Epistle to Helena

[thesmellypocket 1859]

I.Preface and Greeting.

 

From the Priest, who was called Malgath, and is reborn in the Waters of Gamesh as Pius, to the church which is at Helena, greeting. These few months I have been away from thee, but thou remainest pressed close to my over-stony heart, and the love which thou, the Helenan church, bearest for me, is enough to melt even that remote, bedrock, forbidding wasteland on which God has deigned to pour forth the grace of Ordination. It is for the salvation of a very dear soul that I am away, but I thought it would profit you all to hear my words, not because I am an excellent writer but because I convey a necessary teaching, and I know that because I write with love, God will grant me the necessary words, all-merciful as He is. What I wish to preach to you is what I called The Little Way of Holiness. That is, holiness in your daily lives.

 

II.Holiness is not Something for Priests Alone. The Universal Call.

 

Often-times we call the Priesthood ‘Holy.’ We call it holy, for it proceedeth from Almighty God. The Scriptures say that the two High Priests were charged to “instruct their brethren in the path of holiness.” (Gospel 3:4) In what consisteth holiness? Does it consist in saying many prayers? Does it consist in theological knowledge? Consisteth it rather in many outward acts? Whilst these things are doubtlessly of the highest use, they are not, in themselves, holiness. In what then, dost thou consist, O holiness? If we call that which cometh from God “holy” (cf. Virtue 1:8), then holiness can be called closeness to God. And Who, or what, is God? It has been said by divers Pontiffs and Doctors: Deus Caritas Est. Viz., God is Charity,or rather, God is Love. Harren fasted for two days in the holy waters of Gamesh, and yet, because he did it not out of love, it was rather condemnation to himself than blessing (Gospel 3:54-55.) Holiness consisteth not, therefore, in great deeds. Holiness consisteth in great Love. To this effect, the Angelic Doctor hath told us “One act of love surpasseth a thousand outward acts of charity.” (On Charity.) 

 

Therefore, holiness is not to be considered something remote. It is not to be considered the realm of priests alone, for indeed, the Scroll of Virtue came before the Sacred Priesthood, and hence, we were called to perfection before any man was called to Priesthood. The Priesthood existeth to sustain the holiness, the holiness existeth not to sustain the Priesthood. Nor is holiness to be relegated to the remote catalogues of the canonised Saints: the glorious chivalry of St. Edmond, the wonderful almsgiving of St. Catherine, or the inspired theology of St. Jude. God is not calling a remote and tiny class to perfection. God is calling each one of us to perfection. God is calling thee to perfection. He is calling thee to be a Saint. Not by great deeds, but by great love!

 

III.On the Little Way of Holiness.

 

God is infinite goodness. He is outside of space and time, since He created them. He “breathed” into each one of you the supernatural life of the immortal soul, a treasure-trove of virtue, almost a microcosm of the universe itself. (Virtue 2:7) It therefore follows that all things, all nations, all peoples, all deeds, all gifts, all intellects, all wills, all Angels, all powers, all principalities, and everything, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, the Just and the Wicked, the large and the small, are to His infinite power less than an atom. For in that same Canticle of Charity we read: “Ego feci” (Virtue 2:4.) The Church interprets this, I created,  but a more literal rendering might be “I had it done, I willed, I gave My fiat; I made.” Hence God created the world with a mere Fiat of His will, and if He can so create all things with ease, so it follows he could remove all things by this same Fiat. 

 

Since all things are less than an atom to Him, and He is outside of space and time, it can be said that nothing is small in the sight of God. Hence it is, that if a small deed is done with great love, it will, as the Angelic Doctor told us, count for more than a thousand outward deeds. As a little diamond surpasseth a great slate, so does the little deed of love surpass the great deed without it.

 

Therefore, you should not imagine that holiness is a remote thing reserved and relegated for the canonised Saints and them that give their lives in the Priesthood for Almighty God. Holiness is there, to be grasped at, and thou art called to it. Holiness is something to be found in your daily lives as wives and mothers, husbands and brothers, smiths and cobblers, able-men and hobblers, officers and troopers, foot-sloggers and coopers, fat ones, thin ones, lost your good limb ones, in short, there is no place in which holiness, that is, the love of God, cannot be practised. There is no state of life in which you cannot become Saints. For I reckon that the canonised Saints who did great deeds, will, at the consummation of the ages, be shown to be a tiny minority of the Saints in heaven. Dwarfing them in numbers will be the great Lovers of history, those who did small deeds which attracted no fame, but delighteth God alone. Wherefore the Angelic Doctor saith: “love God above all and you shall be rewarded in His kingdom forever.” (On Love.) Therefore, obtain ye the love of God, and live in it in your own lives. This practice I call The Little Way. 

 

IV.Practical Ways of Living the Little Way. 

 

But how do we obtain this love, Pius? I give you some practical ways. First of all, you must pray. Pray without ceasing. How do you do this, when we are absorbed in our work? Well, we simply turn this work into prayer. Say, before any work, “I offer this work for love of Thee, O my God, and I desire Thy will to become my delight.” Knowing that God controleth all things and hath ordered all stations in life for His sovereign glory and our own good (Virtue 6:6), it is God’s will that you are where you are (assuming you are not doing sinful things), and therefore when you do your menial tasks such as cooking dinner for your husbands, you will be doing the will of God. And if you ask God to make doing His will your sole wish and consolation, you will do deeds with great love, and you will become a Saint and gain perfection in all the virtues. Therefore, say often and constantly, “O will of God, be Thou my delight!” These kinds of short prayers are called ejaculatory prayers, and you should say them often, and silently in your hearts, before any deed.

 

It is important that you do set aside time, however, in your day, for silent prayer. God called Owyn to an empty cave, not to a great city, and it was there he knelt and prayed. (Gospel 4:19) Why saith the Scripture, that it was a cave? Because a cave is silent, isolated; alone. God created a wonderful creation, but it was in our own interiors the true “garden of abundance.” (Virtue 2:7) It was in silence that the voice of God was heard. In silence, we withdraw from worldly distractions and allow the wealth of virtue planted within us - our soul - to interact with the God who so lovingly planted it within us. Therefore, seek silence and withdrawal for at least half an hour a day. 

 

The third aspect of the Little Way is frequent Confession, at least once a year, which is the minimum requirement of the Canonist according to Canon Law. (C.I.C.D.P., 3.3.1.1.) Confession, or penance, apart from Baptism, is the most wonderful of the Sacraments. As God created the world by this Fiat, so by His Fiat pronounced through his representative, all your sins are washed away in the waters of Gamesh; your baptismal innocence is regained. What an unfathomable thing! Without frequent Confession, it is impossible to become a Saint. Examine your consciences regularly according to the method of Saint Jude, expounded by Ven. Humbert.

 

Finally, we must obey the orders of them that are set above us, provided they (that is, the orders, not the persons) are not sins. We must see in the order of the superior such as a father or mother, a husband, a commander, or a Bishop, the will of God. For God ordered all our stations, and gave that person authority over us. (Virtue 6:6) Therefore, it is His will that is being enacted through this superior. The problem with disobedience is that we do not show this great love of God, because we set our own will above that of God. If we love and trust God, we trust that His will being accomplished, even at the cost of great hardship, will be for our perfect good, since that He is infinite goodness Himself, and it cannot thus be otherwise. Therefore, in order to love God above all things, we must live out this holy obedience. Be humble. 

 

If you try to practice this fourfold Little Way with sincere hearts, you will become Saints. 

 

V.Conclusion and Blessing. Appeal for Prayers.

 

I implore and beg thee, O Helena, to do thy first little deed of holiness and love to me. That is, I beg of you all to pray for me, for I am engaged in a vital mission which concerns someone at the risk of everlasting death. Therefore, pray for me, and pray for her, for we have this one thing in common: we are great sinners. Pray without ceasing for us, and for all priests, and, I assure you, I will know more from experience than from your assurances that you have been praying for me.

 

I have come to realise that my love, my glory, and my hapiness, consist entirely in being loved by God. And so it is with all of you. Therefore, allow nothing to distress you, because no earthly event can o’ershadow the love that God has for you. The only thing that can separate you from God, is sin. Therefore, sin not, and do not worry about anything. For if God is with you, who can be against you?

 

 May Almighty God bless you, now and forever. I remain your humble servant,

 

Father Pius of Sutica, Priestly Fraternity of Saints Jude and Kristoff.

 

APPENDIX. This letter, which I wrote to a Crusader, gave me the idea to write this Epistle, or rather, God through it. It was also occasioned by the sickening errors of the Liberals and secularists, who wish to overthrow the harmony of Church and state, and hate the word obedience, and who claim that they serve God alone, whilst hating His representatives and despising their Edicts, thus showing themselves hypocrites. For if they trusted God, they would trust also that He had made the correct choice.

 

"If you desire final pervserance and humility, attribute everything you have to God. When you see a criminal being hanged, repeat with Ven. Humbert "there but for the grace of God, I go." Recommend yourself fervently to God. All He desires is loving obedience, not great deeds. The deeds are His work,,done in you through this loving obedience, or perhaps it is His will you do not great deeds, for just as a gardener has little flowers and great buds, so it is with souls: some do little deeds with great love and are therefore small but beautiful. In any case, nothing is small if it is God's work, for He is outside of space and time and counts only in the currency of love.

 

Above all, let nothing distress you. Let nothing afear you. God alone suffices. All is changing. God alone remains."

[JoanOfArc 4604]

“Beloved Saints Jude and Kristoff, our hope and deliverers, protectors of knowledge and the priestly orders, we ask for your intercession over us. The Grand City of Helena is stained with sin and yet we two are drowned in it. You see the toil and task we must complete, one of which we are unable to bare alone. Lend us your hands to turn the Holy Mother Church towards the Holy Immortal and pray that the Great Physician of our souls may have mercy on us. Chase away our fears and our pains. Help us, o great Saints, and save our souls.”

 

Fr. Griffith of Gwynon prayed with his confessor and beloved brother, Fr. Pius of Sutica.

[Lojo613 1882]

“May the words of this Epistle guide the lost sheep back to the flock. GOD is Love, and following the advice of Pius shall lead to a life filled with GOD, and therefore, Love.” Goren says, crossing himself “Sancte Iuda” he prays “Ora pro nobis.”

[BenevolentManacles 2232]

A crusader observes and contemplates the Epistle, his hand on his cheek. In the deep night, lit by candle, Philip kneels before his bed and signs the Lorraine, praying that this word reaches the ears of the people of Helena, and brings them closer to the Lord.