Frater Hieronymus, servus Iesu Christi inutilis, dilectis Dei Bononiae commorantibus.

Grace and peace to you from God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Having often heard, most beloved in Christ Jesus, of the zeal of your charity and your good works done in truth, through the light granted to you by the divine goodness, I have rejoiced; and I continually thank God, who has deigned to illuminate your minds with the way of truth. I also rejoice with you, for the light granted to you has not only not been extinguished, but has grown into a greater knowledge of our Savior and a deeper love of His inestimable mercy. This light has spread, and continues to spread, to ever more people.

I have been even more consoled to hear that you have not only stood firm amidst tribulations but that you bear them with patience, even joyfully embracing them. Beyond this, the tribulations and contradictions I have suffered in every place have not shaken your minds from the doctrine I preached to you, nor caused you to doubt our mission. Rather, you have become defenders of it amidst the nations of wicked men, among whom you shine like stars in the firmament in the midst of the black of night.

For this reason, I have often desired to write to you, beloved brothers, to console myself with you and rejoice in the heavenly blessings that the mercy of the Eternal Father has abundantly bestowed upon you. But I have never been granted the opportunity, as the enemy of the human race, together with his members, has always opposed us. And I believe this was God’s will so that this congratulation would be reserved for this day, on which our Savior was born, and the angels rejoiced with men, singing: Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Truly, I cannot express the joy I feel for you and for your spiritual progress. Last night, as I thought of you and prayed for you, though I am a sinner, and as I placed you before God and commended you to Him, a great inspiration came to my heart—not only to write to you but also everything that I ought to write.

Therefore, Gloria in excelsis Deo for all the gifts given to us by the Eternal Father through the merits of the Passion of our Savior, born today, by which He has called us out of the darkness of our sins and ignorance into His marvelous light, in which we come to know His glory and the majesty of His exaltedness, to which we hope, through His grace, to attain.

We were once like wandering sheep, who did not know their shepherd. But now, through His lively illumination, freed from our tepidity and iniquity, enlightened by His glory, and enkindled by His charity, we are disposed to follow our shepherd, who has given His life for His sheep.

And even if the shepherd walks the way of the cross, let us not fear such a path, for we cannot perish while following in His footsteps; and not only can we not perish, but neither shall our minds be troubled, for on earth pax hominibus bonae voluntatis (peace to men of good will).

The peace, I say, not the one that the world gives, which is no peace at all, as it is written in Isaiah: "Non est pax impiis, dicit Dominus Deus meus" ("There is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord my God"); but the peace that surpasses all understanding, which the world cannot give nor comprehend. This peace is brought today by the angels to men of good will, that is, to those who love God above all things and their neighbor as themselves, and who demonstrate their charity through their actions.

This peace, I do not doubt, has been granted to you by our Savior, for you are not troubled in tribulations, out of love for Christ and for the truth. Indeed, I see that your enlightenment is heavenly and does not proceed from human wisdom, which darkens the understanding of the lukewarm, but from that true wisdom, which satisfies the spirit, curtails the desires of the flesh, makes known the path of truth, and enables one to understand clearly that tribulations are good, useful, and necessary in the Church of God for many reasons.

First, for the glory of God, which is revealed in the tribulations of the righteous, because through them we come to know how great the power, wisdom, and goodness of God truly are.

His divine power is revealed in the tribulations of the righteous when God chooses the weak things and, through them, overcomes the strong. Thus, through the Fishermen, persecuted by the whole world, and through the tribulations of the martyrs and the holy virgins, He has triumphed over the mighty tyrants and the entire world. This power and virtue could not have been known without conflict.

His wisdom is likewise demonstrated in this, for through His Passion—which seemed foolish—and through the tribulations of the righteous, He has taught the whole world how to live well, far better and beyond comparison, than all the philosophers with their disputations and writings ever could.

This goodness is further demonstrated in how deeply it is loved by men, to the point that no tribulation can separate them from their love for it.

Secondly, tribulations are necessary for the salvation of every true Christian. First, because through them, a person is cleansed of sins and earthly attachments. When constrained by tribulations, seeing that the world persecutes them, they flee the world and turn to God as their true refuge. Secondly, because tribulations make a person prudent and wise, especially in divine matters. They reveal how great God's goodness and providence are toward His elect, as He does not allow them to perish but rather miraculously delivers them and enables them to overcome their adversaries.

Tribulations also lead a person to a perfect knowledge of themselves, as they come to recognize their own frailty through them, seeing that without God, they are nothing. In this way, they are preserved in the grace of God through humility, and their eternal crown is also increased.

Thirdly, tribulations are necessary for the Church for the salvation of the faithful who are to follow after us. By considering the tribulations of the righteous in the present, which by then will have passed, they will be strengthened in their faith and in good works. Thus, the blood of past martyrs greatly strengthens us in faith: for we do not doubt that if they had not been certain of our faith, surely such a great multitude of men and women would not have so joyfully endured such numerous and exquisite martyrdoms.

And so, by reading their histories and being confirmed in our faith through them, we praise and glorify the power of God in them, by which they confounded the philosophers and the wise of this world. We also glorify His goodness, which so enkindled their hearts with divine love that no tribulation could ever separate them from Him. Therefore, it is necessary that the benefit which has come to us through the sufferings of our fathers should also come to our children through our own tribulations.

Since tribulations are of such necessity in the Church, no one should be surprised if we, desiring to follow Christ by preaching His evangelical truth, endure many contradictions and persecutions. On the contrary, it would be far more surprising if we were free from such tribulations. Indeed, it would be a great wonder if, throughout all the ages of the Church, everyone who has sought to follow Christ has suffered tribulation and persecution, and we alone were exempt from them.

Truly, if this were the case, we would be members greatly unlike our Head. For it is not fitting that under a thorn-crowned and bloodied Head there should be a single delicate member. Still less is it fitting that a small and insignificant member should live delicately while the Head and the rest of the body are afflicted and in pain.

And so, most beloved, since you have neither been scandalized nor troubled by your own tribulations or ours, but rather have been more confirmed in the path that has been shown to you, it is a clear sign that you are truly enlightened by Christ and are counted among His members. Therefore, I exhort you to persevere until the end and not to fear the multitude of adversaries.

You well know that it is written: "Multi sunt vocati, pauci vero electi" ("Many are called, but few are chosen"). And against the captives, the Prophet says: "A paucis de terra divide eos" ("Divide them from the few of the earth"). Simply consider their way of life, and you will understand that it is no wonder they oppose the truth, for one contrary always strives against the other.

And if you wish to answer all their objections and overcome them in every way, strive to live a holy life, for one contrary drives out the other, and the more perfect one is, the greater strength they have over the other.

Thus, there is no argument stronger against human malice than the good life. It is this that enables one to speak effectively and causes perverse men to flee, as it is written: "Omnis qui male agit odit lucem, et non venit ad lucem, ut non arguantur opera eius" ("Everyone that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved"). The good life proves a person to be a friend of God and exposes all the deceptions of the devil.

Miracles, without a good life, avail little or nothing against the adversaries of Christ; but a good life, even without miracles, is immensely powerful to confound and overcome them. Thus, we see that wicked men, when they seek to destroy a righteous man, cunningly strive to defame him or accuse him of some sin. This is because goodness is so powerful that even wicked men lack the courage to oppose it openly. Instead, they seek to stain it with some blemish, so they may extinguish it with less shame. This was the method used by the scribes and Pharisees, who sought to find in Christ some fault—at least in appearance—so that they might justify putting Him to death.

But truth is of such a nature that the more it is attacked, the more clearly it reveals itself and the stronger it becomes; while iniquity, in the face of contradiction, grows weaker. Therefore, do not doubt, most beloved, that the words of God will not fall to the ground, but rather it is the bestial and carnal men who will fall, "quia omnis caro foenum, et omnis gloria eius quasi flos agri. Exiccatum est foenum, et cecidit flos eius. Verbum autem Domini manet in aeternum" ("For all flesh is grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field. The grass is withered, and its flower has fallen. But the word of the Lord endures forever").

Stand firm, then, in your resolve, and do not waver in the face of any tribulation; for experience shows that the truth and the good life always gather strength and grow in adversity, while they diminish and falter in luxury and without tribulations. Thus, if our adversaries wished to extinguish us completely, their strategy would be not to persecute or trouble us; for in idleness, virtue decays, but in war, it is made perfect.

Tyrants were the occasion by which the virtue of the martyrs became more perfect and was made manifest to the whole world. Likewise, heretics were the occasion for the holy doctors to better understand the Scriptures and explain them more clearly.

Now we must contend with the lukewarm and with false Christians, who will give us the occasion to better understand what the true Christian life is and will lead us to seek out the ways of old—the manner in which the Saints of the past lived and their simplicity, both interior and exterior—and we shall follow in their footsteps.

Thus, we shall have war with the lukewarm, who will claim that we are introducing novelties and that we wish to appear wiser than others, not realizing that what we do is ancient, not new, always observed by our forefathers, while their ways are new, never before practiced by the Saints of old.

Above all, beware of the flattery of these lukewarm individuals, who, not knowing the way of truth, place their trust—and lead others to place their trust—in external works and ceremonies, while lacking any charity, humility, or true virtue within. They praise poverty with their lips but refuse to endure the slightest discomfort, and they are greedier for possessions than any men in the world, without pity or mercy, hungry for glory, and enemies of the truth. They are like sepulchres, beautiful on the outside but full of filth within. They wage a continual and ruthless war against us because we have exposed many of their flaws so that the simple may not be deceived and led to eternal perdition by their deceptions.

And though their war against us is mortal and perilous, nonetheless, we must not fear, for the hand of our eternal Redeemer is with us. Your good life will be what confounds them, especially if you follow the simplicity of Christ, forsaking all the pomp of the world and all earthly affections, embracing His cross, which is the strength of our hearts, through faith and hope in eternal things, always remembering that this life is nothing, as is clearly demonstrated by the graves of the dead.

Do not fear, O lovers of Christ, the tribulations that are to come upon the earth, and especially upon Italy. Rather, rejoice, for your redemption is drawing near. Pray continually that the long-awaited days, desired by many saints, may soon arrive, so that you may freely serve Christ and labor in His vineyard for love of Him. Pray for us without ceasing, that God may grant us constancy in tribulations, cause His work to grow, and soon make us worthy of the promises made to us, to His praise and glory and for the salvation of His elect.

Greet all the beloved of God and our dearest friends, both men and women, on our behalf, in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. We continually pray for you, that He may deign to strengthen you in this light, multiply your holy company, and preserve you in His grace until the end. May the charity of God, the peace of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the consolation of the Holy Spirit always be with you all. Amen. In die nativitatis Domini.