The grace of God and the peace of Jesus Christ be with you, most beloved sons, from God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, to whom I render unceasing and infinite thanks for you; because He has given you a heart and a soul in Christ Jesus, and a devout and ready will for His service, praying night and day that He may bring to perfection the work He has begun in you, in the confirmation of all virtues, so that you may become pillars of the Church of God and uphold His edifice, which, as you see, is weakening and falling into ruin.

Therefore, I beg you, by the compassion of Jesus Christ, not to falter in the face of temptations and tribulations, which are given to you so that you may become perfect, experienced, and strong to endure even greater hardships, so that, when the time comes, you may, as good soldiers of Christ, afford example and protection each one to another. It is necessary to endure continual interior temptations at length, and to fight against them valiantly, so that you may acquire true peace of mind, which is founded and rooted in the love of Christ through long exercise of virtue. For the peace of mind that is gained in this warfare is true and solid peace, which surpasses all understanding. The peace of the world is enjoyed by many idle and unwarlike souls, whose nature sleeps in sloth. This worldly peace, achieved through avoidance of spiritual warfare, is not true peace. But the peace acquired through labor and spiritual conflict is so great that it is neither disturbed by the alarms of war nor lost in the midst of battle; rather, when the time of tribulation comes, it awakens and gathers strength, and arises out of the very assaults of the enemy. It is thereby established, and finds its consolation in its own sufferings. Attend, therefore, beloved sons, to fighting manfully so that you may attain this peace which is the inestimable treasure of man and more valuable than than the entire world. Let us consider this: what do not men of the world suffer in order to acquire that which they cannot long keep and which, compared to the peace of Christ, is deserving of no account at all? How much more ought we patiently suffer, waiting for and expecting the light of Christ which gives peace and tranquility to those who are worthily prepared to receive it?

And though I am absent in body, I am nevertheless present with you in spirit! And with all my strength, I will assist you with prayers before God and our Savior Jesus Christ, also praying to His most sweet mother, the Virgin Mary, and our patriarch Saint Dominic, and our other saints, especially our beloved and most tender father, Blessed Archbishop Antonino with his holy company, that they may help and defend you from the wiles, deceit, and violence of your enemies, and make you grow in all virtues, especially in brotherly love, in loving one another and bearing with each other in sincerity of heart, without simulation, and with all simplicity and meekness, each one considering himself to be the least of all men, desiring more to serve than to be served, honoring each other as good servants of Christ, leaving behind every disordered affection, and lifting your heart to heavenly things. Continuously seek that which cannot be taken from you without your will; let your hope and consolation be entirely in Jesus Christ crucified.

Seek to understand and savor the words of our Savior when He said to Nicodemus: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Consider diligently the lover: God; consider the object of His love: the world, that is, the sinners of the world, the miserable mortals; consider the gift given as a pledge of love: His only begotten Son; consider how He gave Him: hung upon the wood of the cross; consider why He gave Him: so that we might not perish in hell, but have everlasting life; finally, consider how little He asks us to do: to believe in Him. To believe in Him is to lovingly tend toward Him. And what is easier than to tend toward Christ, if we desire to live well? For we hold it as a most certain fact, proved by long experience and wisdom, that everyone who truly loves Christ crucified lives virtuously; wherefore, as I have often said, although the faith of Christ is most true and assured, yet, were it possible for it to be in doubt or false, I would still desire to believe it, as long as I desired to live virtuously.

It is not difficult a matter to receive the gift of faith for he who desires it. For although it is a gift of God, nevertheless, we can easily prepare ourselves for it and, once we have obtained it, preserve it with the aforementioned reason. God, then, having given us the Son of His love, asks of us so little: Faith, Hope, and Charity, which, if we are but in the least bit prepared, He nevertheless gives us without our merits. O inestimable charity, O incomparable love! Truly, I care no more to consider anything else, nor to contemplate, savor, or love anything other than these words of the Savior; which are to me sweeter and more delightful than honey and the honeycomb, and to be preferred over gold, silver, and precious stones, and over the wisdom of the world together with all of its kingdoms and principalities.

Reflect on this day and night, and it will teach you the way of life, and make every bitter thing sweet. Pray earnestly to God, and insist on his mercy, that He may open your heart and His light may shine upon you so that you may penetrate these words: Blessed are those who are enlightened, and understand and savor these words. Many, by habit of hearing without savoring, due to the feeble light that they have, do not find comfort in them. It is necessary to meditate on them often, praying that God may comfort you with them, and to study and work diligently toward understanding the Holy Scriptures, which lead men to the understanding of the aforementioned words, and which should be frequented with purity of mind, silent contemplation, and unceasing prayer.

Flee from idleness, the father of all iniquity; for the wicked suggestions of the devil are unto the idle. Flee from the conversations of secular people and relatives, especially female relatives, for our enemies are those of our own household. Flee from gossip and idle words, and when you are together, speak of edifying things, proportioning grace to the listeners; flee from wandering around the convent, so that you are not like fish out of water. Delight in staying in your cell, reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating. Be constant and persevering in prayer.

Remember the blind man in the gospel of next Sunday, with what persistence, constancy, and perseverance he asked for bodily sight, despite the crowd rebuking him and telling him to be silent; and yet he cried out all the more. Thus, after his example, so you too must persevere with strength of spirit in asking Christ for spiritual light. And if the crowd of fantasies disturbs you, do not let this deter you from prayer; rather, cry out all the louder and with greater desire; for I am certain that if you persevere, as that blind man received corporeal light, so too will you receive that transcendent spiritual light whereby the way of Christ may be revealed to you, and you will be founded in joy and consolation.

I am always mindful of your tender charity and often speak of it with fra Basilio, my beloved son and our brother in Christ Jesus, who urges me to write to you out of the great love he bears for you; a love which burns ever more in him, for in these lands he finds no such sweet company as yours. Thus, we live very solitary, like two turtledoves waiting for spring to return, so that we may return to the warmer regions where we are accustomed to living among the flowers and joys of the Holy Spirit. For we have found here many good souls, and not in small number, but they do not live in such simplicity as is our custom. I do believe however that many of them will be recalled this simplicity of life quite easily.

Give thanks, my dear sons, to God. He has opened the eye of your intellect and prepared for you a way conducive to the spiritual life; for here darkness is everywhere spread, and many, though they have good will, do not at present know how to find the narrow way which, according to their readiness and fervor which I have seen, they will one day find and thereby advance.

Take care that you do not become lukewarm, lest perhaps there arise a new generation and it surpass you, so that this saying may not be fulfilled in you: The first shall be last, and the last first. For many have come to me seeking light and direction, already prepared to walk upon this path despite not having yet heard my voice as you have. How great, therefore, would your condemnation be were you to allow yourselves to grow tepid and be surpassed by these last! Remember often my admonition.

Unless I am hindered or something prevents me, I will write to you once a week, so that although I am absent, you may receive my exhortation every Friday which you are accustomed to receive when I am present. I will be brief because of the demand of the work of preaching, but it will be sufficient to remind you to observe those things which you have so often heard from me in person.

I know that my departure has been painful for you, but God has shown you mercy; He has kept you in hope until the last moment so that your sadness would not begin too soon and that it might be more tempered. Now I beg you, dear brothers, to detach your affection from every worldly thing: from men, and from me; for it is written: Cursed is the man who trusts in man; and though you love me for spiritual reasons, for the benefit of your own souls, and above all for the honor of God, grounding yourself in perfect charity, nevertheless, God has willed to test this love of yours to see if it is perfect, without any mixture of self-love. For if after my departure, each of you had recourse to God and were confirmed in His will, considering this to be better, and that without me, God will still govern and direct you, as long as you do not fail on your part, and not hoping more in man than in God, your love was well-founded. But if it seems too sorrowful to you, thinking you cannot live without me, your charity is still imperfect, and therefore, God has taken me from you for some time, so that you may learn not to place your hope in men.

Therefore, my dearest and most desired sons, my joy and my crown, I urge you to find comfort in the compassion of Christ and strive to surpass one another in humility and meekness and charity, in silence, in prayer, in study, and in contemplation. Pray to God that he provide you with good shepherds, and believe without a doubt that He will give them to you according to your heart and your need: quia potens est Deus de lapidibus istis suscitare filios Habrae (For God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones). I do not say this because I believe I will not return to you, but to show you in what consists the perfect charity of Christ, which is fixed on Him alone, hoping to be helped by Him alone and not by men. If you do what I commended to you at my departure, do not doubt my return, for God will desire to perfect the work He has been begun: Attingit enim a fine usque ad finem fortiter et disponit omnia suaviter (For He reaches from end to end mightily, and disposes all things sweetly). The works of God proceed slowly, with great strength and many contradictions.

I beg all of you to obey your superiors as you would Christ, and not to make comparisons between one and another, favoring one over the other, for spiritum ponderator est Dominus (the Lord is the Weigher of spirits). In simplicity as to Christ be subject to and in obedience to all, because they in fact hold the person of Christ, so that you serve God and not men. Let those who are older be humble and exemplary to the younger, and let them not disdain their company, remembering that the apostles were reproved by our Savior when they kept the children from coming to Him, saying to them: Sinite parvulos venire ad me: talium est regnum coelorum (Let the little children come to me: for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these). I exhort the younger to be respectful to their elders and not to swell with pride simply because they are in their company, but with all modesty, rather to feel a sense of timidity, speak little, and converse with reverence as if they were speaking with their fathers.

Bear with one another and let no one see the speck in his brother’s eye without considering the beam in his own. Let no one speak of the faults of his neighbor, nor listen to them. Let no one judge his neighbor, for the judgment of man is flawed.

May all the works of true and perfect love of Jesus Christ be among you, so that when I return, I may find you all filled with the Holy Spirit, and it may seem that you have not served to please me, and so that in you I may have consolation and rejoice among you in Christ Jesus. Do not cease to pray to God for me and fra Basilio, my beloved son and your brother, and for the persons here whom I mentioned.

Beware of ingratitude, for it is a scorching wind that dries up the fountain of mercy. I implore you to remain ever mindful of the benefits that God has bestowed upon you, especially for having opened your eyes to the knowledge of the inner man and for revealing to you that ceremonies do not bring salvation to men, but the grace of Christ and the renewal of the mind; to which a man prepares himself by purifying his heart of all earthly affections, electing instead to devoting himself to reading the sacred scriptures and the lives of the holy fathers in frequent meditation, fervent prayer, and contemplation. And so much more ought you to thank God and praise Him with ever more perfect works, for, among so many souls, He has especially enlightened you with the truth and the perfection of good living. Farewell, my beloved ones.