CHAPTER 17 - FRANCE
“M y dear Bishop Francis,
“My heart is completely serene with the idea of founding a new monastic community which will devote a portion of its time to the sick and the poor and yet remain essentially cloistered. My friends and family, however, are not so at peace. Quite the contrary, I am meeting a great deal of resistance from most people. They think I am foolhardy not to marry as we have already established, but now they are concerned that I may be a bit eccentric even to consider the possibility of the lifestyle you and I envision. There are a few friends who have expressed some interest in our new community and may even be part of an initial foundation. Your thought of a little house near Lake Annecy sounds wonderful.
“My children, quite naturally, want me to spend as much time as I can with them. They have experienced many losses in their young lives already--loss of their father, loss of their home, and loss of the freedom and joy they experienced as younger children which, as you know, have all been replaced by the gloom and doom of my father-in-law's cavernous castle.
“I hope that my father-in-law will not cause too much trouble as I respond to God’s invitation and help to fashion this new community. I would put nothing past him. When we meet again I would like to discuss in more detail the schedule to be followed in the new monastery. I am also curious as to what sort of garb or habit you think ought to be adopted. Shall we chant the entire Divine Office in Latin? Permit me to share my feeling on that matter, if I may. It seems to me that if we are going to spend some time with the sick and poor, it may conflict with spending hours in the choir chanting, not to mention the studies it would take for us to learn the Latin, and then there is the practice time needed for singing it. The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a liturgical prayer form and follows the various phases of the day as does the longer and more complicated Divine Office. Might we consider chanting that in a simple fashion? Simplicity appears to be a key virtue for us.
“I am already wearing widow's weeds, as they are called. Perhaps some version of a widow or peasant garment would be appropriate as a habit. Listen to me, going on like this. Your desire to empower me must be taking root. May I always remember that any power we have is from God and to be used for the inner freedom of others.
“I meet with more and more resistance each time I leave here to meet with you at the bishop's residence. My heart is filled with courage, however, and I rejoice in this little bit of suffering that I must endure for the sake of responding to God's wonderful invitation. If only others can begin to understand the freedom that following this way of life is already giving me. I have much greater internal freedom just thinking about my new vocation than I have had living here, where there is the necessary food, clothing, and shelter provided. There are many kinds of poverty, and I believe that many people are poor and don't know it. Alternatively, many people who appear to be poor are actually very rich indeed.
“With joyful anticipation for our next meeting, I remain your devoted daughter in our Risen Lord,
Jane de Chantal”