for themselves, and the 187religious women of the Order likewise a special dwelling-place for themselves. Now in this monastery there were two religious, a man and a woman, who were bound to each other by closest ties of great affection and hurtful intimacy; and the devil had so disguised it to their blinded hearts, that they looked upon the misdeed as if it were no fault or sin, but a thing permitted to them by God. When the Servitor was privately asked whether they could go on in this way without being in opposition to God’s will, he answered:—No, by no means; and he told them that their view of the matter was false, and contrary to Christian doctrine; and he succeeded in making them leave off their intimacy, and live thenceforward in purity. Whilst he was occupied about this matter, a holy person named Anna was rapt in spirit when she was at prayer, and she saw a great band of devils gathered together in the air above the Servitor, and they all cried aloud with one voice:—Death, death, to the wicked monk! and they reviled and cursed him for having driven them forth by his good counsels from that place which was so pleasant to them; and they all swore, with horrible gestures, that they would never let him alone until they had 188revenged themselves upon him; and that if they were not allowed to touch him in his person or his goods, they would at least inflict cruel in jury upon his good name and honour in men’s eyes, by laying shameful things to his charge; and, however carefully he might avoid giving any cause for it, they would by falsehood and cunning bring it about. The holy woman Anna was greatly terrified at this, and she be sought our dear Lady to come and help him in his impending straits. Upon which the kind Mother said to her lovingly:—They can do nothing to him without my Child’s ordinance. What He ordains concerning him will be the best and the most profitable for him. Bid him therefore be of good cheer.

When she told this to the brother, he began to feel great alarm at this hostile assembling of the evil spirits; and, as he often used to do in his distresses, he ascended the hill on which a chapel stands dedicated to the holy angels, and he went nine times round this chapel, according to his custom, saying prayers in honour of the nine choirs of the heavenly host, and he be sought them earnestly to be his helpers against all his enemies. Early that same morning he was earned in a spiritual vision to a beautiful 189plain, and he saw there all round him an exceeding great company of angels, who stood ready to help him, and they comforted him, saying:—God is with thee, and will never leave thee in any of thy straits. Cease not, then, to draw worldly hearts to the love of God. This confirmed him in his purpose, and he busied himself all the more diligently in bringing back both the wild and the tame to God.

He had succeeded by his good words in coming round a ferocious man, who had been eighteen years without confession. This man was inspired by God with confidence in the Servitor, and confessed to him with such great contrition, that they both began to weep. He died soon afterwards, and made a happy end.

He once converted twelve sinful women from their evil life. It is impossible to tell how much he suffered from them. In the end, however, only two of them persevered.

There were at that time up and down the country many persons of the female sex, both secular and religious, who from the frailty of their disposition had fallen openly into sinful practices. These poor women through shame dared not confess to any one their heart’s anguish; so that from agony and distress of mind 190they were often assailed by the temptation to destroy themselves. Now when these persons heard that the Servitor had a tender heart for all who were in suffering, they took courage and came to him,—each one at the time when her distress lay heavy upon her,—and disclosed to him their anguish, and the straits in which they were held captive. When he saw these poor hearts in such misery and suffering, he used to weep with them and console them lovingly. He often risked his good name in this world in order to help them to recover their souls and their reputation; and he let malicious tongues pass what judgment on him they pleased.

Among others there was a lady of high birth, whose contrition for her fall was very great. One day our Lady appeared to her and said:—Go to my chaplain; he will set thee right again. She answered:—Alas, Lady, I know him not. The Mother of Compassion replied:—Look here beneath my mantle, where I keep him under my guard, and note well his face, that thou mayest know him again. He is a help in need and a comforter of all who suffer. He will comfort thee. The lady came to the Servitor from a foreign land, and she recognised his face as she had seen it before in spirit, and she prayed him 191to bring her back to grace, and told him what had befallen her. He received her very kindly, and set her right again to the best of his ability, according as the Mother of Compassion had en joined him.