ersion.
This exchange of letters, though rare, would occupy her mind
uselessly; instead of uniting her to God, she would perhaps fancy
she was doing wonders, when in reality, under cover of zeal, she
was doing nothing but producing needless distraction.--And here
am I, launched, not upon a distraction, but upon a dissertation
equally superfluous. I shall never be able to correct myself of
these lengthy digressions which must be so wearisome to you, dear
Mother. Forgive me, should I offend again.

Last year, at the end of May, it was your turn to give me my
second brother, and when I represented that, having given all my
merits to one future apostle, I feared they could not be given to
another, you told me that obedience would double their value. In
the depths of my heart I thought the same thing, and, since the
zeal of a Carmelite ought to embrace the whole world, I hope, with
God's help, to be of use to even more than two missionaries. I
pray for all, not forgetting our Priests at home, whose ministry
is quite as difficult as that of the missionary preaching to the
heathen. . . . In a word, I wish to be a true daughter of the
Church, like our holy Mother St. Teresa, and pray for all the
intentions of Christ's Vicar. That is the one great aim of my
life. But just as I should have had a special interest in my
little brothers had they lived, and that, without neglecting the
general interests of the Church, so now, I unite myself in a
special way to the new brothers whom Jesus has given me. All that
I possess is theirs also. God is too good to give by halves; He is
so rich that He gives me all I ask for, even though I do not lose
myself in lengthy enumerations. As I have two brothers and my
little sisters, the novices, the days would be too short were I to
ask in detail for the needs of each soul, and I fear I might
forget something important. Simple souls cannot understand
complicated methods, and, as I am one of their number, Our Lord
has inspired me with a very simple way of fulfilling my
obligations. One day, after Holy Communion, He made me understand
these words of the Canticles: "Draw me: we will run after Thee to
the odour of Thy ointments."[1] O my Jesus, there is no need to
say: "In drawing me, draw also the souls that I love": these
words, "Draw me," suffice. When a soul has let herself be taken
captive by the inebriating odour of Thy perfumes, she cannot run
alone; as a natural consequence of her attraction