Letters of St. Gaspar: April 2004 Archives

Letters 1751-1800 are online here.

All the letters can be found here.

Wading through the letters is a wonderful exercise. Many letters deal with some mundane matters but they serve to place this saint here on earth and to see how he dealt with temporal matters. But occasionally you stumble upon a letter of spiritual direction that has some pretty remarkable stuff in it.

The following was part of letter 1772 written in 1828 to Fr. Betti.

Anybody who has ever experienced spiritual dryness can benefit from number 4:

Link from last year.

Letters 1401-1450
Letters 1451-1500
Letters 1501-1550

Let me know if you find any gems in these.

I had some other letters already up, so now I am up to letter 1750, and they can all be found here.

Letters 1351-1400 are now on-line

A brief chronology of the life of St. Gaspar Del Bufalo

Letters 1301-1350 are now on-line.

The rest of the letters are here.

This little gem from letter 1309

Is God with us in this effort or not? Do you suppose that the devil is pleased to see the clergy dedicated to the glories of the Crucified Lord? After all, that is why we are priests, to apply the merits of the Divine Blood. "You have redeemed us, O Lord , in your blood" and also "making for our God a kingdom at priests." Therefore, wishing to bring about the reform, it was necessary to begin this great work, starting with the sanctuary. This is what God wants; then, the rest will follow. Workers are needed everywhere.

Letters 1251-1300 are now available on-line.

Here are some selection from this set:

Letter 1294 to Sister Maria Saveria di S. Agostino:

Hope in the Lord, says the Prophet, ... act manfully ... Are we not serving a loving God? Look at your own soul and you will see that fear is born from the desire to please God. Love your vocation and never cease yearning to perfect it. So, let us trust in God and strive to serve the Lord moment after moment and never be doubtful of eternal salvation. When contrary temptations arise, always say: "I love and I want to keep loving God". I add nothing further.

And this little tidbit on the arrangement of a mission from letter 1290

1. It is understood that the Mission is to last 15 days.

2. There will be two Missionaries: misit binos; by my calculations I cannot promise more. One will teach catechism and one will do the preaching; have no doubt, it will be handled well. The economical use of time is crucial. Misit binos; let us trust in these words, and especially in the universal Jubilee; at another time, I would make other calculations.

3. The Missionaries' are to have the greatest possible freedom in their place of residence. They will bring along a Brother in service who will assist them and, it is understood, they will lead a religious life iuxta regulas.

4. See that the platform is quite spacious.

5. Ask for the faculty of adding the Collect "pro petitione lacrymarum" to the Mass.

6. At the time of the sermons, all the taverns are to be closed etc. Oh! the good work that will be done. More when we see each other in person. I kiss your hands. With all esteem and respect, I remain, in Jesus Christ Crucified.

The other letters available on-line may be found here.

I am still slowly, but surely, putting all the letters of St. Gaspar del Bufalo on-line. I prepared letters 1201-1250 this morning.

Letter 1202 has this little gem:

Aridity in prayer is ordained by God so that we might recognize that: Our soul, for you like the earth without water. God sees that our intent is to serve him and love him, so as to enjoy him eternally. He, who has begun the work in us, will bring it to perfection. He who began the work will complete and will confirm it.

Courage, therefore. There will never be a lack of crosses, for we are even crosses to ourselves. Our holy religion, however, is the great balance that shows us how to govern ourselves and make our wills consonant with the supreme will of God.

The Letters of St. Gaspar can be found here. Click on Documents. Letters are in pdf format.

St. Gaspar's Letter to you on Wednesday of Holy Week. You will need an Acrobat Reader. If you do not have one, go here.