A Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer by St. Peter Alacantara

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A LETTER OF THE BLESSED FATHER FR. PETER DE ALCANTARA, TO THE HOLY MOTHER THERESA OF JESUS,
WHO DEMANDED HIS COUNSEL, WHETHER SHE SHOULD FOUND MONASTERIES WITH RENTS OR NOT.

The Holy Ghost give you his grace and love, &c. I received yours, delivered me by Don Gonzales d'Aranda, and am amazed considering your zeal and piety: in committing to the direction of learned lawyers, that, which is noways their profession, or belonging unto them: you should do well to take their advice concerning the deciding of a process, or of suits in law, and temporal affairs, but in that which concerns perfection of life, we ought to treat only with those who practise the same. For such as the conscience of every one is, such are his exercises and works. Concerning the Evangelical counsels, may I demand whether they be observable or no? For that the counsels of God cannot be but good, neither can the observance thereof seem difficult, unless to those who govern themselves according to human prudence, having less confidence in God than they ought. For he who hath given the counsel, will consequently give force and means to accomplish the same. And if your zeal and fervor draw you to embrace the counsels of Jesus Christ, observe them with the greatest integrity and perfection that you possibly can, seeing they were equally given to both sexes. It cannot be, but the same merit and reward will be rendered unto you, as to others that have truly observed them. And if there be seen any want or necessity in the monasteries of poor religious women, it is because they are poor against their wills, and not through fault of their vow of poverty, or following of Evangelical counsels. For I account not much of their simple poverty, but of their patient sufferance of the same for the love of God. But I more esteem that poverty which is desired, procured, and embraced for the same love. And, if I should think, or determinately believe otherwise, I should not hold myself a good Catholic. I believe in this, and in all other things taught by our blessed Saviour, and that his counsels are good and profitable, as proceeding from God, and though they oblige not to sin, they bind, nevertheless, that man to be more perfect that followeth them, than if he had not undertaken them at ail. I hold them poor in spirit, who are poor in will, as our Saviour hath said, and myself proved; however, I believe more from God than of my own experience, that those, who by the grace of God are with all their hearts poor, lead a life most happy, as confiding, and hoping in him alone. His divine Majesty give you light to understand this truth, and to practise it. Believe not those that shall tell you the contrary, for want of light and understanding, or for not having tasted how sweet our Lord is to those that fear and love him, renouncing for his sake all unnecessary things of this world, for they are enemies of the cross of Christ, not believing the glory which accompanieth the same. I also pray our Lord to give you this light, that you be not wanting in the belief of this truth, so much manifested; and that you take not counsel, but of the followers of Jesus Christ; although others think it sufficient, if they observe the thing they are bound unto, yet they have not always greater virtue and perfection by their work. And though the counsel be good, yet that of our blessed Saviour is much better, who knows what he counsels, and gives grace to accomplish the same, and in the end reward to those who hope in him, and not in rents and goods of the earth.

From Avila, this 14th day of April, 1562.

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CHAPTER X. OF HIS CONFIDENCE IN ALMIGHTY GOD's PROVIDENCE

His admirable confidence in the providence of Almighty God accompanied his rigid and Evangelical poverty, and it oftentimes miraculously appeared both at home and abroad.

He lived sometimes in the convent of Sancta Maria de Rosario, which is situated in a woody place, by the river Tentairis, six Italian miles remote from any company; at all times it was difficult to come to it, as the way was very steep and crooked, nevertheless it was a place of great devotion, whither the inhabitants of the country much resorted; but now, by reason of a great snow, the like of which was not seen in the memory of man, the monastery was so environed on every side, that the friars could not go out to get their victuals, neither could any come to them to bring provision. They cried to heaven to the Father of the poor, that being destitute of all human aid, he only, out of his infinite mercy, would be pleased not to forsake them. The holy Father desired them to go into the church, and kneeling down before the blessed Sacrament, to pray to God that he would put a remedy to their hard affliction. He with great confidence animated his brethren, saying — Be courageous, brethren. Almighty God will not be long, he will come without delay. He had no sooner uttered the words, but another most violent storm of snow fell so fast, that frustrated the hopes of all human assistance. But he that containeth not his anger long, did not delay to comfort his afflicted children. Behold! a little space after the storm was over, the porter heard the bell of the gate of the convent ring; he went to open the door, but espied nobody; he returned back again, thinking it to be the wind that had stirred the bell, or that his fancy seemed to hear the noise when he heard it not; checking himself with foolishness, that he could imagine, that it was possible for any one to come to the convent in so deep a snow. Whilst he was thus discoursing with himself, it rang again so hard that all heard it, notwithstanding there was a great wind. Then returning again to the gate, and opening it, he found a basket filled with new white bread, he looked about to see if he could espy any body, but no creature appeared, for it was a deep snow, where the footing of any person could not but appear. He left the basket, and with joy ran back into the convent, to cany the good news to the friars, who would not believe, until the holy Father commanded all the brothers to go in manner of procession, to see what Almighty God had done for his servants; when they came, they found all true, as the porter had related to them; but their benefactor did no where visibly appear. They arried the basket in, and after thanksgiving, refreshed themselves with the bread which the Father of heaven had miraculously bestowed upon them. Upon which they lived many days, until the extremity of the season was past, and they could go out to beg alms according to their custom.

Another time travelling in the extremity of the heat of summer, upon the mountain vulgarly called Sierra Morena, he, with his companion, grew so faint, for want of something to quench their thirst, that they were ready to sink under the burden of their tedious journey. He said unto his companion. Brother, let us betake ourselves to prayer, the only remedy to incline the God of mercy to take compassion upon our misery. Whilst they were upon their knees at prayers, from a thicket came running out a mad bull, which made towards them amain; they seeing themselves in this great danger of their Hves, betook themselves to flight, but the bull pursued them over hedge and ditch, hard at their heels, till at last he forced them to a place where there was a fountain of water; when they came in sight of that, the bull, forgetting his former fury, stood still like an innocent lamb, he breathed himself awhile, and went another way. But they admiring this great miracle of the Omnipotent, that sendeth his wild beasts to teach the poor, refreshed themselves, and went on their journey with alacrity, their souls more comforted with this unexpected benefit of Almighty God's providence, than their bodies strengthened with the water which they drank for their sustenance.

Having occasion to go from De las Lucuas to Del Pico, as he was on his journey it began to snow, which fell so fast that it was not possible for him to go forward or backward, so that he was enforced to remain the whole night in that extremity of cold and snow. But the fervor of his devotion, wherewith he implored the divine assistance, caused him to pass over the night without tediousness. But what was more admirable, behold! in the morning when it was day, one might see that the snow did not so much as touch or wet him, but it congealed over his head, in a miraculous manner, like a canopy, and on each side two walls of snow frozen in a curious manner defended him from the inclemency of the weather, as though he had been shut in a beautiful chamber.

These few miracles I have set down, collected out of many, which Almighty God hath been pleased to work by the means of his glorious servant, as testimonies, not only of many singular prerogatives of graces exhibited to this holy Father in his own particular; but also, that we, admiring the strange and unaccustomed manner of Almighty God's proceedings with this blessed man, the truth whereof being confirmed by many approved authors, may be incited to imitate his virtues, whom God hath honored with the grace of working miracles.

If thou shouldst object with Calvin, In Prcefat. histit, that the miracles of our saints in the Catholic Church, are partly feigned, partly diabolical, I answer, that the same thing the Pharisees objected to our blessed Saviour, that he cast out devils in Beelzebub the prince of the devils. Moreover, it is most devilish to blemish the integrity of the ancient fathers and saints, with such an impudent and foul aspersion, as those who wrote the lives of other saints, as Nyssens of Thaumaturgus, St. Athanasius and St. Jerome of St. Anthony, Severus of St. Martin, St. Gregory of St Benedict, St. Bernard of St. Malachias, St. Bonaventure of St. Francis, whose authority if we should deny, no faith or credit is to be given to any history in the world, which absurdity none but men out of their wits, or blinded with malice, will admit. St. Augustine confirmeth what I say. His words are these: "An dicet aliquis ista falsa esse miracula, nee fuisse facta, sed mendaciter scripta? Quisquis hoc dicit, si de his rebus negat omnino ullis litteris esse credendum, potest etiam dicere nee Deos ullos curare mortalia." De Civit Dei, l. 10, c. 18,