Beloved in Christ Jesus,
Having been requested by your and our lord Count Ioanfrancesco to write a few words to Your Graces, I write to you in the name of our Savior so that you may strive to taste and know how good and sweet our Lord Jesus Christ is; who, although he does not want us to walk the broad path of sin, nonetheless does not demand of us such strict consciences that we would consider every splinter to be a beam. Our Savior delights in a serene, tranquil, and peaceful conscience, one that so hopes in His goodness and in His blood that it believes our minor sins are easily absorbed by His compassion.
And though He desires that we guard ourselves from sinning even venially as much as possible, He also takes pleasure in knowing that when man falls due to his fragility, he does not grieve to the extent of losing his tranquility of mind, and instead, immediately reflects on His great sweetness and says: "My benevolent Lord will satisfy for me"; always maintaining a good resolution to serve Him with an upright heart. For, whoever is overly scrupulous in every matter shows a lack of trust in divine goodness, which requires of us only that which we can do. While we cannot remain entirely without venial sins, to then consider those venial sins as mortal sins is to trouble oneself and to make the Christian life a servitude, which by God's grace is maximally free, turning the law of love into a law of fear.
Give your heart to our Lord Jesus Christ, forsake worldly affections, and truly serve Him with love, for He is such a lover that He is never angry, but rather seeks out those who do not love Him and continually renews His love with His bride. Thus, walk joyfully in His way, often contemplating eternal happiness, which He has prepared for His beloved. The grace of Jesus be with you. Amen.
Florentiae, 3 aprilis 1497.
Beloved in Christ Jesus,
Having been requested by your and our lord Count Ioanfrancesco to write a few words to Your Graces, I write to you in the name of our Savior so that you may strive to taste and know how good and sweet our Lord Jesus Christ is; who, although he does not want us to walk the broad path of sin, nonetheless does not demand of us such strict consciences that we would consider every splinter to be a beam. Our Savior delights in a serene, tranquil, and peaceful conscience, one that so hopes in His goodness and in His blood that it believes our minor sins are easily absorbed by His compassion.
And though He desires that we guard ourselves from sinning even venially as much as possible, He also takes pleasure in knowing that when man falls due to his fragility, he does not grieve to the extent of losing his tranquility of mind, and instead, immediately reflects on His great sweetness and says: "My benevolent Lord will satisfy for me"; always maintaining a good resolution to serve Him with an upright heart. For, whoever is overly scrupulous in every matter shows a lack of trust in divine goodness, which requires of us only that which we can do. While we cannot remain entirely without venial sins, to then consider those venial sins as mortal sins is to trouble oneself and to make the Christian life a servitude, which by God's grace is maximally free, turning the law of love into a law of fear.
Give your heart to our Lord Jesus Christ, forsake worldly affections, and truly serve Him with love, for He is such a lover that He is never angry, but rather seeks out those who do not love Him and continually renews His love with His bride. Thus, walk joyfully in His way, often contemplating eternal happiness, which He has prepared for His beloved. The grace of Jesus be with you. Amen.
Florentiae, 3 aprilis 1497.